Return to Zambia!!
Returning to Livingstone I was expecting sunshine and blue skies. What I got was a gigantic storm with extraordinarily heavy rains which washed away many roads and surprised all the locals as storms are usually unheard of in April. Since then it has been windy and cloudy but at least no more rains, so fingers crossed that is it for this season. The river is at an all time high and from the plane the falls looked magnificent, I shall have to pay a visit this weekend but with the prior knowledge that I will be getting absolutely soaked!
This week I have been busy preparing for the imminent arrival of the first of this year’s Bookbus volunteers. The bus has had a spring clean and service, although owing to the state of the roads it won’t be moving anywhere for a while. The tents are all up and the kitchen has had a make over. The grotto is as tranquil as ever (well at least at the moment as there are no overlanders!) In fact town is incredibly quiet; there don’t seem to be any tourists around at all.
The schools are currently on holidays so next week we will be paying a visit to our friends at Lubasi home for 5 days. I visited yesterday and they are very excited to have us back, both the children and the carers. A visit to the ministry of education brought us to their attention once again and we will be carrying out our programme with their blessing. We are hoping to arrange that some student teachers from Livingstone can join the bus for a few days a week. This will not only benefit the students but also our volunteers, who can then work aside local people.
This year the first week feels much more relaxed than last time, that is probably because I know where everything is, how things work and know to expect that nothing runs smoothly or on time!! The countryside is green and thriving thanks to the recent rains and this week I have seen baby zebras, a huge water monitor lizard and a very cool looking chameleon, which local people are afraid of because it is associated with witchcraft!
This year the first week feels much more relaxed than last time, that is probably because I know where everything is, how things work and know to expect that nothing runs smoothly or on time!! The countryside is green and thriving thanks to the recent rains and this week I have seen baby zebras, a huge water monitor lizard and a very cool looking chameleon, which local people are afraid of because it is associated with witchcraft!
Kelly Geoghegan, Book Bus Leader
