30.3.06
Village of Hope
So far I’ve been to the Village of Hope three times. The first time, we picked Serge up in the morning (the Bersaglio’s let us drive their truck home the night before). Luckily, on the way to their house we only got lost once, instead of 3 times (like the day before). Serge drove us the rest of the way there. We drove down the big hill that mini buses race each other down (and 40 people are killed every time they crash), then turned on to a street that was made more of pot holes than pavement, and the road is extremely sloped so when you drive on one side, your vehicle is at a 25 degree angle.
Pretty soon, we came to a sign for Village of Hope, and turned down another street- well, it’s more of a path for cars, than a street. Up, down, up down… you sort of got used to the rhythms of the pot holes. It felt like we were on a safari or something, because the grass on either side was about 4 feet high, and there was only room for one car. Suddenly, on the left side of the road, a shantytown appeared, and I saw World Vision live. One room houses- some without roofs, others with tin roofs, and piled on top- chairs, bricks, dirt, rocks, or other objects - to keep the tin on when the rain and wind pick up. But these were just the outskirts of the village, and Serge told us that the houses had about three or four rooms in them, and just as many 7+ person families each rent out a room to live in. Outside the houses, nearer to the road, were the bathrooms. Plastics bags, framed by sticks, patched together to make a sort of lean-to stall. But there were people all along that road. Little kids, waving, shouting “Bye!” as our truck drove by, old women gardening on the right side of the road, kids in uniforms walking to school, other people walking (most likely) to the market.
The gates were opened for us as we drove up to the Village of Hope, and I saw my first view of the orphanage. It was very nice, landscaped, green grass, neatly kept buildings. The road had rose bushes on either side, and a newly planted orchard- donated by some organization. We parked by the administration building, and walked into it. Serge introduced us to several of the staff (Frieda, Charlene, Judi), then we went into the house that was connected to it, and briefly talked with some of the kids (Sam- who we didn’t recognize, Happy, Noah, Catherine, Mary). Then Serge gave us a tour of the property, the play grounds, school, pre-school, container, bathrooms, and showed us the 12 houses. We got to go into one of the houses, and the house mother’s name was Kristin. Each house has a living room area as you walk in, then the kitchen, the girls room (3 bunks), the boy’s room (3 bunks), the washroom area (which is one room, opening up into showers/toilets each with their own separate door), and the mother’s room. The houses are very nice, clean, and well laid out.
Afterwards I decided to go to the playground right near the administration office, which was full of kids- little kids. I walked towards it, and right away, five different kids were yelling, “How are you, how are you?” As I got closer, I said hello to one kid, and about 15 came and swarmed me. They crowed around in a semi circle, some touched my hair, others just waving. I asked them how they were, and they all replied in unison, “Fine.” I asked them (all I knew) in Bemba, “Muli Shani?” and again, in unison, “Bueno.” They were apparently too shy, or didn’t know enough English to say their names, because all I got were blank stares when I asked- but then again, they all looked about 4 years old.
The next day I helped Elaine with going to the houses and making collages out of magazines and the like. We went to house 7, where Norrah is the house mother. There were 4 kids home from school- Wendy, Samson, Memory, and one more boy. I enjoyed myself, and made my own collage (which is now up in my room because it is so bare- except for the ‘Rad Rad Robotank’ sign). The only thing was, Elaine forgot to say her rule was English only, so they spoke Bemba the whole time- that is, when they did speak. This house was silent, they spoke every few minutes, but usually in whispers.
