Hello, again! Sorry that it's taken me a few days to write since I've been home. The festivities have been nonstop since I've gotten here. For those of you who may not know I had to leave Zambia early to be Matron of Honor at my best friend's wedding on June 20th. It was beautiful, by the way.
Despite the fact that I've been back in the States for four days I'm going to look back at my last few days in Zambia and give you a little overview. I packed up all my things Sunday afternoon, all the while trying to pretend I was doing something else. Needless to say, I knew it was going to be hard to leave; not only to leave the babies I had fallen in love with but also my group of friends I had shared so much with over the past four weeks. Monday morning I went to the Haven and "performed" my favorite LETU, "Food", for the last time. I was determined not to cry while with the kids. However, they may have wondered why they were receiving three times as many hugs and kisses and why my camera was capturing their every single move. I tried to soak up as much time as possible, but in the end it still wasn't enough. It was time to go before I knew it. Long story short, it was even harder than I thought it would be. As I've told some of those in my group already, it's amazing how much your life can change in one month.
Once my bags were loaded into Khaki Jackie and good-byes were said to all, Sara, B. Weave and I headed off. We stopped in Kalomo for lunch at El Pantone, a little fast food place (aka takeaway). I believe the owner is a former student at Namwianga so the Merritts frequent it rather often. From there we began the long drive to Livingstone. Let me preface this next part by saying that I knew the plan was to spend the night in Livingstone then go to Victoria Falls sometime in the morning and head off to the airport after that. Well, a little ways down the road a twinkle appeared in B. Weave's eye and I could tell that something was up. Apparently the new plan was to take me to high tea if we made it in time. Needless to say...ahem...we made it in time. :) Tea was incredible. First of all, the Royal Livingstone is the most beautiful place. Not only is the building amaing, but the grounds are gorgeous and right on the Zambezi River. Then we had our choice of about 30 different desserts. If I had ever seen beautiful food, this was it. Then of course there was the tea, served in the most lovely china and also very delightful. Everything was just perfect. The rest of the evening we spent walking and lounging about the grounds. During this time I saw giraffes, zebras, hippos, monkeys, and baboons. It was my own personal safari and it was perfect as well. The next morning we headed to the falls. Yes, they put Niagra to shame. The power and beauty were simply incredible. Sara and I kept going "just a little further". I wanted to get my money's worth, afterall. The end result was two very wet ladies, but it was worth it. The market was our next stop where I was once again reminded that bartering is not my forte. Sara rescued me a couple of times and I ended up with plenty of "stuff."
I had such a wonderful last couple of days and I know Sara and Weave worked hard to make it special for me. It was an even bigger realization for me that these people (including our professors back home) are so much more than just teachers. They really care about us, in the classroom and out. The rest of my travels home are history. Nothing much exciting happened (thankfully). Even my 8 hour layover in Joburg went by quicker than I thought it would. Once more I want to thank everyone for making this trip a complete success. It has meant more to me than I am able to type so I will end here with one more heartfelt, THANK YOU. I cannot wait to share more stories in person. Love to you all.
-Meredith Pietzman
aka Mary Bart
Monday, June 22, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Life After the Haven
Today we had an opportunity to go to a local bush community to see one of the babies that has gone home from the Haven. Lola has been home for about 2 months now and is 3 years old. She continues to look healthy and clean. Kathy M. and Meagan occasionally go to check on the children that leave the Haven and go back to their families. Lola lives right inside Kalomo, out in a bush area. We stopped on our way to purchase ‘sweets’ and soap for Lola. We were greeted as we arrived by lots of smiling children’s faces. They giggled and enjoyed the cameras we all had out. We saw inside the small hut where Lola lives with her family, it’s about the size of the clinic workroom, maybe smaller and not as tall. She recognized Meagan, but didn’t say much. Meagan told us that she was extremely talkative when she lived at the Haven, and on occasion, because of looking at flashcards and asking what sound a lion makes, would growl everything she said. =) There was a picture of Meagan and Lola inside the hut on the wall. Little Kathy (4) went with us to the bush. She had been good friends with Lola. It was sad to see that after only a short time there was no interaction between the little girls, as if they didn’t know one another. Overall, it was neat to see what happens when a child goes home from the Haven and what type of living environment they have to go back to.
This evening I discovered that we had new guests staying with us when I heard through the shower wall Aladdin’s: A Whole New World sung loudly by two gentlemen. It was tempting, and quite frankly I wanted to join in course with Jasmine’s part! =) But decided against it. These two gentlemen, Joseph and James, are very nice, as we found out at dinner. And anyone who enjoys singing loudly any Disney song is okay in my book! They are college students who have come several years in a row for medical missions. We also met Ellie, a remarkable woman who has helped with all our arrangements from room and board, to transportation from Livingston, and even our go between with the missions, etc. Her son, Kell and another man, Will who is here for the medical mission were a part of the group that arrived this evening also.
After dinner tonight, Ellie told us she had one more dessert for us to try… Dried caterpillars!!! And I have to say.. I don’t know if with pride, but yours truly was the only ‘Makua’ (white person) to eat one! Mainly because I knew my husband would never believe I did it!! But Mrs. McLain has proof!! Hehe. Rachel, one of the girls who helps Leonard with cooking and washing dishes, however, ate them like ‘sweets’. =) They definitely don’t taste sweet, more like burnt mini wheats.. without the frosting!!
Well we have 2 full days left at the Haven… only 2!!! It’s going to be hard to say good-bye! I think I speak for us all when I say that these children have impacted our lives in many ways.
-Mary Tom
This evening I discovered that we had new guests staying with us when I heard through the shower wall Aladdin’s: A Whole New World sung loudly by two gentlemen. It was tempting, and quite frankly I wanted to join in course with Jasmine’s part! =) But decided against it. These two gentlemen, Joseph and James, are very nice, as we found out at dinner. And anyone who enjoys singing loudly any Disney song is okay in my book! They are college students who have come several years in a row for medical missions. We also met Ellie, a remarkable woman who has helped with all our arrangements from room and board, to transportation from Livingston, and even our go between with the missions, etc. Her son, Kell and another man, Will who is here for the medical mission were a part of the group that arrived this evening also.
After dinner tonight, Ellie told us she had one more dessert for us to try… Dried caterpillars!!! And I have to say.. I don’t know if with pride, but yours truly was the only ‘Makua’ (white person) to eat one! Mainly because I knew my husband would never believe I did it!! But Mrs. McLain has proof!! Hehe. Rachel, one of the girls who helps Leonard with cooking and washing dishes, however, ate them like ‘sweets’. =) They definitely don’t taste sweet, more like burnt mini wheats.. without the frosting!!
Well we have 2 full days left at the Haven… only 2!!! It’s going to be hard to say good-bye! I think I speak for us all when I say that these children have impacted our lives in many ways.
-Mary Tom
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Kasibi Village
Praise the Lord.
Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.
Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.
Praise him with tambourine and dancing; praise him with the strings and flute,
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord
Psalm 150: 1-2, 4, and 6
Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.
Praise him with tambourine and dancing; praise him with the strings and flute,
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord
Psalm 150: 1-2, 4, and 6
We were invited to attend church at the Kasibi Church of Christ. Leonard and his family are members of the Kasibi village. Our caravan journey began at 8:30am. We started down the road that leads us to The Haven everyday. We eventually turned onto a long, narrow, bumpy, road (we would call it a two wheel path in the US) that we have become very accustomed to. Once again the weeds on either side of the road were taller than our faithful Khaki Jacki, but of course she pulled us through. There in the middle of nowhere was the Kasibi Church of Christ. We were greeted by Leonard and his wonderful smile. There were only a few people present when we arrived. Soon after a Deacon rang the church bell and the congregation started to arrive. The wooden benches started to fill so the service was moved outside. Harold, Leonard’s son, was the worship leader. After the sermon, the Kasibi Church of Christ singers sang several selections. They were wonderful and the harmony was great. The visitor’s were then asked to render three songs. This really excited Mrs. McLain, she had prepared us well, but visitors from TX and OK joined us so it was not the same. Once church was dismissed, the congregation had a fellowship. African American and Africans define fellowship as ‘lining up to shake hands with everyone in the congregation.’
