Off to a Busy Start
After a harrowing and highly unusual journey, I arrived in Ndola on Saturday feeling fairly rested and ready to get to work. I managed to squeeze in a meeting with the translators, mostly Hope staff and supporters, who would be helping me with sponsorship updates throughout the week. It was good meeting, and it was wonderful to meet a couple new folks who seemed eager to help out!
After the meeting, I went back to the home of the Mulandos, which whom I have stayed on all my trips. It was so calming and fantastic to see the whole family, which has actually grown since I left. Susan, the Mama Lillian and Uncle Jay’s niece, got married to a government official who spotted her while she was sweeping the porch (it sounded very romantic), and Cheetah, the family dog, had puppies (adorable pictures to come).
I spent the rest of Saturday and the majority of Sunday resting up and getting prepared for the week ahead, which ended up being a great call because we got off to a running start today! We managed to get sponsorship updates (which involved taking a picture of every child and asking each child a series of questions about their favorite things and what his/her life is like) and sponsorship letters (in which children write to their sponsors) for all of the students who were present in Grade 2, 3 and 4! It was a satisfying accomplishment, and I was so grateful for the great Hope staff and for Sara Blumenshine, Spark’s Global Intern who arrived on the same day as I did and who will be spending the next six months supporting Hope, particularly at the school.
It was a long and productive day, and I’m excited and ready to have another whirlwind work day tomorrow. With any luck, we’ll get through Grades 5-7 tomorrow and only have Grade 1 left for Wednesday, leaving us two whole days to make up for kids who missed school earlier in the week and get other work done at the office.
I’m feeling good, and I’m going to leave you because I want to hurry home to my first meal of nshima on this trip! Nshima is a local staple made of corn meal, and I’m ready for some refueling after a long and productive day!