Sunday, July 31st

Today our team decided to take a bit of a rest day. We didn’t set any alarms, but most of us woke up around 7:30am anyway just out of habit… and by “habit,” I mean the giant rooster that crawls up to our window, fluffs out his feathers and screams until we’re all shuffling around at exactly 7:28 every morning.

Megan, Jim and I took a long walk into the suburbs of Mufulira just to relax and kill some time. We stopped at a tuck shop and watched a father buy his family some snacks and sodas on their Sunday stroll. It’s still funny to me that no matter how different our cultures are, there are still these small undertones of familiarity. That father getting his family snacks from the tuck shop struck a chord in both Megan and me. It reminded us both of our dads stopping to get us yogurt or snacks on those laid-back family days. As we were talking about all this, Jim- as our adoptive father for this trip- bought Megan and I each an ‘AppleMax’ soda.

Our morning of rest wrapped up as we all got ready for Martinz wedding. We were at the church by 2:00pm and the wedding procession started around 3:00pm. Martinz had asked all of us to take photos for him. In my mind, I was picturing the four of us sneaking around with our cameras, hoping not to disturb the ceremony. By the time the bride was walking down the aisle, there were about 20 people, crowding the aisle with their cameras and camera-phones. It was like being a member of the paparazzi. The ceremony was slightly similar to ceremonies in the U.S. The bride and groom sat across from one another and shared vows and a couple of “I do’s.” They then signed the wedding certificate in front of the full congregation. Then, the congregation flooded outside the church with them and took tons of photos. I tried to get a couple shots, but ended up getting elbowed in the ribs. I am clearly not built for intensely competitive photography.

Eventually, the bride, groom and wedding party crowded into cars and were taken to a house for a meal, while the rest of us were taken to a local high school for the reception. About an hour and half later, we were gathered inside and the wedding party entered one at a time. A couple of family members spoke for the bride and groom and then we were all fed a traditional Zambian meal- maize bread, pasta, rice, chicken and cake. After the meal was done, everyone lined up and shook hands and cheers with the whole wedding party. It was really a beautiful day and we’re wishing the best for Martinz and Cecilia!

We’re having a few last meetings and a team dinner tomorrow and then we head to Ndola for our flight on Tuesday morning. It’s been a great trip and we can’t say enough wonderful things about the people who have touched our lives on this trip. We’re all looking forward to heading back to our friends and family in the U.S. See you all soon!

-Katie