A weekend in Lusaka

On Friday 4th March, I set off with Emily and the kids, Ellie and Rosie, two friends of Emily's, to Lusaka. It's a 5/6 hour drive down one straight road all the way from Ndola to Lusaka which seemed to go on and on and on. Zambian driving really is an experience like no other. People are overtaking and undertaking left right and centre!

We set off with a car full of snacks and an iPod loaded with road trip songs and for the first few hours we happily drove along, chatting and singing along to the music. We stopped just over half way there for a drink and a snack at the Fig Tree Cafe, a well used pit stop for people doing the long drive to Lusaka. They had some very nice dessert options there but as we hadn't had dinner by this stage we powered on through, finally arriving at Lusaka Backpackers at 8pm.

I was staying with Emily and the kids in what was supposed to be a family room but sadly they had double booked us so we ended up with a double bed and a mattress on the floor. Not an ideal way to sleep as it meant that Emily, Lucy and Albert were all sharing one bed and I was on the floor but we made it work.

We sat out by the pool and had our dinner of chickpea curry which was massive! And then, exhausted after the journey, we all headed to bed for a much needed sleep.

The next morning we had breakfast by the pool again and decided to head to the mall for some shopping. Both Albert and Lucy got very excited in Toys R Us and we made our way round the shop, almost in shock at how expensive the toys were. The Duplo looked like it would have been a really nice present for Jacob and so I had a look at the price of it and it was K600 which is about £40 so we decided that there would probably be much nicer things somewhere else! 

What I wasn't quite expecting to feel was the overwhelming feeling that the mall was just so big and there were too many people. I didn't expect to feel that way having only been away from London for 2 months and that doesn't bode well for when I try and go to Westfield when I get home. But it was really nice to wander round the shops and have a look at what was there as there was much more choice than in the malls in Ndola and Kitwe. 

We met Ellie and Rosie for lunch in Mugg and Bean and I had the nicest roasted veg wrap. It took ages for us to decide because there was just so much choice! They definitely just do more of everything in Lusaka than what I've grown used to in Ndola. After lunch I went with Ellie and Rosie to the cinema to watch London has fallen. It was a very edge of your seat film and there were moments that I couldn't watch it was a bit gruesome! The only thing that annoyed everyone in the cinema was that a group of about 15-20 kids of no older than 10 were allowed in and basically chatted and made silly noises through the majority of the film. It got the stage where Rosie went out and asked a member of staff to talk to them as it was just rude. Also, in Zambia they seem to have less regard for the ratings of the films as that would probably be a 15 in the UK. 

With the kids we went for a much more light hearted film of Daddy's home. Most of it was hilarious although there were parts of it I couldn't watch because I cannot cope with people embarrassing themselves, even in movies. Albert was sat next me and asked if I was alright when I was sat there covering my face trying not to watch. 

We had Sunday morning in Lusaka and we went to the Sunday markets where I bought yet another pair of trousers, this time with elephants on and also a gem tree to have in my room back at home. Lunch was at Sugar Bush Cafe, which is on the other side of Lusaka, and was delicious. 

The journey home was a long slog and we got stuck behind a lot of trucks that both Rosie and Emily tried to get around with little success. Although I did see this on the back of a truck that cheered me up immensely. 

It was a really lovely weekend and although it may seem a bit odd going that far and only really watching films and shop, it was a needed break and a chance to get to see another part of Zambia.

xxx

Goodbye Chontay

This week didn't have the best start to it as late Saturday night and Sunday I was really sick so that made me weak and pathetic for Sunday and Monday and a bit of Tuesday.  However, Tuesday I decided stop being such a limp thing and go with Emily to Greater Joy with Chontay and we did some filming there with the teachers. The teachers at Greater Joy make me laugh because they all wanted to watch their own one and then their friends and they were all telling me if one needed redoing.

We then went and did a home visit to a grandmother of one of the students who was basically kicked out of her house by her husband's family after his death and she is now living in a two roomed house with her two daughters and seven grandchildren. Although she seemed very grateful for our prayers and nshima it's tough knowing that this lady has had such a hard life and there wasn't really much we could do to help her in getting through that.

