IST - only the strong survive
They don't call me Hard Core Christi for nothing....I survived a week in Lusaka at In Service Training. I averaged 3 hours of sleep a night and still made it to almost every session. It was so great to see everyone that we stayed up late every night catching up on the last 3 months.
Lusaka is the 88th most expensive city in the world and I can believe it. I have no idea how much I spent but I would estimate about a million Kwacha (about $250 USD). I had pizza three times and countless other really good meals. My body hates me for all of the "foreign" food I gave it but we are back on speaking terms after a couple days of running. I will be taking a few days to detox once I get back to the village.
I arrived back in Chipata on Tuesday evening after sitting on a bus for 12 hours and I am in town to celebrate Thanksgiving and my birthday!!! Great transport story.....We are about an hour into our bus ride to Chipata and I'm the only m'zungu (white person) on the bus and the bus drivers side kick brings me a cell phone and tells me that someone from Lusaka will be calling me on this phone. The call finally comes and it's the guy who sold me my bus ticket the day before.....he wants to come see me in Chipata and go back to Chicago with me. I kindly explained that my husband and I didn't have room for him in Chicago...so sorry! Just another day on over crowded Zambian public transport.
I now have a train ticket to Tanzania for Christmas and New Years! I'm hoping to be enjoying dinner on a beach on Christmas Eve/Day.....it will still be a white Christmas (just a little warmer than I'm used to). I've been told it's cold in the Western world - not the case here! I'm soaked in sweat 24/7 - in fact, it's easy to forget that it's the holiday season!
I'm really excited b/c people are starting to make plans to come see me!!! Whoever wants to come, I will meet you in Lusaka and we can hang out in the village and do some traveling in Zambia or surrounding countries. Your summer is my winter so if you don't want to deal w/ heat or rain that is the time to come.
I'm excited to get back to the village and see my friends and neighbors. The students will be out of school for a month right after I get back so I won't be teaching in the school but I might try to have some informal classes at my house.
Thank you for all of the birthday cards and wishes...it means alot! Packages are really slow getting here but I'm hoping to get some on Saturday! Call me if you want - I have service all the time now!!!
posted by Christi @ 11:19 AM
9 Comments:
Hi Pal,
So glad to read your email and blog! Things sound great for you and that makes these next couple of days easier to get through without you(t-day,b-day)! If it makes you feel any better, the only white we have so far is frost,not the other stuff,YET!
I'll b e in touch soon!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
I Love You and miss you,
Mom :)
Hey Christi!
My sister and I have been reading our Zambia book over the past two days. She spent $450 to get her immunization, I called Lake County and it will only cost about $250 to get mine, that's the difference between Ohio State U. prices and Lake County, I guess. Do you know if you got Yellow Fever? The CDC website says to get it (for Central Africa in general, which is where they place Zambia) but OSU told my sister she didn't need it. It's a $70 shot, so if I don't have to have it, I'd rather not get it).
Tonight, my Dad was showing me some geneology stuff his cousin gave him, and I jokingly asked, "are we related to Janis Joplin?" (My Dad's middle name is Jopling, and I knew part of the family had dropped the 'g' at some point). To my complete surprise, he said 'yes'! It's not a really close relationship, my Dad and Janis Joplin have the same great great great grandfather (Benjamin Jopling). Pretty cool though, huh!
I hope you have a wonderful birthday, and a great Christmas on the beach!
Love,
Ruth
Hey Christi
Mr. Brownell and I were talking to your dad last night and he forwarded the blog to us. I hope all is well and I really enjoyed all you have been reporting. I will be back in Zambia next summer with our church if all goes as planned. We were in Ndola in norther Zambia last summer from June 16 to July 1st and the weather as you said was amazing. We did get to go to Victoria falls before we left. That is a must see if you get close. The only problem was the crazy 12-14 hours bus ride to get there. Driving at night on those roads were a real experience. We spent part of a day shopping in Lusaka on the way back from the falls. The Kwach(sp)is a strange money and very confusing. I will continue to check out your blog. Happy Birthday a few days late.
Mr. Satterblom
Hey kiddo!! I was so glad to read your update!! you sound as if you're adjusting better and that's awesome that you have holiday plans already!! The main plan i think jim and i have is to just drink an excessive amount of alcohol over the next month or so ;)!! HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY!!! by the time you read this i will have these damn braces off my teeth! I get them off in 2 days!! ya-freaking hoooooooooooooooo!!! A package is coming for you soon--I will be sending it this coming week...just a little what not package!! Well-i guess i shall go-i'm at work-maybe i should actually attend to my patients!! haaaaaaaaaaa!! Take care kiddo.....Happy Holidays to you--be careful, take care and we miss you and will be thinking of you over the holiday season....
much love,
Jim and Deb
Hi Christi,
your Dad has forwarded your blog to me. I have enjoyed the pictures as well as your interesting stories. 16 degrees here today w/ a wind chill of minus 8 - sweating 24/7 is sounding good to me. I'm happy to hear that you have holiday plans w/friends - while your Dad is so very proud of you I know that he misses you terribly and Christmas will be tough for him. Anything in particular that you would like to find in your next package? Just let one of us know! May you continue to enjoy this once in a lifetime adventure - be safe and be happy.
Linda
Hi,I haven't did this for so long I wanted to see if I remembered how to do it.
Missing you a lot but happy your planning a really nice trip and you will enjoy that beach I'm sure. Love you lots. Grandma
Christi,
I saw a news report about a young boy in Phoenix who has had a pen pal in Zambia for several years. About 3 years ago, the Zambian boy was telling him about the AIDS epidemic, so this American boy, who was 9 at the time, decided to raise money to send to Zambia to help support the children who are orphaned because of the disease. The first year he raised $3000 by getting sponsors and shooting free throws. His program has steadily grown and this year he made the commitment to build a school in Zambia for those orphaned. He needed $100,000, and the money is there and the school will be built. Pretty humbling to think that if a 12-year-old can raise the money to build a school, what could some of us adults accomplish?
Anyway, I know you're looking forward to your Christmas/New Year's adventure. Be safe. This will not be a holiday you will soon forget!
Love,
Cathy
Christi,
I'm so happy for you. I'm glad to hear all about your time over there.
Sorry we lost contact with you for so long. We changed emails...
Your pictures are awesome. You look like you are with a fun and lively group. I'm quite impressed with how you are the conditions.
Hope you had a wonderful birthay and Thanksgiving. Have a very Merry Christmas (on a beach, wow) and a Happy New Year!
Stay happy, healthy, and safe.
new email:
jillelizabethhiggins@verizon.net
Love,
Tom and Jill
Hey Christi,
I missed kicking your butt in games Christmas Eve, but it sounds as though you were doing much bigger and better things! Keep taking advantage of the time you have there! I miss you.
Sharon
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