Gonzaga-in-Zambezi

Greetings from the convent common room. About half our team are huddled around in small clutches, debriefing their days and planning for tomorrow. The sun will set in about an hour, and then we’ll enjoy a delicious meal prepared by the Mamas, Katendi and Christine, and today’s assistant, Ellie. Katendi just appeared with a tray of her delicious popcorn, an afternoon snack we didn’t expect but is perfectly indicative of the ways Katendi has cared for Zags over the last seventeen years.

I’m munching on this popcorn while writing to you from nine hours in the future. But I wasn’t supposed to be here. This was my year off from Zambia, after leading last year’s trip and slated for the next two years.

A week ago today, I was sitting in the office of Gonzaga’s Center for Global Engagement (CGE) making nametags for a luncheon to be held in honor of a visit to campus by Rt. Rev. Charles Kasonde, the Bishop of the Diocese of Solwezi. I had been part of a group that morning who welcomed at the Spokane airport, and I was taking care of a few tasks related to his visit. The luncheon I’d planned alongside the CGE team would include several administrators and would feature comments from a former Zag who came to Zambezi in 2022. Through the steadfast work Josh Armstrong had done, Gonzaga was hosting two priests from the Diocese of Solwezi—Fr. Max Mwelwa and Fr. Roy Sangonga—to pursue a Master’s degree in teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. The Bishop wanted to see how his priests were fairing and to learn more about Gonzaga.

Our hope was to celebrate the Bishop’s visit and affirm the long and mutually beneficial relationship this program has had with the Diocese. Relationships matter, after all. And, for relationships, sometimes nameplates matter.

The photo above is of the Bishop, Fr. Roy on the left, Fr. Max on the right, and Blaine Atkins (Zambezi ’22). But I wasn’t there for it. While folding those nameplates, our Director of Study Abroad, Dr. Moira Rogers, stepped out of her office and said to me, “Oh, Jeff, you are here. Would you like to go to Zambia?”

I had just heard that our proposal for next year’s trip was approved, so I thought she was making a subtle joke about that, and I must have muttered something like, “Ha! Well I am already planning to go next year.”

“I just got a call from Josh, and Chris is hurt.” She didn’t have much information but was already working through a plan to care for our colleague and the students she was serving and teaching here. “We’ll need to figure something out?”

I called my wife at work and explained the situation, asking how big a disruption it would cause for me to join this crew if Chris wasn’t able to continue. Within an hour, it was confirmed that Chris would need to be stabilized and ultimately transported to a hospital in South Africa. I had a ticket on the next day’s flight to Lusaka. And, my colleagues would continue the work of welcoming Bishop Kasonde to Spokane.

Last year, I was sitting in the convent when a student walked in and informed that a family member had experienced a life-threatening accident and that she had to return home as quickly as possible.

As those of you reading at home have probably gleaned, and those of you who’ve been here know, nothing about getting to or from Zambezi is normally “quick.” We are 500 kilometers from the nearest airport: a ten-hour bus ride. That’s just to the nearest airport, which was another 600 kilometers from Lusaka, which itself is 24 hours of flight time, plus additional layovers, from Spokane.

I immediately initiated our emergency protocols and Katuska Kohut, the Associate Director of Study Abroad, helped organize flights for our student from Lusaka for two days later.

Now we had to get her to Lusaka. For a regular Zambian, that would 22 hours on a bus, with a layover sleeping in the Solwezi bus station. While I don’t for a second believe any of us deserves to be treated better than the Zambians who welcome us with such radical hospitality, I knew my student couldn’t expect to make that type of journey alone.

I walked over to Fr. David Phiri, the parish priest here at Our Lady of Fatima. We called Fr. Yona Chipango, the Pastoral Coordinator for the Diocese and the former parish priest here in Zambezi. Together, we hatched a plan. A seminarian here would accompany our student on the bus to Solwezi. She would be put up in the Diocese guest house. The following morning, Fr. Yona would take her to the Solwezi airport, where she could arrange a flight to Lusaka in time to depart for Qatar and then Seattle.