Today James (the driver) drove my mom and I to the Village of Hope, because my dad was at home overseeing the welders fixing our gate. We went to the same playground, and talked to the kids. This time there were about 50 kids on the playground, all talking, and swinging, teeter-tottering, and jumping off the tires. I started asking names, going through the “how are you, fine” process, and waving. My mom and I each developed a semi circle pretty fast. They kept waving, and staring at me, so I ‘peace signed’ them, and the caught on really fast. Soon we were one giant circle on the road, and the boys were racing eachother. (Steven was the fastest, and won most of the time.) I decided that they should try a new kind of race- a hopping on one foot race- and all of a sudden about 20 little boys were hopping down the road. One boy fell flat on his face because his pants fell down. It was hilarious, them hopping, some skipping because they wanted to be faster, so funny! Then we just stood there for a while, so I taught them (at least, I think I did… they might have already known it) ‘head and shoulders knees and toes.’ We played that for a while, then my mom tried to get them to sing. They all half whispered different tunes.
Later on we met Peter and Mary, who we talked to for a while. Peter remembered all three Schultz’s, and my dad and brother. Near by there were some kids playing, and I learned their names- Agatha, Bridget, Christabel, Medium, and David. I didn’t mention how cute all the kids are. SO CUTE! So amazingly cute. Big eyes, perfect faces, nice features, tiny, CUTE. CUTE, little kids! They’re cute, they’re little, they’re kids! Wow. That concludes my fist few experiences at the Village of Hope orphanage.
Pretty soon, we came to a sign for Village of Hope, and turned down another street- well, it’s more of a path for cars, than a street. Up, down, up down… you sort of got used to the rhythms of the pot holes. It felt like we were on a safari or something, because the grass on either side was about 4 feet high, and there was only room for one car. Suddenly, on the left side of the road, a shantytown appeared, and I saw World Vision live. One room houses- some without roofs, others with tin roofs, and piled on top- chairs, bricks, dirt, rocks, or other objects - to keep the tin on when the rain and wind pick up. But these were just the outskirts of the village, and Serge told us that the houses had about three or four rooms in them, and just as many 7+ person families each rent out a room to live in. Outside the houses, nearer to the road, were the bathrooms. Plastics bags, framed by sticks, patched together to make a sort of lean-to stall. But there were people all along that road. Little kids, waving, shouting “Bye!” as our truck drove by, old women gardening on the right side of the road, kids in uniforms walking to school, other people walking (most likely) to the market.
The gates were opened for us as we drove up to the Village of Hope, and I saw my first view of the orphanage. It was very nice, landscaped, green grass, neatly kept buildings. The road had rose bushes on either side, and a newly planted orchard- donated by some organization. We parked by the administration building, and walked into it. Serge introduced us to several of the staff (Frieda, Charlene, Judi), then we went into the house that was connected to it, and briefly talked with some of the kids (Sam- who we didn’t recognize, Happy, Noah, Catherine, Mary). Then Serge gave us a tour of the property, the play grounds, school, pre-school, container, bathrooms, and showed us the 12 houses. We got to go into one of the houses, and the house mother’s name was Kristin. Each house has a living room area as you walk in, then the kitchen, the girls room (3 bunks), the boy’s room (3 bunks), the washroom area (which is one room, opening up into showers/toilets each with their own separate door), and the mother’s room. The houses are very nice, clean, and well laid out.
Afterwards I decided to go to the playground right near the administration office, which was full of kids- little kids. I walked towards it, and right away, five different kids were yelling, “How are you, how are you?” As I got closer, I said hello to one kid, and about 15 came and swarmed me. They crowed around in a semi circle, some touched my hair, others just waving. I asked them how they were, and they all replied in unison, “Fine.” I asked them (all I knew) in Bemba, “Muli Shani?” and again, in unison, “Bueno.” They were apparently too shy, or didn’t know enough English to say their names, because all I got were blank stares when I asked- but then again, they all looked about 4 years old.
The next day I helped Elaine with going to the houses and making collages out of magazines and the like. We went to house 7, where Norrah is the house mother. There were 4 kids home from school- Wendy, Samson, Memory, and one more boy. I enjoyed myself, and made my own collage (which is now up in my room because it is so bare- except for the ‘Rad Rad Robotank’ sign). The only thing was, Elaine forgot to say her rule was English only, so they spoke Bemba the whole time- that is, when they did speak. This house was silent, they spoke every few minutes, but usually in whispers.
