Week One

I’m sorry I didn’t have a chance to post sooner. The internet here is very inconsistent and slow. It’s difficult to get on.

After a long, three day flight I am finally in Africa. I’m loving Zambia! The people here are very friendly, and they continue to tell us how excited they are that we have come to visit. The World Hope staff (all fellow Zambians) are amazing. They had the most hardworking people I have ever met.

The team I am with is also amazing. The guest house where we are supposed to be staying will not be finished for another three weeks, so we are passing the time at a guest house nearby. It is a decent size, especially for the country of Zambia, but fitting 14 individuals into it gets pretty interesting. I think the tight quarters have actually drawn us closer together, so it’s worked out for the better. We have a cook- Mrs. Bhoda. She does a wonderful job, and her meals are delicious. The other night, she even made peanut butter cookies. (She made about 6 dozen and they were all gone in less than 45 minutes.J) We also have a yard full of mango trees. I eat at least one at every meal, and mangos have become my new favorite fruit.

The local children always want us to come out and play soccer and/or color. They are adorable! I haven’t actually played soccer yet, but I’d colored with some of the little girls. Their favorite activity is to draw a picture of an object in the dirt then try to teach us the Tongan word for it. They laugh hysterically when we try to pronounce the words. (Their favorite one to draw for me is a rock. Apparently I can’t pronounce “rock” correctly in Tonga.) The kids don’t start learning English until about 3^rd or 4^th grade, so it can be difficult to communicate with the younger children. Often the older ones have to serve as translators.

I also like being with the village women. They ask me a lot of questions about America, and although I don’t mind answering them, I really enjoy the opportunities when they allow me to ask them questions. I like hearing about their families and their livelihoods. Many of them work in the fields, and they are proud of the crops they grow. The other day I was asked to walk with them out to the field so they could show me the maize and beans they had planted. I was impressed by their hard work, planting the crops seed by seed, and laboring diligently to ensure a good harvest. The minute I told them how impressed I was by their work, they flashed me a huge smile. One of these mornings I will actually wake up early and go out with them to the fields. They have promised to teach me how to garden. The key is just getting up early.

A few nights ago I did laundry for the first time. I had to hand wash it, and it was a disaster. One of my skirts bled, so all of my clothes are now a beautiful shade of brown tie-die. Yay!

I had my first day at my practicum placement yesterday. I have been placed in a catholic, government-sponsored boarding school for the handicapped. The school has three types of classrooms with rooms for the deaf, blind, and mentally impaired. I love it there! The kids are very respectful (they actually get on one knee when they shake my hand), and the few words I remembered from teach Trent sign came in handy when all of the deaf kids surrounded me, asking me hundreds of questions in American sign. I was able to respond with a “Hi, my name is Lindsay,” but that was about all I could squeak out. I hope to learn more sign as I spend time at the school.

The staff was very welcoming, and they consider me to be a real teacher! (The headmaster pulled me aside when I got there and asked which subjects I would be teaching. I laughed and told him I wasn’t sure yet, but that I would like a few weeks to just observe. I’ll be spending most of my time in a 6^th grade mentally impaired room with a male teacher named Mr. Ngosa. I’m not sure if the school has a website, but you might want to try googling St. Mulumba school in Choma, Zambia. You could possibly see some pictures of the facilities. They impressive, actually.

I need to get going (somehow homework still calls my name, even when I’m thousands of miles away from campus.) But, I want to let you all know that I miss you. I think about you daily, and I am thankful for all of the support you have shown me.

Love,

Lindsay