First day of school!!

We woke up bright and early at 6:00am to prepare for the first day of school!! The kids were not excited at all about the early school time. School starts at 7:05 for Chelsea...we pulled out of the driveway at 7:00, oops!! Erik drove like a "Zambian" and we arrived in the parking lot at 7:06.

It took us about 15 minutes to find Chelsea's class. All the kids were still standing in the courtyard waiting for the teacher- Whew!! She found out that her friend, Lenni, was in her class. Lenni introduced her to some other friends and she was off. She was not crazy about me taking her picture:)

We then walked Bradley to class. He was the 25th kid in Mrs. Lucas's class- she is from England. Bradley walked right in and was ready for his picture.

They both had good days- Chelsea was coughing all day in class and had a slight fever when I picked her up- that kind of tainted her day. As we were leaving, several girls were calling out, "goodbye, Chelsea". That made my heart feel good. Chelsea did mention that many kids asked her if she had ever been to Disney World.

Bradley was happy- His first story was of his new buddy Steven who said he would teach him French. They had their first French class, he learned "hello, what is your name and my name is.." Chelsea will also take French class. The second story was each kid had to sing one line from a song- Bradley chose "She's a heartbreaker, dream taker, love maker, don't you mess around with me" Thanks Guitar Hero!!! Chelsea asked him if any kids in his class knew she was his sister. The third story was about the chocolate cake that they all had- his favorite part of the day!!

No orientation, no new parent's reception, no Tuesday folders, no back to school breakfast hosted by the PTP, so I introduced myself to two new mothers who both moved to Lusaka last week. Alex is from Belgium, my first thought was "Chocolate connection", and Nubi is from Virginia, originally Nicaragua. Her husband works for World Bank. We are having "coffee" (diet coke, for me) tomorrow morning after drop off. It is good when God puts you in the right place at the right time. I feel like I've been around awhile and could show them the town.

The kid's schedule is pretty neat- They go to school at 7:05, they get a break at 10:00 where they can bring their own snack or buy from the snack bar. They get out of school at 13:00(1:00pm). They have one hour to eat lunch and play then they have after-school activities that are free to students and include sports as well as non-sporting activities such as drama, art, etc. They run on 10 week schedules so they get to move around throughout the year. The school has a swim team and the PE coaches really push all kids to participate. Good exercise!!

Since information from the school is so limited that is all I have for now. I will update you as I learn.

The Lord is trying to tell you something...

I was sitting in church this morning with all these people who were singing their hearts out to Jesus and I had a vision...Remember in The Color Purple, one of my very favorite movies, when Sug Avery is at the Honky Tonk singing and her daddy's church choir is just down the road singing praises to God? Sug starts walking down the street, tears streaming down her facing singing, "The Lord is trying to tell you something...right here, right now". Her daddy held out his arms and loved his daughter as he had not done in years. God is so good!! He made us to love.

Yes, I actually took a picture in church- well, I talked Erik into taking it but I wanted you to see what I was feeling. Awesome worship. Pastor Walker came out and continued to preach on the Holy Spirit- he is a gifted teacher. He was reading from Ephesians still about the Holy Spirit coming to live inside us when we accept Christ and He is with us FOREVER!! When we sin, which I do often, I can't put the Holy Spirit in my room- gossip about others- then when I am finished with my sin, pick Him back up again. He is always with us. Guiding us, counseling us, trying so hard to keep us in His will. Thank you Lord for sending your Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins then for Jesus to recognize we need a helper here on Earth and providing One in the Holy Spirit.

I love Sundays!! Erik took us out to Lilaya Lodge to have lunch and see if we could spot some wild life. We did see a Bongo- we think- it was far away but to make the story exciting, it was a Bongo. We also saw a few zebras and one deer hiding in the brush next to a pond. I kept waiting for a croc to come out and eat him- too much animal planet for us. They did offer safari rides but we didn't have time today.

I wanted to show you the "taxis". They are crammed with about 30 people sometimes. They are pretty cheap transportation for the locals and you see them everywhere. I wonder if they still cram so many in when it is African hot.

The kids start school tomorrow!! The both did well on their assessment tests and will be in their appropriate grades at ISL- International School of Lusaka. The tests did ask a lot of tricky questions relating to money in terms of pounds and penses as well as measurements in meters and kilometers. The school is a UK curriculum. My kids will have a little adjustment with the measurements and listening well to their teachers as they have British accents. They are troopers and ready to tackle this school year. They are both feeling much better from the last minute colds they caught.

