Today began like many other of our days here this week have. Duane continued with his amazing HIV Hope seminar here in Mufulira - Equipping students to go out and become advocates for teaching others about HIV/AIDS. Tannen, Megan and myself headed out to Murundu for the day. We spent the morning with the ENFYS Women’s Group - a collection of women that come together regularly for worship and fellowship in the village. Usually, the women are the ones asking us questions, but today we turned the table. We worked to learn about their lives - What is village life like for these women? What role do fathers play in the children’s lives? How are young women educated as they grow up? It was amazing to see them light up and teach us. By the end, we were cracking one another up sharing stories and traditions from both Zambia and the U.S. To close the morning, our team handed out bags for the women with sewing kits, nail polish and other presents. Their reaction was incredible - They cheered and shared hugs and had huge smiles on their faces. It’s still amazing to me how easy it is to connect with these women without sharing a language or a cultural background. We’ve become such close friends in such a short time. They feel like family.
Today’s ending, was unlike any other evening we’ve had so far. There is a woman we met a few days ago named Fridah. The moment I saw Fridah, I realized she was something special. She has an energy in her eyes and smile that lights up everyone around her. Fridah has been attending Duane’s seminar and also letting us teach our computer classes at her internet café. After tonight’s class, Megan, Tannen and I were completely exhausted from the day. But once the shop had emptied, Fridah turned up the music and blasted Zambian songs into the café. Then, she came down and started teaching us traditional dance moves. Fridah is the Zambian Shakira. Tannen, Megan and I are the Zambian Three Stooges. Fridah can somehow manage to move her hips while gracefully moving her arms. Tannen, meanwhile, “expresses herself best using less grace” and “more arms!” (And yes, that’s a direct quote). She then shot across the dance floor like a crazed albatross. It was an amazing ending to a full day of work. We couldn’t have asked for anything better or anyone better to share it with. Thanks Fridah!
We miss you all. Thanks for all the well wishes!
-Katie
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