WEDDING ZAMBIAN STYLE

Today, the biggest event at Grace was a wedding put on by John and Susan for one of their female workers. We spent the morning setting up the hall and preparing everything and at 2pm the guests started arriving and the chaos began! First some of the guests started infiltrating the gate and they put a bunch of us White "Muzunga's" there to check off the guest lists. The last wedding here, people were photocopying the invitation to get in, and over 70 extra people showed up. The problem was that none of us could understand the African's when they told us their names, so while we scoured the list of 200 names for the right one, we couldn't find them on the list anyway! Finally we got some Zambian kids to come up and translate for us in Bemba, and slowly people started to get let in. The confusion was paramount, and so many people that were not on the list were doing their best to say that they were!!! After about an hour and a half, John decided to close the gate and let the last 20 people in even though they were not invited guests. We threw out extra chairs and the festivities began. The bridal party danced up and down the isle about 10 times in different outfits to the loud catcalls of a sound I can only describe as high pitched tongue warbling screeching around the hall. Let me just say I have never seen such booty shaking in my entire life experience!!! About 40 minutes into the festivities, a bus showed up with about 30 people. (Pic of people all walking in up side of hall). Now that the place was packed to the gills, the concern of whether they were on the list was really important. Turns out it was the groom's family so they had to come in!!! Once food began, it was a real gong show. Understand this is the best meal many of these people will get this year, and plastic cutlery was getting stashed in purses while they kept jumping their turn to get more food. Pop was served in bottles and they were going so fast as soon as one was emptied another was cracked open! As we were clearing away plates, some guests were fighting me to keep their plastic costco throw away plate brought from home. By the end, they weren't even using plates and were just coming up for pieces of chicken right out of the serving trays. The saddest part was seeing some women at the end going through the garbage cans looking for any plastic cutlery they could find. (Pic of lady in yellow shirt). The entire experience was festive, colourful and lively, and I am certain the Bride and Groom had a day they will never forget….I know that I won't!!!

SMALL PLEASURES

So the classrooms Gerry and I have been teaching in are unfinished rooms that are complete concrete and windows. The doors have not been on which has been a bit of an issue when the wind picks up. My word wall that I have taped up continues to fall down as gusts of wind blow the words off the wall! Today was exciting as we watched the workers show up with beautiful big solid wood doors. The excitement was short lived as we realized we had to teach over top of noisy drills and men speaking Bemba all day. The best was when they started to grind and sparks started flying across the tops of my students heads. I hauled them over to the other side of the room while the men didn't blink an eye! Then every time the kids tried to give me some answers the drills would perk up, so the student would wait, just start to speak and off went the drill again……we all had a good laugh, and thankfully tomorrow we have beautiful doors on our rooms ;) Tonight I started to teach a group of the older teens a fitness class. We have to do it outside on the grass at dusk, which is fine but we have no mats to lie on so we all need a good shower when finished but that is not always an option! When I told the kids I could do it every Wed with them, they said, "but why not every night?" Somehow these precious souls have a way of bending me to their whim every time, and I am meeting them again at 6pm tomorrow to do session 2…I love Africa!

HAPPY SUMMER TO THE GRADE 5's AT HAZELGROVE

We have settled into daily routines here at Grace. Get up early in the morning (6am ish) and go for a run up the driveway (about 4km). Come back and "try" to shower if there is hot water. Eat breakfast and go to school for the day. After school we hang out with the kids and often take them for walks in the neighbouring villages. I am reading to a small group, playing games sometimes, and am starting an exercise group for the older kids tomorrow night. The children go into the cafeteria for supper at 5pm and we have our dinner then. We hang out with kids for another hour after supper and then they are called into their dorm rooms. We then relax, play cards, watch a movie on my computer, and go to bed nice and early. Tonight I had my final Skype session with my Grade 5 students at home. We got to say goodbye and I wished them all a fantastic summer. They had some questions for Bill, Clement and Naomi and it was so cool to see the kids having conversations with each other. I am looking forward to keeping the connection going when I return to Canada. But I best not get ahead of myself……7 1/2 weeks to go here in this beautiful country.

MEETING OUR NEIGHBOURS

Today at school the students explored the base 10 blocks for the first time. While the had never done math this way before, some of them were quick to pick it up and enjoyed the challenge. It was much more interesting to do math this way rather than sit and listen to the teacher deliver lesson after lesson while they sit and watch. After school, we took a large group walking to a neighbouring village. They welcomed us and took us on a tour to see their pigs and the local stream where they wash their clothes. The little boys are the same children we saw three years ago and I swear they are wearing the same clothes as our last visit. These children will not get to go to school and have a very sad life ahead of them, yet still they beam with great big smiles. It is Friday here so everyone is looking forward to the weekend. Tomorrow we are going for a day trip to Kitwe for lunch and some souvenir shopping.

