The Rains Down in Africa! (5-20-2011)

It has been raining heavily for the last hour. It seems the rains have followed us here. This is supposed to be the dry season here in Zambia, but this year certainly seems to be an exception. The flowers are blooming everywhere and everything is greener then I have ever seen it. (We also must be more vigilant against the mosquitoes).

We drove down from Lusaka today. It is about a 5-6 hour drive and we stopped, as usual, at Tooters to go to the toilet and get some lunch. (Remember that in British associated countries, a bathroom is just for that purpose.) I think it was the first shock to our students expecting something like an American rest stop. We sat on the steps and ate, then returned to the bus to discover that it would not start. With a little pushing, we got it started but I am sure the locals will be telling the story for the rest of their lives.

We arrived here in Namwianga to find Ba Leonard waiting with all prepared. Ian and I are in the Hamby House with all of the wonderful African motif, most of the women are in the Mann House, the guys are in the bunk house and a couple of the girls are in a house behind. We are all closer together this year.

Unfortunately, we did not have Ba Leonard’s wonderful fried chicken, but he did have a welcome cake waiting for us. For those of you new to this whole Zambia adventure thing, Ba Leonard’s cakes are famous and we were honored with one right off the bat. Every cake is labeled and we always live for the next one.