Roman rugby

As soon as I realised that Wales were playing away against Italy I was keen to go to the game. We flew down after work on Friday and were already amazed by how many Welsh people had travelled over.

The match was the Olimpico stadium which was really impressive. The game was so exciting and the atmosphere was brilliant. There was just a complete sea of red, and for the rest of the day we kept seeing daffodils and dragons everywhere. It was amazing! I have never seen that amount of Welsh people outside of Wales. We were told that 30,000 had travelled to Rome for the game! The marathon was the next day too so the city was busy, but I am not sure how many rugby supporters would have also gone for the marathon that weekend...three games of rugby to watch was enough!

Sarah and I in the stadium

 

Lago Maggiore

It is lovely to be back home. I missed Italy a lot, and although it was amazing to be back in Africa, something in me has shifted and I now realise that it is not my home. I hope to go back many times, especially to Zambia, but I feel very happy in Italy and so for now, there is a nice contentment about it and a sense of home.

Damjan and I spent a great day at Lake Maggiore. Coffee and chocolate brioche followed by a walk :) I had been desperate for an Italian pizza after all the fried chicken so was very happy when this dream was also realised! It is so hard not to love living in Italy when you can eat all your favourite foods so regularly!

The lake is so beautiful. It was great to be out in nature again. There was so much snow about on the Alps too. I must learn to ski next winter!

 

Livingstone

The staff at Good Hope had organized for us to spend a day in Livingstone, going on an elephant ride and then to the falls. I rode an elephant back in India so was happy to do so again. They are incredible animals and lovely and slow to ride! It was a really beautiful walk. We went through a private conservatory for about an hour, before getting the opportunity to feed them. This was the part I was dreading! Although I am much more comfortable now with animals I still don't like touching them too much, especially near their mouths! Our friends laughed so much at me, how quickly I retracted my hand after dropping pellets into the elephant's mouth! I couldn't bring myself to let them suck the pellets from my mouth with their trunks! Lame!

Literally hand in mouth!

We then headed to see Victoria Falls. I've been fortunate enough to have visited Niagara and Iguaçu so was looking forward to seeing how these ones compared. I was surprised at how small the area around them was. We could see the falls after about a minute of entering the park though had heard them for a while before. They were so loud! It was great to spend a couple of hours walking around, crossing the knife edge bridge and heading down to the boiling point. The spray was unbelievable and much of the falls were shrouded in mist. We got absolutely drenched! It was like walking in heavy rain. Fortunately it was really hot so we dried off quickly and our electronics were hardy enough to cope with the drowning! They are beautiful. Much bigger than Niagara and completely different in shape to Iguaçu, which is probably still my favourite!

 

Drenched!

Neither of us were brave enough to bungee off!

 

After finishing our work in Kalomo, Dora and I returned to Livingstone for some serious relaxation and reflection. We were both completely exhausted. Our time in Good Hope was amazing, but it was intense and hard going. We spent the weekend sleeping, sunbathing and not eating chicken! We actually went to an Italian restaurant every evening haha on Sunday afternoon we went to Mosi-al-Tunya national park for a game drive. I haven't been on a safari since living in Kenya so it was great to be back in a big vehicle and driving along some dirt tracks in search of some animals. I saw my first ever drinking giraffe which was so sweet and special! The countryside was beautiful and each animal sighting was so lovely and exciting. It was a fantastic way to end our time in Zambia. However we were definitely thinking differently. Every time we spent money we thought, ahh but we could buy 4 text books with that! Our sense of money has definitely altered, though sadly with our return to Europe I wonder how long it will last.

So ugly they are cute!

The Zambezi River

 

Good Hope School

It was so exciting to finally get into school and meet more of the students and teachers. It is miles apart from my teaching experience and speaking to the teachers we soon realised that we have very different challenges. There are comparably little behaviour issues in Zambia, the children are left unaccompanied all the time, no one does duties and all is fine. Although the class sizes are double what I'm used to, the children generally listen silently and are very motivated. I loved their names: Memory, Princess, Professor, Famous...

In the classes video

The challenges though are children walking over two hours to school and being exhausted; often doing so without eating, then not bringing any food to school. On Monday we walked home with some students. There were seven who walk over two hours a day, and we wanted to see how it felt. The difference however was that we had eaten well, changed into sports clothes and were carrying water. They were not. It was novel and fun and for us, a welcome bit of exercise. But every day? Twice a day? It must be so hard going. We got to see their villages. At some, we were greeted by their father and shown that the houses there were all for his various wives. There was no power or running water. It was so interesting but also shocking to see. The roads were very dusty and uneven, and during rainy season became very challenging. Along the way the children knew which trees that they could eat wild berries from. They were upbeat; I think having visitors and teachers accompanying them must have been interesting and novel. It was just incredible to see how education is valued by these families so that this is normal. Laziness is not an option. They wake up at half past four; school starts at 7.10.



