at last, internet

We have not had internet in ages, so even though it is not up to date, we are posting. We hope you are all well

Yesterday Kristin threw Derek under the bus, and it was classic. Sister Nama usually eats lunch with us, so we say a prayer before eating. So far, Nama has always said the prayer, but yesterday, she said that Kristin could do the honors. Kristin’s response… “Uhhh… (pause) I’m going to pass to Derek. He’s really… good at this”. Derek, with a WTF look on his face, responded with something along the lines of “Good food, good meat, good god let’s eat!”. It is a moment that will live in infamy. I told Nama the first day that I don’t follow religion, so I think I’m safe for now, but last night we came up of a list of things to pray about just in case.
Kristin here: In my defense, I don’t think I could’ve come up with my own name at that particular moment. Also, I think it was hiiiilllaaaaaarious, so ultimately, no defense needed; but you can all pat me on the back when I get home.
Derek here: First off, that was not the prayer. I was much more civilized, unlike my coworkers here in Zambia…heathens. I wish I could say I am surprised that Kristin would do this but she has thrown me to the bears before (literally in Yellowstone).
Despite the prayer difficulties, things here are going quite well. We have had some great trainings, and some very useful meetings at the country’s main hospital, which takes primary duty for diagnosing autism, hearing impairments, etc., and for training parents to do physical therapy with their children at home. Every child in the country is legally required to visit a nurse once per month for five years! If this can be accomplished in Zambia, I’ve no idea why we can’t get something done in the U.S. We were told that this is actually achieved, for the most part. However, the resources to respond to an issue when it arises are often times not available. Still, this approach has potential for our work down the line, as a possible system for early intervention is apparent.
Today was a very interesting day after our working hours. One of the students here at Bauleni Street Kids, along with the director’s daughter, took us on a walk through the Bauleni compound (photo), where many people from the countryside come to live when they come to Lusaka to try to find work. It was an experience that none of the three of us will soon forget, and is bound to impact our perceptions of living well for quite some time. There was sewage in the streets, trash burning nearly everywhere, and only two communal water faucets for use by thousands of people. The streets are unpassable in the wet season. The student who took us, who has lived in the compound, told us that most families cannot afford to rent an entire house, so they will rent a single room for the family, and often cannot manage to raise the rent (150,000 kwacha/$30 per month) to pay for the room. Nevertheless, the color and energy of the place was largely positive, as was our reception, perhaps because of our local guides. On a personal level, this is likely to be one of the most impactful events of the trip, and will stay with me. It really put into perspective the fact that importance of many things that concern us in the U.S. are not of such great concern if we can look beyond our immediate world. In my travels I have seen and learned this lesson before, but today was far more impactful.
Tomorrow, Aug. 19, is the anniversary of the former president’s death. He was hugely popular for his efforts at fighting corruption and there are public memorials planned in the morning. We’re supposed to be doing a training at this time with a group of teachers, so it will be interesting what kind of attendance we get since this seems to be an unofficial national holiday, and because school is not in session right now, so the teachers have to take time away from their break time. As a side note, we are minor celebrities, as we were on Zambian national television last night. Mikela and Sr. Nama took us to the memorial burial site while the country’s only TV station was there interviewing people about the former president’s legacy. All of us were on TV looking at the memorial while Mikela was being interviewed (hence, she’s the REAL star).
That’s it for now. Peace to our peeps.
-MDK
August 19
It’s getting late-ish, so this will be short. Highlights of today:
1. We had our first encounter with wildlife today (aside from the pigs that squeal all night just outside our cottage, and the occasional stray cat that works its way into the Street Kids complex). Think of all the animals in Africa… lion, giraffe, zebra, baboon, hippo. Well, we didn’t see any of those, but a worker in the field did find a chameleon (photo) for us to look at and it was pretty amazing. It changes color to blend with the environment pretty quickly and the way it can move its eyes in all directions is absolutely creepy (but amazing).
2. We did a training with a group of special education teachers. They seemed to learn a lot, although participation was a little flat compared to other groups we’ve had so far. More about this on the official blog.
3. After work, Sr. Nama and Mikela took us to Dreamworld, a resort and recreation area at the end of the dustiest road in Zambia. The pool was clean looking but untrustable so Kristin took one for the team and went swimming. I couldn’t because of guaziness, and Derek didn’t want to get his sleeping shorts dirty. The grounds of Dreamland, in contrast to the pool, were beautiful, with some varieties of trees I’ve never seen before. It was also nice to be in a relaxing atmosphere where we could sit and read or talk while listening to birds in what was the closest I’ve seen to a typical American city park. Most parks in Lusaka are open dirt areas, maybe with a few trees and a good bit of trash, so the Dreamland atmosphere actually was a dreamy escape from the grind and dustiness of much of Lusaka.
Tomorrow, the plan is to meet with faculty at the University of Zambia’s Department of Education to discuss inclusion of youth with disabilities in schools, and to show them the College of Direct Support. This seems to be the least organized group thus far, so it could be an interesting day. If we wrap up early, we may go to either Hidden Voice School or to a Reptile Farm in the city, depending on how plans go. Flexibility is the name of the game here in Zambia.