Meet Miranda!

After some untold amount of time spent on research, comparisons, and test drives, I have a new (to me) car! I looked into several different vehicles, and somehow narrowed it down to a Ford Fusion or a Nissan Rogue. Which are two very different things. Sedan or compact SUV. Domestic or import. Automatic transmission or CVT. Really, the list goes on and on. And, ultimately, I decided to go with the Fusion. 

It had the safety features I wanted (really, you have no idea how excited I am about antilock brakes and traction control...it's a little sad). Fantastic gas mileage. Plus fun things, like a great sound system, a moonroof that I'll probably never need, SYNC, automatic lights, lumbar support...it's really quite an upgrade. Not exactly my dream Porsche, but I'm feeling pretty spoiled. Plus, I'm quite fond of the color. It's like a bluish-grey. It's different, but it doesn't scream at you. Also sparkly. And quite fun to drive. 

My challenge for the past several days has been trying to come up with a name. I'm told cars should have names. One of my friends named my PT Cruiser "Barbie." I think because I like pink. But anyways, I had a list. And I was taking votes. But I wasn't really happy with any of the options. And tonight it hit me-- "Miranda." Admittedly, as in "Miranda Bailey." Quite possibly one of the best TV characters ever. Judge me. But I think it's fitting. She's reliable. Smart. Spunky. Sassy. Small but mighty. Admirable. So, I think it works well.

And here she is--  
  

I had a good run with Barbie. Lots of fun memories. But I'm excited to begin a new chapter of my life with Miranda! Bring on adulthood. 

Key Lime Cheesecake Bars

I had the privilege of eating dinner last night with a family that is very special to me. I always make a dessert to take with me. The 7-year-old requested "key lime pie or something like that," which I found pretty amusing. I can't say I know of too many kiddos who would request anything like that. I was expecting like brownies or some kind of cake. But I enjoy a good piece of real key lime pie (not that fake lime-flavored stuff)...so I was excited to see what I could come up with. 

I hit up Pinterest and found several different recipes that I liked parts of. So, I kind of went off of those and tweaked a thing here and there. The result? Delicious key lime cheesecake bars. They were creamy and perfectly tart. A great summer dessert. I was really glad that they turned out so well, and everyone liked them. About halfway through baking them, I realized that I'd never really done this before. The cheesecake thing. I've done my grandmother's mini cheesecakes, but that's different because she had written very specific instructions that I trusted. And this was a jumble of things off the internet that I put together. But definitely tasty. Very tasty.

Key Lime Cheesecake Bars

For the Crust:

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup finely ground coconut

3 TBSP sugar

4 TBSP butter, melted

For the Cheesecake:

16 oz cream cheese, softened

1 cup + 2 TBSP sugar

1 cup lime juice

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 TBSP all purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

3 eggs

For the Glaze:

1/4 cup sugar

3/4 TBSP cornstarch 

1/4 cup water

2 TBSP key lime juice (takes about 4 key limes)

• Preheat the oven to 350*F and prepare an 8x8 baking dish. 
• Mix all of the ingredients for the crust together and pour into baking dish. Pat down until even. Bake for about 10 minutes or until the edges are slightly browned. Let Cool.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 325*F.
• With an electric or stand mixer, beat the cream cheese until fluffy. (I just let my KitchenAid run for about 5 minutes while I did other things.) Add the sugar and mix until combined. Add the lime juice, sour cream, and vanilla; mix until smooth and creamy. Turn down the speed of your mixer to low, and add the flour and salt, scraping the sides and bottom of your bowl to make sure everything is combined. Add all 3 eggs at once and mix until just combined. Pour over the cooled crust. Create a water bath by placing your 8x8 baking dish in a slightly larger baking dish, and fill it about 1/3 way with water. Bake for about 1 hour, until set. The center will still be a little jiggly, but it will set as it cools. 
• In a small sauce pan, combine all the ingredients for the glaze. Whisk until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Cook for a couple minutes (still whisking). Remove from heat and let cool some (but not until it's completely set). Pour over the cooled cheesecake.
• Refrigerate until ready to serve. Top it off with some whipped cream and key lime slices.

Enjoy!

