Saturday is for Shopping and Soccer

Our first Saturday, May 25th, started off with some shopping at the market! For as long as this group has been talking about this trip, we all knew that we were going to be buying a few chitenges (pronounced "shitangy") because they are so common and so versatile here. They can be worn as skirts, cut to make different bags or clothing items, used as a blanket to lay on the dusty ground, cut for drapes, or even wrapped around a baby to tie them to a momma's back.

The market in Kalomo was only about 20 minutes away from the campus. We piled into the bus and enjoyed the scenery as we passed people riding bikes, selling things on the side of the road, and walking miles to their destination. Everyone is so friendly here. When we pass by, they ALWAYS flash huge smiles and wave to us strangers.

When we arrived in Kalomo, we stopped at the ATM to withdraw some kwacha before shopping. The exchange rate here is about 10 kwacha for each U.S. dollar.

The market was not like I was expecting. I guess I was expecting it to be more touristy than it actually is. Small tents of tarp lined the dusty dirt roads with trash scattered all around. I asked one passerby where we could find the chitenges and he happily pointed us in a direction. We decided to wait for the rest of the group before continuing on our way. Mr. Chance led us to what seemed like a dead-end road, but we turned the corner and crossed a little ditch of trash to find rows and rows of tents.

Photo credit: Rachel Cannon

We passed tents selling vegetables, socks, toys, and some with a small selection of chigenges. After turning a few corners, we came upon one tent with walls full of bright colored patterns and customers in a long line ready to make a purchase - it was the rest of our group. We all piled in and bought multiple chitenges each. The other tents tried to get our business, but the selection at this tent was too good to pass up.

After we finished shopping at the market, we piled back in the bus and headed to Mrs. Moono's house. She use to live really close to where we are staying so Mr. Chance knows her from years passed. We brought her our chitenges and she wrote down our requests for quilts, clothing, and other customized items from the patterns we picked.

After our lunch back at the mission, we were invited to a 10th birthday party next door! We followed the music to the veranda (porch) where about 15 kids were dancing their hearts out to the upbeat music playing on the stereo. A few of us joined in for a few minutes before being asked to sit along the wall for a performance. Three of the kids had their own dance to show and danced in unison with quick and repetitive movements. The boy, who couldn't have been more than 10 himself, danced with a knife in hand. Not a butter knife, but one that would do some serious damage if you got to close. As much as it scared us to see him spinning around and moving his arms back and forth next to the two other girls, the adults at the party laughed and clapped and didn't see any need for concern. The knife was then used to cut the cake after singing the traditional "happy birthday" song we all know. The birthday girl fed the first bite to her little sister and then the little sister fed the next bite to the birthday girl. I don't know how much of this is tradition or just what happened this day, but it was neat to see.

The last event of the day was a soccer game (football) at the nearby field.There is some grass to play on, but much of the field is rough sand. Our group paraded in and sat on the ground along the sidelines. A dog ran on the field like a member of the team, causing no disruption to the play. I didn't see a score board, but I know our team in green (the teenage boys going to school here), scored at least twice. I'm pretty sure we were in the lead when we had to leave for dinner.

Chess game on the sidelines.

The whole day was very relaxing and so fun. I feel like we are doing so much every day, but it never feels rushed here. We just finished our first week of therapy at The Haven - it has been tiring and amazing (more on that later). To celebrate, we will be spending this Saturday with some more shopping at a market and soccer!

Orientation

After we arrived to our new home on Wednesday the 22nd, introductions were made between us and the many workers that keep this place in tip-top shape. Women were carrying our 50lb suitcases from the truck to the Hamby House, balancing the bags on the tops of their heads. The Hamby House is like the central meeting place where we eat every meal and play games at night.

The initial meeting held minutes after we arrived told us to be very conscious about how much water we used. We were asked to shower every other day and follow the "keep it mellow when it's yellow" rule. I also heard someone say that they expect to be out of water by July. What happens after that, I don't know, but we are definitely using a lot less water than we are used to.

Each of us were assigned our room keys and spent time moving in to our new bedrooms. I will be rooming with Tori, Rachel, and Delaney while we are here! Our room has two bunk beds and a bathroom. At first, our sink did not have running water and we had to resort to hand sanitizer until late afternoon the next day.

Dinner was prepared right at 5:30 pm. I'll talk more about the food and our incredible cook at a later time because he deserves his own post. But after dinner some took their showers (I was not one of them), we played spoons, and went to bed. It was really nice to have a chill day after however many hours of traveling we had to get there.

The next morning after our 8:00 am breakfast, we were on our way to The Haven to meet the babies and the aunties! Jenna is a young woman who lives and works here, checking in on the babies who are reunited with their families. She told us about what to expect and went over some of the rules. A new rule this year is that we cannot post pictures of the babies on social media to protect their privacy. As much as I would love to share their sweet faces with you all, I understand why that rule is in effect.

