It is very hard to believe that I have been in Zambia for a month now, it seems like a life time ago I left my snow covered house to begin my life changing adventure in the sun. However, my time here flown in and it is scary to think I only have seven weeks left in Zambia.
From the moment I stepped off the plane, I felt a sense of home in Africa. With this feeling, the process of settling in took me no time at all. I was extremely shocked at how I adapted, as I am usually a ‘home bird’. However, after a conversation with an Aunt the reason for this became very clear, as she pointed out that I will ‘jump into every situation with two feet’. I have never thought this about myself before, but her words have stuck with me and I feel that this quality has enabled me to take full advantage of every situation I have been placed in so far. Coupled with this, I have embraced the motto of a dear friend – “Life is an Adventure!” – Which has presented me with some wonderful opportunities to date and I hope it will bring many more!
“One way to get the most out of life is to look upon it as an adventure!”
(Feather, ND).
During the time I have spent here, I have visited an orphanage in the outskirts of Livingstone - Luasi home – a number of times. On our first visit, I was surprised to find myself very nervous and unsure about how I was going to react to the whole situation. However, I had no time to think; as soon as I walked in the door one of the children took my hand and led me to play football. With this, my nerves washed away and I thoroughly enjoyed playing games and talking to the children. Since then, I have been visiting once a week to provide help with reading and home work. These experiences have been heart warming as the children truly share a sense of family. During my short time here, I feel like I have gained more from the children than I have been able to give them, as their happiness overshadows the fact they are living with very little which is a completely humbling experience.
I have attempted to embrace all the African culture I can. However, when Pancake Tuesday arrived, it was our turn to express ourselves and our Northern Irish culture.
“Culture is like wealth; it makes us more ourselves, it enables us to express ourselves”
(Hampton, ND (1834 – 1894)).
With the ingredients at the ready, we discovered that we had no measuring equipment. With this our inner teachers emerged and after a quick internet search we found ourselves measuring with tablespoons. As we flipped our pancakes, we caused a lot of commotion in the kitchen and began happily explaining the tradition of Pancake Tuesday and sharing our delicious pancakes.
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| The pancakes were more appetising than they look! |
In between our busy days at school, we try our best to fit in a few tourist activities. Last week we battled with the strong rapids of the Zambezi River as we boarded a raft to go White Water Rafting. This was an unforgettable experience for me, with breath taking views and a few dips in the water along the way. I enjoyed every single minute, which could not be said for the other girls, who ended up on the safety raft after the first flip. This weekend we had the pleasure of meeting over 50 adult crocodiles and holding a two month old baby crocodile. As I mentioned when visiting the falls, the lack of safety persuasions in Africa is alarming, the Crocodile farm was no different – only I found this even more disturbing!
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| Our raft mid flip! We are about to swallow half the Zambezi... |
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| The girls pushing each other out of the way to get on the safety raft. |
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| Taking it easy on the river, before the rapids. |
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| Holding a two month old crocodile! |
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| This crocodile is 80 years old! |
References
P. Hampton (No date) Philip Gilbert Hampton -English art critic (1834 – 1894), available at http://www.giga-usa.com/quotes/authors/philip_gilbert_hamerton_a001.htm (accessed on 26/03/12).
W. Feather (No date). William Feather quotes, available at http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/1095813.William_Feather 2013 (accessed on 26/02/13).
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