I want to post an badly-overdue update about my charming, fast-growing toddler. Every day last week I attempted to upload a few photos of him to post on this blog. And every time, the upload failed. I just tried again and it's the same story. Maybe there is something wrong with Blogger's upload button? I don't know. All I know is that the upload reaches completion and then suddenly informs me there is an error. But it's nearly impossible to post a description that will do Elijah justice without photos!! :-)
Anyway, I did attempt to post last week, but all my attempts were frustrated!
We've been in Lusaka over the weekend, and came home last night. It was our usual mad dash to Lusaka, armed with a to-do list miles long so that nearly every second we're there is spent scampering frantically from one errand to the next. It was a profitable and successful trip, and we are so thankful to the Lord for answering our prayers and preparing the way before us. Even though there were moments when David and I were both ready to pull out our hair from the stress, it was obvious that the Lord was caring for us in every detail and providing what we needed. We were able to purchase the first few household furnishings of our own, since we've been using the M's furniture which they are storing here. But the biggest purchase was that of our own vehicle! We have a 4x4 pickup truck on order and soon we will have our own reliable transportation, which will be SUCH a blessing.
It was good to have another antenatal appointment with my doctor, and a scan to check our baby's growth. We have found out that Bump is a girl! :-) The baby is happy and healthy, and everything looks great! The only concern is about my iron levels, which have dropped drastically since I was sick with malaria. As a result, I will have to be carefully monitored to make sure that the placenta is not affected and that the baby continues to develop at a satisfactory rate. I will need to have an extra scan and bloodwork done next month to make sure everything is okay. Please be praying that my iron levels will rise and that there will be no adverse affect on the placenta or the baby!
While in Lusaka we also got another dog! Another German Shepherd, this one a male about a year and a half old. We wanted another dog so that our puppy, Merry, will have a companion, especially when we're away at the end of this year. Our new dog's name is Saurus (short for Tyrano Saurus Rex) and he seems to have a lovely, laid-back personality and he is very obedient. Of course, it will take some time for him to adjust to the other dogs, Merry and Lassy (the resident female who belongs to the M family) and they are still in the process of establishing the pecking order. Lassy has been "top dog" up to this point, but Saurus is pretty determined that HE is the king of this compound now. We'll see how it goes. It's a bit stressful trying to negotiate between three dogs, but they will sort it out amongst themselves in time, just like Lassy took several days to accept Merry when he first arrived. I am immensely impressed with Saurus on two accounts, particularly: 1) he's never been allowed inside a house before, but now he is a house dog (inside and outside, but for now he's sleeping in our house) and he has the best manners and is impeccably housetrained by instinct -- I think to make a mess anywhere other than outside would be inconceivable to him! He spent his first night (last night) sleeping inside (away from the other dogs) and didn't make a peep. I am really happy about this, because we would like to have a dog who can eventually sleep in or outside Elijah's room for security reasons, but Merry is still too much of a puppy to sleep calmly and quietly in the house at night. 2) He's never really been around children before, since his previous owner was a bachelor, and yet he has taken to Elijah immediately. He is extremely gentle, patient, and completely laid-back with the baby. I am keeping a very watchful eye on all their interactions, but I think we've acquired a tremendous family dog, and I'm really thankful!
The weather is really starting to warm up here. "Winter" is long gone and the sun gets more intense every day. We've got several pineapples growing in the garden, and I've got rows of broccoli and lettuce which hopefully will be ready to eat within a couple of weeks!
Thursday, 25 August 2011
Friday, 12 August 2011
help
Since we moved here, I've not yet taken the time to post a proper introduction of my hired help, who make a big difference around the house and garden!
First there is Asnet. Asnet has been working for me since just a couple weeks after we arrived at the College, when we were still living in the much smaller house. She is a young woman with three children and her husband Samuel is a full-time employee of the College Farm. Their family lives very close to the Farm and thus very close to us. Asnet works for me once a week, on Friday mornings. She sweeps and washes all the floors in the house and cleans the two bathrooms (tub, shower, and toilets). Asnet loves to laugh. Over time it has been great to get to know her a bit better as she becomes more comfortable around me and willing to talk more! I am hoping that Asnet will teach me how to knit a matching hat and socks for a baby. Then we can spend even more time together.