{Workout Review} Les Mills Combat

It's been a tradition for the past four years for the brother and I to do a workout program together during the summer. We've done P90X (first 2 summers), P90X-2, and now Combat. It's just a 60-day program. And you're only looking at 30 minutes to 1 hour, 6 days a week. It's pretty fun. Different. But decently fun. The brother thought it was "fun and challenging," but he also wished the intervals were "longer and harder." Here are my thoughts...

Combat is a mix of Karate, Kung Fu, Capoeira, Jiu Jitsu, Muay Tai, Kickboxing, Tae Kwon Do, and Boxing. It takes a little while to get in to. Once you have the form and rhythm down, it's easier to get more out of your workout. At the same time, you have to stay focused because it's also really easy to just kind of do it. I ended up adding weighted gloves and ankle weights to the mix, and I kept up with Zumba a couple times a week. When I started Combat, I had just finished Insanity...there's a great deal of difference in intensity level. And it was a little bit difficult for me to adjust. 

The Workouts:

• Kick Start (30 min.), Combat 30 Live (30 min.), Power Kata (45 min.), Extreme Cardio Fighter (60 min.), and Combat 60 Live (60 min.): These all focus on punching and kicking, with some pushups and crunches at the end. Nice little cardio blasts with some arm, leg, and core action. They're pretty fun. And you'll be sopping wet by the end. 
• Power HIIT (30 min.): This one involves some weights. I felt like I was doing the same exercise so much that I was just wasted. 
• Shock Plyo HIIT (30 min.): I love me some P90X-2 Plyocide, but this was not my cup of tea. Instead of mixing up the moves, like with P90X, I felt like I was doing the same thing so much that those muscles were done for.  
• Upper Body Blow Out (30 min.): It's upper body. It's kind of repetitive. I felt like I needed more. 
• Lower Body Lean Out (30 min.): Lunges. Lunges. Lunges. More lunges. I don't recommend doing this one with ankle weights...quad killer.  
• Core Attack (16-ish min.): Your core will burn. I did like that this went between moves in plank and being on your back. There's also some lower back and bum work. 
• Stretch & Strength (16-ish min.): It's just not Yoga-X. It's a whole lot shorter. But it's not Yoga-X. I do like that you can easily add it after a workout because it's not long.     

While I do enjoy punching and kicking, I don't think I would do the 60-day program straight through again. I like it as more of a supplement to P90X and P90X-2. There's probably some hybrid calendar out there that combines those programs. And, if I'm short on time, it's nice to have some 30-minute workouts available. I would recommend this more to people who are just getting into extreme fitness. It's got some great modifications to take the impact out too, if you're needing that. 

I'm currently into week 3 of P90X-2 again. It's been a year. I was unbelievably sore the first week. But it's incredible to see how much more I'm able to do. It's great stuff. It's my favorite. That is all. 

P.S. I Love You

I've been thinking about this post since before I got back from Zambia. Trying to figure out the right words. I still haven't found them. It would be easier to tell you about books I've read, movies I've watched, and things I've eaten. Or the workouts I've done. Or the projects I'm working on. Those things are black and white. They're clean. They can be described with bullet points. But this is different. This is personal. This is something I struggle with. 

One of the very first things I noticed on my very first day at The Havens was how freely Meagan and her interns told the kids "I love you." Those three words just rolled off their tongues again and again. At first, I found myself feeling critical and defensive. I was thinking, "How can they just say that? They just say it like it's nothing. It's not right." But I stopped myself. I stopped myself and started thinking about why I felt that way. 

I realized it's something that makes me uncomfortable to hear. Anyone else like this? There are probably a number of reasons for this that I could bore you with, but I will spare you. And it doesn't really matter who says it. I could've known you forever. I may have even thought I wanted to hear it said. I just tend to cut and run. I don't know what to do with it.

And it's not something I say. I can do the "love ya" thing, but there's something about "I love you." It's like in season 2 of Grey's Anatomy when Cristina has to say "I'm sorry" to Sydney Heron, and she just cannot get it out. I just cannot get those words out. And it's not because I don't love people. There are a number of people that I would do all kinds of things for. Jump through all kinds of hoops. Sacrifice my needs for. Die for. But I've probably never looked them in the eyes and said "I love you."

