How Old Are You Now?

The day I turned 24 my birthday lasted more than 24 hours. That makes it extra special. Seeing as I was born at St. Mary’s Hospital in Milwaukee, WI around 1pm, but I found myself in an African country seven hours ahead of the time zone I was born into, I think that means my birthday lasted a total of 31 hours!

I’m going to take a moment to brag about the awesome people in my life at home and here in Zambia. The days before my birthday, emails and facebook messages started pouring in, including a lovely “Happy birthday” song by Pres House’s Musicteam! I can’t thank all of you at home enough for reminding me I am loved and that I have the most amazing and caring friends and family. You are sustaining me when I feel far away. I am grateful!

My gratitude also extends to King David School’s teachers and students, my host family, and my YAV community who surprised me again and again yesterday. I’ve only lived in Chawama one week, but I’ve already received three cakes! THREE CAKES! Do they know the way to a girl’s heart or what? My family gave me one my first day here, one yesterday for my birthday, and then my sixth grade class also bestowed one upon me!

When I got to school (aka walked out of my front door) yesterday, I found kids milling about outside the six-grade classroom, trying to peek into its windows that were covered with chitenge (African warp skirt material). I wondered what could be going on. Could that be for me? I usually go put my materials in class before it starts, but something told me to stay out. When I walked into the room at 8:00 hours (o’clock), The kids had moved their desks into a circle; the room was decorated with balloon and toilet paper streamers, and there was a lovely colored message on the chalkboard. They jumped to their feet and sang “Happy Birthday” and pretty soon Teacher Febby was putting an entire cake as well as a bag of muffins into my hands. Like the kind teacher that I am, I rewarded them with a test! But actually I think it was a reward because in all my classes, the kids are extremely excited at the mention of test because for many reason that I can expound on another time, accountability and responsibility in one’s own education are not always stressed, I think because of the lack of resources and social challenges. The point is that they like tests. They want them. So after I finished testing Grade 6 and Grade 8, I attempted to go into Grade 5, but was turned away, because they were not ready for me… More scheming in my honor it seemed.

So I returned to Grade 6 and a dance party was in session. Teacher Febby and my sister, Precious, were supplying the music on their phones. I watched the girls do their thang, shaking it at the class behind them, and pretty soon I was asked to take the floor. I happened to be wearing the same dress I wore to the wedding, my dancing debut in Zambia, so I was rip rearing and ready to go! I do have to say that it is difficult to dance when you can’t here the music on a phone because the shouts and cheers are too loud all around you. Shaking it works best to a beat, you know? But it was very fun and all the students peering in from the windows and teachers from other grade levels got to enjoy as well.

So far, the motifs in my life here in Zambia are the act of dancing and chickens, or as I like to think about it together: a dancing chicken. So that’s me, the dancing chicken, choosing not to be chicken, but to dance, even though deep down I just feel like a chicken all the time.

Then to Grade 5 I went, where I found a class at their feet, some kids at salute in the front of the room, and lovely message on the board. They sang “Happy Birthday” and gave me a fruit plate. By that time, it was break time, which meant class time was over for the day. After break, Friday’s are reserved for sport. I got my first experience of netball. Most boys play football and most girls play netball, which is a series of throwing and catching games with a volleyball-type ball. Then we played circle games, including a form of duck, duck, goose and other song and skipping-in-a-circle games. Today my knee is red from totally wiping out of the rocky and dusty ground at one point. I’m happy to be their entertainment!

Then the teacher’s surprised me with a special lunch. We shared pasties, cookies, and “softies” (soda) and we each had a chance to share about ourselves so that I could get to know them. Then finally in the evening my family surprised me with a chocolate cake and a lovely card.

So while I am struggling with the reality of the lack of resources around me, generosity is not scarce here Zambia. I have been given and given and given some more. I am thankful and I feel welcome and most importantly, my birthday fun yesterday taught me that my community around me is fun, full of celebration, and games and worth just being with, playing with, and dancing with. I want to see my kids succeed, but I’m also realizing how important it is to just be there.