Mwabonwa

Only one week left until we leave for Zambia! I've been waiting for this for two years, and I'm beyond ready. Still, I can't help but be a little bit nervous. Will I still love Zambia as much as I did the first time? Will readjustment to the U.S. be as difficult as it was in 2009? I sure hope not because that was very emotional and it took me a long time to reintegrate to life in this busy, noisy, superficial society. I was downright angry when I  landed in Detroit, was stuck in the airport alone for 23 hours, and was bombarded with the news of Michael Jackson's then-recent death. This man who was hated and accused by many was being worshipped and mourned by millions of people across the globe; meanwhile, I was mourning the loss of sweet baby Judah (the little guy on the right side of the top center picture in my header). Judah died when he was just shy of two months old; he never made any mistakes or hurt anyone, but only a handful of people attended his funeral and nobody was allowed to cry during the ceremony. This stark contrast felt like a slap in the face to me, and is not something I will ever be able to forget.


I think over the last two years I have slowly been able to accept life in the States by strategically surrounding myself with wonderful people who remind me daily how wonderful people can be in any country. On the other hand, I'm constantly at battle with myself over what is an appropriate use of my finances and what is superfluous. I'm also more prone to getting caught up in my personal "catastrophes" and have begun to lose the perspective I gained in Zambia about what constitutes a crisis and what I should let go. I've gradually become more lax on my thinking in these areas, especially over the past year, and I wonder what my perspective will be when I return home this time. Stay tuned to find out....


To end on a more positive note, I will introduce some basic phrases in the native language of southern Zambia:

Chitonga (Tonga) Greetings:
Good morning~ Mwabuka Buti
Good afternoon~ Mwayusa
Good night~ Kwasiya
Cheers~ Twalumba
How are you?~ Mwapona
Fine ~ Kabotu
Welcome~ Mwabonwa
Kwiiya ~ Learning

Namwianga (Kalomo, Southern Province, Zambia, Africa): http://www.zambiamission.org/
Chitonga Dictionary: http://bit.ly/m72pe4