Do I have to leave?

​                As my journey comes to an end in Zambia, I must say feelings of sadness overwhelm me. I don’t want to leave, and I definitely think I could have used an extra two weeks here to visit more schools and interact with the people more. For this last blog I would like to reflect on the entire experience, and I like to reflect on things using a roses and thorns activity. Roses are good things that have happened, and thorns are the not so good things. I will first talk about my thorns, and then talk about my roses.
                My first thorn would be the one mosquito bite that I got! Contrary to what I thought before I came to Zambia, there actually weren’t that many mosquitos. I don’t think many people in our cohort even got mosquito bites, and that’s why I’m shocked that I even got one. Of course thoughts of malaria came to my mind, but one thing I learned here is that malaria is not as bad as it seems. Yes you will get very sick if you get it, but all you have to do is go to the doctor if you think you have it, and you will be fine. Everyone that I’ve met in Zambia has had malaria at least once, and they are all living. So even though my mosquito bite is one of my thorns, it will not stop me from visiting Zambia again.
                My second and last thorn would be the little bit of time we had to spend with our students at Libala. I can’t explain how difficult it was to say good-bye to the students. They all were so bright and had so much potential. They were intelligent and attentive in class, which was something I enjoyed seeing. I would have loved just one more week with them, because one week was just not enough.
                Now that I’m done with my thorns, I will move on to my roses. There are far too many of them, so I will only state a few. My first rose is the friendships I’ve made on this trip. I can tell that the ladies I’ve met on this trip will still be around in the future. I have a space in my heart for each and every one of them, and I’m glad that I was able to embark on this experience with these wonderful women.
                My second rose would be how comfortable I felt with the culture. I lovveeed the food (samosas, nshima with beef, and biscuits). Many Zambians practice an extension of Christianity called Seventh Day Aventist, which is very close to what I practice, which is Baptist Christianity. Dr. Shandomo even took us to her Church, which was a lot like mine at home. I never felt uncomfortable anywhere I went because everyone was very nice and loving.
                The last rose I will talk about is the strategies I learned about teaching. I recieved a teaching position that I will start in the fall, and I closely examined teaching styles in Zambia so I could bring them back to my class. Every teacher had their own little handclap, and this is something I will develop for my classroom. The teachers had high expectations for their students, and I know I will have high expectations for my students as well. All in all, observing the teachers helped me think about how I want to run my classroom in the fall.
                I can’t even begin to explain how blessed I am to have had this opportunity of a lifetime. I don’t want to leave, but I know I have work to do at home to help those students. I will never forget these experiences, and I hope to be back soon to visit.