3 months in...

Hello!

It’s hard to believe we’re coming up on 3 months in Africa! We officially arrived June 15 and we’re already in September. Time flies. Sometimes it feels like we’ve been here much longer, especially when we’re homesick! But usually we feel like we are still settling in, needing more time to make Zambia our new home.

We have been busy setting up our place – buying furniture and other necessities, including some artwork from the local markets. I feel like I finally appreciate why my mom and dad had such funky interior design from Saigon when I was growing up! It’s been fun to decorate with an entirely different flair here. Dave had a 4-post bed made so we can hang our mosquito netting – and it’s getting to be that time here – hot and rainy season is just around the corner. I bought some fabric and made our curtains. We’re managing to soften up the place a bit. Dave’s latest purchase was a coffee table made of teak wood. It’s beautiful – and amazingly cheap.

I spent a week in the Copperbelt for another HIV and TB training for providers. Other than our accommodations, it was a success. I think I’ll be traveling with Raid from now on, especially if I travel north to the Copperbelt.

Dave has been buying all the necessities for a test-run of biodiesel. We have all sorts of chemicals in our pantry!! Who knew he was a chemist! We also have a few jatropha seeds planted in the backyard. He met with a local Zambian that is growing Jatropha and is very interested in Dave’s desire refine it. So, we’ll see. He is really interested in exploring the possibility of alternate fuel, especially here when gasoline is very expensive and there is land to plant on and people that can farm it. He’s my hero because he is so original. The Price Waterhouse and EY positions would be ok, but he could have done that work in the states, so he is less eager to take them. We didn’t expect to come here to make money, so I keep telling him to pursue his passion while we’re here. He’s still exploring different interests (jatropha, microfinance), and I am so happy he can.

We are missing home quite a bit, especially as the holidays get closer. I was told that it would actually be better for us to stay in Zambia over the holidays because if we go home, we might not return!! I guess they recommend staying in country for at least 6 months before you visit home. There are some expats that are planning a Thanksgiving feast… should be interesting because turkeys are quite hard to come by, but it’s nice to know we’ll have our traditional celebration meal. I think we will go to one of our AIDS Relief sites in the “bush” to celebrate Christmas with the villagers. It should be interesting – very different, but interesting nonetheless.

We’ve started a running group that meets on Sunday morning. It’s been a nice reminder of home. We don’t have any Zambians in our group yet because they’re all too fast!! J There’s a ½ marathon coming up at the end of September, so we hope to be ready for it.

We’re heading out of town again later this week to Chilonga, ~7 hours north east of Lusaka, in Northern province. Dave is going to join me for the weekend, and then next week I’ll remain and work at one of our mission hospitals in the area. We hope to do some hiking and take some pictures to add to smugmug.

We love you all and look forward to your comments on the blog or emails.

~Kimberly & Dave