Zambia 2014, Day 7 – The drums started pounding

Today started a little differently than the other days, with a little bit of a later start.  Some kids chose to go to Spar, the market a little ways from us, while some decided to sleep in a little bit later.  I think a lot of us like going to Spar because it gives us a chance to get a little piece of home.  For some, that might be Pringles, Lays, or Oreos, or, in my case, a cold Diet Pepsi.

The real excitement started around 12:00, when we went to our second day at Africa Directions, a group in the Mtendere compound that aims to keep kids from turning to alcohol, having early or unprotected sex, and basically all of the other things that MTV warns us about back home by providing games, clubs, and all sorts of other activities.  The place was filled with signs covered in catchy slogans like “No Glove, No Love,” all followed with a similar “Condoms ni down!” or “Condoms ni zi!” which we learned was a type of Zambian slang that means “it’s cool!”

For what felt like hours, all of us played different games with the kids that I’m sure many of us hadn’t played since we were in elementary school, switching off between American games like “Down by the Banks” and “Duck, Duck, Goose” and Zambian games like “Chewy Ooey Ooey.”  A few kids performed an amazing poem for us, and in return, Brie and Rakwon performed poems that they’ve written on the trip, and all of us performed a mash up of popular American songs including “I’ve Got Sunshine,” “Respect,” “Party in the USA,” and “We are Family.”

After we all got done exchanging performances, Japhet, the Africa Directions leader, took us to an empty soccer field, explaining to us on the way that every few days they would have an outreach, or performance, for the neighborhood kids full of dancing, singing, storytelling, and drumming that, by the end, would teach them important lessons.  When we first got to the field, I was thinking there were a few kids but definitely not enough for the performance to have any actual impact on the community, but the second the drums started pounding kids flew out of their houses, running to get a good spot in the circle that was quickly forming.  Even though we couldn’t understand anything they were saying, we were still able to laugh along with the kids because the dancing told us everything we needed to know.

After we watched the play, we all decided that in the little time we had before we had to leave we would hang out with the kids in the field and teach them different dances and songs.  The kids were so excited to just be playing and laughing and goofing off.  At one point, at least 40 kids jumped on top of me because Savannah told them to.  We taught them the Macarena, the NaeNae, even EIEIO.  When it was time to go none of us were ready to leave, and the kids weren’t ready for us to leave either.  As soon as we said goodbye, the kids all jumped on us and attacked us for a hug.  The whole thing was hilarious and adorable and it assured me that I very much want to take one of these little kids home with me.

One of the most amazing things to witness here, that you will see everywhere you go, is the sense of community.  It is so easy to just fall into step with everyone you meet here because they welcome you so effortlessly.  They ask your name, introduce themselves, and from there on, the conversations are as if you’ve known them your whole life.  They have been so including and welcoming about their culture, teaching us dances and new phrases everywhere we go. Everywhere we’ve gone, one of the first questions you get asked is “How are you liking Zambia?” and the only possible way to answer it is to say that it has been one of the greatest times of my life.

Sasha, 16, Parkdale High School