The care extended to our student in her time of grief and need struck me. We talk about accompaniment in this program as though it’s a posture we adopt in relation to the Zambians we meet. In that moment last year, it was clear that these men in the diocese were practicing accompaniment in their own way.

Two weeks ago, as I write this, your Zags left Seattle. When they arrived in Lusaka , they were welcomed by Dominic Mizhi Sandu. Dominic was the parish priest in Zambezi in the years surrounding 2010, and has annually welcomed our team since his relocation to Lusaka. He even received sponsorship to come to Gonzaga for three weeks in 2009 to teach and was featured in our Leadership Fishbowl series. As you’ll have seen from students’ posts, Dominic is full of wisdom, wit, and care for our students. He’s a full partner in the educational mission of our program, and this year was instrumental in supporting the team while Dr. Sloan navigated the Zambian healthcare system in Livingstone.

Six years ago, I brought our group of Zags to Zambezi, where we were greeted by a new parish priest, Fr. Yona Chipango. That first weekend in Zambezi, the youth group at Our Lady of Fatima hosted a dance party for us, and I came to know Fr. Yona as a serious-minded, fun-loving, and deeply caring man who was visionary in transforming the parish in service to its parishioners. He’s a slight man with an explosive laugh, the kind that toes the line between being mildly embarrassing and highly contagious. By the Fall of 2019, Josh had worked with The Ministry Institute, an affiliate organization of the Spokane Diocese and Gonzaga, and our graduate admissions team to bring Fr. Chipango to Spokane to pursue a Master’s degree. Though he was forced to complete that degree back here in Zambia after the Covid pandemic forced us to go remote, Fr. Yona had almost a year to become a Zag.

Seven years ago, Fr. David Phiri had been hosted by The Ministry Institute. He was taking a sabbatical year between parish postings here in North-Western Zambia. He connected with Josh and got to know the Zags who were traveling here at the time. Two years after returning from sabbatical, Fr. Phiri was posted to Zambezi, replacing Fr. Chipango and ensuring that the next Zags who arrive would be welcomed by someone who knew what their Jesuit education was all about, who loved the Kennel as much as they did, and who understood the educational aspirations of our program.

Seventeen years ago, Josh and a small group of colleagues brought the first Gonzaga-in Zambezi team to this convent. As the cliché goes, they were building the plane as they flew, creating relationships, exploring potential learning opportunities for students, and developing project partnerships in based on community members’ sense of their own needs. Josh realized that his team would need support, and he wanted to contribute to the local economy while also finding people who could work well with our students and teach them about the community. He asked the priest at the time, Fr. Javier, if there was anyone in the parish who could help us cook. Fr. Javier suggested a young mother, Katendi Sengevu. Fr. Javier’s thoughtful suggestion has resulted in 17 years of deep, reciprocal accompaniment. Over 250 Zags have spent days as “Mama’s assistant,” learning about life in Zambia, the challenges and joys of being a mother in this country, and a little about cooking. In turn, Mama Katendi has taken our classes, learned to read and write English, developed multiple entrepreneurial ventures, and learned a few new American dishes. All while raising seven children by herself.

Jeff, Fr. Yona Chipango, and Josh upon Jeff’s arrival to Zambezi.

Four mornings ago, after 54 hours in transit, I arrived at the Solwezi airport. The same airport to which Fr. Yona had taken our student last year. We hopped in his car and made a brief stop at his office in St. Kizito parish, where Fr. Max was parish priest before coming to Spokane, then set off for Zambezi in his Toyota Hilux. Along the way we passed by the turnoff to Kasempa, where Fr. Roy led the parish before coming to Spokane. It struck me that while I was passing by their pastoral homes, Frs. Max and Roy would in just a few hours be saying goodbye to their Bishop as he boarded a plane from Spokane to return to Solwezi.

We talk with our students about the many ways accompaniment might manifest. As the Nigerian writer Chris Abani says, world changing accompaniment rarely takes the form of “grand messianic gestures, but in the simple accumulation of gentle, soft, almost invisible acts of compassion, everyday acts of compassion.” A simple walk through the market with a new friend. A conversation while plaiting hair in the market. A rugged game of football with the youth at ZamCity. A Zambian nurse asking about the American healthcare system.

