It has been absolutely amazing being back in the states these past few days. The days have been pretty packed and sleep has not been so easy to snag but, I would not trade it for the world.
I want to give a quick run down of all of the things that I appreciated here thus far.
1. Transportation: I can go wherever I want whenever I want and don't have to sit is anyone's lap
2. Food: if I want it, it is easy to find and tastes great
3. Family: I walked out of the terminal on Thursday and saw four people that I can't think of being away from the rest on my contract in Africa. I will, of course, but, mom, dad, Brother, Jennah - I can't even say how thankful I am for you or how much I love you. Uncle Bill you are a rock and a sage, thank you so much for all that you have done for me here in the states (great food and conversation) and for your consistent communication while I have been a world away.
4. Friends: Old and new. It is not that I have not made friends in Africa but, that I really do miss those that I left back here in the states. I have actually made some new ones here while I have been away too
5. Cleanliness: The people are clean and the streets are clean, it's brilliant!
6. Technology: Wifi everywhere and quick connections
7. Open: No compound walls surrounding every house
8. Conversation: This coincides with three and four but, I miss being able to speak normally and having people understand what I am saying the first time around
The list could go on and on but, I need to go grab some breakfast and figure out what the day looks like.
Katy, Kahler and the Hyman's have fun on your trip to Livingstone! I am sure that it will be fantastic. Praying for safe travels!
All is marvelous
Monday, December 20, 2010
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Home
I love America, I love Texas, I love being home!
Made it back safely. The flights were relatively uneventful save that the flight from Jo-burg. IT was delayed and I barely made it in time to the Dubai gate. Obviously, I made it ok though, all is so very well. Met my fam at the airport and have just about put down my first six-pack of cream soda. All my luggage came through and I am just pumped to be in America Land. So good!
Made it back safely. The flights were relatively uneventful save that the flight from Jo-burg. IT was delayed and I barely made it in time to the Dubai gate. Obviously, I made it ok though, all is so very well. Met my fam at the airport and have just about put down my first six-pack of cream soda. All my luggage came through and I am just pumped to be in America Land. So good!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Here I come
About eleven hours until I am in the air headed toward that sweet America Land. I caught myself today reminiscing and trying to take in all the things that I want to share with everyone about this amazing place. Can't wait to see you!
Appreciating all of your prayers for a safe flight back. All is about as good as it can get!
Appreciating all of your prayers for a safe flight back. All is about as good as it can get!
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Airplane
That is what is on my mind.
I do not want to seem as though I have not enjoyed myself here, only to express how happy I will be to see friends and family again. I would like to go over some of the things that I have seen and learned over the past five months.
1. Baboons are not nice
2. I like open fields without walls
3. I wish that all were as friendly and respectful as most Zambians are
4. Everyone should see Vic Falls, awesome and humbling
5. Leadership is a gift, not everyone has it. (This will be amended to say that good leadership is rare and though it can be taught it requires training and effort, thanks Uncle Bill)
6. Jimmy Eat World makes long walks to the post office easy
7. The animals and plants here are fantastically different
8. Appreciate solemnity every once and a while
9. God is good no matter your geography
10. It is supposed to be cool at Christmas
11. Sunday is supposed to be the second day of the weekend
12. U.S. beef and Mexican food hold a very special place in my heart
13. Thankful for my amazingly supportive family
14. It is a short list detailing things that Zambians will not eat
15. I miss my church back in CS
16. Riding in the mini buses has destroyed my sense of 'personal space'
17. 'Right of Way' only counts if both parties understand it
18. What the heck were they thinking when they paved the first roundabout?
19. Despite being trashed by the people nature finds a way to make a landscape breathtaking
20. Living some where and visiting some where are two very different things
Yesterday evening on the to the Mexican food place we also ran over a man. Joseph slammed the brakes and I, sitting in the passengers seat (left side, still weird), locked eyes with a guy that I was pretty sure we would be taking to the hospital. He was toasted and stumbled back into a ditch where I assume we probably spent the night. Not a bad idea, likely the safest option for that fella.
