Mindolo Ecumenical Foundation,
Monday, May 1
Dear all,
I’ve now completed my fourth month in Zambia. April in particular has seemed to fly by. It’s been a month of visits and visitors: first I used my Easter holiday to spend a week in Livingstone – home of the Victoria Falls. Then upon my return I received a visit from Rev John Wall – who some of you will remember took part in the Experience Exchange Programme through which I find myself in Zambia two years ago, and kindly spoke at a fundraising concert, prior to my departure, last October. And finally, we here at MEF have received a more long-term visitor: Claire Price, who, like me, is teaching in the Media and Communication programme and has come through the Experience Exchange Programme.
First, I’ll do the tourist bit. (Those of you who kindly donated towards my coming to Zambia should know that none of your money was spent on this holiday!) Livingstone was fantastic. For the first few days, we were running around non-stop. We did a sunset cruise down the Zambezi River, went to see the Falls, joined a morning walking safari in Mosi-e-Tunya (the local name for Victoria Falls) National Park, jumped off the Zambezi Gorge on what’s called a ‘gorge swing’, and I also went white-water rafting down the Zambezi – beginning just below Vic Falls. Then for the last few days I took it a bit easier. It was wonderful just to laze around at our hostel. It was certainly a world away from Kitwe – as was Livingstone, full, as it was, of backpackers travelling through and, most shocking to me, white people! I must admit it was quite disorienting to see so many again after three months in Kitwe.
But, back to the thrills and spills! The Falls themselves are quite breathtaking. We went at the very end of the rainy season so the Falls were at their fullest. This meant we did not see as much of the width of the Falls as we would have done at other times of the year – there is so much spray it blocks the view – but what we did get was a real sense of their power. You can walk along a bridge very close to the Falls themselves and if you do you get absolutely soaked – nothing really prepares you for just how awesome they are. However before we ever got to the Falls we did a sunset cruise on the Zambezi River. That was amazingly beautiful. We saw hippos in the river and elephants on the banks, and all the while we could sit back, watch the sun go down, and relax with a drink.
A little more energetic to say the least was the Gorge Swing. This involves you being strapped into a body harness, tied to the side of the Zambezi River gorge and jumping off! You freefall for 55m, before the rope pulls tight and you swing out across the gorge, looking upstream (if you dare to open you eyes!) towards the Falls. I have never been so scared in my life. Absolutely terrifying. But we enjoyed it so much we went back the next night, which happened to be the ‘Gorge Swing Full Moon Party’, and some of us did it again in the dark. Best of all, courtesy of the swing staff, it’s all captured on DVD, so when I get home you can all enjoy my torture for yourselves! The morning walking safari was something else again. We had a brilliant guide and saw buffalo, wildebeest, giraffes, impala (a type of small antelope) and eagles. Although we didn’t catch sight of any rhino or elephants it was a wonderful few hours and being on foot certainly made the experience seem more authentic – as if we were actually wandering out in the bush. All in all it was an amazing few days.
It was during my time in Livingstone that Claire arrived at MEF. We took part in the same training course before coming out, and we will be sharing the responsibilities of leading the Media and Communication programme. She plans to be in Zambia until October/November – which is when the Media students graduate, meaning the programme will always have at least one full-time teacher. As I said, when I arrived back in Kitwe I was visited by Rev John Wall. He was en route to Sefula, which is in Zambia’s remote and rural Western Province, where he taught Physics for six months back in 2004. It was wonderful having him around. He is a great listener so we could discuss issues that were troubling me and his conversation was always stimulating. I thank God for the time we were able to share together.
Alongside my teaching, which I feel has been progressing well, I have been working hard at organising my students’ fieldwork placement – a responsibility which I inherited when my former boss left back in February. I believe I mentioned this in a previous letter – the students are to spend just under three months at Africa University, in Mutare, Zimbabwe. It’s hard enough to make arrangements in Zambia – I’m sure you can imagine the problems making arrangements with Zimbabwe brings! Thankfully, we have managed to make progress and hopefully everything will be finalised in the next couple of weeks. When they do go, I will of course have more time on my hands. This is an issue which I have also been thinking about. I do not want to be bored, and I have had several offers/invitations as to how I might be of use. On top of my journalism classes I have started teaching keyboard. These classes will continue, but there may be other possibilities as well – both within and beyond MEF.
You might be interested to hear that I tested out (and survived!) the Zambian healthcare system this month. I had had an ear infection for the last couple of weeks of March which hadn’t cleared up, and the MEF nurse recommended I get it flushed at Kitwe Central Hospital. I had thought I might visit to see what the hospital was like, but didn’t expect to have to go as a patient! It was lacking resources: floors were dirty, doors were hanging off hinges and not much was working but I was in, dealt with and out again within an hour – in the UK it would have probably taken all day. The doctor I saw was perhaps even too efficient as before I knew it he had stuck a large metal syringe in my ear and was blasting warm water into my lughole! Anyway, it did the trick and it was wonderful to be able to hear again – I was wandering around marvelling at the wind through the trees and the sounds of the insects. Bliss!
Finally, I just want to mention one church service. It was led by a MEF participant who is a Rwandan Anglican priest. The service was held on the 12th anniversary of the beginning of the Rwandan genocide. With quite amazing frankness the priest told us how he had seen his mother killed, had had to bury his own father, and, when he himself went into a coma for four days, his family thought he was dead and began to prepare to bury him – only for him to be ‘reborn’ out of the coma. He spoke in French and, although he was himself clearly used to telling the story, his translator – a man from neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (who has himself seen a few things in his time) – was almost in tears. It was a very emotional service, very brave of the man to speak about such horrors, and – most of all – inspiring to see the man’s faith in God not extinguished but strengthened by the experience.
Hope this letter finds you all well, and I look forward to hearing from you whenever! God bless, Mark.
Top: On the Zambezi River sunset cruise
Above: Victoria Falls, or ‘Mosi-e-Tunya’ (‘The smoke that thunders’) – and this is only a small part of its full width!
Above: About to do The Zambezi Gorge Swing’s ‘Death Drop’!
Below: A giraffe we saw during our morning walking safari