Gonzaga-in-Zambezi

After a ‘laxed wake up for some, and an earlier morning for others, the Zags prepared to embark on our long awaited trip to Zambezi… ready for greatness.

The first half of the group started their journey to the airport at the crack of dawn, so early that the airport hadn’t even opened yet. Talk about great time management! After a short bit of time, our early crew successfully made it to the runway, and after a couple of slow motion videos to Danger Zone, both planes successfully took off for a smooth sailing flight. Some caught some Z’s and others, well, they tried (sorry Emily).

After a lovely two hour flight above the rural lands of Zambia, Africa, both early planes landed within 20 minutes of one another and were each greeted with a warm welcome, filled with singing and dancing from some of the local Zambian schools that Gonzaga has ties with. There was even an adorable handmade sign! They expressed their many thanks and excitement for our arrival, and even sang Josh his very own song! (Hint: They really… REALLY like Josh).

Eventually, our early crew got settled into the convent, meeting some important people such as Mama Katendi and Mama Christine, names that you will likely hear plenty of times going forward. After a bit of a breather, our crew took a little trip to the markets, guided by Josh and Mama Katendi. They made sure to grab the essentials, plenty of unique foods, fresh produce, and much more. Once wrapped up, our early crew got together to enjoy some amazing lunch consisting of fresh apples, ripe bananas, peanut butter, and bread… talk about a lunch of champions! After some much needed food, Ani decided to make door signs for all of the rooms of the convent, which were adorable by the way, Josh prepared the hotels for our flight crew, and others caught up on some some much needed sleep with a lovely little nap.

While all of this was happening in Zambezi, the “later” crew and I had a lovely day of our own. With some rest on our favorite couches and a much nicer wake up time, we started off our day with a lovely breakfast and some time by the pool. We all got a chance to enjoy some leisurely downtime, with a few of us being lucky enough to get a massage or two. 

(But the winner of relaxation was certainly Brynn, who soaked up plenty of sun while reading an awesome book lended by Katie, the “founder” of our collective Zambian 2024 book club).

After we all got packed up and ready for the day, we took a quick trip back out to the market for some last minute trinket shopping, led by none other than our favorite… Dominic. It was my first time seeing the market, and I was purely amazed at the different groups of people and the plethora of different items, ranging from detailed accessories, wooden silverware, and beautiful paintings made in house. While a little pressed for time, my peers and I made our favorite… connections with the shop owners, and bargained for a few items before our speedy walk home. Through our quick turnaround, we stuffed ourselves and all our bags into the taxi (Tetris style) and said our sad goodbyes to our beloved Fawlty Towers (You will be missed).  

Eventually, we found ourselves at the airport, thankfully open this time. We said our final farewells to Dominic, our hardest goodbye yet, and walked on through with our many bags and duffles. We, like the morning crew, had some incredible time management and found ourselves in a position to kill two hours before our pilots arrived back in Livingstone. We enjoyed a little airport lunch together,  and for the most part, we all got the food we ordered (thank you Ana, Katie, and Brynn for sharing). After a quick bag check, many laughs, and some more slow motion danger zone videos, we finally embarked on our flights to Zambezi.

With a bit of a bumpier ride, as happens on the afternoon flights, we were up in the air experiencing pure bliss (or something real close to it). We all looked down at the vast, beautiful landscape of Zambia, seeing the incredible environment while getting to listen to some groovy music with our lovely pilot Colin.

After about two hours of airtime, we found ourselves on the runway of Zambezi. In our short trip to the ceremony, dozens of Zambians gathered together to wave at us and followed us to where we stored the planes. It was an incredible sight, watching hundreds of Zambians gather together and sing heart warming song. The feeling of gratitude and excitement filled my heart, and I was moved by the whole experience. We got a chance to meet many of the local children, and had a beautiful walk back to our final destination: the convent, filled with many high-fives and hands held. We started group chants, shared plenty of great laughs, and I even found out that I supposedly look like Justin Bieber! A true compliment to a guy who can’t sing, even if he tried.