Katy, Kahler and I made it to the Sunday Market today where I picked a few things for you folks back home. We ran into a couple of people that Katy knows fairly well that are associated with the Baptist Mission Zambia (BMZ) and ate lunch at the Mint Cafe. Pretty tasty place, I got French Toast and ended up munching on Clair's salad that she couldn't finish. I didn't have too much trouble.
Did a little shopping at Spar though, there was not too much that I needed as I am headed out very soon. Got in Roy's beat to death cab and headed back for the flats. Roy is a funny character, he is a Rasta with ganja leaves all over his station wagon cab that can't have more than 100km left before it gives up the ghost.
Got back to the flats, took a little nap and listened to a sermon online about Godly leadership in the I Peter 5:1-4 concerning elders. Part on my reason for number fifteen above. I miss being a part of a church like Grace. I am thankful that I have access to the teaching still even all the way over here. Might have also played a part in number five as well. Being a good leader is not always/ever easy. Without the proper priority hierarchy and by that I mean without placing bringing glory to God on top you will fail even if it looks like you might have succeeded here.
Oh! 21. Don't ever take free refills for-granted
I leave here in two days, it is still a little too heavy for me to wrap my mind around just yet. Can't wait to see you all or that sweet Texas countryside! I miss you guys. All is so very well
I do not want to seem as though I have not enjoyed myself here, only to express how happy I will be to see friends and family again. I would like to go over some of the things that I have seen and learned over the past five months.
1. Baboons are not nice
2. I like open fields without walls
3. I wish that all were as friendly and respectful as most Zambians are
4. Everyone should see Vic Falls, awesome and humbling
5. Leadership is a gift, not everyone has it. (This will be amended to say that good leadership is rare and though it can be taught it requires training and effort, thanks Uncle Bill)
6. Jimmy Eat World makes long walks to the post office easy
7. The animals and plants here are fantastically different
8. Appreciate solemnity every once and a while
9. God is good no matter your geography
10. It is supposed to be cool at Christmas
11. Sunday is supposed to be the second day of the weekend
12. U.S. beef and Mexican food hold a very special place in my heart
13. Thankful for my amazingly supportive family
14. It is a short list detailing things that Zambians will not eat
15. I miss my church back in CS
16. Riding in the mini buses has destroyed my sense of 'personal space'
17. 'Right of Way' only counts if both parties understand it
18. What the heck were they thinking when they paved the first roundabout?
19. Despite being trashed by the people nature finds a way to make a landscape breathtaking
20. Living some where and visiting some where are two very different things
Yesterday evening on the to the Mexican food place we also ran over a man. Joseph slammed the brakes and I, sitting in the passengers seat (left side, still weird), locked eyes with a guy that I was pretty sure we would be taking to the hospital. He was toasted and stumbled back into a ditch where I assume we probably spent the night. Not a bad idea, likely the safest option for that fella.
Katy, Kahler and I made it to the Sunday Market today where I picked a few things for you folks back home. We ran into a couple of people that Katy knows fairly well that are associated with the Baptist Mission Zambia (BMZ) and ate lunch at the Mint Cafe. Pretty tasty place, I got French Toast and ended up munching on Clair's salad that she couldn't finish. I didn't have too much trouble.
Did a little shopping at Spar though, there was not too much that I needed as I am headed out very soon. Got in Roy's beat to death cab and headed back for the flats. Roy is a funny character, he is a Rasta with ganja leaves all over his station wagon cab that can't have more than 100km left before it gives up the ghost.
Got back to the flats, took a little nap and listened to a sermon online about Godly leadership in the I Peter 5:1-4 concerning elders. Part on my reason for number fifteen above. I miss being a part of a church like Grace. I am thankful that I have access to the teaching still even all the way over here. Might have also played a part in number five as well. Being a good leader is not always/ever easy. Without the proper priority hierarchy and by that I mean without placing bringing glory to God on top you will fail even if it looks like you might have succeeded here.
