Recapping a Weekend

The dust has settled (mostly) and the guests have all gone home. We have just 3 volunteers remaining (including Brent and Sarah) so life is much quieter. This is good. I didn't quite make it to the end of the 7 posts blogging challenge, but I posted more last week than I had in many previous weeks so I'm going to call it a win.

The kids watching Mwata Kazembe pass by on his litter

Mutomboko was a success this year. For those of you who aren't familiar with the annual tribal ceremony, here are some recaps from some of my very first blog posts: 

Mutomboko 
Mutomboko part 2
Mutomboko part 3

This year the six oldest kids went to the main arena to see the ceremony. They didn't make it to the very end since it ran late and they needed to come home for dinner, but they enjoyed what they saw and it was a good experience for them. It's so interesting to watch them grow up. The same kids who cried the first year and were frightened by the musket fire are now old enough to enjoy the festival fully.

We had a total of 25 people with us for dinner Friday and Saturday nights. I stuck with our traditional menu of Chili and Cornbread for Friday and then of course Saturday we had the Pit-Roasted Pork served with Spanish Rice and Coleslaw. For dessert was Addictive Youngstown Chips (or as I like to call them: Everything But the Kitchen Sink Cookies) and Texas Brownies. It was all excellent! (or so I've been told. Heh)

Our sun ovens came in handy this year. We cooked the 8 pounds of beans in the sun ovens before finishing the Chili on the stove. The next day we slow-cooked the barbecue sauce all day in the sun ovens which meant I didn't have to worry about stirring it at all, and the flavors developed beautifully. For Saturday lunch we 'boiled' 30 eggs for lunch sandwiches. It only took 2 hours and they were cooked perfectly. No gas or electricity required at all. Wonderful!

We did our pig just as we have for the past several years. This was our seventh year in a row! I have nearly gotten over the anxiety that something might go wrong and that it won't get done properly or on time.
For a step by step post you can read it here. This was the largest pig ever! Forty-seven kilos! That's over 100 pounds of pig. Of course by the time it was roasted, and the fat had cooked off, and it was then deboned, there were only 12 kilos (26 pounds) remaining. That was one fat mama pig.

A funny thing to note is that I cannot stand pork. True story. I also don't care much for BBQ sauce. And yet year after year I prepare massive pots of BBQ pork. I have to wait for others to tell me if it's OK because I honestly think it tastes awful. Yet year after year I'm told it's some of the best barbecue sauce and/or pork people have ever tasted. Strange but true! 

For breakfast on Sunday morning I served Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls which are a wonderful way to end a weekend with friends. They all leave devoted to you and swearing eternal love--which is just as it should be. 

Moriah--yep, she's got swag!

Rut or Ritual?

Starting in 2002, right after we moved to Africa, Tom and I began taking turns traveling back to the States each year to visit with sponsors and family. Because of the cost of traveling with 8 people, it always had to be just one of us while the other stayed in Africa with our six kids.

The U.S trips were usually 6 weeks to 2 months long. 

Aside from one very short plane trip within Zambia in 2008, Tom and I hadn't traveled together, via plane, until this past January. When our entire family was invited by a church to attend a missions conference we were really excited that we could finally travel together again. 

What we didn't fully anticipate (although we discussed it a bit) was the fact that we are both very independent people who have established travel rituals that are important to our journey. While we didn't have any real problems, it was a bit like traveling with a brand new partner. We had to negotiate almost every part of the trip because we were both used to taking our own lead and doing what we wanted or needed to do without input from anyone else.

This past week I was reading Misadventures with Andi and she had two links relating to travel rituals and routines. The first article was written by Andi and titled Warm Up Rituals and the other by Consumer Traveler entitled Travel rituals.

Some of my rituals are that I have tomato juice on every flight (if possible). It doesn't feel like a real flight without that traditional drink. No ice, no lemon, just straight up tomato juice. Wonderful. I also pray the Lord's prayer and quote Psalm 23 each take off and landing. Usually during landing, because the landing takes longer I will pray for the pilot and the machinery too. 

I watch movies or read but rarely sleep no matter how long the flight. I can't sit still and just think so I have a book very handy so as soon as the in-flight entertainment is turned off, out comes my book.

