Still in Lusaka

As of now, we are hoping to load up and start our journey up country on Tuesday. Yesterday was a whirl of shopping--I have a lot of the basics, so it was picking up the odds and ends that I don't have and a few treats for the holidays. I found a few new shirts which was exciting--it's amazing how quickly your cloths either get destroyed, or you just wish you had SOMETHING else to wear. Tomorrow we're going to be getting our perishable stuff; stuff to put in the freezer so it will survive the trip. It looks like there will be a stop for some dental work (not mine PTL!) in Kitwe, and then home. While it's fun to be in Lusaka, eat out, shop, and be off station, I will be deeply grateful to be in my bed again.

A Zambian Roadtrip

Traveling in Zambia is very different from traveling at home for several reasons. First, there is a lot more dust, and way more pot holes than we would consider acceptable. Secondly, unlike our highways which are littered with fast food places and clean bathrooms, Zambia has very little of both. Also, there while most of the drive is grass and tress, there are some amusing roadside things to see. Sorry, there was only one or two guys with rats so I didn't get a picture of those! And yes, the rats are live.

Charcoal. After Kitwe you see lots and lots of these bags by the side of the highway. Sometimes you see guys with four or more of these loaded up on his bike--I'm not sure what would happen if he fell over! Outside Lusaka there is an area where there are a whole lot of charcoal merchants, and the ground all around them is black. No wonder they have deforestation issues...

This bright purple church makes me smile every time we pass it--it's faded a bit in the sun, and with all the dust it's not quite it's glorious hue, but it's still not quite the color we might choose for our buildings!

Right now the lovely jacaranda trees are in full swing--they remind me a bit of the glory of wisteria in the spring! In the midst of all the red dust, they are a welcome splash of color.

On the way down from Kitwe, there is this dead tree surrounded by a fence that we've always wondered about, so this time Beth and I investigated. They claim it was planted two and a half years ago by Banda, but obviously this isn't the case! Gotta love Zambian heritage sites!

A random bit of home just outside Lusaka--love the windmill!

When Beth gets back, I'll get the other roadside wares pictures from her to share. I had good success at the embassy yesterday, so it's just shopping and relaxing on the list now! School is coming up way too fast...

It only took me 2 years to get this!

Yesterday, at long last, with a minimum of hassle, I was given this-

A tiny little rectangle of plastic that says that I can drive in this country till 2017, and that I was born 20 days earlier than I actually was. Praise the Lord for His goodness! Objective one of Lusaka trip--done!

This morning I put Beth and her cousin June on a bus to Livingstone, and then enjoyed a nice morning and afternoon of shopping and relaxing. I did some price checking, and found a few fun items including a cup to match the ones I already have! Originally I had bought 4, but one broke in transit, so I was thrilled to finally find one to re-complete my set!

Yesterday we went out to Sandy's Creations--a garden center, gift shop, and tea place just outside Lusaka. I'm going to be going back to get some plants, but yesterday we just enjoyed a cup of coffee and the plants. There were vegetable seedlings, trees and bushes, but not much in the way of flowers which was a bit disappointing. Sandy's has a lot of lovely fountains like this one

in addition to other cool garden things. Outside Ndola there is a nice plant place, so I think we'll stop there as well.

I hope to do a 'So you want to take a road trip in Zambia?' post soon--I tried to get as many of the roadside wares as I could, but there was only one or two guys with rats tied to a stick, and only a few packed baskets of chickens. Maybe on the way back up!

Tomorrow I head to the US embassy to get my passport renewed--praying for things to go smoothly there.

Pictures!

Here area few snapshots of my life from the last few months.

My wet puppy experiencing her first Sakeji rain.

Enjoying a visit to the cottage.

For those of you who are wondering, this is what's left of the actual building-

I'm almost completely over my bronchitis--praise the Lord! I'm going to be heading down to Lusaka on Saturday, so prayers for a safe trip would be appreciated. I'm looking forward to doing some shopping and relaxing as well as the business that makes it necessary for me to be down there. I'm hoping it will be a little cooler down there as well as it's been quite warm after our surprise rainy day. The break is going too fast!

Water, water everywhere...

Life continues to be interesting even with the children gone! I'm continuing to slowly regain strength and energy--these last few days I've felt like doing things and actually been able to accomplish them! I still have to have my 'hack up a lung' ceremony every time I arrive somewhere after walking farther than a few feet, but I am SO, SO much better than I was a week ago!

Two days ago it was Beth and Pam's birthday, so we had a lovely cookout to celebrate these two most excellent ladies. It was so nice to just sit with my fellow missionaries, enjoy a delicious barbecue, and just feel back in the land of the living! As much as I DON'T miss the Texas heat right now, there are some parts of the summer that I wish I could beam back for!

The big excitement of the barbecue day was the great flooding of the girl's dorm. Our washing machines have been on the fritz, and since I wanted to wash some fabric for a sewing project, I texted Beth to find out which was the best washer. I went up, put the cloth in, and returned home to work on other things while the washer cycled. Three hours later I returned and in the famous words of Madeline, I began to feel that "Something was not right!" Clue 1--the sound of running water. Clue 2--the squish of the carpet as I approached the washer. Clue 3--my fabric swimming in the overflowing washer which continued to gush water onto the floor. *sigh*

I located a jug and started to bail the washer into the laundry sink while scanning for the shut off valve. Luckily I knew what it looked like, but it took a few cycles of bailing and looking before I located it and shut it off. Now that the water was no longer pouring across the floor, I took stock of the situation. There was quite a bit in the storeroom, the back corner of the sitting room was submerged, and at some point there had been enough water that it had gone into the bathroom and found the drain there. After a hurried search I found a mop in the boys dorm, and a mop bucket with a wringer in Janette's closet, so I headed down to do battle. Feeling responsible for the mess, I intended to clean it up myself, but after the first tussle with the wringer in which I had a massive coughing fit and could barely get the thing closed, I realized that I was going to need help.

Even though it was her birthday, Beth cheerfully agreed to come help me, and between the two of us we we managed to get it all cleaned up in about an hour. Seven buckets of water later, we left the rest to air dry, and left the furniture of the sitting room scattered about in various dry spots. Good thing the floor is cement under the tiles! While that was NOT how I wanted to spend that afternoon, we managed to have fun mopping up, and laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation.

Other than that, I've been enjoying quiet days of reading, sewing, and today I started some cleaning. As long as I don't do anything too strenuous I don't cough too much, and the house badly needs it's thrice annual overhaul! I'm still planning on going down to Lusaka later this month, so I'm trying to get better before the trip. The roads will be dusty this time of year, and I really would rather not cough all the way to Lusaka!