Christmas on another continent.

This Christmas is an extra special one especially for me. Instead of moping about sad because my family is on the other side of the planet gorging themselves on crab, chocolate fondue, and lemon meringue pie (this may not be the usual Christmas foods it's just what i'm craving right now) I got the best present I could ever receive. My beloved SISTER came to visit me over Christmas and new years!!! It was definitely one of the happiest moments I have ever had picking her up at the airport I was that person you see who makes a giant madly hopping, squealing scene and yet has no shame! My wonderful parents sent her over to me as a present to the both of us. If I have never said this before I will say it again... I have the best parents a girl could ask for. No lies! 

This is us just off the long sweaty bus ride and for some reason taking a picture of ourselves in this condition seemed like a good idea...

The one in the stripes belongs to me for the holidays! She is the one sitting beneath the cunningly devised Christmas tree that has been cut out of Zambian material and sticky tacked to the wall.  Awesome? Oh yes. 

It has been so much fun having my sister here I feel like I haven't laughed this hard in years my abs elusive stomach muscles are actually hurting! 

"Move OVER!" "Haha where shall I go??" 

I thought it would be a great idea to have a pool in the back yard so Georgia and I could lay in it and get our tan on.. unfortunately I thought we were smaller than we actually are in real life. 

Liz is currently thinking, "What the deuce were they thinking?" WELL don't for a minute think that a small detail like a microscopic pool is going to phase two sweaty determined ladies!

So of course with a bit of shimmying we managed to fit quite snugly. Noooo problem. 

Yesterday we went to a Christmas party at the Village with all the house mothers and that was really fun lot's of African dancing (they were showing us how to "shake it") and singing and eating oh Lord I wasn't even hungry the next day. Georgia got to try the local dish of nshima a corn based porridge-like food, the staple diet of Zambia. She said it tasted like skin and so we subtly exchange coal slaw for nshima. And a good time was had by all! 

It is very late here right now and  we have to be up at four-thirty to jump on the bus headed to Livingstone to see the famous Victoria falls. I know what a rough life! We also have a date with the Chobi national park on Christmas day we are doing a river cruise and a game drive! Yes you are definitely supposed to be very green in the face with envy right now. 

But I am hoping your Christmas is very white filled with families in good humor and tables full of food to get your holiday girth on! 

Merry Christmas and have a very happy New Years! 

Clothing Distribution day

Thursday and Friday was clothing distribution day at the Village of Hope so alas I did not have classes. One reason being they needed my large sewing tables aaaand I don't think I would have any student show up anyways as they would all be attending the clothing craziness...

The throng.

There were over 900 students present over the course of the two days and each were allowed to take four pieces of clothing... that is over 3600 pieces I just figured out using a calculator in my head holy grail that is a lot! 

Believe it or not this place was actually organized at one point but then the girls came and all playing and pillaging broke loose. I tried to create some semblance of an order with the girls stuff sorting bottoms from tops but that lasted all of twenty minutes sooooo I just gave up and had fun suggesting stuff for the girls and rooting through it myself.

The guys were slightly more chilled than the girls it seemed. But our gender is always a little crazy when it comes to rad deals and of course free clothing.

It all felt vaguely familiar for some reason... and then it came to me, this reminded me of 50% off day at Value Village and of course of myself and my fantastic scrounging skills! Oooh VV Boutique how I miss thee and thy glorious pillaging playground!

And in other news:

It is stinkin HOT here today so I am going to have a cold shower Hooraah!

On the rooooad again

I have a brand new pretty picture for my blog! I love it and best of all it's in Zambia and in the Village of Hope van so it's kinda going with the whole 'living in Africa' theme I got goin on. Faaaantastic.
Picture compliments of Rachel Chapman beautiful lady, avid photographer, and rad roomie!

