Second First Impressions of Lusaka

I think that after living here for three years I was used to the sights, sounds and smells of urban Africa. And I gotta say, my descriptions of Lusaka in our presentations was conservative and generous. Upon our return it’s clear that Lusaka is dirtier, more crowded, and more unpleasant then I remembered. Ciyanjano on the other hand is even better than I thought - not just in a juxtaposition to the city but WOW, they have been working hard around here. I thought the pace of physical development was blindingly fast over the last three years but between Tyler,Tim and Dave, and the back-breaking work done by our crew, I think they’ve gone over and above my highest expectations. I have so many things to talk to our director about that I need a meeting to set up multiple meetings to cover everything! 

Returning during the hottest weeks of the year might have been a bit foolish in retrospect. But hopefully I’m sweating off some of my “furlough fifteen.” So far the best parts about being home are returning to our house and getting things in order, and visits with friends. We’ve mentioned before that returning to Zambia for a second term means something more to the nationals that just a first term. When they see that you’ve been back to America (the land of cheap electronics, jobs, and ice cream) and still decided to return to Zambia - they feel like you must really love them and their country. In our visits we’ve been seeing some new additions. This little girl was born to the Mwale family while we were on home mission assignment and we returned to find this precious little Mercy Tricia Mwale! Cute! We are so happy to be "home" and a special thanks to all of you who've helped us get back here.