Tom has a routine of taking a sponge bath including washing his hair and changing his shirt just before landing. He loves the fact that he gets off the plane feeling as fresh as, if not more so, when he got on the plane. Many people are curious how he pulls off this feat in a tiny airplane bathroom. All I know is he does. He makes sure to have his toiletries bag and clean shirt placed just so in his suitcase so he can reach up into the overhead compartment and pull both things out quickly and easily.

He also loves to take pictures of taking off and landing so prefers a window seat. But, he also wants to be one of the first off the plane and for that, prefers an aisle seat.

We were mostly able to do our little rituals although occasionally we had to switch seats so that one (*cough*Tom*cough*) was able to be in the optimal seat for their prescribed ritual time.

What about you? When you travel, whether by air or road, do you have certain rituals that make the trip perfect?

Holly House Hotel

For our time in London, we wanted to stay in a hotel right in the center of town so we could walk around and see the sites. 
Our layover was only 21 hours long so we needed to make good use of our time. We decided to stay at a hotel right next to Victoria station. 



I searched online for good deals and a link for Holly House hotel came up.I had stayed there 2 years ago and it had worked out just fine. This time I needed to book enough space for 5 people. The website advertised a room that had 3 beds and a sofa bed. Sounded just fine. All this was for 23 pounds per person (@ $35) per night. Not super cheap but for being right downtown--and in London--it was not bad at all!


When we got to the hotel we were directed down the street just a bit. There are several hotels in a row on one street that are all owned by the same company.


The stairway was tiny and a bit difficult to navigate with luggage but we managed and were pleasantly surprised to open the door onto our little room. There was a bed at the back, a bunk in the center and another double bed right near the door. It was completely adequate.
 

 The beds were very comfortable and there were 2 TVs--one next to each large bed with cable TV so we were able to relax that evening with mom and dad watching at one end of the room and kids at the other.

Online reviews had claimed that the trains were very loud but although I heard them a bit just before sleeping and upon waking (they didn't keep me awake), I found the sound comforting.

The only draw back to the room was the teeny tiny bathroom. You can see from the photo just how tiny. That is the door frame on the right of the photo. There was just enough space to sit down.

You can see the other half of the sink from the other picture. And right next to it is the shower. But in the grand scheme of things it really wasn't bad at all.

Continental breakfast the next morning was a bit rushed and not very filling--we were starving just a couple hours later--but it served its purpose as well.

I would definitely recommend this hotel if anyone were looking for an inexpensive, simple place to stay while enjoying the sites of London.*
 d
 Exactly One Year Ago: Electicity Woes and Be Prepared

*I was not asked to do this review nor was I compensated for it. But, if Holly House would like to send me a discount coupon for next time I'm in London, I wouldn't turn it down. :)

London Fun

Lame title, I know. I'm rushed and hurried this morning and know that if I don't get pictures up today, I'll fall horribly behind and that will be the end of it all!

[Update: I never did get my post done yesterday morning. Trying again....]

After arriving at Heathrow airport Saturday evening, we quickly hurried to a computer so we could check in for our flight the next day. The earlier you check in the greater the chance you can all sit together. --With five of us traveling I wanted to get good seats.

After that, we made our way to the underground (AKA the subway) and traveled for 1 hour to central London.

We checked into our hotel and had dinner at a nice little family pub (restaurant) before getting a good night's sleep. I'll post pictures of our hotel tomorrow.

 

In the morning we bundled up in our sweaters, scarves and jackets and headed out to explore London center. We were so close that we could walk from our hotel door to Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and so much more.

Sadly though, our poor, thin Africanized blood could not take the cold. 

We made it as far as Big Ben before the kids called it quits. 

We decided to hail a taxi and so a drive around a couple blocks which would take us by the few sites we hadn't seen yet like Trafalgar Square, St. James Park and Buckingham Palace. It took us about 10-15 more minutes of walking but we eventually found a taxi.

 

Because we were in London on a Sunday, big portions of streets were blocked off but we were still able to get a nice view of the buildings. Our taxi driver was really nice and explained things as we drove around.
We were on our way to Buckingham palace when we came upon the courtyard where the mounted Queen's guards were about to be relieved by a new group. Our taxi wasn't allowed to stop but he dropped us off and drove around the block a time or two. 
We watched the guards parade in from the street and then line up with the other horses in front of the Horse Guard building. It was very impressive and such a treat.

