It Takes a Village

After 8 months in country, few things shock me about my life in Zambia anymore. I know thunder and lightning don't necessarily mean rain, meetings won't start for at least 2 hours after they are scheduled, and unidentifiable insects can still be quite tasty...usually after being soaked in lots of cooking oil that is. I can tell one bush "path" from another bush "road." And I'm not frightened when snakes fall out of trees in front of me while biking (okay okay, thats ones a bit of a lie). But something that continues to shock me/surprise me/move me is people's immediate and unconditional kindness towards one another and myself.

I was visiting a village to do a practice village inspection with one of my Neighborhood Health Committees a few weeks ago (see the pic below) and the village was so excited I was there they insisted on giving me a chicken. Having a chicken slaughtered in your honor is one of the greatest gifts you can receive in Zambia and you have to eat the gizzard to show that it was "your" chicken. (Add some grits to the mix and I could be at home in the south). A few days before I had a bike breakdown while cycling to a meeting with my counterpart. While waiting for a pump, the family who owned the farm I was stranded on insisted on packing my bag full of fresh avocados, maize, and cassava. A few days ago while hitching back from holiday in Namibia we were picked up by a really kind Namibian who drove us 600 kilometers, let us camp on his front lawn, and gave us warm showers and hot coffee. We are now nearing the end of starvation season, the time when villagers are running out of food from the last harvest but their new crops aren't yet ready to be picked, but people always looked out for one another in the village, ensuring that everyone had at least one meal a day. Even when some families had no maize flour to make nshima, their families or neighbors always provided for one another. Life can truly be challenging in Zambia but the "it takes a village" mentality is alive and strong. People take care of one another and I'm constantly astounded by how that care has been consistently extended my way and has deeply affected me as well.

I just arrived back in Lusaka today after 3 weeks away from my village. I attended a 1 week PEPFAR workshop in Chipata with a counterpart from my community and then headed on holiday to Namibia with 5 of my friends ( see pic below). We had an amazing time sand boarding in the dunes, road tripping around the eastern part of the country, hiking in some of the tallest sand dunes in the world, quad biking in the Namib Desert, and seeking out copious amounts of steak and beer. Namibia used to be a German colony and thus the staple foods include: red meat, draft beer, and and game jerkey. Though its nice to return to my nsima diet, I will miss my constant 10 day meat coma.

Happy Birthday Emily! Happy 38th wedding anniversary Mom and Pops!