Erik has been working lots of hours and has put bids in all over town to do projects. Just as in the personal business over here- no hurries, no worries- the same goes for business- "Yes, we need that building built last week, we will call you soon"- We need the Zambian dictionary to look up "soon"!! As you get frustrated for their value of time...you realize that it is we who must change...we are the stressed out ones...As my wise uncle once said, "We complain and gripe over the luxuries in the US- never over the needs." These people are just working each day to meet their needs. What a lesson they can teach us. I came here with 8 crates of stuff and still have soooo much more than the majority of the population in Zambia.

Check out our website http://www.kasperzambia.com/ under contacts for our PO Box and cell phone numbers, just in case. OK Dianne, send 2 bags of Hersey's semi-sweet chocolate chips and we will see if they melt:) Thanks!!

Freedom...

Erik has given me to okay to drive around Lusaka...I forgot to buy "The Post" today and find out if there was a warning throughout the city. I actually fared pretty well. The extent of my travels included Medcorp, The Game and home.

Medcorp is a clinic with American Dr. Meade who saw Bradley for a bronchial infection. The visit and medicine was 162,000 ZMK, about $50. Not bad at all!! He is feeling much better and the cough is slowing down.

The Game, a combination between Big Lots and Walmart, gets merchandise in and goes out quickly. I was able to buy a garbage can, iron, hangers and Mike and Ikes!!! I am a happy girl now!! Someone contact David Farber and tell him to get Coke Light here quickly- the demand in Lusaka went up by 200% this week and they were not prepared. The demand is quickly outweighing the supply:)

Here are pictures of the home:

This is our master bedroom, Bradley's room, Guest (kid's) bathroom, the pool.

Peterson is very disappointed that the toilets here have very little water. He now must drink from the pool or his water bowl- what a bummer!!

Congrats to MCS for returning back to school!! We pray for a great school year for all. What an exciting year for the 6th graders with all the electives and school sports, etc. Have fun!!

Oh, Rats!!

Yes, I said Rats...The minivan we bought had a distinct odor that we could not figure out until we saw a few little chocolate sprinkles on the floorboard. Since Africa does not have much chocolate we quickly figured out it was something else altogether...We had the air-conditioner cleaned out only to find 2 rats that had found their way in the car while it was being stored for us. Unfortunately, that was their last adventure... Now we have a strawberry scent in our car...

We went to start the van this morning and it did not start...so we borrowed Bob and Jim's car, went to ISL, International School of Lusaka, to talk to the Headmaster at 8am. He is from Vermont, thank you Lord, and was somewhat positive that he can place the children- I explained that me and homeschooling don't mix very well. Erik volunteered me for PTA president, volleyball coach and dusting cabinets twice a week!! Both grades for the children are full but with a week before school starting they are not sure if their previous students will be returning. Zambian motto: No hurries, no worries...


We left the school and had a flat tire in the rental- Erik called AAA, not!! He changed the tire and off we went to check on the bank account- Should be open tomorrow- 3 business days. We asked about a vehicle lease- that is what they call loans- this is all very new to Zambia still. It will take about one month to get the loan and car from Toyota. No hurries, no worries...

Sunday was an awesome day. We worshipped in the morning with all the Zambians singing praise music and were blessed with a message about overflowing with the Holy Spirit- we had some great discussion afterwards and the kids loved the music. The kids stayed in church with us but they do have programming for the kids- maybe next week. We went shopping at the local market then off to lunch. Last night we joined the local Baptist missionaries for a Bible study on Mark- studying the parables- It was the parable about the lamp on a stand- letting your light shine- you must first receive the light then share it. I pray we all receive the light everyday and share that light. What a blessing we have in Jesus!!

Tonight is Pot Roast with carrots and green beans. It is not tough to come up with meals just an adjustment. No boneless chicken breasts, no tenderloins(my favorite) but we will adjust. No syrup but I read how to make it- maybe this Saturday we will try pancakes(they call them crumpets)

Life is a different adventure every day...I'll have to tell you about my driving later- I need a lot of practice:)

God is so good. So glad to share this adventure with you all!!

A Day in the Life of a Zambian

This morning we woke up early to get all of our errands completed...hah!!


We drove by the gas station for a Diet Coke and Mike and Ike's- no such luck, they had Coke Lights yesterday but none today.


