We have had a VERY jam packed few weeks. To kick it all off, we had an old Peace Corps friend get married at a beautiful lodge in the Lower Zambezi. It was a windy, yet gorgeous, 3 hour drive from Lusaka. We spent 2 nights in a rustic safari tent on the bluffs of the Zambezi River. The actual wedding was held on an island in the middle of Zambezi River and the reception took place on the mainland at Kanyembe Lodge. We felt honored to celebrate with our old friend in her next journey! (We also enjoyed the excuse for a mini vacation including two beautiful sunset cruises where we got to admire elephant. Stephen was less than impressed with the boat ride and was more into the toy cars we brought for him.)
A mere 36 hours after arriving home in Lusaka, we were back
in the car headed North! Joey had a meeting in Mkushi (our old stomping
grounds) and Stephen and I decided to tag along and take the opportunity to
visit our village of Musofu. It was quite the day! We drove 4 hours to Mkushi
and set up shop at a local lodge, and then an hour later, got back in the car
for another 1.5 hour drive on a dirt road to Musofu. We reached our village
around 14:00 hours and we were greeted with the sight of Bamaya laughing and
running inside to grab a chitange to wrap around her. She knew lots of photos
were coming and wanted to look nice! (She is so smart. I think I took over 100
photos in 2 hours.) Everything looked just as we had left it. It was as
beautiful as ever. How many Returned Peace Corps Volunteers get to take their 8
month old son back to their village? We felt incredibly grateful for the
experience. Stephen was a bit overwhelmed by all the new surroundings and
faces, but he was a champion! He
was passed around to everyone and had to plow through nap and dinner time
during our visit. He knew it was a special afternoon.
Finally, we had a fantastic visit with Nate and Taylor! Even
though a lost bag started the trip out, a 2 night stay in Livingstone in a
lovely bungalow overlooking the Zambezi River, followed by 2 nights in Chobe
National Park (Nate and Taylor only! Not ready to have Stephen camping out with
Lions…), the visit was a total success. Once again, Stephen was a champion and
he absolutely loved Victoria Falls! Uncle Nate and Aunt Taylor were also very
fun to play with!
Now it is back to work. Joey will be returning to Mkushi in
two weeks for the first round of data collection. He will be out in the field
with his “guys” for 3 weeks while Stephen and I hold down the fort in Lusaka.
It will be a busy couple of months coming up, but also very exciting.
