The End of API

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Well, one of our visitors from last week is dead. Thankfully it wasn’t someone from a neighboring country! Hero officially became a “superhero” last night when he killed the mouse in our kitchen. We found his gift to us on the mat where we keep our shoes. Jason spotted the headless mouse first and was very proud of this fact. Brendan wanted to keep it longer so that he could do science experiments on it but Peter quickly disposed of it in the trash pit. I must admit that the cat has not been dearly cherished the last few weeks by three out of four members of this household but I will tolerate his presence if he continues to rid my kitchen of rodents!

We had a bit of a Lechwe School weekend. Last night I took the boys to a music recital at the school. There are several students who are taking lessons in piano and violin. Next week they will have to perform for the examiners so that they can pass to the next level. The recital last night gave them a chance to perform for others and get the jitters out. Brendan and Jason really enjoyed the music and listened attentively. At the end of the recital, a former Lechwe student and an accomplished violinist, played two allegro pieces for us. Her fingers were moving a mile a minute and her bow was all over the place. We were all amazed!

Then today we were back at the school for their annual Fayre. All the classes had set up different booths and were raising money for the PTA. Brendan’s class had a huge bounce house and slide for their booth and I took a turn working it. While waiting in line for the boys to have a horse ride, I talked with a family who has a boy in Jason’s class. The woman is from Peru and her husband is from Brazil. They are here working for the mines, he as an engineer and she as an accountant. I have seen them around but never talked with them before. So that was good. But the rest of it wasn’t so great for me. I guess I always feel a bit out of place at these functions. I know a few more parents which is nice and a lot of the kids know me (Good morning, Mrs. Sniff!) but it still feels weird to see all these expats and their nannies who are minding the kids while they stand and talk to friends. And here we are counting our kwacha and making our kids choose which activities they want to do when all the other kids seem to have limitless pocket money. Then we come home and people are coming to our door asking for piece work and knowing that what we spent at the Fayre could have given them mealie-meal for a month.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

The last few days have had their share of challenges. We’ll start with Jason. Jason was fine all day Saturday but then couldn’t keep his eyes open at dinnertime. This was even more curious because we were eating his one favorite meal, burritos. Carmen, Peter and I all looked at each other and made the same educated guess: malaria. The fever and headache came that night but no vomiting which was fine by me. I took him to the clinic Sunday morning and came back with a positive malaria test and medicine. Jason perked up in the afternoon and seemed back to his usual self. We went to the Khongwirs home in the evening for Charisma’s birthday party. We were having a time of worship and prayer when the power went out. Apple and Wylie got out candles and we continued with our evening, because this stuff happens and you just go on. But Jason started to feel worse again and his temperature soared. Unfortunately, we had to cut the evening short so that we could tend to Jason. It wasn’t until Monday that he started the pukefest. Up and down, up and down, that is how malaria goes. Last night he was chilled again but today he is much better and no more vomiting. Hooray!

Meanwhile, Peter was facing challenges of his own. This is the last week of Africa Peacebuilding Institute (API). It has been going well and the students are having a good experience, it seems. On Friday, Peter found out that one of his two facilitators for this last week was unable to come because her mother was ill in the hospital. After considering different possibilities, Peter decided that all the participants would just attend the module led by a man from Zimbabwe. Come Sunday afternoon, Peter hadn’t heard from this facilitator as to when he would be arriving. After many phone calls, they finally connected, but it was a bad connection. So the Zim guy (I don’t know his name) said he would email Peter when he got to his office but when he got there, the power was cut. He got in touch with Peter to let him know that he was going to try to buy a ticket to fly up here on Monday. But, as is one of the hazards of being an outspoken peace activist in Zimbabwe under Mugabe, he was taken to jail and then later released. But it was too late to come here. So now Peter was out both facilitators. We brainstormed our options, one of which was for me to step in and do the African Indigenous Christian Counseling training but it felt like too much with Jason sick with malaria, Peter overwhelmed with work, and me arranging childcare for the duration of the week. Peter decided to facilitate the last module which would involve time for reflection and group processing of the things they have learned over the past five weeks. In between the class sessions, he is also trying to arrange transport for the participants who are leaving on the weekend, print certificates and have them signed by three people (i.e. a NIGHTMARE!), organize the graduation ceremony, and prepare for the class he is teaching as an intensive the next two weeks. He is downing Airborne because it is also flu season and he feels he may be coming down with something.