Leonard cooked and invited the entire congregation to his farm to eat. He just so happened to have cooked my favorite African meal: Nshima with soup on it, relish (cabbage), rice, and chicken. If you are a loyal follower you know we had dessert. Today it was a chocolate cake labeled Kasibi Church of Christ cake. Lunch, of course, was wonderful.
There was also great after lunch entertainment. There was a band, singing and dancing. Brittany, Meredith and Jessica were so overjoyed that they joined the dancing circle. Oh I failed to mention that circle also included a mother dancing while nursing her baby. I even thought B Weave was about to join the circle, she had a little sway going and there was a twinkle in her eye that I had never seen. I even caught Sara moving her feet to the beat with a little short Zambian (Jason). We had a marvelous time but like everything else it had to end.
I think I can speak for everyone by saying “WE ARE GOING TO MISS LEONARD!”
Mary Cat
Leonard cooked and invited the entire congregation to his farm to eat. He just so happened to have cooked my favorite African meal: Nshima with soup on it, relish (cabbage), rice, and chicken. If you are a loyal follower you know we had dessert. Today it was a chocolate cake labeled Kasibi Church of Christ cake. Lunch, of course, was wonderful.
There was also great after lunch entertainment. There was a band, singing and dancing. Brittany, Meredith and Jessica were so overjoyed that they joined the dancing circle. Oh I failed to mention that circle also included a mother dancing while nursing her baby. I even thought B Weave was about to join the circle, she had a little sway going and there was a twinkle in her eye that I had never seen. I even caught Sara moving her feet to the beat with a little short Zambian (Jason). We had a marvelous time but like everything else it had to end.
I think I can speak for everyone by saying “WE ARE GOING TO MISS LEONARD!”
Mary Cat
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Sales Queen
Mrs. Moono is our neighbor here on the mission. She and her family raise chickens and grow tomatoes for a living. Mrs. Moono is also a talented seamstress and an amazing sales lady. She sews tote bags, satchels, coin purses, computer bags, skirts and tops (called suites here), place mates, aprons, and quilted bags. She sews on the side to put her five children through school. The thing about going over to Mrs. Moono to puruse her wears is that you always buy more than you anticipated. She can convince you that you need a bag to match your skirt or a coin purse to go inside of your tote. I would put her sales skills up against anyone in the states.
The past two days I’ve been over at her house with different sewing orders. Yesterday, after she measured me for my suite, she informed me that I should marry her son. Apparently he is very handsome and well educated. He’s getting his degree in economics at the university nearby. Figuring she knew I was joking I replied affirmatively. Mrs. Moono said she would sew me all the aprons I wanted for zero kwatcha. I walked away not sure whether a verbal agreement (given in jest) meant that I had just signed betrothal papers.
Today we all went into Choma, a town an hour away with a decent sized market and plenty of people ready to barter. We all left with full bags and empty wallets, especially Antoinette. Shorty after arriving at our house, I made my way over to Mrs. Moono’s. I was warmly welcomed into her dining room, where she was already hard at work. We chatted for a few minutes and then she asked me if I had a fiancé. I said no, not even a boyfriend; I’m very much single. She looked shocked. I wasn’t sure if she really liked me or had entirely forgotten her proposal from the other day. Mrs. Moono proceeds to ask why. I jokingly stated that nobody’s made me an offer. She scoffed. Curiously she asked me if I liked black boys. Sure, I like black boys. She smiled and continued her sales pitch. My witty seamstress again reiterated how good looking her son was and I was informed of all his accomplishments. Mrs. Moono then slyly says “don’t you think the little black babies here are so cute?” I assured her that they’re some of the most precious children I’ve ever seen. She asked if I found a Zambian husband yet and if I would just take one home with me? I tried telling her that finding a husband was not really the reason for my being here. This didn’t really stop her though. She persisted gushing about her son and trying to get me to take him home as my personal souvenir. Mrs. Moono, the humble farmer, is a sales lady through and through. Like any good mother, it’s all for the sake of her children.
-Mary Jo
The past two days I’ve been over at her house with different sewing orders. Yesterday, after she measured me for my suite, she informed me that I should marry her son. Apparently he is very handsome and well educated. He’s getting his degree in economics at the university nearby. Figuring she knew I was joking I replied affirmatively. Mrs. Moono said she would sew me all the aprons I wanted for zero kwatcha. I walked away not sure whether a verbal agreement (given in jest) meant that I had just signed betrothal papers.
Today we all went into Choma, a town an hour away with a decent sized market and plenty of people ready to barter. We all left with full bags and empty wallets, especially Antoinette. Shorty after arriving at our house, I made my way over to Mrs. Moono’s. I was warmly welcomed into her dining room, where she was already hard at work. We chatted for a few minutes and then she asked me if I had a fiancé. I said no, not even a boyfriend; I’m very much single. She looked shocked. I wasn’t sure if she really liked me or had entirely forgotten her proposal from the other day. Mrs. Moono proceeds to ask why. I jokingly stated that nobody’s made me an offer. She scoffed. Curiously she asked me if I liked black boys. Sure, I like black boys. She smiled and continued her sales pitch. My witty seamstress again reiterated how good looking her son was and I was informed of all his accomplishments. Mrs. Moono then slyly says “don’t you think the little black babies here are so cute?” I assured her that they’re some of the most precious children I’ve ever seen. She asked if I found a Zambian husband yet and if I would just take one home with me? I tried telling her that finding a husband was not really the reason for my being here. This didn’t really stop her though. She persisted gushing about her son and trying to get me to take him home as my personal souvenir. Mrs. Moono, the humble farmer, is a sales lady through and through. Like any good mother, it’s all for the sake of her children.
-Mary Jo
THERE'S REALLY NO I IN TEAM
If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like- minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus. Philippians 2:1-5
These particular scriptures have served as the HIZ-PATH's groups motto for the past four weeks. Through the course of our stay here in Africa I have seen so many groups arrive at the Namwianga Mission with the intent of coming to do God's work. Some came to build, some came to paint, and some came to teach. However, as interesting as their jobs sound, I can say beyond the shadow of a doubt that I wouldn't rather be here with anyone other than the eleven fantastic women God placed in this special group.
Since we have been here we have truly become like family. Always looking out for each other and helping each other when in need. Each one of us adds a special talent to the group and a missing piece to the puzzle. Whether we are helping each other plan our therapy sessions for the next day, spraying each other's insect bites, dispensing medication, or baking chocolate chip cookies you can rest assure TEAMWORK is taking place. We are always here for each other providing constant laughter, a shoulder to cry on, or just a word of encouragement for one of our sisters in need.
Long after this trip I can still see myself needing Brittany for her infamous Bedside Comedy Hour and also Brow's by Britt, Antoinette's advice and Hairstyle's by Nettie specializing in side ponies and messy buns, Meredith's positive attitude, Jessica's artistic ability, Ashley's calm spirit, Mrs. Marta's nurturing spirit, Ms. Shock's organizational and scheduling skills, Mrs. McLain's preschool expertise, Dr. Weaver's consistent encouragement and reassurance from Becca and Elizabeth that you do still have hair and a life after graduate school. Also in the event that the workers at Pampers, Huggies, and Luvs decide to join the entire country of Zambia and go on strike then you guys can always call me for advice on what household items make the best diapers because I think I have seen enough in these past four weeks to tell you something.