Then there is Ida. Ida has only been working for me since we moved into our new house. She worked every day for the M family who lived in this house before us, and has been well-trained. Since I knew that the house would be much bigger than our previous one and would need much more work to keep it clean, I kept Ida on as hired help for two mornings each week (Mondays and Wednesdays). That way there is not an exhausting amount of work for either Ida or Asnet, but it is evenly divided over the course of the week. I am still getting to know Ida. She is very quiet and doesn't know a lot of English, but she is a good worker. She also sweeps and washes all the floors, and she also washes the dishes for me and cleans the kitchen. If I have ironing to do, she will do it (but I don't, usually). Ida has several children and her husband Nelson is the cook and general handy-man for the College. I am looking forward to getting to know her more as she becomes more comfortable around me!
Both Ida and Asnet are currently pregnant, and expecting their babies in October. There will be a lot of babies around here next year. :-)
Then there is Amon, our gardener. He works each morning as assistant to Nelson, the cook, and three afternoons each week he works in our gardener. We are very impressed with Amon. He is a very hard worker and always willing to do anything you ask him to do -- but amazingly, I hardly ever have to ask him to do anything, because he knows what needs to be done and will do it without you having to say anything! Amon keeps our grass, flowerbeds and vegetable garden looking pristine. He rakes, sweeps, weeds, trims, slashes the grass, waters everything, and even plucks the dead leaves and blossoms off to keep the flowers looking tidy. He also burns our rubbish for us. When we need firewood for a BBQ, Amon brings it. When we needed to bury our dead puppy, Amon dug the grave. He is a strong, able-bodied and willing employee and we are very thankful for him. I should say I am especially thankful for him, because I hardly know anything about what needs to be done in the garden, and if he wasn't well-trained, the garden would probably already look a mess! Amon is married and his wife is due any day with their first child. In fact, she has already been to the hospital once -- a "false alarm." We are awaiting word of the baby's arrival.
So, those are our three hired helpers, whom we are very thankful for. The work that Ida and Asnet do in the house helps me keep up with the rest of the housework, cooking, Elijah, shopping, etc. And I am glad for the opportunity to give them some employment so that they can help support their families!
First there is Asnet. Asnet has been working for me since just a couple weeks after we arrived at the College, when we were still living in the much smaller house. She is a young woman with three children and her husband Samuel is a full-time employee of the College Farm. Their family lives very close to the Farm and thus very close to us. Asnet works for me once a week, on Friday mornings. She sweeps and washes all the floors in the house and cleans the two bathrooms (tub, shower, and toilets). Asnet loves to laugh. Over time it has been great to get to know her a bit better as she becomes more comfortable around me and willing to talk more! I am hoping that Asnet will teach me how to knit a matching hat and socks for a baby. Then we can spend even more time together.
Then there is Ida. Ida has only been working for me since we moved into our new house. She worked every day for the M family who lived in this house before us, and has been well-trained. Since I knew that the house would be much bigger than our previous one and would need much more work to keep it clean, I kept Ida on as hired help for two mornings each week (Mondays and Wednesdays). That way there is not an exhausting amount of work for either Ida or Asnet, but it is evenly divided over the course of the week. I am still getting to know Ida. She is very quiet and doesn't know a lot of English, but she is a good worker. She also sweeps and washes all the floors, and she also washes the dishes for me and cleans the kitchen. If I have ironing to do, she will do it (but I don't, usually). Ida has several children and her husband Nelson is the cook and general handy-man for the College. I am looking forward to getting to know her more as she becomes more comfortable around me!
Both Ida and Asnet are currently pregnant, and expecting their babies in October. There will be a lot of babies around here next year. :-)
Then there is Amon, our gardener. He works each morning as assistant to Nelson, the cook, and three afternoons each week he works in our gardener. We are very impressed with Amon. He is a very hard worker and always willing to do anything you ask him to do -- but amazingly, I hardly ever have to ask him to do anything, because he knows what needs to be done and will do it without you having to say anything! Amon keeps our grass, flowerbeds and vegetable garden looking pristine. He rakes, sweeps, weeds, trims, slashes the grass, waters everything, and even plucks the dead leaves and blossoms off to keep the flowers looking tidy. He also burns our rubbish for us. When we need firewood for a BBQ, Amon brings it. When we needed to bury our dead puppy, Amon dug the grave. He is a strong, able-bodied and willing employee and we are very thankful for him. I should say I am especially thankful for him, because I hardly know anything about what needs to be done in the garden, and if he wasn't well-trained, the garden would probably already look a mess! Amon is married and his wife is due any day with their first child. In fact, she has already been to the hospital once -- a "false alarm." We are awaiting word of the baby's arrival.
