"Luanshya - what a beautiful town it was! " a Luanshya Travel Page by Bwana_Brown

Luanshya, what can I say about this little mining town in the middle of nowhere in Zambia, Africa!? At 23 years old, I was invincible and had just graduated from university and suddenly here I was in fabled Africa - how could it possibly get any better?

I had the time of my life while living there, learning about and exploring this continent that I had read so much about but had thought that I would only ever experience through movies or books. Not only that, I became part of a championship softball team and the experience of living on another continent taught me to always pay attention to the people, animals, plants and everything around you. I had the most dangerous experience of my life during a break-in there (I think the guys were high on drugs) but also the greatest happiness, as I met and married my wife Susan - we are now coming up on 33 years of togetherness!

Previously, in New Brunswick, Canada, I had completed my 12 years of schooling followed by another 5 years of university to obtain my degree in Electrical Engineering. I had done what had to be done to get my 'piece of paper' and now I intended to see what 'real' life was all about! I was not interested in a Masters degree or the usual job offers that were available - my heart was set on Africa! Not having any actual job experience, I applied to the Canadian University Service Overseas volunteer agency, simply specifying that the job must be in 'Africa'. A couple of weeks later they told me I would be teaching electrical technology subjects at the Zambia Institute of Technology in Luanshya, Zambia - leaving in about 3 months time! That was exciting news!

This is just a flashback to what Luanshya was like way back then in the early 1970s - but we are hoping to return sometime soon!