Overall I think it would be safe to say on May 21, 2009 we arrived at the Namwianga Mission a group and we are leaving here a team. We have given inspiration to other groups and the workers here at the mission but most of all we have inspired each other. We have given each other the motivation to continue laughing as often as possible, loving everybody as Christ loved us, and living to do God's will everyday of our lives.
Sister Mary Mackulata
P.S Meredith we will miss you but I will keep the Meredith Internet Cafe open just for you:-)
These particular scriptures have served as the HIZ-PATH's groups motto for the past four weeks. Through the course of our stay here in Africa I have seen so many groups arrive at the Namwianga Mission with the intent of coming to do God's work. Some came to build, some came to paint, and some came to teach. However, as interesting as their jobs sound, I can say beyond the shadow of a doubt that I wouldn't rather be here with anyone other than the eleven fantastic women God placed in this special group.
Since we have been here we have truly become like family. Always looking out for each other and helping each other when in need. Each one of us adds a special talent to the group and a missing piece to the puzzle. Whether we are helping each other plan our therapy sessions for the next day, spraying each other's insect bites, dispensing medication, or baking chocolate chip cookies you can rest assure TEAMWORK is taking place. We are always here for each other providing constant laughter, a shoulder to cry on, or just a word of encouragement for one of our sisters in need.
Long after this trip I can still see myself needing Brittany for her infamous Bedside Comedy Hour and also Brow's by Britt, Antoinette's advice and Hairstyle's by Nettie specializing in side ponies and messy buns, Meredith's positive attitude, Jessica's artistic ability, Ashley's calm spirit, Mrs. Marta's nurturing spirit, Ms. Shock's organizational and scheduling skills, Mrs. McLain's preschool expertise, Dr. Weaver's consistent encouragement and reassurance from Becca and Elizabeth that you do still have hair and a life after graduate school. Also in the event that the workers at Pampers, Huggies, and Luvs decide to join the entire country of Zambia and go on strike then you guys can always call me for advice on what household items make the best diapers because I think I have seen enough in these past four weeks to tell you something.
Overall I think it would be safe to say on May 21, 2009 we arrived at the Namwianga Mission a group and we are leaving here a team. We have given inspiration to other groups and the workers here at the mission but most of all we have inspired each other. We have given each other the motivation to continue laughing as often as possible, loving everybody as Christ loved us, and living to do God's will everyday of our lives.
Sister Mary Mackulata
P.S Meredith we will miss you but I will keep the Meredith Internet Cafe open just for you:-)
Friday, June 12, 2009
The Kids at the Haven
Although the Haven is an orphanage, not all of the children are true orphans. In many cases the mother has died, but the father is still living. Unfortunately, the fathers are forced to give the children up without the mother since single fatherhood does not exist in Zambia. Some of these children do have the hope of going home when they are older and can help at home, especially if they have other living relatives. In cases where there are known living relatives, they are encouraged to visit the children at least once every 3 months, preferably at least once per month, but are welcome to visit as often as they wish. Throughout our time here, we have been able to witness a few of these visits.
One woman, the 21-year-old mother of twins, took her children to the Haven, as she is unable to care for them due to an illness. She came one afternoon to visit with them, and she brought them new clothes. She also took pictures of her babies to keep with her. She clearly loved her children and wanted the best for them. She seemed hopeful that she may be able to bring them home in the future.
Another set of twins came to the Haven just over a week ago. Their mother got a headache and died (probably aneurysm) just before their first birthday. Today their father and (I think) grandmother came to visit. I had not thought until I saw them with their father how painful it must be for him, as well as other dads. He lost his wife very unexpectedly and two precious daughters all in one day, and there was nothing he could do about it. He looked absolutely heartbroken today as he held his daughters for the first time in weeks, knowing that he would very soon have to leave them again. The twins do have 4 older brothers, so perhaps they will one day be able to go home.
Other children are not as "fortunate" as these. Some do not have any living relatives to come back and claim them. Others were denied by their parents or dumped in the bushes. Many children arrive sick and malnourished. Thankfully, they have a new place to call home in the Haven, and they have their aunties (the caregivers at the Haven) and others who care for them and show them love each and every day. The children who do not have a home to return to are raised here at Namwianga, surrounded by a loving new family. Those who do eventually go home are checked on to make sure they are safe and healthy.
Ashley aka Sister Mary Maserati
One woman, the 21-year-old mother of twins, took her children to the Haven, as she is unable to care for them due to an illness. She came one afternoon to visit with them, and she brought them new clothes. She also took pictures of her babies to keep with her. She clearly loved her children and wanted the best for them. She seemed hopeful that she may be able to bring them home in the future.
Another set of twins came to the Haven just over a week ago. Their mother got a headache and died (probably aneurysm) just before their first birthday. Today their father and (I think) grandmother came to visit. I had not thought until I saw them with their father how painful it must be for him, as well as other dads. He lost his wife very unexpectedly and two precious daughters all in one day, and there was nothing he could do about it. He looked absolutely heartbroken today as he held his daughters for the first time in weeks, knowing that he would very soon have to leave them again. The twins do have 4 older brothers, so perhaps they will one day be able to go home.
Other children are not as "fortunate" as these. Some do not have any living relatives to come back and claim them. Others were denied by their parents or dumped in the bushes. Many children arrive sick and malnourished. Thankfully, they have a new place to call home in the Haven, and they have their aunties (the caregivers at the Haven) and others who care for them and show them love each and every day. The children who do not have a home to return to are raised here at Namwianga, surrounded by a loving new family. Those who do eventually go home are checked on to make sure they are safe and healthy.
Ashley aka Sister Mary Maserati
Thursday, June 11, 2009
The Fruits Of Our Labor
The children at the Haven impress me more and more every day! Whoever said, “What can you do with speech-language pathology in Zambia?!” well let me just tell you. =)
Today at the Haven the children were singing along with the songs we sing, making the hand motions, and participating when called on (ex: handing a piece of plastic fruit and asking for it back). It’s fun to watch the little ones try to sing along and be able to do some of the motions. Today during the song: God made the big round sun; God made the tall, tall trees; God made the birds that fly; and God made me, I saw Choolwe, Ashley, and Georgie make a sun with their little arms and place their hands on their chests to say “me”. This is was the first time I noticed Choolwe and Ashley trying to participate and do the motions at the correct time. I just hugged them after the lessons. I’m so proud of what they are accomplishing and I’m blessed to be a part of this.
The older kids (3-4): Jason, George, Kathy, Nawina, Weston, Carol, Bright; and some of the younger kids (2): David, Georgie, Choolwe love to sing along with Head, Shoulder, Knees and Toes and do a great job of following along. Kathy (4) often will place her hands on her head to show that she wants to sing the song. It’s exciting to see what we have accomplished in the short time we have been here. Children that didn’t say anything at the beginning of our trip are now saying words and singing along. Catherine (2) came running up to me on Tuesday with a little toy in her hand shouting “apple”. The toy was clearly not an ‘apple’, but she has learned a new word; the only word I’ve heard her say, in fact, since we’ve been here. With limited resources and the setting these children are in, they are blossoming every day and it’s so encouraging and rewarding to witness!
Another example of what these children are learning happened this afternoon at the baby house. As Candice was starting the lesson ‘animals’ with the babies, she quickly had a little helper. Every time she would ask a rhetoric question, “What is this?” a little voice would call out.. Bird!, Pink!, and some random noise.. definitely not ‘tweet, tweet’.. haha. Jason, a four year old, was standing next to where Candice was sitting answering every question. It was so cute! We have decided; however, that the next time we sing: God made birds to sound like this… that we are all going to call out with a different bird sound because the birds here clearly do not say ‘tweet, tweet’. Just ask Brittany and Meredith to demonstrate how the birds here sound.. they’ve really got it down!! =)
So many things are happening to show the importance of what we are doing and why we are here. God has blessed us with this unique opportunity and we will have lots of stories to share when we get home!!