As with the case of Tom's jacket which I wrote about last time, I'm often amazed by God's timing and little treats he gives us. If we had continued walking, or if the streets had all been open, we may not have been on that particular street at that particular time and we would have missed out on seeing this extra, but very special ceremony.

After the taxi dropped us off at our hotel we gathered our things, walked back to the underground, navigated an unexpected track closure, got to the airport with just enough time for brunch and then walked down to our gate just as the plane began boarding. Perfection!

 

Travel Fun

These are the faces that I said goodbye to last Thursday. All the kids and our staff gathered next to the driveway to wave and see us off.

I'm not sure how much the kids understood about our trip since we go on a big drive every week for groceries. 

It was funny how one of the nannies asked me to have a chat with the kids and let them know that they still had to obey even though mommy and daddy would be gone. She was worried the kids would misbehave if they thought mom and dad wouldn't be there to enforce the law. The missionaries who are looking after things in our stead promised to uphold the discipline standard. 

Everything went really well on our bus trip aside from having left behind Tom's jackets. We tried looking for a new coat for Tom at the thrift stores in Lusaka (it's summer so no shops would carry them) but there weren't even any used coats available.

As we left the thrift store, I remembered that a visitor, Angela, who had been at the orphanage was going to be heading back down to Lusaka that very day. We quickly called our friends and they had a staff member run down to the bus station. Angela arrived in Lusaka one hour before we had to leave for the airport. Wasn't that an amazing piece of timing?

The airport stretch of the trip went well despite the incredibly long line after checking in to get through immigration and security. We laughed with other passengers that this huge delay was for only 3 flights. Imagine what it would be like if they were a large international airport.

We managed to get 5 seats in the same row so we could all see each other and communicate along the way. The kids were thrilled to watch movies and TV shows. I don't think they slept at all for the whole 10 hour flight.

Tomorrow I'll tell you all about our London day. God did another mini-miracle of timing that day too.

Checking in

Hi everyone! I know I've been an absentee blogger but things were crazy this week!

We are off on our trip. Everything got packed (except Tom's jacket!) and we are in pretty good spirits.

We survived (somewhat) the 16 hour bus ride and are running around Lusaka today finishing up last minute business errands.

Please pray for our safe travels on our next two plane rides--both are 10 hours long--and our time in London. Pray for good weather as we do not have much in the way of cold-weather clothing and our poor blood has thinned out over the last nine years.

Please also pray for nine month old Jack. When I left the orphanage he was sick. He'd had a fever for 5 days. We had treated him for malaria but apparently the medicine didn't work because a blood slide done yesterday showed he still had malaria. He's now on his second round of malaria meds and a course of antibiotics. A lot of stress for a little body.

Our friends arrived Tuesday morning to look after the orphanage along with our current long-term volunteer and the hand over of responsibilities went smoothly. They even commented that we seemed very organized. Score!

Well, that is it for now. If I get a chance at the airport on Sunday I'll post pictures of our journey so far. I got a lovely picture of all the little ones saying goodbye yesterday. *Sniff* I'm gonna miss those guys.

See you on the other side!

An Adventure While Traveling

Below you can see a map of Zambia. We are right there at the helpful 'Home' button. The country bordering us on our west is the DRC (Democratic Republic of the Congo) formerly known as Zaire. Also known as one of the countries that has been having a lot of trouble with civil war and violence among the tribes.

Thankfully, the majority of the trouble is in the north of the DRC so it really doesn't spill down to our border and there is a huge river separating us so we're pretty safe.

Most people just refer to the DRC as 'the Congo' although this isn't really accurate since there is a country called Congo north of the DRC.

When the powers that be drew the modern borders they left this little squiggly piece jutting into Zambia. Zambia now looks a bit like a kidney. Ordinarily this wouldn't be a problem--countries are free to look like any bean or organ they choose. But, when we wanted to make a trip around Zambia it became a problem. If you look at the picture below you will see the route we have to take if we want to visit our former stomping ground of Ndola or even the capital city Lusaka (which I covered up with my helpful arrows but is now the red dot).

