#LifeInZambia

Helping teach English at Kabanga 

Most of Thursday was spent with the kids at the Kabanga School.  I sat in on Jamee’s class again, not knowing that she was going to have me teach instead of her – thanks Jamee!!!!!  All I had to do was explain the definitions to some words (shone, brightest, rushed, etc.) and instruct the kids to match the word to the correct definition.  Of course with the language barrier and the craziness of having 60 kids in a classroom, this proved to be difficult.  After checking work, time was up and we made our way back to New Day.

            Papa Wes had to take an employee to the hospital in Macha (not an emergency, but please keep him in your prayers) so Mal and I rode along.  It was a VERY jarring ride.  I cannot imagine being injured or in the middle of labor and making it down that bumpy road.  Making a mental note to be extremely grateful for our smooth asphalt back in the States.  I didn’t take pictures so I will do my best to describe what I could see of the hospital.  It was a simple one-story brick building with an open area and shelter where families could stay while their loved one was being treated.  There were a lot of women and children outside preparing their lunch.  There is a School of Nursing by the hospital as well.  We then went to visit another American couple that lives close by so Wes could rent a car from them.  They run a sport camp and use it as a method to witness to the kids in addition to helping at the hospital. 

Don't let the smile fool you, biking in a chitenge is hard

            That afternoon, I went with Jamee and Kailyn back to Kabanga to play with the kids.  We biked there and I have to say I’ve never felt so out of shape.  Come to find out, it was because my tires were getting flatter by the second... Oops. 

Since track season ended with the meet last weekend, the boys were playing soccer (football) and the girls were playing netball.  Netball is basically a mix of basketball and ultimate Frisbee.  It can get pretty intense.  I observed while Jamee and Kailyn joined in with the kids.  Seriously, that bike ride wore me out!  Plus, I don’t yet know the kids well enough to be able to recognize who was on what team and there aren’t any uniforms for sports.  We biked back, taking turns using my awfully slow moving bike (Jamee and Kailyn now understand why I was lagging going to the school).  The kids chased after us most of the way.

The girls playing netball

Only some players can cross certain lines on the court 

Kids running behind as we bike back to New Day

Friday was an AWESOME day.  After hitting a wall earlier in the week, I finally felt refreshed and energized.  I had been praying for renewed strength and God really did deliver.  I even woke up before my alarm and made it to workout with Darbi.  Misheck did great in math and Language Arts with Cambree was so much fun.  We played charades with her vocabulary words. 

Right after class, we left for the biweekly Choma trip.  Despite the bumpy road I enjoyed the whole ride, talking and singing with everyone on the bus.  I even managed to stay stress free quickly shopping for groceries (that’s a blessing).   When we finished running all of our errands, we hurried to the iConnect to purchase 30 min of wifi.  10 min into my connection, however, the power went out.  IN THE WHOLE CITY.  That, my friends, is life in Zambia.

            When we got back from Choma, we packed up for a “slumber party” at Wes and Laurie’s house.  Yep, they hosted us four 20-somethings for games, movies, and gave us their living room floor for the night.  Mama Lala even made us chicken and cheese quesadillas, salsa, and guacamole for dinner.  Oh how I miss mexican food.  We had so much fun but were also so worn out that I'm pretty sure we were all asleep by midnight… Typical Friday night and I wouldn’t change a thing.  

                                                     Gotta love #LIFEINZAMBIA