I know what your thinking - This girl has been in Africa for seven months and she still looks like angel food cake! I AM WORKING ON IT !! It has taken me this long to look like that! Just have some patience I will try to look like black forest cake by the time I come home.
Recently in the beautiful country of Zambia it has been a wee bit chilly. Chilly being sometimes twenty-five degrees yeah I know get the parkas and ear muffs!! But that's almost what happens here so I wasn't actually lying about that. I put on a light sweater and I see people putting their coats and tuques on, I know I have acclimatized somewhat but definitely not there yet I still appreciate the cold days and do welcome them heartily! I just checked the weather forecast and it is rainy and stormy down the board and you do not know how happy that makes me :) I think that my body is thinking "Uhm where's the snow?? This is weird." So the cold is welcome. I will definitely miss snowboarding this year but I will of course live... and get my sun tan on instead HAH! Black forest cake here I come, I am jealous of your snow but thinking of you wanting my sun makes me feel better. :)

Jerry

There was a very unfortunate incident one night when I accidentally smoked Jerry in the face with my foot! He fell over and broke one horns off and his other ear, he was already missing an ear and so then he looked like he was flipping the bird to everyone with his head. Talented giraffe. 

I finally bought some glue the other day and fixed up his noggin he's bandaged up in the picture. But I thought the poor veteran should have a family portrait, it was the least I could do after dismembering the guy. 

Raaawrrr.. clop clop.. grunt... snap... crackle.. run

Well HELLOOOooo there!! I have not seen this blog in quite awhile! Just what would be the reason you might ask? Well friends, family and friendly fresh water fishes I have been having adventures and frankly have been having way too much fun without the interwebs so my apology is only directed at you who are missing my little updatios. First time viewers my updatios are circular in physicality and taste something like cheerios only better.
Yes, admittedly I am rambling but this is what blogs are for it's the compelling factor right? Right? Actually probably not I think in reality you might want to hear something solid and chew-able so just don't let your cheerios sit in your milk for very long or they'll taste like sugary sponges. Eat quickly!

My week has been filled with unexpected stuff well like always really, no surprise there. You never really know what your week or even your day might bring here in Zambia so it is best to not plan to far in advance and if you are planning on doing missions in the future please do grow a sense of humor it will save your bacon. I HAVE NOT HAD BACON IN SO LONG. Bacon, bacon, bacon. OK let's focus. Still loving it in this beautiful country and man am I wondering again how I am ever going to leave. I just realized this today.. today marks almost exactly four months until I pick up my life again and move back to the mother land! So weird. You do not know how fast time goes until you take a look back. My life may or may not be very weird without this place, definitely at first.

I have been working now with the grade elevens from the community school in the Village of Hope and am liking it, I have noticed more of a desire and earnestness to learn in these students. I think they are very appreciative that they also get the opportunity to get some more skills and I am very glad that I get to teach them.

Their first task is to draw squiggles and lines on paper then take it to the sewing machine to practice their machine control before starting using thread.

This girl on her first day in the class was already designing away. 

This was my very first group, I have three groups from Wednesday to Friday broken up but roughly I have about thirty eight new students. Soon these three groups will be starting to make tote bags and then on to aprons.

Last Tuesday I got back from a nice little jaunt in the South Luangwa National Park in northern Zambia. Some rad friends of mine had an extra seat in their truck so they invited me along it was so much fun! I finally got to see some African wild life Hallelujerr! We slept in safari tents which are basically large tents you can stand up in and have an open washroom at the back. Yes the washroom area has walls but that really didn't help me with my neighbors, they got some sneak previews through a gaping hole in between the tent and the washroom walls yep, the opposite of fun right there. It was in the middle of a 'Swiss Family Robinson moment' feeling like I was in that movie having a shower under a water fall, where in actuality I was right where I was, with a gaping hole in my bathroom and a large gap in my partition... Right at that moment I heard a small voice... ''Uhm Laura? I'm just gonna close your tent flaps here, you are giving a show to the hippos.'' Wonderful. Swiss Family Robinson moment gone.

Since it's been way too long since I last blogged I have a present for you!.......

Zebra bums!! Oh, you are welcome. Alright ill give you a good one. 

What did the the female lion say to her husband when he came home late?
Quit lion around! haaaha ok that was a bad one..
Why can no one trust a lion?
Cause they're always lion duhh.

(Lion jokes dedicated to Savvs the punnyest of them all:)


Talk to ya later folks!

I ain't seen better days.

So I am just gonna break this down for ya right here. This is a call to praise the God who cares so much about us that even the little things he blesses us with when we are abiding in him and totally relying on HIM who is completely, hook-line-and-sinker, able to anything and everything so tell me... why would you not want to know that chap??? Please do tell me.

Also I have been sweating for a week solid. yup. You guys and your almost-snowing-season crap, CRAP I TELL YOU!! ( I am a jealous Judy) But as a bonus I am showering a lot more! Welcome to an African summer!!

