Same Kind of Different as Me

Saturday, May 19

Today is our first day trip to Kalomo. It is a very small village but the markets are good for buying "chitenge" (said sh-tang-ee). That is a type of fabric that is worn around the waist as a skirt for women, made into headbands, purses, quilts, wallets, aprons and many other things. I did not buy any of this in the village but I did convert my money to "kwacha", the Zambian currency. The ratio is 5,000 kwacha=$1...lots of math to do when buying things. They like small bills too, which the bank does not readily give.
When we returned to the mission, I spent time with my housemates out on the roadside playing with some of the school kids. We played their versions of "Down by the Banks", "Little Sally Walker", "Duck, Duck, Goose" and "Father (Mother) May I". Hilarious! We had a few minutes before lunch to buy things from Mrs. Mona. She makes things out of chitenge. I bought a headband, apron, bag, and a wallet for only 155 kwacha (you do the math). After lunch we began organizing our materials and began working on the slow internet.
Little to no water is still a problem, but we can make do. There is clean water to drink and brush your teeth with, but not much to shower or flush the toilet. It is getting fixed tomorrow.

I am enjoying everything so far!
After writing the first part of this blog, I sat down with my housemates and one of our local night guards named Webster, to learn some Tongan. We learned words for hello, goodnight, thank you, what is your name, how old are you, I'm fine, perfect, beautiful, and my name is...all very long words with many syllables. I love learning new languages!! Webster is a great teacher and a new friend as well.

Captivating

Friday, May 18

This morning was a breakfast of French toast and fruit. Good stuff. We have a man named Leonard that cooks meals for us. His food is amazing! We are never hungry and will most likely not lose weight on this trip…oh well. We then walked the path to The Haven, which is the orphanage that we will be working for during our time here. The path is quite a walk through the bush, but it gives you time to gather your thoughts and give your best once you’re there. I was at the back of the pack walking and so when I arrived I did not have a baby to hold while on the tour. I love babies but have never dealt with them on a daily basis in another country before. As soon as I held the first one, Quinton, I was hooked! We had time to go to all three Haven houses and I could not choose just one.

The boys in Haven 3 like to laugh and be silly- love love- Caleb, Lincoln, Joseph and Leo. In Haven 2, the little girls stole my heart! The first was Leah and there were two others who walked up and sat in my lap. I will have to lean their names soon!

Besides being peed on, it was great! Haven 1 has the tiniest babies- Botias, Tim and Louise were the favorites there. Now we are waiting for lunch…more to come. Hakuna matata.

New Places, New Faces

Thursday, May 17

Next morning we went to the airport for our final flight to Zambia. There were a few odd traditions on this flight…keeping the shades open for takeoff and spraying the cabin for bugs before takeoff. Once we braved the bumpy ride, we hopped on a bus to Namwianga for an hour and a half. Namwianga is the name of mission that we are staying and working at this summer. We toured the facilities and found our rooms. I think I know everyone’s name now.  I currently have 2 roommates, Miriam (Mel) and Catarina (Cathy). Ashley is a tag-along with the group and she stays in the room across from us. Only two spiders were spotted so far. I am on the top bunk and have a canopy mosquito net. The mosquitos haven’t seemed to be biting but we are taking every precaution to make sure that we don’t get malaria.

Busy Streets

Wednesday, May 16

The flight to Jo-burg was overnight and we gained 7 hours from Texas time. At approximately 4:45 pm we landed in Johannesburg, South Africa. The airport was massive and the shopping extensive within the airport, but we had to wait. There was a drug dog in the airport, a beagle that was searching for items to declare. I just thought it interesting that a beagle was chosen over our large German shepherds in the U.S.

We stayed at Africa Centre for the night. It was an airport hotel, which in my mind is less than 1 mile away, but we were able to experience the full driving effect in South Africa. They drive on the opposite side of the car, opposite side of the road and the speeds are high. It is a bit scary at times! We arrived safe and sound, despite the busy streets, in group waves. We waited three hours to get our dinner food and crashed for the night. The beds were extremely comfy and warm!