Sometimes, it’s seventeen years in the making, brings together multiple individuals representing two larger organizations, and results in a priest dropping everything to make sure a Zag gets where they need to be.

Kisu mwani,

Jeff Dodd
Associate Professor
English Department

I’m starting to enjoy the mornings. And for those who know me at home, know what a bold, and honestly radical statement that really is (and though this may just be a Zambezi thing) there is something about getting up, picking one of my three outfits, getting to hear those making breakfast, and journaling or reading in the morning. It’s peaceful and relaxing but nonetheless so inviting, as we all sit together to eat before we start our day. Whereas, at home my schedule is SO different. I am sleeping or snoozing through my alarm, consistently running three minutes late and maybe if I’m lucky, grabbing a granola bar. But right here, there is something that packs the morning with stillness yet laughter, comfort yet commotion as my Zam Fam plays music and gets ready for the day together that in turn makes me more excited to take on the day and just optimistic for my afternoon in both the hospital and classes. 

That’s how this morning began for me. Waking up before my alarm, putting on the outfit of the day (and stealing one of Katies headbands), while watching the breakfast team consisting of Ana, Katie and Ani making scrambled eggs and “avocado toast” and getting to journal. We sat around the table scarfing down our food, while Julia gave our blessing and we talked of the day coming. For me, it was hospital at ten hours and class at fourteen hours. The health group, excluding Jackson since he was Mama Katendi’s assistant (aka Mama’s boy), were off to walk to the hospital, unsure of what were were going to be doing on our first official day of shadowing yet excited to see what we would learn. 

We decided to split up; Julia and I went to the peds ward, Katie went to the maternity ward and Ana and Ani went to the mens ward. Me and Julia got to meet Jenn, a nurse, and Roma, a nursing student. We talked about two of the main reasons children are admitted, including Malaria and Sickle Cell Anemia, learning of the drugs administered based on the severity of Malaria cases and all about how it cases anemia. Roma, the student that was shadowing Jenn, just as we were, explained the steps of Sickle Cell to us. The beauty in both of us students going through something as simple as relearning Sickle Cell was really communal moment for the both of us. It showed how Roma was learning as he taught us (because if there’s one thing being a STEM major has taught me, its that teaching others is the best way to study) and us getting to learn from him. 

However, there are complexities within visiting a new hospital that is also in a rural area. Seeing the differences between the United States healthcare system comparatively to the Zambezi Hospital. For instance, Zambians have fewer areas for patients and the limitations with access to doctors and resources, being there are only two doctors serving the Zambian district. Yet, I am in this position to be humbled to learn from these nurses, doctors and fellow students of their knowledge of how their healthcare system works. Because for many, they do more than what our US jobs description employs. The nurses are closer to doctors and doctors are multi-specified through every ward. This process of accompaniment is still one I am learning, but I felt it more today than I have throughout our trip. As I left for the day, I felt that relationship begin as Jenn said to me, that health is supposed to be shared, that if we don’t teach each other than when one leaves the other is left without the knowledge. She was excited to see us again during the week to talk about their healthcare system, but also ours back at home too, and more about my story and my family. Her words stuck with me, as they were exactly what I was looking for, accompaniment.

We came back from the hospital for our language lesson with everyone, taught by Mama Josephine, and went through many greetings, how to say thank you and goodbye. This lesson was filled with not only learning, but lots and lots of singing… thank you Mama for the song that is now stuck in everyones head and now we all have the privilege of listening to each others tone-deaf voices. Classes followed shortly after with Charlie and Sara teaching afternoon computer lessons and me, Ana, Julia and Katie heading to the church to talk about Diabetes and Nutrition. I found myself, again, making more relationships with girls there by finding common ground, similar to the one I found with Roma, while talking of insulin and glucagon and finding a newfound trust between us. Now, I have familiar faces in the class that I am looking forward to seeing tomorrow.

Finishing the night, some of us went with Josh to watch a beautiful sunset on the Zambezi River. And came home to dinner, cooked by our very own Mama’s Boy. This included up some chipotle chicken, guacamole, beans and homemade tortillas… or better yet, crepes. This set the bar pretty high for future dinners, well done Jackson and Mama Katendi. Now writing this blog, it’s ten and I going to be heading to bed. But reflecting today, I continue to look forward to my newfound love for a morning routine and getting to see the people I made relationships with today.

