Sunday, July 1 – One thing that struck many of us when we were teaching a few days ago was that the classrooms tended to be dark – even in the middle of the day and even with the hot Zambian sun streaming through the windows. The classrooms in Daughters’ Vision have dark gray concrete walls that teachers often use as a chalkboard. This gave me a slightly lethargic feel, as gray often does. So we decided to spend today painting the walls of two of the classrooms a lightening cream color.
After really long days and nights working, learning, socializing, and playing cards, we were able to sleep in late, which everyone appreciated. We ate breakfast together and then headed back to the Ngombe Compound to meet Gladys at Daughters’ Vision. Gladys happily greeted us at the door with all of our supplies ready to go. Off to the side I heard her quietly say, “Every year they impress me more and more.”
Arriving there we immediately jumped into action. We grabbed paintbrushes and played music to get psyched up. We chose to leave unpainted squares on the wall with the concrete showing to use as chalkboards. In the coming days we plan on painting positive quotes about girls on the walls and having the students put their own handprints on the walls as a parting gift.
Some students were dancing and singing along to the music while painting. Others were talking to each other about their lives and futures. I found myself lost in thought and would hyper-focus on my work and the details. As I painted, I went over our experiences in my mind from downtown Lusaka, teaching the students, and playing with young kids. One of the main thoughts that went through my mind was how much I wanted our project to turn out well. I often see other volunteer groups coming into developing countries and doing half-finished projects. I believe there is often an assumption that in countries where many children live in poverty, the children will not notice the difference between projects with a lot of time and effort spent on them and projects completed with less care. This assumption motivated me to pay attention to all of the details that others often miss. I spent much of my time filling in the corners, touching up thin spots, etc. I continued to remind myself of how I would want this project to look if it was in my school in the United States.
After most of our group members had left to go back to our hostel and start dinner five of us stayed back to finish painting. While painting, one of our trip leaders, Gaby, frantically called us out of Daughters Vision. We immediately dropped our brushes and sprinted out the door. You never know what interesting cultural experience could be coming your way here. In this case Gaby had heard loud music and joyous screams. As we rounded the corner we were greeted by a group of about 50 Chikumbuso residents, mothers, fathers, teens, and babies dancing to Zambian pop music.
They immediately gasped and ran towards us. I was surprised by this reaction. Most places we have gone the kids are excited to see us. They wave, say hello, or say mzungo (foreigner in their local language of Nyanga). But the adults tend to regard us with suspicion. In this circumstance all of the Zambians immediately grabbed each of our hands and dragged us into the center of the dance circle. We (attempted) to dance to the Zambian music, which was surprisingly similar to dancing I have seen back home. At the end of our impromptu dance party we discovered it was actually a young local girl’s birthday party. She was given a cake and we took pictures with her. Through many of our interactions with Zambians I have realized how important it is to me that I make genuine connections with those around me whether they live a block away from me or thousands of miles away like in Zambia.
When walking back to our hostel I reflected on my day and discovered another important value of mine. Balance. Although I find joy and purpose working and connecting with people, particularly students and kids, I also need a sense of balance in my life. I tend to always be thinking and reflecting on life, my future, past, experiences, and surroundings. When I am connecting with people, like teaching at Daughters’ Vision I can be very mindful of that particular moment, so my thoughts get put temporarily on hold. Painting the classroom offered me the opportunity for my mind to catch up while still feeling as though I was making a difference. I hope that when the students look at the walls they will be reminded of our time together and what we learned. I know I will whenever I see my paint splattered clothes.
Julia W., LearnServe Abroad Intern | Montgomery Blair High School (Class of 2017)