Our first week in Zambia

Friday, August 24, 2007

It was a long trip but we finally made it to Zambia.

Three hours in LAX turned into four because of a delayed flight.
Ten hours on our flight to London.
Four hours spent retrieving our luggage, taking it to a storage unit in another terminal, getting dinner, and arriving at our hotel.
Twenty minutes of swim time before the pool closed.
Finally all fell asleep at 3 a.m. and slept until 11 the next morning.
One hour of swim time then showers before check out.
Three hours waiting in Heathrow to board next plane.
Ten hours in flight in which Jason slept four hours, Brendan slept two hours and Peter and I watched a lot of movies.
Taxiing into the Lusaka Airport, Jason says, “I’m freaked out to see the people in Africa!” Remember, that means he is excited.
Twenty minutes of scrounging up $200 in the Lusaka Airport. On the second flight, we realized that we didn’t bring along the money for our tourist visas as we were just thinking about other advice, which was not to bring along very much American money. We were pretty anxious but found that the Zambian officials were very friendly and helpful. Peter was escorted out to a cash machine but it wouldn’t take Master Card. Thankfully, Siggi, our MCC Rep, was there with cash in hand to get us through.
Eight out of our nine pieces of luggage arrived, thankfully the ones with our underwear and toothbrushes made it safely.

We left our home in Altadena at 5:15 p.m. on Saturday night (Aug. 18). We arrived at the MCC House in Lusaka at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday morning. It was good to meet Siggi and Lois, our MCC Reps, and get settled into the MCC Guest House. We snuck in a quick nap in the morning and then had a bit of orientation in the afternoon. We think we remember a bit of what was said but we were very jetlagged. There were also three SALTers (Serving and Learning Together) workers at the Guest House. Mark, Tyler and Amy are heading out to live with a host family and work in different assignments for one year. Amy’s host family does not have electricity or running water. I don’t think I could have done that when I was twenty-two (or now for that matter). I am eager to hear about their experiences!

For most of this first week I have had that helpless two year old feeling. I don’t know what I should be doing or thinking. We have a lot of time on our hands as Siggi and Lois help the SALTers get to their assignments. We are in a two room bungalow, which is comfortable. It’s nice to be set apart from the others with our crazy sleeping patterns. Water pressure is quite low but were told it was better before 7 a.m. so that is when I am showering now. I tried to blowdry my hair the first time but blew the fuse every thirty seconds. I later learned that the bathroom is wired funny but that it would be fine as long as I didn’t use the outlet in the bathroom. We have some housemates that I could do without: insects. Here is the current insect count:
Cheryl killed 4 big spiders and 2 little ones. One wasp was shooed out the door, one stayed on the kitchen ceiling, and one wasp was violently killed.
Peter killed 1 large spider and one small one.
I asked Lois about the spiders and was told that hairy spiders with bellies off the ground are dangerous but others are benign. Of course, they still bite and you get a big welt. You just don’t have to go to the hospital. I decided if they are up high then I will let them be but if they are in our space, they are dead meat. But the spider I killed this evening was super fast, even when I whacked off three of its legs on my first attempt.

Friday morning, John, another MCCer, took me on a shopping spree at a store called Game. It is basically like a Target or Tesco and the only one like it in Zambia. I dropped nearly three million kwacha on various household appliances and other items. I also went grocery shopping at Shoprite, a South African supermarket. Fruit and vegetables have to be weighed and tagged before checkout just like in Prague. I found most of the ingredients I needed for dinner that I volunteered to prepare that night. I couldn’t find sour cream and was informed I would not find it at all in Zambia. I used yogurt and that seemed to work OK.

Peter was gone most of Friday at a seminar. Two graduates of Mindolo Education Foundation (MEF: where Peter will be working) are doing peace work between refugees in the compounds (townships) and Zambians. The different teams were reporting on their work and so Peter was invited to listen in. They also solicited advice and feedback but Peter felt like he was just trying to figure out what was going on. He joined them for lunch, which was nshima with a meat relish and greens, a traditional Zambian meal.

It has been quite the adjustment for the boys. It hasn’t been easy but they are doing the best they can. Brendan was initially very excited about Max, the German Shepherd mutt, who guards the complex. But Max is not really a pet and isn’t trained to be one. Max was very excited the first day we were here (read out of control). He kept humping Brendan and poor Brendan wasn’t strong enough to push him off. Jason is terrified of the dog and screams, “No, Max!” much of the time. Peter and I have to be outside with the boys to shove and push Max away from the boys. Max calmed down off and on over the next few days but Brendan is coming to realize that this isn’t like his dog friends back at home. However, Brendan has handled the jetlag the best of all of us, adjusting quickly and seeming to be rested. He tried a new cereal named “Maximize” and said he didn’t like it at first. A few bites later, he said, “You are right, Mom. Sometimes you have to keep eating something and it gets better.”

Jason woke up whimpering the first night and said he was scared of the mosquito net that he was sleeping under. Mosquito nets are an essential part of our lives so we will get used to it quickly. His body is adjusting as well and he developed a rash on the flight over that seems to be getting better now. He has also had several bloody noses. We knew that food would be a struggle, as it was in California. I did bring some Life cereal along to help us through the first week when we were guests in another home. Friday morning Jason woke early and had his first breakfast which was a bowl of Life cereal. Several hours later he wanted another bowl of Life. When this was refused him, all the emotions of the last few days cascaded out of him. He sobbed for half an hour, saying, “I want to go back to Grandma and Grandpa’s house. I want to go right now.” It broke my heart to hear him so sad. I remember holding and comforting Brendan our first few weeks in Prague when he was sobbing the same thing. Since then, Jason has tried the new cereal “Maximize” as well and, while it isn’t his favorite, he was hungry enough that he ate it. Today he tried a Marie biscuit and didn’t like it at first but a few bites later became a favorite. Baby steps.

