Week 3 :)

Here’s an update from the past week or so:

· World Cup

This is the biggest deal here in Zambia. And I LOVE it. I’m used to being around soccer and people that love soccer because of Messiah’s success and the fact that some of my best friends play on the team, but being here takes it to a whole new level! Soccer is not something we hear much about or care about in the United States, but I have gained a new level of appreciation for how much it can bring people together. It comes on much later here than in the U.S. - the first game starts at 6pm our time! We have been projecting the first two games on a screen outside every night and it has been so fun! There have been around 150 people that come out and watch the games together outside the house. I haven’t been outside for every game every night, but it is really easy to tell when someone scores because of all the cheering and shouts of “Welllleee!” (Not really sure what it means – but they yell it every time someone scores!). The first U.S. game started at midnight here, but we didn’t want to miss it so we stayed up and watched – and I am so glad we did! So exciting! Their next game, on Sunday, also starts at midnight… Eric, Corie and I have decided Sunday is a nap day so we can stay up again!

· Macha Girl’s Basketball

I have been going out to Macha Girl’s Secondary School 3 days a week still and coaching the girls with Muntanga. The girls lost their tournament last weekend, but are still training hard and we’re having some fun while we do it! I have had less girls there this week at practice, which has been really cool because I have gotten to do more skill and individual work with them. For my Messiah coaches and teammates – I did camp ball handling and two ball drills with them at the last practice and they absolutely loved it – but they definitely need some more practice! :)

· MICS P.E. Classes

I started teaching P.E. classes out at the MICS school on Tuesday and Thursday this week. There are 8 levels of kids that attend MICS – so we did anything from tag to relay races to duck duck goose to netball and football! I’m definitely not made to be a gym teacher, but it is a great time to spend with the kids and have a little fun with them – and I plan on teaching them basketball next week! A lot of the girls that I play with here at the PTRZ campus also go to MICS, so I get to see them and bike home with them afterschool too. On Thursday, instead of having classes in the afternoon, the MICS kids went out to Lupata to have a sports day. They played many games of football, netball and volleyball. The results didn’t turn out so well for MICS, but the kids had fun just the same. The young ones and teachers cheered while the older ones participated. It was a long afternoon in the sun, but it was awesome to see the kids so happy. They didn’t lose energy for a minute as they cheered on the boy’s football team with songs and dances for a full 90 minutes!

· PTRZ Campus

Eric and Elem took the U13 and U17 boys to play games in Mbabala last Saturday – both teams lost, but the boys looked sharp in their new uniforms. I also wore Reece on my back in a chitenge, which I was super pumped about. In other PTR news, the boys continue to come every day after school to play football and my girls come and play, staying longer than normal! I have loved getting to know them better and build relationships with them!

· In other news…

-I got to skype with my family last Sunday on Father’s Day and watch my dad open his present, which was a special blessing for me (and hopefully for him!!).

-Eric and I spent a morning building bunk beds for my room, as another girl is coming to stay with us for a few weeks. They haven’t collapsed yet, so I’d say it was a successful project!

-We have found a country radio station on their TV that we are all super pumped about… I am currently listening to it while I write this… a little taste of home!

-Mike, a Messiah student that is here working in the lab, celebrated his birthday yesterday, which meant I got to make my first cake from scratch, which was pretty good if I must say myself. (Mom – aren’t you so proud?)

-We also spent some of the morning today cleaning up outside because we are hosting a kitchen party tomorrow! A kitchen party in Zambia terms is a bridal shower. I’ve heard that these parties can a little different than those back in the United States – so it’ll be interesting to experience one here tomorrow!

I’ve continued to learn so much in my time here in Macha. At the suggestion of my grandpa, I have been keeping a log of people I have met, places I have been, things I have done, and things I have learned. If you didn’t know this either, I have learned that there are actually a ton of foods that you can make that don’t come from a box – I wish I had learned this before cooking for myself for the past two years at college. I have also learned that it being late and not having a schedule is actually okay. In fact, it’s more of an expectation to be late here. If a football game is supposed to start at 3, you shouldn’t bother showing up until about 3:30 or 4.

But on a more serious note… I have learned so much about life and what life is really about and what life really means. The people here work hard and by our standards in the U.S., they don’t have much. They don’t have “stuff” like we do. But they have so much joy and this is the life they know. Living here the past 3 weeks, I have realized that life is not so different. I feel like sometimes people look at Africa and think that life here is so unlike anything else. And it is different. But really, when it comes down to it, its not so different. Kids still fight, adults still want more money for their work, kids in school want to play sports, people love to sit and watch sports on TV, they like to hang out and play games… Yes, their life looks different from ours – some walk with containers to pump their water, some survive through the nights with no electricity, some have to prepare and cook every meal they will eat, but this is the life they know and they take what they are given and use it. They are strong people.

I have learned a lot about myself and what I really need to focus on in my life and in my relationship with God. God loves each and every single one of us and He won’t stop – His grace really is an ocean deep. One of my favorite parts of the day is when I go on a run in the evening and just take in God’s incredible creation and the breath taking sunsets. It’s a time that I get to spend totally alone with Him, and I never fail to be amazed at His creation. I was listening to a song last night while I was running – Can’t Get Over You by Anthem Lights – and that’s how I felt about God… I couldn’t get over Him and how incredible He really is.

Miss you all and home… but I also know I will be missing Zambia once I am home. Until next time… :)