Apparently my daily life is a subject of interest.
“Daily” life is right. Day by day and not a step ahead.
Sophie and I have a simple existence.
It’s about time I found something simple.
Obviously, coming from America to a simple lifestyle is not a perfectly smooth transition. Going from a job and twenty things to accomplish in a day to a “to-do” list of one item is quite a change in pace. The rat race gets quite a bit slower.
Here’s my effort at describing our days.
My watch starts to beep at 6 AM every morning. Our guard has to be let out. He’s here every night rain or shine, snoozing on our porch. He is the second or third guard we’ve had since being here. His name is Helix. His name is quite a nice fit. Besides the fact that I think he’s going blind and the fact that he’s slow and old, we’re as safe as babies in the womb. Apparently his duties during a break in include: 1. Noticing the break in and 2. Waking us up.
If it is Monday, our to-do list reads: Chongwe
We are holding a pre-school reading program in the village to get the tiny tots ready for the Esther School being built by GEMS. We are not teaching them to read (there are 55 or more 2 to 7 year olds). We are giving them a chance to interact with muzungus (folks of the white persuasion who are rare in the bush), learn their colors, and listen to our accents. Two hours of reading followed by about 20 rounds of head shoulders knees and toes and you’re wiped.
If it so happens to be a Tuesday or a Friday, our to-do list reads: Women
These two days our house is the GEMS service center. Women are sewing, drinking tea, and praying. Sophie and I are fabric fetchers, batting cutters, dish washers, babysitters, children feeders, and waterers of women. From 8 am to 5 pm. And then we’re dead.
On Wednesdays, to do list= Babies
We go to the House of Moses to work as cry controllers. More than anything, we just give the women who work in the nurseries a quiet minute to think straight. We feed babies and rock babies. We tickle tummies and play airplane. They giggle and they scream. Some are four pounds and some can crawl. Some can sit up and some just spit up. And then we’re worn out.
Thursdays……………………no to do list.
We rest.
Saturday to do list is as follows: Clubs
We visit GEMS clubs in Lusaka at the local churches. We sing, teach, get a work out, give hugs, and take pictures. And we are always reminded, “to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly”…. And then we’re quite tired.
Sunday reads: Church
We get a cab into town: Miracle Life Family Church. We worship and learn from an American pastor with an almost completely Zambian congregation. We sing in Nyanja and English. We sweat.
Then we walk across the street to buy our food for the week. We have a nice lunch and it’s homeward bound for us.
Next is a CIT Bible study at our house. Fifteen girls come eat cookies and are fed from the Word. We are training them to be role models to little girls. We talk about boys, weekends, modesty, how to teach and how to be held accountable. And then we’re exhausted.
A one item to do list can easily end up being all you can handle for one day.
Just one day at a time.
“Daily” life is right. Day by day and not a step ahead.
Sophie and I have a simple existence.
It’s about time I found something simple.
Obviously, coming from America to a simple lifestyle is not a perfectly smooth transition. Going from a job and twenty things to accomplish in a day to a “to-do” list of one item is quite a change in pace. The rat race gets quite a bit slower.
Here’s my effort at describing our days.
My watch starts to beep at 6 AM every morning. Our guard has to be let out. He’s here every night rain or shine, snoozing on our porch. He is the second or third guard we’ve had since being here. His name is Helix. His name is quite a nice fit. Besides the fact that I think he’s going blind and the fact that he’s slow and old, we’re as safe as babies in the womb. Apparently his duties during a break in include: 1. Noticing the break in and 2. Waking us up.
If it is Monday, our to-do list reads: Chongwe
We are holding a pre-school reading program in the village to get the tiny tots ready for the Esther School being built by GEMS. We are not teaching them to read (there are 55 or more 2 to 7 year olds). We are giving them a chance to interact with muzungus (folks of the white persuasion who are rare in the bush), learn their colors, and listen to our accents. Two hours of reading followed by about 20 rounds of head shoulders knees and toes and you’re wiped.
If it so happens to be a Tuesday or a Friday, our to-do list reads: Women
These two days our house is the GEMS service center. Women are sewing, drinking tea, and praying. Sophie and I are fabric fetchers, batting cutters, dish washers, babysitters, children feeders, and waterers of women. From 8 am to 5 pm. And then we’re dead.
On Wednesdays, to do list= Babies
We go to the House of Moses to work as cry controllers. More than anything, we just give the women who work in the nurseries a quiet minute to think straight. We feed babies and rock babies. We tickle tummies and play airplane. They giggle and they scream. Some are four pounds and some can crawl. Some can sit up and some just spit up. And then we’re worn out.
Thursdays……………………no to do list.
We rest.
Saturday to do list is as follows: Clubs
We visit GEMS clubs in Lusaka at the local churches. We sing, teach, get a work out, give hugs, and take pictures. And we are always reminded, “to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly”…. And then we’re quite tired.
Sunday reads: Church
We get a cab into town: Miracle Life Family Church. We worship and learn from an American pastor with an almost completely Zambian congregation. We sing in Nyanja and English. We sweat.
Then we walk across the street to buy our food for the week. We have a nice lunch and it’s homeward bound for us.
Next is a CIT Bible study at our house. Fifteen girls come eat cookies and are fed from the Word. We are training them to be role models to little girls. We talk about boys, weekends, modesty, how to teach and how to be held accountable. And then we’re exhausted.
A one item to do list can easily end up being all you can handle for one day.
Just one day at a time.
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