Friday May 21
The first week felt like a month but the last few days flew past way too fast. It was sad to spend our final day at Hope Village. We broke up into groups of 4 and 5 and went to all the classes giving “motivational talks.” I was in a group with Brittney, who talked about how her parents worked hard to get where they are; Kelly, who talked about the importance of using school to realize your dreams; Cat, who talked about staying in school out of respect for your parents’ sacrifices; and Heather; who urged the kids to stay in school and do what they love because her son might not get to. As we moved from class to class our speeches got briefer and more focused. I discussed the importance of learning from everyone and getting to know people with different backgrounds. We had dinner at Hope House with all the orphans, host families and staff. The power went off for a couple of hours during which I saw stars in abundance for the first time since our Sankofa bus broke down in the middle of Mississippi.
Someone burned popcorn.
Saturday May 22
We woke up early and took a bus to Lusaka stopping a few miles outside of the city to visit the site of what will soon be a chicken farm that Hope will use to support the orphanage and school. The 5 hour trip took about 9. We spent some time at the cultural village and knick-knacks were bought. We got to the guest house and discovered a closet that had a bathroom inside (unfortunately, I didn’t get a picture). Chad and I set up the slackline and taught a few girls on the team and the security guard how to walk on it. Before dinner we talked about our personal highlights on the trip and how we’ve changed because of it.
Sunday May 23
This 5 hour drive took 10 and we had a few mishaps. We got pulled over by the cops for a while, we broke a shock and got a flat, a seat broke and Chad sat in the aisle for a while, and we got lost in the dark for a while. On a more positive note, the sunset was amazing. We finally arrived in Livingstone, found a guest house that could hold us and waited, miserable and hungry, for a few hours until we had the most satisfyingly fried food every. At this point in the trip but nets are obsolete as most of us just don’t care enough anymore.
Monday May 24
The safari was a pretty sweet experience and our guide really knew his stuff. Next time I’ll bring a much longer lens. We saw giraffes, alligators (or maybe crocodiles), baboons, buffalo and a few other smaller animals. After the safari we drove a few minutes to Victoria falls. It’s strange to see baboons just hanging out in the middle of the road. I had heard about the beauty and power of Victoria falls, so I prepared by wrapping my camera in a plastic bag, and wrapping the camera bag in a rain jacket. Some people rented ponchos for 5000 Kwacha but I had a feeling they wouldn’t do much more than take away from the experience. When the water is high, one doesn’t so much see the falls as feel the falls. There is a massive white mist that rises up and engulfs everything, and almost completely obscuring any view of the actually falls. We walked across the wettest bridge in the world, hiked down to the boiling pot and got baptized.
Before leaving on this trip my parents had discussed having us kids baptized after I got back from Zambia. I opposed this because I wanted it to be something I did on my own when I’m good and ready. I really didn’t think that that time would come so soon! Jaimie wanted to do it because it was in Zambia that she saw Christ and was born again. I have always most readily seen God in creation, be it through the impossibly intricate workings of the cell and the human body or the amazing capacity of people for love and creativity or the vastness of the universe. Until I stepped onto the bridge and was instantly soaked to the bone did I realize how perfect it would be to be baptized at Victoria falls, an awesome display of the power of nature. For what seemed at first to be a possibly hasty decision, it has definitely solidified in my mind as the right place and time with the right people.