Stopping for some berries

Dora and I changed into sports clothes and carried water...no one else did!

Their village

Walking to School video

On Monday evening, we were special guests at a dinner with the staff, PTA and government educational secretary. We had to give another speech and present our gifts. It was so weird being guests of honour all the time. We are complete nobodies in Italy! The staff there were so friendly and welcoming, we soon felt more settled than we do in the vastness of the staff team at ISM. It was great being back in a Christian setting and everyone praying together then singing a hymn to end the meeting.

The top table! Enjoying chicken and African shirts!

Tuesday brought with it a meeting with the government education secretary for the area. I'd been sat next to him the day before so it was good to have spoken to him before interviewing. As always, time keeping was terrible and I nearly fell asleep in the waiting are thanks to the cockerel and the constant packed days! We were trying to piece together a picture of Zambian education, its challenges and greatest needs and how ISM can help, so the more interviews we could conduct the better, but they got tiring fast! The DEBS, Webster, was an interesting man and we learnt a lot from him. The afternoon was sports on the school's big football field. The afternoons get hot! I would not want to be running, but that the children did! A lot of them were barefoot. I don't actually know how they get their strength as they don't seem to eat much and most walk over an hour to school and back each day. We were disappointed not to be able to take part, but had a meeting with Klaus.

Very few children had trainers

A freshly blown up ball from our school in Italy

So to rewind...the school was built on part of the tobacco farm we visited on Saturday. A neighboring farm, Twin Fountains Farm donated the money to build the school. Heinz, now affectionately referred to as the old man, and hailed as a hero by all we spoke to of him moved here twenty years ago, at 71. He has worked tirelessly to help the school, providing the building materials, buying initial resources and raising money in Germany. Klaus is his son who manages the farm and agricultural college. He and his wife invited us round for coffee and cake. This was a huge highlight for us. These people are so passionate about the school and trying to make a positive contribution to the hundreds and hundreds of children and families in the local area. We had such a happy afternoon together, learning about their histories and we got to meet Heinz, who although tired, unwell and weak (the poor man lost his beloved wife three weeks before too) was so humble and gracious, asking us how Good Hope is doing and what we think needs to be done yet.



Klaus and his wife. Loved their huge African garden!

Dinner was at one of our favorite family's house. She is the home economics teacher so the food was amazing (though of course the staple friend chicken and rice!) and her family were so open and welcoming. Her husband is head of the PTA and was also on the top table with us Monday evening so we were thrilled to see him again as he is so much fun! Last year at Good Hope, to encourage better grades, the top few children from each grade went to Livingstone for the day at the end of term. They visited the falls and the airport. One of Petronella's children went and when we asked her what she enjoyed she happily confessed to have been so obsessed with seeing the planes at the airport. I showed her a short video I'd taken on the plane of us landing into Lusaka and she and her siblings were completely transfixed. It is totally another world here.

After observing some lessons and being asked to take over and teach mid lesson (wow, that kept me on my toes, "Hannah, could you please summarize the lesson to the class and share any other thoughts?" Flip!!!) we noticed how some children did struggle to focus and concentrate. We spoke to teachers about this and they explained it was hunger and exhaustion. The children can bring snacks and lunch into school, which they eat outside, often sharing together their beloved nshima, sweet beer (don't get excited, again, it was a maize drink, mushy and white, not at all appealing looking!) or maize with their friends in a shady spot. The school can sometimes afford to buy a dried food that they mix with water for the children. It's a bit like porridge. Bland but filling. Funds are so tight though and it's often the teachers who club together to buy packs, especially during revision and exam time to really help the children focus and concentrate. We got to witness the serving and then took part. Certain grades were called out (normally on rotation as there isn't enough for the whole school) and they all got a cup and lined up so respectfully. Other grades would stand and watch, hoping that it would be their grade level today. The children ate the lot. Using the hands to get out every last drop before going to wash their cups and return them. It was so sad to watch. Grades that weren't called cried. Heart breaking. We worked out it would cost 75 euros to feed the entire school every day for a week. An impossible amount in Kalomo, but in Europe?!

Food Video

We visited a local secondary school which many students from Good Hope would go to after completing grade nine. The children begin in grade one at aged seven but I met children of 15 in grade six, so ages were all a bit muddled depending on when they started and how often they attended. The secondary school was very interesting though we were introduced to every class! Oh my! It took ages, and was so boring and repetitive. The secretary showing us around was a very colorful man who could not remember our respective stories, we were Italian, British, Hungarian and teaching all sorts of graded levels. We must have gone to about twenty classes so we really could not care how or what they introduced us as towards the end!