We walked about a mile from our place to where The Haven is located. The entire path is a dusty road, surrounded by tall, brown grass and some trees. Many of us got our first sunburn because we didn't realize how little shade there would be on our walk and how far we would be walking. My guess is that it took us about 25 minutes to get there. As we got closer to The Haven, there was a canopy of trees that bridged over the path. It is really pretty.

Jenna brought us to each of the three Haven Houses and introduced us to all who were there. Haven 1 was our very first stop which is where the youngest babies stay. We walked up to the house and 12 babies were outside either happily rolling around, being cradled by an auntie, or bouncing in their little seats. Haven 2 is where the toddlers stay. When we visited them, they were all sitting so attentively in their little circle of chairs, listening to the one auntie read a story. She stopped reading for Jenna to make the introductions. Here, the aunties go by  "bina" and then the name of their first born child. For example, my mom would be known as Bina Kara. There was one auntie introduced as Bina Pinchy because her oldest likes to pinch people. We all thought it was funny and super cute to hear that they give nicknames, too. Haven 3 is where the medically fragile children stay. Again, for their privacy, I don't think I am allowed to talk about their conditions, but Jenna did say that they were all doing pretty well right now.

We ended up back at Haven 1 after getting the grand tour and were able to play with and pass around all of the babies! Wow are they cute. One little guy has a single tooth popping out, one little girl had a full head of hair that was sectioned off into little bands, and one other little boy was so tiny but still trying to look around everywhere. The aunties so generously passed off the babies they love and care for everyday even though we are still strangers to them.

After some time, Mr. Chance announced that it was time for us to move on to see "the other side of things". We followed Jenna across the way to a cow field. She opened the gate and led us to an enclosed graveyard where they have buried the ones who did not make it. She explained that many of the families do decide to have the burial closer to home, but some are buried here. The perimeter of the yard had square memorial stones placed so carefully. Each stone included a child's name and the year in which he or she passed. A red stripe on the stone represented a little girl while a blue stripe represented a boy. I didn't count each stone but my guess is that there were close to 100 memorial stones and about 25 graves since 1989. Jenna said that a lot of the deaths were HIV related.

Picture taken from outside of the cow field.

It is so easy to get caught up in the excitement of being here and being able to interact with the people, but actually seeing the graves and the memorial stones really snaps my perspective back into place. I know there is a lot going on and there are always things to pray about, but when you think of it, pray for The Haven, those who work here, and those who have lost their babies.

The remainder of our day was again laid-back. After lunch, we unloaded a small shed to find materials we would be able to use for our therapy sessions that begin on Monday. There are more materials here than we were expecting, but it didn't take us too long to organize it on the table.

That night, we had a nice fire. Mr. Chance attempted to make popcorn on the stove but the bugs mixed among the kernels made it less appealing and we decided to wait and buy a new bag at a later date.

The days are already running together but I am so happy to be here with this group. I admit, I have been trying to catch up with my posts and have not proofread my writing. I am trying to include as much detail as I can so that I can remember as much as possible after these weeks are over.

Traveling Part 2: Zambia

Well guys, we made it to Zambia. Our looooong day of traveling started out on Wednesday, May 22nd at 7:45 am when we were to be packed and ready in the hotel lobby with everyone and everything we needed. This time, it only took about 10 minutes to drive to the airport.

Our flight left on time with EVERYONE on board. Woo! This trip was from New York to South Africa which was a 14 hour flight. Gah. The plane was HuMOnGoUs. I was able to sit next to Haley Rees and we snuggled into our seats for the long flight. Not long after we were in the air, our first meal was served. We had the option of chicken marsala with mashed potatoes or beef with rice. I went with the chicken. For airplane food, it wasn't too shabby. They also had sandwiches a while later and then breakfast (omlet or pancakes... I went with the omlet) towards the end of the trip.

After our dinner, we attempted to watch a movie. Haley's audio did not work; it sounded like there were little gremlins chatting in her headphones. After a few offers, she agreed to alternate seats with me during the flight. I was excited to find Bohemian Rhapsody and A Star Is Born to watch since I still hadn't seen them. After each movie, we would stand up, stretch out our legs, and I would fall asleep as she watched her movie. Unlike the majority of those in my group, I successfully managed to get about 6.5 hours of sleep. At one point, Haley and I both stood up and did a lap around the plane just to get the blood flowing. Apparently, the stretches and single lap was not enough. We landed and noticed that our ankles were SO swollen! For those wearing tennis shoes and sandals with straps, they had trouble getting their shoes back on their chubby feet. I know the picture below is kinda gross, but that's how I felt after the trip so it's fine.

