Lovin' Lusaka

Thursday, November 15, 2007

It has been a full week or more! I wasn’t good at journaling in the midst of it all so let’s see what I can remember. At the end of last week I had the opportunity to attend a facilitator’s training for Healing of Memories. It was unclear whether I would get to do this or not because of not knowing the exact dates or location and we had team meetings in Lusaka that we needed to attend. But it all worked out and I was able to spend Wednesday evening and all day Thursday in the training. It was such a delight to see Father Michael and Mpendulo who led the previous workshop. Almost all of the participants who attended the first workshop were also present and it was like seeing family again. I learned a lot in the training but also realized that there is so much more to learn. Facilitating these groups is harder than it looks. There will be future trainings and workshops and we will see if I will get to take part in those.

Early Friday morning we caught a bus to Lusaka. The bus that we hoped to get on filled up before 6 a.m. so we got on the next one that filled up by 6:15. Buses don’t have a schedule but leave when they are full. The earlier you go, the quicker the bus fills. If we tried to go mid-morning or later, it may take several hours for it to fill. While the bus was filling up, a woman stood in the front and preached, sang, and prayed. When it was time to leave, she came collecting money then hopped off the bus. The boys did well on the four and a half hour journey. We were dreading this trip but it turned out to be uneventful and even better than we had expected. It helped that we were able to sit on the side that had two seats instead of three and that we could sit together.

Friday afternoon and Saturday were spent in team meetings. The MCC team in Zambia consists of Siggi and Lois and family (our reps who have been here six years and are finishing this summer), the Wielers (finishing a three year term this summer), Jocelyn (here two more years), Karen (a one year term nurse), and three one-year SALTers – Amy, Mark and Tyler. Added to our group were two returning IVEPers (International Visitor Exchange Program) who lived in North America last year – Odess and Mwembe. Mwaba joined the Lusaka office as staff and he was with us as well. On Saturday, we spent the day hearing from everyone on their challenges, highlights, and goals.

Oh, I forgot to mention our speaker Saturday morning. Issa Sadi is part of the Archdiocese of Lusaka Peace Center and is an MCC local partner. He told us about his work with Maheba Refugee Camp on the Angola-Congolese border and how they have trained many people in conflict transformation and peacebuilding. These people have trained others who have been repatriated back to Angola and other places from which they fled. Now they are starting up conflict transformation programs in the communities in which they have resettled. Very exciting. In Lusaka, they have started peace clubs in schools and have worked in some of the poorer compounds, setting up conflict transformation programs there. Peter had met Issa at a previous seminar at MEF and I was pleased to meet him in Lusaka. We talked about Healing of Memories and how that would be a great program to start in the refugee camps as well since many of the people trained in conflict transformation still carry around their own pain which can make it hard to be peacemakers. He is coming up in a week or so and will be a participant in the “Counseling and Trauma Healing” course I am co-teaching.

It was a weekend full of many wonderful blessings for which I am very thankful. Here are a few:

• I took a shower!!! Actually, I took a couple showers and they even exceeded my expectations, which were very high after not having a shower since the end of August.
• We have a car! Siggi was able to find a 1994 Toyota Corolla for us and so now we have wheels. Our taxi days are over!!!
• We spent Sunday at Adventure City with the rest of the team. Adventure City is a beautiful place complete with several swimming pools and a variety of waterslides. While Siggi barbecued a ton of meat, the rest of us took to the slides. It was so much fun! After lunch, there was an impromptu watermelon spitting contest that was pretty funny. We also played ultimate Frisbee. The boys had a blast! There is nothing like this in Kitwe so we were excited to be able to get out and do something different.
• The Wielers had us over for a delicious lasagne dinner and we put the boys to bed there so we could play games in the evening. Jason didn’t participate in this plan and could not fall asleep. He is definitely one that needs his routine. (One funny thing about that day was that both boys managed to lock themselves into a room and couldn’t get out. Earlier in the day, Jason locked himself into his bedroom at the guest house. After much coaching, he was finally able to unlock the door. We gave both boys a long lecture about not locking doors. Then at the Wielers, Brendan locked himself into their bathroom and couldn’t get out. I couldn’t believe I was standing outside a door, twice in one day, giving instructions on how to unlock a door!)
• Charlene took me fabric shopping so that I could make throw pillows for our couches. We borrowed Lois’ sewing machine and worked together to make four big beautiful pillows. Charlene did most of the work as well as the thinking and I am most grateful. She even helped Brendan make a little pillow and quickly sewed one for Jason as well. Our couches feel totally different already!
• We spent one afternoon with Molly Dykstra and her kids, our friends from World Vision that know the Rewers’ and Hipps’. Not only was it refreshing to spend time with her but she baked the most incredible chocolate chip cookies that we enjoyed all afternoon.
• The papers that we needed to have for our car were expected to be ready on Monday afternoon so that we could return to Kitwe on Tuesday. However, this did not happen until Tuesday. This meant we had to spend an extra night in Lusaka. However, there was a group of ten Canadians arriving and so we had to find alternate housing. The Baptists were good to us and we found lodging at their guest house. Unfortunately, they forgot to pay the power bill for the room we were in and the electricity was cut off. We used the room next door to shower and eat breakfast the next morning!
• So the papers were finally ready but it meant that we had to go pick them up from the previous owner. We managed to find the BIC Church where we were to meet even though it was dark, raining, and there are no street signs. Thank goodness for Siggi’s detailed directions!
• Tuesday morning Peter had to take the papers and get two stickers for our window that say our car was fit to drive. Yes, he was directed to the wrong line (of course) but he was able to get what we needed and we were on the road mid-morning.
• Brendan was sick much of the weekend with fever and diarrhea. That didn’t stop him from playing with the other kids and going on the waterslides. We are thankful the diarrhea stopped by the time we started on our five hour return trip. Although, since we were in our own car, we could stop if we needed to!
• About 45 minutes outside Lusaka, something came loose under our car and was making a huge racket. We pulled over to the side of the road and found a piece of metal that was flapping around. A man on a bike came over to help and said he had just what we needed. He went to his bike and got out a long piece of rubber which he used to tie the piece to the bumper. He was a godsend.
• Along the two lane highway, you can tell exactly what is being grown in each area because the roadside is lined with stands selling that one thing. So we went by all the watermelons, the honey, and then . . . the rats? There was one area where there were several guys selling live rats that were tied to a stick and hanging upside down. I don’t think they were meant for pets . . . We settled on a watermelon that was delicious!

We returned home safe and sound with our car loaded down with goodies from Lusaka. Siggi found us a little gas stove and propane tank that we can use when the power goes out during the rainy season. I got beginning piano books from Lois so Brendan can learn more. I have Sunday School materials from PMC and treats from a package from my Oma, Opa, and aunt. Plus books from the MCC library, four big throw pillows, and supplies from my favorite store, Game. We were packed to the gills!

Since there had been a lot of rain, our garden was overgrown with weeds. I was very surprised to find huge cucumbers that had grown in our absence. What was even more surprising was that they turned up on the plants that I thought were honeydew. Shows how much I know! Now we have cucumbers coming out of our ears. I am tempted to try to make pickles but that may prove too much work right now. Next week I am preparing for American Thanksgiving and the two weeks after that I am teaching. Immediately following the class and the end of the term for the boys, we go back to Lusaka for a week for our Regional Retreat. It is going to be busy!

Friday, November 16, 2007

I love having our own car! I drove the boys to school yesterday and then to Shoprite. It takes a bit of getting used to since everything is opposite for me. I’m glad that we were driven in a taxi for so long, because now it feels more normal to drive on the opposite side of the road. However, it is different sitting in the driver’s seat. I always reach for the seatbelt on the wrong side. I hope people know that if the windshield wipers are going on a hot, dry day, that means that I am going to turn, since the turn signal is on the opposite side as well. But I will get used to those things and soon it will feel normal. Can I just tell you how happy I am that we have a car!!!!