I had the best day today ever actually. Well except for one time on a road trip my sister and I attacked a deep and delicious chocolate cake using only our faces. That was pretty awesome and a serious runner up to this day.

Lets start off this little narrative with a not so good morning... well actually it was a good morning before I left for the Village of Hope, my hair was doing what I wanted it to, the shower water was only slightly beige, all seemed most tranquil..
I get to the Village and dang it if I forgot to charge my lap-top battery so I went a-hunting for a plug that will fit our weird looking ones. Discovery was made and I proceeded to plug it in and start the charge. Only problem was that this plug was broken and decided that it would completely fry my lap-top cable hoooraaayyy NOT a happy camper actually that is an understatement I felt like a camper that just got his tent mauled by a bear stepped in the bear poo and then it started raining and then he was attacked by fifteen malaria carrying mosquitoes that is a bad day.
My first thoughts were well I can no longer talk on skype to my family can't talk to any of my friends, updating everyone including my church on what is going on is out the window. Also facebook like seriously. I can't do my work on my laptop and I cannot access any of my files as my computer is dead aaaand no cord to charge with. It would also be impossible to get another cable here as I am stuck in Africa! These were my first few thoughts and they all seriously sucked!
My next thought (which I wish was my first) was that God is totally above all things and is completely able, he knows I need my lap-top for work and for general life activities and he also know I still have another five months left that I need my lap top for!!! So I got Liz and was slightly maybe tearing up at the thought of not being able to skype with my family or be able to love my lappy anymore and we layed hands on that cable and started praying our hearts out. Right after that I felt like God was totally there, it was so great I felt like it was so stupid of me to ever even worry and that it was going to be all ok I just had this awesome peace.

I went to teach my class and just focused on them for the next two hours we had a great class I have just started teaching the grade elevens from the community school and they were so excited that they had the opportunity to be there. We had a rad time.

I got home later and man I dunno it was great I was feeling so good and confident that God had healed my laptop cord so I plugged it in right away and waited anxiously for it to start up. And YES you guessed it folks God had TOTALLY healed my computer cable it started charging right away so right now I am typing a super amazing praise report on my lappy to tell you that my God is great and he cares about us so much that even the little things he wants to help us with. Thank you God for increasing my faith you are so good and oh so faithful. I love you.

Ephesians 3:20
GO, GO READ IT. RIGHT NOW.

PS Just finished my day with coffee and a lemon meringue square Hallelujerr!!

Howdy

Just in case y'all dint no'ice the obvious I swiched up ma pictcha o' ma blog right thurr it be a lil saylin' boat! Gimme sum feed back if ya'll dig it. I think it be mighty peasful dont you?

Don't ask me where the southern accent came from it may or may not be from the ten episodes of Bonanza my roomie and I just baptized ourselves in last week, if I have any readers are from the deep south I do apologize for butchering it.


Have a good week y'all!

A Hug

We had just stopped at the Fig Tree Cafe (yum) for a cappuccino and a rest on our way back to Kitwe from Lusaka the capital city of Zambia. This is the best cafe shop I have ever been to in this country, their cinnamon buns and hamburgers and cappuccinos are mouth watering glory.
I wanted to change out of my Chitenge suit and into some comfy elastic waist band pants as it sucks to wear tight clothes on a road trips and more importantly.. I was preparing to eat a burger.. yeah you know how it is don't pretend you don't! I've seen you jump into those maternity pants at thanksgiving and at that buffet table!! And loosening your belt at pot-lucks... yeah I know your kind.

I went to the washroom and there was this baby girl no more than three years old waiting for her sister outside the stall. These huge brown eyes locked with mine and she stared at me for a second not really sure about this mazungu in Zambian clothing. But before I even said hello to this beautiful little girl she came over, stretched out her arms and still looking up at me hugged me around the knees and smiled. If my heart was made out of butter which it might be after that burger, it would have melted right out of me. I wanted to put her under my arm and take her back to Kitwe with me she was so cute!! Top ten best moments.

