The weekend and the week so far

On Saturday, we all got up for breakfast and then loaded up onto the vehicle, for Choma, a town about an hour away. Most of us rode in Khaki Jackie while Pharmacy plus one took their vehicle. The ride was eventful thanks to one of our notary nauseous individuals who requested we leave windows open to keep her from getting sick. Now, you have to understand that Khaki Jackie is no ordinary vehicle. There is one long bench seat on each side(they face each other), and  each are supposed to seat six. Now that is fine for hopping down the road, but for an hour long car ride in Africa…it is okay. Saturday we had five on one side and six on the other I believe. Dr. Weaver drove, Dr. Tullos and his son, Ian, rode together next to her.  The wind was quite chilly with the windows opened, but we managed. Once arriving in Choma, we stopped at the post office before making our way to the markets. Now, the purpose of this trip was to shop for material and anything else we might need. We were also scheduled to visit the craft museum. So after a few of us mailed some things, we headed toward the markets for fabrics and what-not. I bought fabrics to have a quilt made for a friend and I also bought a couple others that caught my eye and were reasonably priced. I may have a dress or skirt made from them sometime before we leave here. There is a woman a few houses down from us who loves to sew things and sell them to us. I have already made several purchases. Anyway, the markets are basically a bunch of wooden tent structures lined all together. Once you enter it is almost like a maze and you really become aware that you are in a third world country. So, after some shopping we headed over to the craft museum for a quick picnic outside before going in. It was hard for me to eat because there were kids standing at the fence watching us eat and obviously wanting food. We did some shopping at the museum before leaving. As we left for Namwianga, we saw the kids I previously mentioned digging through the trash we had thrown out. When we got back to Namwianga, we went straight to the church for a Zambian wedding. We didn’t know the couple, we just knew we were invited. It was very long, but very entertaining. The wedding party danced down the aisle. I have a lot of video footage, but I must say that I felt very cultured. I will share upon request once I get homeJ  After the wedding, we came back for dinner and relaxing. I got sick on Sunday again, but I have pinpointed what it was that made me sick—it is one of the ingredients in a few of the meals we have here. Anyhow, so Sunday was good despite feeling icky. I really enjoy worshipping with the people here.  Sunday night Cari and I left fifteen minutes before everyone, so when we got to church let’s just say we stuck out pretty awesomely. We shrugged it off and sat among the congregation. The week so far has been good. I am still in a language group, but I am working with different kids and adults. In the mornings I am in the same place, but in the afternoons I am with a girl named Rita who has cerebral palsy. My time with her is relaxing in a way. I enjoy talking, reading, and singing to her very much. Today when I left her she cried—the only sound I have heard her make since I started working with her yesterday. It was reassuring to me. I told her I would see her tomorrow. After I worked with her, I headed over to another Haven to hang out with whomever I chose! Awesome.  So yes, the week has been good so far. I hope you all are well. I will try to get back on track with these entries! Love!

First full week COMPLETE!

So, our first full week of work went well. We were split up into different groups for clinic—some of us do language activities, others do feeding and development activities. I have been in the language group this week and we have been introducing them to body parts using the song “Head, shoulders, knees, and toes” and some visual prompts. We have also been trying to elicit speech from them using songs with gestures as well as play. A few have opened up over the course of our time with them so far, so I am looking forward to seeing what they are doing when our time here comes to an end.

So, what is a “typical week” for us? Well, now that I have experienced ONE, I will tell you.  On Sundays, we go to church in the morning and evening. This past Sunday we attended at the church here in Namwianga, but I missed evening service because I was sick L  I think we will continue going there, but may visit another church while we are here. During the week, we have breakfast together at 8:30, then head out to the Havens to work until about 12:30. Lunch is at 1, and it has always been great! After lunch, we nap and/or chill out until about 2, then we are back at the Havens from 2:30 to around 4:30. We go to our assigned Havens with our assigned groups. I usually walk with everyone in the morning, but ride back in the afternoons to catch a quick solar shower before dinner at 5. After dinner, most of us will gather into the Mann house (where I am staying) common room and hang out or play games. We have had the power go out a couple of times while we are there and we just sit around with our head lamps and enjoy each other’s company. Occasionally, a small group of us goes outside to chat, and stargaze on top of Khaki Jackie. It is nice. This Saturday we will go in to Choma, a town about an hour away, to shop and go to a museum. That is all I know about being in Africa for now!!!