We got the chance to catch our breath, wash our hands, and quickly settle in. We eventually gathered in the common room and heard some loud music coming from the back of the convent, and with our natural Zam Fam curiosity, we decided to check it out, and I’m so glad we did. We were welcomed to a surprise dance circle, started by some of the local adults and children. Within minutes we were all dancing together, with Will serving some sweet moves and Sarah showing us that she was the real Shakira, because wow, her hips did NOT lie!

Eventually, we had to go back inside to enjoy our lovely dinner of spaghetti and (sausage)balls, cabbage, apples, oranges, and freshly pumped water (Thank you Emily, Charlie, Mama Katendi, and Mama Christine). The power went off right as we sat down, so we shared our meal in pseudo darkness, thanks to our handy dandy headlamps. The food was delicious and the experience of it all was incredibly meaningful. I can’t wait for many more like it.

We are now all prepped for our first reflection together in Zambezi, a truly exciting moment for us. The collective amount of joy and smiles is something purely magical. I, along with the rest of us cannot wait for tomorrow to begin the rest of our journey, one that surely is will be marked by greatness.

Sending love to all our people,

Jackson Schmidt ’24 & the Zam Fam

PROGRAM NOTE: Our beloved faculty, Chris Sloan had a fall and injured her leg in Livingstone. She was evacuated to South Africa for surgery and will be unable to continue with our program. We have her in our prayers and invite you to do the same and hope for a quick recovery. To support our program, Professor Jeff Dodd is traveling to Zambezi as we speak.

PROGRAM NOTE: We have safely arrived in Zambezi via the Flying Mission planes. We are catching up on blog postings so will hear from Sarah Simmons about Thursday.

Today (Thursday) we had a chance to sleep in, with nothing scheduled until 9 am. Everyone found their way downstairs to the courtyard of our hostel to eat breakfast on our own time. Conversations about our plans for the day filled the air. It was our first free afternoon in Livingstone, a choose-your-own-adventure of sorts. There were talks of shopping, zip-lining, seeing the Victoria Falls again, and bungee jumping. 

After a short reflection to take in the events of previous days. We headed off to the Livingstone Museum which was just a short walk from our hostel. There we learned about archaeology, ethnography, the slave trade, colonialism, natural history, and the wider history of Zambia’s tribes and governments. Some people took longer in the Museum (AKA me), while others were anxious to get to “the best curio shops” as proclaimed by Josh and Dominic. 

We wandered around a block lined with small shops. The shops were filled with souvenirs and keepsakes. It was time to develop a new skill… bartering. A foreign skill to a lot of us, including me.  Coming from a background of set prices, I felt nervous countering with a lower offer. Yet, our counter offers were typically met with a reduction of the initial cost. Equipped with that new skill of bartering we started making some deals. Zags bartered away their “hair ties”, a ring, and even a pair of sunglasses (*cough* *cough* Julia). All to cut a deal to get more gifts to bring home to our friends and family. 

We enjoyed delicious oven-fired pizzas at our hostel for lunch until our free afternoon arrived. Some people decided to stay at the hostel relax, get the best $25 massages, and pack for Zambezi. Others explored other local shops. Emily, Ana, Will and I decided to go bungee jumping off the Victoria Falls Bridge on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe. 

Emily jumped before three of us got there but she had Lucia and Charlie there to cheer her on. Ana, Will, and I got there in time to watch the recap video of her jumping. She looked like she was having the time of her life.

Next it was our turn. Ana, Will, and I looked at each other with quiet anticipation of what was to come. Exchanging phrases like “you’ve got this” and “It’s going to be fine”, more likely trying to convince ourselves of those things than each other. 

I jumped first. They don’t give you much time to be nervous when you’re up on the platform. Then they count ridiculously fast “five-four-three-two-one”. All you can do is look at the horizon and jump. Within a millisecond you’re flying through the air, arms spread wide, praying you’ll feel that tug that should pull you back up. 