I had a great weekend hanging out with my fellow missionaries and Zambian friends, we went to Lusaka for the opening of anew Village of Hope just outside of the city in Chongwe this little community. It now has four houses, four mothers and aunties with children, it also has a free community school not sure what grade it goes up to. It is a beautiful spot. The ceremonies were great all the children from the village and the community school sang us a few songs and prayed over the houses and schools. My camera died after the first song though a little cheesed. But its all good and we got home safe and sound. This morning I am off to the Village I am supposed to be taking the youths for a field trip up town to buy fabric but lets see what happens cause you never know there might be a change in the program you just have to learn to be flexible. Like these ladies! I'm sure they are they have the snazzy outfits to prove it.

Your mission of today:
Surprise hug someone!! It could be a neighbor, friend, post man/lady, cashier, random person!

Don't fail me!

Chitenge Suit!

There is a Bible college right next door to the Village of Hope and working there is a sewing teacher named Leah who teaches classes and takes customers as well.
So because my methods of sewing and pattern making are much different I wanted to see the Zambian way! Liz and I took fabric over to her shop and she told us all about her class and showed us all the projects they do which was really nice then I asked her if she could make me a "Chitenge suit" and if I could watch her. She said for sure come back tomorrow and we will start!
Alright this lady is amazing, I came back the next day with my hot pink chitenge material (glorious) and it took her all of an hour to make the pattern and then about three hours to sew it! It also helps that she has been a tailor for eighteen years, I really hope to be that fast one day.

Her hand is a blur

And in case you all are wondering if I have become Zambian.... it's so true!! Just need to get a sweet tan.

This is actually incredible difficult I think I made it 3 steps  

Hey there snazzy lady where you goin' with all that class?? 

Lil' updatio

Ok so it is probably about time I gave y'all an update seeing as it's been a month no big deal. 
This month was vacation month in the Village of Hope so I found that a lot of my students would be gone sometimes I had all sixteen of my students in a day and the next I might have three. But really who can blame em! When I was a wee lass and on vacation I would be gone body and mind! And then of course I would also forget all the knowledge I retained over the course of a year of schooling. Well so what if I refuse to work with fractions and I don't know what 14 x 39485 is off the top of my head these are not life skills!! Ok side tracked lets focus...

There has been a ton of praise reports this month! The girls finished their skirts and the boys finished their mens shirts a while ago and now they have switched and are working on the other which they have almost completed and so I am preparing for our next/final project! It is so crazy how fast time is going I am going to miss teaching this group of students.

A Canadian team from Winnipeg came at the beginning of August to do some work in the new clinic they just made in VOH and do some VBS stuff with the kids. I told one of the nurses with them that our class made a bunch of skirts and shirts and that they are for sale and word got around so we ended up selling almost all fifteen skirts and sold six mens shirts to them. Man, my students were so stoked! They started talking about how they are going to open up their own sewing shops and it made my heart so proud!!

I want them to see the money that they earned for the clothing being spent so for the next project I will take them to the market where they can help choose fabric for the dresses, and buy zippers, thread and all that.

Working hard to make a skirt and four mens shirts in two days for the Winnipeg team!

Intense scene..

  So I had a little party with all my students and some other students that weren't mine showed up as well of course for pop, chips and a movie they all had a good time and they deserved it! We watched the Golden Compass and there was a polar bear fighting scene in it and they all got so into it and started cheering and shouting and I was just laughing loved it. Some of them started asking me about snow and what it was like, I got some wows. They keep asking me when we are going to have another one so I said when we are finished and you are graduating from my class we can have a lil' shindig.

The container from Winnipeg arrived last week it was an exciting day in the Village and an exciting day for me! On it are twenty five treadle and hand wheel sewing machines and boxes of fabric Hoooraaahh!!!

A treadle machine in all its cast iron, wood paneled glory. Beautiful.

A different container that Langley CLA church sent over that was stuck in Lusaka with my sewing machines in it finally was set free last week which was so great and I got my stuff! One machine was a serger and my students were pretty amazing with that and excited of the prospect of not using pinking shears anymore!

I think that is all for now folks! I am doing great still, lovin' Zambia and the great people I get to work with. Next weekend I am going to go to Lusaka the capital city in Zambia, Villages of Hope is opening up another Village just on the outskirts in a community called Chongwe. Liz and I want to go to the opening ceremonies, visit some friends and of course visit the mall and theater :) Ooooh dalaalleee! So happy!

I am sick today

My body decided it wanted to retain a head cold and stay at home this morning so I was forced to comply. The day started with tea and Robin Hood and is ending with tea and Muppet Treasure Island! Seriously am a kid at heart and not ashamed! There is something so comforting when you are sick and you're watching movies you used to watch when you were young, maybe it's nostalgia but I think that I just never stopped loving Disney movies.  

