Blog Post #4 -- Picture

This may just be a continuation of my homestay blog post, but it’s true that the homestay portion of this program has been the best part of living in Zambia for me, especially our sister Christine on the left. Christine is hilarious, sassy, weird, sweet, and so hardworking. Every time we’re at home together she’s doing something for someone else, whether it’s cooking, cleaning, getting someone’s water ready, or helping tend to all the animals around our house. I think about how different my life would be if I had as many responsibilities as Christine – so many responsibilities apart from regular stuff at that age, like high school. I don’t think I could ever be as graceful or mature as she is and still keep everything afloat. I really admire her for it but also feel like I’ve been so woefully unaware of the hardships of so many women’s lives, even just logistically. If so much time is spent cooking and cleaning, when is there time to do school work and keep up and get the same grades as the boys who aren’t expected to do as much? When do you sleep? I’ve been thinking about these things a lot more since I met Christine.

Apart from those times when she’s doing things for others, there are also times when we get to just have fun and relax. This picture was taken on Priyanka’s birthday when Auntie P and Oliver brought cake home and we all sang happy birthday to her. After we cut into the cake, Auntie P and Christine put frosting all over Priyanka’s face per “tradition”; I felt like we had so immediately been welcomed into the family. In terms of the “now what”, I don’t know what to do about my feelings. Her 17^th birthday is coming up on July 21^st and all I know is that Priyanka and I are going to try to give her the best birthday we can, and when she finally gets a cell phone I’m going to make sure we keep in touch. Christine has left an indelible mark on me and I want to keep it that way.