So, I resolved to practice saying "I love you" to those sweet children. After all, if you can't tell an adorable little child with sparkling brown eyes that you love them, who can you tell? I mean, seriously. Look at this face--

While I was doing a lot better with it by my last day there, I can't say I've done a better job here. It's a challenge. So have you said it? "I love you." Do the people you care most about know that you love them? It's amazing how much power is in those three words. It's incredible how many different emotions and memories come to mind when you here them.

So, if you're like me. Practice saying it. Say, "I love you." Practice in the mirror. Practice with your dog. Just start saying it. If saying, "I love you" comes more naturally to you, you are blessed...keep saying it...make people like me listen...help us learn to say it too.

An Afternoon in London

I've been forgetting to get this up until I'm crawling into bed. I guess I could have written when I was up having my middle of the night snack a couple nights ago...but there's no telling how that would've come out. So... London. I was there briefly on my way to Zambia. I was in the airport again on the way back, but that doesn't really count. I had this really great plan for seeing London. I had spent a lot of time with a map, circling places to go and sites to see. I was suppose to land in London around 1100-ish. I didn't have to be back until 1900-ish for my flight to Jo-burg. One thing led to another, and it was about 1300 when I landed at Heathrow. I had anticipated it taking about 30 minutes on the Connect to get into town, when I discovered my London Pass was only good for the Underground...which takes more like 1 hour and 30 minutes. My time in the city quickly dwindled away. 

I was determined to stay positive about the whole deal. It's not like I could do anything about it, so why not enjoy what I could? I took the tube (with one line change) from the airport to the area where the Parliament buildings and Big Ben are. Walked across the bridge and saw The Eye. Went a little ways further to the Florence Nightingale Museum. I figured I should swing by there. Pay my tribute to nursing history or something. It was actually very cute. Well done. Anyways, then I went back over the bridge, past Big Ben, over to Westminster Abbey.

I looked at the map, and while there were tube stops, I elected to walk from that point up to Picadilly...turns out that's kind of a hike, but I'd been on a plane, not moving, so I enjoyed it. Also turns out, I can get around a foreign city without my iPhone and Google Maps. Along my path, I passed the National Gallery (which I had really wanted to, say, go browse around inside of). There were lots of quaint places that would've been fun to explore, had the time been available. 

From there, I took the tube to King's Cross Station...because I wanted to see Platform 9 3/4. Obviously. And, unfortunately, that was kind of a let down. I didn't feel like they did a very good job replicating it. But, here you go:

After that, it was time to get back on the tube for the long journey back to the airport. Let me tell you, the tube at rush hour is crowded and hot. You want to be on an end where the window is open. Then, it's not too bad. I got to the airport and made it to the gate in time to go to the bathroom and freshen up before another overnight flight. Freshening up in an airport bathroom involves good baby wipes (like Huggies One & Done Cool Cucumber), dry shampoo, face cleansing wipes, Scentsy hand cream, Scentsy room spray (for your clothes), and mouth care stuff. By the time I was done, that was one good smelling bathroom stall. Speaking of which, Heathrow has really nice bathrooms. Seriously. 

Obviously, I would like to back for real sometime and see all the things I couldn't see this time around. I'd really just like to have a couple of months to like backpack through Europe. Maybe someday. My recommendations to anyone going into the city between flights would be (1) leave your carryon luggage at the "left luggage desk," (2) take the Connect or Express into town, and (3) make sure you have on good shoes because I think it's easier to walk around than mess with the tube. 

Obligatory telephone booth photo!

Strawberries & Cream Bars

Well... Today has been, I guess, interesting. That's probably the simplest way to put it.  So instead of getting the story of my time in London, you're getting a recipe for these sweet treats. Naturally, I found these bars on Pinterest. They make for a great summertime dessert! They're pretty delicious. Four layers of sweet goodness. They don't last long. 

The recipe came from Lil' Luna. It's a sugar cookie base topped with a cream cheese & Velata white chocolate mixture, a strawberry mixture, and whipped topping. I think it'd be fun to try it with a dark chocolatey-brownie base sometime...yum. 

