Day 8: July 27th, 2011

I awake this morning to the sound of birds chirping, feet shuffling across the ground just outside my window, people talking and laughing…   The bright sun, still low in the sky, shines in through the open windows, beckoning me to leave the comfort of my cozy sleeping bag as it slowly begins to warm up the chilly hut.  I pull the purple mummy bag up tight around my neck and breath deeply, taking in the crisp, cool air.  I lay here, taking in the sounds and smells, staring up at the strips of wood that hold in place the mattress in the bunk above me.

Eight days earlier, we had arrived in Africa.  As our flight approached the runway, I had gotten my first glimpse of a continent which I had seen only in movies and read about in books.  For 29 years I had built up in my mind what it would be like to travel here;  what it would look like, smell like, sound like…  And on that flight, as roads, towns, rivers, and hills began coming into view below us, I felt like I was in a dream; like this couldn't possibly be happening….that the ground I was seeing couldn't possibly be Africa.

Now, eight days later, I lay here in bed thinking about my experience so far.  In my mind, I think back through a few of the highlights.   I think about the walking stick I had received as part of our unforgettable welcome ceremony that first night.  I think about my first look at the African night sky, bursting with stars from horizon to horizon.  I think about our trip north to Victoria Falls, our Sunset Cruise on the Zambezi River, my pathetic attempt to bargain for souvenirs in an open market, and our safari in Botswana.  

I think about the past two days that we had spent in local schools, rotating from classroom to classroom, trying to squeeze as much out of every minute of our time with the local children and teachers as possible.  I think about the night Sarah and I had spent with a local woman, Vie, in her hut as we prepared Sadza for dinner, sang songs, and as she laughed at our incessant need to fill the peaceful silence by asking questions and making small talk.  I think about our long walk the next morning on our way to school, on footpaths through the Matopo hills.

I think about how, last night, on the way back from watching a beautiful sunset on a nearby mountaintop, I had foolishly attempted to jump a gap between two boulders, had misjudged the distance of the jump, and landed horribly wrong on my feet, badly bruising them both to the point where it was almost unbearable to walk.  I think about how pathetic I had felt as I limped through the night, following my hiking partners as they scouted out ahead, and as we got progressively more lost, confused, and frustrated.  I think about the sheer joy I had felt - after being lost and in pain for close to three hours - when we stumbled across a hut whose occupants agreed to help us find our way home.  And I think about the relief, exhaustion, and warmth I felt when I laid down in my bed after we had been "rescued."

I lay here now, in the bright morning light, looking down at the bandages wrapped around both of my feet, thinking about our amazing experience so far, and last night's sudden turn of events.  My mind begins to wander.  

Slowing down has never came easily to me.  Growing up, my mom was constantly reminding me to slow down, to look around, to chew my food, to live in the moment, to breath…  and I never really learned.  I still get caught up in this world of constant "Go, go go!"  It takes a conscious effort for me to truly relax…or it takes an injury.

So I'm injured.  In Africa.  I will definitely be slowing down now.  This sucks.  Things had been going so well!  Now, I'm going to miss out on so much in the next couple of days.  Of all the places to be injured and incapacitated…  And then the trip home is going to be miserable…  I don't even want to think about having to endure the 9-10 hour layovers in the Johannesburg and London airports with injured feet.  "What a terrible way to end this amazing trip," I think to myself.  

Then Hannah comes in to check on my feet.  Her warm smile, as she unwraps and rewraps my feet, cheers me up a little.  Norma (one of our wonderful hosts) comes in with breakfast.  She doesn't seem to feel sorry for me at all.  Her dry sense of humor, as she comments on how pathetic I am, makes me laugh.  Setting a tray full of steaming hot food on my lap, she says dismissively "Well, I guess God wants you to hang out at camp today!" and walks out.  

I realize that lying around feeling sorry for myself all day isn't going to fly.  I remember that our hosts, Chris and Norma, have lived in Zimbabwe since 1953.  They've been through some unimaginable hardships.  While it's always been difficult living in rural Zimbabwe, for the past several years it's been a constant struggle for them and their neighbors to survive the oppression and corruption of the current government.   Their daily lives are consumed with helping to battle the effects of a widespread AIDS epidemic that has ravaged the country.  Taking a few seconds to remind myself of this helps to change my perspective.  I grab my walking stick and hobble out of the hut.  