-Jessica Mayes
Today at the Haven the children were singing along with the songs we sing, making the hand motions, and participating when called on (ex: handing a piece of plastic fruit and asking for it back). It’s fun to watch the little ones try to sing along and be able to do some of the motions. Today during the song: God made the big round sun; God made the tall, tall trees; God made the birds that fly; and God made me, I saw Choolwe, Ashley, and Georgie make a sun with their little arms and place their hands on their chests to say “me”. This is was the first time I noticed Choolwe and Ashley trying to participate and do the motions at the correct time. I just hugged them after the lessons. I’m so proud of what they are accomplishing and I’m blessed to be a part of this.
The older kids (3-4): Jason, George, Kathy, Nawina, Weston, Carol, Bright; and some of the younger kids (2): David, Georgie, Choolwe love to sing along with Head, Shoulder, Knees and Toes and do a great job of following along. Kathy (4) often will place her hands on her head to show that she wants to sing the song. It’s exciting to see what we have accomplished in the short time we have been here. Children that didn’t say anything at the beginning of our trip are now saying words and singing along. Catherine (2) came running up to me on Tuesday with a little toy in her hand shouting “apple”. The toy was clearly not an ‘apple’, but she has learned a new word; the only word I’ve heard her say, in fact, since we’ve been here. With limited resources and the setting these children are in, they are blossoming every day and it’s so encouraging and rewarding to witness!
Another example of what these children are learning happened this afternoon at the baby house. As Candice was starting the lesson ‘animals’ with the babies, she quickly had a little helper. Every time she would ask a rhetoric question, “What is this?” a little voice would call out.. Bird!, Pink!, and some random noise.. definitely not ‘tweet, tweet’.. haha. Jason, a four year old, was standing next to where Candice was sitting answering every question. It was so cute! We have decided; however, that the next time we sing: God made birds to sound like this… that we are all going to call out with a different bird sound because the birds here clearly do not say ‘tweet, tweet’. Just ask Brittany and Meredith to demonstrate how the birds here sound.. they’ve really got it down!! =)
So many things are happening to show the importance of what we are doing and why we are here. God has blessed us with this unique opportunity and we will have lots of stories to share when we get home!!
-Jessica Mayes
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
We Heart Leonard
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Many of our number were under the impression that we would be losing weight during our stay in Africa. Our impression was wrong. We receive three very full meals every day. Enter Leonard, chef extraordinaire and our hero. Laura told us that he came with the house” when the Namwianga property was first purchased and the only thing he knew how to make at that time was bread. Among the delightful treats concocted by said head chef are hamburgers with French fries, chicken spaghetti, macaroni and cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches, fajitas, tacos, potato salad, fried chicken with mashed potatoes and peas (apparently he’s even made this particular meal in the middle of nowhere during the medical mission), western casserole, meatloaf, rolls, pizza, pancakes, French toast, eggs, oatmeal, and the traditional Zambian nshima with relish. Nshima is made of a cornmeal substance that is moistened and cooked in a pot until it’s of a thick paste consistency. The relish can be almost anything. We’ve had baked chicken in a red sauce (you have to put the sauce on the nshima-yum! Otherwise it’s very bland.), greens, and an assortment of vegetables. We always have a hand washing “ceremony” before this meal because the Zambians eat it with their hands. We westerners usually keep our forks (after handling babies all day you never feel quite clean enough around here), but it’s fun to go through the whole traditional routine. This is the meal we have every Thursday and we actually look forward to it as much as anything else. Did I mention that we also have dessert at most every meal? Each time we eat I ask myself, “Do I really need this dessert?” I can usually answer, “No, not really.” But do I eat it? Absolutely I do. These sweet treats consist of some sort of cookies (snicker doodle, shortbread, peanut butter, spice cake cookies, or sugar) or cake (chocolate with chocolate icing, chocolate with white icing, yellow with chocolate icing, yellow with white icing, spice, or apple). The cakes are always so pretty too. My favorite was the night he decorated one with frilly icing around the edges and in the middle were the words “Yellow Cake”. Yes, Leonard even labels his cakes with style. Candice already mentioned my fabulous birthday cake, but I must say something about it myself. It was quite perfect. I must mention as well that Leonard doesn't do his work alone. He has an amazing crew that's also a big part of the team here. We all know he couldn't do it without them. We heart them too. :) So forget it if you think coming here is a great new weight loss plan-most of us are pretty sure we will have GAINED weight by the time we get home. I think there’s something wrong with this picture.
-Meredith Pietzman
Many of our number were under the impression that we would be losing weight during our stay in Africa. Our impression was wrong. We receive three very full meals every day. Enter Leonard, chef extraordinaire and our hero. Laura told us that he came with the house” when the Namwianga property was first purchased and the only thing he knew how to make at that time was bread. Among the delightful treats concocted by said head chef are hamburgers with French fries, chicken spaghetti, macaroni and cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches, fajitas, tacos, potato salad, fried chicken with mashed potatoes and peas (apparently he’s even made this particular meal in the middle of nowhere during the medical mission), western casserole, meatloaf, rolls, pizza, pancakes, French toast, eggs, oatmeal, and the traditional Zambian nshima with relish. Nshima is made of a cornmeal substance that is moistened and cooked in a pot until it’s of a thick paste consistency. The relish can be almost anything. We’ve had baked chicken in a red sauce (you have to put the sauce on the nshima-yum! Otherwise it’s very bland.), greens, and an assortment of vegetables. We always have a hand washing “ceremony” before this meal because the Zambians eat it with their hands. We westerners usually keep our forks (after handling babies all day you never feel quite clean enough around here), but it’s fun to go through the whole traditional routine. This is the meal we have every Thursday and we actually look forward to it as much as anything else. Did I mention that we also have dessert at most every meal? Each time we eat I ask myself, “Do I really need this dessert?” I can usually answer, “No, not really.” But do I eat it? Absolutely I do. These sweet treats consist of some sort of cookies (snicker doodle, shortbread, peanut butter, spice cake cookies, or sugar) or cake (chocolate with chocolate icing, chocolate with white icing, yellow with chocolate icing, yellow with white icing, spice, or apple). The cakes are always so pretty too. My favorite was the night he decorated one with frilly icing around the edges and in the middle were the words “Yellow Cake”. Yes, Leonard even labels his cakes with style. Candice already mentioned my fabulous birthday cake, but I must say something about it myself. It was quite perfect. I must mention as well that Leonard doesn't do his work alone. He has an amazing crew that's also a big part of the team here. We all know he couldn't do it without them. We heart them too. :) So forget it if you think coming here is a great new weight loss plan-most of us are pretty sure we will have GAINED weight by the time we get home. I think there’s something wrong with this picture.
-Meredith Pietzman
Don and Laura Oldenburg
June 8, 2009
Today Brittany, Ashley and I went to the secondary school to administer hearing and speech screenings. We completed around 160 screenings today. The setup was very different. We administered the screenings outside. Brittany and Ashley administered hearing screenings at one table, while Sara and I shared a smaller table. She wrote students names on forms and I administered speech screenings at the other end. It wasn’t that bad of a setup, but it was a windy day.
After dinner we were invited to Don and Laura Oldenburg’s for cookies. Now this is a very, very funny couple. In my opinion, we would not have made it here without them. Don is an ac
Aountant for the mission and Laura is a nurse for the mission, serving clients at both the orphanage and the clinic. Oh yeah, Laura has also aided in nursing a few of us back to health. Until tonight I thought Don was just an errand man. He does all the shopping for the Hamby and Mann houses, as well as picking up any and everything we asked for. He is definitely making sure we get all the coffee we want, and more than I actually need to take home. Laura talks all the time; she is very informative. Don, on the other hand, listens to everything she says and waits to add his jokes. While at their house, we met Megan, a middle school teacher from Oklahoma by trade, who seems to keep all the babies’ medical necessities in order. Megan is also very knowledgeable about each child’s health, as well as background. She is very familiar with a very impressionable Harding family, whose names will not be mentioned at this time. You will have to hear the stories in person from Brittany. We had a very nice after-dinner social, with a few laughs, and returned home to no electricity. Imagine that!