"...Sailing for adventure..!"

Pass me my grog and a felted animal please lets piratey! Bahaha.. yeah ok I will get some sleep too

I wish

I have been in Africa for about four and a half months and am very much looking forward to seeing some of the wild life in Zambia.. I know many of you would think that those typical African animals are just running rampant but I have been living in the city and I have only seen dogs, cats, birds, bunnies, and chickens. I thought I would see a monkey at least. Bust alas, the animals here are scared of the human race as well they should be so we have to go hunting searching for them. 

Source

This made me smile.

No MY Dad can beat up your Dad

But seriously. He can. Do you remember having those arguments with your friends in elementary school? I totally do! And I still think my dad can take your dad and using only his witticisms. Hah.

I just needed to let the whole world know how wonderful my parents are and if yours are not I am sure my parents would take you in, I am currently not using them and they have three bedrooms available. 2109 Churchill Drive. Terrace.

My lovely, lovely parents sent me over a care package sent with Nancy and Serge Bersaglio, the Village of Hope directors who were coming back from Canada. They sent so many goodies!!!! Including vacuum sealed Tim Hortons coffee!!! Sewing needles, DVDs, and ten rolls of tape!! Oh happy day! Love and miss you guys as i'm sitting here eating breakfast with my Timmys coffee thinking about you. 

PS That is Jerry my giraffe beside me, I rescued the lil guy from the market he has only one ear.

Regal 

Has anything funny happened to you lately?

WELL let me tell YOU because I know you want to get this imagery engraved into your noggin..

It was a bright and sunny morning like all mornings are here in Zambia and all seemed most tranquil... I had to use the lil girls room in a bad way so blearily I hopped out of bed and found I had to use the second bathroom the very creepy/slightly damp/boarder lining inhospitable bathroom as Liz was having a shower in the other. Well you know how it is got ready to sit down and then suddenly I felt something underneath my foot and looked down to see something of no small size squirming, squealing, and struggling to get out, needless to say I jumped up screaming ran down the hall with my pjs half off, and booked it right out the door. New record. Liz with perfect timing having just emerged from the loo could not stop laughing at me and then after about twenty minutes five minutes my heart resumed its normal rate and I was able to laugh about it. I am still alive praise Jehovah!

Still do not know what it was or where it went.. shudderrrrr...

Every day is market day

The first signs that we are approaching the Chsokone market is the sudden congestion and confusion of cars, people are dodging the vehicles as cars are worth more than the people’s lives here. We step out of the taxi and head towards what looks like chaos. But underneath the surface there in lies the iceberg. You have to look closer to see that everything has its place and everyone knows what their purpose is. I have yet to figure all this out and still cannot understand why it take five men for me to be able to purchase fabric or some oranges, but one day. For now there is still a tourist sticker on my forehead, I am lost puppy trying to look like a big dog in some other canines’ territory.

Take a breath and step in, step left, step right, step over.

We dodge the cars we dodge the people.

We dodge their goods in transit coming at our heads. (Liz got hit in the noggin last week by a sack of potatoes a man was carrying on his head, she's ok!) 

We try not to hit the children and the wheel barrels.

We plug our ears and hold our breath where it is required.

We do our best to ignore the crude remarks, the proposals directed at me, the in-law comments to Liz, the demands and requests for money.

We feel like walking dollar bills, ATMS with unlimited cash withdraw limits.

The shouts broadcasting of the colour of our skin, as if people can't see us coming from a mile away.

Everyone is calling to us "Mazungu!" “Madame!” “Talk time! Fresh naches! Slippers! Spices!” 

I always think of my goal and try not to look too long at one thing or the owners will come running up and try to direct you back to their stalls "Looking and touching is free madame!" If you look too long you are doomed so those peripherals come in real handy!

I have a habit of being too accommodating sometimes and so when I first came to the market it would take me about five minutes to make someone understand that I do not need a four foot laundry stirring paddle and apologizing to them all the while. Now I am much better, I can just say no thank you and move on! Oh, the break-throughs. 