By this time the rest of the group has left for the schools, and only a few people remain in camp.  Sam, Mason, Matt, and Micah are hard at work building a new stairway up into the attic of the dining room.  Norma, Rentia and a few of their hired workers busy themselves with setting up solar panels, doing dishes, and washing clothes. I find a chair on the porch of the main building and get to work sorting and folding socks, trying to make myself useful.  

Later, I find a shaded spot in the backside of camp and spend the remainder of the day lying around, playing guitar, reading, eating food that is brought to me, and drifting in and out of sleep.  Once in a while someone comes by to check on me, or to chat, but otherwise I'm alone with my thoughts.  All of my fellow teachers are off at the schools, and I'm sure they're having an amazing time, but I'm now content being here.  I breath deeply.  I listen to the birds.  This place is healing.  

As the day unfolds, I find myself feeling extremely grateful.  Grateful for a random assortment of things…  Grateful that my bruised feet aren't broken legs, or worse.  Grateful to  be healthy.  Grateful to have parents.  Grateful to have a family that loves me and supports me.  Grateful to have a job that I love.  Grateful to not have to worry about where my next meal is going to come from.  Grateful to have good friends.  Grateful to have been given the opportunity to travel to this amazing place with these amazing people.  Grateful for music…

I begin to see my life differently.  Visiting a country that has been so deeply affected by poverty is a humbling experience.  These people have next to nothing in terms of personal possessions and yet they are content…happy even.  Their country has been run into the ground by the government.  Food shortages are common, power outages are frequent.  Most Zimbabwean citizens have no cars, no running water, no electricity, and very few possessions, yet the people we've met since we've arrived, have been nothing short of generous with what they do have.  

Growing up in a country full of privilege, it's all too easy to lose sight of the things that are important, to get lost in a race to get ahead, at the expense of our health, our relationships, and ultimately our happiness.

As I lay here on this cot, I look at my feet, and decide that I'm pretty happy to be here, in this very spot, injury and all.  The dull pain kinda sucks, and it pretty much takes me ten minutes to get to the bathroom and back, but all things considered, life is pretty good.  I can't complain.  

Day 7: July 26, 2011

Written by: Pamela

On Tuesday, July 26^th, dawn arrived with the call of the green spotted dove. What a lovely way to be awakened and in such an amazing place! We began the day with an early breakfast and a bumpy truck ride to visit the Sigiti and Silobi Schools. The team visited in classrooms at the Silobi Elementary School. We read stories, sang songs, and played some of their favorite games. One game involves calling a person’s name. That person comes to the center of the circle and performs. See Miss Walker and Miss Mokotoff below. Coach Austin and one of our hosts went to the Silobi High School and played in a competitive soccer game. Before we left the elementary choir sang several special songs for us. Mrs. Vrieland and Mrs. Thames would have been amazed at their beautiful harmony.

Silobi's School Choir

Our second visit on Tuesday was to the Sigiti School. Once again, we were met by the Head of School and greeted warmly. We visited classrooms and listened to the children read, sing, recite poems, and watched as they went about their lessons. You can see that their classrooms are very different than ours. It is winter in Zimbabwe and the children are dressed for cool mornings.

Coach Austin got the youngest three classes out onto the playground for some extra fun. Many of the children learned very quickly what skipping is all about.

Tuesday was another amazing day in a land far away!

Day 6: July 25, 2011

Written by: Jaclyn Elliott

Waking up in my cuddly, warm sleeping bag at 7:08AM was a bit of a challenge for me; however, the excitement that’s been building for all of us to finally visit the schools today was enough to pull my lazy self out of bed and off to greet the brisk Zimbabwean morning (colder than any of us expected AFRICA to be—I mean, yeah, we were warned it was their winter-time now, but I think we were all thinking at the back of our minds-- “Ok… but it’s still Africa!” Note to self: bring a winter jacket, gloves, and a hat next time!) As I walked from our hut to the kitchen for a hot warm breakfast, I had that moment of the day. That moment that I’ve had every day we’ve been here- where life feels surreal, perfect, untainted. I knew traveling to Africa would be a blessing, and I am so grateful for all of the support to get me to this place, but I never knew it would have THIS big of an impact on my life. Morning Star farm and the entire Matopo Hills Community are truly heaven on earth in my eyes. EVERYONE has treated us so nicely and welcomed us with open arms. When I arrived at the kitchen I was met with a giant hug from Rentia and I will never forget her routine morning greeting “Hello girlies!” in her sweet, South African accent. It will always be music to my ears!