After our home visit we made a quick stop to see one of the teachers from Greater Joy, Audrey, who has just had a baby. The day we visited she was 6 days old and so very very tiny and adorable. 

As this was Chontay's last full day in Zambia, all of the BOZ team went to Bojangles for dinner to say goodbye. Mike and Jan had just got back from Cape Town so we had stories of their trip and heard all about the wonders of eating fresh fish and having good clothes shops to browse in. It's amazing how, in just a small amount of time away from the UK, there are things like that that I really miss. I think the fish is a big thing here for a lot of people because, with Zambia being a land locked country, most to the fish has to travel a long way and the freshness can't be guaranteed. So fresh fish is a luxury that I can't wait to get back to! 

On Wednesday I went with Chontay and Emily to pick up our things from the tailor and I'm so pleased with my new trousers. The perks of being able to get things tailor made means these may be one of the first pair of trousers that I've owned for a while that aren't too long for me!!! 

Possibly the weirdest angle I've ever tried to take a picture from but I'm so happy with them :)

We picked up a last few gifts for Chontay to take home and then they dropped me back home with plenty of time for her to finish packing and get to the airport. It's been so lovely having someone else my age here to do things with, I didn't think I would miss that but having Chontay here made me really miss having the company of someone older than 11. Sadly she was only here for 2 weeks but even just that small amount of time was a nice change and we got to do things that I may not have otherwise done, like the scavenger hunt round Ndola. 

Thursday was an admin day for me as I was starting to put together the videos and seeing who needs to be filmed again and which ones work well with. 

Friday was staff meeting again where we talked about empowering the communities rather than just providing services and having everyone dependant on Beyond Ourselves' generosity. It felt really productive for them as it gave them ideas about what they do to empower the people of the surrounding areas of the schools.  In the afternoon I had my ballet class. Doing these classes has definitely made me realise how much I miss ballet and dancing so I'm definitely going to have a think about that when I get home. 

This weekend was Ben' birthday weekend. He's reached the milestone of 2 and it's amazing to see, in just the small amount of time I've been with the Whitcomb's, how much he's developed and is turning into a little boy, not just the baby of the family. He got very excited with all the trucks he got and him and Jacob spent a while playing with the various trucks and tractors he got. 

It's not long now before I'm heading off on a plane away from Zambia and, although I'm looking forward to seeing everyone again, I'm really going to miss being here and the people I've grown to care about here. But I've still got a few weeks left so I'm going to make the most of my time here :) 

xxx

We stayed at Bushcamp!!

Week 7 started with Emily, Chontay and I heading into Janna to do some filming for Beyond Ourselves. We had to walk up to each teacher in their class and have them introduce themselves. The ladies at Janna school do make me laugh because they would have all rather had it done another day because they weren’t “looking their best” but we powered through regardless. We managed to get most of them first time although some of the teachers did babble a bit so they may have to be done again or edited somehow, although seeing as I’m the one who’s supposed to be editing them that could go horrendously! Although I did get this great picture of some of the kids at Janna, which makes me chuckle as it's their varying reactions to "smile!"

Tuesday wasn’t a great day for me as I really didn’t feel well, with a massive headache and a spinning head which was not fun. I went to Janna but it didn’t feel great to be going and I probably should have stayed home to rest. However we did get some more filming done that we’d missed the day before so now we have a full staff collection to merge together and try and make sense of! We then went to the market and all three of us bought some chitengi to get made into something. The tailor was our final stop, and I decided to have some loose, harem style trousers made up with my material and then there should be some left over to get something else should I want it made up. I ended up dosing for the rest of the day once I got home but I just wasn't feeling my best. 

Wednesday started off as an exciting day as we were headed to Bushcamp to stay for two nights. I thought I was excited but that was nothing to Jacob's excitement to go with Albert and Lucy and see some animals. Sadly, about half an hour into our journey Ben was sick twice and so Melissa made the executive decision to head back home. Naomi was still there and so she could help clean everything up as both the car seats needed to have their covers cleaned and it meant we could air out the car. So after clearing Ben up, and making sure he had a blanket on his lap in case we had another incident, we made our way back home, much to Jacob's dismay. 