Antoinette Cartwright
Today Brittany, Ashley and I went to the secondary school to administer hearing and speech screenings. We completed around 160 screenings today. The setup was very different. We administered the screenings outside. Brittany and Ashley administered hearing screenings at one table, while Sara and I shared a smaller table. She wrote students names on forms and I administered speech screenings at the other end. It wasn’t that bad of a setup, but it was a windy day.
After dinner we were invited to Don and Laura Oldenburg’s for cookies. Now this is a very, very funny couple. In my opinion, we would not have made it here without them. Don is an ac
Aountant for the mission and Laura is a nurse for the mission, serving clients at both the orphanage and the clinic. Oh yeah, Laura has also aided in nursing a few of us back to health. Until tonight I thought Don was just an errand man. He does all the shopping for the Hamby and Mann houses, as well as picking up any and everything we asked for. He is definitely making sure we get all the coffee we want, and more than I actually need to take home. Laura talks all the time; she is very informative. Don, on the other hand, listens to everything she says and waits to add his jokes. While at their house, we met Megan, a middle school teacher from Oklahoma by trade, who seems to keep all the babies’ medical necessities in order. Megan is also very knowledgeable about each child’s health, as well as background. She is very familiar with a very impressionable Harding family, whose names will not be mentioned at this time. You will have to hear the stories in person from Brittany. We had a very nice after-dinner social, with a few laughs, and returned home to no electricity. Imagine that!
Antoinette Cartwright
Monday, June 8, 2009
The Sweet Sounds of Zambia
I am so glad that I am one day late in posting my blog, because do I have a story for you. This week B Weave’s class got moved from 3:00 in the afternoon to 8:00 A.M. SO, being the wonderful G.A. that I am…I volunteered to go to her 8:00 class with her and finish administering the first ever speech pathology exam given in Zambia. You see the power goes off here occasionally. Last Thursday it did, the night before Weave’s first exam, and to accommodate her students she gave them to option of postponing their exam until today.
So we set off at 7:30 this morning. We had to go a little early because we needed 20 more copies of the exam. (Side note: last night the night watchman made us go out and set the alarm on Khaki Jackie… the alarm we didn’t know about) So we’re driving and one minute into the ride the car alarm starts up. First we try the key chain trick, the one where you press the lock and unlock buttons at the same time. It works for 10 seconds then Khaki Jackie proceeds to yell at us more. We try the hazard light switch...negative. Weave takes the keys out to try and start the car again. Bad idea, now the car won’t start up at all and we’re stuck in the middle of the road and it’s 7:30 in the morning and we’re waking up all of Namwianga.
We decide that Weave needs to set out for help. I think “maybe it would stop if we both were out of the car.” Not a good idea after all. I hop out and continue to push the lock/unlock buttons every 15 seconds until she returns. I feel really cool as people are walking by with funny looks on their faces. The whole time I’m trying to reassure them that this is our car and we just can’t figure out the alarm in between the deafening beeps. Weave gets back with a jeep expert, aka, our next door neighbor. He informs us that Khaki Jackie has a secret button that cannot be seen and can scarcely be felt. We finally silence the alarm and turn the key in the ignition. Off we go. The alarm sounds AGAIN! I reach out the door and grab our neighbor screaming “WAIT!” We are now told that the trick is to hold down the secret button and turn the key at the same time. I’ve never been in a higher maintenance car before. Our neighbor promises to give us a tutorial on our vehicle later. All this before 8:00 in the morning! If any two people do not function well before 8:00 A.M. it is B Weave and me.
Brittany
P.S. the alarm has since been sounding every time we start up Khaki Jackie. Weave and I would like to rip out the alarm with our bare hands, however, that seems to be in a secret location as well.
So we set off at 7:30 this morning. We had to go a little early because we needed 20 more copies of the exam. (Side note: last night the night watchman made us go out and set the alarm on Khaki Jackie… the alarm we didn’t know about) So we’re driving and one minute into the ride the car alarm starts up. First we try the key chain trick, the one where you press the lock and unlock buttons at the same time. It works for 10 seconds then Khaki Jackie proceeds to yell at us more. We try the hazard light switch...negative. Weave takes the keys out to try and start the car again. Bad idea, now the car won’t start up at all and we’re stuck in the middle of the road and it’s 7:30 in the morning and we’re waking up all of Namwianga.
We decide that Weave needs to set out for help. I think “maybe it would stop if we both were out of the car.” Not a good idea after all. I hop out and continue to push the lock/unlock buttons every 15 seconds until she returns. I feel really cool as people are walking by with funny looks on their faces. The whole time I’m trying to reassure them that this is our car and we just can’t figure out the alarm in between the deafening beeps. Weave gets back with a jeep expert, aka, our next door neighbor. He informs us that Khaki Jackie has a secret button that cannot be seen and can scarcely be felt. We finally silence the alarm and turn the key in the ignition. Off we go. The alarm sounds AGAIN! I reach out the door and grab our neighbor screaming “WAIT!” We are now told that the trick is to hold down the secret button and turn the key at the same time. I’ve never been in a higher maintenance car before. Our neighbor promises to give us a tutorial on our vehicle later. All this before 8:00 in the morning! If any two people do not function well before 8:00 A.M. it is B Weave and me.
Brittany
P.S. the alarm has since been sounding every time we start up Khaki Jackie. Weave and I would like to rip out the alarm with our bare hands, however, that seems to be in a secret location as well.
Happy Birthday Meredith
“Oh that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.” Psalm 55:6
Saturday was a day of much needed rest for all of us. We were given the opportunity to sleep in if we liked. Some of us took that opportunity to get up and take a walk, have morning devotion, or just SLEEP. Saturday was Meredith’s birthday and we had a day long celebration. We also made a point to sing Happy Birthday to her every hour in our best singing voices. The only real activity we had was going to the market in Kolomo. This was just a good time to get away from the mission. Meredith also got ice cream from a gas station during our trip. We came back and had a great dinner. Leonard, the fabulous cook here baked Meredith a birthday cake that was absolutely beautiful. This just gave us another opportunity to sing Happy Birthday. After dinner two boys from another family put on an arousing performance for Meredith. Hannah Montana will never be the same again. Once we finished with dinner we had movie night and watched August Rush which was a great movie. It was truly a blessing the electricity stayed on long enough for us to accomplish this task. After watching the movie we all got ready for bed. I have a long day ahead of me Sunday because my research starts. So all in all everything is fine we are just waiting on someone else to have a birthday.
Candice J. Adams
Saturday was a day of much needed rest for all of us. We were given the opportunity to sleep in if we liked. Some of us took that opportunity to get up and take a walk, have morning devotion, or just SLEEP. Saturday was Meredith’s birthday and we had a day long celebration. We also made a point to sing Happy Birthday to her every hour in our best singing voices. The only real activity we had was going to the market in Kolomo. This was just a good time to get away from the mission. Meredith also got ice cream from a gas station during our trip. We came back and had a great dinner. Leonard, the fabulous cook here baked Meredith a birthday cake that was absolutely beautiful. This just gave us another opportunity to sing Happy Birthday. After dinner two boys from another family put on an arousing performance for Meredith. Hannah Montana will never be the same again. Once we finished with dinner we had movie night and watched August Rush which was a great movie. It was truly a blessing the electricity stayed on long enough for us to accomplish this task. After watching the movie we all got ready for bed. I have a long day ahead of me Sunday because my research starts. So all in all everything is fine we are just waiting on someone else to have a birthday.