The weather has been nice. It is cool in the mornings, but it is nice enough to walk. In the afternoons, it is warm but not too warm. It is pretty dry here—no humidity! I like it, but my allergies do not. Some people have been burning things outside, and the smoke has really gotten the best of my passages. But it is all good. I am just glad to be here and to be over the other stuff I had earlier this week. Yuck! Thank goodness pharmacy traveled with us!

I hope all is well with you all J Love.

I knew I didn’t need to worry about food while I am here, but wow! We have eaten so good every single day! I wish I could remember every meal, but I will tell you that we usually have a good breakfast—one time it was oatmeal, one time it was biscuits and gravy, another time eggs and toast; as for lunch, it is usally large; dinner is usually lighter. I love it! Today we had chicken spaghetti and peas. I love peas! Not to mention rolls and leftover chocolate cake. Don’t worry, we are FEASTING. As for the many Clif bars we purchased…well, there isn’t a lot of time to snack when we are with the kids in the mornings and I am too full after lunch to snack, so I still have many.

This morning we were broken up into groups for different kinds of therapy. I am in a group doing language stimulation. We spent the first half of the morning singing and reading to toddlers and tried to get them to talk to us. The next group of kids were around a year old and they were all over the place. We were pretty exhausted come lunch time.

This afternoon my group went over to another building to do more language stimulation with another group of tots. Introducing them to crayons was quite the event. Many tried to eat them, but it all worked out in the end. One child in particular, Mary, stuck by my side for most of the time there. She never changes her facial expression—it is always a blank stare. I will make her smile, I will!

After this, we hopped in the jeep and headed back for quick showers and a light evening meal. Tonight we will gather together and fellowship and share stories.

Hope all is well there! Love.

Kids are funny

I didn’t write yesterday?! Oops. Well, it was a good day. We started observation at the Havens to determine what we need to be doing with the kids.

Today we got up and headed to chapel with the first year college students of George Benson Christian College. The singing was awesome, and we were again introduced. Afterward, we headed to Haven 2, where the toddlers stay. We met them out on the playground and played a bit. Next, we headed over to the house and sat with them on the porch and read books to them to kind of assess where they were developmentally with language. It was an interesting time. We had a few kids have “accidents” on the porch, resulting in a saturated book. We also learned some cool songs from one of the aunties there. After a while, we headed to Haven 1, where the babies stay. We were told to find the children we “assigned” ourselves to on Monday. Mine are Jessie (female), 2 months, and Gilimo (male), 10 months. Jessie is a calm, quiet, and alert baby who I just love to hold. I finally heard her cry today! First time since I met her! I also got to rock her to sleep for the first time. Gilimo is a happy-go-lucky little chunk of love who I absolutely love to play with. He isn’t crawling yet, but I am hoping he will before we leave. He wants to so bad!

After lunch, we went to Haven 3, where the more medically fragile children stay. We were told to make sure we saw every kid so that we could have a good idea of where each was developmentally. My favorite I spent time with today was Lincoln (male), age 8 months I believe. He has the cutest smile and loves to babble.

One a more hilarious side note---while at Haven 3, three naked African toddlers came running from their baths and headed straight for me and Charissa. Yep, big naked hugs for us. Awesome. Next thing we know, the aunties are yelling at them and they turn right around and run away!

I’m really enjoying working with the little ones. They are so fun and wonderful.

At the end of our work day, I came in for a shower then we all gathered for dinner. After dinner, a group of us walked over to the soccer field to watch/play with some of the college kids. I took pictures for a couple of girls. It was fun and we met some new people J

Spent the evening playing games in the common area. All in all, a full day.  I really like it J

Love to you all!

First Sunday

Sunday  morning I discovered that I have contracted my first sickness—nothing too bad or unfamiliar, but still frustrating. I was able to eat breakfast before going to church. Church was great! The people of Namwianga Church of Christ gather in a nice size auditorium with wooden benches and concrete floors. I noticed that they had lights as well as a sound system, but a few of the lights were out. Still, we could see just fine because of the many windows. Although I did have trouble understanding some of their speech, I really enjoyed the experience of worshipping with brothers and sisters so far away. We sang songs that I have sung back home. The congregation sang very loudly. It was heart and soul touching.

Mid-sermon, I went to drink some water and my bottle sort of exploded in my face—pretty hilarious and slightly embarrassing, but it is all good.  Toward the end of church, we were [quasi-awkwardly] introduced to the congregation via a member there and Dr. Tullos, who passed the microphone around so we could introduce ourselves. When I spoke into the mic, I said “Im Anna Denton…WHOA THIS IS LOUD [laughter]…and I am a speech-pathology student.”  And so not only was I introduced, but my personality as well …

After church we were greeted by a few, and some kids ran into other’s arms. I was jealous because it is my DREAM that one will do this to me while I am here.  It is coming though I believe.

