Thanksgiving at the Lake

My second Thanksgiving in Zambia gave me further respect for pilgrims. Having to purchase a live turkey in the village, fatten it up over a few months, and then kill it for the meal was just part of our adventure! Imagine how our forefathers felt chasing after these birds in order to enjoy their savory taste.

This year, 18 Peace Corps volunteers and I headed to Lake Kariba to enjoy our American holiday. Kariba is a man made lake, over 200k long-and filled with hippos, crocodiles, and other very un-American animals. After a 3 hour journey with all of us piled in the back of a cantor, we found our way to The Clubhouse at Lake Kariba. We had the whole place to ourselves and it was great to be in a home! We did not do any swimming in the actual lake, but spent hours jumping in the pools and splashing around in an effort to ward off the heat. I convinced the group to have a Turkey Bowl Zambia and am still sore from playing football for hours. We ate tons of great food throughout the whole weekend-and Thanksgiving dinner was awesome-turkey, duck, chicken, and many side dishes. Turns out wild monkeys are also fond of eating stuffing. Friday night we went out on a boat and toured around the lake which allowed us to see lots of animals on the many islands throughout Kariba. I got to talk with my family back home and received text messages from many of you---so appreciated!

As always, Thanksgiving gives us a time to pause and give thanks for the many blessings in our lives. I am so thankful this year for the path God has led me on that brought me out here to Zambia. I am blessed beyond belief to know the God that allows us to know Him and find our identity in Him. A God that gives us hope that this life is not all there is to the world. Also for my family, and this includes people that don't share my "blood". People that have loved me, pursued me, encouraged me, and made sacrifices to be a part of my life-I cannot repay you for your kindness. I only hope to continue this journey with you and stand on mountaintops one day looking back on the valleys. Through lows and highs I want to walk with you.

I hope all of you were able to pause and enjoy a moment with people who love you!

Photos

Wanted to post some of my favorite photos from my time here In Zambia. There are so many-but here are just a few of the memories and people I love! If you want to know the story behind one of the photos, just email me and I can let you know. Enjoy!

LoveHate2

I will continue with the November list of some of my favorite and least favorite things...

LOVE: Eating Outside
Maybe it's your back deck, or an African chikuta, perhaps the patio at a great restaurant, wherever it is, eating outdoors makes the meal better. You get to have fresh air, it's usually not so noisy, you can people watch or animal watch, and if you drop something on the floor you don't have to clean it up later. What is there not to love?

HATE: Obnoxious Drunks

Somehow alcohol makes even a wallflower feel the need to sing to, heckle at, or just annoy anyone in the vicinity. Now I have no problem with people drinking a glass of wine. Or sipping a margarita. Or gulping down a cold ale. But please, don't mix all of these and find your way to a place near me. You are not welcome.

LOVE: Rainstorms When I am Inside Wrapped in a Blanket

Something about the sound of rain on a windowpane or rooftop brings me peace. I think it goes back to my deep love for all things water. I love being snuggled inside and feeling safe and warm. In college, K and I would find our way to Mimi's cafe and I loved getting corn chowder and warm muffins. That is the best rainy day food.

HATE: Being in Rainstorms While Wet and Cold and Miserable

Yeah, that really needs no explanation. I hate that.

LOVE: When People Comment Back on Their LoveHate Ideas
Go now. Do it. You can even be anonymous. It is therapeutic.

The Rest of the Story

It's been less than a week since A left, and I am just know feeling exhausted. We have this deal where any time we are on vacation we go from sunup to sundown, literally! Somehow it works awesome and I just get strep throat about a week later. It is 100% worth it.

We moved from Tanzania to my village, and it was by far the best part of the trip for me. I loved being able to share both of my "worlds" with each other.

My world of African transportation. This means A and I got to share the back of a Cantor truck with literally 60 people, added livestock, and tons of luggage. I am so glad that she now understands why I would rather cycle 40k than ride in a vehicle.

My world of African cooking. Mulenga and Bene came over about noon on Saturday to have us inspect the chickens we would later be eating-they looked good to us. I attempted to decapitate the chicken around 5pm but the knife was not very sharp and I was hit with a bout of fear and nausea mid cut. I can only imagine how that chicken felt! We boiled, plucked, cleaned, and fried the chicken. Boneless skinless chicken is a miracle and a blessing. Let me repeat-boneless skinless chicken is a miracle and a blessing. Do not take it for granted. I am moved closer to vegetarianism each day.

