I've arrived safe and sound here in Kitwe after what seemed a mammoth trip. Well, I suppose it was a mammoth trip! The plane left Gatwick on time at 9.15pm on Friday 21 August and arrived in Lusaka, the Zambian capital at 10am the following morning. Zambia is one hour ahead of Britain (although we'll be two hours ahead when UK clocks go back - our clocks don't change), so it was 12 hours just to get there. I was sitting with two other new teachers whom I'd already met, Ruth (German teacher) and Sharon (PE teacher). Patrick (an Economics and English teacher from Ireland) was also on the plane, although we didn't know that! Needless to say, I got no sleep. The plane stopped in Harare, Zimbabwe for an hour and about two-thirds of the passengers got off. Bizarrely, Harare is actually south of Lusaka.

Garth Grierson, the Head of Lechwe School, met us at the airport and guided us through the formalities. We had to wait until 1pm for our short flight to Kitwe, and so Garth treated us to drinks and a snack at the bar overlooking the airport runway. This sounds appalling until you realise that we only saw 3 planes moving in the hour and a half we were there! And this is Zambia's International Airport! Garth drove us over to the Roan Air hangar for the flight to Kitwe and then left us to drive himself and his family back.

The flight lasted about 45 minutes on an 18-seater plane. It was very exciting as we travelled at a much lower altitude than the BA flight. We all had window seats, and it was amazing to get this first glimpse of Africa from above. We were met at Kitwe by Joyce and Maureen, who run the school office, and Neil McCartney, the Head of the Senior School. Patrick was met by his parents, who live out here, and we were taken to our flats at Mzuri Court, across the road from the school.

My flat looks a bit bare at the moment, as I'm awaiting my belongings which were shipped separately (they should arrive within a day or so). It has large, high-ceilinged rooms without carpets, which would make it unbearable in the very hot weather in October (known locally as "suicide month" because of the soaring temperatures). I've got a lounge, bedroom, kitchen and bathroom, all of which are a good size. The grounds are beautiful and are tended by people employed by the school. The flats are in four two-storey blocks (mine's on the first floor), protected by the shade of a number of trees. The blocks are in a horseshoe shape and in the middle is a grassy area, a small swimming pool and a barbecue area (yet to be finished).

We had time to have a snooze and a brief look around before Joyce (who had dubbed herself the "Mundane Matters Expert" in a number of emails sent before I came out) took us over to Neil McCartney's house for a barbecue, or "braai" (rhyming with "dry") as they call it here (it's an Afrikaans word). He has a beautiful house with a big garden and we were treated to an excellent meal. However, he didn't cook it. This was our first experience of the domestic help which all of the school workers have. We're expected to have a maid to do our cleaning, washing and ironing. For this, people are paid around 60,000 Kwacha (Zambian currency) a month. This sounds a lot until you realise that there are 3,000 Kwacha to the Pound, so they're only getting £20 a month for working often six days a week. Shocking enough, but apparently this often supports about ten other people. However, if people did not employ them, they would have no income at all.

On Sunday 23rd, we were met again by Garth who took us to a nearby Dam for another "braai". This was a wonderful place with water-sports in the reservoir and the most enormous steaks I've ever seen! People don't swim in the reservoir, however, as it is inhabited by crocodiles… Most of the people relaxing there had some link with the school, whether pupils, parents, teachers or members of the Board of Governors.

Another thing to get used to is the water supply. We've been strongly advised never to drink the tap water and to boil it for at least five minutes before using it. Some people boil it for 30 minutes. The pressure is poor, and at certain times of day there is no water in the flats at all. Apparently, a Scandinavian company has recently established itself in the town and is promising to improve the water system, which has not been touched for decades.

On Monday morning, Maureen met us and took us into town. We opened bank accounts at Barclays and applied for a Connect card. My balance is nearly 500,000 Kwacha! Rich at last! We then went to a local hotel to phone home. The phones around the school area have not been working since Saturday morning. Apparently, at one point someone stole the cable, and at another point someone burnt through it. They've been working solidly to get it working, but to no avail. I'd promised to phone home before 6pm on Saturday, and everyone must have been wondering what had happened. Anyway, we managed to phone from the Hotel Nkana in town at a cost of about £4 for under a minute!

We came back and Joyce gave us a tour of the school. The buildings and grounds are wonderful, all on one level and surrounded by beautifully tended gardens. It has a fabulous outdoor pool and a running track, tennis courts etc. The Music room, along with other parts, looks a bit bare now as they're doing a lot of building during the holidays. We came back and cooked up some of the ingredients left as part of our "survival kit" to tide us over.

The real adventure of the day came on Monday afternoon. We decided to go back into town on our own in our car. It's a bit old and not exactly the height of luxury, but it does the job! The roads vary in standard from mediocre to appalling. There are huge potholes in many places, and you have to swerve from one side of the road to the other to avoid them. There's a joke that says that if you see a Zambian driving in a straight line, he's drunk! We had been told to go to the only good-sized supermarket in Kitwe, the wonderful Shoprite. We parked up, and immediately a boy of about 14 or 15 came up to offer to look after our car. We'd been told to expect this, and it's a good idea as it reduces the risk of a break-in. For this you pay the boy about 500 Kwacha (around 12p). We then went past the hoards of people outside the shop trying to sell us anything from tomatoes to toilet brushes. The selection of goods was surprisingly good, but prices varied radically from what we'd expect in the UK. For example, four chicken breasts cost only about £1 (very reasonable!) whereas a small jar of Nescafe cost about £6. There were people there to pack our shopping and to take it out and put it in the car. You don't get that at Sainsbury's!

On Tuesday (25th August) we went to see if there was any sign of our belongings, but they still hadn't come. We got some information on the school and then went into town again for a good look round. Shops vary from very smart and clean to very run-down and old-fashioned. We had a bite of lunch, and I tried Nshima. I didn't realise it, but this is the staple dish of Zambia, and so I asked what it was. The waiter was incredulous that anyone would not know this. It is made of ground maize, which is boiled until it becomes like dough. It is served hot with meat, chicken or vegetables. It arrived with a bowl of warm water but no knife and fork. When I asked for cutlery, the waiter again looked astonished and told me to eat it with my hands! He then went and got the manager who showed me how to break the meat with my fingers and scoop it up with the Nshima. A whole new experience!

I will add more ramblings about my experiences from time to time!