After breakfast, we packed our lunch for the day, grabbed some items we thought would help us in the classroom (stickers, read-aloud books, pictures, and anything else we could get our hands on that we thought might be halfway useful) and then we jumped on the red pick-up (“bucky”) and hit the road to discover, explore, and take some risks, just as we encourage our students to do at home.

8:30AM- Our first stop- Matopo Hills Primary- to briefly say hello to our dear friend and coordinator-extraordinaire, Patson. Of course Mr. P.E. Teacher couldn’t help but run over to the nearby field where children were forming a giant circle. He grabbed some footage, did some random dancing, got a couple other teacher-friends to join the fun, then we all loaded back onto the truck and drove for another four bumpy kilometers to our first school visit of the trip-- Lukadzi Primary! Lukadzi, like most of the primary schools in the Matopo area, is Grade O (4-5 year olds) to Grade 7 (last grade before high school). Lukadzi has 400 students and 10 teachers. As soon as we got to the school, we paired off and began visiting the classrooms.

THE GAME- PLAN: “Just do it!”

THE PAIRS: Jedd & Sarah, Abby & Kathy, Melissa & Ashley, Pamela & me

When Pamela and I arrived in our first classroom- Grade 2- my heart immediately melted. The bright smiles on the kids’ faces were enough to make me want to move to Zimbabwe for good (not the first time this has crossed my mind this trip)! The classroom was dark, cold, and there were three tables where kids were crammed onto benches on either side of each table. We greeted the teacher and introduced ourselves to the class. Then, we asked the kids to stand up so we could sing a song with them. As soon as the kids stood up, I heard benches falling on the floor and looked around the room to see what was causing the crash. I realized that most of the benches were 2 half benches pushed together, and one end had to be propped on top of the other so they would stay together. Whenever the kids got up or moved at all, the bench would fall over.

We then asked the kids to make a circle around the room, and as I walked around the perimeter of the room I noticed bowls and spoons on the floor, a small bookshelf with books, a large blackboard painted to the wall, and rocks and stones in a corner. Once the students gathered around the room (after some translation from the teacher in their native language, Ndebele) Pamela and I taught them “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.” The students were quiet at first, but after we sang it a couple of times, they were all singing the words and singing them beautifully. We then asked the teacher to bring the Char-Char books in so we could read with them. Pamela read the book aloud to the students. There were enough books for each student to follow along with their own copy of the story, and we asked them to follow with their finger so they could follow the words as Pamela was reading them. To encourage the students to answer questions, I passed around stickers to any students who took the risk to answer a question. When I started handing out the stickers, I noticed how each students face lit up when I gave them one. For some, this may have been their first sticker they have ever received! The novelty of it was amazing to watch- some would stick it on their forehead, others their cheek, and some their hand. After we read with the students, we thanked their teacher and prayed with them. We visited another Grade 2 classroom (right next door) and sang, read, and stickered with these students as well. While we were singing, the previous Grade 2 teacher said she wanted her students to sing for us so we asked her to bring them in! They all came in and gathered at the front of the classroom and sang, “Jesus Loves Me.” I closed my eyes while they were singing and my eyes just welled up with tears. I was so touched by their faith and courage to sing this song for us (and in English!).

After our visit in the classrooms, we traveled outdoors for their break time. Some students were playing soccer, some talking and laughing together, and others eating porridge (Lukadzi is one of two schools who has a feeding program in Matopo- one of our goals is to raise money so all seven primary schools can have the same program- for some kids, this is their only meal of the day).