Strawberries & Cream Bars

Ingredients for the sugar cookie layer:

1/3 cup shortening

1/3 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp almond extract

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Ingredients for the cream layer:

8 oz cream cheese, softened 

6 oz bag Velata premium white chocolate, melted

Ingredients for the strawberry layer:

1 1/2 cups chopped strawberries

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup water

2 TBSP cornstarch 

8 oz whipped topping 

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 pan.
• Cream together the shortening, butter, and sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg, vanilla, and almond until well mixed.
• Sift in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add to the creamed mixture until well blended. 
• Spread into the bottom of your prepared pan. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Let cool.
• Melt the white chocolate as directed on the bag. Mix with cream cheese until well blended. Spread over cooled cookie layer and pop it in the fridge.
• In a small sauce pan, mix together sugar and cornstarch. Add chopped strawberries and water. Heat on medium-high until it comes to a boil. Once it's boiling, remove from heat and let it cool for 10 minutes. Pour over cream cheese/white chocolate layer and refrigerate for 1-2 hours. 
• Top with your whipped topping of choice. I didn't use the whole tub. Just enough to make it look good. Keep it in the fridge until ready to serve.

Enjoy!

Greek Yogurt Waffles

Food! Yay! I still have a couple more travel posts to get up, but I wanted to post this before I forgot what I changed. It's been a fairly lazy Saturday. I almost slept-in until 9, which is pretty late for me...which is sad. I was starving when I woke up. Like I wake up and I am so hungry that I'm nauseated. Everyday. Does anyone else have this problem? I have to have food (and coffee) pronto. Anyways, my late morning is still early for everyone else...so I grabbed a Larabar and coffee, and then got my P90X-2 on for the day. At which point it was about 1130, and the others were beginning to surface. So I made waffles. I'm all about eating breakfast as many times as possible. 

I feel like it's been a really long time since I've had waffles. I guess we just generally do pancakes. But waffles are great because they have like built-in syrup holders. You can also get in more peanut butter this way. Totally brilliant. I slightly modified this recipe from Lauren Conrad's website. These waffles are definitely better for you than the normal ones. Greek yogurt, honey, whole wheat flour, coconut oil... and still super tasty! Even the brother ate them up.

Greek Yogurt Waffles

Ingredients:

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 large eggs

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 1/4 cups milk

1 TBSP-ish honey

1/2 tsp vanilla 

Directions:

• Plug in your waffle iron so it can heat up.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients together and mix.
• In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients and mix them together.
• Pour the wet mixture over the dry mixture and whisk the two together.
• Spray your waffle iron with some non-stick cooking spray. (This may need to be repeated between waffles.)
• Scoop about 1/3 cup of batter onto the waffle iron. Cook until it's as done as you like it. Repeat until all the batter has been used. About 10 times. 

Enjoy!

Note: You may be able to see this in the picture, but they were very soft. I couldn't tell you if that's because of the "healthy" stuff or because I tend to (intentionally) undercook things like waffles. I mean, they're more done than any of my pancakes ever get (I like those to still run batter when you cut in). So mine are floppy, but tasty. I guess you could try to cook them more thoroughly. 

I'm not good!

On my last afternoon at Namwianga, I walked down to the Wasawange village with one of the ACU interns to confirm what I already knew...I'm not good at football (soccer)! Like seriously. You know it's bad when an entire village of African children laugh at you (in unison). They were all standing in a group, and wanted us to head-bump (I don't even know if that's what you call it) the ball to them. Apparently, I'm about as good at that as I am actually playing. My head-bumping skills improved marginally after a few tries. Luckily, they never asked me to legit play. I ended up playing tag instead. I'm decent at that. 

It was a little intimidating how good they were. They had a pretty intense game going.

 The kids were completely fascinated when we pulled out our cameras. Everyone wanted to be in every picture. It's funny because the toddlers at the Haven know to be still and smile when a camera is pointed in their face, but these kids didn't quite get it. They live down the street, and often play football with the kids from Eric's House, but they're worlds away. It was really difficult to get them to stay in one spot while I backed up to get them all in the frame. They wanted to be as close as possible.

I could never get them all looking at the same time!

Thanks, Ashley, for taking this!

There was the one little girl who attached herself to me. She was quiet. I got the impression she got pushed around a lot. And kind of left out. She was so precious. She didn't want to let go of my hand at all. She got to the point where she would cry if the other kids tried to steal my hand from her. She would fuss and brush them away. And I was never able to figure out her name.