Last week Liz and I were searching for this one area that had a lot of fabric to choose from we couldn't find it and got hopelessly lost. The market is pretty big but what makes it larger is the maze integrated into it. It is just waiting for victims like me!! Going to bring out that compass my Pa gave me that I never thought I would need. I said lets go straight until we get out somewhere and we eventually got out, but the annoying part is we went back to look for this place again and found it (incredible) and we were only one alley/path way away from it last time blarrrrghh! Oh well.

This market is crazy nuts and at first my insides were like aaah! but I really like going now. It is insanely grimy, dodgy, worn, colourful, gritty, chaotic, smelly (good and bad), undaunted, living and breathing Zambian life. It is completely normal. One day I will see the whole iceberg and understand Zambian culture, this year may not even be enough, my understanding comes good and bad, and always in little bits. 

fuzzy wuzzy was a bear...

This is where my hair goes in the evenings to have a good time and to hang out with its friends, gold miner hair, trappers, fur traders, prospectors, Goldilocks, miners etc, you know how it is. Sometimes getting tangled up in the wrong crowd though... baahaha I kill myself... 

Blustery

This day was a day of pre-washing all the lovely fabrics I had just purchased at the kerrazy market, also it was also a nice day to play around..

Gusty lady

I am so sneaky

All strung out.

The End! I am off to bed it is late here and early there Goodnight folks!

OK Laura stop procrastinating and update your blog already.

I wrote this blog earlier today, I started out by complaining about the very few things I do not like about Zambia and expressing longings of being back home with the efficient line-ups, being in S-bucks with my delightful caramel machiato, enjoying the lack of language barrier etc. I will stop there don't get me started again.  

So instead of the cons I want tell you some of the many things that I love about Zambia and if I had to leave right now I would be sincerely sorry for it I assure you.  

NUMERO UNO:

• Zambians in general are so rad, and very kind. 
• The fabric here is faan freakin tastic and cheap. 
• Zambia has made me learn how to cook and bake oh my! (I have realized no one is going to do it for me also Liz hates to cook sooo.. there you go. I made muffins for the first time today Hallelujerr!).
• The patience these people have is incredible (Example: If we had to wait in a line-up for 5-10 minutes we would be impatiently sighing and staring at our watched making sure the cashier can see us. I waited in a bank here for 2 hours once with a room full of people also waiting and there were no angry mobs.)
• CHURCH. Church is so rad here everyone is dancing and singing their ain't no fear. Don't care about the person next to you because they are so in love with Jesus that people just want to express it in their fly moves and by singing at the top of their voices. Tis a good time. 
• When you get on the bus you get preached to before you leave the terminal. Seriously if someone were to do that in Canada they would get arrested. So I just love this so much.
• Organic stuff is cheaper than non. This is a miracle in itself.
• I get to wear flippy floppys all the time! Good bye you silly closed shoes, hello weirdly tanned terrific feet!!
• The ladies I work with :) They are so fun and hilarious, love em.
• My students Sometimes they drive me up the wall like the other day they were trying to imitate the Korean accent for about an hour holy grail. But then when I hear, "Teacher Laura, I really like this class I don't like to miss it." My insides get warm and I remember that they are such a good bunch of kids. 
• I have an avocado, guava, and a mango tree in the back yard! YUM
• There are lions and tigers and bears here OH MY not to mention one of the seven wonders of the world pfffft no big deal..
• I get to be shown every day what a blessed life I have been given, I am learning to be content and to be so very grateful for what I have. 
• I get to see the most amazing kinds of faith, the kind you only get when you are completely and totally relying on God for your day to day needs. So cool.

So whats the verdict Victor you might just inquire? And I will tell you.. Somehow I ended up in Africa and I would not want to be anywhere else so there! So there. Pshaw.  

In conclusion:

Another thing I really like about Kiwe is that their pet stores are on the side of the road, I always see this guy he can be holding dogs, kittens, other peoples dogs, pigeons, and chickens at any given day! I look forward to passing the pet stores on the daily.

Oooh looky! I get to barter!! I like that we get to do this buuuut I am really bad at it and I think they can sense this... 

still sailin

Ok I am sorry! I promise to write you a nice long posting and tell you what has been going on in my life very soon! Probably tomorrow... or the next.. Just know I am doing great here and I hope you doing great there in the land of cheeseburgers and french fries which I currently have a hankerin' for! Eat a fry and think of me will you? 


Here is a nice little sail boat picture I took to appease you.. look how nice and appeaceful it is....mmmm....... 


Appeacful? get it? oooh maaan too funny. 


