The People We Meet

Throughout this trip, I have had the opportunity to meet and interact with many different people from many different places. I have gotten to know my classmates better. I have met other Americans visiting Namwianga. I met a guy from Ethiopia who is about 22 years old on the flight from Washington, DC to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. I have met Zambians, young, old, and in between. Because Livingstone is host to Victoria Falls, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, as well as a prime location for safaris, it is a vacation spot for people from many different nations. While there, we shared a bus with two Japanese women from Tokyo and two South African couples from Johannesburg. I also met a guy from London, who is around my age, while doing the zip line in Livingstone this morning.

One thing I learned from all of this is that I should probably pay more attention to the political happenings in my own nation. The world’s eyes are on the United States, and everyone was full of questions about American healthcare, finances, education, and Obama in general. What do I think about Obama? Do I think he will be re-elected next year? Do I think Obama’s healthcare proposal will become a reality? Are all American children confident, or are there still self-esteem issues in the States like there are in other places? How has the recession affected life in the U.S.? Is there a huge gap between the rich and the poor now? These are some of the questions I have been asked on multiple occasions by the people I have met along my journey. I try to answer the best I can, but I typically do not feel adequately prepared to answer these questions. I also do not always have enough knowledge to ask about current events in their respective countries. This makes me want to spend more time updating myself on the news.

On the other hand, I also feel that my relative lack of large-scale information frees me to ask more personal questions and learn more about the individual stories of the people I meet; it allows me to appreciate the beauty of the trees instead of only seeing the forest as a whole. There would be no forest without the individual trees that make it up, after all. Just as all Americans are different, and even different parts of the country have unique cultures, other nations are made up of many different groups or tribes, and I enjoy receiving a first-hand snapshot of each culture represented by the people I meet. The thing that always strikes me the most, though, is that we are all more alike than different, despite the vast differences between our customs and cultures.

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary

Well, it finally happened. My LENA (the recording device) was washed in a washing machine. When I went to look for it, the aunties said they washed the vest with the LENA in it and I couldn't get it until the next day. I immediately got Dr. Tullos to help me find it. When I did, it had water in it and wouldn't turn on. Time will tell whether it is ruined for good or just temporarily. Then, I was so frazzled as I ran out to the Land Rover as they were about to leave for the day that I tripped and my chin landed on the corner of a brick (in front of everyone). Nice. On the ride back, people were talking about how little time we have left, and so then I cried during my entire shower before dinner because I don't want to leave. I especially don't want to leave Mary. After all that, I was so tired that I basically went straight to bed after dinner.

Mary has really come alive over the past few weeks. She went from a kid who never smiled or talked to a happy, loving, talking two-and-a-half-year-old. I think it is because of a combination of three things. 1: She is getting used to us. I have been spending my weekends at the Havens, especially Haven 3, which is where Mary lives, so I spend quite a bit of time with her. I love it so much there that I have even skipped meals a few times because I wasn't ready to leave. The first time I saw Mary smile or talk was on a Saturday, and I have made a special effort with her. 2: All the boys from Haven 2 went to Eric's House, and the girls went to Haven 3 because they are cleaning and things for a few weeks. Because of this, Mary has some of the bigger girls from Haven 2 (Linny, Katy, and Emma) to look up to as role models. She watches them talking, laughing, and interacting and follows their example. 3: Meagan is back. Meagan lived here for several years and just moved back to the States recently, but is visiting for the summer. It's absolutely incredible to watch her with the kids because she is so good with them and they really respond to her. She helps to bring out the best in all of the children, including Mary.

Today, Mary was wearing my flip-flops. Then, she unzipped my purse and found a chitenge (1 meter cotton fabric that is used to carry babies, worn as a skirt, and made into other things). She then wanted to be tied onto my back, so I carried her like that for a while. When I put her down because I had to leave, she threw a fit. I wanted to bring her with me, but I was afraid I would get into trouble. I think, however, that I have just enough room in my suitcase to bring Mary and Ruth back home with me.

Baby Ellen seems to be doing much better. Her eyes are much brighter, she is eating better, and she has gained nearly a pound. Now the aunties are wanting to spend more time with her (she has been with Meagan around the clock since she arrived). She is blessed to have so many people here who love her and are working hard to make sure she thrives. Thank you for all your prayers!

Also, I had my first African snake experience last week. We were all walking back from the Havens and were nearly back to our house. I was walking slightly behind Ben, and Tessa was next to me. They had just cut the grass in field across the street from the row of houses that lines the left side of the dirt road, so there were small piles of brown grass along the road. I heard a rustling sound and looked down just as a large golden snake was lunging at my foot. Luckily it missed. Tessa and I screamed and started running, and the snake disappeared back into the pile of grass. That was scary.

We leave for Livingstone tomorrow. This is bitter-sweet because I'm excited about all the fun things we'll do (lunar rainbow, high tea, Victoria Falls, safari, etc.) but I will miss the babies at the Havens. We have two more days to work there after we return to Namwianga, but it is not enough! I'm not sure I can take being away from here for two years like I did before this trip. I feel like I'm meant to be here, like it is home. I wonder if I could find a job that would let me start after July next year so I could come again....

CSD in Zambia Post

Here is my post from CSD in Zambia:
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This weekend, a new baby named Ellen came to the Haven. We have Saturday and Sunday off, but I like to spend my weekends there anyway, so I got to meet her on Saturday. She is a month and a half old and very undernourished. The first time I saw her, she had an IV port in the side of her head because she had diarrhea and was vomiting all her food, so she was dehydrated and needed fluids via IV. She is eating well at night, but during the day she is uninterested in eating, and leaks or spits up everything she does eat. She also tends to fall asleep during feeding time. She is not doing well. We hope something can be done to save her, but she needs lots of prayers.

For my research project, I’m doing a phonetic inventory (looking at what speech sounds they can make) on children between the ages of 18 and 30 months old. In order to do so, I’m using a small recording device called a LENA. It goes in the pocket of a special vest, right at the child’s chest. Once you complete the recording, you plug it into the computer and a program will interpret the data to tell you the number of child vocalizations, conversational turns, and adult words, as well as the audio environment (meaningful speech, distant speech, TV, noise, and silence). You can listen to the recording and view the data by days, hours, or five-minute intervals. All you have to do is press record on the LENA, put it in the vest, put the vest on the child, and take it back when you’re done. That sounds simple enough.

The first day I put a LENA on a child, I returned after lunch to find the child wearing a different outfit and the LENA was nowhere in sight. When I asked the auntie in the room about the vest I put on Bennett, it took three times to get her to understand what I was saying because her English is not great. She handed me the recording device, but said the vest was in the washing machine. I still haven’t found it, so I will have to go through the closets in Haven 3 soon. Luckily we have four vests. The next day, the LENA stayed on the child all day. On the third day, I forgot to take the LENA off the child before bath time, and it turned up missing again once the child returned from his bath. Luckily, I was there, so I could ask the auntie where it was and I found it in the dirty clothes pile in the bathroom before it ended up in the wash again. The language barrier has definitely made this project much more difficult than I had anticipated.

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Also, there is a picture of me from today at Dr. Tullos' blog.