Isn't she cute?!

When It was time to leave, we tried to tell the kids that we had to go back. We started walking away, and they followed. All of them. And as we walked through the village, more came, more followed. We tried multiple times to get them to stay behind. They would let us take about five steps, and then they would swarm us again. We got to the main road (and the very edge of their village), and we were still having a hard time getting them to let us go. They asked if we had any "sweeties" (candy), which we didn't...but apparently hair bands are also cool (and fortunately Ashley had a whole pack). Once all the hair bands were passed out, we were able to go on our way. It was a great way to spend my last afternoon! 

They were quite interested in my shoes.

They had some great facial expressions. They'd be great at the Gamma can-can. 

Grilled Peach, Chicken & Goat Cheese Salad with Roasted Pecans

Here's a little break from my travel tales to share a new favorite salad. I honestly haven't been doing much cooking at all since being back. I've been out a lot more than usual. I was seriously spoiled not having to do any cooking or clean up any dishes in Zambia...so I'm having a little trouble getting back into the groove. 

Anyways, a couple nights ago, we enjoyed a salad that was just as tasty as it was pretty. The mother had gotten a ton of fresh, juicy peaches. Which, naturally, were ripening way faster than we could eat them. Someone had suggested using them on a salad. Brilliant. I had totally intended to marinate and grill some chicken up, but I ended up using a rotisserie chicken... We had gotten tied up running some errands. It was already 1900, and I hadn't eaten since lunch. There was no way I was waiting for chicken to marinate and cook. The rotisserie chicken worked out really well! I'm sure grilled chicken would be quite delish as well. 

Here's what you need:

• Mixed greens
• Chicken (rotisserie or grilled)
• Fresh peaches (I cut them in half and put them on the George Foreman for a few minutes, then sliced them)
• Chopped, roasted pecans
• Goat cheese, crumbled
• Balsamic dressing (recipe below)

Just pile it all together and enjoy!

If you want to make your own balsamic dressing, just mix together:

• 2 TBSP EVOO
• 1 TBSP Balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp honey
• A pinch of sea salt 

Victoria Falls

On my trip to Zambia, I was lucky enough to spend one afternoon at Victoria Falls. It's absolutely stunning. Based on its width (something like 5600 feet), Vic Falls is the largest. I heard the water was "low" this year, yet, I still managed to get a little wet on the trail from the falls. Just take a look:

We followed the main path around the park, and then took the hike down to the Boiling Pot (this is where the Zambezi turns and heads down the Batoka Gorge). If I remember correctly, the sign said it would take about 15 minutes to get down, and 25 to get back up. I didn't have a watch...or my phone...but I actually think it took me longer to get down than up. I kept stopping to take pictures! I basically just beasted my way back up, only stopping briefly (close to the top) to talk to a couple of people who were asking about how much farther down it was and if the hike up was difficult...and they were already breathing heavy. I also noticed some people trying to go down in dressy clothes... I wouldn't recommend that. 

This is the view of the bridge from the Boiling Pot that people can bungee jump off. I would really like to go back and do that sometime. The rafting also sounds like a blast. I'm hoping I can work that in when I get to go back for the medical mission. 

After I got back up from the Boiling pot, we took a path up to the other side of the falls. This is where people can go out (during the dry season) and jump into what they call "Devil's Pool." It's a natural pool, just at the top of the falls. Wouldn't be my first pick for swimming. 

Bottom line--If you're ever in/near Livingstone, I would say you definitely need to stop by and see Victoria Falls. Try to go with adventurous people!   

 

My Experience with Healthcare in Zambia

While in Zambia, I spent a little time at the Namwianga clinic. It's a rural clinic. Fairly small, but it serves many, many people. Mondays are the busiest because it's designated for patients with HIV to come for HAART. I happened to be there during Zambia's Child Health Week, so there were several kiddos coming in for immunizations. 

There's a lab, women & children's ward, men's ward, radiology (X-ray and ultrasound), pharmacy, vaccination room, consult/triage room, physical therapy, L&D, and postpartum rooms. As I understand, there is also a surgical suite for simple procedures. Below is a picture of the L&D suite. Can you imagine? 