I had my own little challenges this week. If I had a nanny, then it wouldn’t be such a big deal when my kid gets sick, but as it is, Jason being home for a few days made me juggle a few things. I left Jason home with Peggy on Monday morning so that I could do some errands in town. I got “O Come All Ye Faithful” stuck in my head, thanks to the post office customs agent who was humming it while checking my parcels. Then I went to Shoprite with a long list of groceries to buy. I was ecstatic that I found mozzarella cheese which has been non-existent longer than the sugar shortage. I also found imported muffin mix on the sale table. What would normally cost $9 was now selling for fifty cents so I loaded up. With my cart full and everything on my list checked off, I headed for the checkout. But then everything went dark, really dark, as there are no windows in the building except the front doors. Usually the business district does not get power cuts, although by the look of the meat they sell there, it may happen more than we think. We all waited for awhile, hoping it would come back on. I asked one of the workers if they had a generator and the answer was negative. Nobody could buy anything because the cash registers wouldn’t work. Soon everyone just left their carts and walked out of the store. No fuss, no complaining, no nothing. Can you imagine the outrage in America if this happened? Carmen graciously agreed to come over this morning to stay with Jason so I could read to the nursery kids and attempt a shopping trip for the second time. It felt like dejavu putting all the same things back in my cart. Minus the muffin mixes. They were gone. Shame.

But last night was lovely. I had another group of API women over for dessert. Jemimah from Nigeria, Hellen from Uganda, Kelemua from Ethiopia, and Esnart from Zambia, joined me for tea and almond squares. These women have become good friends over the past few weeks and I was privileged that they allowed me to join in their friendship. They are all beautiful and vivacious women, and even though they all come very different backgrounds, they have really bonded with each other. The evening flew by. I wish they would stay for longer but they only have a few days left and they are more than ready to return to their families that they left behind.

Helen, Jemimah, Me, Esnart, and Kelemua

Wednesday, July 11, 2008

I was in a little produce store this morning and the two gentlemen in front of me bought a bunch of bananas. The clerk had gone to the back to find change and so we were all waiting, patiently of course. The two men began to peel their bananas and eat them. One said to me, “I am eating bananas.” Uh, yes you are, I thought, but I said, “You must be hungry.” He said, “In our culture, if I say I am eating something, that means I am inviting you to have some as well.” Learn something new every day.

Thursday, July 12, 2008

I wasn’t kidding when I said I learn something new every day. Over dinner, Carmen gave us quite an education. Earlier in the day, her maid had asked Carmen if she could have a spoonful of cooking oil. This seemed like a curious request so Carmen asked what she needed it for. She replied, “I want to drink a spoonful of oil so that the threadworms go back down my throat.” Apparently, the threadworms that have taken up residence in her body crawl up her esophagus but if she swallows oil, then they slide back down. Peter, who generally opposes musicals, broke into song, “Just a spoonful of oil, makes the threadworms stay down . . .”

Friday, July 13, 2008

In this final week of Africa Peacebuilding Institute, I got to enjoy the vivacious spirit of the group on several occasions. Wednesday morning chapel was led by the Ethiopian participants. The sound and feel of their songs were different than what I’ve heard in Zambia, almost a bit of a middle eastern influence. It was lovely. The API women really bonded over the past six weeks, praying together and singing songs from their different countries. They formed an “API Choir” and enjoyed singing in chapel together.

Then on Thursday, Peter invited me to see the group projects that the participants had been working on this week. They were asked to take themes from the past six weeks and prepare a project using all their creativity and share it with the group. One group wrote an advocacy letter to the president of South Africa, requesting an apology for the xenophobic violence occurring in that country. Another group wrote a poem. But one group did a skit portraying gender-based violence that was absolutely hilarious given the seriousness of the topic. We were in stitches for over half an hour. You could see the relationships formed between the participants and they way they could rib each other and magnify cultural mannerisms. It was wonderful to hear everyone rolling with laughter!

Can you see the woman in the background cracking up?

And then this morning was the graduation ceremony. The API Choir sang a few songs and everyone and their dog was recognized and thanked. At times, African culture is so formal with how they go about things. On the other hand, when the certificates were handed out, there was cheering and clapping and shouting. The APIparticipants are such a wonderful group, so full of life and energy. What could have been a stuffy graduation ceremony was a loud and wonderful celebration. Maybe by the end of my three years here, I too will whoop and holler and dance around the front, uninhibited and free. That would be a long journey for me, but hey, I’ve got time and I’ve got good teachers!

The API Choir singing their hearts out!