Saturday, August 25, 2007

It was a good day. We are slowly coming out of our jetlag fog. I don’t feel quite so fuzzy or diffused. Part of the difference was that we were able to connect with several different families. This was not only engaging but also energizing.

John and Charlene, the other MCCers in Lusaka, invited us over for a pancake breakfast. It was really good to hear more of their story and to learn from their accumulated wisdom. Then Charlene took Peter and I to a crafts market that happens once a month at the Dutch Reformed Church. John graciously volunteered to stay home and watch our boys and their two girls. Brendan and Jason were having a marvelous time jumping on their trampoline with a sprinkler underneath. The craft fair was wonderful and I was tempted to spend my entire month’s allowance on what I saw but I limited myself to one purchase. I fell in love with a nativity scene and couldn’t walk away without it. Peter could have kept on walking, especially since we just spent most of our monthly personal allowance on a microwave. But Charlene was a wonderful ally and she helped me justify the purchase on several counts and the nativity scene is now in my possession.

I ended up getting a microwave the other day that was too big and powerful and more expensive than what we needed. So this afternoon Peter drove us in an MCC car to exchange it. This was a big outing for us since it was Peter’s first time driving on the left side plus we had to find our way to the store. Exchanging it was a piece of cake. I am so thrilled that I can communicate with people! I asked where the returns were and I could understand the questions the clerk asked me regarding why we were returning it. The thought of trying to make a return in Prague without the ability to speak Czech was overwhelming. It was no problem here. Plus everyone who helped us was so friendly and warm. And Peter is adapting very quickly to driving on the left side. I am getting used to the flow of traffic being opposite to what I am used to. I first noticed it in London when we were moving all our luggage from one terminal to another and I had to keep dodging people. I then realized that I should have been pushing my cart on the other side. It takes some getting used to.

Then later this afternoon we met up with Jeff and Molly Dykstra, friends of friends who are working with World Vision here in Lusaka. It was so delightful to talk with them and the time flew by. The boys watched a karate exhibition outside the food court and then tried out the moves on each other. The conversation and connection was a real lift for me after feeling a bit out of it these past few days.

In the evening, we put the boys down and then played a new game with Siggi called Carcasonne. It is a bit like Settlers of Catan but different. We stayed up late talking with Lois and Siggi and enjoyed that time of connecting with them.

Pleasant Discoveries:
MCC Library: Whenever we come to Lusaka, I will load up on books!
Washing machine: I won’t have to handwash everything!
May have access to a vehicle in Kitwe: MEF has a parking lot full of vehicles that we may get to use.
Medical clinic on MEF complex: so I won’t have to diagnose everything myself.
Only need to wash vegetables and fruit in tap water and can eat them fresh. Don’t have to wash in bleach water or be sure to cook it all the time. (This is true in Lusaka, but maybe not Kitwe)
People can send packages to us as long as the contents are worth less than $50. However, so much is available here and it is very expensive to send the packages, it probably isn’t worth it still.
I don’t have to wear skirts all the time and can wear pants as well, although I probably will still wear mostly skirts.

Unpleasant Discoveries:
No parks or playgrounds for the boys.
I will be making my own applesauce for the next three years (a main staple for the boys).
The air is very smoky as people are burning their fields and trash (apparently it is not always this way).
Just how far away everything is: six hours to Kitwe from Lusaka, four hours to Livingstone (Victoria Falls) from Lusaka, making it a ten hour trip to Victoria Falls from our home.
Everything takes time.

New vocabulary for us Americans:
Hols = holidays
Cosi = swimsuit, swim costume
Crisps = chips
Chips = French fries
Pants = underwear
Trousers = pants

Sunday, August 26, 2007

This morning we attended the Dutch Reformed Church with Siggi and Lois. I was surprised to see so many Zambians mixed in with a handful of white ex-pats. The opening song was Aliwama Mwanalesa, which means, “the son of God is good.” I became emotional as we all sang it and it just felt right. There was so much energy and emotion in the song and my spirit soared. Beautiful.

On the way, Jason saw lots of Zambians walking along the road and he said, “Those are our African friends!” Brendan saw children rummaging through a dump and stated, “I wish I could give them my new backpack.” Every time Jason sees a woman with a bundle on her back, he says, “Hey, there is a baby in there!”

We spent the afternoon at the Kalimba Crocodile Farm with Siggi and Lois, John and Charlene, and their kids. It took us 45 minutes on a very bumpy dirt road to get there, with interesting sights along the way, like the trailer in the middle of the road being welded. At the Crocodile Farm, we saw large and small crocodiles, as well as a few reptiles including a black and green mamba. For lunch we ate crocodile burgers. Brendan tried it but said it wasn’t his favorite. Peter and I didn’t mind ours. It tastes like chicken. There was also a little trampoline, a play structure and a swimming pool. The water was frigid and very murky but the kids had fun. There was a slide going down into the shallow end but it was still too deep for Jason to stand. He went down the slide by himself and doggie paddled over to the steps. This was the first time he really swam! There were other black children swimming in their underwear. One boy, who was probably 9 or 10, was too afraid to go down so I gave him my hand and guided him into the water. I helped him several times and it was sweet to work together like that. I am constantly thankful that I can speak English and be understood most of the time! It was enjoyable to relax and hang out with the MCC Team and get to know them more.