Footprints in mud.
Sunday, 4 November 2012
Week 30, 31 & 32 - Photo's
Weeks 30, 31 & 32 - 4.11.12
Week 30
I finally have my Zambian driver’s licence. What an
experience!
On Monday, there was to be a lecture on the Zambian Highway
Code rules at 10:00 am, by 11:00 am no-one had turned up. There were 4 of us
waiting and so we went exploring. We found out that all we needed was a Conversion,
and so needed a specific form and to get this we had to go back at 14:00 pm. So
we went back then and after 1 ½ hours walked away with the specific form. But
this was not the end of it. On Wednesday, I was picked up and taken to the Mine
where I had to have a driving test, to assess if I knew how to drive. Phil was
there along with 3 others and so off we went. I drove about 2 km and was deemed
fit enough to drive. So after 2 ½ hours we were all done and had paid all
our fee’s, had 16 pieces of paper and still did not have our licence! But at least
we had passed!
I went for a bike ride this week and my gosh did my bottom
regret it! Lol! Wow. I borrowed one of the girl’s bike and trailer and took
Laura for a ride. She kept wondering why I was going so slow and I had to
explain to her that it was hard work riding up hill, unlike her who was sitting
in the back enjoying the lift. It was quite enjoyable though and we will do it
again.
Tom had his first Parent / Teacher night at school. Phil was
able to go and Tom was given a great review. He has improved so much since
going. I think he will love ‘big’ kid school next year.
On Thursday I helped out up at the school. I had not done so
in a while and it was great. It is lovely to see how Tom interacts and plays
with the other kids. The rainy season also started today. A bit early as we
were told the 24th, but it was great to get the rain and quite a bit
of thunder too. Laura will not be scared of thunder when we leave here, she
will be so use to it by then.
There was an LTG meeting on Friday morning to finalise
details for the Wine and Cheese night tomorrow night and more rain!
On Saturday, I had to be at the Golf Club early in order to
help set up and luckily we decided on an early time as it took several hours to
set up all the tables and photos. But what a great night, the LTG raised 32
million!!! That just beat anyone's expectations. It is amazing to be involved
with something like that. To see people donate such money to a good cause is
overwhelming and I am so proud of the effort we all put into the night. The LTG
now has enough money to help out another 3 schools with Community Gardens and
to sponsor at least 3 more kids for next year, and that is just with one event!
Week 31
We had some new arrivals this week, a family of four from
Perth and a family of 3 from Perth. I was meant to be cooking for one of them,
but got stuck in Solwezi.
On Tuesday, a bus took about 15 of us in to finalise our
licence’s. We left the mine at 8:00 am and arrived back that night at 19:30 pm!!
No I am not joking! We arrived at the RTSA about 9:30 am and then the queuing began.
We had to line up in one room to get our photo (the Manager decided that I had
to go to Immigration to get another form as the 16 I had was not enough,
Immigration told me it was not needed, the Manager then told me I had to get
Phil’s permit copied, luckily I had it on me and then I was able to get the
photo done). Then we had to line up in another room to pay for the photo. My
form did not print properly and so I had to line up again to get a re-print.
This took us up to lunchtime and the RTSA closed for an hour. We went for pizza
and then got back into lines that we had previously left before lunch. We then
had to go back and see the same man that took our photo, to sign the form to
say that it was in fact us. Then it was time to line up again to give over all our
paper work and get 1 piece of paper back. This was to be our paper licence and
that only lasts 1 month before we have to go back and get it signed again for
another month. This goes on and on, until the plastic card turns up in goodness
knows how long. We were then able to leave and by the time I got home I had
been gone 11 ½ hours! Thank goodness for Carol. I thought I would be about 4
hours. OMG what a day! Carol was great and had fed the kids and bathed them. I don't know what I would do without her.
