Byepi Mwane

Well after a long wait and some failed attempts we have managed to acquire internet access! Lovely :)

Before Corey and I start filling you in on our adventures here you should get to know our new home. Mukinge is a beautiful place. It is hidden among the hills, deep in the bush, but not totally removed from the world. There are plenty of villages in the surrounding areas, and there is a market, the Boma, at a walking distance of about 45 minutes.

There is spring all around, and lots of blooms and growth despite the dry and dusty earth. We will be coming into the rainy season soon, and Zambia will see it’s first rain since April, so foliage all around is shooting up in anticipation of the coming deluges. I’m beginning to get used to the red clouds of dust that are stirred up by any movement, so it will be strange to see this place after the rains start.

I’m amazed at the way of life here, it is a different world entirely. Very few things have taken me by surprise; but it is one thing to consider this way of living while sitting at home on my leather couch with my a.c. blasting, and another thing entirely to come and play a part in this world. Nothing is easy here, and yet I am still living so well off, compared to the rest of the population. We have a pantry with plenty of food, a full fridge and freezer, and many of the comforts of home. Then again, the pantry isn’t full like my pantry at home. If there is bread in it’s because someone has baked it. If there are vegetables in the fridge it’s because someone got them from the garden and went through the 20 minute process of sanitizing them. I am beginning to realize how much I take for granted. Zambia has much to teach me, and I’m ready to learn.

Shalaipo Mwane!

-Jamie