We now had to take the long way around using that red path (for Ndola) or the red and then blue route for Lusaka. And yet, there was a nice little short cut just mocking us. See that purple line? That is the handy dandy shortcut which takes you right through the DRC.

We were nervous to use this shortcut because we had heard bad things about corruption and danger at the borders. Also, anyone with a foreign passport (not Zambian) would have to get a visa for the short trip passing through the DRC. It just didn't seem worth it to us. But then we found out that as holders of a work permit, we qualified to get a Zambian ID card--an ARC (Alien Registration Card). You know that is a great card for my geeky husband to carry.

Once Tom and I got this card we were eager to try out the new route. The only problem was our kids are too young for Zambian IDs and so still had to carry their passports. We got a letter from the Karate Club and Immigration Department asking the Congolese government to grant them free passage through their country. Armed with all our documents we set out one fine Friday morning.

The road from Mansa to the border was not too bad. It was raining a bit but that just cooled things down. Then we got to the border and all went well on the Zambian side. Tom had to go to three different offices but within a few minutes we were on our way. I didn't take any pictures of the offices at any of the border stops. I did not want to have a repeat of the trouble I got into earlier this year.

There used to be a pontoon here. The wait could be hours long. 

Since there is a bridge here the border crossing is much smoother.

Then we got to the Congo border. Tom and I pulled out our Zambian registration cards and there was no problem but then the officer asked to see the kids' passports and once I pulled those out we had trouble. Immediately he insisted that we pay the full visa cost for each of them. $50!! I explained that they were our children and we had reg cards. No go. Then we showed the letter  from the Karate association and still he refused. In the DRC they speak mostly French and then tribal languages. This close to the border they speak Bemba just like Zambia. The officer we were dealing with spoke only French. He called in a translator who spoke French and Bemba but no English. A girl who was traveling with us for the tournament translated the Bemba into English. 

Every time we said anything it had to go from Cassandra to the Bemba officer to the French officer and then back the same way. It was kinda funny. Because of my background in Spanish I understood some of the French, especially when he kept asking incredulously, "Gratis? Gratis?" He could not believe we would ask for free passage. 

Finally we convinced the immigration officer that the kids had the same Zambian visa we did and he agreed. Then we found out that the immigration people here in Zambia had stamped Timmy's passport with the wrong stamp. It won't cause him any trouble here but it looked like he was a tourist. We ended up having to get a $50 visa for Timmy. It was really a way for the officer to save face and it still saved us money so we were happy.

The road going through the Congo was not good at all. Perhaps during dry season it would be OK but during rainy season it was pretty treacherous.

There were huge potholes and it was hard to see how bad they were when they were filled up with water. 

After trying to pass a slow-moving truck we ended up mired in the mud. Tom quickly switched our tires to four wheel drive and the kids got out to help push. 

Where was I? Well, someone had to take the pictures and document the event for posterity! Plus, it was really, really muddy....

The kids didn't need my help. Look at all that Shotokhan power!

We eventually made it to the Zambian border again. The road through the Congo was only 70 km. (@45 miles) but it seemed way longer. 

The road from the border to Ndola was horrible as well. It was tarred but had awful, spine-shattering potholes. I'm pretty sure we all shrunk a couple inches from the compression on our spines. and I did not need that at all!

The entire time we were driving down this stretch all Tom could think about was how he was going to have to turn around and drive over it again twice the next day as the tournament was going to be held in the town right at the border.

The bright side of the day came when we reached Ndola. You may think I'm crazy but I actually felt my spirit lifting and it wasn't just because we were off the terrible roads. Ndola will always have a special place in my heart because of the many friends who live there.

The second bright spot came about 30 minutes after we reached Ndola. We got a phone call from the Karate Sensei who informed us that the venue for the tournament had changed. We now only had to drive 45 minutes away on a smooth road. What a relief. 

God is so good to keep us safe despite our many adventures, isn't He? Just wait till you hear how he kept us safe today. That is a story for another day.

Exactly One Year Ago: Janet

Missionary Monday

Many people have asked for an update to the prayer request we wrote about a couple weeks ago. As it stands now, not much has changed but things are quiet. We did completely close down our boat project and removed the wood for the new house, the pier and the fencing. The only thing remaining there is the boat and we will be collecting that later this week. 

