Our final moments in Zambia

     Today was our last day in Namwianga. As we packed up to leave there was a mixture of emotions I was feeling. I was feeling sad because we would not get to see the babies again before we left. I was feeling sad because we were leaving our home for the past 6 weeks. I was feeling excited to see all my friends and family that I have missed dearly. I was also dreading the long journey home. We have all grown to love Zambia, especially Namwianga. We have made some special friends here in Zambia- babies, toddlers, aunties, college friends, our night watchmen, our housekeepers, members of the community, and many more. It was hard saying goodbye to all of the people that we have grown to love. We have all grown to be comfortable with what our lives have been like these past 6 weeks. We have grown comfortable with the lack of showers, with a lack of electricity, and with a wardrobe of t-shirts, skirts, and chacos. We have grown comfortable with our daily routine of meal time and time at the Havens, and spending time with those at the college and with each other. So many of us have hopes of returning. Some plan to return next year as a student, some plan to come back as a supervisor, and some plan to come back to stay forever. I do not want to leave this place thinking that I will never return, because I hope and dream to return to this place that I have grown to love so much.

     I have witnessed many events since I have been here in Namwianga. I have seen babies get sick, some get better, and some fail to survive. I have seen a Zambian wedding celebration. We have seen joy and suffering throughout our stay here and have learned valuable lessons. We have learned that life is short and that even though one life might end there are many other lives that are important and that can benefit from the services that we can provide. As Christians we know that after life we have something more valuable waiting for us and knowing that a child is in a happy place without suffering is a comforting feeling. The little boy who did not make it was named Andrew. He was such a sweet boy that loved to be held and cuddled. He was a special boy that had a place in so many hearts. When I would read him a book he wanted to be the only one sitting with me, and would push others away. I thought this was quite adorable, because all babies deserve some undivided attention. He had a sweet smile, especially when he was tickled. The last time I was with Andrew I was trying to get him to eat some peanuts, because he had not been eating. I pretended to eat the peanuts and said they were yummy. He thought this was funny and laughed at me. He kept trying to make me eat the peanuts and I ate a few. When I tried to feed him the peanuts he looked at me with grumpy eyes, closed my hand, and pushed it away. It was funny and cute all in the same moment. I love remembering these moments. I know that Andrew is not hurting any more and that he is at peace and that makes me happy.

     Our last night in Zambia was in Lusaka. There is a little shopping center right beside the Protea Hotel that we visited. We discovered a cute little coffee shop and a movie theatre. We then found out even better news: the price to see a movie was K14,000, or just under $3.00. As you can imagine we were all pretty excited. A group of us that consisted of Liz, Kara, Tessa, Ben, Naiveen, and myself decided that we must see a movie. We just could not pass up a movie for $3.00. So, we bought popcorn, coke, and chocolate and watched the newest Pirates of the Caribbean. We were so excited that we took plenty of pictures and a video that I’m sure many of you will see in the future. We thought that our last night was a perfect ending to a perfect trip. We all have grown closer as we have experienced this amazing opportunity together. My trip was worth more than money. I hope that those of you that did not get this experience can one day visit Namwianga and the Havens. I have learned a lot about myself on this trip. I have learned as a clinician how to provide language stimulation and therapy with a limited amount of materials. I have also learned to go with the flow, and that if in the middle of feeding or language class someone has to be changed, then that is ok. I have also learned that it is ok to just hold and love on a baby. Some babies need that more than anything else. I have learned so much about feeding and swallowing. I have learned how important “tummy time” is. I have learned and seen first hand babies that have or have not met their developmental milestones and how this can affect feeding. I have seen babies make progress over the past 6 weeks. After holding so many babies I feel more comfortable working with them and have discovered that I might want to work in Pediatrics one day. From this experience I am inspired to travel and learn more about different cultures. I am still sometimes in awe of how people can be so much alike across the world. I am so grateful for my experience and for the faculty that have made this opportunity a part of the Speech Pathology program. I hope to see you all soon and hear about your experiences from your externships! I know will we have some amazing stories to share. 