Candice J. Adams
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Disrespect and rudeness in teenagers is universal as well!
This post was for Thursday and Friday!!
The last 2 days Meredith, Candice, and I have been at the Secondary school (high school) giving hearing screenings and speech screenings. We found out the first day, while trying to screen “grade 12” (that’s how they say it here), just how universal teenager’s attitudes can be!! I have to start off by saying that when we arrived Mr. John (because we can’t pronounce his first or last name), the “Headmaster” principal told us we couldn’t begin until 10am and we were there at 8:45am. Sara was trying to explain what we needed and how many students to send at a time. He said, “would you like them to come in thirties, twenties, or tenies.” Sara politely replied, “Sending them in tens would be good.” Apparently you must use –ies on all words here!! =) It was quite humorous! Then we had to search for a place to set up. We chose to be in a small outdoor hall next to the cafeteria, which smelled like eggs. The students did not come at 10am, nor did they come at 11am, but about 11:20ish and not by tenies… but by eighties!! Yes, the whole 12th grade came out to us all at once. They all crowded the tables, talked extremely loud, and even when we asked them repeatedly to be quiet for the hearing screenings.. just like typical teenagers.. they just laughed at us and continued to do what they were doing. It was difficult for me to see this because the students at the basic school were so cooperative and respectful. I just expected the same from the older students. Today with the 11th graders; however, went much smoother. We took an extra person, Ms. Marta, and she kept them at a distance from the other students that were testing. They were still able to talk, but it wasn’t distracting or too loud. Today we started on time as well.
Another universal was noted yesterday evening.... the crafty art of flirting!! Some students from BWeave’s class asked her to come watch a soccer (football) game after the class. The Mathematicians had challenged the History and English majors to a game. Some of us went to watch and what an exciting game it was! Before the game began, a striking young man, Fred, (AKA Eddie) asked which one of us was Candice. Then he sat by her and continued to have a conversation. Brittany asked him if he had signed up to be a part of Candice’s research (only to egg on the flirting) and he told us the list was full, but seemed distraught about this. Brittany proceeded to tell him she thought Candice had an opening at 4pm on Sunday. He replied with, “Good, I will be there at that time!” We all laughed as Candice told Brittany she wanted to take a picture of her last day on earth!! Haha!!!
- Jessica Mayes
P.S. Dr. Tullos, the road from Livingston to here is much better than last year, in fact, they have set up a detour because they are trying to fix the road.
The last 2 days Meredith, Candice, and I have been at the Secondary school (high school) giving hearing screenings and speech screenings. We found out the first day, while trying to screen “grade 12” (that’s how they say it here), just how universal teenager’s attitudes can be!! I have to start off by saying that when we arrived Mr. John (because we can’t pronounce his first or last name), the “Headmaster” principal told us we couldn’t begin until 10am and we were there at 8:45am. Sara was trying to explain what we needed and how many students to send at a time. He said, “would you like them to come in thirties, twenties, or tenies.” Sara politely replied, “Sending them in tens would be good.” Apparently you must use –ies on all words here!! =) It was quite humorous! Then we had to search for a place to set up. We chose to be in a small outdoor hall next to the cafeteria, which smelled like eggs. The students did not come at 10am, nor did they come at 11am, but about 11:20ish and not by tenies… but by eighties!! Yes, the whole 12th grade came out to us all at once. They all crowded the tables, talked extremely loud, and even when we asked them repeatedly to be quiet for the hearing screenings.. just like typical teenagers.. they just laughed at us and continued to do what they were doing. It was difficult for me to see this because the students at the basic school were so cooperative and respectful. I just expected the same from the older students. Today with the 11th graders; however, went much smoother. We took an extra person, Ms. Marta, and she kept them at a distance from the other students that were testing. They were still able to talk, but it wasn’t distracting or too loud. Today we started on time as well.
Another universal was noted yesterday evening.... the crafty art of flirting!! Some students from BWeave’s class asked her to come watch a soccer (football) game after the class. The Mathematicians had challenged the History and English majors to a game. Some of us went to watch and what an exciting game it was! Before the game began, a striking young man, Fred, (AKA Eddie) asked which one of us was Candice. Then he sat by her and continued to have a conversation. Brittany asked him if he had signed up to be a part of Candice’s research (only to egg on the flirting) and he told us the list was full, but seemed distraught about this. Brittany proceeded to tell him she thought Candice had an opening at 4pm on Sunday. He replied with, “Good, I will be there at that time!” We all laughed as Candice told Brittany she wanted to take a picture of her last day on earth!! Haha!!!
- Jessica Mayes
P.S. Dr. Tullos, the road from Livingston to here is much better than last year, in fact, they have set up a detour because they are trying to fix the road.
A Lesson in Sharing
I have an apple, that makes me glad.
You have no apple, that makes me sad.
I’ll share my apple for I love you,
And that’s what Jesus wants me to do.
You have no apple, that makes me sad.
I’ll share my apple for I love you,
And that’s what Jesus wants me to do.
We sing this song to our toddlers when we do the Language Enrichment Therapy Units with them each day (and let me just say how awesome they are doing with learning the songs and speaking to us more!). However, whether you are a toddler or an adult, sharing is not an easy task - definitely easier said than done.
We have 12 people in our HIZ-path group, along with the larger group of painters from Tennessee and the 2 families that brought their children. Our group of 12 had gotten quite comfortable in our little African oasis before the others came along and 'invaded' our territory. Don’t get me wrong, they are doing wonderful things for the people here, but we had to learn to share things that we normally take for granted.
Our solar-powered showers are only warm for a short amount of time each afternoon, and, when the power is out, they offer very little water pressure. On Wednesday, the others returned first and Jessica and I waited until they and others in our group had finished showering to take our turn. When our turn came, the water was too cold, so we decided to wait until Thursday, but we went to a soccer game put on by the guys at the college on Thursday and missed our showers again. Not today. We packed all our shower gear on the edge of our beds before leaving for the Haven, sat at the back of Khaki Jackie on the way home, and RAN for the showers to make sure we were the first ones to the showers. Victory!
We have also had to learn to share our portions at meals, for instance taking 1 piece of chicken rather than 2, since the others arrived. B Weave has set a wonderful example for us as a TCM (true Christian martyr), as she calls it. She always goes last in line for meals even if that means she gets jipped. Me, not so much. I arrive early for meals on the veranda where we eat and wait close to the table so I can be near the front of the line. I just love Leonard’s cooking (I actually do take smaller portions, though).
Perhaps the hardest adjustment is sharing our kiddos at the Haven. We have gotten extremely attached to those sweethearts and have already staked claims on which ones we are each sneaking home in our suitcases. Then, one day, I walked in to find one of the others holding MY baby! I may have pouted just a little. After the bitterness subsided a little, it became easier to let my little ones go, knowing that they are still being loved on and that it gives me a chance to bond with the children I don’t normally get to hold. This trip has greatly challenged me to put aside my own selfishness and to remember that I am not here to get my way all the time, but to be a light to those around me. And even if sharing is difficult, we are all are ultimately working toward the same goal, and that makes it all worthwhile.
Ashley Dowler
The First Speech Pathology Class in Zambia
Well, as most of our faithful readers know, I am teaching an introductory class in speech-language pathology here at George Benson Christian College. All of the students are first year students and they were required to enroll in the class. I was a little nervous since they had very little idea of what the profession is about.
My first day I had to call roll for over 80 students. It took 25 minutes to call the roll! They laughed but I tried. I told them the story of how the entire HIZ-Path program developed last year and then told them that they were the first speech pathology students ever in Zambia. They cheered and applauded! I was so surprised. Then I told them that if they were in the US, we would have to make a t-shirt for the event. They all thought that was a great idea! I wish there were a way to make that happen but there are not too many t-shirt printing companies around here.
Here is the classroom.