Tom has, understandably, been pretty depressed about the whole situation. He had poured his heart and soul into developing this tourist attraction and felt (we still do feel) that it would be good for the entire community.

We're hoping to start up the boat project in another place at some time.

**********

We hired a manager on a trial basis and one of his first responsibilities is helping us to reopen communication with the chief. We're hoping he can help to bridge the cultural divide we seem to be facing. Michael (our new manager) is also helping with much of the day to day coordinating with staff and visitors to free Tom and I up for other projects, admin work and our many responsibilities. Please pray that he works out and that we are able to increase our budget to cover his salary. 

**********

I wrote about the new baby we took in on Sunday. Sara is still struggling healthwise. The clinical officer here in the village believes she has developed pneumonia despite frequent applications of Baby Vicks, peppermint oil and taking Amoxycillin. We've now started her on daily injections of a much stronger antibiotic. Please pray that she recovers fully.

In the good news category: Sara gained 300 grams (10 ounces) this week!

**********

I'm so excited about the good response we're getting for our Every Child Needs Their Own Space Christmas project. We're looking forward to presenting the kids with their very own toy boxes so they feel like they are special and unique.

If you are interested in getting on board with this fun project, click the link and then go shopping. We recommend getting the packages in the mail by mid-November as it takes 4-6 weeks for packages to reach our little village.

My mother-in-law brought up a good point. Make sure your boxes weigh less than 4 pounds. It can be cheaper to send two lighter packages rather than one heavy one.

You can also send a donation designated for this project so we can buy the plastic toy boxes here. 

Thank you all for your help with all our projects. We couldn't look after these little ones without you.

Exactly one year ago: Book review of The Noticer

Fab Friday Foto XXI

This where I was on Monday and Tuesday. Jealous much? You should be! Ha ha!
Victoria Falls is amazing (it used to be on the list of the Seven Wonders of the World) and even though this is the third time I've seen it it never gets old. Also, because the water levels change it is a different experience every time. 

I will be writing much more about my whole trip to Livingstone and all the fun that Debbie and I had together. This is just a little sneak peek. I will also be putting selected photos up on my download site. Stay tuned for that.

My Cousin's Account

Way back in May I met my cousin, Stephanie for the very first time in real life. We connected on Facebook just about a year ago. She is actually the reason I blog now. I noticed she had a blog, saw links on the sidebar for other blogs, noticed a link for Pioneer Woman, realized I'd seen that name on other places, checked it out and realized, "Hey, I have a story to tell too!" And there you have it. The six (or so) degrees that led from Stephanie to me tying up the cyber lines with my ramblings.

Below are excerpts from Stephanie's account of our meeting in Dallas. Since I can't leave well enough alone I'll be adding my two sense from time to time. To see her full post plus some gorgeous photos of flowers (I have camera and skill envy) check it out here.

The Meeting

The first of May found me headed south to the Dallas area. I have never driven there alone before and when my GPS in my car didn't recognize the street I was going to I must admit I was a little extra nervous. Thankfully my phone is more up to date.

I couldn't wait to meet Amy! We'd done lots of planning and lots of chatting and it was finally happening. Our cousin Renee was driving in from Houston as well and would get to spend some time with us. As a bonus, two of Amy's sisters lived in the Dallas area. We were looking at some serious family bonding. When one of Renee's sisters joined us on our last night, I was completely overwhelmed with gratitude to God and Facebook for getting this all together. We were so sad that Robin couldn't be there though. Albuquerque is just too stinking far away!

I apparently was traveling at the perfect time for Oklahoma wildflowers.Since I had plenty of time I took some time to stop and smell (well photograph) the flowers.I got to the hotel in plenty of time and sat in the parking lot waiting. I had no idea what car Amy was coming in, or which direction, but I parked where I could see all entrances. Since I had some spare time on my hands I decided to pluck my eyebrows. Natural light is the absolute best I must say. So when Amy and her son T. J. got there I greeted them with nicely shaped eyebrows. I'm always thinking of others:)

We settled into our hotel, Amy made a few phone calls, and soon we were having another reunion. Amy's sisters Ruth and Priya (and Priya's boyfriend Michael) picked us up and we all went to dinner.