So, those are our three hired helpers, whom we are very thankful for. The work that Ida and Asnet do in the house helps me keep up with the rest of the housework, cooking, Elijah, shopping, etc. And I am glad for the opportunity to give them some employment so that they can help support their families!
Thursday, 11 August 2011
birth
Yesterday I was at Marjanne's house and a woman from the local village came by to show us her newborn baby! After oohing and aahing over the baby, she left.
A few minutes later I asked Marjanne how old the baby was, expecting the answer to be 3 days, or maybe 7 days old.
"About 6 hours," I was told.
"What?!"
Turns out the woman had given birth around 7am that morning in the local hospital in town. By 3pm she was on my friend's porch, having ridden more than 16 kilometers sitting sideways on the back of her husband's bicycle in the middle of the hot afternoon, holding her newborn child the whole way.
I never would have guessed, looking at her, that she'd just given birth. She was glowing and healthy and strong and smiling. She didn't look like she'd just experienced some of the most intense physical exertion a woman's body was designed for. I just couldn't believe it. Thinking back to my own birth experience, which was calm, relaxed, completely natural, and might I even say "pleasant" in some ways, no tearing, no trauma.... I was sore! For weeks! The first 24 hours I could hardly walk. Giving birth is not an "easy" job and truly a woman's sorrow is multiplied in childbirth. Yet this woman managed, somehow, to make it look like a piece of cake.
Within a week, she'll be back to her normal work in the fields and carrying water, etc. It gave me a perspective check! Truly these women endure things that we Westerners would never think acceptable, or maybe even possible.
Wednesday, 10 August 2011
culture
I've hardly posted any glimpses into the culture here since we moved. There's a reason for that. There are very few Zambians who are willing to answer questions and speak openly about cultural things and explain why things are the way they are. Thus, David and I don't find things out very quickly about the culture we are living in, which can be quite frustrating at times. I thought that David summed it up very well in his response to an email from a friend inquiring how we are settling in:
"Life is certainly different here and it is a challenge living in a society where they don't tell you what they really are thinking. That is probably the hardest part for me. I'd like to understand the culture and the people, but they take a long time to get to know. We are always learning about new aspects of the culture, but rarely in a straightforward way! You rarely are simply told something."
You would think that our Zambian neighbors and friends would want to share about their culture to build bridges of understanding. That is what I naively thought, coming here. But it obviously is going to take time to win the confidence of those around us so that they are willing to share. What we have learned thus far is most often passed on second-hand from our more experienced colleagues who have worked here for years Or stumbled across accidentally in the course of a conversation. For example, in the sermon we heard preached by the local Reformed Baptist minister on Sunday, who casually mentioned that when a girl "comes of age", she is no longer allowed to speak to her father. What? That's it, plain and simple. When a daughter reaches puberty, there is no longer any communication or relationship between herself and her father. She may only speak to him through her mother. Why don't people tell us these sorts of things?
And while sometimes I've had experiences that I'd like to blog about, it feels one-sided to write my thoughts about something I've seen in the culture but not be able to share any explanation from the Zambian point of view. Almost like it would come across as negative, because I wouldn't know any rationale for whatever it was.
But I will stop speaking in vague generalities and share something that happened this week.
One of our graduate students passed away some time ago. In Zambian culture, when a man dies, his extended family takes everything that belonged to him, usually leaving the widow destitute (and often with several children to care for). It's a horrible practice and one which accurately demonstrates the vulture-like tendencies of African extended family obligations. In this instance, the widow of our graduate student sent a letter to the College asking if there was any way we could help her because the husband's family had taken everything. When the husband was at the College as a student, he had been given a bicycle by the College to help him in his ministry. So, in hopes that this would improve her situation, a letter was written from our Principal to the husband's family explaining that the bicycle was a gift from the College and should be given back to the wife.
Unfortunately, when the letter (which was in English) was read by a family member to the wife, somehow the lines of communication came crashing down and she was inaccurately told that there was a bicycle waiting for her at the College and she needed to go there and claim it! So this poor destitute widow set out from her village and walked for TWO DAYS to get her bicycle from the College. She arrived here expecting that we had this gift waiting for her.
