Leaving on a Jet Plane

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