However, with a new lease of life, the next morning we set of for Bushcamp take two, now with Dan as well as he'd spent the last two days in Lusaka. We made it with no incidents and got to our chalets without getting too lost. After a breakfast fit for a king, we drove to the dam nearby, taking a slightly long winded route to get there, and had a swim. I even got in the water this time, even if it did take me a while!! 

After our swim we did a game drive round the camp and we saw lots of different types of antelope like impala and water buck. But the best thing we saw has to be the 2 giraffe who just walked straight across our path right after Melissa had prayed that we see one due to her never having seen one here. It was a very exciting moment and they are such magnificent animals. 

They are possibly the most posey animals I've ever seen!

We spent the rest of our afternoon sat around the camp site and as it started to get darker the guys who work there made us a bonfire. The sunset was pretty spectacular this evening and we sat waiting for dinner with the sky constantly changing colour. 

 We ended the evening with a night drive. The kids all piled on the top of the Kohn's car and we went a little way down the game drive. Sadly we didn't see anything other than an owl but it was pretty fun and at one point Malcolm was hanging out of the door (it's a slidy door!) as we drove along. Just as we got back to camp a wild Dan galloped across the road, making us all laugh.

The next morning we had a quick breakfast and then packed up and headed off on our final game drive which took us back to the main site of Nsobe. Jacob and i stayed on with the Pearse's and we went to the snake hut and got to hold a giant snake! I can't say it's my favourite feeling in the world, especially when the snake starts to wrap itself around you but I did it so I was quite proud.

Sadly, after that excitement we had to make our way home as I had my ballet class at 3:45 and we made it by the skin of our teeth! 

Saturday was a very exciting day for me as I finally got the chance to do the scavenger hunt that I was supposed to do at the beginning of my trip. Malcolm dropped Chontay and I off in the middle of Ndola where we started our quest with our first mission; print off a picture for team BOZ. We ended up going to the same place I had had some passport pictures done for my visa and when I walked in the guy behind the counter recognised me and told me off for not taking him to UK yet like I said I would! That was the start of our manic trip all around the town of Ndola where we pretty much stood out like a sore thumb and got a LOT of attention. It's still really weird walking down a street and being called musungo (white person/foreigner) although I must say the weirdest is definitely being called Mama or Baby. Don't think I'd ever get used to that one if I lived here full time. It was a successful mission and we got everything on the list in record time apparently :D Just as we were making our way back to the mall to be met by Emily and the kids, the heavens opened so we made a run for it and got very muddy in the process. But we made it and in celebration we had an ice cream at Gigibonta. 

Think that's it for this one as it's a mammoth one but I hope that the picture break made it easier to read! I can't believe as I write this I have less than a month left in Zambia before heading down to Cape Town. It really has flown by and I'm so torn about wanting to stay longer and really wanting to go home and see everyone again. But for now I'm just enjoying the time I've got left. 

xxx

Weekend at the Orphanage Part 2

Here's part 2, this week's been a bit hectic so now's the first time I've been able to update you, sorry!! 

When Melane arrived we set up the hall to be a little clothes shop as Melane had had a container come over with donations from people in Denmark. We had a boys and a girls side with clothes for all ages and we laid them out all over the benches and then had  number system like in banks and shoe shops  so that it was fair and all the children got at least one piece of clothing with the boys getting two and the girls getting either another piece of clothing or some jewellery or hair accessory. 

We stayed and had our dinner there of rice and sauce and then waved goodbye to the children for another night and headed back for a bonfire and marshmallows and we had a chat about our favourite bits of the day and our lowlights and then had a time of prayer as well. It really made me reflect on the day and what I’d experienced. Exhausted from the day’s activities we all headed to bed and went straight to sleep. I must say the room was still creepy even after having slept there a night already now. 

Our final morning at the Orphanage had us up even earlier than yesterday and we packed everything up and trundled back to the family dorms for breakfast and to put everything in the car ready to set off once we had finished the baptisms.  Like every other Sunday we had a little church service and Melane talked some more about baptisms and we had some worship led by Malcolm which got all the children energised and ready for the day. Then when we set off singing to the river for the children to be baptised in the river. Lucy and Albert had chosen to have a water baptism which made this a very special occasion for the Pearse family. 

