One of the things I notice is some Zambians place their hand over their heart and bow slightly indicating "thank you".  Maybe it is also a sign of deep respect and being humble.  Sometimes the night watchman will greet me in this manner.  I am reminded of the gestures of southern gentlemen. They would tip their hat and slightly nod their head . My daddy and Mr. Tom Stanley did that.   Yesterday we went to Choma to experience the market and visit the museum. Part of our "field trip" was picnic on the grounds of the museum.  The weather was ideal, in fact, it was perfect.  Each of us were provided with a soft drink, rotisserie  chicken, "chips" (French fries), bread, & cookies.  The chicken & chips were wrapped together and included ketchup and a plastic fork.  Beckie purchased an extra order in case someone was extra hungry but no one wanted it.   Beckie intended to give the extra chicken & chips to the guard at the museum gate but he wasn't there. She noticed a woman going through the trash and offered her our leftover lunch. The woman immediately engaged in the traditional Zambian handshake thanking Beckie for the food.  And, in the blink of an eye, the woman fell to her knees in front of Beckie. I didn't witness it but I know it was the deepest sign of gratitude anyone could offer.  Beckie fought back the tears.

One of my favorite times of the day is sitting on the verandah in the early morning drinking coffee, checking my e-mail &reading and writing.  The time I like least is after dinner because there's not much to do. We usually talk and plan. It gets very dark and seems very late but it's only 6:30! I usually spend my time reading and writing. And, I am usually exhausted. Some of us supervisors try to leave the students to themselves at night as they play games or cards.  Sometimes Webster, one of the night watchmen, teaches the students songs in Tongan.  It's truly a win-win: Webster wants to be a choir director, and the students are eager to learn.  One night they practiced on our porch. I felt that I was being serenaded. Beautiful music! 

There's a fire!  After dinner the students were washing dishes and others were engaged in other activities.  I sat on the verandah trying to access the Internet.  I noticed what I thought was the glow of the sunset. The thought of taking a picture was on my mind but I was about to be connected with the illusive Internet.  Suddenly I heard the unmistakable sound of fire eating dried grass, brush, and trees.  Zambians are notorious for burning but this was a little too much and way too close to one of our thatched roof houses.  What a sight! Everyone was scrambling and some were near panic.  The students started brining buckets of water to fight the fire.  I wonder if the one Zambian man who initiated the burn was glad for our help. PS I'm trying to figure out how to post pictures. More to come!

Therapy -WEEK ONE: we assessed 78 infants & toddlers, found out a little background & started therapy. My particular schedule is: 9:30-10:30 (language therapy) we work with 7 toddlers ranging in ages 16-20 months  10:30-11:30 (language stimulation & trunk control) we work with 4 babies ranging in ages 5-9 months  11:30-12:15.(language enrichment) we work with 5 toddlers ranging in ages 27 months to 3 years, 8 months Return to "camp" for LUNCH  Then from 2:30 - 3:30 we work with 4 toddlers ranging in ages 13 months to 21 months From 3:30-4:15 each graduate student works with one baby they have chosen as a particular interest.  The other language groups are supervised by other very competent SLPs, including those proficient in feeding and swallowing.  This kind of therapy may appear laid-back, but it  is very demanding.  There are very few materials so we all have to be creative. Of course there is lots of "face to face" time where we are trying to elicit something, a movement, a gesture, a sound, or even if the baby is able to suck a bottle with minimal leakage.  So, Week one was intense and successful. We all walked away learning something new and the babies certainly will benefit.  Yesterday the assistant to the Minister of Social Welfare visited The Havens for a surprise inspection.  She was escorted by a policeman.  The facility passed the inspection and stands as a model for others. We heard that our involvement and work was impressive to the official as well.

  Last Sunday I thought I'd dress up, so I wore a Chitenge  (and, yes, I wore leggings underneath. Chitenge is traditional dress for women in Africa. It is simply a piece of fabric wrapped around the waist and tied. So, "when in Rome..." I bought several pieces of colorful fabric in the village and selected one to wear on Sunday. And I wore it proudly. I've worn a Chitenge every day.  One day while at work at The Havens it almost fell off so I asked one of the Aunties to tie it for me.  As she began tying she realized I'm not as thin as she thought, so she had to tie it differently. I started teasing her and laughing. The other Aunties watched and laughed as I clowned around. I pretended to be Scarlet in GWTW. I couldn't breathe very well & I walked,like a Chinese woman. I enjoyed sharing the laughter.  I am so ready for pants! 

Names.  One of the first things we do when we have a baby is use her name. Names here are interesting.  Sibajente (See bah Jen a). Twapagwa. Botias, Chilala. Chabonwa. Chileleko. Do you notice a pattern? The language here typically includes vowels are at end of words, especially E & A (long vowel), so Matt is "Mattie" & Kurt is "Kurtie" But then there's Ruth,  Paula, Mary, Robert, & Macus. And THEN we hear the Aunties call  Sibagente "JJ" or "Seebah"! No wonder the children dont respond when we call their name. When the native names are translated to English, we have "Cabinet", " Pencil", "Bicycle",  "Blister", or "Cedar" so the Aunties give the babies an English name.

Stats. I am NOT a numbers person! But I became obsessed with finding out a few things about The Havens, which is the orphanage in Nanwianga. There are 3 buildings full of infants and toddlers who have been abandoned or are without parents--(these numbers will change tomorrow!); so, today, Haven 1 has 31 new borns and infants; Haven 2 has 27 toddlers, Haven 3 has 20 babies & toddlers who need medical attention.