I spent my day with the clinic officer, who is a nurse that graduated about 9 months ago...and she basically does what a nurse practitioner would do in the States. It's crazy. She's smart and very good at explaining things. We also had a couple of Zambian nursing students with us, and it was very interesting taking to them and learning about their nursing school experience.

The craziest thing I saw? An elderly woman came in with a tumor on the front of her neck. A tumor that was almost as big as her head. I have never seen a tumor like that before. Oddly enough, she was having headaches...which is why she came in. Part of my was just stunned by how big the tumor was. Another part of me was trying to figure out how (if someone in the States had a tumor like this) you would go about resecting it. Still, another part of me was just saddened. I asked one of the students if she had seen tumors like that before. She said, "Yes. All the time. Don't you?" So I told her how, most of the time, we treat tumors when they're small. She was amazed. 

The most sobering thing? I think that would have to be all the babies and toddlers that came in with these rashes. Rashes from being left in soiled nappies for too long, and not being cleaned up well. I'm not talking about your average diaper rash. I'm talking like the skin on their trunks and legs is super irritated. The clinic officer told me it's pretty common, especially if there are several children in the family...they just get overlooked. Of course, there were also several who were malnourished and (consequently) not meeting developmental milestones. Heartbreaking. 

I mentioned Child Health Week. Part of that involves an experienced nurse taking groups of students out to places like The Haven and smaller villages to make sure every child is immunized. So that's the one picture I was able to get before my camera died. It was quite the event! 

It's always a humbling experience to see healthcare systems in countries like Zambia. And it's a privilege to do whatever you can to help those that come. It makes me extremely thankful for the technology and research we have here. 

Language in Zambia

One of the things that I had the hardest time with in Zambia was getting used to the language. The villagers (at least in the region I was in) speak (Ba)Tonga. You go into town (or stay close to the mission's school), and there are several who speak English. Like real English. Not American English. The difference is epic. And here I was, thinking in Spanish. Seriously. It was so weird. 

I was thrown off by the fact that I could read most everything when we got to Kalomo. I don't know why it didn't occur to me that English was fairly common there. I was taking it all in. Then, amongst the English, was a restaurant called "Elpantano." Spanish. What? (Turns out the owner is from Peru...but the food is pretty American.) 

The Zambian workers around the house would normally speak English. Sometimes, basic greetings would be in Tongan. (I was finally able to manage that.) The workers were also patient enough to try and teach us a little Tongan. After a conversation one night, however, one of the workers said "gracias." That did not help my problem. 

At the Haven, we (Meagan, her interns, and I) spoke mostly English to the kiddos. The Aunties speak Tongan. So, on my first day there, I still managed to learn how to tell a child to sit down in Tongan (I don't know how to spell it, but it's pronounced "cah-lah"). Which, is also one of the first things I learned in Mexico (except obviously in Spanish..."sientense"). Interesting how important it is to be able to communicate "sit down." Regardless of what country you're in. If you're working with kids, you have to be able to tell them to "sit down." 

It also didn't take long for me to learn the term for "white person." It's pronounced "mah-koo-ah." Again, no idea on the spelling. It was like being a "gringo" in Honduras again. The kids in Mexico prefer "chica rubia." It's something you pick up on fairly quick. You know they're talking about you. 

Something interesting I learned? To a Zambian, the phrase "I slept like a log" (or a variation there of) means "I spent the whole night turning/rolling over." Which actually makes a lot of sense. Also, never say, "I'm stuffed." (Like you might after you eat a lot of food.) Their interpretation of that is quite vulgar.  

My favorite thing to hear in their language? The singing. There's just something captivating about their voices and the way they sing. They have so much spirit. And even if you have no idea what it means, you're caught up in it. Most of the time, I have found, they have a leader who will sing a line or two, and then everyone else repeats. There is quite a bit of repeating in general...which makes it a lot easier to join in on the fun. I'm glad I was able to record a couple of my favorites at song night! 

