First tales from Lusaka

Our transit through Dubai proved to be a satisfying experience, for our stomachs in particular.  The kind flight attendants (females all sported the same crimson lipstick) fed us endless meals consisting of delights ranging from curry chicken to vegetable omelettes.  Upon arrival in the business hub of the Middle East, we were welcomed into a lovely (and large) hotel and invited to dine on their buffet. Food (and access to endless movies and TV) entertained us in our journey across the Atlantic and Africa, and finally we arrived in Lusaka, Zambia.

The heat wave struck us while we disembarked the plane felt dry and tolerable, and we filed into passport control.  After several hours of waiting for visas (intricate, passport-page sized, handwritten permission slip stickers), we met Joyce, the owner of the lodge we are staying at.

The first night, we readied our mosquito preventative clothing and met the lodge's cook, Phalesy.  After a pleasing meal, we brought our community together to share in an activity that addressed our hopes and fears going into the semester.  While several students were concerned about homework load and missing home, a grand number also explained they hope to become lifelong friends with the other people in this group. This is an attainable and beautiful goal, one which we hope to facilitate in a myriad of ways throughout our semester.

We divvied up the students into mentor groups, and of course, team names ensued:

Toni, Katie, Jane, and Caroline are in Veggie Delight with Quinn...

Liz, Chloe, and Lydia are in Squad Pod with Elsie...

Malia, Mimi, Emma, and Kira are in Onomatopoeia with Bekah...

Simrill, Rachel, and Pia are in Twirl with Beth...

The next few days we stood together under a flow of information, taking in orientation details regarding TTS protocols, rules, and standards.  Students took the lead in presenting material about dress code, academics, responsibility, and crew chores.  We broke into groups and learned a bit about the government, culture, and geography of Zambia.  We also wrote letters to ourselves, to be received at some point after the semester.  Students enjoyed reading letters written by the class of TTS25, which provided advice on laundry, friendships and chocolate.

Finally, our dreams came true, and we were able to experience our first day of classes.  Clocking in at thirty minutes each, the teachers gave tastes of what to expect in their courses this semester.  [As teachers, we are so excited to engage in our environments, meet new people, and invite our students into inclusive, meaningful dialogue.]

While we continued with workshops on personal safety, culture shock, budgeting, and women's health, we also had the opportunity to meet some new friends and visit some new places.

Luckily for us, Joyce happens to be a local politician.  She's a counselor for a member of the Zambian parliament, and is responsible for about 80,000 people in Lusaka.  Not only that, but she also used to work for the United Nations as a refugee manager for Angola and Zambia.  In one of TTS26's first Global Studies classes, Joyce presented a Powerpoint on her work and answered queries from our group.  Her wise perspective and devotion to female empowerment inspired us to ask thoughtful questions.

We also visited the National Museum, a small but information-filled experience guided by an engaging and intelligent Zambian.  Coincidentally, a local TV network was creating a story about the museum, and several of our students were interviewed and featured as headline news the next day!  Science class had to be temporarily paused to enjoy the show, but it was worth it to see ourselves on TV!

 
Friday marked our first "Awards" ceremony, in which special recognition is given to a few members of our community.  We bestow awards each week to note accomplishments in academics, athletics, and friendship.  In addition, as a group, we single out one student to win the coveted "African Queen" award: the young woman in the group who has put forth a remarkable effort to engage with locals and make connections in the places we visit.

Two of the women who work at our lodge taught us a class about Nyanja and Bemba, which are two of the 72 tongues spoken in this nation.  Our tongues stumbled over odd sounds and new pronunciations, and by the end, we can say some crucial phrases.  Several members of a local dance group also stopped by to give us a show of traditional musical instruments.  As they performed, our group was spontaneously inclined to join them on the dance floor, to the sound of djembes and marimba.

As we finish up our orientation in Lusaka, we will continue with more classes.  We also hope to visit the Olympic Youth Development Centre, where Zambians train to compete internationally.  We were invited try out a swim in their 50m swimming pool (which is convenient, since we still need to conduct a swim test!). 

On Sunday we head towards the Zambezi River to learn more about wildlife and canoeing. The students are ecstatic about taking the first step on our southern Africa route, and seeing what lies down the road...

 

Adventure time,

 

Beth, Elsie, Bekah and Quinn