It was really lovely watching the kids as Anold, one of the workers at the orphanage, and Melane got in the river and took a child at a time to baptise them. Emily also told the story of Jesus’ baptism and the thing that always stands out for me in that passage is when it says "At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, " This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." As well as standing out as a momentous moment in Jesus' life, it also reminds me of my RS lessons and how we'd chuckle over how it was worded and God being well pleased with Jesus. 

Once all the children had been baptised that chose to have it we made our way back to the orphanage, singing as we went on our way. We were supposed to then stay for lunch before going home but as we arrived back they were only just putting the nshima on so we had to leave before having lunch. We said our goodbyes and had to drag Albert away as they had set up a makeshift ramp and they were all flipping and cartwheeling off of it. Some of the younger ones even tried to teach me how to cartwheel but sadly I am still lacking such talents. 

So after a packed weekend of activities and emotions we headed home with a quick pit stop at Nandos for our lunch (I know, there’s a nandos here!) 

It was an amazing experience and one I wouldn't have turned down but it was definitely hard hitting and I struggled at some parts not to get too emotional which I'm sure a lot of you know happens a lot. But overall it was a great weekend and I was very grateful to Melane and Andreas for inviting us and for Emily and Malcolm for taking me with them. 

xxx

My weekend at the Orphanage Part One

On the 12th-14th of February I was at an orphanage in Lufwanyama, about a 3 or 4 hour drive away from Ndola into the bush, with the Pearse's, Chontay and Malene and Andreas and their little boy Noa.

After the long drive in the rain we finally arrived and were shown where we'd be staying for the weekend. Chontay and I were apart from the others as they were in family dorm room so we were led off to see our room which felt like a ver long trek away. Once we knew where everything was we headed to the orphanage which was about a 15/20 minute walk away down a very pot holey road. When we got there it had started tipping it down with rain. Luckily Melane and Andreas had their car and I'd been in with them but poor Malcolm and Emily arrived pretty wet from the rain. When we had all arrived we were fed Nshima, sausage and sauce and then all the children gathered in the hall  and sat in a big circle whilst the team was introduced. Melane did a session with the children about identifying with Christ and to not be ashamed of the Gospel and being a Christian but to proudly show it to the world. It was so lovely to see so many children so involved in the group and seeing the older kids helping out with the younger ones.


By the end of the evening we had a few of the younger ones asleep and the older ones looking well and truly ready for bed. We headed off in the rain back to our accommodation but between us we had no umbrellas or coats. Just as we were about to reach the gate to the orphanage some of the kids ran out with their rain macs for us to use. To see them with so little but be so willing to give what they had to protect us from the rain really hit me hard and I was so grateful to the little girl Mary who gave me her mac for the night. We trundled back and then Chontay and I realised our mistake. We hadn't really been focused when they showed us the way to our room and now it's pitch black with only torch light to see where we were going. It took us a few wrong turns to finally reach our room. I can't say that it was our finest moments as we realised that we really should have just stayed with Malcolm and Emily in their room as this was a little terrifying.  We went back to their room to get a cup of tea and then headed back off into the dark to our room which really had a creepy feel even after we'd checked every room for bugs and creatures!

Our home for the weekend

Saturday morning we were up nice and early and the first thing we saw in the morning was this very strange exchange happening outside our room's window:

The hand over of a chicken just happening outside our room at 7am 

After that strange start to the morning, we had breakfast with the rest of the team and from there we trundled back to the orphanage for the morning session. It started off with Chontay and I doing some games with the kids to get them up and moving. We found out that Simon says is something that can be picked up very quickly and it wasn't too long before it was getting quite competitive with a lot of the kids pointing out who made a mistake and ratting their friends out if we hadn't quite seen them to try and win! Then Melane did her talk about Water Baptism and a few of the children put their hands up to volunteer themselves to have a water baptism the next day.

