Things I learned in Zambia...

I kept a few word documents during my time in Macha - people I met, places I went, things I did, and things I learned. Here are a few of the things I learned in Zambia and that I continue to learn as I am back in the States...

• That the people in Macha are some of the nicest, most friendly people you will ever meet.
• They love soccer. The World Cup was a BIG deal.

• That the women are so strong - they do a ton of work, carry water/other things on their heads (without hands... I haven't quite got it down yet), take care of children, and cook. And let me tell you... cooking is hard work. It is really hard to stir that nshima.

• Some of the people there get really excited when you speak Tonga to them! 
• It's totally acceptable to ask for things. It's also totally acceptable to say no in their culture.
• Some people go to traditional healers to be treated.
• That people will give you a "push" when you are leaving there home. Sometimes that means walking you most of the way back to your home.
• Work, life, and home collide in their culture.
• That it's okay to be late - totally expected. If something is supposed to start at 3 - maybe don't show up till around 4. And it's great.
• You can make a ton of foods that don't come from a box! I know it's a crazy idea... but it's true. Thanks for the cooking lessons/recipes Cor :)
• God is the only one you can depend on. 
• Zambian weddings are full of energy and dancing!

• There are mini dust storms/tornadoes all the time - it's best to shut your eyes during these.

• It's normal to see young kids taking care of/carrying around younger siblings. And their parents may not know where there are... definitely different than the States.
• Cows are fun to chase out of the fence. Not necessarily after they have already eaten the whole garden though...
• And going off of that... if you ever live in Zambia, keep your gate shut if you have a garden. The cows really seem to enjoy the fresh veggies :)

• Children here are sometimes named based off of something that happened/circumstances of their birth.
• Sometimes they run out of resources at the hospital and there is nothing you can do about it. 
• They also have to overlook maintenance things on some occasions because they would rather use the money for medicines.
• School sports/teams have completely different structures - but the athletes still need to hear the same things, be motivated, be coached, and be loved.
• Life here in Zambia, in "Africa" isn't really like all the stereotypes we hold here in the States. Yes, they live differently than us. They are "poor" in our eyes. But it is their life that they have always lived and known. Their lives aren't that much different than ours.
• Death is handled differently in Zambia than in the States.
• There is no ICU in the Macha Hospital.
• There are MRI machines in every hospital here in the States, but there are only two or three in Zambia.
• That it is hard work to dig out a fire pit through that clay.

• You can learn to sleep through anything - the World Cup games with people yelling, early morning visitors, and of course, little sisters :)
• That it is really really hard to put this experience into words.
• That short-term trips are so so important for long term partners - these groups that come over bring an energy that long-term missionaries can't bring to the table every day.

• Living in a culture for a few months, or longer, is so different from just visiting one.
• That our culture here in the States is so much more fast-paced and entertainment driven - while the culture in Zambia is quiet and slow in the best possible way. There are less distractions.
• Transition is hard. Going there and coming back.
• When you take ownership of something, it makes you really want to share it with others.
• Sweet bananas are the best.
• Malaria has been reduced dramatically because of the work of the Macha Hospital and the malaria research.
• You can really get used to life in a new place after a few months.
• I am legitimately scared of baboons. And I will probably never go back to Victoria Falls.

• God places people in your life that are there in His perfect timing.
• Mosquito bites - especially 35 on your legs - really really itch.
• Computers will shock you when they are charging - unless you are wearing shoes! Eric conveniently shared that last bit of information with me the week before I left Zambia...
• It's hard to say goodbye to people when you don't know when or if you will see them again.
• The difference between life in Macha and Livingstone (more city-like) is huge.
• You can get attached to little sisters really easily.

• You greet everybody. Always.
• It's easy to take things for granted here in the US - car/bus rides to school, air conditioning, heat...
• Zambia went through apartheid too.
• High Tea at the Royal Livingstone is amazing.
• Reverse culture shock is a real thing.
• It's really hard to say goodbye to people that have become your family for three months. And it is really hard to say goodbye to a place that has become your home for three months.

