The wedding celebration was a wonderful mixture of America and Zambia....I'm told this celebration was mild in nature but was still something to behold. One of the teachers MC'd the evening which added a layer of entertainment that none of us could have predicted. The young married couple danced in following Zambian couples, dancing traditional dances...I'm pretty sure I haven't seen hips move like that except maybe in a Shakira video or two! As a sign of approval, there were women rolling on the floor in front of the dancers and others waving their chetanga fabric in the air....what a sight! We ate like kings (grilled chicken, rice, cole slaw and soup.....oh the soup!) and the event ended with all of us dancing and eating cake....cupcakes that is! Still trying to gather pics and videos.....
Shopping in Zambia is a trip....when you step beyond the traditional grocery store that is (thank goodness for Pic and Pay and Supa Save). We had to do some shopping for the meal for the teacher's celebratory meal on teacher's day. We did most of our shopping in town but went to the market in the compound for produce. 20 kwacha (a little less than $4) goes a long way in the compound market....it will buy you a plastic walmart bag full of tomatoes! But, as I am waiting on Shane to buy the tomatoes, I decide to take a look around....the first thing I notice is this adorable boy playing with his "truck"...made out of a beer box and bottle caps. Such creativity....and when you look around, all of the young boys have them....some of them single cabs, some of them trailers....some of them even train sets being pulled down the road. Not a matchbook car in sight but it hasn't slowed these guys down a bit!
And then I notice the kapenta fish....multiple varieties to choose from....all covered in flies but a Zambian delicacy just the same. Don't you wish you could try them??? I did, last year....pretty sure I can still taste the after taste that will keep me from eating them again!
So we take our tomatoes and cabbage and set out making a savory meal for a wonderful group of Zambian teachers. I made cole slaw the Zambian way...and they seemed to like it....while Shane grilled up chicken and sausage and bri (spelling?) sandwiches. Bri sandwiches are delish! Buttered bread, sliced onion, sliced tomato, a little cheese, all grilled up and toasty....like I said, delish!
Our time at the dam, with the teachers, was so much fun....there were games, swimming, charades, prizes to the winning team (mine, of course)....and awards for the teachers. They laughed and played like children.....such a delightful time!
Don't have a checkered board? Make one....
I heard that there would be many sad moments, mixed in with the happy, as life in Zambia is hard. Tuesdays at Lifesong School traditionally end with home visits in the compound. Teachers are expected to visit each child's home at least once each trimester. This includes a long walk to the compound, locating the family's home, visiting with them and discussing their child's progress in class and then walking back to school. I decided to make the trek with a couple of teachers today to take a peek behind the curtain that is life in the compound. But, today was not to be any ordinary visit....today was a visit to a funeral house to pay honor to a family of one of our Lifesong kiddos. This little one came to school today not knowing that her father had died in the night.
A funeral house is a room within the family's home (of which there are usually only 2)...inside the dark, cramped room sat the women that are present to pay their respects to the family. Lining the four walls, sitting on the floor with their feet stretched out into the center of the room (the only empty space), the women sit, about 20 in this particular room once we join them...sitting quietly, still...not speaking...until someone begins to cry and then another until the room is filled with wailing and tears. Then, after some time, the crying stops and the room quiets again, sitting still...not speaking.
I wish I could have taken a picture of the room and the women found within its walls. With all of their feet pointing to the center (which is where, I am told, the body can usually be found....but thankfully not this time since he died in the hospital), young and old, comforting one another by being close. One of the teachers asked if I would like to pray for the family....she prayed first in bemba...and then I prayed...praying for comfort....praying for peace....praying that the family would trust in the Lord even though they don't understand why the father was taken when still so young.
Traditionally, the funeral house usually lasts for 2 days and the body is buried on the third. Poor little Helen, a single orphan now...being cared for by her mother...life has just gotten a little harder for her.
A bright spot though....after leaving the women as they mourn....were the sweet faces of the children that line the streets of the compound. They think I am funny, of course, with my white skin and red hair and funny way of saying "I am fine" in bemba with a southern accent. They lighten the mood as the teachers and I head back to the school, taking tire swing to a whole new level...
There is so much more I could tell you....about my time at the school this week....the pizza, Mexican food and samosas I have eaten....about the sunsets that are unlike anything I've seen...the strawberries and jam I have eaten....about my house and the very modern conveniences I have been blessed with....and don't even get me started on driving on the wrong side of the road and the wrong side of the car. But for now, it is time to rest....it has been a long day and full week....I am thankful I am here....thankful for the people I get to do life with...thankful that the Lord chose me!
Ephesians 3:14-21
No comments:
Post a Comment