On Wednesday, it was Independence Day and I had a baking
frenzy. I made 3 lots of biscuits and 2 cakes. I was in charge of doing the
cake for Halloween and so had to perfect my mix. I made some colourful choc
chip biscuits for Halloween. I knew lots of people would be handing out lollies
and so I thought I would do biscuits. The other cakes turned out perfectly and
now I am well and truly on my way to making cakes for other people. Now I just
had to decorate them!
I tried to make dumplings on Thursday and they looked good.
However, they all stuck together and looked awful by the time I went to cook them.
They tasted ok though. I have made them since and have perfected the dumpling.
It is such a shame that the kids don’t like them as they are a simple meal, but
Phil and I do.
We had our end of month morning tea on Saturday and then I
spent the rest of the day decorating the Halloween cakes. I think they turned
out well, you can judge for yourself when you check out the photos. We then
went to the pool for an afternoon soak.
I had a hard time keeping the kids out of their costumes on Sunday
until it was actually time to get dressed up. Tom wore his Spiderman outfit (purchased in South Africa) and
Laura wore her Fairy dress (found in Solwezi). The other kids looked great as well. The party was
a waste of time, as all the kids wanted to do was Trick or Treat, and once the
cake was cut and dished up everyone had basically disappeared. Everyone loved
the cake and hopefully, I will get some more requests. Michelle and I took the
kids Trick or Treating while the guys stayed home and dished out the junk food.
Poor Phil had just arrived home in time as he was called into work URGENTLY.
One of the local workers had threatened to kill one of his drillers and
security was called in. The said worker was fired and all calmed down. Then
later one of his workers, a friend of the one before , turned up for work drunk
and so was sent off site and fired also (there is a strict No Alcohol policy). Poor Phil had a bad day. Not to
mention Monday as he then had to go over all the forms and paperwork about Sunday’s
goings on.
Week 32
Tom had a bad night Sunday night and so I took him up to the
clinic first thing in the morning. He had really bad tummy pains and a fever.
Thankfully, he did not have Malaria and we were sent home none the wiser.
During the day things settled and he is now fine. I however have come down with
a terrible head cold this week and have been a bit out of it. Thus the reason
the blog is late a week. I am looking like
Rudolph the red nose reindeer. My nose won’t stop running and my head feels
like it is about to explode. I think Laura is now coming down with it. Yeah!!
We had about 100 mls of rain on Thursday and we discovered
the front verandah leaks! Hopefully we can get it fixed soon and so in the
meantime, we have towels everywhere as it constantly looks like rain. The kids
had a wonderful time splashing in the puddles. I have realised that the red
dirt does not wash out like the dirt back home, and so they can only splash in
their painting clothes.
We also had another family arrive. They have 3 boys and Tom
is thrilled. The eldest is 5 and then twins, 2 ½. Thankfully they only live 2
houses down and so I am sure Tom will be playing with Andrew quite a bit.
On Saturday was the Oktoberfest. It was held late due to
problems getting beer. Unfortunately, I was unable to go as not feeling well,
but Phil did and had a nice time.
I think today has been quiet as so many people are feeling
slightly hung over. Oh and Laura does have a cold now as well. I am feeling slightly better, but still not 100%. Hopefully will pick up soon as I have a cake to make this week for little Abbey's 1st Birthday
Tuesday, 16 October 2012
Weeks 28 & 29 - Photos
See the feet and eyes.
Tom and I at Luamvundu School.
Weeks 28 & 29 - 14.10.12
Week 28
What a week! How many times have I said that now? Just when
I think that things might be quiet for a while, something happens to keep me on
my toes.
On Monday, I went with Big Laura (a girl on site) to see
Lumwana East Markets and Luamvundu School. LTG is sponsoring the building of
toilets at the markets, as they would have had to close if no facility was
built. Now the markets can stay and people can buy and sell goods as before.
