Molly's Thoughts

So we have now been in Zambia about a week and a half. Kind of crazy to actually be here...so much talk about going, now we are here. Not sure that I really had expectations so I can't say that my expectations were met or not met. Zambia, so far as I've seen has a great disparity of wealth. The rich have comfortable lives. The poor have very uncomfortable ones...they put up with inconveniences I can't imagine, but I guess what choice do they have? Everyone, whether poor or rich is friendly and always greets you with a smile and hello, how are you? My one thought that keeps going through my head is how can the rich continue to lead their rich lifestyles when there are people so close by that are literally starving? But as quickly as I think that, I think I should look in the mirror? Aren't we just as guilty of hoarding wealth? What am I doing that is different to these people? Am I feeding them? Am I giving up some of my comfort to make them more comfortable? What would be a sustainable solution? The world just seems so unfair. hmmm. Sure we are here to help some but it seems that the more you learn about the world, the more problems you come across and realize how overwhelming some of them can be. I have remind myself that a little bit could be a lot to one person. I am still mulling all of this over in my brain. The rich or middle class live in houses, somewhat to western standards: plumbing, electricity, couches, beds and such. The poor live in mud brick houses without, as far as I can tell, plumbing or electricity. I haven't been on home visits yet but will soon so I can better comment on this later. I have been told though, that they collect water out of puddles, wipe after using the bathroom with corn cobbs, are quite malnurished, and when women have periods pretty much stay home for a week since they only use some rags for menstrating. We went to church in the poorer area this past Sunday. This is the same area that we will be doing most of our volunteering, and it is called Koloko. The pastor was getting onto the people for not being withdrawn and not that happy. (I think this is a cultural thing as well, since at church many of us tend to be withdrawn.) I found out later many of those people come to church on an empty stomach and will go home that way as well. Not sure I would be that happy either. Kind of makes you feel bad for having more than enough to eat. There are lots of things to continually ponder here.

This week

This week is almost over, I've been working in their new school. I've done some teaching, but we are mainly getting it ready to open this Monday.

It's been tedious work, needs to be done, but I'm looking forward to next week when I start my primary project of turning the maize mill into a profitable enterprise that can support the school financially.

The charities goal is become self sufficient so they do not have to rely on international donors forever, which is a vision that resonates with me and I'm glad I can be a part of making it happen.

Stephen

Zambia

We've been in Zambia for a few days now, the farm we are staying at is pretty much what I expected. Volunteering with the organization for the same stint as us is a group of 10-12 19 year old British students.

My initial impressions was that the organization is rather sheltered as there is a huge concrete wall with several guards. I feared we would be isolated and disconnected from the community, similar to what we saw in Central America where a constant mindset of fear by expats and missionaries seem to be common. Thankfully, that doesn't seem to be the case as the guards and dogs are to protect the valuable crops they grow on the farm.

The organization has just built a maize mill, and my project is to get it off the ground and running. What that exactly entails I don't know, but I'm excited to have my own project that will provide ongoing support for the community.

However, I won't start that for another week. This week the kids are on school break and the British kids, Molly, and I will be teaching them while their teachers have the week off.

Cape Town

Beautiful city, stayed at a backpackers hostel which was quite nice for a low price. Overall the fast food in South Africa is much less fast, but tastes remarkably better. So I guess they got that on us.

We were able to walk around Cape Town much more so we enjoyed it quite a bit. I'd definitely recommend it to those who might be coming here for the World Cup.

Howzit from South Africa

Actually we're in Zambia now, but due to the difficulty of obtaining an internet connection we've resorted to writing everything offline and posting it all at once.

So here is the recap of our few days in South Africa.

Johannesburg

Not much of report on Joburg as we didn't do much. South Africa is quite expensive without a car, as you have to take a taxi everywhere you want to go. We mainly just hung out in our little area, called Melville. You can definitely tell it is a booming town though.

The only excursion we made was to the Apartheid Museum, which hit hard. I knew the jist of Apartheid, but I was shocked at how comprehensive the segregation was. It wasn't just white or black, they had over 200+ classifications. Hard to believe it ended only 20 years ago.

I'm reading a book that discusses the history of each African country from the end of the colonial times until now. When Ghana gained it's independence it was one of the richest tropical nations in the world, hope was very high. Vice President Richard Nixon attended the independence ceremony and celebrations, and was noted as the most enthusiastic visitor. From the moment he touched down in Ghana he was shaking the hands of chiefs and hugging babies. Once surrounded by a crowd of Ghanaians he slapped a man on the shoulder and asked him how it felt to be free.

'I wouldn't know sir', replied the man, 'I'm from Alabama.'

This country reminds me of how far the US has come, and yet how far it has to go.