Arriving in South Africa was super exciting because 1) the long trip was over and 2) we were finally in Africa!!!! After leaving all of our bags with some other group members, a few of us walked around in the airport admiring the different shops they had. Just like in the U.S., we found restaurants, jewelry stores, and souvenir shops, but we also found shops selling zebra skins beaded mugs and figurines, bracelets being sold as a fundraiser to fight malaria, and so many other things that could only be found in Africa. Kacie and Carrie found things they wanted to buy, but the cashier said they needed their boarding passes to make a purchase.

The 2 hour flight from Johannesburg, South Africa to Livingston, Zambia seemed like a piece of cake compared to the edema-inducing flight beforehand. This plane was also big, but not as big as the last one. As we were coming in to land, we could see Victoria Falls, one of the seven wonders of the world!!!! It looked so small from above, but it is a natural boarder that separates Zambia from Zimbabwe. Towards the end of our stay, it is in our plans to visit the falls and see it up close. 

Photo Credit: Ashley Taylor

In the airport, we grouped together and were told exactly what to say when going through customs. A man named Ba Simeon (Ba is a term of respect like calling someone Mr./Mrs./Miss) walked up to our group and gave Mr. Chance a big hug. He is well known around the surrounding areas for being associated with Namwianga Missions, the organization and campus at which we are staying for the next few weeks. From what I understand, he works for the Zambian government. Instead of us getting in the long line for customs, all we had to do was hand our passports to one lady and follow him right on through the gate. A bus picked us up right outside of the airport and a big, open truck was used to transport all of our bags. It's always surprising to see the driver on the right side of the vehicle, driving on the left side of the road, but it still felt safer than driving in New York. 

The entrance gate to the Namwianga Missions campus.

We rode the bus for about an hour until we finally arrived to the campus. It was now Thursday the 23rd around 4:00 pm. We are 6 hours ahead of Eastern time. The air was warm, it was super sunny, we had the windows wide open, and we accidentally slept most of the way there. It wasn't until the last 15 minutes or so that the dusty roads turned super bumpy and woke us all up. We were finally here.

Traveling part 1: New York

The night before beginning our journey to Zambia included the distribution of donated items. A few from our group met-up to weigh our bags and rearrange items so that all of the donations would fit into our luggage. The bags were stuffed with mainly diapers, baby clothes, wet wipes, and formula. 

At 5:00am on Tuesday, May 21st, Brett dropped me off at the Swaid (our building at Harding) where the majority of us packed all of our bags into two vans. The plan to begin the hour drive to the Little Rock airport was slightly delayed when Jake, Mr. Chance's son, forgot his malaria medication and had to run home to get it before we could leave the parking lot. While we waited, we talked about the games we packed and how exited we were to finally be going on this trip. Even though it was early in the morning, everyone was awake and ready to go. 

After we arrived and unloaded all of our bags at the airport, Mr. Chance asked if anyone had seen his carry-on bags. Turns out, his bags were never loaded into the vans and were left behind in Searcy. As you can imagine, our team leader needed the things that were in those bags and he immediately called to have his cargo delivered. Long story short, the bags were not delivered on time and we left without him! Mr. Chance and Jake had to book another flight. 

We had a quick layover in Atlanta where Elizabeth joined our group. I had just sat down to eat my lunch when I saw I had a missed call from Haley Rees. She was one of the four who was meeting us once we got to New York. She was there with all of her luggage by 10am while we weren't going to be there until after 2 that afternoon. I called her back to find that her name was not on any of the hotel reservations. She was told that she would be able to check-in to the hotel while she waited for us but instead, she was stranded in the lobby. As her roommate for the night, I was able to call the hotel myself and add her to my room. 

The flight from Atlanta was perfectly smooth except for one small incident. When the flight attendants wheeled their carts down the aisles to distribute drinks, the drawer slid out from the cart right beside me, splashing a can of tomato juice on my jacket and dress. I didn't even realize what had happened until I looked up and saw red juice dripping down the back of the seat in front of me. The flight attendant was much worse off than I was, but I was still bummed since that was the outfit I had planned to wear all day in NY. Thankfully, Ashley had a handy-dandy Tide To-Go pen and I was able to get most of the stains out. 

Soon enough, we were in New York! Dr.Meeker called in multiple taxis to transport us and all of our luggage to the hotel. We held our breath as cars weaved in and out of the tiny spaces between bumpers and children rode bikes on the busy roads nearly crashing into the front of our car. The traffic was bad as expected and ended up taking us 40 minutes to travel 13 miles. 

We got situated in our hotel rooms at the Hilton Garden Inn in Queens and were joined shortly after by Katrina and Delaney. They and Elizabeth did not go to Harding, but graduated a few weeks ago with their masters in speech pathology. We have been skyping them in to our meetings throughout the past semester so it was fun to meet them all in person. 