The toilets are still in the early stages. They have dug the ‘hole’ (drop
toilet) and are bricking up the inside walls of it. I had not been to Lumwana
East before, let alone walked around behind the buildings. To get to the toilet
you have to walk over all sorts of rubbish, ranging from plastic bottles to
broken glass and razor blades. There is no rubbish collection facilities, and so things get left on the ground or blown there. The kids were with me and I hope they took in
what the other kids have, which is not a lot. From there we went to Luamvundu
School. Tom and Little Laura certainly were the main attraction. It is not very
often that the kids get to see little Mzungu’s (white person). We dropped off
some supplies and I taught some of the kids to do high five’s. Next year when
Laura goes to Kindy, I will be able to go out to the school with the Literacy
Program that LTG runs. This is something I am really looking forward to doing. The local kids really were great, so happy to see us. It was a lovely day.
Then on Tuesday, after a hard 9 km walk. I came home to
blood all over the back bricks and Laura crying and with a Band-Aid on her
finger. Carol told me she had cut it quite badly on the outside sink (the underneath is really quite sharp) and probably needed stitches.
So off we went to the clinic. The doctor took the Band-Aid off and oh my gosh!
She had nearly sliced the whole pad of her left index finger off. She was given
some pethidine and diazepam in the backside and left to calm down before they
could begin to stitch. Thankfully Phil came to hold Laura and I helped the
doctor while he gave her 5 stitches. Unfortunately, he had to remove some skin
as it had gone blue from lack of blood supply and then had to pull it all
together with the stitches. To make it worse, they did not have any paediatric
sutures and needles and so it was very awkward.
But OMG!!!! It was nasty. Thank goodness I don’t faint in those types of
situations. Poor Laura came home and slept off the drugs. That afternoon we
went for a short while to Tristan’s 6th Birthday party. Her finger
was so sore poor love.
Wednesday was quiet as Laura could not do too much with her
sore finger. I had an LTG meeting in the morning and then we crashed around the
house.
On Thursday, I drove to Solwezi to do some shopping. The
kids at the shops have learnt now to leave me alone. So I am able to go in and
shop without being hassled. It was really busy and took about an hour to go
through the check-out. I was lucky that the customer behind me helped to unload my trolley as I packed it up at the other end. Most days there is no-one to help pack, which is why we generally go shopping in two's.
Friday was the best day I have had here so far.
Unfortunately, my walking partner Kat is leaving and it was her farewell. But
what a great night! Dinner was lovely and then the tables were moved out of the
way and the dance music put on. I had not been dancing since my hen’s night and
boy did I dance. I started dancing at about 930 pm and finished at 1 am. I was
one of the last 6 girls to leave. The 5 tequila shots and wine kept me going! I
was exhausted by the time I got home, but it was worth it. So were the sore
calf muscles for the next 3 days. LOL! Thankfully I did not have a hangover,
just an incredibly tired feeling.
We had to take Laura to the clinic on Saturday to get her
stitches out. Unfortunately the skin was too soft and a slight infection had
developed. So we had to give it some air and go back again on Sunday. Even then the skin
had not sealed together, but the stitches were removed. My poor little girl's finger was a mess! If she does not have a huge scar from this I will be amazed.
On Sunday I took the kids to the dam to see if the fish had
come back. Again there was none to be seen. However, we did spot masses of
tadpoles and so collected a couple. I loved watching them change into frogs as
a kid and so I want mine to have the same experience. Let's hope they survive.
Week 29
Thank goodness school started back again today. After
dropping Tom off, Laura and I had to go to the clinic again to have her finger
cleaned. The Doctor was still a bit unhappy with its progress, but it was a nasty cut,
so I was not expecting miracles in a week. When we went back again on Tuesday
he was impressed and so it was left up to me to keep cleaning morning and
night. Now it looks good, or as good as it can. The cut is healing really well
and Laura can feel the tip, so the nerve damage was only minor. I am so glad she
did not take the whole tip of her finger off.
On Wednesday, we came across 2 Chameleon’s and 3 Snake
tracks. The Chameleons were gorgeous. The first was a small bright green one
and when we picked it up, it started to change colour. They have the most amazing
feet and eyes. See photo. I would absolutely love one. The next was obviously
older as it was quite a bit bigger and a more brown in colour. I picked it up
again off the road and put it down safely out of trucks path. They move so
slowly, the trucks run them over, so it is always best to move them off the
road. I did not enjoy seeing the Snake tracks though, quite scary really. I am
not enjoying the thought of coming across one. I have picked out a decent size
piece of bamboo to take with me on my walks, just in case.
