We're Back!

The Goebs are back in Zambia! Exactly 3 years after we said goodbye to Zambia as experienced Peace Corps Volunteers, we have returned. Only this time we are staying in Lusaka (the capital) with our son, Stephen! We are so thrilled to be back and sharing Zambia with our son.

After 37 long hours of travel from Lansing to Detroit to Baltimore to DC to Dakar, Senegal to Johannesburg, South Africa to Lusaka, Zambia, we made it to our temporary home! No one slept very much on any of our flights, but we made it in one piece! (And so did ALL our luggage! 7 checked pieces..it was a miracle.) 

The day after our arrival, Sunday, April 5th, our nanny/lifesaver, Staaz, came over and showed us around our new apartment and neighborhood. She helped us figure out how to pay for electricity, how to set up the Internet and where to find the closest nshima restaurant! (Turns out there is one literally right next door to us.) Staaz will be helping us with the cooking and with Stephen Monday-Friday, 9:00-4:00. She is wonderful with Stephen and is adventures with cooking! We also met Mwila on Tuesday, April 7th, who will be helping us 3 times a week keeping the clothes laundered and the house clean! She is also great with Stephen and we so appreciate our "team" helping to make life so smooth here!

The apartment we found has been working out well. We are subletting it until the end of July from a German woman and Canadian man who are in Germany for the birth of their second child. It is a 2 bedroom, 1 bath and has a nice veranda and garden area outside. It is certainly not a "new build" as there are many "quirks" to it, but we feel grateful to have found it. It is FULLY furnished (including a crib, high-chair, pack n'play and play rug for Stephen) and we have been enjoying their awesome french press and bread maker. It is in a compound with 5 other apartments and so far we have met 2 other neighbors who are very friendly (one is Zambian and the other is Indian). There is also a community pool which Joey has put to use every day since we arrived!

We have now been in Lusaka for about 2 weeks and we are slowly finding our routine. Joey has been waking up early and taking a cab to his office at IAPRI (Indaba Agricultural Policy Research Institute). He has a nice set-up there with a desk, phone and a hot lunch of nshima everyday. He has a lot to do, but he is working hard and the progress will come. I am currently sitting at a lovely cafe just a 10 minute walk from the apartment. Tomorrow I am having a "play date" with another American mom here with her 1 year old daughter. She has been living in Lusaka for 9 years and will be a huge help in helping me find my way here.  Stephen is learning how to live without his swing (it's been a little rough during nap times without it...) but he is just thriving! He loves Mwila and Staaz and they love him right back. He is eating new foods (butternut squash, avocado from the tree just outside our backdoor, green beans and bananas) and learning how to use his walker. It is just amazing watching him grow so much every day! Life really is slower here and I'm enjoying having time to just admire how special our son is.

In some ways life here feels like the Zambia we remember, but in other ways, living in Lusaka is a very unique and different experience. We both miss the quiet, beautiful, fresh air of the bush, but we are grateful to be close to supermarkets and Internet access. Each day brings new experiences and we both feel this is already a remarkable family adventure. So much more to come....