One year in Zambia

Well I'm a month late but on African time it's better late than never!

My airplane touched down and I stepped foot on Zambian soil for the first time over a year ago. My oh my, how life has changed since then. To truly summarize how much would be next to impossible but let me give you a glimpse.

1. Home is now characterized by a 4 room mud brick and thatch roof hut.  In America I lived in a 6 room Victorian home complete with plumbing and electric.

2. My village is about 5 kilometers long and lines the tarmac (road) while approx 600 people live here. In America my city of residence holds just under 440,000 people in a 5,517 square kilometer area.

3. Monday-Friday I teach English to 30 grade six pupils. I also run various clubs throughout the week addressing HIV/AIDS, life skills, and literacy. In America I spent Monday- Friday working in an office in middle management.

4. I don't mind the 7 minute walk and hour of washing dishes in a river. In America I hated having to load and unload a dishwasher!

5. I've come to terms with my arachnophobia and even let the giant wall spiders live in my house now. In America I couldn't kill a tiny house spider.

6. I go to bed no later than 8 most nights and typically crawl into bed to escape the mosquitoes and other creepy crawlies by 7pm. In America I routinely stayed up until 10-12 doing things.

7. I say hello more times a day than I can count since greeting is a big part of the culture here. In America I only had to greet a person once.

8. My yard is the hangout spot for village kids and I even built them a tree swing. In America I was not at all a "kid person."

9. If I want to eat I have to start a fire and cook a meal. In America I ate so much fast and prepackaged food.

10. I make $200 a month and live comfortably. In America I made 40k a year and struggled to pay bills.

11. To get somewhere I either have to hitch a ride with a random vehicle or ride a bicycle. In America I could hop into my car and drive anywhere I needed.

12. I routinely reuse or burn my trash here. In America I hauled it to the curb weekly to pile up in a landfill.

13. My primary form of entertainment is reading. In America I hardly ever read for pleasure, preferring TV or socializing during down time.

14. I now stumble my way through an awkward mix of English and Bemba to attempt to communicate with neighbors. In America I could just download an app to translate anything foreign.

15. I've learned how to slow down a bit here and take time to "smell the roses." In America everything was far too fast paced to divert from a schedule.

16. Here I see other non-African people maybe once a month, and the site of an unfamiliar one sparks heightened interest. In America I was one of many white folk.

17. I can't walk around a Boma (town) here without being harassed. In America I could show up naked to a bar full of drunks and receive less attention (not actually a tested statement).

18. Here time is finite since I know my service will come to a close and so I try to plan projects to fit them into each season before I leave. In America I never had to think about time in the same way.

19. I enjoy so much nature and wildlife here. In America we have killed off many bugs and creatures in our city life.

20. Almost every morning I start the day by having a devotional time. In America I was always on the go and seldom made time for myself.

Life here is so different in many ways but the simplicity of life in the bush is refreshing. I have learned so many important lessons in this last year and witnessed the night and day differences of a developing nation compared to an established one. I'm sure that in the coming year I will continue to grow and learn and see the world with ever changing eyes. But for now I am, and will forever be, eternally grateful for this experience, for all the good days and the bad. I wouldn't trade my time in the village for the most luxurious life on the planet. Here's to one more year of goats bleating, babies crying, children learning, mothers smiling, walking through tall grass on dirt paths, and loving life.