Just as we are flying into Zambezi, we too are opening ourselves up to a new experience. We still don’t know what to expect, yet we took a decisive leap of faith to move into this new adventure with our arms spread wide. I’m sure it will take a while to get settled, as we wait to feel that tug of normalcy that will bring us comfort. There will be still be plenty of up and downs throughout our experience. They will feel both terrifying and freeing. When I was hanging from the bungee cord I realized the importance of  looking around and enjoying the beauty of a process while taking in new perspectives. Ultimately, I think we’ll leave Zambezi with the same sentiment I felt when my feet hit solid ground: amazed, humbled, and grateful for an incredible experience. 

We wrapped up the night with a reflection on our aspirations for our time in Zambezi, as our flights left the next day. We also took time to honor Dominic: our amazing friend, wisdom giver, tour guide, mentor, teacher and one man comedy show who will parting ways with us when we fly out. We went to sleep with great anticipation for the bush plane rides and our new environment the next day. Again we exchanged the phrases “you’ve got this” and “it’s going to be fine”. I truly couldn’t think of a better group of people to jump into this next adventure with.

Sarah Simmons, ’24

The day begun with an abrupt wake up, for some of us, and a bus ride to the border of Livingston and Botswana. Where we got EXTRAAA clean to enter Botswana and got some new stamps on the passport. Once we were through immigration, we enjoyed some biscuits and muffins at the cafe and boarded part one of our safari tour on a double decker safari pontoon, lead by guide Sam and Gee, or Gee-Whiz. Boujee!

This three hour ride kept us on the edge of our boat, as we were in awe of the beauty of the jungle for the first time. This tour involved traveling along the Chobe River as we encountered various animals, including crocodiles, hippos, zebras, water buffalo and elephants. From the amazing view of the our binoculars and the informative words of our tour guide, Sam, we were able to fully engage and learn more about this new environment. The hot sun was countered with some cold bubbly drinks and lots of icy water. Boujee! Finishing this impressive boat ride we were welcomed back to the cafe, with an exquisite spread of lots of various foods and a decorative set up. 

We boarded our two safari land cruisers with Sam and Gee-Whiz and took off for the Chobe National Park. On our four hour journey through the depths of the savana, we serenaded the jungle with our rendition of Hakuna Matata, allegedly according to Sam, “more than any other tour bus has.” Our singing was quickly brought to a halt when we came face to face with some of the big five of Africa. We first came across a herd of elephants and were shocked by their intelligence, beauty and size. Along the next stretch of our trip, there were towers of giraffes, who apparently really like to bro fight, some zebras and hippos from up close, and impala’s, aka McDonalds of the jungle or easy prey. The last animal we saw was the most majestic, the lioness. We first came across two enjoying their recent hunt. There was a beautiful duality of their cuddly, comfy nature and their unmatched ability to kill in an instant. However, given all of these magnificent animals, we did not come across a leopard which was Dominic’s one request. 

Let’s all take a moment to thank Jackson, our personal photographer of the trip!

The sun began to set, so we promptly made our way to our home for the night. The sky was engulfed with vibrant shades of flaming red that contrasted with the calming and soothing shades of orange. Every time you looked up there would be a new shade to greet you. While the whole day was filled with excitement, conversation and laughter this was a moment of pure stillness and humility as we got lost in the vastness of the landscape and all it had to offer. 

We finally arrived at the campsite which reminded us all too well of our very own Kennel Campout back in Spokane. Sam and Gee went on to explain the camp setup, the rules and introduced us to the lovely square tarp which we called the number two bathroom. This informative lesson was followed by a delectable meal of chicken, potatoes, corn soup and veggies. Don’t forget the complementary bottles of wine. Boujee! After devouring our meals, we gathered around the campfire (bush television) with our bush babies (warm water pads) as we got to know each other even more than we already have. The question of the night, kindly raised by Emily, was “What was the best day of your life?” The question brought many meaningful answers and a lot of connections! 