Waka Waka….Time for Africa

Tuesday, May 15

The 7 of us Wildcats met at DFW airport around lunchtime to prepare for our flight to ATL. We had time to eat at the TGI Friday’s in the airport. Last phone calls and notices were made and we were off. Flight was smooth and we met up with the Harding group in Atlanta. Once we changed into out burnt orange (UT colored J) HIZ-PATH t-shirts, the newly united group flew to Johannesburg, South Africa. I don’t remember the flight to South America very well but I’m pretty sure this flight was just as long, if not longer! The food was good but my allergies were not cooperating. I watched three movies from the wide selection on the Delta flight (points to that airline) and slept the rest of the way.

5 days to takeoff...

Once again, it has been another month since I've posted. It has been fast and furious trying to get assignments finished and things packed for my first excursion of the summer. I think I concluded the semester with a lot of knowledge but with As and Bs in my classes. That is just fine with me...still made it out alive!

I will be leaving the good ol' US of A this coming Tuesday for Namwianga, Zambia. Thank you to all of you who have supported me financially and with your prayers. I am truly blessed by you! Even though I am very excited to be experiencing yet another country, continent and culture, I am nervous about what exactly will happen. Getting things in order has been quite a challenge. God is in control of all things and I will be leaning on Him to settle my uncertainties. Please pray that our group has safe travels and that we would bless others as much as we are blessed in return.
There may have been a point where I mentioned this phrase in a blog back in 2009, but I think it is still very true: traveling/doing mission work in other countries is like a horcrux (Harry Potter reference)...we leave a part of ourselves there and are never the same again. In our case, we change for the better and grow because of everything, which I am always encouraged by.

Let me know if there is anything that I can be praying about for you! We are Made for More, Chosen for Change, Loved for Life!

~D

35 Days Out

March was a busy month for me! Spring Break was wedged in between assignments and clinic hours, to create a blink. I was able to visit my "ex-roommate" and great friend Kate Huggins in Memphis, TN. I had never been to Tennessee before and I am always ready for new adventures. Linley and I drove for 10 hours in the pouring rain to get there on Sunday. Scary stuff! Thankfully the Lord provided cautious drivers to surround us and good sense to stop when we needed to. Kate had prepared dinner when we arrived, so we had a chance to catch up. She would be at work during the weekdays, while Linley and I were on our own to explore the city. The National Civil Rights Museum was a big hit! I learned so much more depth about our country's struggle than I had before. It also detailed Dr. Martin Luther King's assassination, which was devastating but being the detective that I am, fascinating. My love for the cultures of the world has been growing for several years now and I saw that side as well.
I won't go in to every detail of the trip, but we ate at the famous places and went to the zoo. The zoo had a female panda named Yaya (which if you know me well, that is my nickname), so I thought it was cool to see. I've missed my friend Kate being in Texas, but it was nice to see how she lives now. We will always be friends, no matter where in the world life takes us.

On another note, I have been learning so much in my clinic placement. It truly makes me think about what I want to do the rest of my life, and if this is it. My desire to speak  God's love into people's lives through compassion, care and encouragement is growing with my knowledge. The more confident I am in my faith, the more confident I am as a person, which in turn gives me confidence to reach out. What a life God has for me! The title of today's post relates to the countdown for Zambia. I am no where near ready to go physically or mentally, because school is still priority. My heart, however, is rearing to go! Zambia for six weeks, then in July I am going to be in Peru for 12 days! This is a new development since I last posted...and one that I never expected to be real. Who gets to go to two countries that she's never been to in one summer?! God is absolutely incredible. If I'm honest, I only had the faith that he would provide funds for my Zambia trip. He has provided so much more for my sister and I to go to Peru with Southern Hills! I just picture him saying something like he does in the book of John..."You believe after this miracle? Just wait to see what I still have in store for you! It is so much greater than what you've already seen!"...or something very similar.

If God has the power to send me where my heart desires to be, then what else am I not asking and seeking for, that He already has planned? Crazy to think about. Life is passing quickly...I just turned 23 on the 27th of March! This could easily be 5 weeks of stress and depression, but I want to embrace each day with joy. My clients will see it through their child eyes and others will ask why. Hopefully it will not take me 35 days to post again...blessings!