A picture of the first rain from the door in my house
Well my promise about more regular updates did not happen. It is now November and I have been here nearly 5 months. The weather is very hot with the occasional break of rain here and there! I never thought I would be so happy to see rain after four months of no rain. I am sure though once the rainy season gets into full swing I wont be so excited about it. With the rains though come the mangos! The tree in my garden has little baby mangos on it! I can’t wait!! Spring in Zambia is really beautiful with lots of trees in bloom. My two favorites are the Jacaranda tree, which is cover in little purple flowers, and the Flame tree that is covered in red flowers. The bloomed way before the rains, its amazing how with no water in 6 months that the trees can flower so beautifully. Also the thunders storms are spectacular with the sky full of flashes of lighting and thundering loud thunder.
The last two months have been full with lots happening at the hospice with lots of outreach and daily comings and goings at the hospice. The hot weather brings lots of illness with virus vesturing in the heat. We have had a full hospice, with a few of staff being admitted for periods to get better and recuperate. This month we turned one of our side wards that have two into a little children’s ward with fun curtains and children friendly posters. My friend Nicole is coming in next week to paint fun pictures on the walls. At the moment we have two little girls in and this week they change roles with me and instead of me listen to their chests they had a go with the seiscope and listened to my chat. We had great fun and took pictures using my camera on my computer and took lots of photos. I have put some up with this blog.
Last month Rachel, Stephan and I went to Malawi for a ten day holiday. We drove from Kabwe to Malawi, which took a whole day. We spent the first weekend at a music festival by the lake. The Lake of Stars festival has been running for the last 5 years, it is set up by a UK groups so had a mixture of English and Malawian music. The music was ok. But the weekend was great. Lying on the beach listening to music, swimming, talking, meeting great people, playing lots of cards game and of course lots of drinking. There were aprox 2000 – 3000 people at it. The whole set up was great with clean toilets and showers. We were camping so with the heat you were woken very early after few hours sleep in a very hot tent with house music still being pumped out. It was a great weekend. On the Monday we drove 6 hours north along the lake to Nkata Bay where we stayed a few days in a great hostel. The hostel was set up by a co-op of 18 people, it now has 54 workers and everyone has the same share of the hostel. The atmosphere is great with brilliant staff, food and scenery. The hostel is built on the rocks, which go down to the lake. There are rafts on the lake, which you can swim out to, and lye on. We very reluctantly headed back to Zambia and our little holiday soon seemed like a dream once back to busy life in Kabwe.
Christmas is coming up soon and could not feel more like that it is along why away with the heat. My local supermarket though is there to remind me. Last week I went in to find the shop covered in Santa’s and tinsel with silent night and other Christmas songs wafting out of the speakers. I was in shock as I thought I would skip all the Christmas hype. I was talking to one of my friends who work there saying what is going on, she replied, “we are just doing what you do at home” I could not argue there.
At Christmas we have a Christmas party for the 140 children that attend the two Children centers, with fun and games and all the children receive a present. On Christmas day in the hospice there is a little celebration with carols and nice food, all the patients receive a presents. So this is where I ask you if you would like to donate a few euros for presents and Christmas goodies. I know it’s not a pig or anything sustainable that all the NGOs are asking for donations. But it will put smiles on lots of children’s and patients faces and let them have a little Christmas.
To all my classmates who will all be going to graduation next week, I will be sad to be there and miss the reunion but I will be partying in Lusaka in honor of our graduation.
Next Monday is Worlds AIDS Day the 1st of December, so all wear red in support. At the Hospice we are holding a candle light evening in memory of all our friends we have lost to AIDS.
Lots of love for now,
Siobhan
A picture of the first rain from the door in my house
Well my promise about more regular updates did not happen. It is now November and I have been here nearly 5 months. The weather is very hot with the occasional break of rain here and there! I never thought I would be so happy to see rain after four months of no rain. I am sure though once the rainy season gets into full swing I wont be so excited about it. With the rains though come the mangos! The tree in my garden has little baby mangos on it! I can’t wait!! Spring in Zambia is really beautiful with lots of trees in bloom. My two favorites are the Jacaranda tree, which is cover in little purple flowers, and the Flame tree that is covered in red flowers. The bloomed way before the rains, its amazing how with no water in 6 months that the trees can flower so beautifully. Also the thunders storms are spectacular with the sky full of flashes of lighting and thundering loud thunder.
The last two months have been full with lots happening at the hospice with lots of outreach and daily comings and goings at the hospice. The hot weather brings lots of illness with virus vesturing in the heat. We have had a full hospice, with a few of staff being admitted for periods to get better and recuperate. This month we turned one of our side wards that have two into a little children’s ward with fun curtains and children friendly posters. My friend Nicole is coming in next week to paint fun pictures on the walls. At the moment we have two little girls in and this week they change roles with me and instead of me listen to their chests they had a go with the seiscope and listened to my chat. We had great fun and took pictures using my camera on my computer and took lots of photos. I have put some up with this blog.
Last month Rachel, Stephan and I went to Malawi for a ten day holiday. We drove from Kabwe to Malawi, which took a whole day. We spent the first weekend at a music festival by the lake. The Lake of Stars festival has been running for the last 5 years, it is set up by a UK groups so had a mixture of English and Malawian music. The music was ok. But the weekend was great. Lying on the beach listening to music, swimming, talking, meeting great people, playing lots of cards game and of course lots of drinking. There were aprox 2000 – 3000 people at it. The whole set up was great with clean toilets and showers. We were camping so with the heat you were woken very early after few hours sleep in a very hot tent with house music still being pumped out. It was a great weekend. On the Monday we drove 6 hours north along the lake to Nkata Bay where we stayed a few days in a great hostel. The hostel was set up by a co-op of 18 people, it now has 54 workers and everyone has the same share of the hostel. The atmosphere is great with brilliant staff, food and scenery. The hostel is built on the rocks, which go down to the lake. There are rafts on the lake, which you can swim out to, and lye on. We very reluctantly headed back to Zambia and our little holiday soon seemed like a dream once back to busy life in Kabwe.
Christmas is coming up soon and could not feel more like that it is along why away with the heat. My local supermarket though is there to remind me. Last week I went in to find the shop covered in Santa’s and tinsel with silent night and other Christmas songs wafting out of the speakers. I was in shock as I thought I would skip all the Christmas hype. I was talking to one of my friends who work there saying what is going on, she replied, “we are just doing what you do at home” I could not argue there.
At Christmas we have a Christmas party for the 140 children that attend the two Children centers, with fun and games and all the children receive a present. On Christmas day in the hospice there is a little celebration with carols and nice food, all the patients receive a presents. So this is where I ask you if you would like to donate a few euros for presents and Christmas goodies. I know it’s not a pig or anything sustainable that all the NGOs are asking for donations. But it will put smiles on lots of children’s and patients faces and let them have a little Christmas.
To all my classmates who will all be going to graduation next week, I will be sad to be there and miss the reunion but I will be partying in Lusaka in honor of our graduation.
Next Monday is Worlds AIDS Day the 1st of December, so all wear red in support. At the Hospice we are holding a candle light evening in memory of all our friends we have lost to AIDS.
Lots of love for now,
Siobhan