Pilling into our tents, we prepped to sleep and giggled with our tent mates in our cozy cocoons.  With the snuggles of our Bush Babies and the “comforting” sounds of both the safari animals and Jackson, Will and Charlie’s snoring we peacefully fell asleep dreaming our malaria dreams. 

Clocking in at our earliest wake up time yet, 5:30am, we awoke to the sun shining through the various trees creating silhouettes on the horizon and the brisk morning air. There was some cereal and porridge waiting for us for breakfast before we hoped back aboard our Safari bus for our second day and said a quick prayer to see a leopard for Dominic’s sake. We embarked on our journey to the West side of the park. Sadly no leopards were seen, but we were able to catch two lions mating…let’s just say we really got to see the circle of life. Driving around we got to see more elephants, zebras, giraffes, impalas, kudus, mongooses, and many species of birds including our favorite, the Zazu (thanks Lion King). We headed back to our very own tent city for a beautifully prepared lunch of a version of Sheppard’s pie, salad, bread and some of the best orange juice we’ve had. Then we said goodbye to the campsite and drove the safari for the last time. Though on our way out, we were promptly stopped by Katie who saw a lion preying on nearby giraffes. As the lethal lion emerged from the grass, our anticipation growing, we were shocked to find out our deadly lion was actually just a mere warthog. Although, it was certainly the cutest animal while running on its tiny legs trying to carry its larger body. 

Before we knew it we were out of the jungle, waving goodbye to the park and bye to Botswana. After a couple stamps and questions, we were back in Livingstone and at our wonderful home, The Faulty Towers. We got to reflect on our two breathtaking days in the Safari and took some much needed lukewarm showers. Boujee! We are looking forward to a full day of choosing of our own adventures around Livingstone and experiencing our last day here before heading to Zambezi. 

We have a couple birthday shout outs for some of our Zam Fams extended fam, including Avery (Brynn’s sister) and Aiden (Josh’s son). Hope you had an amazing day and some delicious cake. Happy Birthday! 

And to the rest of friends and family we love you all so much and miss you more than you could even know. We hope all is well for you guys and we are loving all of your very sweet responses to the blogs! Stay boujee! 

Lots and lots of love, 

Katie and Brynn ’25 

Today we were very blessed to visit one of the seven wonders of the world, the Victoria Falls. 

We started off the day running, literally. Jackson, Ani, Brynn, Charlie, Sarah, and I accompanied Josh on a bright and early morning run at 7 am. We ran through the streets of Livingstone, passing by many, many children on their way to school. Many waved and had a big smile on their faces as we passed by them. Zambia has a large percentage of a young population, and we definitely saw this as the endless number of children filled the streets in the morning. It felt nice to finally stretch out and shake our legs after many days of travel in the past week. Although the dirt in the air combined with the thick smell of diesel made it hard to run, we finished at 3.5 miles. Jackson, a speedy guy, led the pack and even showed off by doing some parkour off rocks and walls. 

A wonderful breakfast followed, porridge or eggs/sausage with toast. Promptly after we piled into the Rosa Deluxe and headed off to the Victoria Falls. Once we arrived, we waited in the bus patiently as Dominic tried to rizz his way into getting us to cross the border into Zimbabwe without the whole customs ordeal. While we were waiting we saw our first wildlife animal, a monkey. We all were so in awe, and we took endless photos as the monkey hoped on a truck, stole a sugar cane, and started snacking on it. 

