Goodbye Mwandi :( Ari

Ari Day #63

May 18, 2022

Simba House, Mwandi, Zambia

So, I’m sitting here in Mwandi the night before leaving Africa after almost a month being in this stimulating continent full of mixed emotions. Admittedly, I have been quite homesick for the past 2-3 weeks, yet being able to see the end of trip in our windshield makes me want to put on the brakes and savor every moment we have soaking up the constant influx of new information. Even the “smells of sabbatical” are transforming into something that I appreciate. My run every morning here starts off with the unmistakable smell of goat or sheep manure, transforming to the smell of burning wood helping people make their breakfasts, and then moves on to the various scents of town. These runs make me realize why some people become hooked on these exotic and oftentimes difficult travels as they wake up all the senses and expand our views of the world. As much as I am yearning to have the familiarity of Chenango, most things I do there are routine and will not challenge my preconceived notions of my physical and societal surroundings. Although it has rarely been easy, the last 2 months has provided me with a daily dose of sensory stimulation and core memories which will be with me forever, and I think will transform my view of the world around me. I am immensely grateful to have had this opportunity to travel to such different environments and interact so intimately with the humans and animals…and doing it with my wife and 2 children. Wow….

The last 2 days, Cris continued to work at the hospital, providing much needed expertise and the almost non-existent gentle feminine care of a female physician to women who are in desperate need of this care. She has been working ~9-10 hour days while the 3 of us have been having a more leisurely time volunteering at the OVC and wandering the town. The OVC continues to be a special experience for all of us. The children at the OVC have definitely taken to the 3 of us and we play nearly constantly for the 3 hours that they are there. Yesterday, we attended the devotion, which was a small Christian service with the staff. It was very educational for all 3 of us as Asher and Linden have never been to church. There was some talk about Jesus and God, and it stimulated plenty of conversation with our family afterwards. This morning, their bible study continued as we brought them to the morning service at the hospital. The singing is beautiful, and what better place to learn about Jesus than Mwandi, Zambia, right???

We also wandered the streets and went through the school grounds where the kids commented on how everyone stares at us wherever we go. This sparked a conversation about race and how it feels to be the “other” person. We discussed how we are lucky that here the reaction to white people is that of curiosity, but in many places (oftentimes the US) the reaction is that of fear and anger. What a learning opportunity for us all. We also went down to the main part of the Zambezi river, a gorgeous spot filled with small mud huts overlooking the river with dugout Mokoros ready to glide through the water. You can see Namibia on the other side of the river, and locals use this place to go to Namibia and there is a small immigration office in Namibia on the other side.

I met with Lawrence and Ida regarding the plans for a cancer center. Although I am hesitant to recommend radiation oncology services in a place that doesn’t even have effective cervical cancer screening (they can’t do paps due to lack of pathology), I am excited to work with them to see what we can do to help the people here who have nearly no access to cancer care.

Lastly, Lawrence commented on the special, unique Mwandi “vibe” when we came here. I think I now know what he is talking about. Being so far from any tourist area, we have the opportunity to interact with the people without anyone trying to sell us anything. Because of this, it seems to me that we get to see the true nature of the people here. Kids just want us to swing them in circles, adults oftentimes ask how I am doing, and despite having very little here, people gather together and seem to support one another. With all this, I have not felt threatened once, despite sticking out like a sore thumb here. I certainly appreciate this vibe.

So, I am a bit melancholy about leaving tomorrow. I hope to return sometime in the future and continue to challenge my oftentimes narrow-minded view of the world…