Oh! 21. Don't ever take free refills for-granted
I leave here in two days, it is still a little too heavy for me to wrap my mind around just yet. Can't wait to see you all or that sweet Texas countryside! I miss you guys. All is so very well
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Rain rain
The wet has been pretty impressive. I was able to get to work yesterday morning without boots. It was muddy but, I managed to play my own 'professional' version of hopscotch to make it through the nastiest sections and stay relatively clean. There was a flaw in my plan. Lack of foresight bit me again and with the steady rain all morning and my growling stomach combined I became (not Captain Planet) swamp thing? I tried to keep dry for the first fifty yards or so and then decided that it was just time to dive in and I trudged through the river that was previously Vubu Road. I got home, changed, had a cup of tea, and hit the road again to IAVI where we had Management Meeting (have I mentioned that I deplore/abhor/despise, [deorspise] these?). I survived though and even seemed to go a little more swiftly than usual. Maybe because all I could think about is how that would be my last management meeting of the year!
Tuesday was training day. It actually went very smoothly and I dare say that I even had a little fun. Kahler and I each presented a few SOPs and then had the techs present the other six or so. We made it through these bad boys in record time. Before lunch we had run through all of the procedures that they had tacked us with for the entire day. It was a good thing too as Kahler and I had to be in front of a computer for a conference call at 4:00 and there were two very involved SOPs that we needed to get through that were not on the list which we were able to accomplish. Always fun when we can let the guys go a little early too, which we were also able to do.
There are some really sharp folks in the lab and a few of them understand my American English well enough for me to crack a joke here and there and get a little chuckle. I just pretend that they would have absolutely lost it but, because we were in a professional setting they were forced to suppress the outburst.
There is nothing left to set up for my homecoming. My car is all set, I have a phone, I have a ride (or two) home from the airport, I have my tickets printed... I suppose I have to pack a few things but, that will take all of eleven minutes tops.
Today was soggy again but, I slipped on the 'ol 'gum boots' (rubber boots) and took off through the deep stuff on purpose. There is something fantastic about defying nature. Maybe why I like driving so much too. We are not supposed to go that fast but, I can when I am in the car. It was a good day, dreadfully slow though. I talked to Mr. Theo this evening and I will going into the immigration office tomorrow morning to pick up my (drum roll) employment permit! It is finally 'on the books' and I will get to rescue it into my custody. This should minimize any complications that could arise with my re-entry... in about three years.
Oh man! critter update, there are five inch slugs cruising around all over! These are dark gray/black with a yellow stripe running right along their dorsal bi-symmetry. I have a couple of pictures of them, I will get them loaded in soon.
To all a very blessed day! All is very well
Tuesday was training day. It actually went very smoothly and I dare say that I even had a little fun. Kahler and I each presented a few SOPs and then had the techs present the other six or so. We made it through these bad boys in record time. Before lunch we had run through all of the procedures that they had tacked us with for the entire day. It was a good thing too as Kahler and I had to be in front of a computer for a conference call at 4:00 and there were two very involved SOPs that we needed to get through that were not on the list which we were able to accomplish. Always fun when we can let the guys go a little early too, which we were also able to do.
There are some really sharp folks in the lab and a few of them understand my American English well enough for me to crack a joke here and there and get a little chuckle. I just pretend that they would have absolutely lost it but, because we were in a professional setting they were forced to suppress the outburst.
There is nothing left to set up for my homecoming. My car is all set, I have a phone, I have a ride (or two) home from the airport, I have my tickets printed... I suppose I have to pack a few things but, that will take all of eleven minutes tops.
Today was soggy again but, I slipped on the 'ol 'gum boots' (rubber boots) and took off through the deep stuff on purpose. There is something fantastic about defying nature. Maybe why I like driving so much too. We are not supposed to go that fast but, I can when I am in the car. It was a good day, dreadfully slow though. I talked to Mr. Theo this evening and I will going into the immigration office tomorrow morning to pick up my (drum roll) employment permit! It is finally 'on the books' and I will get to rescue it into my custody. This should minimize any complications that could arise with my re-entry... in about three years.
Oh man! critter update, there are five inch slugs cruising around all over! These are dark gray/black with a yellow stripe running right along their dorsal bi-symmetry. I have a couple of pictures of them, I will get them loaded in soon.