They were concerned about being able to understand my speech and requested that I use PowerPoint, so I put my sketchy notes into PowerPoint. They copy down every single word from the slides. They also all listen so very intently! They also call me “Madam” when they address me AND if they are late to class, they stop at the door and wait quietly until I nod at them and tell them they can enter! So, very different from HU students coming in late and banging the door of the classroom.
Yesterday, after class three students waited for me and said, “Madam, we would like to invite you to our game. The English and History majors have challenged the Mathematics majors to a football game and we would like for you to attend.”
They are so nice and so polite. The game was fun and the student players seemed to be showing off some for our students.
I administered the first test yesterday, Friday, so we will see what happens!
Here are the students diligently copying from the PowerPoints.
BWeave
My first day I had to call roll for over 80 students. It took 25 minutes to call the roll! They laughed but I tried. I told them the story of how the entire HIZ-Path program developed last year and then told them that they were the first speech pathology students ever in Zambia. They cheered and applauded! I was so surprised. Then I told them that if they were in the US, we would have to make a t-shirt for the event. They all thought that was a great idea! I wish there were a way to make that happen but there are not too many t-shirt printing companies around here.
Here is the classroom.
They were concerned about being able to understand my speech and requested that I use PowerPoint, so I put my sketchy notes into PowerPoint. They copy down every single word from the slides. They also all listen so very intently! They also call me “Madam” when they address me AND if they are late to class, they stop at the door and wait quietly until I nod at them and tell them they can enter! So, very different from HU students coming in late and banging the door of the classroom.
Yesterday, after class three students waited for me and said, “Madam, we would like to invite you to our game. The English and History majors have challenged the Mathematics majors to a football game and we would like for you to attend.”
They are so nice and so polite. The game was fun and the student players seemed to be showing off some for our students.
I administered the first test yesterday, Friday, so we will see what happens!
Here are the students diligently copying from the PowerPoints.
BWeave
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
The Road Less Traveled By
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
The Zambian roads have been an adventure since we got here. First of all, we all had to get used to the fact that the steering wheel is on the right of the car and you drive on the left side of the road. The major highways are paved relatively well; the country roads are not. Day after day we bounce along in our Land Rover we have so lovingly nicknamed “Khaki Jackie”, occasionally becoming air born when an unexpected doozy of a bump and/or hole sneaks up on us. Let me take this moment to say that Dr. Weaver, Becca, and Elizabeth have all been doing an excellent job of toting us around. On our tour of the mission the first day Roy Merritt pointed out two large bulldozer-type machines sitting along the side of the road. He explained that a Chinese company came to fix up the roads in the area. They were able to get a couple machines into the country so they used those to tear up the roads, but the final machine was held up in customs. So here they were stuck with partially completed roads and who knew when they would be completed. Several days later Roy received a call that the third machine would be delivered on Thursday of that week, which we all took to really mean that it would be here Tuesday three weeks from now (Zambian time is a little different than U.S. time). It didn’t arrive Thursday, but it was pretty close. We were driving our usual route when all of a sudden, there it was. The new question was, when would they start putting it to use? The next couple of days consisted of the workers walking around the machines and apparently talking about getting something done, but there was no movement. We joked about sneaking out and marking the grass with chalk to see if it would move at all while we were here. As skeptical we were, they actually started working on the road yesterday. We gasped in surprise and applauded the little Chinese man standing on the side of the road as we drove by. We’re pretty sure he thought we were crazy. Since then they’ve been doing more grinding up of the dirt and then wetting it down over and over again. This morning both sides of the road were slanted, basically meeting in the middle at a point. Those of us on the right side of Khaki leaned back while those on the left leaned forward, feeling as though we would topple over at any moment. Our little Rover remained strong and grounded, however, and we made it. We took our usual walk to the Haven after lunch, dodging the huge machines and sliding in the newly made mud along the way. When B. Weave picked us up we were forced to take an alternative route, but once again, we made it safe and sound. It’s sort of a fun game now to see what will have been done tomorrow by the time we’re ready to venture out again.
-Meredith Pietzman
The Zambian roads have been an adventure since we got here. First of all, we all had to get used to the fact that the steering wheel is on the right of the car and you drive on the left side of the road. The major highways are paved relatively well; the country roads are not. Day after day we bounce along in our Land Rover we have so lovingly nicknamed “Khaki Jackie”, occasionally becoming air born when an unexpected doozy of a bump and/or hole sneaks up on us. Let me take this moment to say that Dr. Weaver, Becca, and Elizabeth have all been doing an excellent job of toting us around. On our tour of the mission the first day Roy Merritt pointed out two large bulldozer-type machines sitting along the side of the road. He explained that a Chinese company came to fix up the roads in the area. They were able to get a couple machines into the country so they used those to tear up the roads, but the final machine was held up in customs. So here they were stuck with partially completed roads and who knew when they would be completed. Several days later Roy received a call that the third machine would be delivered on Thursday of that week, which we all took to really mean that it would be here Tuesday three weeks from now (Zambian time is a little different than U.S. time). It didn’t arrive Thursday, but it was pretty close. We were driving our usual route when all of a sudden, there it was. The new question was, when would they start putting it to use? The next couple of days consisted of the workers walking around the machines and apparently talking about getting something done, but there was no movement. We joked about sneaking out and marking the grass with chalk to see if it would move at all while we were here. As skeptical we were, they actually started working on the road yesterday. We gasped in surprise and applauded the little Chinese man standing on the side of the road as we drove by. We’re pretty sure he thought we were crazy. Since then they’ve been doing more grinding up of the dirt and then wetting it down over and over again. This morning both sides of the road were slanted, basically meeting in the middle at a point. Those of us on the right side of Khaki leaned back while those on the left leaned forward, feeling as though we would topple over at any moment. Our little Rover remained strong and grounded, however, and we made it. We took our usual walk to the Haven after lunch, dodging the huge machines and sliding in the newly made mud along the way. When B. Weave picked us up we were forced to take an alternative route, but once again, we made it safe and sound. It’s sort of a fun game now to see what will have been done tomorrow by the time we’re ready to venture out again.
-Meredith Pietzman
Jordan's Rock
June 2, 2009
If you are a regular follower you will notice my blog is dated June 2, 2009, but not posted until June 3, 2009. This is because on Tuesday we had no power during the hours we were awake. However, we continued our journeys.
Sara implemented a new rule at the haven. There is a little boy, about 2yrs old, named Weston. He walks up to everyone and raises his hands to be picked up. Sara decided we were not going to pick him up and hold him the entire 2 hrs. As soon as we got there he walked up to Sara to be picked. She picked him up, loved on him for a few minutes then put him down. Then he went to Becca. She hugged him and sat him down for the session. He sat on his bottom the entire session and participated very well. After 2 hrs we went to the baby house and held all babies that were crying.
We were invited, by the Merritts, to Jordan’s Rock for a cookout. Jordan’s Rock is located in the middle of nowhere. We drove through weeds as tall as Khaki Jacki, along a very narrow path, to reach our destination. B Weave has proven she can drive anywhere, through anything, at any given time. This location was named Jordan’s rock because years ago there was a stream near the rock. A nearby church (2-3 miles at least) used the stream for baptisms and called it Jordan’s Rock. We has had planned to be at the rock for the sunset but we missed it. Once we arrived at the rock, it was magnificent. We ate dinner, which was prepared by the Kathy Merritt and her staff. We ate by flashlight; however, Brittany used her headlamp. I laugh at her every time she walks up wearing it but it has come in very handy. I will not make this trip again without one. After dinner we praised the Lord through songs and prayer. It was very relaxing. We came home, once again, to no electricity. Oh, I almost forgot, we woke up to no electricity.
Antoinette Cartwright
If you are a regular follower you will notice my blog is dated June 2, 2009, but not posted until June 3, 2009. This is because on Tuesday we had no power during the hours we were awake. However, we continued our journeys.