Lauren

Tears on Tuesday

Last night as many of you may know by now lost one of our very dear children from the Haven. Andrew passed away last night from complications due to HIV and other causes. I worked with Andrew for a short time but in that time I learned what a sweet boy he was. It is saddening and heavy on my heart to have lost a child while we were here and so close to the end of our grand adventure. I feel though that this is a valuable lesson to learn from. Sometimes in life, we may lose someone close to us such as a family member, friend, co-worker, significant other, or even a patient or client we have been treating and caring for. I think what I have taken away from this lesson is that life is not forever and at some point in our careers we will have a patient, child, or client not make it and we have to be prepared for when that time comes. Another lesson I have taken away from this situation is just how blessed we are in America to have the technology, resources and medical care that we have. We are able to go to the emergency room and be seen by a doctor and get help, here in Zambia it is very different. Here they do not always even have the medicine available or electricity for breathing vents to work, and so sometimes there is death that could have possibly been prevented. I am saddened for the auntie’s because they knew Andrew for three years and cared for him and loved him.

Today we attended Andrew’s viewing and funeral. It was so nicely done! There was not a dry eye there. Andrew was in a beautiful wooden casket and he was wrapped in a blanket. He looked so peaceful and when I walked by him, I said a prayer and shed a tear. My wonderful friend Anna walked with me to view him and told him that she loved him, that’s when I began to shed more tears. We then as a group walked over to the grave site. The auntie’s sang and sobbed and whaled, and one of his family members said a few words and thanked everyone for taking care of Andrew and blessed us all who were mourning Andrew. One of the auntie’s named Meagan told Andrew’s story and we found out that Andrew had been a very sick baby, and had been struggling most of his life. I feel that Andrew is in a better place and the best place! They placed the casket in his grave and filled the hole. They said a few prayers and placed flowers, his favorite toy, and tomato puffs on top of the grave! Those were his favorite! What a cultural experience to have been to a funeral. I wished it hadn’t of happened at all but the reality is that it happens and Andrew was happy we were there.

The hardest part of the day comes next, when we all had to say goodbye to the rest of the kids! This was hard for me! I have become super close with Dennis a little boy in Haven 1 and we just had a special bond. I taught him to blow bubbles and blow kisses and say bye!!!! I just love him! I told him goodbye and cried, and hugged each of his auntie’s and thanked them for taking such great care of all the children. This experience has changed me forever! I feel I have learned so much on this adventure, especially the lesson of love for others!!! Love to Andrew and Dennis and all the kids at the Haven and the aunties, my classmates on this trip, my family, to you, and to all!!!!!!

Melancholy Monday

We have returned to a sadder Namwianga than we left. I don’t know if anyone has blogged about little Andrew from Haven 3, but you must know that he is very sick. He started feeling bad the week before last. He wasn’t keeping any foods down. He has been in the hospital since, and reportedly has continued to not eat. His veins keep collapsing when they try to IV him so I was told they were trying drips. There were also talks of a feeding tube, but I am not for sure it was placed or not.  We just got word that his kidneys are failing today and they fear he will not make it through the day. It only gets sadder. We also found out that Hamilton has cataracts and is slowly going blind. He is to have surgery sometime soon I think. And we are leaving in two days. Call me Debbie Downer, but that is the bigger news this side of our world at the moment.

Start praying now for Andrew, Hamilton, and every other child. Also be praying for us as we are preparing me leave for Lusaka on Wednesday and home on Thursday. Pray for the kids as they adjust to not having us as their world as they have the whole time we have been here.

We are enjoying some free time after lunch now. Cari and I got into some delicious cookies in the house while Naiveen handed out chocolate. Now Cari is giving massages. Be jealous!

Tonight is GA Olympics, so excuse me while I get my game face on.

Love to you all. Please be praying.

Anna

Enjoy the beauty and the crazy folks!!