Today James (the driver) drove my mom and I to the Village of Hope, because my dad was at home overseeing the welders fixing our gate. We went to the same playground, and talked to the kids. This time there were about 50 kids on the playground, all talking, and swinging, teeter-tottering, and jumping off the tires. I started asking names, going through the “how are you, fine” process, and waving. My mom and I each developed a semi circle pretty fast. They kept waving, and staring at me, so I ‘peace signed’ them, and the caught on really fast. Soon we were one giant circle on the road, and the boys were racing eachother. (Steven was the fastest, and won most of the time.) I decided that they should try a new kind of race- a hopping on one foot race- and all of a sudden about 20 little boys were hopping down the road. One boy fell flat on his face because his pants fell down. It was hilarious, them hopping, some skipping because they wanted to be faster, so funny! Then we just stood there for a while, so I taught them (at least, I think I did… they might have already known it) ‘head and shoulders knees and toes.’ We played that for a while, then my mom tried to get them to sing. They all half whispered different tunes.
Later on we met Peter and Mary, who we talked to for a while. Peter remembered all three Schultz’s, and my dad and brother. Near by there were some kids playing, and I learned their names- Agatha, Bridget, Christabel, Medium, and David. I didn’t mention how cute all the kids are. SO CUTE! So amazingly cute. Big eyes, perfect faces, nice features, tiny, CUTE. CUTE, little kids! They’re cute, they’re little, they’re kids! Wow. That concludes my fist few experiences at the Village of Hope orphanage.
29.3.06
Kitwe At Last
March 24, 2006
I’m finally in my home for the next ten months. 5128 Kopa Street, Kitwe Zambia. We arrived in Zambia on the ten-hour flight from London to Lusaka, right as the sun was rising. I walked down the stairs of the plane, and it was so humid, and beautiful outside. We came through customs in the VIP lane-thanks to Sister Bernadette, and went through customs quickly. Our luggage was waiting for us as soon as we walked up to the luggage collecting area- all six of them.
My parents and I passed through the doors, and we were standing in Africa. It was lush, and green at the front of the airport- huge trees, nicely cut grass. All sorts of vehichles pulled up, but almost all of them were white. At 7:30 in the morning, in Lusaka, I got the impression that everything was laid back, enjoying the sun.
After waiting 20 minutes, we saw the white Toyota landcruiser with the Village of Hope logo on the side. Nancy Bersaglio, and the team from Pacific Academy (in Langley) got out, and started unloading their bags, to get on the plane that we had just landed in. My mom and I got in the front (on the right side), and my dad sat in the back (there is a sideways seat along each side of the vehichle).
As we drove down the (nicely paved) road, I was taking everything in (though jet lagged, I was), and had no idea what to expect. Driving on the left side of the road was a new experience for me. As we drove into Lusaka everything became busier, and more colourful. I didn’t know what to expect, but I was surprised at how normal everything was. There were houses, and neighbourhoods, people dressed nicely, people dressed traditionally, people with shoes, lots of cars, buses, two lane highways, and advertisements everywhere. All I had ever seen of anywhere in Africa was the World Vision channel, which is full of people in rags, and shantytowns. I quickly got used to the fact that there are buildings, skyscrapers, stores, gas stations, and that it was a city. That people live, they don’t just exist.
Our bags were unloaded at the Intercontinental Hotel, which was very nice. The sign of a good hotel is that it has more than just 2 in 1 shampoo/conditioner, and soap in the bathroom. In our room, there was definitely more than that. After relaxing, and taking advantage of the all inclusive breakfast, Nancy drove us around Lusaka to buy a few things. As we were driving, I liked looking at the advertisements, painted on the walls surrounding people’s homes. Some were really funny, and made no sense, and some were familiar- like parmalat milk. We met up with the Airth’s at Toyota. (They are a couple starting another Village of Hope in Lusaka, and they have a daughter, Lauren, who is my age.)
