Don't Kubeba! (Shh..)

Don't Kubeba!  (Shh...)

Yesterday we packed our evacuation bags.  We were ready to flee Zambia at a moment's notice.

Our sweet, peace-loving Zambia threatened to erupt into full-blown violence,  if the opposition candidate didn't win.

We prepared for the worst as we waited for the electoral commission to release the final results.

Alex and Isaac asked me how I knew that the "bad guys weren't going to kill us."  I explained we'd be fine if we stayed home and avoided town.  So we planned a game night with friends and waited to hear the announcement scheduled for 6pm.

At 6 pm:  no results.  At 8 pm:  no results.  At 10 pm:  no results.  

Our friends went home and we headed to bed.  At 2 am I heard sirens, horns, and noisy crowds.  Either the world was going to hell, or there was a celebration in the streets.  Or both.

Mr. Michael Sata finally won the presidency and the city was ecstatic.  It still is.

The reason is simple:   Zambians felt like their voices were finally heard.

I have to hand it to Mr. Sata.  He had a brilliant strategy called: Don't Kubeba!  (Shh...)

He encouraged voters to pretend like they were supporting the incumbent president, but then secretly vote for Mr. Sata. This strategy resonated with the Zambian voters.  

Even my friend, draped in a Rupiah Banda chitenge (sarong) on election day confessed, "I voted for Sata.  Shhh!"  Then she grinned.  

So this morning, as President Sata was sworn into office, the city exploded, not in violence, but in jubilee.  Zambians tell me that they change has finally come to their country.

I rejoice with my neighbors.  I pray that President Sata will eliminate corruption, and bring prosperity to all Zambians.  

But as former President Banda said in his concession speech, "Enjoy the hour [of victory] but remember that a term of government is for years.  Remember that the next election will judge you also."

Let's Get Ready to RUMBLE! (Peacefully, please!)

If we got one-tenth of what was promised to us in these acceptance speeches there wouldn't be any inducement to go to heaven.  ~Will Rogers

Billboard in Lusaka

Election Day is T minus 8 days.  Lusaka is buzzing with anticipation.  

In one corner we have reigning champion President Rupiah Banda.   

In the other corner we have the challenger Mr. Michael Sata.  

There are a handful of other candidates--but like America's Ralph Nader and Ross Perot, they don't stand a chance against these heavyweights.


Dora Siliya,  spokesperson for Banda's party, recently warned villagers that a vote for Sata meant a vote for homosexuality (illegal in Zambia).  She urged the men in the audience to admire her soft bottom.  She also declared that Sata couldn't possibly have human parents.


Sata claims that the current administration will murder him and blame it on his poor health.

Now it is left up to the people to decide who will be the 5th president of Zambia.  

Election Ballots in Truck (Photo Katy Vosburg)

My friend Katy captured this shot:  election ballots being transferred in an open-bed truck.  Don't worry, the guy in the in the back is making sure none fall out.


Here is a close-up of those ballots. 

The Ballots (Photo: Katy Vosburg)

People on both sides are already alleging ballot fraud, and no one has voted yet.  Zambia makes American politics seem a bit bland, doesn't it?

Snapshots of Life

They're adorable when sleeping...

...and when laughing...

...and on the rope swing.

 NO BOYS ALLOWED Club

First Sprinkler!

Moving Day!

Our container arrives.

"The average American moves 11.7 times in a lifetime." --UScensus.gov


After war and famine, moving is one of the most stressful things for a family.  I know, because I've moved our junk treasures nine times in the last five months.  Each time I swear we are going to down-size to...

• a bowl 
• a spoon, and a 
• a change of underwear

...for each person.

In February we loaded all of our earthly possessions into a container.  Six months later it arrived in Lusaka.   It was like Christmas.  The kids got their bikes, I got my Kitchenaid mixer, and Eric got his cordless screw gun.

Boxes!

Not-A-Surprise (#1):  my kids enjoyed the packing supplies more than their toys.

"Look mom, I can carry the apple with no hands."

Issac takes a running jump into the packing papers

Thursday:  Container arrived.  Eric unpacked.  I met with Social Welfare about our adoption application.  (No word on our baby girl...)

Friday:  Eric unpacked.  I helped him.   That night we had friends over to celebrate our move.

Saturday:  Eric unpacked.   Two girlfriends and I sold 150 homemade cupcakes at the Dutch Reformed Market.  This once-a-month market is quite the social event.  Who knew that pig cupcakes would be so popular?  We sold out!

That evening we hosted a BBQ with three other families at our mostly-unpacked home.

It is a wonderful chaos, because after eight months in transition, we are settling down.

Not-A-Surprise (#2):  Even though they have stacks of games, books, and toys, my kids still whine about being bored.  (Only five more days until French school starts!)

First Day of School

 First Day of School!

Oliver started school today, which is a miracle, really.  While there are several excellent preschools in Lusaka, most are unable to take him for a variety of reasons:  no space, he's not potty-trained, he's not walking, etc.  Discouraging.