We then headed to the headmaster’s office to get to know him and the school a little better. He discussed some of the main problems they are having at the school which include low reading levels (some kids are 3-4 grades behind and in a classroom of 40+, remediation is a challenge), kids with poor home lives, and especially how the AIDS epidemic has impacted home lives- a lot of kids are raised by their siblings or are simply orphans, which of course affects the students’ mood and performance in the classroom.

On our way to our next school, we took a quick stop at a rock nearby for our packed snacks. As we ate, Chris lead us in a brief discussion about our experiences at Lukadzi and what we would like to observe more closely at our next school- Matopo Hills Primary. We all agreed we wanted to observe the teachers teach a little bit to get a feel for how they run their classrooms. So, we packed up and jumped on our bucky and headed to Matopo Hills.

When we got there, we talked with the headmaster briefly about the school. While in his office, I noticed this poster (pictured below). This is one of my favorite verses and it brought tears of joy to my eyes to see it as a guiding force for this school and community that has so little. However, Matopo Hills is one of the most well-funded schools in the Matopo community mainly because of the support from the Roger Federer Foundation.

After we spoke with the headmaster, we walked to the courtyard where most of the students had gathered to sing and dance for us, their special way of welcoming us to their school. I will never get tired of this type of warm, friendly, welcome- my favorite kind by far!

After our warm welcome we visited classrooms again. This time, I paired with Abby, and we headed to a Grade 1 classroom first. These kids were the most energetic and excited I had seen so far! They loved singing with us, and especially loved hearing Abby read her story aloud (one that her Pre-K students had made for her to bring). It was great how interactive it was, since the kids could see the pictures and guess what was happening (this book proved helpful for many school visits and useful at any grade level)! These kids were also obsessed with stickers!! They love, love, loved them and we were just as happy to pass them out. Their teacher, Thabo, is a replacement teacher and has only had 2 weeks of teacher training. She was so welcoming to us and even popped over to the Grade 3 classroom we were in after hers to ask for our contact information and email so we could keep in touch.

When we headed to the Grade 3 classroom we were shocked by how different it looked and felt. There was no teacher present at first, and there were no desks, and barely enough benches for students to sit on. The room was very large, but also very empty. The students greeted us with a song in Ndebele, and afterwards were very quiet and shy to answer questions, but once the lesson got going they grew more open with us. Their teacher had them open their tattered, old activity books and work on an activity titled, “I’m Afraid Of…” There were pictures of animals like leopards, scorpions, and cobras. The students were asked to raise their hand and share what they were afraid of in a complete sentence (“I am afraid of….” or “I am not afraid of….”). Then the teacher had them close their books and put them away. Abby thought it would be a great idea to make a bar graph of what the class was most afraid of. This was a great way to extend the activity further and provide a visual for the students to see what they were most afraid of.

After our visit, it was time for Matopo Hills Primary version of a Field Day. Patson had all of the older students gather in a circle around the field and play a couple of games. Then, Jedd and Sarah took over as the fabulous leaders and Jedd had the whole school gather to do a sequence of activities (jumping jacks, pushups, situps, etc.). Then Sarah led everyone in yoga. The kids were laughing and seemed to love every minute of it. It was a great way to get the whole school involved and engaged!

After our first day of visiting schools, we got back to Morning Star and were drained! Some of us napped, others snacked, and then we all gathered around the fire to talk about the evening’s plans. Tonight was our scheduled homestay night! We discussed where we would be going and the logistics of the evening. Jedd and Sarah opted to go to a rural homestay and stay overnight. The rest of us decided to stay just for dinner and the evening, then return back to Morning Star to sleep. We all gathered the food to prepare dinner for the evening at our homestay and headed off.

