November 5, 2011
After a six hour journey we arrived in Ndola. Driving in the country side was a wonderful adventure. We would drive for 15 – 30 minutes and would then come upon a town/village. Lining the road we would see many stands selling a variety of items.
We encountered the largest freshest looking watermelons, saw stands upon stands of tomatoes, onions, nuts and yes we even we treated to the sight of a large tray full of plump catepillars. All the food was displayed in pyramids and looked very inviting as we drove past.
We saw people working hard making concrete blocks to pile to build the walls for their homes. By making I mean that they were combining all the materials necessary to make the blocks and bricks and some instances they blocks were made in advance. Then they would use the grasses to create the roof. In some areas you could see people redoing their roofs in preparation for the upcoming rainy season.
After sitting in the bus for a couple of hours we all needed a bathroom break. We stopped in a town where we each paid 1000 Kwacha to use the facilities. This meant hovering over the toilet and hopefully you remembered to bring a little tissue in with you as one was not provided. All was kept very clean and tidy though.
We arrived at Fatsmol (our guest house in Ndola) without any issues. We have each been assigned to our guest rooms. Lucky for us Westerners … we are staying at one of the only places in Ndola that has running hot running water and electricity. For the majority of the people living here there is no hot water and the electricity comes and goes if they have electricity. It has been explained to us that electricity is purchased through a pay advance card that plugged into an electricity source. When the amount purchased runs out on the card there is no longer electricity until a new card is purchased.
Our dinner meal was enjoyed at the Oil of Joy girl's house. All the girls helped in the preparation of the meal. They did a fabulous job organizing and feeding over twenty of us. The girls are great and we all enjoyed visiting. We had time to read stories and watch the girls dance. We look forward to seeing them again tomorrow.
During our visit to Oil of Joy House Jason's key to his guest room went on a mysterious adventure of its own. Somehow during our walk over or ride home the ONE and ONLY key to Jason's room jumped out of his pocket. Adorned with flashlights on their heads a group of the guys went on a search for the missing key. After searching the vegetation within our Guest House compound; retracing the steps walked; and a search through the vehicle it was declared that the key had gone awol.
The troops were then brought in to rectify the situation. Knocking on my door led to two of the maintenance men from here entering my room with a large barrel and three milk crates. They proceeded through the room into the bathroom where they set up their ladder to climb to the ceiling. With a screwdriver in hand they pried open the tile roof; hoisted themselves into the ceiling space and crawled across to Jason's room. They then proceeded to break into his room via the ceiling. Having arrived in his room they used their tools to dismantle the lock allowing access into the room. Needless to say Jason is now the proud recipient of a brand new lock at his expense that he will be leaving behind.
We are starting to think that Jason may need his own blog of his "break the mold adventures."
The people that we have met have all been very welcoming and friendly. Huge smiles are seen across many faces as they greet us and always welcome us. Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.
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