Just want to say hi to my awesome family! Love you and missing you all always <3 Avery and Kinsley please eat some of Nan’s cookies for me.

Lots of love,

Brynn Neal ’25

First day of classes, decapitating a chicken, meeting new friends, playing soccer with Zambia Children, and Brynn got her hair pleated-What a busy day! The day started off with an enthusiastic attitude. The night before everyone talked about how we are looking forward to begin classes. Breakfast was at 8 o’clock cooked by the dream team of Ellie Powers, Charlie Herman, and Josh Armstrong himself.  They prepared something I had never heard of before – toad in a hole. (It’s just a fried egg in toast.). From there the dish crew went fast to work because the first class began at 9 am. In the meantime mama Katendi was getting fast to work for our lunch, to do this she slaughtered a chicken. I think Katy will be forever scarred.

After this the groups split up. The health group planned to get a thorough tour of the health clinic in Zambezi, the computer class began at 9 am, and the business class prepared for there first class at 10 am. Me and Ellie split up because the education group would meet the staff of Zambezi boarding a little bit later. Ellie went to the hospital and I helped Lucia and Emily with their business leadership class. They were a little nervous but they pulled through and from my outsiders perspective it was a great success. They had a larger than expected attendance of 14 students and everyone was thoroughly engaged. In the lesson they used a classic CLP exercise – the marshmallow challenge. This challenge splits people into groups with only spaghetti straws, marshmallow, and string to build the tallest free standing tower possible. While the groups who attended may have stretched the meaning of “free-standing”, the lesson demonstrated the team building values Lucia and Emily were aiming to teach. 

Upon return from the lesson Emily, Lucia, and I found Charlie. His lesson was a good success. We promptly began a read along of the health reading we were assigned. We laughed at the goofy names in the article and realized a group of non-health students was not the target audience for this reading. After this was lunch where we ate delicious Thai Chicken from mama Katendi. Rest in peace chicken. We talked about our favorite and worst professors at Gonzaga. At lunch we also met with Josh’s second mom – Mama Josephine. She along with Mama Katendi and Mama Kristine taught us our first Zambian song. It was truly delightful. 

From there the second round of classes for the day began. At this point Jeff Doud took me and Ellie to Zambezi Boarding to meet the staff we will be working with. We met a number of great people here such as Daniel Phiri, Andrew Ng’ombe, and Mercy Ng’ombe. We also got a better idea of how we will be working with Zambezi boarding. We will be going in four days a week after school to work with the after school programs like debate, drama, and literacy. We will also go into class a couple of times a week to attend regular classes in the morning. After Zambezi Boarding Jeff drove Ellie and I back to our home in the convent. 

I made a quick turnaround from here to head to ZamCity FC with most of the group. Here Jackson, Ana, Katy, Ani, Charlie, and I went to war- I mean played soccer with kids from around Zambezi. The game was constantly back and forth between the two teams. We played with a goal that was the size of the soccer ball itself. This made the game intense because puppy guarding the goal was quite easy (I’m looking at you Jackson). Even though Ana says I was a “Brick wall” on defense, I think it is safe to say soccer is not my sport. While all of this was going on Brynn, Julia, and Josh talked with Eukarya. Brynn even got her hair pleated by one of the kids from ZamCity FC. I think we all agree – she ate that. 

After ZamCity we returned to the convent for another delicious dinner from Mama Katendi and Mama Kristine. At the end of the day the dinner with our class was a very nice way to wind down. We ate a hearty meal of sausage and potato. I personally sat right next to Mama Kristine and she told me this was her favorite meal to cook. At the end of the day I can say today was one of my favorite days in Zambia yet. 

I wanted to acknowledge a couple things before I end today’s blog. Firstly today Chris had her surgery. We want you to know that we are praying for you. Secondly, special thanks to CLP class of 2027 for writing Charlie, Jackson, and I letters. They cheered me up greatly, and I can’t wait to see you all again next semester. To any other friends reading this blog, thank you for following along and I hope to see you soon. To end this blog, just wanted to say I miss you mom and Dad. “I am missing you already”.