Paige, Abby, and I were lucky enough to be guests at Patson’s home! When we got there, we got to meet his family (his beautiful wife, two children, his brother, nieces and nephews, and cousins). We also got to meet his dog, chickens, and rabbits! Patson took us on a walk to the secondary school where we went to the home of a Chemistry teacher and his wife, a Grade 4 at Matopo Hills Primary. They were so welcoming and showed us their cottage, where they had a coop of 96 chickens out back (fresh eggs every day- yum)! They also had a garden with peas, onions, lettuce, sugar cane, and more. We talked with them and prayed with them and headed back to Patson’s for dinner. Cindi prepared us a real feast! We ate fried chicken (their fresh chicken of course), a plateful of Sadza with gravy (well, Abby ate the most of any of us I think – as a challenge from Patson’s brother!), potatoes, and fresh hard-boiled eggs. They treated us like royalty and the conversation came free and easily. I played with their beautiful children the whole evening- who were just as outgoing, friendly, and open as Patson! After dinner we listened to some South African music videos and had a dance party! Patson taught us some moves, and we literally danced for the next half an hour. When Chris came to pick us up, we reunited with Kathy and Ashley who were staying at a home right down the road, and one of their friends, Dennis, lead us in a beautiful song and then Patson lead us in fellowship and read from his bible. It was perfect and so touching. Before we left, as if they hadn’t given us more than enough already- they had wrapped presents for us! They were wrapped in newspaper with our names on them, and we were so thankful! They gave us beautiful hand-made, colorful baskets, YoungLife t-shirts, some of us received bibles with a thoughtful inscription inside, and others got Lunch Bars (a chocolate, crunchy, energy bar of sorts- truly delicious!). Our night was perfect. We were happy to return back to Morning Star with full bellies, thoughtful mind, and warm hearts.

As I reflect on this full, beautiful day, a part of my heart aches for the people of the Matopo community who have so little. But when I think deeper about how little these people have and how giving they are of it all, I am inspired and touched. In America we have EVERYTHING we could ever need, and for some reason we don’t give as easily… we don’t wave and smile at strangers (sometimes we don’t even wave to our own neighbors), we don’t dance and sing after dinner with loved ones, and we certainly don’t cruise down the road on the back of a red pick-up singing Amazing Grace at the top of our lungs—just to share our happiness with the world. There is a lot to be learned from this community- simplicity, generosity, kindness, and love among the many takeaways I have gained just by being here for this little, precious time so far. I look forward to learning more and bringing home this new perspective to incorporate into our world at home.

Day 5: July 24, 2011

Written by: Melissa

Today we woke up very early again so we could visit Victoria Falls and have time to shop at the markets. We all climbed into the repaired van, full of anticipation for the day ahead. As we arrived at Victoria Falls, we could hear the roar of the cascading water from the entrance. Several of us agreed that the roar sounded similar to Atlanta highway traffic. We all zipped our raincoats up to our chins and readied our cameras for our first view of one of the seven natural wonders of the world!

Our first glimpse of the Falls was just foggy spray, but it was a glorious sight. We quickly made our way through the viewpoints the map provided. We ohhed and awed over the rushing water, the rocks, pointed out rainbows, and got soaked by the spray. Pictures were our top priority, so you can see for yourself, although it’s not the same!

We stopped for lunch at the Hwange Game Lodge, the largest protected game park in Zimbabwe. Lunch was lovely as we sat out on their lawn, which overlooked the game preserve. Baboons kept us laughing and entertained as they played and drank from the pool a few feet away. After lunch we continued an uneventful journey back to Morning Star. (we may have sung part of the way to entertain ourselves!) We did make a small stop and bought some fruit (cream of tarter) that grows on the Baobab tree, from two small boys off the road. The fruit was 4 for one U.S. dollar. I wanted to give more, so we gave the boys an extra dollar. They were so confused, but when they understood the smiles on their faces was priceless! We drove away to see them dancing in the street, waving their dollar bills! Wow, what a lesson in giving and appreciating the small things.

Once we arrived at Morning Star and ate our dinner, we hurried off to bed, anticipating our first day in the schools. What would we see? What would the children be like? Will they like us? Will they understand us?

Day 4: July 23, 2011

Written by: Kathy

Electricity! A hot shower! We woke up early, eager for our day of safari adventure! We began on a boat with a guide named Captain, (in the same font as Captain Morgan). His knowledge of the plants and animals we passed was extensive! We saw many savannah locals including elephants, sable antelope, (rare to see!) and crocodiles.

