i'm still alive...

I know its been a REALLY long time since my last update, but the last few months (especially November) were really insane. So, here's a recap for all of you I haven't filled in:

November
Well, it began like any other month but quickly took an unexpected turn. My boss, Colonel Mudenda, suddenly got really ill and was hospitalized in Lusaka for about a week. And let me just tell you, medical care here is seriously subpar. Basically the only thing they really know how to treat here is malaria, so they pumped him full of quinine even though ALL of the malaria smears they gave him kept coming back negative. He was rarely being attended to by a doctor or a nurse, wasn't being fed fluids or food, and was rarely conscious. It was really scary. So, after about 6 days of no improvement, Stacey and I began working on getting him air-ambulanced out of Zambia to South Africa where medical care is far superior to that of Zambia. So, on Tuesday, Nov. 21st just before midnight, Colonel arrive in Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa and the following day I was on the first plane down to Joburg to help coordinate his treatment/payment of the bills for IJM until the Regional Director arrive. So, my first trip to South Africa was basically spent entirely in a hospital. Sad, but true.

Colonel was in the ICU in SA for about a month and was just recently moved. There is still no conclusive diagnosis and he still is not speaking or spending most of the day awake. Aparently he has suffered serious damage to his frontal lobe. We have no idea when he'll be returning to Zambia. It's been a rough few months without him.

But what was really scary was that about three days after I got back from Joburg, one of my other co-workers, Helen, wasn't feeling well and so she stayed home from work on Friday. That afternoon we got a call that she had died. The entire office was in shock. Stacey and I started to freak out. We went to the clinic directly after work to get tested for malaria and meningitis and anything else that we would think of and pronounce. Don't worry, we were perfectly fine...just a little paranoid. We spent all day the following Sunday at Helen's funeral. It's a cultural experience I hope I never have to go through again. It made me realize just how familiar the people here are with death. At the grave site...a place that was just acre after acre of unmarked graces...mourners would just sit on top of the graves while the pastor gave the eulogy. It was sad and disturbing to say the least.

December
With Colonel out of the office, a lot of things came to a standstill. But, it was a short month because the holiday season so we spent most of the time tying up loose ends and getting things in order for end of the year reporting. For Christmas, my Dad came to visit. We spent the days before Christmas around Lusaka visiting with a lot of the people I've met here and seeing the city. The day after Christmas, we took the bus down to Livingstone and saw Victoria Falls. Then the next day, we went to Chobe National Park in Botswana and went camping. Yes, I went camping and I have pictures to prove it. But it was worth it to see all of the cool stuff. We saw all types of elephants, include two female lions and their cubs stalking an impala. Unfortunately, they didn't get the impala, but it was still pretty cool. I would promise to put pictures up on the web but you know how bad I am at follow through with that stuff.

It definitely didn't feel like Christmas and now it really doesn't feel like the New Year, probably because of the weather.

January
Well, the countdowns can now begin...I only have 14 weeks before April 10th when I fly home. For the rest of my time here I'll be working on two main projects: developing a program for teaching kids about sexual violence in school and youth programs; and establishing the foundations for an aftercare program for our former clients. It should be fun and interesting.

Well, I think that's all for now. Time to hit the sack...tomorrows the beginning of another work week. Email me and let me know what's going on with you all, especially those of you who went to Urbana. I'd love to hear from you!

Compliments of the Season (as they say here)!