As we had been driving about and looking at school resources we kept seeing signs and stamps from the Canadian Mission Board. Coincidentally, the founders were also in Kalomo the same time as us and invited us to have supper with them one evening. This was such a special time together. These two couples were amazing. They have worked so hard to understand the culture here and to help. Their church in Canada has adopted many babies, trying to change the tradition of if a mother dies, the baby is buried with her (this thankfully seems to have changed now). They've worked so hard to re house orphans with their extended families and to try to resources some schools and boarding houses. It was such a pleasure to meet with them.

Our last night ended with a staff meal together (no guesses what was on the menu!). It was sad, with some lovely speeches and happy memories of our week together. Our kind, yet reserved head surprised us by bursting into song and dance, supported by some of the teachers. I was happy to grab the iPad to video and so resist having to join in! It was hilarious and so sweet. Dora and I have re watched the video so many times! It is in the video below.

General Zambia video

Weekend in Kalomo

On Friday evening, much to our surprise, we were taken out to a local outdoor bar with the head and two other teachers. The music was African and there were open fires; it was so nice! Very laid back and lots of football talk! I'd asked a child in my class, whose father is a footballer to sign a football as a gift for the head. I was thrilled to find out that his favorite team was Chelsea, the team that this player used to play for before moving to join AC Milan. Dora and I know very little about football but this didn't seem to halt the conversation nor deter the questions about different players and who our favorites were! Fortunately we only stayed for one drink!

On Saturday morning we went for a tour of the farm. The school was funded by one farm, and donated land to build on by another adjacent farm, as their workers had nowhere to send their children for education. The brother of one of the farmers worked at my school in Milan, hence the link. I was expecting a cattle farm, possibly coffee....it was tobacco! I know so little about tobacco so it was very interesting learning about the leaves of the plant, how they are grown, harvested, dried and then rated into their quality standards ready for going to auction.

Tobacco Plants

Afterwards we went to Choma, the nearest large city. We went to the museum which was in parts rather interesting! Learning about how Zambia became a one party state for a while to try keep the peace was good. What seems so lovely about Zambia is that in some ways so little is known about it in regards to World News as it is so peaceful. The most famous countries in Africa are sadly the ones with the most conflict and tragic histories.

We had felt very protected from poverty and not really in Zambia. Everything was so easy and organized and apart from the rather loud wake up call and lack of wifi, it didn't really feel like we were in Africa. This all changed when we went to the local markets. They were huge. It was midday at this point and so hot. Walking around very busy streets, with lots of stares and people trying to talk to us was hard work. Again, they were so similar to Kenya's and did bring some nostalgia! It is incredible how you can buy literally everything there. Food, toiletries, clothes, furniture, electricals...

How you charge your mobile when you don't have electricity at home!

The chicken was live!

After napping on the way home (sun exhaustion and a huge lunch!) Dora and I went for a little walk around the school and the paths around it. It is so nicely landscaped and there is lots of space. The architecture is strangely similar to my old school in Kenya, despite the massive budget differences! Some of the children walk the 3km from the main road to school, others 10km. The path is dusty and uneven but surrounded by gorgeous countryside.

We came back to lots of giggly children. Quite a few of the staff live on campus and so there were lots of children about despite it being the weekend which was really nice. On Friday we played with them a bit with a tyre but they were so shy and kept laughing or running away! By Saturday they had started to warm to us and a couple of the older children invited us to join them sitting in the shade reading books to the younger ones. It was so sweet. The children listened so well and were all so happy together and well behaved. They really are delightful.

On Sunday morning we went to church. Of course, African timing meant a nine o'clock start was more like half past...and a supposed hour and an half service went on an extra hour. It was still a lot shorter than we were expecting, and thankfully they translated from Tongan to English for us, though our singing was hilarious! The pronunciation was very different to English. We soon worked out that C was a J! And the tunes...all over the place, with some words repeated just for fun! The church met in one of the classrooms and so was a combination of teachers and their children from campus. On the whole the children sat excellently, though there was little bit of coming and going. Families didn't seem to arrive together which we thought a bit strange.

After eating with some of the teachers we went to visit a local orphanage. We met with Wilson, who is the ex head of the school. He is a lovely man, I felt instantly at ease with him. He now runs a local boarding house. Some of the children at the orphanage now go to our school and there was a section for TB and HIV positive children too. Some of the babies must have been only weeks old and were unbelievably cute. It was a happy place, there were lots of big, airy communal areas and a lovely outdoor play space. The staff were so kind and so grateful for the gifts of clothes and small toys that my class had kindly donated.

Wilson and Nancy viewing the ISM greetings video on my iPad

One of the gorgeous, special children at the orphanage.

We had a great drive around the local farms and roads and then stopped at a small leisure space for a soda. The Kalomo river ran through it and it was lovely to sit and rest together, though Dora and I added some adventure by getting locked in the toilets! It took a lot of people to get us out haha

Dora and I with the head teacher, Edgar

Love the sky