Unfortunately Dominic was not able to get us into Zimbabwe the shortcut way, but he rizzed us into priority parking for the Falls on the Zambia side. We walked through Royal Livingston Hotel, where we would later have High Tea. As we were walking through, we were amazed at a herd of Zebras grazing on the nearby grass. It was so bizarre to be close to such an elegant species. After many photos we continued our journey to the falls and ran into gazelles and monkeys along the way. Upon entering we were able to see how grand and powerful the falls truly are. The tons of water falling every second, accompanied by mist bouncing back and falling right on us. What we thought would be some light mist turned into a heavy pour of water. All of us were soaked head to toe and we felt so “free,” as beautifully described by Katie. We yelled and danced as we marveled at the sight below us. We ran into a group of South Africans along our sightseeing hike, and without hesitation, they welcomed us into their group as we yelled at the Falls below and took photos along them. This was beautiful moment where we were able to share happiness and joy with a group of strangers. 

After the falls, we headed back to the hostel to dry off and change into our fancy clothes as we prepared for High Tea at the Royal Livingston Hotel. We pulled up in our classy vehicle, the Rosa Deluxe, and were seated in an elegant room. We each ordered some tea, and the tiered stands of food came out one after another. After many delicious sandwiches, biscuits, and pastries, we moved outside to view the beautiful Zambian sunset along the falls. We engaged in hours of conversation with each other. It was nice to have time to catch up with each other, without the feeling of being rushed to head to next activity.

We headed back to the hostel and debriefed our day: What emotion did you feel today? Many of us said we felt so alive, liberated, and connected with eachother. 

Tomorrow, we will wake up early to head out to the Safari in Botswana. We will not have service, thus, we will not be able to post a blog tomorrow (Tuesday). So don’t worry, we are alive and well and will be sleeping next to many wonderful animals (safely) and underneath the stars.

Ana Gamboa ’24

Welcome to day three in Zambia, let another day of travel begin! We woke up this morning early in attempts to get onto the road early. We had put in our breakfast orders the day before, ready to be the first served at 7:30am and then get back into the Rosa Deluxe by 8:00am to begin our seven hour journey.

However, we soon encountered our new best friend for the day, Zambian time. As 7:30am came around we saw our other hostel mates start getting their food and soon we realized even with our preparation, our food was going to come out when it was ready, no earlier and no later. Eventually we all got fed and got onto the Rosa Deluxe at 9:00am to begin our seven hour journey to Livingstone.

We all piled into the bus, started conversations and continued to develop our connections. We drove through Lusaka with our favorite tour guide Dominic, telling us about future developments, the fun facts of the different neighborhoods we were in and fascinating history about the long North Road we were about to begin our journey on, with a little language lesson on the way.

As we exited Lusaka the country side of Zambia started to fly by. I was fascinated by all of the drought resistant flora and the small communities that we cruised by. The journey included a variety of fun games, of course connections, some fun riddles, the line game, silly sally, and a classic Pitch Perfect riff off. Throughout the ride we ate new snacks and tried new cookies (Tennis taking the cake as the crowd favorite), the bus drivers also bought us some sugar cane stalks from some kids on the road where everyone was given the opportunity to try the sweet and fibery sugar straight from the source.

Next, the challenge of the peanut butter jelly assembly began. We created a makeshift table out of the fold out chair between our seats, we recruited our peanut butter and jelly holders Brynn and Katie and our distributor Jackson and we went to work. Emily took charge of the peanut butter and I took charge of the jelly, after they were perfectly spread and clapped together they were passed out to be enjoyed. With breadcrumbs all over the bus and some messy hands everyone sat in silence and enjoyed their food.

The trip then got a bit deeper as we spun a wheel of deep questions to get to know each other better, challenge ourselves and become reflective as we go further on our journey. One of the questions I was asked was, what emotion have you felt the most today? And truly it was peace, as I find myself thousands of miles away from home, mostly disconnected, driving through the beauty of the country I will call home for the next month with a group of amazing people I’m sure I will soon call family, I feel at peace.

Very quickly the proposed 7 hour trip turned into 9:30 hours. We arrived at Fawlty Towers in Lusaka no earlier or later than the Rosa Deluxe was ready for but right on time, Zambian time. Throughout our time here I know that we will learn things about ourselves and each other no earlier and no later than we are ready for but right on time. I am excited to continue this journey and ensure that I do not let the experience go by, but savor every moment as we only have such limited Zambian time.