To all a very blessed day! All is very well
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Just over the next hill
It has been a pretty great weekend! I have been able to talk to people that I care about on Skype, went to a little Mazungu arts and Crafts show in the middle of no where (middle of no where in Africa is a big deal folks), and got to put up Christmas decorations with Katy and Kahler at Mike and Lindy's house.
Well last week's end was very welcome and so it was decided that we would celebrate a little by going to this 'big' once a year crafts show out Leopard's Hill road and 4.5km down a little road to a place called the Polocross Club, or something like that. It had rained pretty heavily on Saturday night turning that 4.5 kilometer drive into a slick, slippery, African red dirt, barely passable in four-wheel drive kind of path. We decided to give our little 1995 Toyota Corolla beat-to-death cab drive a break and get out and hike the 4km or so down this muddy mess.
Well it turns out that it was all mazungus there pretty much and since this was taking place on a Sunday morning all of the folks that would give us a ride in the back of their truck were at church. So instead of getting picked up we just got splashed (admittedly Kahler got it the worst) I took the high road up through the bush (mamba trail). A big 2500 Dodge Ram (must be an American) long bed drove right by, I couldn't believe it. I might have had some unwholesome thoughts run through my brain just briefly.
Hill after hill until we finally arrived at the Polo fields and found three decent sized tents. Most of what they sold there was larger items like furniture. They had a few neat things but, on the whole it was super touristy and over-priced. We were blessed by running into a girl that we know from the mission named Sarah who was there with a Zambian cat named Mark. Mark works for Airtel, formerly Zain (A Wonderful World, I will tell you about this when I see you). His Land Cruiser which we all hopped in carried us all through the crimson sludge without missing a beat. He took us the rest of the way home as he did not live terribly far from our flats. It was a much better conclusion than intro for sure.
Today was productive. Got up and headed to IAVI this morning as there is a shipment going out. Kahler and I spent a few hours this morning getting all of that squared away and doing our darnedest to see that there were zero mistakes. Came back, ate breakfast and then headed for Manda Hill to walk around and get the weekly groceries per usual. Something pretty crazy happen while eating lunch. We went into a little pizza place called Debonaire's and saw a rat the size of a large ferret. This bad boy was pretty impressive. The Zambian lady in sandals in front of us freaked out and that's when we got a look at the beast before it disappeared into the counter some where. It's whatever, TIA right? I need to preface this next part with a bit of extra information.
Manda Hill has been undergoing a massive reconstruction and everything is just now finishing up and it looks great but, well we are in Africa. We are eating out side under cover of the mall while it poured rain. About mid chew I notice something out of the corner of my eye. It is water beginning to gush from the roof across the way. Then the roof just falls away in a huge section and waterfall pours out. A few people screamed and made a cute little dance move to get out of the way. I am glad that no one was hurt because I was pretty worthless laughing at what had just happen. I was laughing right up until I looked above our table and started seeing wet seams around the huge ceiling tiles. Kahler, Katy and I looked at each other for a second shoved the last pieces of pizza in our mouths and got the heck out of Dodge.
After a bit of grocery shopping we trudged through the rain about a kilometer to Mike and Lindy's. Bare foot, muddy and pretty soaked we got to the Howard's where we dried off and begin decorating their house for Christmas! It was fantastic, they have a huge amount of Christmas stuff and it was a blast listening to Christmas music with Holiday Inn playing in the background and putting up lights. It was a fabulous end to the weekend, for sure.
Oh and I was joking a little with Heather about an eagle-sized grass hopper but, on the way to the arts and crafts show I saw a huge hopper take fight and had to stare for a while and make sure that it wasn't a hummingbird. The wings underneath the green covering are so vibrantly colored. It was a pink to deep purple color that was just terrific. Definitely fun to see when everything seemed so dreary and nasty. No matter the weather or condition there is some creation that shows you beauty, even when you least expect it.
I hope that you all had an equally great weekend! It is now single digits until I am back in the states! All is very well
Also, I got to eat a few termites at Mike and Lindy's! Crispy with a little juice in the middle. Maybe not the best but, not impossible. They did feed us Warthog stew and cornbread too which was delicious!
