Total Randomness.

Oh the things you find yourself doing in Africa! What we've been up to:

Taught a class to 26 high schoolers on resumees and job interviews.

Got escorted onto a bus by 2 drunk men who kindly carried our bags on for us, then dumped them on our laps and said, ever so sweetly, "We've done the work, now give us our money!" Gotta love the subtlety.

Ate amazing palak paneer and garlic naan. Yes, in Africa.

Got 27 bug bites on my lower left leg alone. New record!

Taking bucket baths. Can't say I've missed those so much.

Slept in a room with more cockroaches in it than I have ever seen in my life. Turned on the light around 2am and the floor was literally moving.

Rode home at 2am on an 8 kilometre road that takes about half an hour to cover, mostly because it is basically the Grand Canyon of Africa. Forget about driving anything other than a Land Rover on this thing.. I swear it eats small cars alive.

Ran early in the morning past all the locals heading to their farms. The land is stunning.

Wrote up care plans for the kids at the home where we're staying.

Eating heaps of mchima (ground maize, boiled until it's like Malt-O-Meal) and sweet potato leaves. Trying to avoid the deep fried caterpillars.

Doing washing by hand. Missed that.


We are in Chingola, Zambia now, after staying in Lusaka, Ndola, and Kitwe en route. We're working with a team of 14 from the UK at a farm/small kids home out in the boonies -- www.edenfarm.org.uk -- (you have to take the above mentioned 8km road to get out there.. rural doesn't even begin to describe it..) and take off next Monday on the train to Tanzania. Life is good! No running water or electricity, but so much fun with the kids and various projects going on. Today we visited a local hospital's AIDS clinic and spoke with some of the doctors about starting a project with the low/no-income single mothers who come to pick up their monthly ARV medications. So fascinating seeing how things work here in comparison to other places.

Sorry no pictures this time around.. Zambia has yet to know the wonders of broadband so uploading even a thumbnail sized shot is kind of laughable.

Miss you all!