And a quick quote from Dominic to send us off, 

“Life is like a Twin Snake, sometimes sweet and sometimes sour” – Dominic ’24

Love,

Charlie Herman ’26

We have officially been in Zambia for 24 hours! This morning we enjoyed some much needed sleep and eggs for breakfast. Charlie won the award for longest sleep coming in at 13 hours. 

At breakfast, a couple new characters joined the crew!– Gilbert Masumba and Kelly Huckaby. Gilbert is Josh and Dominic’s friend from Zambezi, and Kelly is Josh’s friend from the states who has lives here in Lusaka. They each offered a new perspective for our group, and we enjoyed asking them questions all day. Gilbert gave us a much needed language lesson and refresher on greetings in Lunda. Kelly shared his perspective living here for 14 years and running a Christian summer camp, offering his insights from an outsider on many of the complexities of the culture here in Zambia. 

We hoped in the beloved Rosa Deluxe (our bus) and headed to the Lusaka National Museum, and in honor of national museum day, we even got in for free! Here we were led by our guide Meshach as we learned about the archeology, history, agriculture, and education of Zambia. Among many other fun facts, we learned Zambia’s country motto is “One Zambia, One nation” to pay homage to the 73 ethnic groups that inhabit the country. 

We said goodbye to Kelly and headed to The Hungry Lion, a popular fast food chicken spot. We enjoyed our fried chicken and took our sundaes to-go as we headed to 37D Art Gallery, funded by The Start Foundation. We all perused the art gallery and admired the beautiful jewelry. Well, all of us but Jackson, who enjoyed an early start to our afternoon nap in the bus. 

We headed back to our hostel and rested up before having our first reflection time of the trip. We kicked off our reflection with a ballet warm-up taught by Sarah who was our professor for the day, something we will all have the chance to do during our time here. We shared the origins of our names as we practiced our storytelling and continue to learn more about one another. We shared our initial thoughts about our time here in Zambia and reflected on the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and feelings of this new place. 

We headed to dinner at a nearby mall at Nando’s where we met up with Seth Morrison, a former Zag who came on this Zambezi program in 2010, who has returned to Lusaka for medical research through an NIH grant. Some of us went to the grocery store to get snacks for our 7 hour roadtrip to Livingstone tomorrow. (We are putting the miles on Rosa Deluxe) 

The night concluded with great excitement! An engagement at Nando’s! The whole restaurant erupted in cheers as the happy couple celebrated. 

For me, witnessing the engagement was another reminder to keep an open heart to this experience. Nando’s is a chain restaurant, similar to many we go to at home, and yet we got to witness such an extraordinary event and watch as complete strangers celebrated the love of complete strangers. I am excited to see what extraordinary events the ordinary has in store for during our time here. 

We are headed to bed as we prepare for our big roadtrip tomorrow. We continue to play connections and most of us are beginning to understand the game, especially Dominic. While it started with the game, Connections has become quite the inside joke. Dominic loves to point out “Connection” in conversation followed by finger point and hand heart. It’s safe to say we are making lots of connections here. 🙂 

Sending love home to all!! 

Lots of Love, 

Emily Even ’24

Hello family and friends!

After many hours of travel (14 hours to Dubai and 7 hours to Lusaka) we have finally made it to Zambia! We all agreed that the 7 hour flight to Lusaka went by quite fast and once we landed the excitement was UP! Once we got off the plane, we made our way over to Jason (a pilot for Flying Missions!) as well as Dominic (one of Josh’s close friends from Zambia who is also showing us around.) Most of us made it to our bus — Rosa Deluxe — except, we ran into one hiccup. Will and Ellie were stopped at the airport with some of Gonzaga’s duffel bags that had supplies for Flying Mission Zambia by some security officers! Don’t be alarmed, Will and Ellie were all good in the end and we figured out that the Flying Missions parts we brought would be taxed on Monday. We waited for our peers patiently and passed time by playing some fun games (connections), sharing snacks (twin snakes), and telling stories.