The rest of the afternoon consisted of fixing and having leftovers for lunch and unloading a big container full of boxes of supplies we will use. At some point I laid down for a nap because I felt bad, but I was able to get up and take my second hot shower in a row! I’m thinking the afternoon is the prime time to reap the benefits the solar showers have to offer!

All in all, a relaxing Sunday despite being a little sick [I have withheld mentioning details to keep things happy, but worry not…I am on meds! Love you all!

On beautiful babies and Dial soap

Today we had breakfast together on the back porch. We had oatmeal, coffee, bread, fruit, and coffee. Soon after, we got ready to visit the babies and have a look around the Haven. For some reason, Cari and I were the only ones near the jeep when we saw the Pharmacy students and a couple of teachers in the jeep. No one else was in it, but we assumed we were supposed to go with them. Dr. Weaver said that they were just going to look at the clinic—which is where the pharmacy students will be during our summer here—but then she said it was fine if we rode with them. Next thing I know, me, Cari, and the pharmacy students are bopping along in the back of “khaki Jackie” (the name of the Jeep).  Dr. Weaver was our trusty driver, and yelled “BUMP!!” every time we got to a speed bump or pothole on the dirt road to the clinic. At one point, Cari was thrown across some laps when Dr. Weaver braked suddenly. It was quite a humorous moment. Later, we picked up the Speech Path crew and headed to the Haven, which is a mile or so away from where we stay. The Haven is an orphanage where there are three houses—one for babies, one for sick babies, and one for toddlers. All of the houses are close together with a play area in between. We went into the Haven first and immediately were led to rooms full of babies lying side by side in little wooden beds. We were welcome to hold any of them, feed any of them, and just get acquainted with them today. The first baby I picked up and held for a while was Jessie. She was very calm, alert, and had the prettiest eyes. She was wearing the cutest little dress—very girly. I put her down after a while to pick up a crying baby named Tim. I fed him until he went into “food-induced-coma-land, then laid him back in his bed. I held several other sweet ones who I have many pictures of. Some were bigger, some smaller. Others seemed to have trouble staying healthy. Many had very skinny limbs. At one point we did walk over to the toddler house, but they were eating. They seemed very happy to see us. We will see the sick ones later. What stood out to me the most was when we would put on child down to go to another one, the other would start crying. One in particular, Megan, clung to my leg after I sat her on the floor to walk away to another baby room. Pretty soon, Megan’s entire room was crying. It became very clear to me that these kids starve to have all of their senses stimulated. We aren’t just here to hold them; we are here to nurture something that delves deep into their very souls. We are here to serve them by facilitating a better quality of life, and I am excited about that. After visiting the kids, we all walked together back to have lunch at the house. After that, we went into town in groups to do some shopping. I realized again that I am in a third world country. A man approached some of us asking for like 500 kwacha (which is less than a dollar). I realized later how little he was asking for and how that might have been so much to him. I also saw that people really do anything for money because they are desperate. It was very eye-opening. After shopping, we returned back to the house to see about showering (which is better when in the afternoon because they are solar showers). Liz, Ashley, Lauren, and I gathered our things and headed over to the showers. There were only three stalls, separated by curtains and walls—it was very much like camp. So, my shower was hot and nice but midway into my shower, I heard Ashley shriek. A frog was in the showers. Then I heard Lauren scream and exclaim it was outside of my shower near my bag. She was just sort of hanging around waiting to shower, so she was in a better position to escape the house but less motivated to shower at that point. I tried to hurry because the last thing I wanted was to try to out-hop a slimy frog while half-dressed and etc. Eventually, Ashley got done showering and somehow got it out of the showers. Oy! First shower in Namwianga: very eventful, but you know what? It was nice to be clean. Oh, and by the way, they provided us a bar of Dial soap. Dad, you should be proud. It is all good. A few local girls ranging in ages 8-10 and a baby showed up and said they wanted to play with us. Tessa gave them a coloring book and markers and we sat outside with them until dinner. Dinner was great. We all talked about what struck us the most today and it was interesting to hear what everyone said. After dinner, we all retreated to the main part of the house to hang out and play games. The power went out at some point and we have been sporting head lamps in the meantime. We went outside for a bit to look at the stars—they were amazing. Very beautiful. All in all, a full day I hope I will not forget. Hope all is well back home and around the world with you all. Love.

HERE!!!!