ANOTHER GREAT DAY

Teaching today was really fun. I started to read Belly Up so some of you Grade 5's know this story takes place in an amusement / theme park. It became clear to me very quickly that the students did not know what this kind of park was and upon investigation I realized they also had no idea what a roller coaster was. So, as I was trying to explain it, I had them put their chairs two by two and I took them on a ride. It was so much fun and tomorrow I am going to take my computer up and hook up to the internet and show them a video of a roller coaster ride. They had such a good time, and were really funny to watch. I also looked out the classroom door to see students taking a drink….no water fountains here so a good old fashioned hose it the ticket. Tonight we skyped with Division 6 and 7 and it was awesome for the students to all meet each other. The Zambian kids couldn't believe how many children were in our classes! All of the Grade 5 letters have been replied to so if I can get them home quick enough, perhaps the Canadians could write back. (Oh no, I just asked and it looks like the post will take about a month to get there, if it even makes it!!!) Will have to wait unto September to get your letters, Grade 5's :(

DAY TRIP IS AN EYE OPENER

DAY TRIP IS AN EYE OPENER Got up early this morning to start the school day at 7:30am with the students (for those that know me well this was a feat in itself!) Started early so I could leave at lunch and go into the next city over (about an hour drive away) with Susan. Along the way in the middle of the highway at a road block, which they have frequently to check that the vehicles are registered, there were girls and women holding chickens by the necks, wings or feet …. yes, already dead. There were fires all along the side of the road burning away, because this is how they keep the grasses from getting out of hand. Very strange to be driving along the highway with small fires burning and flames rising all over the place. On the way back, a man was standing in the median of the highway holding up 2 big juicy rats by the tail, and yes, these rats were for sale for someone's dinner. When we arrived back to Grace we decided to do our yoga workout and were quickly joined by many little spectators. The kids will watch anything, even if it is a workout video. Later I gave Bill and Clement their birthday presents they have been patiently waiting for. The were very polite and calm while they were with me but as soon as they got out the door I could hear them shouting with joy at their new cameras :) Awesome day.

GRACE KIDS MEET HAZELGROVE STUDENTS

Today while I was teaching, I handed each of the Grace students a letter that was written by one of my fantastic kids in Grade 5 at Hazelgrove. The Grace kids were so excited and quiet while they read the letters and they had lots of questions for me…questions like "what is Track and Field?" or what is a "sibling?" They were eager to write letters back and when they finished they wanted to do another one. I told them how excited the Hazelgrove students would be to read their letters too and big smiles lit up their faces. I am very much looking forward to trying a Skype session and being able to introduce the children to each other. How cool is that to meet your new friend through cyber space while a continent away. Been a great day all around and I am really enjoying getting to know the students better.

A DAY OF REST

Today was our first Sunday at Grace and we got up and went to church which is held up at the Rec Hall by the school. All of the children attend and they sing and listen to the pastor for an hour service. After church, I took a small group of boys out walking outside the grounds. Because they don't get to go out very often, there are line ups of kids who want to go and we have to make lists so everyone gets a turn. We walked around the villages outside of Grace and the boys went hunting for "red fruits" which grow under the ground. Clement and Bill explained to me about how Nshima is made. The dried corn is all bundled up together and then the husks are pulled off and opened up. The pieces of corn are then pulled off the cobb and dried out….didn't hear anymore after that as they got distracted with the red fruit!!!! Today, a small group of kids wanted me to start reading aloud a novel to them, so we sat under a tree and I began reading The Breadwinner. They loved in and can't wait for me to read more tomorrow. I think when we finish this book, I will read Belly Up to them…. Early to bed tonight as tomorrow is my first proper teaching day.

DRIVEN BY POVERTY

Today is Saturday and the children get up in the morning for chores. They have to do laundry in buckets and hand wash their clothes. Then they have to empty out all of the plastic drawers they have and wash everything down. I stayed home this morning and had a very relaxing time in the back of our little house. I found a lovely grass area and tree to sit in the shade and read my book. I was joined shortly by some little ones who came upon me on their travels and they loved playing with my hair. They would just stroke it and enjoy the feel of it as it is so new to them with their little short tight curls. While I was being pampered by 6 year olds, team mates Gerry and Jeanie went into town. Upon their return they came across an accident. A train had derailed after hitting a large truck filled with diesel and apparently it was mayhem. Hundreds of men appeared and began looting the truck for oil. Some of them even jumped into the oil! It wasn't until the army showed up and started shooting tear gas that everyone scampered off in every direction. Apparently within minutes everyone had disappeared as if into thin air. Such dire straits would only drive people to do something so very dangerous. Apparently a bush fire was burning only meters away from the entire scene. Scary business!

