Another update from Rachel in Zambia

It was good to hear from Rachel a few moments ago. Here is here email bringing us up to date with her placement activities in Zambia.

hey,
well lots has happened since i last e-mailed. I have been on placement
in ndola now for 10 days and we have had loads packed into that time,
have visited a hospice, a children's hospital, 2 schools, 3 cemetries
(to see the huge contrast between one near a shanty compound which has
around 10 funerals a day, mud graves and metal grave markers which
show how a huge number of the people arent much older to me in
comparison to one in the town where plots cost $5000 and have grave
stones etc).

on saturday i went to a kitchen party which is the zambian equivalent
of a hen party, the girl sits on a stage looking "humble" but this one
kept crying so i think something was wrong, after eating and a sermon,
each person presents the girl with a present for her kitchen when she
is married and gives her advice on what to do with it, then they
dance. there was one present that the giver had left so they made me
present a set of pots and I gave the advice "you cook with it" (i dont
know what zambians cook in specific utensils) and then they made me
dance. I forgot to mention they had decided that because i had got my
hauir braided to keep my head cooler that i should wear zambian dress,
so i was bought (i know its the thought that counts) the ugliest
african dress ever, and so embaressed danced. one sunday because of my
hair the minister described me as a zambian musungu (the african term
for a white person)

on monday it was zambia independence day which is a bank holiday to
celebrate 47 yrs since they became independent from England and we
spent the day at a country park, we went fishing, had lunch, went for
a SHORT walk, went for a swim (which was amazing, so cool compared to
the heat, went for a game drive but only saw impala and antelope and
then went to a snake house and i held a baby crocodile and snake, but
the boys were too scared.

this week we are looking at the church activities so spending each day
visiting a different cell group and having meals in peoples houses.
today we are driving out to a farm for lunch to visit a retired
teacher and a still active lawyer (he is going to be late because in
court) retirement age here is 55 so many are free to spend time with
us.

on saturday night we are going to a boys brigade formal fundraising
dinner which should be fun and we have been told we might not be home
till after midnight and then on sunday the three of us on placement at
St andrews, myself, Fitzroy from Guyana and Amin from India (those
have become out names, because our countries are as important as our
names) are doing the two services, firstly the english one at 8:15 and
then the one in bemba (hopefully with assistance) at 10:30. the church
have really accepted us and we are the sixth year they have been part
of the programme.

on monday we head to our next placement where we are more spread out
so i might be on my own but Jacob from the Netherlands, Prethap from
India and I are going to central province. but until we arrive we
arent sure where in the province or what we are doing. i have been
told that province eats a lot of caterpillars so that will be a bit
scary, but i have been really brave so far with food and eaten lots of
different things.

anyway hope you are all well,

love and God bless
Rachel