. The hippos were my favorite—I loved how they snuggled together, (sometimes 10 or more) in the mud! Several birds along the Chobe River between Zambia and Botswana were particularly interesting, and the crocodiles, with their sly teethy smiles were ready for their next bite to eat! So were we, as we stopped at Water Lily Lodge for a delicious lunch—most of us enjoying quite possibly the best pizza on the continent!

After lunch, we divided into 2 groups of 6 and hopped on canvas-covered jeeps to continue our safari. Our guide, Stan (the Man) was a daring driver who became determined to spot a leopard, especially after Pierre promised a kiss if he found one!

We enjoyed getting “up-close and personal” with elephants, attempting to capture a picture of a giraffe in its most interesting pose, and watching families of baboons interact with each other and with us!

The following are the 22 animals we saw today at Chobe National Park in Botswana:

- elephant

- lion

- warthog

- kudu

- water buck (bok)

- sable antelope

- grey heron

- Cory Bastard (the biggest bird in Africa)

- zazu

- monitor lizard

- water buffalo

- giraffe

- hippo

- African Fish Eagle

- crocodile

- yellow-billed stork

- red lechwe antelope

- guinea fowl

- baboon

- monkey

- impala

- hornbill bird

Day 3: July 22

Written by: Kathy

Today we woke up very early and started out towards Victoria Falls. It was about a 5-hour drive north towards the borders of Zambia and Botswana. We fit perfectly in a van and Pierre’s truck with our backpacks in the trailer towed behind. About 2 hours into the trip, as I was zoning out with my eyes closed and ipod playing, a sudden thunderous explosion interrupted Bon Jovi and sent the entire van into breathless death grips on the seats in front of us. Our driver, Chris, expertly maneuvered the car to the right (I mean the left) side of the road.

The front left tire was shredded beyond anything we’d ever seen.

The men sent the women to a lodge to wait for them as they fixed the tire—which soon turned into tires and forced all 14 of us to squeeze into a truck meant for 5 passengers. How did we do this? We had 2 in shotgun, 4 across the back seat, and 7—yes, 7 in the bed of the truck. When 2 ½ hours were over, we were thrilled to be in Victoria Falls—just in time for a big stretch and a sunset cruise on the Zambezi River. We spread out as much as possible on the boat, still healing from our traumatic space deprivation during the ride there. While sipping Zambezi beer (named after the river) we spotted African animals for the first time!

The first sight of hippos in the water left us all speechless. We saw several more along the river and quietly watched the pink sun dip beneath the savannah trees. Our home for the night, Pamusha Lodge, with hosts Wisdom and Phatness, was an upgrade from the huts at Morning Star, but two girls in a room is never as much fun as 8! A dinner of meat, sadza, soup, and chocolate mousse concluded our evening, and we slept well!

Day 2: July 21

Written by: Abby

Today began wonderfully; with a good night's rest behind us, we jumped out of bed ready to go... Well, some of us jumped. Others took their mornings a bit more gradually! Jedd, Kathy, Melissa, and I got up and gathered near the coffee station. It was one of the best cups of coffee of my life!

Chris came over to chat with us and invited the four of us (the others were still waking up!) to go for a walk on "the rock." We immediately agreed and followed him through the bush to one of Matopo Hills' famous rocks. We climbed up and were amazed... by the view, by this opportunity, and all the experiences we know we have in store for us. Upon our return to camp, we were served a delicious breakfast of porridge, bread, peanut butter, cereal, and French toast!

After breakfast, we met with Chris to chat about the details of our trip and our visits to the schools, and to ask questions. He is a wonderful storyteller and a great historian. Before lunch, we went on a quick walk to the rock again and checked out various kinds of lichen: orange, green, gray, yellow, and Chris told us about resurrection plants which turn green in water or rain but look dead in the winter. We've become friends with little Chee-Chee and Prince who live on the farm at Diamond's (their father) house (a farm worker).

In the afternoon, we met with Patson and Chris to discuss the schools we will be visiting and hash out our home-stay plans. A short nap/ down time prepared us for a trip to Dennis's farm (Chris's neighbor). We rode in a South African fire truck, most of us hanging on in the back. It was fun, bumpy, and a bit wild and dangerous. We finished our first full day in Zimbabwe by the campfire eating at a briee, or barbeque, for dinner. Yum!