As soon as people realized what had happened, and the misunderstanding that had occurred, everything was explained to the wife. I don't know what her response was. I am sure she was disappointed, but there was nothing that could be done. Thankfully, she could at least be provided with a lift home in a vehicle so that she wouldn't have to walk the whole way back! Arrangements were made to translate the letter into Nyanja so that there would be no further miscommunication and so that the letter would serve its original purpose. However, when the widow was taken back to her village, her family said, "Oh, but we don't want her to have the bicycle back! If we ask for the bicycle back, we will get enemies, and then there will be death."
What?
It's as simple as that. If there is a disagreement about personal property, the next thing you know, someone has been 'bewitched' by a jealous or angry relative (who goes to a witchdoctor to put a curse on that person), and "then there is death." There is so much belief in witchcraft here. If there is tragedy, illness, crop failure, loss of animals, any type of misfortune, it is interpreted as a result of being bewitched by someone. There is so much fear. But no one talks about it! It just exists, under the surface, tainting the routine of daily life, turning everyday occurrences into emblems of doom. And the funny thing is, the people believe that witchcraft doesn't affect us 'azungus' (white people) -- why? -- BECAUSE WE DON'T BELIEVE IN IT! (Because we are educated.)
Ironic, isn't it?
These are just a few thoughts. Part of the reason this blog exists is to share cultural glimpses, but this is the first time I've been able to collect my thoughts enough to actually post.
"Life is certainly different here and it is a challenge living in a society where they don't tell you what they really are thinking. That is probably the hardest part for me. I'd like to understand the culture and the people, but they take a long time to get to know. We are always learning about new aspects of the culture, but rarely in a straightforward way! You rarely are simply told something."
You would think that our Zambian neighbors and friends would want to share about their culture to build bridges of understanding. That is what I naively thought, coming here. But it obviously is going to take time to win the confidence of those around us so that they are willing to share. What we have learned thus far is most often passed on second-hand from our more experienced colleagues who have worked here for years Or stumbled across accidentally in the course of a conversation. For example, in the sermon we heard preached by the local Reformed Baptist minister on Sunday, who casually mentioned that when a girl "comes of age", she is no longer allowed to speak to her father. What? That's it, plain and simple. When a daughter reaches puberty, there is no longer any communication or relationship between herself and her father. She may only speak to him through her mother. Why don't people tell us these sorts of things?
And while sometimes I've had experiences that I'd like to blog about, it feels one-sided to write my thoughts about something I've seen in the culture but not be able to share any explanation from the Zambian point of view. Almost like it would come across as negative, because I wouldn't know any rationale for whatever it was.
But I will stop speaking in vague generalities and share something that happened this week.
One of our graduate students passed away some time ago. In Zambian culture, when a man dies, his extended family takes everything that belonged to him, usually leaving the widow destitute (and often with several children to care for). It's a horrible practice and one which accurately demonstrates the vulture-like tendencies of African extended family obligations. In this instance, the widow of our graduate student sent a letter to the College asking if there was any way we could help her because the husband's family had taken everything. When the husband was at the College as a student, he had been given a bicycle by the College to help him in his ministry. So, in hopes that this would improve her situation, a letter was written from our Principal to the husband's family explaining that the bicycle was a gift from the College and should be given back to the wife.
Unfortunately, when the letter (which was in English) was read by a family member to the wife, somehow the lines of communication came crashing down and she was inaccurately told that there was a bicycle waiting for her at the College and she needed to go there and claim it! So this poor destitute widow set out from her village and walked for TWO DAYS to get her bicycle from the College. She arrived here expecting that we had this gift waiting for her.
As soon as people realized what had happened, and the misunderstanding that had occurred, everything was explained to the wife. I don't know what her response was. I am sure she was disappointed, but there was nothing that could be done. Thankfully, she could at least be provided with a lift home in a vehicle so that she wouldn't have to walk the whole way back! Arrangements were made to translate the letter into Nyanja so that there would be no further miscommunication and so that the letter would serve its original purpose. However, when the widow was taken back to her village, her family said, "Oh, but we don't want her to have the bicycle back! If we ask for the bicycle back, we will get enemies, and then there will be death."
What?