We went to the bank to open a checking account. We needed a passport photo, copy of our passport, a reference letter and a copy of Erik's pay stub. We had cash but they didn't care.
We got all this information and will return tomorrow morning to open the account, well, to begin the processing, it will take 2-3 days to open a checking account???
I asked about their online banking features...but got no response.


We then headed to the market to get the passport photos and found a Coke light at a little cafe.


Got the photos, went to the Game to buy appliances, hangers, dog leash, etc. It was a mad house. The sale paper comes out on Wednesday so Thursday morning is the worst time to shop if you don't like crowds and the best time to shop if you like deals. People were loading up on pillows, curtains, and sheets. They don't get this stuff in often so when it comes in they go crazy. It reminded me of Lisa Stratton shopping for a Wii:)


Our appliances were delivered as we went to eat lunch. We met another couple from South Carolina who are here teaching preachers in the "Compounds" deeper knowledge of the Word. Pretty cool!! They are here for 3 years and have been here for 6 months so far.


We did go by to open a PO Box for mail as they do not have home delivery here. We signed up for a year and we were told to come back around 3 for the key- Erik went back at 3:30 and was told to come back in the morning. No hurries, no worries in Lusaka!!


I went garage sale shopping with Niki Cook, Baptist missionary house rep, and got some household items that are hard to find or very expensive; hangers, ziploc bags, Tupperware.


We went to dinner this evening as the electrician was at our house installing the stove- everything is in celcius here or liters, I cooked a chocolate cake from Pillsbury($10) at 180 degrees celcius. Life is certainly different and the grocery store has 2 choices- US brands, very expensive or African brands, comparable to US. We did buy peanut butter, I will let you know tomorrow how it tastes.


While I was away shopping, the kids had to entertain themselves, Erik was working on the appliances. Without TV or a DS, they must work together and be creative...This was their project today.

Where, oh where, is that doggy??

Yes, We lost Peterson!! Actually Ethiopian Air decided to go ahead and send Peterson ahead of us to Lusaka. What a heartbreaking surprise.

After a very restless night on the plane, we arrived in Ethiopia knowing that we would get to walk Peterson only to find out that he connected on the next plane without us. UGH!!

What a blessing Bob West is- he called our contact at the Embassy and greeted Peterson as he got off the plane. Bob said that Peterson recognized him. I told him that I owed him big time for rescuing Peterson- he even let him curl up in his bed with him last night. What a guy!!

The Kasper family minus Peterson- stayed in Ethiopia at the Crown hotel. No phone connection, no internet, 20 minutes outside of the airport. We survived and arrived in Lusaka around 2:10pm today. It took about 2 hours to get through customs with all of our luggage.

Erik did very well chosing our home. We were greeted by a very friendly Moses, the gardener, and a very excited dog. The house was not a big surprise because of Erik's videotape but the yard was gorgeous. The Calla lilies were in bloom as well as the other native flowers. Someone tell my Granny Brad that we have a Guava tree- please send recipe for Guava jelly- 1 part fruit, 3 parts sugar?? I wonder if the local store sells mason jars??

The weather is great and the air is so fresh and clean- expect for the fertilizer that Moses put down today.

We went out to dinner at the Irish Pub and we all ate well. Bradley passed out at about 7:30 on the ride back home- I have some very tired kids.

We are all looking forward to tomorrow- we have to register the minivan, get a bank account and find a refrigerator, stove, washer, dryer, couch, rug, and some food. Should be much fun!!

Leaving America

We woke up at 4:30 am in Washington DC- packed up- filled the rental vans with gas- loaded all our luggage- 8 crates, golf clubs, 2 computer boxes, 1 suitcase and one extra-large dog crate- in the Budget shuttle and we were off.
It took over an hour for Erik to check us all in and get Peterson's crate inspected, taped up and say "goodbye" to Petey. After all that the Ethiopian Airlines manager asked us where the water bottle was?? We told him we had bottled water and a bowl in the bag taped to the crate- "Not good enough". Erik hopped in a taxi headed to Petco with 2 hours to spare, 8am. He arrives at Petco to find the lights on, 1 car in the parking lot and the doors shut. That did not stop my man. He opened the doors and the manager came running to him explaining that the store did not open until 10am. After much discussion, Erik convinced him we really needed a water bottle for the dog's crate.
Needless to say, we are all exhausted and ready for a nap already.
We will be in Ethiopia in about 16 hours- we will spend Monday there then fly to Lusaka Tuesday morning.