We arrived in Lusaka yesterday morning after a 7-hour bus ride from Livingstone. Our ride picked us up at the hotel around 4:45 am yesterday morning and took us to the bus station. The bus was packed. We were the only white people (muzungus) on the bus. We stopped twice for restroom breaks which cost K500 (500 kwacha = approx. 25 cents).
My villa in the Mulungushi Village is much better than last year. My roommates are great. One is a fashion designer from NYC; the other is a farm boy from Ft. Worth.
Today, we attended church in the village with a 20-person Zambia choir and Zambian preacher. It lasted more than 2 hours. After church, the bus took us to the local market for lunch and shopping. Every Sunday the local craftsmen come to sell their goods. Our meals the last three days have been eggs, french fries, carrots, green beans and white rice. The PB&J starts tomorrow. I'm at a small cafe that sells Internet access for K9,000 (approx. $2.50/hr.). I wish Starbucks would get in on that action. We shared a table with a nice Aussie attending Cornell University graduate school in upstate New York. He's over here for two months researching conservation and environmental protection policies. He sleeps in a tent each night so it makes our living quarters sound like the Four Seasons.
This afternoon we meet our Zambian interpreter who we'll be paired one-on-one with for the remainder of the week. It was good to see some familiar faces back at camp. There are about three people who attended week 8 with me last week. Two are current UT students.
Yesterday, on the way to the village, I saw a local guy wearing a homemade Barack Obama t-shirt. My window was open so I yelled, "I like your t-shirt." Without missing a beat, he yelled back, "Change we can believe in." How awesome is that!
Here are some photos taken over the past 4 days since my last blog post.
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3 comments:
I know you were excited to see those familiar faces. Glad you are settled in and ready to begin the week. I hope you get to see several of your same kids that you had last year. They will be so excited that you cared enough to come back!!What a blessing that will be!!
Love, Mom
Hey David! Great new post! Thanx! Sounds like things are going good for you. Loved the story about the Obama shirt guy. Small world. Glad you know some folks over there this year. Enjoy that PB&J.
Yum, Yum! I'll have some for breakfast in your honor. Love Bunches, Maggie
Thanks for the update. I'm looking forward to hearing about your interpreter and all your kids. I am so proud of the work you are doing! Those kids are lucky to have you. Have fun and be safe. -Karin
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