After all coming together on the bus, we went to the mall to exchange cash and go to the grocery store. Most of us purchased large waters and different kinds of potato chips. The barbecue chips were amaze. Ana loved them the most. We then made it to the hostel and dropped our bags before dinner.

Dinner was a BLAST!! We went to a restaurant called Urban Masai. Urban Masai had an amazing atmosphere, fun DJ, and delicious food. We had Matoke platters with beef, chicken, goat and sides of plantains, coconut rice, fries, kebabs, and samosas! At dinner, I really felt the group bonding together as we laughed and danced along to the music. By the end we all were thinking wow, the vibes are immaculate here (check the pictures above).

We made it back to the hostel at 9pm and although we all feel very tired, I can confidently say, the group dynamic is thriving and our spirits are high!!

Sending love to all of our family and friends <3 So much growing is happening and so much to look forward too!!

Love,

Lucia D0ty, Class of ’25

We made to Dubai and we hopped on a bus to take an amazing tour of the city. We marveled at the vast differences between life here verses our expectations for Zambia. We saw the tallest building in the world and dipped our toes in the Persian Gulf! Tune in tomorrow for more pictures and activities live from Lusaka!

For the past 18 years, Gonzaga faculty and students have listened, learned, and developed relationships in the rural town of Zambezi, Zambia.  On May 15, the next chapter of this remarkable friendship is to be written as fourteen Zags embark on a journey exploring the practice of accompaniment.  

For those of you new to this unique study abroad, some context on our intentions is helpful. Unlike study abroad experiences rooted in a foreign university, our month-long classroom is the community of Zambezi.  This remote town is nestled on the Zambezi river, the fourth-longest river in Africa, in the North-Western Province of Zambia, roughly 500 kilometers west of the provincial capital of Solwezi. This proud community has a rich cultural tradition influenced by the Luvale and Lunda tribes. Through community projects, developed in partnership with local leaders, Zags will convene lessons in computing, health education, business/leadership and partner in local classrooms. However, our intentions are not to “help” Zambians but rather to come alongside them in a decades-long relationship to assist them in standing on their own two feet.  This practice is rooted in an ethic of accompaniment – an intentional effort to operate at eye-level with Zambians, acknowledging the mutuality of our learning together, not in directing others through complex hardships but in walking alongside them, navigating challenges together with empathy and understanding.  This program recognizes that transformation occurs in the relationship of mutual reciprocity, when we learn to come alongside in relationship to unlock the power of accompaniment for organizational change. 

While Gonzaga has partnered in tangible projects (library at Chilena, Zambezi Writers’ Corner magazine, Zam City FC, Dipalata Community Hall, Zambia Gold Honey) most Zags will share with you the friendships developed during their time in Zambezi.  It is in these relationships that true learning occurs for Zags and Zambians. We hope you will accompany us during this next month (May 15 – June 15) as we navigate the complexity of intercultural partnerships and reflect daily on our learning.  Gonzaga students and faculty will be posting on this blog as we make sense of our experiences and share this learning with you. We hope you will comment on our postings, in a virtual conversation of your own learning and questions (and to stay connected to us).

Kisu, mwane.

Dr. Josh Armstrong

Welcome to the final blogpost for Gonzaga in Zambezi 2023! Thank you to everyone who has been following along for the past five weeks!

I’m not going to lie; the idea of writing the very last blogpost for this trip is terrifying. At the same time, similar to Kendall, it’s fitting that I’m blogging on our second day in Lusaka just like I did at the beginning of the trip. And this time, I have a much greater understanding of Zambia and a much stronger connection to the amazing women I’m traveling with—reference first blog post!

