A Young Man's Summer in Zambia

In our home we keep a Visitor's Log.  It is a book where those who have spent a night here can write comments and acknowledge their presence here.   I want to share what one person wrote in our Log.  For those who have been here, this will remind you of some of the many wonderful experiences you had while you were here.   For those who have yet to come, perhaps it will make you eager to discover the joys that this creative and artistic young man experienced while being here.

 

"I have enjoyed being here,

listening to and learning from warm people,

eating shima and Kapenta,

studying the varied and important things that are happening here,

using my education for more than self indulgence,

gaining practical experience,

hearing the stories of visitors and Zambians,

getting frequent and often bone crushing hugs from Sena,

sitting outside in the morning for breakfast,

playing cards,

driving into Lusaka and the traffic jams of the city,

hearing the roar of the sea in the sugarcane,

eating good meals prepared by Kathleen, Michael, Christine and the occasional

 barbequer,

playing volleyball, football and hanging out with the younger generation of Zambians, buying a coke at Ibis before checking email,

getting dusty and dirty playing outside with Malaika and Kumani,

working with the kids at the school on their stretching exercises,

singing songs and getting much more than my money's worth from the sermons at Liteta

 church,

meeting new people from the states to show around,

taking thousands of pictures on a day trip to Lusaka,

walking to somewhere and back again, over somewhere else and away to the next

destination,

looking at the crisp, articulate night sky,

walking next to overflowing tractor trailers,

catching lizards and geckos in the house,

learning how to speak Nyanja from people,

roasting marshmallows and making smores by the fire with Fred and the family,

seeing fires snuffed out,

spending time at Mark's and hearing about his crops,

going to Araloosa to see the kids,

attempting to add some color to Kimberly and Francis' yard,

eating tomatoes, cabbage and onions,

talking to Joseph,

discussing plans,

sitting on a bag of rotten vegetables for the rabbits in the back of the Landcruiser,

getting a total body message from the washboard roads,

showering in water with the pressure of a warm teardrop,

waking up to exotic bird calls,

saying hello to strangers,

simplicity and consistency.  I hope to come back."