Hello Everybody,

After a busy last couple days we are finally getting settled at Liseli Lodge in Mongu and almost over the jet lag.

Our bus ride to Mongu only took 10 hours down a partially paved road with many potholes due to the heavy rain. As we passed through Kafue National Park we saw many antelope and even an elephant! The whole journey was lush and green, we passed through many small villages where vendors congregated to the bus selling their various goods (oranges, bananas, peanuts, you name it) though the windows of the bus.

Once we arrived at Liseli Lodge we split into two houses (one of 6 and one of 10). Some of us are getting close and personal sharing beds and cozying up under our mosquito nets at net. We have woken up naturally to the Zambian sunrise due to the jetlag. Our mornings this far have been spent sipping our instant coffee in the cool(ish) morning air and enjoying each others company. We are continually learning to enjoy the simple things.

A few highlights thus far:

We celebrated St Patrick’s day and Erin’s birthday with the staff of Liseli Lodge and the Catholic Brothers and Sisters who also reside in Mongu. We were told to bring a “party trick” to the celebration - our group decided that singing an acapella version of Oh Canada would be the best we could do on short notice! Our new friends celebrating with us loved it, and included us in various Zambian dances. This pushed a lot of us out of our comfort zones as we quickly found that not many of us have much rhythm! We had lots of laughs throughout the night and feel so welcomed by everyone we celebrated with.

Last night we all loaded up into our friend Santos’ minibus and ventured down out onto the Zambezi flood plains to enjoy the sunset. This was a fantastic way to spend time all together, as well as to appreciate firsthand the beauty of this country. I think for us all, the red glow of the sky setting over the 50km expanse in front of us is a sight that we will not soon forget. 

Today (March 18th), we unpacked and repacked all of our 16 suitcases filled with medical supplies, toys and crafts, teaching materials, baby clothes and many many days for girls kits! We will be distributing these materials to our different practicum areas throughout the next couple of weeks - depending on need and use at each location. The days for girls kits will likely be given to 4 different schools, a local girls football team and to girls we meet during our outreach visit to rural areas surrounding Mongu - this is all still in the works! We want to express our utmost gratitude to everyone who generously donated supplies, clothes, crafts and kits - you rock and we are thinking of you often!

Cheers!

Sam, Lauren, Matt, Tanner, Erin