The view from The Pearse's room where we ate breakfast and lunch

We had lunch of egg, tomato and avocado sandwiches at the Pearse's dorm room and then before heading back we went into the village a little to get some cold drinks. It was there that was a real challenge. Before now I've felt quite sheltered from the absolute poverty here, as the areas I've been in have seemed relatively ok poverty wise but this was a real shock to the system. It's really tough when you see so many people begging for money and you can't really do anything about it. There are too many people to give money to everybody and so then you feel torn between just giving it to some people and hoping they share it or not giving any at all which just feels horrible and helpless.

After that shock to the system we went back to the orphanage for some more games and Emily stepped up the games by introducing them to the strawberry lace race. It was girls vs boys with small groups of 6 at a time to see who could eat the strawberry lace the fastest without using their hands. It was very close and there was definitely some cheating going on but the girl were eventually victorious which made us very happy, not that we were biased!

I'll split this weekend into two as otherwise it's going to be a very long blog so that was the first half of my weekend at Lufwanyama and the next bit should be up soon :)

xxx

It's been an interesting week

So I started this week as usual in Janna with Jan on Monday and I got to spend time with my Grade 7's as I have been doing. This time seemed like I was fighting a losing battle with trying to get across how to figure out dividing fractions. In the end I'm not sure if I helped much at all but I did try. I've also been taught a lot of bemba recently but as it's the kids trying to teach me I'm struggling to remember it all as it's just been shouted at me at once!

For lunch Jan very kindly took me to the Mint Cafe where I had the biggest lemonade I think I've ever seen. It was also like a slush puppy which was rather strange to try and drink, I felt like I needed a spoon! It was bigger than my head!

I spent the evening with the Pearse's for dinner which was lovely and then once Lucy and Albert were in bed Emily and Malcolm introduced me to Duck Dynasty, a programme about an American family who are the creators of duck calls who made millions and now have more money than sense. It really was hilarious watching the programme and some parts we had to rewind bits because we missed them due to laughing at it so hard. 

On Tuesday Shane and I did some more Bemba stories and got through some other bemba translations that Dan needed done. After we did that Shane and I started to prepare dinner, which in my mind we started ridiculously early at about 3. I was the carrot peeler and onion chopper and I've got to say I think onion chopping is possibly one of the worst things about cooking. But eventually it was all cooked and we had a very nice chicken and rice with a tomatoey sauce although I must say we've still not figured out portions for things like rice and pastas! That night I babysat for the Stonier's and got to watch Bend it like Beckham, which I'd forgotten is such a good film. 

On Wednesday I headed into Kitwe with Emily after a hectic morning of photocopying and printing disasters. We went to both Kawama and Greater Joy for Emily to do her training with the teachers on differentiation and it was lovely to see the teachers so engaged at Kawama. Greater Joy wasn't quite so enthusiastic but we think that that is to do with it being held at the end of the day and they were all tired. We left with plenty of time as we both had plans for the evening, Emily had people coming round and I was cooking bolognese. So with that in mind we were cruising along home when all of a sudden I felt my life flash before my eyes (ok maybe not quite but almost) as the front left tyre, the one right under me as the passenger, decided at that very moment to shred itself to pieces and sent us off course towards the side of the road. Luckily the road was clear and Emily managed to control the car enough to get us safely off the road and to a stop without me fearing for my life. We got out to see the tyre looking like this 

After waiting for a while on the side of the road being honked at and rained on, Jason finally arrived to help us out, after we'd given him the wrong directions of where abouts we were and put the spare tyre on for us as there was nothing in the car in case this happened. It made us very grateful to live on a mechanics site and be friends with the owner of said mechanics site. So by the time we'd got that sorted I didn't end up being able to make my "amazing" bolognese but I did cook the pasta for us which I managed to get roughly the right amount for everyone! I took that as my mini success of the week. 

On Thursday Chontay arrived from the UK. She's a friend of Emily's and is staying for about 2 weeks. We had a big team meal for her that evening and it's really nice to have another person my age be around. 

I'll do a separate post about this weekend as it was quite a different way to spend a weekend but it was a good one. 