It has been an interesting trip.  Every day has been so much greater than the day before it.  A couple of days ago we went to Victoria Falls.  We had been there before to see the lunar rainbow but this trip was during the day so we could see the beauty of the falls better.  We have so many people that for almost every day trip that we have had to have two groups go because there was not enough room in Khaki Jackie.  I happened to be in the first group that was able to go to the falls.  We entered the falls and stopped at the highest point.  We were all amazed at how beautiful the falls were.  We continued walking a little further.  Finally I rented a rain poncho.  (I had my backpack on because I had things to trade with the venders when we got finished in the falls.)  They had me keep my backpack on and then put the green poncho on over the backpack.   I looked like a turtle.  (There are pictures on someone’s camera to document this and hopefully it will be posted on Facebook when we get home.)  We continued down to the falls.  We walked over the bridge.  I experienced the most phenomenial feeling.    I was walking through a heavy mist of water and was not able to see very far across the bridge so I had no idea how much longer you will be able to walk before you run out of bridge.  It is completely undescribeable to walk over this bridge that is over the fallen water from the Zambezi River.  If you ever have the opportunity to do it you MUST!!!  When I got back to the beginning of the bridge my capris and legs were wet but the turtle poncho worked well.

I then walked out to the shopping stalls.  This is also an interesting experience.  I feel like they realize that they will overwhelm us and they think that it will confuse us so we will spend more money at their stall.  Instead all they do is make us angry.  I laughed when I heard Lauren say “If you talk to me and bother me I will go on to the next stall.  Just don’t talk!  Just shhhhhh!!”  They were quiet for about three seconds before they started to bother her again.  But I skipped a couple of stalls and then there was a guy who said, “Madame, come look here.  I will not pressure you to buy anything.  I will just let you look.”  This happened at six stalls in a row.  I did purchase some things at these stalls and traded all of the things that I brought (2 pairs of shoes, 2 rain ponchos, 2 jumbo packs of batteries, a gallon size Ziploc bag full of free pens, and 2 sheets of rubber hair bands).  Several of the guys working were very upset when they found out that I had nothing else to trade.  They wanted pens and batteries very badly.  So if you come later you need to bring SEVERAL of these!!  But just realize that the shopkeepers are so exhausting that I could only handle shopping for one hour at a time. 

I would like to say Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers in our lives.  We love you and thank you for the wonderful job that you have done.

Much love to all!  See you soon!
Naiveen

The People We Meet

Throughout this trip, I have had the opportunity to meet and interact with many different people from many different places. I have gotten to know my classmates better. I have met other Americans visiting Namwianga. I met a guy from Ethiopia who is about 22 years old on the flight from Washington, DC to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. I have met Zambians, young, old, and in between. Because Livingstone is host to Victoria Falls, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, as well as a prime location for safaris, it is a vacation spot for people from many different nations. While there, we shared a bus with two Japanese women from Tokyo and two South African couples from Johannesburg. I also met a guy from London, who is around my age, while doing the zip line in Livingstone this morning.

One thing I learned from all of this is that I should probably pay more attention to the political happenings in my own nation. The world’s eyes are on the United States, and everyone was full of questions about American healthcare, finances, education, and Obama in general. What do I think about Obama? Do I think he will be re-elected next year? Do I think Obama’s healthcare proposal will become a reality? Are all American children confident, or are there still self-esteem issues in the States like there are in other places? How has the recession affected life in the U.S.? Is there a huge gap between the rich and the poor now? These are some of the questions I have been asked on multiple occasions by the people I have met along my journey. I try to answer the best I can, but I typically do not feel adequately prepared to answer these questions. I also do not always have enough knowledge to ask about current events in their respective countries. This makes me want to spend more time updating myself on the news.

On the other hand, I also feel that my relative lack of large-scale information frees me to ask more personal questions and learn more about the individual stories of the people I meet; it allows me to appreciate the beauty of the trees instead of only seeing the forest as a whole. There would be no forest without the individual trees that make it up, after all. Just as all Americans are different, and even different parts of the country have unique cultures, other nations are made up of many different groups or tribes, and I enjoy receiving a first-hand snapshot of each culture represented by the people I meet. The thing that always strikes me the most, though, is that we are all more alike than different, despite the vast differences between our customs and cultures.