Home

I landed in Philly yesterday after a long couple flights and layovers... I got home to my parents and younger brother waiting for me at the airport and to dinner at my older brothers house with him and his girlfriend. It was a great homecoming, but definitely feels weird and different to be back. I'm missing Zambia, but happy to be seeing some people that I haven't seen in a while! Thank you so much for all your prayers and support this summer!

my last (and maybe hardest) goodbye

I spent yesterday evening/night with a few of the people I love most here in Zambia - Eric, Corie, Eric's parents, Char and Reece. Eric and Corie treated us to High Tea at the Royal Livingstone - a beautiful hotel that costs more to stay at in one night than any of us would ever pay. We were served tea and ate from a buffet of sweet and salty little treats... it was such a fun and beautiful experience - but mostly because I got to spend it with these guys.

We played with Char and Reece in the grass and in the water fountain... ate some good food... we walked the beautiful grounds... hung out with some zebra... and spent my last night here in Zambia together.

I woke up early this morning, helping Eric pack up the tent and load the car before they were ready to head on their way. I got hugs and kisses from the littlest ones and then exchanged some tearful goodbyes with Eric and Corie. And by tearful... I was crying. And Eric may or may not have gotten a little emotional too... Gotta love that "pathetic" group (thank you Kristy Stenson) ;) But on a serious note... it was hard to say goodbye to them, even though I'll see them in a few months in PA! I've spent everyday with these guys for the past 10 weeks and they were my family.

E and Corie - I'm so thankful for each of you, so thankful for your willingness to take me into your home, so thankful for your friendship, and so thankful for my two little sisters. Thanks for sharing them with me this summer. You guys are awesome and have amazing hearts for people and for God... I'm beyond blessed to have been here with you guys this summer. I can't wait to see all of you at the farmer's fair :) love you guys

In a little more than 24 hours I will head to the airport here in Livingstone to begin my journey home. I'll be in the States Monday afternoon... as for now, I'm going to enjoy my last day in Zambia hanging out in the sun and packing up. Thank you to each and everyone of you who has followed my blog and prayerfully/financially supported me this summer... each of you have made this incredible experience possible. Also - thank you to each one of you that have been encouraging me and praying with me since my freshman year of college for an opportunity to come to Africa... I wouldn't be here without each and everyone of you. Until next time...

see you States side!

thoughts from the heart... pictures... and a video :)

Today I left Macha. For the last time.

I got up early and finished packing, put my stuff in Eric’s parent’s car, said bye to Eric, Corie and the girls until tomorrow, took one last look at the house, and got in the car.

And then I proceeded to choke back tears the whole way out Macha… out of the gate I have walked through so many times, past the dorms, the houses, past the kids walking to school. I held them back as we went out of the hospital and MRT compound, as we headed out the long dirt road, past the villages, and even as we turned on to the paved road.

I choked back tears yesterday as I said goodbyes, as Eric prayed before “The Last Supper” that Corie prepared (which once again was amazing), as Char hugged me around my neck and gave me a kiss goodnight, as my friends here in Macha all came over to the house to play cards and eat cake one last time before all joining together in prayer with me before I left.

And now, as I sit at Jollyboys in Livingstone… I can’t choke them back.

It’s hard to leave. Really hard. I’m not even out of Zambia yet and I miss it. For me, Macha isn’t just a place that I went to visit for the summer to do an internship. Macha has been my home for the past 3 months. I have friends there. I have a family there – one that includes two little sisters. And I hate to leave them. Macha is a place that God has used to change me.

I’m spending a few days in Livingstone before I fly back to the U.S. on Sunday… I decided that I was going to use these days to reflect, to process, and to prepare mentally and emotionally to go back home. I ended up going on a sunset cruise tonight with a few girls that are here from Macha as well. And it was absolutely beautiful. Great job God :) But I spent the ride back in the boat thinking…

There were times this summer that I thought I couldn’t do this anymore. There are times that I missed home and people too much. There are things and parts of me that feel like they have just fallen apart this summer. I don’t know what I’m doing when I get home. I don’t have a job or a plan. I don’t know if I want to be at home or overseas.

But – as I am learning – I can pity myself, I can feel unworthy or like I don’t have a purpose… or I can choose to trust God and the fact that He has a plan for me. I can let myself be sad or anxious, I can worry… or I can choose the peace of God which surpasses all understanding – knowing that God’s peace doesn’t mean that nothing hard is going to happen anymore, but having a quiet confidence within myself to know that it will be okay in the end, even if it doesn’t seem it in the moment. And I say as I am learning – because this is such a hard thing to translate from my mind to my heart.