Got up this morning, had a fantastic continental breakfast at the hotel in Lusaka, then prepared to leave for Namwianga. I must first say that this breakfast was far better than the breakfast in the states. Awesome. It was probably the granola and the yogurt. And the fact they SERVED me coffee. Funny story—after being offered and then accepting a second cup, the servant did not come by for a while. I started to worry he had forgotten when someone else offered me more. I tried explaining I was waiting, but before I felt like he understood he just took away my cup! NOOOOOOOOOOOO I thought. Anyway, about three minutes later, “my server” comes out of the kitchen with a pot of coffee and the other server approaches him and I hear indistinct mumbles about coffee. I am pretty sure my server was upset at the other guy for taking my cup away. The second server walked off looking confused, and my server got me a new cup from a freshly set table and served me a second cup. Fantastic. Anyhow, soon we were off to Namwianga by bus/van. We stopped off on the way and had lunch at a place called Tooters—yes, Tooters. They have “fast food”—I think they are famous for fried chicken. I ordered chicken and chips because it sounded safe. It was a big chunk of fried chicken and fries. It wasn’t bad. Many pictures have been taken so far, but the best might be the ones taken when we had to assist our driver by pushing the bus so it would start—NICE. The entire drive was very serene—windows open, warm sunshine, cool breeze, and happy chatter. I sat with Lauren and enjoyed getting to know her, swapping stories, laughing, and resting. I took several pictures today on the road. We arrived around 4:oo this afternoon—I think. Having trouble keeping up with the time…Anyways, upon arriving we were greeted by a few people then we unloaded the vans, got rooms, and unpacked. Namwianga is a small village I believe, and it is just outside of a town called Kalomo (spelling may be wrong). The mission we are staying at is very rural, but has several little houses as well as a little college. Most of us girls are staying in a house with a kitchen, common area, and three or four bedrooms. There are four girls in three of the rooms and one in each other room. The rooms aren’t huge and they have bunk beds. Ours is at the end of a hallway and has a small bathroom (toilet/sink) attached. We do have a small closet that is currently locked by a barred door we cannot seem to find the key for, but will have soon. I kind of like it. It’s cozy. The roof of the house is straw-like, and the walls seem pretty normal. The floor is concrete. We have electricity and running water, and the showers are in a little house just a few steps away. They are solar-powered for warm water that reportedly work best in the afternoons. There are beautiful trees around the house as well. Honestly, it is a little “rough”, but it is also peaceful and I think we will all be just fine. It is almost like being at camp, but better. I am rooming with Lauren, Liz, and Ashley—the HIZ-Path “alumna”. Ha. She has been here before so we roomed with her! I did start to get a little overwhelmed when I was unpacking. It has been a very busy trip so far and we have constantly been around each other and I am still a little jet-lagged. I perked up during and after dinner though. Lennerd (he cooks here) was going to make his “famous” fried chicken, but apparently they had power off for a long time today, so he made grilled cheese instead. It tasted great! We had a few veggies with it and followed that up with a fabulous homemade chocolate cake that said “Welcome HIZ Path”. Very delicious! After dinner we all went to the common area in our house and played a game while we waited on an update from our teachers about internet info and plans for tomorrow (Saturday). The internet is not very fast and only works like one person at a time. I haven’t really attempted getting on yet. Tomorrow we have breakfast, then we are going to tour the campus. Later we will shop a bit for material and come back here to unload some supplies needed for working next week. Maybe I will shower then too ;) That’s about it for Friday. I am tired, so I am just going to relax and probably go to bed early. Love you all!

DAY TWO:MAY 18/19

*again, excuse errors...*

DC to Ethiopia

Woke up around 6 after a night of in-and-out sleeping secondary to a lot of thinking, hopped into the shower, got dressed for the flight, and joined everyone downstairs for some fantastic breakfast. Quickly after, we prepared to leave for the airport. Because basically everyone at the hotel was trying to get to the airport for the 12:00 flight to Ethiopia, there was limited time and shuttle availability. To help us out, the hotel paid for a taxi to take a few of us on what may have been the most frightening taxi ride of my life, but hey—I am on the plane to Ethiopia as I type this, so guess who survived?! J (Jill, Kara, and Lauren survived with me on that one). Anyhow, we got to the airport and got in a really long line to check in, and it wasn’t long til we were through security and on to our gate. I sat with Tessa on this flight—much to her delight, as she had been having bad luck with her seating arrangements so far on the trip. She and I have yet to sleep and have  currently been on the plane for like five hours. That is okay. I have watched several movies, listened to some rockin tunes, and enjoyed a great meal so far. They have shut down the lights and drawn the shades. Going to see about resting. Resting did NOT occur on 12 hour flight to Ethiopia. Tessa and I got up frequently and I was sure to drink lots of water. Anyhow, I am cutting this short now. The ride from Ethiopia to Zimbabwe to Zambia wasn’t bad—met some fun people maybe I will talk about later. And ask me about my “I’m in Africa now” moment sometime. Totally great. 