It's as simple as that. If there is a disagreement about personal property, the next thing you know, someone has been 'bewitched' by a jealous or angry relative (who goes to a witchdoctor to put a curse on that person), and "then there is death." There is so much belief in witchcraft here. If there is tragedy, illness, crop failure, loss of animals, any type of misfortune, it is interpreted as a result of being bewitched by someone. There is so much fear. But no one talks about it! It just exists, under the surface, tainting the routine of daily life, turning everyday occurrences into emblems of doom. And the funny thing is, the people believe that witchcraft doesn't affect us 'azungus' (white people) -- why? -- BECAUSE WE DON'T BELIEVE IN IT! (Because we are educated.)
Ironic, isn't it?
These are just a few thoughts. Part of the reason this blog exists is to share cultural glimpses, but this is the first time I've been able to collect my thoughts enough to actually post.
Monday, 1 August 2011
happy august!
Right.
We've been sick. And when I say "sick," I mean, we've joined the ranks of the millions worldwide who've suffered from the scourge of malaria. For those of you who weren't already aware through our prayer requests via Facebook or email, or our July newsletter, let me just sum up by saying David and I succumbed to malaria together and spent 6 days incredibly ill together. We're very thankful that Elijah was spared! We're even more thankful that our energetic, high-demand toddler was well taken care of by our colleagues while David and I were too sick to move! I won't go into the gritty details. Just suffice it to say, I've never been that sick in my life before, nor have I ever been sick for *that long* in my life before. Malaria really takes a toll on your body... and I know, for a fact, that regardless of how sick we were, we weren't nearly as sick as we could have been. The Lord is really merciful and He shows His care for us even in the hard providences!
Happily, the meds did their job and the malaria is gone, and now that we've been recovering for nearly a week, we've just about got our strength back, too. It was necessary to "lie low" last week and recover, but this week we're back to our normal operating schedule.
Except for one thing. One additional thing. I've started "toilet-training" with Elijah (for lack of a better term). At this stage, it's more like we're working on learning to associate the words "poop" and "pee-pee" with the actions, whether in the toilet, in the diaper, or on the floor. My goal with this "training" is simply to get as far as we can as soon as we can... whatever that happens to be. I would prefer to NOT have two children in diapers... but even if Elijah doesn't successfully become a 100% toilet trained child by December, at least we've made a start... and we've not waited until he's 2 or 3 to start. So, yeah, you can imagine there's not a dull moment around this house right now! (Elijah would make sure of that even if we weren't toilet training!) Keeping a 13-month-old occupied enough by singing and reading to sit still on the potty for 5 minutes is... challenging, to say the least.
We just sent out our July newsletter, so if you haven't received it and you'd like to be on our mailing list, let me know!
We've been sick. And when I say "sick," I mean, we've joined the ranks of the millions worldwide who've suffered from the scourge of malaria. For those of you who weren't already aware through our prayer requests via Facebook or email, or our July newsletter, let me just sum up by saying David and I succumbed to malaria together and spent 6 days incredibly ill together. We're very thankful that Elijah was spared! We're even more thankful that our energetic, high-demand toddler was well taken care of by our colleagues while David and I were too sick to move! I won't go into the gritty details. Just suffice it to say, I've never been that sick in my life before, nor have I ever been sick for *that long* in my life before. Malaria really takes a toll on your body... and I know, for a fact, that regardless of how sick we were, we weren't nearly as sick as we could have been. The Lord is really merciful and He shows His care for us even in the hard providences!
Happily, the meds did their job and the malaria is gone, and now that we've been recovering for nearly a week, we've just about got our strength back, too. It was necessary to "lie low" last week and recover, but this week we're back to our normal operating schedule.
Except for one thing. One additional thing. I've started "toilet-training" with Elijah (for lack of a better term). At this stage, it's more like we're working on learning to associate the words "poop" and "pee-pee" with the actions, whether in the toilet, in the diaper, or on the floor. My goal with this "training" is simply to get as far as we can as soon as we can... whatever that happens to be. I would prefer to NOT have two children in diapers... but even if Elijah doesn't successfully become a 100% toilet trained child by December, at least we've made a start... and we've not waited until he's 2 or 3 to start. So, yeah, you can imagine there's not a dull moment around this house right now! (Elijah would make sure of that even if we weren't toilet training!) Keeping a 13-month-old occupied enough by singing and reading to sit still on the potty for 5 minutes is... challenging, to say the least.
We just sent out our July newsletter, so if you haven't received it and you'd like to be on our mailing list, let me know!
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