ALSO If anyone wants to have an monthly email updatio from me send me an email: laura.m.kerr@hotmail.com or give your addy to me on face book and you will be added to the list currently I have four people.... yeah whats with that?? Wouldn't you like to hear about all the trials and tribulations in my persecuted life??? Not really persecuted but on the bus back to Kitwe last week the little girl beside me wiped her nose on my sleeve and that was the opposite of fun... K done rambling looking forward to your emails!

Zesty

This has been in my head to draw for some time and today I had a day off so Ta Da! Lemon joke.

I feel like a teacher!

I am giving my first quiz tomorrow! I am weirdly excited about this, but I believe it is because I get to mark it and I will feel like a real live boy teacher! Click here and see how many you got right.

Ni Shinga ichitenge?

Ichitenge shopping! Or fabric shopping as you Canucks would say. It cost around 60,000 Kwachas for six yards of Ichitenge cloth which works out to about two dollars a yard in Canadian mula.... Holy Grail. I am going to break my wallet and my back with all the fabric I am going to bring back home!!
The market is nuts so many people I almost went bananas. I am learning how to dodge (Dodge, Duck, Dip, Dive, Dodge) people, chickens, cars, wheel barrels, questionable road splatters etc. Adventurous! :)


This was when I was purchasing fabric for the skirts with Charles the (Youth Empowerment Program director) and Lizzy. He came to make sure they did not over charge us. In the market a lot of vender's  would like to charge us "rich Americans" double or triple what they might charge a local. Even when I go back to the same places they try to charge more and claim that the prices have risen so I say Ahwaay!!! (Means NOO in Bemba said: ahhway not away) "Be honest, ni shinga ichitenge?" And then they give it to me for the regular price. It helps if you know a lil bit o'Bemba, I fool them into thinking that I know what I am doing. So I am learning how to barter what fun! :) I need to go back soon to buy more fabric, the girls are almost done their skirts and the boys almost done their shirts and then we will switch.

Our friend Diane who works in the market sifting something. Beautiful smile.

I am sorry, you said you wanted a pair of fur lines galoshes? But of course we have some!

I have left the job up to the students to find a place where we will sell our beautiful clothing as I don't know my way around that well yet! This is the Chasokonee Market where I go to buy the fabric.

Albert pinning his shirt getting ready to sew.

Anne working on her skirt.

Eliacy modeling her skirt 

This week my students will be done our shirts and skirts, we will talk a little bit about small business, and then the boys will make skirts and the girls will make the mens shirts. Our week besides work has been a good one, we are still in the process of getting our working visas which has been tough but I know we are supposed to be here so we will get them I am not worried but if you would like to send a prayer up for us that would be appreciated. I was able to open up a bank account even without my working visa which was what they required so praise the Lord I will finally be able to get money sent to me after two months of begging and borrowing. Glory! 

We had a very relaxing Sunday I slept for about 3 hours Amen. And now I am going to read Pride and Prejudice for the third time since being here. Thither! Henceforth! Onward! Forthwith! Tis so great.

blurred nature, painting or water reflection. meh, your choice.

Africa seams to be a little bit of a blur right now... or is that just how quickly time is passing?? I have been here a lil' over two months now and I cannot say it feels like that long.

My comfort level increases everyday, the other week I walked to the bakery up the street all by myself. I put my big girl panties on and took a gander. I am no longer screaming when I see a cockroach, I am learning how to cook (Mum sang a Hallelujah chorus when I emailed her for recipes), and I have finally trained my students not to call me "Aunty" (shudder) I don't care if it is a sign of respect you are ageing me. They now call me "BaRaura" or "BaNaura" which is also very respectful i'm told so I will ignore the missing L and feel very honored. :)

Everlyn, the Village director, also says she is going to find me a husband so I can never leave! How nice... scared.

PS Missing home but not enough to want to leave.. sorrrry... I still have love for you.

PSS Ate chocolate cake, sipped Tim Hortons coffee and watched the hockey game today! And it felt so great.

today I sat and watched butterfly's

Today is Zambians National freedom day so that means no work for us! I slept in till the glorious hour of nine o'clock then proceeded to have a very busy day of making french toast with caramelized bananas and apples (thats right, no big deal...) lounged in our neighbors hammock, and from my door step watched butterfly's frolic about. Thoroughly exhausting let me tell you.