The time leading up to and around Christmas and New Year’s Day is called The Festive Season, here in Zambia – at least in the news media and retail advertising. It was a quiet time for us. Our friend Jennifer Campbell, Lubuto Library Project’s volunteer from St. Charles IL, stayed with us both Christmas and New Year’s weekends. Besides being good company, she helped a lot with meal preparation and household chores.
I wish I had photos and sound from Christmas Eve mass at Christ the King Parish in Kaunda Square. Two choirs, accompanied by guitar, bass, keyboard and traditional drums, filled the church with their full-throated sound. The singing’s power never ceases to move me, even though I don’t understand the words. It has the force of wind, moving the air, causing the very molecules to vibrate. Must be similar to what you’d feel inside a microwave oven. There was dancing too – both organized and spontaneous – and a sketch performed by young people.
Mass started at 7 p.m. By 9 p.m., I fell to thinking about supper awaiting us at home. But no one, besides us, seemed eager for the liturgy to wind up. I suppose, if you don’t have a lot of food in the house, singing and dancing joyfully to the Lord is as good a way as any to spend the night. Mass concluded around 10:30 and we tucked into our Lasagna shortly after 11 p.m.
On the day after Christmas and, again, on New Year’s Day, we held open house. It was good to see friends from Zebra House and their families and to meet our neighbors here on the Justo Mwale campus. All visitors brought their appetites and demolished the foods we had prepared. Our Cinyanga teacher Dennis Ndalameta also came to lunch on New Year’s Eve, with his mom and dad, sisters, brother-in-law and other family members. In the evening, we went next door to the Ellingson’s for a brai (cookout) with American neighbors. We were home in time to watch the ZNBC countdown on TV and jump off the chairs at midnight.
- Bill
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| Dishing up the chakudya: Mary, Nora and Jennifer. Photo by Lebo |
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| Eat and talk. Photo by Lebo |
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| It's raining! Bring some chairs inside. Photo by Lebo |
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| Mrs. Ndalameta gave Mary a Chitenge. Photo by Bill |
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| Thanks for coming. I'll accompany you part way. Photo by Lebo |
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| Eagerly awaiting the midnight hour. Photo by Lebo |
Happy birthday, Bill!!
ReplyDeleteBill, hi
ReplyDeleteand "Happy Birthday."
Since you wrote Christmas cards to me on 12/14 and 12/16 it is only appropriate that I write to you twice (this is my second effort at posting a message; I lost the first effort).
This blog is great. I really appreciate the photos. I put one of you and Mary and dtr (?) at a falls on my desktop and just enjoyed connecting with you and this adventure. I know you had it on your "bucket list" to return to Africa. This opportunity will continue to unfold with many, many rewarding moments. You also sound like a man of leisure but in the true Roman sense "otium cum dignitate."
Thanks so much for letting me know about Bill and Lili. I have posted on their blog but Bill and I have also exchanged emails. As you say, this is the sharing of a love story as well as a very painful physical and emotional journey. I check the blog regularly and think about them almost everyday.
Fortunately, Kate and I are in good health. I have had a sore shoulder since September when my brother and I played a little basketball. Wrenched my shoulder with a hook shot. I don't know why it happened especially given that I felt like I was 37 instead of remembering I was 67 (but my brother is 71 with a recent hip replacement).
I still work two days a week at the hospital. My time and energy when not working goes to my Eye On Denver Art business. Tuesday I gave a powerpoint presentation on Greco-Roman Art and Architecture. Kate and I are currently making plans to go to Greece in May; we went to France in May, 2010. I truly love France; such a marvelous country and culture.
I have been quite invested in the study of the works of a philosopher by the name of Tony Equale. It resonates very deeply with what I've been journeying with for several years and is giving me a voice to express my experience and understanding of existence, of life.
Do you email? If so and you're interested, let me know your address. I won't pester you :).
You can reach me at kalekr@gmail.com.
As always, best ever.
Leon