What ya know good?
Were back and still rock’n
Zambia, but I think that it is safe to say that Carrie and I are out of our honeymoon
phase with this place. I can’t say that excitement and adventure has totally
worn off but we’ve found our stride just moving through the daily routines of
our work and life. I guess that “adventure” has just become so common place that
now it’s just . . . normal. It's probably that we've just have made a lot of progress in achieving something that we came here to do which is becoming a Zambian as possible. Really more than anything the idea of just spending
a weekend locked away with a marathon of TNG is more exciting than having
dinner with a chief or exploring some corner of wild Zambia where white people
are seen about as frequently as a lunar eclipse. I guess it’s all about
perspective, right?
We now more than ever find ourselves missing
the niceties of America and ironically longing to travel on our own terms to
new places to break the routine of . . . well. . .traveling on others’ terms.
This is why my parents visit was such an amazing event. Firstly, it was an
awesome reminder to know that someone loves you so much as to spend thousands
of dollars, nearly 4 solid days of travel, countless injections, and the courage
to fly into the complete unknown just to visit you. Actually typing it out
makes me appreciate it even more.
We were able to do so
many once-in-a-lifetime things that Carrie and I’s $10 per day allowance would
have never given us the chance to do. We went on a three day safari in Chobe
National Park in Botswana where we saw literally thousands of elephants,
giraffes, kudu, hippos, crocodiles, baboons, monkeys, impala, lions actually
feasting on a freshly killed baby elephant, and one giant tortoise. For about a
year I have been traveling through rural Zambia and I have never seen any
stereotypically African wildlife, but right across the river there are animals
every direction you looked. It was truly unbelievable. Thank god we took
thousands of photos to remind ourselves it actually happened. We also walked
and petted lions and cheetahs, flew over Victoria Falls in a helicopter and
hang glider, and cruised down the Zambezi at sunset. Honestly it’s hard to put
everything into words. It was just awesome.
Carrie and I had wished we could
have shared more of our work and how we live our life while they were here, but
time is always fleeting and travel in this country is just too difficult and
slow so we kept it simple and confined to the nicest city in Zambia,
Livingstone. One thing that we did clearly notice is how Zambian we have
become. Seeing my parents’ reactions, how they managed the food, and how they
interacted with people reminded me how Carrie and I were a year ago, still new
to Zambia. Which is in stark contrast to how we are now. Now we have our sea
legs beneath us and can navigate the seeming disorder that is just inherent in
a developing country. There are many many things that we will never understand
or appreciate like how lines aren’t a think and every situation where people
should line up they just form a chaotic mass of humans all pushing to be in front or how respect for time just doesn’t
happen. But for the most part we’ve come to terms with it and as Carrie said a
few days ago, “I’m just so damn patient now.”
Sorry for not posting sooner.
Carrie and I are moving 1000KPH on our project and the blog always seems to
fall by the way side. We will try to be better. I want to wish my Dad a very
happy birthday! We love you! Don’t worry, your really not that old and we have
6 more wonders of the world to see so don’t get to cozy back home.
Talk to you again soon.
-Russpatricks
