Zambia 2014, Day 2 – Looking at Life Differently

Up to now this all feels like a dream. I never in a million years would’ve thought I’d be in Africa. Just being out of the country is overwhelming. The plane ride was smooth; it was completely the opposite of what I expected, but you know what they say… “expect the unexpected.” Everything about this trip is going perfectly. In other words, I don’t want to leave Zambia. It’s just too beautiful and amazing.

Most importantly the best day was today (June 24, 2014). Before I get into detail about today, I do want to say that I enjoyed the high
school that we visited yesterday and my partner Tasheni (Tah-Shin-Nee). He was a complete gentleman –he opened doors for me, let me go first, and even pulled out my chair. I was in total shock; I thought to myself, “I only see this stuff in old eighties movies.”

But, today… I was blown away. First we walked to the school, it was about a twenty-minute walk. We went to an elementary school called Chikumbuso. [Chikumbuso Community School is part of Chikumbuso Women and Orphans Project, which provides a community to vulnerable women and children.] Also, we walked through a neighborhood by the name of N’gombe. The LearnServe crew split into different groups and taught lessons. I had the P.E. group. We taught them how to throw a football and play freeze tag and sharks in a tank. It brought tears to my eyes when the children were laughing and playing, despite their situations. They were smiling and cheering. Just knowing that I was part of the reason why they were smiling brought warmth to my heart.

Just hours before I had visited a few of the children’s homes; and in some of them there were ten people living in a two-bedroom house. Most of the cooking was done either on the living room floor or right on a dresser behind a couch. Some kids were even making toys out of sticks and a broken baby stroller, their imagination is out of this world. This made me feel like I’m very ungrateful for everything I have.

In conclusion, I won’t take anything for granted. I’m grateful for everything I have. I’m definitely looking at life differently. No more wasting food, nor will I complain about my house being too hot or too cold. At least I have a door and a system to control the temperature in my house.  I’m very grateful for this experience.

Johnnetta, 16, Ballou High School