I had been at a reunion with Priya when I was a newlywed and she was 12. She's grown up a bit:) We all talked so much we hardly had time to eat! This is true! Our poor longsuffering waitress. She kept up a good humor the whole evening as time after time she inquired if we were ready to order but we'd been chatting so much we hadn't even looked at the menu.

 They all grew up as missionaries and have lived ALL over the world. Their early years were so vastly different from mine and it completely fascinated me. Because Amy has six children (two that are already in college) I assumed she was quite a bit older than me. But no, we're the same age! She married incredibly young and had children quickly, and back to back. But she is years older than me in maturity. At the age that she was married and had 4 children, I was hitting the mall and worried that my three level bangs didn't have enough Aqua Net in them to last the whole day. She just called me mature, didn't she? Isn't that another word for old? I'm not sure if I should be flattered or offended. LOL

Aren't we a good looking bunch? Ruth, Amy, and I stayed up that night talking and looking at all the family history books and pictures I'd brought until, oops, 4 am. Poor Ruth only got a few minutes sleep before she had to wake her family up and start her day. Amy and I got a little more sleep, but not much!

If you're in Dallas, you have to go to Sam Moon. I'd told Amy I wanted to go to the jewelry store. Since she lives in Africa she's not familiar with the large, super center, really cheap, overwhelming, jewelry franchises. She didn't say it until later, but she didn't know why I wanted to go jewelry shopping. 

 Stephanie is so cute and well put together. When she said jewelry shopping I envisioned something more along the lines of Harry Winston--way out of my budget--but I learned her secrets. You don't have to have a ton of money; just good style sense.--And she has that in bucketloads.

After getting lost, something that happens a lot in Dallas, we finally found Sam Moon. Since the town is growing so fast there is always something under construction. And they rename streets constantly! Not even the GPS on my phone can keep up. What should have taken 20 minutes took almost an hour. I almost kissed the ground outside Sam Moon when we finally got there. 

Getting lost was kinda fun. I knew we wouldn't be lost forever. This wasn't the Mojave Desert and eventually we would have made our way to something. And we did! On the very positive side I discovered that RaceTrac (a local gas station) has an amazing coffee bar. I made a point of plotting my route home past a RaceTrac so I could get my caffeine fix.

 

Amy was still unsure, but after looking at a few prices, she was all in!! T. J. however, was not impressed. The cross dressers helping each other pick hair extensions finally got him more excited about being there.

This part was actually hilarious. T.J and I were wandering the aisles of this massive store which sells everything from jewelry to purses to scarves to wigs. We came around the corner and saw this man helping someone on a chair try on wigs.I thought, "oh, how sweet. That man is helping his wife choose a wig. Maybe she's a cancer survivor." I nearly welled up with sympathetic tears. But then as we got closer: "Um, why does that woman have such hairy arms? Oh! Oh, No!" 

Renee joined us that night and we headed out to eat again. So far I'd eaten at Olive Garden for dinner, Pei Wei for lunch, and Chili's for the another dinner. I was in heaven. We only eat out once a week because of money and my food allergies so this was a special treat for me! Add in seven cousins and I was feeling so blessed!After another night of staying up late chatting with Renee, it was time to head home. We took a few pictures, hugged a bunch, made promises to keep in touch, and headed our separate ways.

Of the original 11 Stone children, we represented three sisters. Only Amy's grandmother is still living. The two bloggers. We were really missing Robin at this point:(

this is my picture. See the difference in quality. Gah!

As I headed up I-35 I was a little misty but I am so grateful for the time I was able to spend with them. Amy only comes to the states every two years but the other cousins have promised to consider coming to the next reunion. I'm in charge this time and I'm picking a place that's close to Oklahoma and Texas. Our generation doesn't usually come and I'm determined to get them excited about it! With Facebook to keep everyone linked together, it better happen!

I'm sad I won't be able to be there but maybe my grown kids will be able to travel up north sometimes. Also, I'll expect full accounts of the reunions on Facebook and the blog, Stephanie.

Gotta love the internet!

Traveling Fun

I am happily and safely back in Zambia. The trip home was fairly uneventful. I had three flights instead of two because of the British Airways strike. 

Normally with British Airways we get three bags included with our ticket but for some reason this didn't happen this time. I had to use three different airlines and so the luggage situation was a bit complicated but it all worked out after some repacking right at the airport. 