Then my friend Julie, who has her own 3-year old heart-throb with Down syndrome, told me that she's teaching at a new Montessori School.  Julie is passionate and has a heart for kids with special needs, so it seemed like a perfect fit.

Julie has asked our friend Holly from Special Hope Network to put together an education plan for him.  Holly not only is parenting three kids with Down syndrome, she's a special education expert.

When I picked up Oliver at the end of the day, he let me know that he didn't want to leave by going "boneless" and screaming.  Charming.

In other news, we have no news to report on our baby girl yet.  Our referral is in the hands of the state social worker and on African time, so we wait patiently.  Or at least we try.

It's a Baby Girl!

I (heart) pink!

"I was hoping to deliver some good news to you about adoption stuff by phone instead of text...when is your class over?"  My friend Krystel

Krystel sent me this text this morning in French class.  Studying direct and indirect objects in French is, well, a tad tedious, but I waited until the end of class to call her back.

"There is a 3-month old baby girl that may be available for adoption.  Do you want to meet her?"  Krystel asked.

Do fish swim?  

Do birds fly?  (Or most of them, at least)

Am I completely insane?  

Eric and I immediately sped over to the orphanage.  Seriously.  I got pulled over for going 9 kph over the speed limit--which is a whopping 5 mph for my American friends.

I should mention that this is my first time being pulled over in my entire life.  Eric and I won't pay bribes to police officers (anymore), so we asked for the ticket.  I didn't have $36 in cash, so we must report to the downtown police station to pay my fine within 7 days.  The officer didn't give me a ticket, a citation #, or anything.  He just scribbled my license plate number down on his note pad.  I'm curious how this whole system works.

When we reached the orphanage, we headed straight to the infant room.  We've already been to this place several times just to hold babies.  The little girl we came to see slept the entire time, so we held and fed other munchkins.  There are 12 infants there now, so feeding time is busy for the staff.

Baby girl finally woke up right before we needed to leave.  She's adorable and it's surreal that she could be my daughter one day.  I'm not allowing myself to get attached quite yet, because these things can change instantly.  First we must wait for the social worker to process our application file.

After meeting the little one, I dropped Eric off at the airport.  He's off to Kenya for a few days.

Even though I was still giddy after the orphanage visit, I was careful to do the speed limit all the way home.

Road Trip!

“An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered.” --G.K. Chesterton

Victoria Falls at Sunset

Victoria Falls is breathtaking.  The spray from the falls drenched us as we walked across the bridge.  It's tough to see from the photo, but there wasn't much of a barrier between the slippery sidewalk and the edge of the cliff.

Isaac at Victoria Falls

Take this guardrail, for example.  The bottom rail was low enough to trip a toddler and the upper one wouldn't prevent him from falling to his death.  I wonder how many people, after spending six hours crammed in a car with their family, have considered either hurdling themselves over the edge or "accidentally" knocking Grandpa over.

The ferry to Botswana

Victoria Falls wasn't our final destination, so the next day we piled back into the car and headed to the border.  My mom admitted that this was the craziest experience she's ever had.  Even the guide books give detailed instructions about how to navigate through immigration and get yourselves on the boat. 

The ferry boats can only take one or two trucks at a time across the river, so there was a line of 40 trucks Waiting.  Waiting.  Waiting.  (And we wonder why prostitution is an issue at borders?)

Fortunately, passenger vehicles get to skip to the head of the line.  

Truck on the Ferry

Once over the border, we got to chat with the folks at Botswana immigration.  They had all of us get out of the vehicle and walk across a filthy mat drenched in some chemical that killed the Zambian germs on our shoes.  

Botswana or Bust

We came to Botswana to see Chobe National Park on a self-guided safari.  Eric drove us all around the park, and we found all sorts of animals.  The thing is that my dad goes batty for birds and needed to photograph each and every one them.

A pretty bird.

Another one.

Unfortunately, my father's obsession turned my husband into a warthog.

Eric Showell

For the record, the park discourages people from exiting their vehicles, because there are, uh... WILD ANIMALS all around.  Richard just needed one more bird photo...

"Don't tempt me, Richard!" --Eric

The next day we took a boat safari on the river.  Fortunately it was guided by professionals...or people who seemed to know what they were talking about.  I did notice, however, that even our guides got chills when a hippo would surface next to the boat.

Deadliest animal in Africa

Our guides let us get up close to some mighty big crocodiles.  They assured us that these beasts wouldn't hop into the boat, but it still made me nervous.  There's a first time for everything, right?

Grandma and the crocodile

For a grande finale our guide pulled out a water lilly and demonstrated how to make it into a necklace.  That was the highlight of the entire trip for my kids; well, that and getting to watch hours and hours of movies on the dual DVD players.

Water Lily Jewelry

So after 10 adventure-packed days, I dropped Grandpa and Grandma off at the airport this morning.  It was such a honor and privilege to share our world with them this week.  (And we really appreciate all of the photos!)