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. 

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!   

 

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! 

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!