My only mishaps in flying were that I arrived at the boarding gate in London for the wrong flight. I didn't know there were two flights going to South Africa that night so I waited for the #55 instead of the #57. At least I was at the earlier flight and didn't miss mine. Aside from some bruised pride I was ok. I had a coffee at a little shop and then headed down to the gate for my flight. I was pretty early and then the flight was delayed because new staff had to be trained quickly to replace the ones on strike. I got tired of waiting and laid my head down on my luggage in the crowded waiting area. Next thing I knew I woke up and the area was nearly empty. There were only a few people left in line. Once again I was red-faced. I was really just glad I woke up in time!

I ended up flying out of Houston on Continental, out of London on British Airways down to South Africa, and then South African Airways to Zambia. With all those airline changes it was no wonder that one of my suitcases didn't arrive with me. Unfortunately it was the one that had nearly all my clothes and shoes. I did have a couple changes of clothes but only one pair of shoes. By the time I got my suitcase back I had been wearing those heels for over 5 days. I was so ready for a change!

When we went to the airport to pick up my suitcase we were led through back areas to the storage room. As we got close to the baggage area we could hear a woman shouting and hollering about something. We didn't recognize the language she was speaking. When the airline representative opened the door she muttered "pornography". We wondered what she was talking about and looked in the direction of the hollering. We thought perhaps someone had been caught with 'bad' magazines. But, lo and behold, there was a stark naked woman standing there. A customs official ran over and tried to cover her chest with a newspaper. Her traveling companion was the one that was shouting and making such a fuss. She kept miming doing a cavity search. Through some explanation from the airport official and our own deductions we figured that these women were told that they and their belongings would need to be searched for drugs. The one lady stripped off her clothes in protest. 

By the time we got our suitcases (one of our volunteers who arrived the day before me lost hers too) and made our way back to customs things were a bit calmer. The two ladies were from Angola so they only spoke Portuguese and broken English. They seemed to be inexperienced with traveling and the airport personnel had their hands full assisting them with all the procedures.

It certainly made our day that much more interesting. If for no other reason, I'm glad to be back in Africa because you never know from one day to the next what you might experience.

Adventure on the Night Bus

I wrote this a couple months ago but thought I'd post it today since I'll be traveling for a couple days. I will be taking the bus down to Lusaka and back again so please keep me in your prayers.

In the middle of August I traveled down to Lusaka, our capital city with Jasmine to pick up our newest volunteers. It was also an opportunity for Jasmine to get away from life at the orphanage and relax. We watched some movies, ate ice cream, said goodbye to a Peace Corps Volunteer who had finished her term of service and enjoyed life in the big city.

Late one night we took a taxi out to the airport and met up with Katherine and Kirstie who were going to volunteer with us for 3 months. It was their first time traveling alone (in fact it was the first time on an airplane for one of them) and so we were glad their 3 airplane rides had been smooth and all their luggage arrived safely and on the same plane--not always the case.

The next afternoon after some shopping for supplies we went to the bus station and bought tickets for the night bus. Because we had so much luggage we were asked to be at the station at 2:30 PM for a 4 PM departure.

At 3:00 we decided to go ahead and sit on the bus because there was nowhere else to go and we were being harassed by people who were excited by the sight of 3 young white girls (myself not included). Vendors singled us out, drunks attempted conversation and children called out 'muzungu, muzungu' over and over.

Finally at 5 PM the bus moved out of the station. Remember our departure time was for 4 PM so by African standards we were off to a good start.

The good start quickly was lost as we spent over an hour at the weigh station 3 hours into the trip. We ate some dinner (cheese, crackers and an apple) around 9 PM and then settled in for the night. As always I had brought my head lamp so I could read during the long journey. No sooner had I turned it on when the conductor shouted "no lights"! I tried to shield the light by holding my pillow over the light and reading low in my lap but nothing doing. "No lights!", he continued to shout. Right after I extinguished my light our two traveling companions decided they needed to find something in their backpack and used a small flashlight to do it. "No lights!!!" was again shouted from the front of the bus. By now most of the passengers were chuckling over this little drama. The conductor had so worked himself into a state that even those unfortunate passengers who attempted to use their phones to check the time were yelled at.

