no wonder I'm tired.

On Friday morning, we went to town, all 4 of us, to do our weekly shopping.  Which also combined shopping for the College, picking up one of our local Trustees who need a tire repaired, stopping at the bank, etc.  It took more than 4 hours, in the end.  4 hours in the blazing sunshine hopping in and out of hot, crowded shops will wear you out!

This is what the rest of the day looked like other than shopping...  Elijah tried to chew through a power cord, used his yogurt for finger-painting, plastered his breakfast (Weetabix) all over his hair, tried to bite a chunk out of his sandal, peed through his cloth diaper, sat on the package of light bulbs we had just bought, threw lemons down the kitchen steps because he thought they were balls, tried to pick Ketzia up and managed to pull her out of her car seat (but I caught her before her head hit the floor), kicked the cucumber I bought in the market across the kitchen floor because it looked like a footballl, and demonstrated in many other ways that he is nearly 2 years old... 

He has also been getting up at the crack of dawn (almost precisely 5:30) every morning. Which makes us doubly and triply thankful that Ketzia sleeps so well, because otherwise we would be really suffering for sleep!  As it is, we are getting enough to function but rise-and-shine with our wired little guy still seems brutally early....

In other news, my mobile phone is inexplicably dying and will need to be replaced, we have a bees' nest in our roof which needs to be removed, the huge pit-which-was-intended-to-be-a-swimming-pool in our garden is almost filled back up with dirt again (thanks to the hard work of our students who are getting paid for this) and no longer threatens Elijah's safety every time he goes near it, one of our dogs ate Elijah's lunch today and has been banned from the house for a week as a result, my children seem to schedule at least one "synchronized screaming" event every day, we are still desperately trying to find a way to get the furniture we are trying to buy from Kabwe to Lusaka sometime in the next 1-2 weeks or else it will be sold to someone else, I have pretty much given up on cloth nappies with Elijah since he is 30+ lbs and no cloth nappies seem to be designed for a boy his size and we will now use disposables for him (cloth for Ketzia) and soon switch to toilet-training mode... and it is time for bed.

settling in

Drinking lots and lots of water.  Changing Elijah's clothing six times each day -- either due to food (he insists on feeding himself, you can imagine the result!) or leaky nappy or playing in the mud.  Juggling household duties while carrying one or sometimes both of my small children.  Staggering naptimes so that Ketzia falls asleep first so that I can put Elijah in bed while it's quiet -- otherwise, if she's making noise or needing attention, he won't settle  Sweating constantly.  Trying to catch up on the endless pile of dirty laundry.  Being reminded again of how dirty things get here in Zambia.  Unpacking.  Trying to find time to sort, organize and put away everything that has been unpacked.  Hanging the laundry out to dry, and then bringing it all back in again when a storm comes through in the afternoon.  Listening to African rains on our metal roof.  Comforting both of my very small children when a terrifying lightning storm came through and a bolt struck very close to our house.  Thankful for electric pedestal fans which make sleeping in the heat more comfortable.  Being amazed at how strong Ketzia is and how fast she is growing.  Restocking my kitchen cupboards.  Eying the chocolate stored in the freezer, which I brought from the States, which is supposed to last me until October.  Welcoming our colleague, Marjanne, back to Zambia (she arrived on Thursday).  Meeting new friends and renewing old acquaintances.  Reassured that I have not lost my Chinyanja and people are just as impressed that I can manage a few phrases as they were when I left!  Finding friends for Elijah and inviting them over to play outside together.  Hiring men to slash the high grass which has overgrown the College in our absence (it took them 4 days).  Thankful that the men who were slashing killed a huge puff adder which was in the field behind our house (but worried that it was there in the first place).  Furnishing our two guest rooms in anticipation of visitors coming next month and throughout this year.  Getting our new (well, new to us) washing machine hooked up in our kitchen. Ordering our dining table and chairs which are being made by the local carpenter.  Thankful for the provision of a 4-piece living room set which we are buying from other missionaries in another part of  Zambia and which we should be getting within the next few weeks.  Trying to figure out the College finances.  Getting the battery recharged for the College vehicle which wouldn't start.  Thankful that finally we got the issues with the internet sorted so that we can be in contact with the rest of the world again.  Thinking that it's very cool that Zambia won the Africa Cup, against all odds, and feeling the patriotic fervor surrounding us as Zambians are decked out in their national colors in celebration.  Sorting out the lecturing schedule for this term and looking over the material to be taught.  Arranging for the guest house to be cleaned for our incoming guest lecturer.  Conducting interviews of prospective incoming students.  Looking forward to the start of the term on Tuesday!  Just a few of the things we've been doing this week.  Thanks for your prayers.

the calendar on the wall is on October 2011...

... and that's because that's when we left this, our home in the Eastern Province of Zambia.  And now we have returned, 4 months later.  Everything is green and overgrown here at the College and it is very, very quiet.  They have only slashed the necessary bits, leaving the bush in between untouched.  It was quite a shock to see the Zwemstras' driveway hidden by long grass and realize that they won't be our neighbors anymore.  Our colleagues Phil and Marjanne have not returned yet, which means that it is just ourselves and a few staff and their families around. 

Thankfully, no snakes or other creepy-crawlies have manifested themselves in our home yet, and I pray that continues to be the case!  We have installed two more "bug zappers" in the house and are taking every precaution against mosquitoes.

Our travels went smoothly and we arrived safely with all 7 checked bags, a double stroller and assorted carry-ons intact.  The last 2 days have been spent in Lusaka where we were shopping for furnishings for our house and other necessities.  Today we drove the 5 hours to our home and now the unpacking has begun.  The living room looks like a bombshell went off as I am sorting everyone's clothing out and categorizing the things we brought over from the States and the UK.  Our house is pretty much empty except for 4 folding camp chairs and a coffee table which is currently functioning as our "dining table."  We will be putting in an order at the local carpenter's this week for a dining table and chairs, and we will be getting a 4-piece living room suite sometime in the next month, which is very exciting!

Elijah definitely remembers this place and he was very excited to be home.  I will be so happy when he feels settled and secure again.  (Note: since being in Scotland for 10 days, he has started saying "tea" and even pretending to pour and serve it -- very properly!)  Ketzia is growing like a weed and is still sleeping amazingly well.  She is a very settled, content little baby and the travel didn't bother her one bit! 

I am remembering how much I did NOT miss the heat here.  I've just been sweating buckets since we arrived, and this month isn't even the hottest time of year!  It is definitely hot, and humid, and stormy, but the peak of the heat is October-December.  Speaking of the rain, please be praying that the rainy season will improve.  Thus far it has been a very disappointing rainy season and not nearly good enough to give the crops the necessary water.

Our dogs, Merry and Saurus, are still alive and were delighted to see us.  Sadly, Saurus is skin-and-bones and seems very subdued and rather unhappy, so we are going to try to get him to pack on the pounds, and we are probably going to take him to the vet this week to make sure he's not sick with anything.  Merry has gotten taller since we left and is still his happy, clever, bouncy self who follows us from room to room, curious about everything.

I think this is a reasonable update for now... just wanted to catch up on this neglected blog of mine and say the travel is OVER!  And we will be enjoying settling back into our home and preparing for the next term which starts 21st February.