He has rocked my world in so many ways this summer – placing people in my life to talk with, placing people in my life to love, using people who were already in my life back home to encourage me and stand by me even though they were halfway across the world, and using this time here in Zambia as a way to break me down, but also to start to put me back together as the person He wants me to be.

I’ve learned this summer – again in my mind, it’s hard to translate to my heart – that God is who I need to be totally reliant on. Not on people. Not on things. Not on anything but Him. The people here have shown me that. Missing home has shown me that. He is the only thing I can depend on.

I’ve learned that my purpose in this life is to seek and find His purpose for me. To follow Him in everything I do. I don’t know if I will go home and find the perfect job, or if I will go home and start waitressing while I wait. I don’t know if I will stay in the United States or if I will end up overseas. I don’t know what God has for me. But after this summer, I do know that God has a purpose for my life and if I seek His will in my life, it’s all going to be okay.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord…   Jeremiah 29:11-14

I don’t want to leave Macha. But He had a plan for me this summer… and He will have a plan for me when I am home.

I’ve left part of my heart in Macha. And I know I will be back.

Today I left Macha. For the last time… for now. Macha, my friends, my family, every child I interacted with – these things will remain in my heart forever. 

Some pics from the sunset cruise tonight:

Also... the video I made summarizing my internship here in Zambia if you're interested: A PTR Zambia Internship

One week.

We are back in Macha after a weekend in Livingstone with the PTR team! It was a great weekend spending a little bit more time with the team before dropping them off at the airport yesterday!

PTR team at dinner Friday night

We left earlier on Thursday morning and headed to Victoria Falls after unloading all our things where we were staying. I was a little nervous heading back to the falls… but I’m happy to say there were no baboon incidents this time! I will say this though… I’m actually afraid of baboons. But the falls were absolutely incredible… this time I walked with the team across the bridge in front of the falls – getting completely soaked – but what an awesome view!! We also walked down to the boiling pot again – the area at the bottom of the falls, right under the bridge where people bungee jump!

On Friday, we headed out pretty early for a drive through the small game park right in Livingstone. It didn’t really compare to Chobe in Botswana (the overnight safari I did with the last group), but it was so much fun! We drove around in 2 vehicles and we saw about all you can see in the park – hippos, water buck, impala, zebra (which I was super pumped about because we didn’t see them in Chobe!), giraffe, warthogs, and so much more! But I think the highlight of the morning was finding elephants! We followed an elephant down the road for a long time – it only turned around and flapped its ears at us a few times – but we got so close! Corie, one of the team members, and I were riding with Eric, while the rest of the team was with one of the drivers from Macha… let’s just say the other driver was a little nervous and didn’t get too close. Our car was right up with the elephant – which was kind of scary at a few points, but was so cool! We got to watch the elephant get down into the Zambezi River and swim the whole way across… again, so cool.

We spent the rest of Friday shopping and relaxing before dinner and a game night! We dropped the team off at the airport – said some tearful goodbyes – and headed back to Macha. I was selfishly excited that the team was flying out Saturday instead of Sunday, as today was my last opportunity to go to church here in Macha! Side note: it was a great church service to end on today – so many choirs today!! It’s crazy to think about, but I leave Macha on Thursday – in 4 short days! There are a lot of things to wrap of from the trip and my internship, lots of people to say goodbye to, lots of Macha to soak in, and lots of preparation to do in my own heart and mind before heading back to the States.

I’m nervous to come home – to a different culture than what I have lived for the past few months, to people that might not understand the impact this summer has had on me, to job searching and figuring out the rest of my life, to the “busy-ness” of life in the States. But I’m also excited to see my family, spend some time at the beach with my momma, see my friends, get into my maid of honor duties (I can’t wait Rosie!!!!!!!), and share this experience with people. It’s such a bittersweet thing. I’m trusting that God will help to prepare my heart and mind as I leave Macha, say my goodbyes, and fly home a week from today.

Also – Today is the big Martz family reunion at the farm – this is the first time I’ve ever missed it, so to everyone at my house today – I wish I was there to see all of you!!!! Have so much fun :) Love you all lots!!!