As I sat trying to find an appropriate label for this posting, the words “Heading Home” came to mind. It is funny because these are more or less the same words I used when we set out on our vacation to Canada. Was coming to Canada a vacation or coming home? While in Canada for the past six weeks, we’ve joked that we are ‘homeless’. Our house in Canada has been rented and we stayed mostly with Ryan and Sally but also in a number of different locations. Returning to Zambia does indeed feel like returning home. I guess home really is ‘where you hang your hat”. Many thanks to all those who gave us a bed in which to sleep.
We’ve had a fantastic six weeks reconnecting with everyone. It has been fun to be able to go to a store and find what you need even though we haven’t really bought much. We are limited to one check-in bag each which sets a serious limit on what we can ship to Zambia. Our bags are always very close to the weight limit, which means slightly over.
Packing for Zambia
As mentioned, we spent most of our time with Ryan and Sally. Their house is spacious and for one week they were in Cuba presenting at a conference so we had it all to ourselves. That’s when we really got to know their cats. You see, Ryan and Sally live in a rural area and over the years have adopted several stray cats which have arrived on their back deck looking in need of food and attention. Eventually, these cats have moved into Ryan and Sally’s house and hearts.
This is “Spook” (aka Cocoa) below. The other three cats were camera shy.
We did a lot of work while we were in Canada and the days seemed to all blend together. Often we didn’t remember the day of the week or the date. I captured Ryan, Sally, Marilyn, and myself all working at different computer stations on Sunday. Fortunately, we had a dinner reservation at an Indian restaurant in Fergus which got all of us up and moving.
In a few hours we will be catching a bus to Toronto and soon thereafter we’ll be on our way to Paris. We have to spend the day in Charles de Gaulle before flying to Johannesburg. Fortunately, we have only a small wait in JB before catching a plane to Livingstone. Still, the trip will last over 34 hours from the time we leave Ryan and Sally’s house until we arrive at Tjisse’s in Zambia.
We are returning to Zambia with a renewed enthusiasm for our project in Livingstone. We have some exciting ideas for 2010 which I will write about each Sunday on my blog. We also received many generous donations while we were in Canada and will be able to sponsor even more children in school this coming year. Thanks to everyone who believes in what we are doing.