Will Kelly, Class of 2026

The morning started like the way I believe the rest of our days in Zambezi will, to the sound of very abrasive chickens well before any of our alarms would have actually gone off. As the title states, we all put on our Sunday best as we headed into our first Zambezi mass. We were meet with a warm welcome and a beautiful procession led by Father David. It reminded me much of masses at home, yet the singing was more upbeat and echoed off the walls of the church. The open doors and windows allowed for a light breeze and natural sunlight that bounced off the cracked wooden beams. It was a great start to a new weekly tradition and gave us some roots within the community. It fact, on our way out we got invited to play some soccer and basketball by some of the kids later in the day. Here is a photo of all of us in our Sunday best, though I’m not in it, please trust I looked snazzy as heck. 

After a long service, you can all bet we were hungry and some may even say hangry. Our wonderful breakfast crew, consisting of Brynn, Emily, and Jackson got started right away while Charlie and I worked on some much needed, in fact, necessary coffee. Heating up the brasier, due to lack of electricity, they cheffed up some jungle oats with bananas and LOTS of cinnamon. And if you know me, you know this was not my cup of tea. Though if I did like banana, I’m sure this would have been the best breakfast ever. While everyone enjoyed their breakfast, we talked about the activities of the day, which included a market run, some class prep, dinner plans and now some mandatory soccer. 

Brynn, Julia, Sara and I stayed at the convent to do some class prep for the following week and assembled some Days for Girls period kits. These contained underwear and reusable pads that we will soon be handing out to some of the girls in the community. While we were doing this, the rest of the crew made their way out to the market. There, they handed out more fliers to promote our health, computer and business/leadership classes that will start tomorrow! They also stocked up on some goodies and sweet treats for the convent. 

Soon it was time for our long awaited match up with the local children of Zambezi. When Julia, Brynn and I got there we found that this was not your average US soccer field. Instead, it was our very own version of beach soccer. With the grass being piles of soft sand and the goals being three wooden posts. As a goalie, I knew this would make my job ten times harder. I found that the rules and positions worked a little bit differently, as there were none. The kids were going one way one moment and another the next without rhyme or reason, but it didn’t seem to matter. All that the kids really seemed to care about was getting to laugh and play with peers and the cool new older kids from out of town. Julia and I played with them while Brynn lead some kids in their very own volleyball lesson. We finally were joined by Jackson, Ana, Will, Ellie and Ani which completely raised the stakes. Except, not actually though, because once we started I found that I was playing just as the little kids were, without rhyme or reason and not a care in the world. 

Many of us were exhausted after two long hours of play while others  (Jackson and Ani) powered on and went with Emily, Lucia and Charlie for the other promise, a game of pick up basketball at Zambezi Boarding School, where Will and Ellie will be getting to teach! Though I was not there, I heard it got quite intense and let’s just say some intramural basketball shirts will be won next fall season. For those that retreated home, including me, we got to do some laundry and enjoy some showers while the sun was still out, because if you take one after the sunsets, good luck telling your shampoo from your conditioner. 

Our new friend and trip leader, Jeff Dodd, a Zambian regular, as he has been with this program many times, and a Gonzaga English/Honors professor, joined our Zam Fam of 2024. He will be helping Josh and all of us with the rest of our time here in Zambia. We are all really excited to get to know him and have him with us. After his long three day journey from the US to Zambezi similar to the one all of us made, he arrived just in time for dinner. Since it’s Mama Katendi’s day off basically everyone volunteered to step up and help whip up some dinner. We had a crazy array of chefs including: Head girl (Emily), Sous chef (Julia), Sausage chef (Ana), Flame boy/Mamas Boy (Charlie), Vinaigrette Man (Jeff), and Spice Girl (Lucia).  While we enjoyed our lovely food, everyone loved participating, or better yet, was forced into playing (by an unknown person who will remain unnamed) our favorite new dinner time tradition, rose, bud and thorn. 

Sending lots of love to Chris. We all miss you so much more than you could even know and we are praying and thinking about you everyday. Hoping surgery goes well tomorrow!