That night we ate dinner with Nancy, Elaine (a 25 year-old from Ontario, who is staying at the guest house behind the Kopa house), and the Airths, at Rhapsody’s. I was going to order a ‘Nasi Ganeng’ which included a fried banana, and some kind of egg (later I found out that is what Graeme ordered, when he was there), but ended up ordering a Chicken Espidata. It was a metal rod, hanging vertically, with pieces of chicken threaded on to it. As I was eating, I took a big bite of a piece of chicken that looked a little different- it burned, and right away I knew it wasn’t chicken. The waiter happened to be standing beside me, and I thought it would be rude to spit it out, so I swallowed it- and it kept right on burning. It was a jalapeo pepper. I had no milk (because it’s not pasteurized here), so I drank water, and someone told me it inflames your tongue, so I stopped, and ran to the bathroom. Then I paced back and forth till the burning stopped. I don’t recommend those.
The rest of our time in Lusaka included mom and dad considering buying a guard (puppy) dog, showering(!), making enchima with Lauren, and going to shoprite, and the Game (to buy a water filter).
The four hour drive to Lusaka was amazing. Everything was so lush, and green because the rains are almost finished. The neatest thing was how people just walk on the side of the road, kids in school uniforms, women with pots on their heads, or babies on their backs, men all dressed up, people on bicycles. Every 10 minutes or so, there was a village on the side of the road, selling things, huts, people with their fruit stands. We went through about 4 police checks- one which even asked for our passports. We made one bathroom stop- where you had to pay (but only equivalent to about 20 cents), and they gave us blue toilet paper to use.
After another 2 hours we reached Kitwe, and so, here I am, in my new home. There are three bedrooms- one master, and 2 with 2 beds each in them. I chose one of them, and pretty soon I will tuck in my mosquito net and go to sleep.
From London
I am in the London airport right now (March 22), sitting in the “Quiet Room” with my parents. So I’m typing this on Word, because I’m not hooked up to the Internet. Right now it is 7:28 am, Canadian time, and … 3:30 pm (because it took me so long to change the time on my computer…) London, England. Wow. I’m in England. The only difference I’ve noticed (because all I’m seeing of England is an airport) is that the warnings for fine/price signs are in pounds. Also, one store was having a mother’s day sale – March 26.
Taking off was neat because I had the window seat, and could see the city of Vancouver illuminated with all of the lights. After that, it was dark outside, and we were above the clouds. The flight was good, and went by really fast, I watched about 5 minutes of Pride & Prejudice, but it was really repetitive after watching Bride & Prejudice- the lines were almost the exact same- so I channel surfed a bit, watched the map, and went to sleep. The meals on British Airways are good! They even serve mini bottles of wine. But, for the meat, salmon is better than chicken, chicken is better than beef. I got chicken.
Everyone told me that large airplanes were incredibly cold, and that I would freeze- but instead, I was so hot I had to take off my jacket, and I was still sweating. I don’t sweat.
I had my first experience using an airplane bathroom, and it was interesting… small, and the sink sucked everything down an air tube. Except, when I cam out of the bathroom, I noticed the bottom of my pants were all wet, which is disgusting. My mom went to the bathroom, and noticed there was pee all over the floor-, which I didn’t notice. So my pants have pee that isn’t mine dried on them.
Our flight to Lusaka leaves in three hours, and I’m looking forward to some sun, I guess. It’s grey and cloudy here- pretty much like home. I think I might have seen someone famous. She looked familiar, and I was trying to figure out who she was, when I remembered a documentary I saw on TV. An author who used to write vampire books, recently completely turned around, and started to write Catholic books- but I don’t remember her name. I think it was her.
Well, I am going for a walk with my dad now, so my legs don’t hurt too much on the next flight.
