On my way...

So, here's another brief entry, coming to you from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. We're currently waiting for our flight to London - have been waiting for quite some time now. We pulled into here at about 5:30pm Kenya time (4:30 pm for us coming from the CAT), and our flight doesn't leave until midnight tonight. :P Then it's nine hours to London, where we hopefully will be able to land and unload safely and quickly; then seven hours to Chicago, where we hope for the same. Long flights are tough, but I'm sleepy right now, so I'm thinking I'll be able to get some shut-eye on the Kenya->London flight, at least.

These two weeks have really just breezed by. I wish I would have been able to update a bit more often, but the time really wasn't there, and we really weren't in town very often. Regardless, I did a lot of journalling on my own, and I'll probably do several post-trip posts that will divulge some of what I wrote in my journal. I'm pretty proud, I used a fair amount of that thing in these two weeks.
I learned so much about Zambian culture, the Bemba language, and even how to cook Zamfood. It's been great, and delicious! Michael: I want you to know that not only did I try the fried catterpillars, I ate three of them, and some little chunks. :) Of course, whether or not I actually liked them is a completely different matter. ;) But I hope to make my friends and family a typical Zambian meal when I get back - I even bought the proper mwinko and pampa in order to do it!

I really, really, really enjoyed my time in Zambia, and I was sad to have to leave it so soon. I'm already trying to find a way to get back there. I was told so many times that I am a Zambian that it hurts to have to leave this place and go back to American culture, and speak English, and be on time for things, and be too busy. I'm hoping that if I learned anything from this trip, it is the idea of ubuntu - that people matter, more than things, more than television, more than facebook. People are what make this world go round, and it is the love of other people and love of Jesus that gives Zambians the amazing joy that they have.

Well, that's all for now. My $2 /10min is almost up, and I'd hate to go over. I need some money in case I should have to buy a snack or a drink or something in London.

Be back soon!

~Jaclynn

Another rapid entry!

It's so hard to get to this place, so I have come once again for another quick entry. I'm just going to highlight some of the things I underlined in my journal.

31 December
We went to the Slave Tree in Ndola, an over 200-year-old tree where slaves used to be bought and sold. Here Ba Charles told us a bit about the history of Zambia. While we were waiting (the bus wasn't available that day, and we were making two trips in the cars) Mama Margaret took us to the mattress factory up the street, which the owner/manager actually gave us an impromptu tour of! It's really neat to see how those are made, I'd never thought about what goes into it before - both foam and spring. That is the only spring mattress-making factory in Zambia, so pretty neat that we got to see it.
We also got to see the kids at the orphanage for the first time, which was really neat. We saw both the old orphanage, and the new one that we'll be helping them move into this week. My Toms are a bit more reddish in color, now. :)

I have to rush, it's past time and everyone is waiting for me. :/ So, let me just say that New Year's Eve was awesome, and I think everyone should go to dancing church parties to bring in the new year. :) My Bemba is improving, or at least my vocabulary is! I've purchased my first African outfits - two dresses for K250,000, or about $40. Crazy.

Well, I wish I could say more, but I really have to go. I hope you all are doing fine.

Until next time!

~Jaclynn