Ashley

Safari fun

Today we got to go on a safari (both land and river) which was amazing. We saw giraffes, hippos, elephants, crocodiles, codoos, African fish eagles, impalas, monkeys, lizards, lots of birds, and I’m sure I missed some, but some were so close that you could see their eyes. It was pretty awesome. We all have lots of pictures that we will show you when we get back and some maybe put on face book so check it out too.

We got picked up at the hotel and taken to Botswana so we had to get our passports out and stamped to enter in. We then got on a little boat that took us across the river where we got on safari trucks and headed for the lodge. After we got to the lodge, we loaded on a boat to start our water part of the safari. The boat had 2 decks which several of us took advantage of. We got to see elephants, hippos, birds, crocodiles, some kind of huge lizard, and some other land animals. After the water safari, we headed back to the lodge for lunch. They served goat along with chicken and fish for meat and several different side dishes and desert. It was a good lunch and then off we went for the land safari. We entered into the land reserve in 3 different trucks and began our journey. Each truck had a guide that told everyone about the animals we saw. We saw elephants, giraffes, monkeys, impalas, codoos, birds of all sorts, hippos, carcasses of dead animals, and I’m sure I left some out. After the safari we headed back to the hotel and some people separated for dinner and activates for the night.

Thank you for thinking of us and for keeping us in your prayers. Have a blessed day!

a sensory experience

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Today began our Livingstone get-away.  After breakfast, we piled in Kakhi-Jaki and drove an hour-and-a-half to Hotel Protea in Livingston, Zambia.  We dropped our luggage off and walked to Olga’s Italian Restaurant.  I was a little spectacle about an Italian restaurant in Africa but as soon as we walked through the gates, Regan and I looked at each other and just smiled.  I ate the freshest tomatoes on my bruchetta I have ever had and my lasagna came out on a wooden platter.  During our feast, BWeave told us unforgettable hilarious stories about her adventures overseas with Reagan and Ms. Shock.  After, a couple of us strolled back to the hotel with some stops along the way at craft stores.  Most of the crafts were more on the expensive side so we all decided to wait to buy anything until we saw everything in Livingstone. 

At 3:30 we shuttled to have dinner and high tea at The Royal Livingstone.  Round 2 shuttle saw three giraffes and a abnormally large baboon on our way.  Lauren, Charissa, Shanna, Mark, Tyler and I sat at this cozy room seating in the living room.  Huge stunning chandeliers, an antique piano (with a pianist playing amazing music only by memory), a spectacular view of the Zambezi River (you could see the mist from the top of Victoria Falls), dark wooden beams, beautiful bookcases and deserts you could only dream of or see in movies.  I had crème brule, a strawberry boat, a kiwi boat (my favorite), and a raspberry delight.  After we ate, we walked down to the river to watch the sun set.  On our way, we took some great photos with the baboons and the staff hired to keep the baboons away (with a slingshot- every 10 year olds dream job).  All I could think of while I was there was how my fancy, tea-drinking, British grandmother would have been so proud. 

After our fancy surreal day at The Royal Livingstone, we shuttled down to the bottom of Victoria Falls.  Ben, Ashley, Tyler, Mark and I ran across the skinny bridge and got drenched.  At one point, there were no railings and it seemed to be just Victoria Falls and me.  There was something so freeing about running across the bridge, screaming, and getting drenched.  If we were in America, the bridge would have been lit with ugly light poles.  Another moment when I have to remind myself that I have been living in Zambia, Africa. 

Today was a sensory experience.  I tasted desserts from The Royal Livingstone that my mouth has never savored.  I saw a path in front of me lit only by the moonlight.  I smelled a wood-burning oven 2,000 miles from Italy.  I felt my heartbeat over the bridge at Victoria Falls.  I heard a classical piano that took me back to colonial Livingstone.  I’m not sure how tomorrow is going to beat today but I need some sleep to get ready for it.