Another Blog

Hello All!

A family friend of mine is currently doing mission work in Zambia. She has a blog that she posts to periodically, and I thought it would be fun to read. She is 22 and graduated from college last year, so she is close to all of our ages and her experiences might be easy to relate to as she adjusts to life in Zambia. Below is her first post.

Muli shani (Hello)!

I have been here in Zambia for just over a week now. Even
though I have been here the same amount of time as before,
it already feels different. The Zambians and I know that I will
be here for a long time. So instead of the emotional high often
felt on short trips to places like this, I already feel at home here
and everyday is more and more normal. The first week was
filled with welcomes and adjustments, and now it is time to be
a real part of the community I will be working in.

The simplicity of life here has taken me already. Washing clothes
by hand, bathing by pouring a pitcher of manually heated water over
one's head, and not having such luxuries like high-speed internet
access and microwave cooked meals is humbling. Everything takes
more time here. It's not about how much you get done in a certain
amount of time. It's simply about doing what needs to get done
when you can, and focusing on the relationships around you in the
meantime.

Amanda and I sat in on the classes last week. They said we would
"observe," which really means to just get up and do it in Zambian
culture. The students have been a little bit shy, not really knowing
what to do with English-speaking msungu (white people). They are
getting used to us, though, as we are to them. They are excited and
curious, just a little timid. For now, Amanda and I will be working
with the seventh graders. There are about eight students in the
class, and they know enough English to understand us. Seventh
graders are required to take a written exam in November in order to
pass on to the next level, which is government school. If they fail, they
will repeat seventh grade again at the community school we are at. So
our goal is to help prepare them as much as possible these next couple
of months.

We are just getting into actual lesson plans with the students, and it has
been fun so far. It's nice to be able to play a game or bring some other
activity into the lesson to break the ice and build some relationships with
the students. They are very bright but a little bit behind, only because
they have not had access to a good education their entire lives. The
community school we are at was created specifically for children in the
village of Twapia who otherwise wouldn't be able to attend regular
government school. It is funded by a church organization here in Zambia,
but there are still limited resources, teachers, and space compared to
government schools. That being said, the students and teachers are doing
a wonderful job. Math and English are our main focus for these seventh
graders.

I'm beginning to realize how difficult it is to plan lessons for a class that
doesn't speak fluent English and has limited resources as someone who
has absolutely no training in teaching. However, I am encouraged by the
other teachers who teach everyday and hardly have education past seventh
grade themselves, and I realize the goals and expectations I might have
back in the U.S. cannot all be applied here. Life must be lived day by day,
and to teach these kids that they are valued in this world and can be
somebody someday is far more important than making sure they perfect
the multiplication table. Things here are different. I have never heard of
an HIV/AIDS Club back in the U.S., but there's one here at the school. In
the first few days I was at the school, there were two separate occassions
that HIV was discussed in depth. I never had an entire lesson about
contaminated water, waterborne illnesses, and purifying techniques in the
U.S., but here it's normal. I have also never witnessed a teacher discover a
7 year-old sick boy burning up in the midst of a class with 50 other children,
forcing him to go home. Usually in the U.S. a child immediately mentions
when he doesn't feel well to the teacher, and the teacher must persuade them
to see how they feel in a little bit before sending them hom. But these are all
valuable lessons for me. The head teacher said something pretty profound in
class the other day that really struck me. He told the students they must be
special because friends from far across the ocean came just to teach them,
even when there are many children in the U.S. who need help--but
we chose to come here, and that makes it clear that they are special. Those are
the lessons these students need to hear--not that they come from a poor
background and will live a stereotypical backward life in Africa.

I am excited to be a part of the church here too. The people are so
passionate about the time they gather on Sunday mornings. It
typically lasts from 10-2. The church is truly seeking the kingdom
here in Zambia by planting itself in one of the poorest villages in Ndola, building
a new orphanage and school, and basing it all on the unity of the church playing
its role. There is a lot of dancing and singing and general celebration everytime
it gathers. I know I will learn as much from the people here as they learn from
me, if not more. My host family is wonderful too. It has been nice to come back
and stay with them again. They take care of all of our needs and more, and it's
nice to be able to come home and discuss situations I came across that day. I
have learned a lot already just through conversations with my family.