My world of African friends. We had the best time with the Kapuwe's and Kayawe's. The moms of these families are my co-leaders of Girls Club. Both of the fathers are teachers at the school. All of the kids are my little buddies. Taking care of extended family in Zambia is commonplace. So we enjoyed dancing and dining with Getrude, Jeans, Bene, Tembo, Junior, Bene Mushonto, Lilian, Jay, Memory, Mercy, Mwalya, Mulenga, Jordan Zambia, Friday, and Flo. And all those people live together in four bedrooms. They embraced Andrea and taught her all kinds of new dance moves, Zambian taboos, and traditions. It is one of my favorite village nights thus far.

My world of African chores. Fetching water from the well, washing clothes by hand, cooking over the fire- A got to experience it all and shined like a pro. I'd like to think she will never take her washing machine for granted again!

After time in the village we caught a bus down to Livingstone and explored Victoria Falls. I had not been there this time of year, and it was awesome to see how different they are in dry season. We went on a dinner/drinks cruise on the Zambezi River, layed by the pool, and hung out with some Peace Corps friends.

Then it was back to Lusaka and A back to the States. She has tons of pictures and video from our trip, so grab her and ask her to see them. Once I am no longer a complete picture poster looser I'll get some up here too.

Amushale kabotu basa! Stay well friends.

Snapshots of Paradise

The vacation with A is almost half over-and I've yet to give you my own take on things, so here are some "snaps" of the trip so far.

A arrived with a bag full of goodness from the States. The bag included just about all of my favorites-Skittles, coffee, candy corn, cute clothes, and best of all a video! K & A had put this video together that included live footage of Colorado's fall season and then a snowstorm the next day, my parent's home, and messages from so many of the people I love. I couldn't stop smiling as I watched it. So not only did flight Q3001 bring my kindred spirit, but it brought a lot of you to me!


Fast forward to Tanzania. We are on day 1 of our safari and we are in the midst of an elephant herd. They weren't charging the Land Cruiser but they were definitely sauntering by and within touching distance. On our right, mama elephants with their young rolling in the mud to stay cool and then one elephant on our left scratching against a tree trunk. I was entertained and just a little frightened. I also learned much about elephant anatomy during this episode. You can ask Andrea more about that one day.


Next day, we are in the Ngorongoro Crater and sitting on the roof of our Land Cruiser, overlooking a hippo pond. More then a dozen hippos are submerged in the pond and hundreds of zebras and wildebeest are moving throughout the grasslands surrounding the pond. The water is bright blue, the grass is blowing in the breeze, the crater walls rise up in every direction. It inspires awe for the Creator.

We'll kindly skip over the next day as I have refereed to our bus ride back to Dar as a mix between hell and hell. The only slightly redeeming factor was that I got through most of an awesome book, The Kite Runner. The book is fabulous and like any great book, transports you into another world quickly. A good book is basically the exact opposite of transportation in Africa.


Zanzibar- a mix between heaven and heaven. Fresh seafood, white sands, sea green water. One day we went dolphin trekking, jumping into and out of the Indian Ocean as we followed a group of dolphins. I literally make eye contact with one of the dolphins before she swims underneath me and rubs against a piece of coral. Next day we are watching the sunrise from the beach, riding bikes on the sand in the afternoon, and ending the day with a glass of great wine. See what I mean about heaven and heaven?

Hope that you are enjoying a little paradise of your own! If not, live vicariously through me and I'm sure I'll do the same with your life one day.

Vacation by the Numbers

Some people get substitute teachers...I have a substitute blogger. All the way from Colorado, here are some of Andrea's witty musings on our trip...

Vacation by the Numbers Part 1:
0: Number of times I've beaten Caitlin at Rummy
1: Hour difference between Zambia and Tanzania. Good to know when you're leaving for safari trip
2: Number of marriage proposals
3: Lions seen at Ngorogoro Crater today
4: Oceans Caitlin and I have visited together
5: Feet away from elephant herd
6: Times needed to understand what our safari guide could possibly be saying
7: Types of transportation used while in Africa
8: Bruises I have from four-wheeling
9: Mosquito bites on left leg alone
10: Number of times we laugh uncontrollably each day
15: Items bought in one trip to local market

Vacation by the Numbers Part II:
0: Tolerance for African transport
1: Can of pringles between the 2 of us for lunch
2: Times bus broke down
3: People squished in bus seats
4: Time ferry to Zanzibar left without us
5: Times cursed African transportation
6: Time bus supposed to leave this a.m.
7: Men yelling at me when demanded money back
8: Shillings needed for taxi from bus station to hotel
9: Hours it took to go from Arusha to Dar es Salaam

Okay...so African vacation doesn't always go as planned. But we ended the day well...not in Zanzibar as scheduled....but spending time on the Indian Ocean. Afterall, tomorrow is another day!