My Year of Adventure: Part Two

I have officially arrived in Zambia! After a red eye to New York, a 4-hour layover, and a 15-hour flight, I finally landed in South Africa ready to go through customs and board my 3rd and final flight into Lusaka.

As I was standing in the longest security line ever, I started chatting with the couple behind me. They were on their way to Malawi, her home. We were talking about things like the security line and if my bag would be checked all the way to my final destination, you know, typical tourist concerns.

They were lovely. And of course, they knew Kathy. Not surprised at all about that. It was nice to have a connection. I felt safe with them. After going through security, we parted ways, but I knew in my heart that meeting them was not an accident. I was thankful to have experienced international travelers next to me.

Once I landed in Lusaka, I got my visa and my bag and made my way to the exit. There was only one door to get out of the Zambia airport. It’s very small! Peaking through a crowd of smiling dark faces, was my sweet Rachel. I felt myself relax because after 30 hours of traveling, I finally made it.

I love it here. And I have already experienced quite a few “firsts.”

1. I rode in a European style car… with the wheel on the right side. That’s European, right?

2. I took a bucket bath.

3. Rachel, Cosmas and I made cheeseburgers and rice krispy treats for the 8th graders. They had never eaten a burger so they took out the meat and ate each part separately and they called the rice krispy treats “lice kispy seets.” It was awesome.

4. I woke up in Zambia!!

By some miracle, I am not jet lagged at all. Tomorrow, we will go to a crocodile farm called Kalimba and apparently we’ll be eating crocodile burgers. I guess that’s where the trying new foods comes into play!

I will write more about what Rachel and Cosmas are doing in Grippis village in my next post, but I wanted you to all know that we have officially decided to match any donation up to $1500 to build the elementary school that stopped being built because of financial reasons. Rachel has broken down the needs and the prices of each item. If you are interested in donating and being a part of this wonderful project, look below for more info!

The old school in Grippis that is falling apart.

This is how far they have gotten in building the new school.

$12 for one bag of cement
(We need… well, a lot!)
$12 for one small window
(We need 15!)
$30 for 50 blocks
(We need… a lot of these too!)
$42 for one large window
(We need 7!)
$92 for one door
(We need 4!)

If you’re interested in any of the above, email Rachel at marti4rd@gmail.com and she can add your name to our list and get you some information on how to give! (If you want to give anonymously without telling us, you can go directly to their website at www.grassrootsheroes.org and follow the steps to making a donation, just leave a comment as to what you would like the money to be used for!)