Well last week's end was very welcome and so it was decided that we would celebrate a little by going to this 'big' once a year crafts show out Leopard's Hill road and 4.5km down a little road to a place called the Polocross Club, or something like that. It had rained pretty heavily on Saturday night turning that 4.5 kilometer drive into a slick, slippery, African red dirt, barely passable in four-wheel drive kind of path. We decided to give our little 1995 Toyota Corolla beat-to-death cab drive a break and get out and hike the 4km or so down this muddy mess.
Well it turns out that it was all mazungus there pretty much and since this was taking place on a Sunday morning all of the folks that would give us a ride in the back of their truck were at church. So instead of getting picked up we just got splashed (admittedly Kahler got it the worst) I took the high road up through the bush (mamba trail). A big 2500 Dodge Ram (must be an American) long bed drove right by, I couldn't believe it. I might have had some unwholesome thoughts run through my brain just briefly.
Hill after hill until we finally arrived at the Polo fields and found three decent sized tents. Most of what they sold there was larger items like furniture. They had a few neat things but, on the whole it was super touristy and over-priced. We were blessed by running into a girl that we know from the mission named Sarah who was there with a Zambian cat named Mark. Mark works for Airtel, formerly Zain (A Wonderful World, I will tell you about this when I see you). His Land Cruiser which we all hopped in carried us all through the crimson sludge without missing a beat. He took us the rest of the way home as he did not live terribly far from our flats. It was a much better conclusion than intro for sure.
Today was productive. Got up and headed to IAVI this morning as there is a shipment going out. Kahler and I spent a few hours this morning getting all of that squared away and doing our darnedest to see that there were zero mistakes. Came back, ate breakfast and then headed for Manda Hill to walk around and get the weekly groceries per usual. Something pretty crazy happen while eating lunch. We went into a little pizza place called Debonaire's and saw a rat the size of a large ferret. This bad boy was pretty impressive. The Zambian lady in sandals in front of us freaked out and that's when we got a look at the beast before it disappeared into the counter some where. It's whatever, TIA right? I need to preface this next part with a bit of extra information.
Manda Hill has been undergoing a massive reconstruction and everything is just now finishing up and it looks great but, well we are in Africa. We are eating out side under cover of the mall while it poured rain. About mid chew I notice something out of the corner of my eye. It is water beginning to gush from the roof across the way. Then the roof just falls away in a huge section and waterfall pours out. A few people screamed and made a cute little dance move to get out of the way. I am glad that no one was hurt because I was pretty worthless laughing at what had just happen. I was laughing right up until I looked above our table and started seeing wet seams around the huge ceiling tiles. Kahler, Katy and I looked at each other for a second shoved the last pieces of pizza in our mouths and got the heck out of Dodge.
After a bit of grocery shopping we trudged through the rain about a kilometer to Mike and Lindy's. Bare foot, muddy and pretty soaked we got to the Howard's where we dried off and begin decorating their house for Christmas! It was fantastic, they have a huge amount of Christmas stuff and it was a blast listening to Christmas music with Holiday Inn playing in the background and putting up lights. It was a fabulous end to the weekend, for sure.
Oh and I was joking a little with Heather about an eagle-sized grass hopper but, on the way to the arts and crafts show I saw a huge hopper take fight and had to stare for a while and make sure that it wasn't a hummingbird. The wings underneath the green covering are so vibrantly colored. It was a pink to deep purple color that was just terrific. Definitely fun to see when everything seemed so dreary and nasty. No matter the weather or condition there is some creation that shows you beauty, even when you least expect it.
I hope that you all had an equally great weekend! It is now single digits until I am back in the states! All is very well
Also, I got to eat a few termites at Mike and Lindy's! Crispy with a little juice in the middle. Maybe not the best but, not impossible. They did feed us Warthog stew and cornbread too which was delicious!
Friday, December 3, 2010
The reckoning and life thereafter
This week has gone just about exactly as I thought it would. It has been an absolute nightmare. From mis-communication with Emory to lab techs not getting their contracts renewed. It was one of those weeks that was memorable for all of the negative reasons.