In GIZ fashion, we continued learning and unlearning on our final day in Zambia. Today we had the opportunity to visit two USAID offices here in Lusaka (courtesy of two women who work with USAID that we coincidentally met at the Doha airport on our way to Zambia—another full circle moment!). These offices receive funding from both the United States and Zambian governments, and their aim is to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS in at-risk populations.

We started at an office in Mandevu, a low SES neighborhood in Lusaka where many adolescent girls and young women struggle with poverty and HIV/AIDS. USAID, in conjunction with the PEPFAR program (an initiative of President George W. Bush during mid-2000s), works with local Zambians on the ground to identify ways to reduce the prevalence of these diseases, namely by preventing women from engaging in risky behaviors by giving them the opportunity to return to school or get a job. They have established various facilities to help women develop independence and employable skills, such as digital literacy. When we visited the economic strengthening room, there were six sewing machines lining the perimeter of the room, and a young woman sat at each one. Some were making reusable diapers and menstrual pads while others worked on various clothing items. They each shared their stories—a few were single mothers, others had started small businesses using the skills they learned at Dream, and a handful were on track to attend university. Listening to these stories both broke my heart and gave me hope that it’s never too late for anyone. Dream big!

The second office was only a stone’s throw from our hostel. This location was a care center for the “illegal” in Zambia: sex workers and members of the LGBTQ+ community. The first time I wrote the blog, I vividly remember how at debrief we discussed the taboo surrounding gender and sexual identity. These topics never took center stage during our trip, so I was floored that there is an entire center in Lusaka dedicated to these patients so they can receive HIV/AIDS testing, treatment if they test positive (with FREE medications!), mental health counseling, and contact tracing for those who might have been exposed. To be frank, I wouldn’t even expect to find a similar center in many places in the United States. We were honored to meet two patients at this clinic and hear their experiences of isolation from their communities and mental health struggles reminded me of stories my queer friends have shared with me back home. At times like these, I realize how the United States isn’t as advanced as Americans often give it credit for and that we, as the next generation, still have a significant amount of work to do.

It’s hard to capture the emotional rollercoaster that was today, so here’s my messy attempt. I have absolutely loved traveling with this amazing group of women + Jeff. I’m going to miss Kendall’s sense of humor, Kylie’s laugh, Maddie’s friendship, Lauren’s kindness, Megan’s creativity, Clare’s selflessness, Hattie’s sarcasm, Grace S’s sense of adventure, Grace E’s positivity, Dee’s quiet strength, Bella’s honesty, Kris’s motherly energy, and Jeff’s thoughtful reflections. I’m also going to miss Zambia: the vibrant sunsets, slow mornings, warm welcomes, rhythmic music, various languages, starry skies, tiny airplanes, sweet popcorn, nourishing meals, and all the other little things (if I typed them all out I’d miss the flight tomorrow!).

With that said, it has been challenging for all of us to disconnect from our loved ones, and I know we’re all itching to return to our more permanent homes in the United States. I started a list of things I can’t wait for when I return home (at the top are ice cream, Trader Joe’s, Target, pizza, and seat belts!). I’m also not going to miss some of the extremely difficult parts of being here: drunk men giving us unwanted attention as a group of young American women, being asked for gifts or job opportunities, children swarming me and touching my hair and hands and legs, cold showers, and holding my breath every time I get into a vehicle as we drive down the wrong side of the road (to us) following no set driving laws.

To my loved ones back home, I can’t wait to share the memories from this trip with you in person tomorrow❤️. To everyone else reading this blog post, know you’re deeply missed and we couldn’t have made it through this experience without your support.

And finally, to this special group, I feel like I’ve gained 11 sisters (+ I hold a special place in my heart for Genesis). I can’t imagine doing this without any of you. I love you forever!

Love from the entire GIZ crew!!

Sierra Martinsen, ‘24

PS: Mom and Craig, please bring Sophie to the airport!! A few snacks would be appreciated too 🙂