Sara implemented a new rule at the haven. There is a little boy, about 2yrs old, named Weston. He walks up to everyone and raises his hands to be picked up. Sara decided we were not going to pick him up and hold him the entire 2 hrs. As soon as we got there he walked up to Sara to be picked. She picked him up, loved on him for a few minutes then put him down. Then he went to Becca. She hugged him and sat him down for the session. He sat on his bottom the entire session and participated very well. After 2 hrs we went to the baby house and held all babies that were crying.
We were invited, by the Merritts, to Jordan’s Rock for a cookout. Jordan’s Rock is located in the middle of nowhere. We drove through weeds as tall as Khaki Jacki, along a very narrow path, to reach our destination. B Weave has proven she can drive anywhere, through anything, at any given time. This location was named Jordan’s rock because years ago there was a stream near the rock. A nearby church (2-3 miles at least) used the stream for baptisms and called it Jordan’s Rock. We has had planned to be at the rock for the sunset but we missed it. Once we arrived at the rock, it was magnificent. We ate dinner, which was prepared by the Kathy Merritt and her staff. We ate by flashlight; however, Brittany used her headlamp. I laugh at her every time she walks up wearing it but it has come in very handy. I will not make this trip again without one. After dinner we praised the Lord through songs and prayer. It was very relaxing. We came home, once again, to no electricity. Oh, I almost forgot, we woke up to no electricity.
Antoinette Cartwright
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
SUNDAYS IN ZAMBIA!!!
Hi everyone I hope all is well back home. So far Zambia has been a very rewarding experience. Well my day to blog was Sunday but considering the fact we have been without power for 3 days that made it kinda sorta impossible. Sunday we went to church and had a great time. The order of service seems to follow that of the churches back in the states. Although, some of the speaker's dialect's are so heavy we sometimes have trouble understanding what the speaker is saying and following the service. After communion the children are dismissed for children's church and all of us seem to enjoy this part of service because we get to interact with our babies from the Haven . They are so PRECIOUS!!! After church the group came back home and Jessica, Brittany, Ashley, and I went back to the Haven just to visit the children to hold and spoil them. I am starting to believe that the kids wait for me to hold them and then decide to spit their whole bottle back up. I have also become a pro at changing diapers made from bath towels.
Well when we got back we had electricity and we decided that we were going to cook grilled cheese sandwhiches in the sandwhich maker. Well so much for that idea because the electricity went off right as we started making them. Well have no fear when Brittany is here. Brittany saves the day by finding a gas stove and cooking with her head lamp which is just hilarious to look at anyway but watching her cookin with it was worth a million bucks. We have all agreed that if Britt gets tired of speech path she can always go work at Waffle House she just can't kill SPIDERS with the same pan she is cooking with. However, these were the best grilled cheese we ever had. After eatinfg together in the dark we had a great devotion led by Elizabeth who spoke about the importance of praying and staying spiritually connected with God. The night ended with us all praying for each other and sitting and telling stories.
Candice J. Adams
Well when we got back we had electricity and we decided that we were going to cook grilled cheese sandwhiches in the sandwhich maker. Well so much for that idea because the electricity went off right as we started making them. Well have no fear when Brittany is here. Brittany saves the day by finding a gas stove and cooking with her head lamp which is just hilarious to look at anyway but watching her cookin with it was worth a million bucks. We have all agreed that if Britt gets tired of speech path she can always go work at Waffle House she just can't kill SPIDERS with the same pan she is cooking with. However, these were the best grilled cheese we ever had. After eatinfg together in the dark we had a great devotion led by Elizabeth who spoke about the importance of praying and staying spiritually connected with God. The night ended with us all praying for each other and sitting and telling stories.
Candice J. Adams
Basic School
I was doing speech and hearing screenings at the Basic School all of last week and yesterday. The Basic School is where the children attend grades 1 through 9. Each grade has one class of around 30-45 children except for grades 8 and 9. Grade 8 has two classes and grade 9 has three. There is a large variance of ages in each grade; for example grade 8 has children ranging in age from 12 to 20 years old. The children wear blue uniforms to school, shorts for the boys and skirts or dresses for the girls. Many of the uniforms look old and dirty and many children come without shoes. The class rosters (called registers) are paper books that have old newspapers for covers.
Grades 8 and 9 attend school for a whole day. Grades 1 and 2 don't come in until 10 am, and the other grades leave a little after nooon. The school facility is made up of several buildings that house different classrooms. Many of the windows are broken, allowing lizards to sneak in and join the class. One day there was a cobra in the school office. The foundation for another building has been laid, but only has a few layers of bricks that the students use to sit on while they talk to one another during breaks. The bathrooms are "squatty potties" in outhouses (yuck)!
We do our screenings in the library, which is a tiny building with one main room, as well as a bathroom and storage closet which are both blocked off by stacks of wood. There are old, dusty books scattered around the room. Occasionally a student or teacher will wander in and scavenge for a book. There is one main desk in the room and two tables. We did sign in and speech screenings at the desk, two hearing screenings at a time at one table, and Brittany's testing (or more speech screenings when those were finished) at the other table. The children are not tested for English proficiency until grade 2, so for the younger children (and some of the older ones) we had a translator help explain the directions to the children in Tonga.
Ashley Dowler
Grades 8 and 9 attend school for a whole day. Grades 1 and 2 don't come in until 10 am, and the other grades leave a little after nooon. The school facility is made up of several buildings that house different classrooms. Many of the windows are broken, allowing lizards to sneak in and join the class. One day there was a cobra in the school office. The foundation for another building has been laid, but only has a few layers of bricks that the students use to sit on while they talk to one another during breaks. The bathrooms are "squatty potties" in outhouses (yuck)!
We do our screenings in the library, which is a tiny building with one main room, as well as a bathroom and storage closet which are both blocked off by stacks of wood. There are old, dusty books scattered around the room. Occasionally a student or teacher will wander in and scavenge for a book. There is one main desk in the room and two tables. We did sign in and speech screenings at the desk, two hearing screenings at a time at one table, and Brittany's testing (or more speech screenings when those were finished) at the other table. The children are not tested for English proficiency until grade 2, so for the younger children (and some of the older ones) we had a translator help explain the directions to the children in Tonga.
Ashley Dowler
Monday, June 1, 2009
Testing Grade Four
It is June 1st. Wow...I can't believe that we're already here. So much has happened already and we will all have tons of stories to share. We know we've missed a few days, but power has been out a ton. This morning we had a huge power outage that took out two large cities Lusaka(about an hour east) and Livingstone (three hours south). I've been working in the basic schools for the past week and just finished testing grade four for my research project. I administered the EVT and Antionette gave the PPVT. Our students ranged in age from 9 to 13. To make up for the language barrier some prompts and instructions were modified. I found some really interesting things. Usually all of the students missed certain questions. Apparently, they have never had a lesson on ocean life; because their little faces were hilarious when i flipped to the page with the octopus. No one had a clue what it was and only one guessed fish. Also the couch was always named a chair. The picture of a paper bag was called a box and colors and shapes were always interesting. I was talking to Roy Merritt about their answers and he gave me some interesting insight. Roy and his wife Kathy run the orphanage here and have 40 kids staying at their personal house, not to mention the toddler and baby house...full of children. He has lived here for his whole life. Roy said that any instrument with strings is called a banjo, which is why over half of the kids called the guitar a banjo. There are only a few colors in the Tonga language, so it's more difficult to learn them in English. Roy also said that they would call a couch a sofa(which a few did) but figured it was normal that they thought it was a chair. I'm going through the whole test with him soon, I'm very excited. We all miss you. If Jamia doesn't tell you about the best grilled cheese she's ever had in her post, hit me up.
Love you all!!! Brittany
Love you all!!! Brittany
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