I am so excited for what tomorrow brings for everyone with the start of classes and especially happy for the health students as we are being introduced to the hospital and its staff tomorrow as well (if your wondering what my bud was). Missing all of your smiling faces so much and sending love to my fam and friends… you better comment or I’m throwing all your gifts away. This is a threat. 

And on that note, ots of love, 

Katie Harris (KT) ’25

P.S. I’m kidding, I love you guys and I already spent money on your gifts

Chimene Mwane friends and family, 

We are officially settled here in Zambezi! We all had some much needed sleep and woke up ready to take on the day. While our wonderful breakfast chefs, Will, Lucia, & Sarah were cooking breakfast, everyone relaxed on the couches, prepared some coffee, and collected clothes for laundry day. While waiting, me, Brynn, Katie, & Julia were hustled up under Katie’s “princess” bed and chatted about the most random things with lots of laughter. It was like a slumber party but in the morning! We later gathered for some delicious French toast with bananas, peanut butter, and the most AMAZING honey that Josh got from Father David Phiri. 

After cleaning up breakfast, Father David took the afternoon flight group on a tour of Zambezi, while the morning crew stayed back at the convent unpacking our supplies and relaxing a little bit, while Ani made some sick flyers for our classes starting Monday. We toured the town in Father David’s pickup truck, waving hi to everyone we saw. Our first stop was a tour of the Zambezi hospital where we visited the Men’s, Women’s, and Children’s wards. We met some of the doctors and patients there, learning about them and how their conditions are treated at the clinic.  

Our second stop was at a local store in town where we can buy soda drinks and snacks at. Driving through town, the group waved to everyone in sight, saying mwane (a respectful greeting) and Zambians yelling mwane and welcome with joy. Everyone is so welcoming and kind to us, it truly feels like a community here, reminding me of the Zag community back home. 

Our third stop was the Zambezi River, where my breath was taken away at the blue water moving its way down the river, canoes pulled up on the shores, the green trees on the horizon, and the stillness of life. From previous trips (shoutout to Zambia ’23), I’ve heard about canoe trips at sunset on the river, which I am so excited to experience (sorry Mom, I AM going to do it!). When we were leaving, we met some more people and told them about our classes, which they were so excited for and making us pumped for Monday. 

Our fourth stop was Zambezi Boarding school, one of the many schools here in Zambezi, and the school Will & I will be at in a few days. The school was very beautiful with stunning plants on the sidewalks, high school students walking around, and big classes in session. We got to introduce ourselves to a senior math class, and when I looked at what they were learning, it was Trigonometry! While I love school, math is not my forte so I might have panicked a little! The students and teachers were excited for us to come on Monday, which can’t come any faster! 

Our fifth stop was Chilenga primary and secondary school where Gonzaga had donated a library to their school years ago. While talking to Father David, I noticed everyone else playing with the kids and my heart burst with happiness, knowing we have so much love to give and spread during our time here. On our way back to the convent, Will & I discussed how special this place really is and how we are grateful for our experiences with the community. There is no place like Zambezi and I feel fortunate to be a part of this community. 

Before lunch, a group of us went to the back of the convent and played with the kids that showed up. Charlie, Will, & Julia were playing monkey in the middle with the older kids, while me & Sarah took a class from Lucia with the younger kids, practicing our leaps and jumps. Seeing the laughter and smiles of the kids made me feel like a kid again myself, being goofy and carefree. 

Mama Katendi & Charlie prepared a yummy lunch, consisting of beef stew, fried rice, and fried okra which was some of the best okra I’ve ever had. Our lunch conversations consisted of our plans to head to mass tomorrow morning, followed by homestay for next weekend, and how the honey here is 10x better than the honey at home. We finished lunch and had a chill afternoon with us splitting into our teams preparing for classes on Monday. Everyone was in the zone, working hard to prepare a good week of classes, and getting excited for what’s to come along with some nerves, because we all have nerves. 

We finished the day off with watching the sunset at the river. During that time, I could feel the peace and stillness of life around me, reminding me to be present and build CONNECTIONS with everyone I meet during my journey in Zambezi. 

Sending best wishes and love, 

Ellie Powers ’24

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