Tuesday was the day that everyone was on edge because tomorrow would be the day that they would find out whether they still had a job or not. We managed through that one and made it to Wednesday where we terminated two techs. One of which was expecting his contract to have expired permanently and the other was caught a bit more unaware. She came to me crying showing me the letter that she was given that indicated that she was not eligible to have her contract renewed. She said that she wanted to come and talk to me later but, that conversation has yet to take place.
Thursday I and the lab caught hell for not getting a few boxes that were part of a side study in a shipment. Kahler and I have been scrambling to try and get on top of it as it is currently a huge mess. The dry ice arrived today for the shipment to be sent out on Monday. After several other follow up emails and keeping correspondence with the four or five agencies that we work with I can end the day somewhat satisfied with the work accomplished today. I however, know that tomorrow holds a good deal of work and it will likely be a very long 'Friday' for us.
The labs have managed ok thus far with the absence of the two techs though when leave and sickness occurs we are going to be in a very bad way I am afraid. Right now there is just no way around it though so it will be dealt with when it comes up a little further down the road (a lot further down the road would be ok too).
That just about brings you up to speed on what has happen these past five days. The plane ticket that takes me to Houston on the 16th has been keeping me going through all of the ridiculous-ness that has represented my job for the past few days.
I will try and shift here to a lighter tone. There were two amazing things that I got to see today. The first was spotted by Kahler this morning on our short run. It was a whopper of a slug! The thing was about four inches long and had some decent girth to it. It was a monster. The second I caught a peek of this evening. Kahler and I were snooping around the little outdoor sheds in an mode exploration and stumbled on a huge bug. No idea what it was at first and did not know whether the thing was alive or dead. Turned out to be a live roach that was Africa huge. I had biceps! Two pretty neat critter sightings right here in our little Lusaka.
Needless to say I am very much looking forward to the weekend. I just have to make it through tomorrow and I get a little break and then just one more week then I am off and in a familiar and fantastic land.
Hoping that you are all well. I, by the by, and in great health and am currently at am all is going to be fine status. Have a terrific weekend!
Tuesday was the day that everyone was on edge because tomorrow would be the day that they would find out whether they still had a job or not. We managed through that one and made it to Wednesday where we terminated two techs. One of which was expecting his contract to have expired permanently and the other was caught a bit more unaware. She came to me crying showing me the letter that she was given that indicated that she was not eligible to have her contract renewed. She said that she wanted to come and talk to me later but, that conversation has yet to take place.
Thursday I and the lab caught hell for not getting a few boxes that were part of a side study in a shipment. Kahler and I have been scrambling to try and get on top of it as it is currently a huge mess. The dry ice arrived today for the shipment to be sent out on Monday. After several other follow up emails and keeping correspondence with the four or five agencies that we work with I can end the day somewhat satisfied with the work accomplished today. I however, know that tomorrow holds a good deal of work and it will likely be a very long 'Friday' for us.
The labs have managed ok thus far with the absence of the two techs though when leave and sickness occurs we are going to be in a very bad way I am afraid. Right now there is just no way around it though so it will be dealt with when it comes up a little further down the road (a lot further down the road would be ok too).
That just about brings you up to speed on what has happen these past five days. The plane ticket that takes me to Houston on the 16th has been keeping me going through all of the ridiculous-ness that has represented my job for the past few days.
I will try and shift here to a lighter tone. There were two amazing things that I got to see today. The first was spotted by Kahler this morning on our short run. It was a whopper of a slug! The thing was about four inches long and had some decent girth to it. It was a monster. The second I caught a peek of this evening. Kahler and I were snooping around the little outdoor sheds in an mode exploration and stumbled on a huge bug. No idea what it was at first and did not know whether the thing was alive or dead. Turned out to be a live roach that was Africa huge. I had biceps! Two pretty neat critter sightings right here in our little Lusaka.
Needless to say I am very much looking forward to the weekend. I just have to make it through tomorrow and I get a little break and then just one more week then I am off and in a familiar and fantastic land.
Hoping that you are all well. I, by the by, and in great health and am currently at am all is going to be fine status. Have a terrific weekend!
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