In ‘Meet the coaches’ we present the true heroes of Hockey Dreams: our game changers. These young, ambitious people fight for their future every day. They combine education and being a hockey coach, which gives them a path in life and some income. Richard Lungu is a Hockey Dreams coach since July 2018. He tells you about his school life and how he is combining his education with his work for Hockey Dreams Foundation.
Hi!
My name is Richard Lungu and I am 24 years old. I am living in Lusaka, Zambia, where I play hockey as a goalkeeper for the Lusaka Sharks Hockey Club and coach the club’s youth members. I also coach the kids from the Mandevu Primary School.
Other than my hockey activities I am a practicing student at the Zambia Institute for Tourism and Hospitality Studies, which is located in Lusaka too in the town area at Fairview Hotel. The course I am taking is named Hospitality Management and consists out of the minors Front Office Operations, Business Communication, Food Production, Housekeeping, Laundry Operation, Nutrition and Hygiene, Food and Beverages and Information and Technology (IT). I am loving all of the minor-courses but my favourite one is Food Production. It is my favourite because I want to become a chef and I really enjoy cooking.
My studies
The reason that I have chosen my studies is because its diploma is going to help me in finding a job or in starting my own business. When the course is completed and I receive my diploma I can basically work with any organisation or company in the industry.
I would like to introduce to you some my classmates: Loyd, Blessed, Ngambela, Hellen, Mathews, Cikondi, Moses, Ronah, Diana, Monica, Velonica, Martha and Karen. In total we are with 65 of which 50 are following the course Tourism and 15 Hospitality Management. We are all classmates but the courses and classes may differ.
One of the classes is given by my favourite lecturer Mr Zandara. He teaches Business Communication and is very good at it because he knows how to address the students respectfully and his students are welcome to ask questions at any time. Mr Zandara encourages hard work and building self-esteem what I admire quite a lot.
Going to the school itself is quite the challenge for me because the town area – where my school is located – is about four to five kilometres from where I stay. The way I am going to my school really depends on whether I have money for the buses. If I do not have the money I would have to walk which lasts me about two hours. This seems like a hassle and time-consuming but luckily managing to do both school and coaching is not a problem for me. I changed my coaching-schedules to twice a week from nine o’clock a.m. to two o’clock p.m for me to follow the school’s timetable with ease.
I am practising both my passions: both hockey and my future career.
