The Royal Solwezi offered a good English breakfast. We filled our tummies and then loaded the truck to hit the road for Kasempa. We traveled the narrow paved road past clusters of mud brick huts most of the 2 hour trip. We arrived at the Kasempa Seventh Day Adventist Church near the end of Sabbath School and the ladies joined a class while the guys went to check the air pressure in one of the tires that was running low. We strained to comprehend the English being spoken by the teacher. At some point I noticed that Mom had given up on trying. The accent was thick but thanks to my Andrews multicultural education I was able to get most of it.
The church was built similarly to the mud brick homes only the roof was built of a ad hock wood trusses. The connections between the crooked members were scary but somehow it seemed to be holding together. There were cotton curtains on the windows and fake flowers on the podium not unlike many Adventist churches in the States.
After several beautiful a Capella songs with complex harmony that it is hard to believe just comes naturally the elders filed in and a long session of announcements began. We were asked to stand and were welcomed one by one. The pastor gave the sermon in English and one of the elders translated into the local language. The church was full of children and women and we later learned that the men were evangelizing to outlying villages that day. After the service was over they made a couple of short announcements they asked Mom to say a few words about the Columbia Seventh Day Adventist Church that has become a sister church to them. They told us that the pews we were sitting and the recent repairs to the church were made possible by their donation. They were very thankful and hoped that they would be remembered in the future.
We made a quick escape as Ashlee feared we would be asked to stay for lunch which would mean strange food and several hours of difficult conversation. Because of our delay the day before due to rain we were behind schedule for all that they had planned for us. So we headed over to the market for a couple of ingredients Ashlee needed and to take a look at the local market. This was much more of a manageable speed for me. It was a similar set up to the market in Solwezi but about a fifth the size and not bustling or crowded. There was still trash everywhere on the ground. We looked at kitenge and other interesting offerings in the various shops and met Andy and Aundre who were hanging out with Andy's friend, Alvin, and a new volunteer to the area, Jeff. 
From the market we drove out to the hospital campus to visit Andy and Ashlee's friends, the doctor, his wife and their three kids. The campus had fairly modern buildings with running water and electricity. We had a cold glass of water, the first in a few days, and sat and chatted for a while. The baby girl was bubbly and smiling the whole time and the boys popped in and out sneaking peaks of the strangers. From there we headed back to the main road and the down a dirt path. More than once Andy had to stop and move a log or check a culvert. We bumped along for 2o-30 minutes with glimpses of houses and gardens between the tall grasses. Andy jumped out and grabbed his machete and slashed a wider path so we could back the Rover up near the house. The kids came running as soon as they heard the truck and by the time we exited the vehicle there were a dozen or so kids all around. 
Ashlee made a quick sweep the house to check for intruder of all types, but found it clean. We unpacked the baggage and groceries and Ashlee and Andy took turns giving us tours of the grounds. The kazanza, or cooking hut, the outhouse, the shower the garden, the compost heap, etc. Ashlee, Mom and Andrea headed up to the mill to get the corn pounded for dinner the next day at the mill up the path. I played with Tosh for quite a while. Such a happy dog, but clueless to the concept of fetch. Mostly she just wanted to jump on me or sit on my feet. She seemed to understand that we were family right away and took to taking orders and begging for affection.
From the market we drove out to the hospital campus to visit Andy and Ashlee's friends, the doctor, his wife and their three kids. The campus had fairly modern buildings with running water and electricity. We had a cold glass of water, the first in a few days, and sat and chatted for a while. The baby girl was bubbly and smiling the whole time and the boys popped in and out sneaking peaks of the strangers. From there we headed back to the main road and the down a dirt path. More than once Andy had to stop and move a log or check a culvert. We bumped along for 2o-30 minutes with glimpses of houses and gardens between the tall grasses. Andy jumped out and grabbed his machete and slashed a wider path so we could back the Rover up near the house. The kids came running as soon as they heard the truck and by the time we exited the vehicle there were a dozen or so kids all around. Ashlee made a quick sweep the house to check for intruder of all types, but found it clean. We unpacked the baggage and groceries and Ashlee and Andy took turns giving us tours of the grounds. The kazanza, or cooking hut, the outhouse, the shower the garden, the compost heap, etc. Ashlee, Mom and Andrea headed up to the mill to get the corn pounded for dinner the next day at the mill up the path. I played with Tosh for quite a while. Such a happy dog, but clueless to the concept of fetch. Mostly she just wanted to jump on me or sit on my feet. She seemed to understand that we were family right away and took to taking orders and begging for affection. 
Ashlee got started on dinner right away. She made a stir fry with all local ingredients. She wanted to give us a taste of what one of their typical African meals are like. The stir fry consisted of tomatoes, onions, sweet potatoes, soya and greens that she served over rice. Soya is a dried soy bean product that is in chunks that can be rehydrated and are tofu-like. Many of the volunteers use is to help keep some protein in their diet. The dark sneaked up on us as we ate, and with no light other than that of the moon we sat in a circle of the kazanza and sipped on an after dinner cocoa or tea. 
We headed for bed early. Andrea and Ashlee shared a two man tent set up next to the kitchen, Andy found a private spot out back for his tent, Mom snuggled up on the couch behind the mosquito net and Aundre and I tucked ourselves in A&A's fortress-like bed only after stuffing the three brooms under the door to keep the snakes out. We must have laid there for a couple of hours whispering about the day and jumping at every little sound. It wasn't long until we could hear Mom gently snoring. More than once I made Aundre shine the light around the room just to double check, but ultimately there were not any visitors in the night. Tosh was hard at work scaring everything away with her barks which was a disturbance, but we were still thankful she was there keeping whatever was out in the African night away from the house.
No comments:
Post a Comment