Hopefully I'll also be able to catch myself up soon as well otherwise I'll start forgetting what happened!

xxx

Rain rain go away, come again another day

For the past few weeks now we’ve been having an awful lot of rain. Well I think it’s a lot but in reality it’s less that what Zambia is used to at this time of year. That being said I have been out in the rain a few times now and it’s not so fun. With the usual wetness of the rain plus the added bonus of having muddy feet constantly which is just a bit of an inconvenience really. But it is good for the crops and the farms so I can’t complain too much.

Last week has been similar to my other weeks, I’ve been in Janna School on Monday and Tuesday in the Grade 7 class doing fractions and English lessons. I am having serious flashbacks from primary school trying to figure out how to add fractions together with different denominators. Although me remembering how to do it is easy in comparison to me trying to explain to the kids who just aren’t getting it how to do it. 

On Wednesday I had to go to immigration to sort out my work permit which was a bit of a hassle but I wasn’t expecting it to be easy by all means. However the thing that did get to me was that the immigration officer thought I was about 14 but ah well. I’m sure I’ll be grateful for looking young one day. After that  headed off to Kawama with Mike and Jan and got to spend some time in the nursery and reception class which was a nice change for me as I’ve only really been around the older kids. The language barrier is definitely more prevalent in these classes though as they are just learning English now so there was a lot of hand gestures and smiles but I just about managed. I also made a trip into the little village near Kawama and it reminded me just how friendly Zambian people are. In London if you didn't know someone you might smile if you made eye contact but most of the time you're keeping your head down and not talking to anyone. Here it's the complete opposite. I think putting their friendliness together with us being white we got a lot of attention, it took a lot longer to get to the shop Mike needed because everyone kept saying hello and asking how we were. 

Also today, Shane arrived to stay the week whilst Melissa goes to Cape Town. She's helping with looking after the boys and also just so there's someone else in the house to help Dan with things around the house like the cooking. We had one very exciting thing that happened today though, Ben took proper steps across a room!!! This may sound exciting enough but this is huge for him, even just time that I've been here we've seen him move on to needing two hands to hold him up to one finger and now walking all by himself! We were all very proud of him.

Thursday was an admin day. Shane and I worked on putting Bemba stories together for phonics for the schools to use. This probably wasn't my strongest point what with me having very little Bemba at all (although I am learning!), but I tried to help fill out the stories and we worked on them in English as well so she could translate them. 

Friday was an exciting day as I did my first ballet classes for some of the girls of families from the church here. I hadn't realised I'd missed teaching until I was there doing the exercises with them and it gave me flashbacks of RCDS and I tried my best to channel my inner Becky and Miriam. But I think it was a success and the girls all enjoyed themselves and I also had my two glamorous assistants Lucy and Sanka who helped me with the music and did some dancing as well! That evening we had a slight dinner drama as Dan invited a family over for dinner but between us we didn't know how much spaghetti to do for each person. So we thought, ah Jill's a mum, she'll know how much to do! However this was our slight downfall as she wasn't 100% either so we ended up doing almost a whole package for 9 of us, with 4 of them being small children. By the end of dinner we had a bowl of spaghetti left over. But we treated it as a learning curve and we'll know better for next time!

The same as the last few Saturdays now, I went swimming with the Pearse family in the morning and as with every time I've been so far, I've realised that swimming is not my strongest sport but I'm going to work on it! After that we had a brunch at the Pearse's house as there was a family who have just come back from the US and go to church so we had bacon, eggy bread, fruit and lots of juice and milkshake. 

Sunday is church day and so at 9am we were in the hall again at the service which was really nice. Then after church Jacob and I had a writing session on the porch with some stones whilst enjoying the sunshine. We made all of our names and he spelt them out and helped with his name telling me gleefully that J is for Jacob!

I ended my Sunday with lunch at the Stonier's (Claire and Jason next door) with a roast dinner which included YORKSHIRE PUDDINGS!! This was a very exciting part of the meal for me and it was also Shane's first time having them so it was interesting to see her reaction to this very British thing!

So that's been my 5th week in Zambia in a nutshell. Hope you're all well and you're all having good weeks. 

xxx