The rest of the night was ours to explore as we wished! Four from the group went to see a show and the rest of us wanted to see Manhattan. Tessa, one of our four clinical educators (CEs) told Haley that we could take the hotel's shuttle to the air train and from there get to Manhattan. The 11 of us walked down to the shuttle stop just in time to see Mr. Chance, Jake, and Mrs. Gina, another CE, getting out of the taxi. Their traffic was even worse than ours, taking 1.5 hours to travel the 13 miles. We then jumped on the shuttle and waited at the air train for the newly arrived fellow group members to join us.

None of us (out of our group of 14) had any idea how to get a metro card for the subway system. We asked for help from multiple people, including some who worked there, before becoming even more confused.  Eventually, we figured it out and were able to visit the reflection pools and Freedom Tower. 

We grabbed a slice of pizza at Joe's for dinner and then made our way to Times Square. At that point, it was difficult to stay in such a large group so we split up. My little group even found Paris Hilton taking selfies behind a hot dog stand. 

Photo Credit: Kacie Chung

Photo Credit: Carrie Arendale

On our way back, we felt like pros navigating the underground world. We made it back to where the shuttle was supposed to pick us up around 12:30, 1:00ish. The shuttle is supposed to come every half hour, but we kept waiting and waiting. Haley and Kacie both called to see the shuttles ETA before we realized we were waiting at the wrong end. I had my pepper spray ready the whole hour we waited in the windy tunnel but alas, the shuttle arrived and brought us back to our comfy beds.

Preparations

Hello everyone! My name is Kara and I just completed my first year of graduate school at Harding University. I study communication sciences and disorders, aka speech pathology. It's hard to believe, but in one short year I will be a certified speech therapist!

When I first began searching for graduate programs at the end of 2017, I was immediately impressed with Harding's extensive international and cultural opportunities. I read that the large majority of their undergraduate students study abroad, but I was excited to learn that their graduate programs also provided students with the chance to study in other countries. Before Harding even accepted me into their masters program, I had my fingers crossed, hoping to be offered this opportunity to study in Namwianga, Zambia.

(Picture taken from Wikipedia and edited by myself in Paint.)

Last semester (Fall 2018), Mr. Chance began asking about who from our cohort would be interested in the summer's clinical practicum at The Haven. My husband, Brett, knew that I had been planning on going ever since I found out I was accepted to the program at the end of February, so I signed up without any hesitation. (I'd like to give a special shout-out to Brett right now because he has been so encouraging and supportive about me leaving for 6 weeks, knowing this is something that I've been looking forward to for well over a year now...thank you, honey!) 

When more details about the trip started to unfold, I knew that I was going to have to ask for help in raising the money to go. I created a page on GoFundMe and was amazed with the responses and donations that flooded my account. Without everyone's help, I can honestly say that I would not be able to afford this practicum. Well, that or I would go and Brett would be living on the streets when I returned. That being said, THANK YOU to everyone who gifted me this opportunity to study abroad. It is appreciated so much more than you know... SO MUCH. 

In addition to the fundraiser, my mom and I wanted to donate our hair before I left. We allowed donors to vote on whether my mom would "save it" and only donate the minimum 8 inches or "shave it" meaning buzz it all and donate every ringlet of her curly locks. After 4 months of voting (January - April), "save it" prevailed and she donated 8 inches to Wigs for Kids. I was also able to donate and gave 11 inches to the same organization. 

There are 9 of my classmates going with me to Zambia! We've had scheduled meetings to review vaccination requirements, rooming situations, cultural differences, and many other important details that helped us to prepare for this trip. We recently received our individual kits full of tools to help with feedings, sensory integration, oral motor strengthening, oral stretching exercises, and ways to help the babies develop a number of feeding skills. This past semester, we had a pediatric feeding class where we learned about how to treat preemies and the rest of the pediatric population using these various techniques. I can't believe I will be able to practice on real babies in a few days!!

Packing is in progress. I should have plenty of room to bring everything I need. We are allowed a carry on, a personal bag, and two checked bags under 50 lbs. One checked bag will be packed with donations for The Haven (diapers, scrub tops for the aunties (caregivers), baby clothes, etc.) and the rest is for whatever I want to bring. We are to wear long skirts while we are there so I did pick up a few from Goodwill. The dry season (their "winter") just began in Zambia so we should have really nice weather while we are there. I was told to expect temperatures around the 70s during the day and then chilly nights when I will want a sweatshirt. I still need to decide what to pack as my "coming home" outfit. Students who previously went to The Haven have suggested we pack an outfit in a Ziploc bag with a dryer sheet. That way, when I come home, I'll be able to hug Brett without smelling like a zebra.

Now that all of our questions have been answered and our legal documentation is up-to-date, we are pretty much ready to go! Thanks to Mr. Chance and Mrs. Vendetti helping us organize all of our papers and travel necessities, all we have left to do is get there!