This all took place around midnight so we tried to get comfortable and get some sleep. Just about two hours later we heard a huge bang and felt a thump as the bus began weaving across the road. I prayed urgently for the Lord's protection and the bus slowed down and came to a stop. All the passengers were shouting and wondering aloud what might have happened. Once it became apparent that we had not blown a tire I worried that we had hit a person. There is very little wildlife in Zambia along the roads aside from farm animals and they usually bed down for the night.

As I sat there praying, the conductor boarded the bus and asked if anyone had a torch (flashlight) he could borrow. All the passengers broke into laughter and said "the muzungus do". I passed my headlamp up, chuckling along with the others but also asking "who is thankful now, huh?".

Not being able to control my curiosity anymore as well as knowing what Tom would have done if he'd been there and therefore what he'd require of me, I borrowed Katherine's flashlight and got off the bus to investigate.

This is what I saw first. Complete devastation. We hit a large animal! Everyone was saying what a miracle that the bus had stayed upright. Several people said we must have had angels holding onto the four corners of the bus.

There was animal hair caught in the bus fender. Is the piece in front a fender or a bumper? What's the difference? Someone solve this mystery for me, please!

I moved around to the back of the bus where the men had brought the fallen animal. I still don't know what this is. A waterbuck, bushback, impala? Maybe one of my readers can tell me. I think the poor thing was pregnant.

Upon closer inspection of the front of the bus we found only one headlight remaining and that one was pretty mangled. The conductor and someone else worked to dismantle the wires hanging from the left side of the bus so they could collect enough pieces to get one headlight working. You can see how dark the night was. We were out in the middle of nowhere and the bus didn't even have its hazard or caution lights on so we were sitting ducks right in the middle of the road. When I heard a truck coming I ran to the back of the bus and shone the flashlight back and forth to alert them to our presence.

They had to pull off the rack or whatever that thing is called and put it inside for later.

They managed to pull together enough to get one light working somewhat. At the end they couldn't get the bulb to sit right in the center of the light so they shoved plastic grocery sacks all around to hold it in place. Gotta love what they can do with plastic bags here.

Finally, a working light.

We drove very slowly and finally reached the next major city at 7 AM. After waiting around for a while and then eventually switching buses we made it safely home--12 hours of travel had become 18 hours. We had been on the bus for 20 hours and were so glad to get off. Another episode of African travel behind us.

Sun 'n' Slide

While in Lusaka we wanted to make sure the kids had a chance to have a lot of fun. Munda Wanga has a pool and a slide so we made plans to swim after seeing the animals.

Funny thing though, the kids (aside from Troy) didn't bring their swim suits. They said, "Mom, many times when you say we're going to swim in a nice pool with a slide it ends up being a pond pool with a baby slide."

Hmmm, I think that says really nice things about my optimism. Don't you?

Actually, this was all new since the time we used to visit as a family. Their old pool was tiny and we often got stared at while we swam as I mentioned in this post.

Think they'll listen to me now?

When we got to the pool the slide wasn't working and we were told it only gets turned on on the weekends. Tom set off to talk to management and they agreed to turn it on for us. We were so proud of Tom for persevering and making the fun happen. It helped that Tom was able to bond with the owner over wildlife preservation and the story of the jackals.




This was Troy's first ever time on a 'real' water slide. I was really impressed with how he just climbed right up that high staircase and literally dove right in. No hesitation or squeamishness at the top.

He had a good example in his big brother--always ready to dive into new experiences head first.



Tom captured this photo. I love it!



Not having swimsuits didn't stop us from having fun. Tom shared his suit with one of the boys and then the rest swam in their clothes. This is one advantage to living in Africa. Little things like this are more relaxed.



Here is T.J in all his long-haired wildness.



They made slide chains and trains and went down over and over again. There were only four other people using the pool that day so we basically had the run of the slide. Such a treat!


We finally convinced Tom to slide down in his pants. It was a warm day and things were sure to dry. Unfortunately, the photographer (not me, thank goodness) didn't get a shot of him on the slide and then the water turned off just after that one slide.

It was such a fun day and full of memories. I believe next time we head to this pool everyone will be wearing swimsuits.

Until next time, may God bless and keep you on your own personal adventures.

Love!

Amy