DAY ONE:May 17

***disclaimer: this was written on the 12 hour plane ride while undoubtedly very tired. please withhold any anxiety over bad grammar and/or poorly fo rmed sentences and enjoy***

Beebe to Memphis

I woke up thinking about not waking up in my bed for a while, not being able to walk into the kitchen and start a French press, or take a shower in my bathroom. Yes, these are the thoughts that I have. Totally normal. I made myself a large French press, and went about my morning getting ready to leave. Mom and Dad drove me to meet everyone in Memphis. On the way, Dad pulled up information on his phone about Zambia---what streets to NOT walk on, what weapons to stay away from, and etc. We stopped off at Walmart to obtain a few last minute things, and made our way to the Memphis airport.

Memphis to Chicago

Upon entering the airport, I saw a few of the girls going with us and some of their family members. Mom and I joined them while waiting on dad to park the car. Meanwhile, temporary(?) bonding occurred between various parental groups.  Once the rest of the crew arrived, we got in line to check in for leg one of the journey. When I got up to the counter and handed the checker my tickets, I noticed very quickly a slight change in his brow. UH OH, I thought. I knew something was wrong. He quickly told me that my tickets were not my tickets and that it appeared I had already checked in with two bags. He then told me they were Dr. Weaver’s.  She happened to still be close by, so she came to the counter to see what was going on. We told the guy we were together and he ended up just checking my bags under her name. It was crazy! After we got through security, it wasn’t long before we boarded the plane to Chicago.  We had to go outside and board the plane on a ramp as opposed to going through the tunnel thing (excuse my terrible noun-age). Feeling like a celebrity, I decided to wave off of it. I felt myself smug. After we boarded, we noticed that Dr. Weaver was walking up and down the aisle only to discover she had NO SEAT! At first we were thinking that maybe they booked us for the same seat, but apparently that was not the case. Pretty soon, the same checker I had encountered before was on the plane checking MY boarding pass! Soon after, they reminded everyone that the flight was going to Chicago, etc., etc. To wrap things up, they had overbooked the flight by one person and ended up kicking the last person to check in off the plane. So, about twenty minutes after we were supposed to take off, we were Chicago-bound. The flight was pretty uneventful with the exception of inside-joke stories involving Ben and his seatback pocket, not to mention the Skymall magazine exploration among Tessa, Cari, Ben, and myself.

Chicago to Dulles

Upon arriving in Chicago, Liz and I—as well as the rest of the group—were ready for some F O O D. We didn’t have a lot of time between our landing and our next departure. Liz and I hit up sandwich place and had wraps and three dollar water. Yep. Three dollars. Next time, I will carry my own instead of stowing it under the plane. Anyhow, soon after D E V O U R I N G my wrap, it was time to board. As I made my way onto the plane, I thought to myself “wow, this plane is super huge and super nice”, but soon I realized that I was walking through first-class. The next thing I know, I am still in a huge airplane, but the seats are closer together. Luckily, my seat was in the very back on the aisle in the middle. I found it to be pretty comfortable. Several minutes after boarding the plane, they announced they had to fix the weather radar on the plane before we took off. About an hour later, we were off to DC. When we got to DC, we gathered our bags and went on an adventure to find our hotel shuttles. Tessa, Ben, Cari, and I—sensing a trend here—embarked on that journey apart from the others. It was quite interesting. Eventually everyone met up with us outside, and we waited a while to be taken to our hotel. Tessa and I ended up on one by ourselves with a couple of other people and a lot of baggage (not of the emotional sort). I sat by a young woman from Burundi who immediately spoke to me and asked what we were up to. She seemed to be about my age, and was also working on a master’s degree. Her name means “Joy” in Swahili. I liked that. I found it very interesting to be in the same place as her almost. We are all more alike than we are different. When we got to the hotel, Cari and I got into our room and were totally impressed. It was F A B U L O U S. We went to sleep feeling good and very comfy in our giant beds, only dreaming of the adventure to come.

Stay tuned for Day TWO and the rest of the journey leading here :)

We are on the ground!

We made it to Lusaka, Zambia and will drive to Namwianga in the morning. I am super jet-lagged, and am keeping a journal of the happenings to be posted soon :)

About to leave!!!!

twelve hour flight in a few!! love!

Stay tuned

The adventure begins on May 17th. Keep up with me on here :)