Just a Little Bit of Haven on Earth

The Haven. It's about a 25 minute walk from the main Namwianga campus (if you walk at my pace and take the road). There are three houses: #1 is for babies, #2 is for toddlers, #3 is for the kiddos with special needs (CP, club feet, hydrocephalus, TB, HIV). The goal is for the kids to return to their village once they're too old for Haven #2 (or when they get well). If this can't happen, they go across the street to Eric's House. There are house parents, but the Aunties do most of the work involving the children. And it's a lot of work. Meagan is there as to be a medical advocate for each child, make sure their mental development is on track, and teach them English. If you don't know who Meagan is, you need to (1) check out her blog- http://zambianhavenonearth.blogspot.com and (2) watch this video- http://vimeo.com/38504569.

I spent a lot of time here simply hanging out with the kiddos and loving on them. 

I got to experience language class at Haven #2 each day. We sing songs. Read books. Learn colors and body parts. Make good fashions (poses). It's a riot. 

A new baby came. He's the 10th child in his family. The three babies born before him all died, so his parents brought him to the Haven in hopes he will live. 

This little guy has hydrocephalus. We took him to the clinic one day for an ultrasound. We also took the two kids who have CP to the clinic for PT...but I failed at getting a picture!

Child Health Week at the Haven. All the kids received their scheduled vaccinations! I wanted to get several more pictures of this, but my camera died. Of course. 

We celebrated birthdays for three of the kiddos at Haven #2.

That hair.

I was captured by several brown eyes and big smiles. These kids are too cute. 

You've probably guessed that I spent most of my time with the kids at Haven #2. I couldn't help it. Their little personalities. Their excitement. Their pure joy. They're a pretty fun bunch. They also do not spit up as much as the babies. Although, there is the toilet training issue. Let's just say I'm glad that we (in the USA) use burp clothes and have Huggies.  

I had a really great time with Meagan and her interns! I am so thankful that they shared their sweet babies with me.

Where to begin?

Words fail me. I've been meaning to write since I got back from Zambia, but I simply don't know what to say. Anything I say can never do the experience justice. Just like with Mexico and Honduras, there's not a good way to describe it. I can tell you that I had a wonderful time. I can tell you that I met lots of amazing people. I can tell you about the breathtaking sunsets and vast starry skies. I can tell you about the precious children. But it won't come close to experiencing it for yourself. 

My adventure got off to a bit of a rough start. The plane out of OKC was delayed, so I just barely missed the flight from DFW to LHR. There was another flight leaving that night, and, thankfully, I was able to get on it. The plane landed in London around 1330...2 hours after I was hoping to be there. Then, I found out that the ticket I had to get into the city was only good for the Underground/tube...not the Connect (so it took 1.5 hours instead of 30 minutes to get into town). I definitely didn't get to see everything I wanted to! About 48 hours after leaving, I had arrived in Livingstone...without my luggage (which thankfully showed up the next day). Despite it all, I still felt blessed to just be at Namwianga. It was exciting! 

My living quarters at Namwianga. Yeah, that's a thatch roof. Legit. However, it was horrible for my allergies. 

It wasn't long before my heart was captured. 

This sweet little girl attached herself to me after worship on Sunday. Another had written me a note, telling me about herself and family, and asked if I would be her mother. The next day I went to The Havens...so many sweet kiddos...I ended up spending most of my time here. I couldn't help it! I spent a day at the mission's clinic. And another day at Victoria Falls. I'll have to post more about each of these places separately!

I spent my down time getting to know the other people on campus...including a great group of interns from ACU. I wish I could have stayed until they had to leave too! We had a few movie nights with Meagan and her interns. I enjoyed listening to several good stories. I had lots of good laughs. It was a blessed time!

Otherwise, I ate lots of food, drank tons of tea, enjoyed long walks, and even helped neuter a dog. Who would've thought? Really, though. I am quite thankful that our Zambian cook was pretty decent at making American cuisine. I don't think I could've done sheema all the time. Not a big fan. I was surprised by how cold it got at night. I had been warned, but it's hard to mentally grasp the fact that Africa can get that cold. Hence, lots of hot tea. I even went for a hot chocolate every night. Stole blankets from other beds. And slept in fleece.   

My time at Namwianga was far too short. I so wish I could've been there longer. I began to miss everything before leaving. It took everything I had to keep myself together as we drove off. I'm looking forward to when I can go back and be on the medical mission!