Palm strike not karate chop

When you are trying to open a bottle of your favorite beverage using only the surrounding environment you want to be sure that you employ the palm strike rather than karate chop. The chop will break your hand... so I have heard. It has become something of a game to find things that can be used to open the glass bottles that are every where over here.

I have not yet told you about the little bbq (Braai) that was held at the church on Friday evening. The get together was scheduled to begin at 5:30 and even though we know well that there will be no one there until 6: 00 at the earliest we made our way from work at 5:20 or so. Walking into the compound was just about exactly as expected, no one save the grounds keeper who has only just begun to pour the coals into a little grill. I started a conversation with Conrad, the grounds guy, who quickly took an interest in America and talked about how Americans are good people.

I do not know how to respond to this just yet. Katy, Kahler and I just kind of looked at each other waiting for someone to deliver in a gentle way that lots of Americans are not, in fact, great people. I tried to tell him that we are not typical Americans, unfortunately,  none of those that come over to Zambia for missions work or for research really fit the American norm. All I could do was tell him that we are glad that we are here and that we have found a great church. Kahler was enlisted to help carry the crates of cokes back from the little store and Katy was whisked away to the kitchen with the ladies. I was left to talk to Conrad about family and the man's role in relationships and how sharing the Gospel and bringing glory to God in all that you do is the most important thing in this life. Something so simple yet, is so easily forgotten or ignored.

This past week was a long one. It feels as if Michelle left a few weeks ago. Kahler and I both have to present standard operating procedure information at the training day this next Tuesday. I will try and give that a glance before I get up there are read the slide verbatim. There is work to be done on seeing that the Zambian lab supervisors are given the chance to take the reins. The goal at the end of my time here is to make my position obsolete.

We made it to the Sunday market today and it was neat to be able to look at things through eyes that have been in Zambia for a little while. Last time I pretended to be French (which was really fun) but, this time I actually had a great time talking to the vendors. They all say that they do the carving and painting of the goods that they have on display at their stand. Many of them just buy them or sell them for the actual artist I am sure but, maybe there are a few that actually make their own goods.

I found the way to move on from one vendor to the next was to introduce myself and ask them their name. Every time i did this they were thrilled and let me by without following me all the way down the line. I was looking for the perfect carved hippo and I think I found it. I have not named him yet but, he is awesome. I bought him from a fella, Jack. When I reached out to shake his hand and grabbed a piece of 40 grit sandpaper that gripped mine like a vice. I decided that when he told me that he did all of his work that he was not lying. I found a few other things that I want to pick up before I come back for the holidays. All in all it was a great trip to the Sunday market complete with some lunch at a neat little place called the Mint Cafe and a ride home courtesy of one of our Baptist Mission Zambia contacts, Ellen.

I am sitting now on the front porch of Katy and Kahler's flat and I am flipping back and forth between watching how my fantasy football team is doing (it turns out that they were all invited to the suckfest and accepted, they even held to the valley girl theme and wore skirts) and writing this blog post.

Tomorrow morning is gre practice test time and some good study time.

All is pretty great