visitors from far places

A backwards photo journal:

(being away from technology has created more functional and neurological challenges than I thought :) uploading is now a difficult task for me. so bear with my random assortment of pictures in no particular order... you'll get the idea.)

Giraffes graze just meters away, and stare down as they chomp the sky high roughage... this African safari made me feel like a visitor to a place I thought I was getting to know.

Renalda (my friend who visited from her home in Latvia) and I toured the hot spots of Zambia, and saw the falls for the last time before they began to gush with amazing force.
many adventures were to be had, but we didn't expect to see an elephant moseying along the side of the road.
and excitement couldn't be topped after a cold ice cream, since refrigeration isn't common in Nakeempa

staring over the kariba dam made our small village dam look like a puddle.

                                that's right...Renalda and I walked right into Zimbabwe, and we survived
a sunset boat ride on the lake...cholera and bilharzia should have deterred me from swimming, but it didn't
                                                                 it was just too beautiful

we had our share of break downs though, but Mweemba was a life-saver
frustrations were heightened though because of malaria...
Kathy (my country rep) was a big hit in the village, a city woman from Lusaka, and a mukuwa. my host mom couldn't stop feeding her.

        I needed a vacation, and I got it...beautiful Siavonga
   Jocelyn and I made our own fun while waiting by the roadside (this is just before selling bananas)

Staying with friends and exploring Zambia was a much needed break from the bush. but I think I'm ready to go back.  It was a month of travel and fun.  But now it's back to work...the school year begins, and term one will surely bring new challenges and new opportunities.  Everyday is a new day in 2009!