That afternoon, Laura and I went to the dam to get some more
water and food for the tadpoles. It was so muddy and sticky that Laura fell
over on her bottom. As she was trying to get up, she stumbled and slipped and
went face first into the mud. It was so funny. There were a few locals there
and we all laughed together. Thankfully, Laura saw the funny side of it too.
Thursday, saw me make cakes, cakes and more cakes for the
LTG cake sale. Then on Friday, I headed to the mine with Big Laura to sell
them. We made 1 million!!!!!! Kwatcha
that is.
On Saturday I headed to Solwezi with my friend Michelle. We
were escaping for the weekend. We left our husbands and kids at home and went
to Solwezi for the night. It was great. We had a lovely lunch at the Royal
Solwezi Hotel and then wandered through the local markets. I found some
beautiful fabrics and I am going to get a local Zambian dressed made from
one. We then stocked up on alcohol and
chocolate and headed back to the hotel to sit and relax. It wasn't long before
the hotel was full of local men. Zambia was playing Uganda in a qualifying
round of the Africa Cup and the hotel was showing it on big screen. It was such a
great atmosphere and thankfully Zambia won, 1-0. That night the power must have
gone off about 20 times. It would come on for a minute or two and then go off
again. Thankfully, the kitchen was run on a generator and so dinner was still
available. Then it was back to the room for a peaceful night’s sleep. It was so
lovely to wake up when you are ready, instead of being pulled out of a sleep by
kids screaming ‘MUM’! We have already booked our next night and this time there
will be about 6 of us!
I have to admit that the last 6 ½ months have been
interesting. As far as Laura is concerned she has never been sicker and I worry about long term damage to her small body. She has been on antibiotics almost constantly since being here. Most days I feel as though I am living the movie ‘Groundhog Day’ every day. We still have
not received our belongings (upset about this, as we were told we would get them within a couple of months) and I have considered going home. But then I
realise just what I and the kids would miss. First of all we would miss Phil,
and then the whole experience. I am looking at all options at this point. How many
kids can say they lived in the middle of Africa? We really want them to learn
from this experience and I want to be able to say that I did help a little bit.
Every little thing I do for LTG, helps a child get an education. The LTG may
not be able to put a lot of kids through school now, but the 4 that we are
sponsoring is 4 more than before. Who
knows how many more we will be able to do next year. So I will keep going day by day and we will see how Laura goes. The rain should be here soon and so that will make a difference.
Wednesday, 3 October 2012
Weeks 26 & 27 - Photos
This is how the kids had a swim.
Weeks 26 & 27 - 30.9.12
Week 26
OMG! What a week! How
many times have I said that now? I
thought that after Laura had her tonsils out, things would settle down for a
while. Yeah right. How delusional was I?
I was up at the clinic first thing Monday morning, as Tom
was having trouble breathing. I had to wait 2 hours whilst the Doctor did an
interview, even though I informed the staff he was struggling to breathe.
Finally the Doctor came in and put him straight in the Emergency room and on
oxygen. He then had a nebuliser and intravenous antibiotics. It is so horrible
watching your child struggle to breathe and cough like he was. Phil came to
help out as Tom was fighting me and I needed a hand to hold him down, the poor
kid. After 3 ½ hours we were finally able to go home.
On Tuesday, Laura woke up with a slight temperature but went
alright during the day apart from crying a lot, so I knew something was coming.
Tom of course was still bad, but the antibiotics were starting to kick in and
his breathing was a lot better and his voice was coming back.
Wednesday saw me up at the clinic with Laura. She again woke
up with a high fever and so I assumed she was getting what Tom had. Yeah!!! We
did not have to wait 2 hours this time and yes, she was diagnosed with
pharyngitis. My week was looking up. Lol. So it was back on antibiotics for
her.
