Post from 1-26-11

Dear Aunt Alice,

Much has happened since I last wrote!! I arrived in Lusaka, Zambia on Monday morning, January 24 at about 7:30 am after over 20 hours in three different airplanes and about 12 hours of layovers. Considering your trip to the same location took about two months, I know that I have no right to complain, but I will say that standing on solid ground felt wonderful (as did sleeping in a bed rather than on an airplane).

I first flew to Charlotte, NC for a few days of orientation. While there, I was able to try Ethiopian food (which is delicious!), had a great refresher course on the theme of redemption in the Bible, etc. Best of all, I was able to meet the leader of the prayer team that prays specifically for Zambia!!

From Charlotte, I flew back to Chicago and had a few hours there before taking the red eye to London. I must say that I am not a huge fan of the red eye as I wasn’t able to sleep all that much (even though I was blessed to have a window seat and no one sitting next to me).

My longest layover was in London (eight hours), so I amused myself by guessing which travelers were American. Most American travelers seemed to wear tennis shoes and were usually much more casually dressed than their counterparts. I also wandered the duty free shops, but purchased only a Coke and a Lemon Fanta. I fell in love with Lemon Fanta in Bulgaria back in 2004 and was thrilled to be able to enjoy it again!

My flight out of London was another red eye flight and thankfully, I again didn’t have anyone next to me for the flight. We did spend about two hours on the tarmac in London, waiting for the engineers to fix a problem with the starter motor on the engine. Thankfully, the problem was resolved, the plane started and we made it safely (though about an hour behind schedule) to Lusaka.

Lusaka is lovely. My friends dealing with winter will be jealous to know that here it is a very comfortable temperature – not overwhelmingly hot as I expected, but not cold at all. I would say that it feels much like a warm May day in Illinois and that the temperature seems to be around 75F or so. It is the rainy season and, as I’ve discovered, the rain can come at any time – with or without a warning. The rain leaves behind plenty of puddles in the dirt roads (though the roads in town are paved) and many potholes, but also a lush green full of beautiful plants, many of which I’ve never seen before.

Being an American, you can easily see the influences from England and Europe in general. Zambians drive on the left side of the road (I keep going to the wrong side of the car!!), the products in the stores are sold based on grams, liters, etc., most of the brands are from South Africa or Europe, the English spoken here is more British than American and the outlets are European in nature. I did see my mother’s favorite chips, Fritos, at the grocery store, but the flavors that they had were unfamiliar to me. They made me think of her and smile, even though I didn’t buy any!