ON AFRICAN TIME...

Today we woke up to no power, which meant no water, which also meant no toilets! We also couldn't boil water for tea, or have anything warm for breakfast. Later on we went into town, which is always an adventure as the roads are very scary. They are in very bad condition, and the drivers are HORRIBLE. Rules are not really followed and there are a lot of horns honking all the time. We went to get data put on our phones and that also turned into a huge ordeal. Yesterday we began the process and decided to come back today as it was going to take hours. When we arrived today, Gerry's phone was ready to go but mine still had not been registered. The guy told me 5 or 10 minutes to wait, but an hour later I was still sitting there. FINALLY, we got it all sorted and the best part is that tonight I got to Skype with my lovely Grade 5 students at Hazelgrove whom I miss already. Now that I am connected to the world again, I can keep in touch on a regular basis, so all the waiting was well worth it. Just a reminder of how much our lives are so busy and not used to waiting for anything, whereas here, there is nothing else to do so no one is in much of a hurry to do anything!!!

SOBERING REMINDERS

SOBERING REMINDERS Today we spent an hour in the morning meeting with Principal Patricia and making plans for our teaching schedule. She took us around the school and into each classroom where we were introduced (or re-introduced) to the students and the teachers. It has been such a joy to see the children again, and the genuine smiles and cuddles have been so heartwarming. After our meeting we got into the van and Gerry drove us into town to do some grocery shopping and to try to get a SIM card for our phones. Try is the operative word as the process took the entire day and we still came home with no card!!! Getting things done here takes forever, and the process is very, very inefficient. We went to the market called Masala and it was heartbreaking and very uncomfortable. This is a local market and I can not even describe the dirty, dusty, smelly poverty stricken place to form a picture in your minds. I think the icing on the cake was walking past the chickens, live chickens….hundreds of them stuffed into huge cages waiting to be bought for $3 each. The overwhelming poverty here is so incredibly sad. I think on my last trip I was in such shock and spent the whole time absorbing the cultural differences that I was not emotionally connected to the sadness of the situation. This time I see everything with new eyes and the reality of these people's lives is truly depressing. To have nothing, and everyday is just hours on end of passing time in the hot sun and dusty conditions to simply go to sleep (and not in a comfy bed I might add, but rather on hard, dry ground with a mat if they are lucky) only to do it all over again the next day. Tonight I am humbled and sad, and feeling rather guilty for the pleasures and luxuries we all take so much for granted.

ARRIVAL TO GRACE We arrived at the airport in Ndola, which is the city closest to Grace Academy, at 3:30pm on Tuesday afternoon. After going through customs and getting our baggage (and thankfully all 6 of our hockey bags full of supplies arrived) we were met by Spider, the driver for Grace. He drove us back to Grace and we noticed on the drive that absolutely nothing has changed here in the 3 years since our last visit! When we arrived at Grace Academy, we unloaded and noticed how quiet it was. I asked where all of the children were, and I found out that they keep them in school until 4pm now so that they have less time after school to get bored as there is not a lot for them to do. When the kids got out of school we had a wonderful time reconnecting with everyone. The children were all excited telling each other that Auntie Lisa was back and this of course made me feel wonderful. There were lots of hugs and handholding as we all chatted and visited. At 5pm the children all went into the cafeteria for dinner while we got settled into our rooms. I am in a room with 2 sets of bunk beds and lots of mosquito nets! The shower was hot for 5 mins and then we ran out of hot water! I went to bed at 7pm as I was so exhausted from our long journey over. It has been a wonderful welcome back to this beautiful "place of Grace" and tomorrow we will continue to get ourselves settled.

Enroute for 40 hour flight

Landed in Amsterdam at 10am this morning (which was really 1:30am Vancouver time) and took the train into Amsterdam Central. We rented bikes and rode around the city for 3 hours with all of the thousands of people riding bikes. It was rather dangerous as there were bikes going every which way, along with mopeds thrown in for good measure! Coolest city though. Would love to come back one day. Now we are waiting for our next flight which will take us to Nairobi, Africa where we have to wait 8 hours at the airport because it is not really safe to go out. 1/2 way to Zambia!!!!!! Third picture down is Anne Franks house.

A New Adventure Begins

Today, I say Farewell to my Grade 5 students at Hazelgrove as I head for a new set of students in Zambia. I will miss everyone, students, friends and family alike as I head off on this big adventure. I am very excited but also a little scared of all the unknowns ahead of me. I will also miss my beautiful home at the beach as I head for 2 1/2 months in Zambia, but I will embrace everything that beautiful country has to offer. Thank you for all of your well wishes and prayers for my safety and health on this trip. Stay tuned for updates regularly on my experiences...