So, on Thursday the kids and I basically quarantined
ourselves inside the house. I was also not feeling well by this point. I was
extremely tired as I had Tom sleep in with me whilst his breathing was bad and
then I was still up with him whilst he was coughing really nasty. Then when he
settled, it was Laura’s turn to sleep with me as she was having trouble. We
went to the dam to get a breath of fresh air and a sanity break as the kids
were driving me crazy. Tom was starting to feel better and so was teasing Laura
and she was feeling sick and so crying all the time. I just needed a drink! Lol….
Friday saw me back up at the clinic and I had Laura checked
for a chest infection. Yep, gotta love my kids, at least they do share! So
again, I came home with stronger antibiotics for her.
It was meant to be Tom’s last day of school for the term,
but of course he had been home all week already. So I had 2 more weeks to look
forward to of them teasing each other. Could it get any worse?
Oh yes it could! On Saturday I was up at the clinic again
with Laura. This time she needed a nebuliser and intravenous antibiotics. The
poor love did really well considering, she too had lost her voice by this stage.
Why they both could not have lost their voice together is beyond me. It would
have been so quiet. The rest of the day was a write off. I was still feeling
sick. Tom was better but still had a residual cough. Laura was tired and Phil had
slept funny and had a sore neck. No rest for the wicked. Laura had her cannula
left in so as to get another dose of intravenous antibiotics, so she slept with
me, so that I could make sure it did not come out and bleed everywhere. Another
night of no sleep! I was up to night 9 by this point.
Sunday had Laura and I back up at the clinic for her next
dose. Thankfully, it was really starting to kick in and she seemed so much
better. I removed the cannula as we did not think she needed anymore and the
doctors were happy. She had basically been on antibiotics since we’ve been
here. We all went to the dam again for some fresh air and lunch. Phil was still
sore and I was still sick, but fighting it. Tom was well and truly back to
normal. I had my first full night’s sleep in a long time and boy did I sleep.
Unfortunately, it was back up at 6am with the kids though!
Week 27
After last week, this one was quiet. We did not do too much
at all. I was still slightly sick and I did not want the kids spreading their
germs if they still had some. So we pretty much spent it alone. I however, was
really going crazy by this point. Having 2 sick kids and feeling awful
yourself, is not fun. Phil had also been working long hours and so I have had
to deal with them all day, every day myself.
On Tuesday, Yolandi across the road had a get together for
her birthday. It was great to get out. We then had our first storm and rain. It
was heavy, but not as heavy as it is going to get apparently. Laura does not
like thunder and we have now been given a “Booma Booma” (Laura’s term for
lightening) light for her room, courtesy of Kat who is leaving and donated it
to Laura.
Ruth has just left as she is pregnant and is heading home to
have her baby in Australia and now Kat is leaving for Asia. I am the only
person left from our walking group. It is certainly going to be quiet when Kat
finally leaves in a few weeks. Not that I have been able to go walking these
last couple of weeks.
The weather has been turning. It is still really warm, but
now every couple of days we get some cloud and maybe a bit of thunder and a few
drops. I am looking forward to the wet season as I have not experienced one
before, but I am not sure how fun it will be for Laura. The thunder is
incredibly loud apparently and the lightning amazing.
On Sunday we all went to some local falls. It was a
reasonable drive, 30 km’s down a dirt and pot hole filled road or track is more
like it. But once we got there it was lovely. I have not been able to find the
name of the falls anywhere, but they are past a village called Shilenda on a
branch of the Mwonbezhi River. We were even able to hop in and have a swim.
Thankfully, there were no crocodiles or hippo’s. The current was very strong
and having Laura on my back made it very difficult at times. The locals looked
on with amusement as we swam. It really was a great day. On the way back we
stopped to give a lady and her baby a ride to Manyama. I would hate to think
how long it would have taken her to walk 35 km. She did not speak English and
so were not able to communicate very much.
I can only hope that the last week of school holidays will
pass uneventfully.
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