The day came and the day has gone, Simmons family vacation 2011 is officially over. I can say without a doubt in my mind it was the vacation of a lifetime for all involved. We ate, we drank, we flew in small plans, we saw lions mating, we relaxed next to one of the wonders of the world, and we really did it all. So let me not get ahead of myself, let’s start from the beginning.
As I mentioned in my last blog post my father, mother and brother all flew into Zambia on June 13, 2011. I greeted them at the airport and it was immediately as if no time had gone by at all, that is why I love family. My Dad and brother were already making fun of my mother for a comment she made on the last flight, she was rolling her eyes and holding me hand (I think relieved to have another girl in the mix after being the only one for a year) and I was just smiling and taking it all in. We spent their first day in Lusaka, doing a little bit of walking around but mostly just talking and trying to catch up on a year of missed one on one time. That night they got to meet their first of many PCV’s (Peace Corps Volunteers). My friends Ashley, Brooks and Angela all went out to dinner with them and everyone got along famously- not that I was surprised as PCV’s are some of the best people I have ever met and my family is also quite easily liked. So we drank and ate at a restaurant which is rarely visited because of our “Peace Corps Salaries” AKA we are broke, and had a great time. The next day I got to show them the famous “Manda Hill” Zambia’s one and only shopping mall and then we were off to Mfuwe!!
They boarded their fourth flight in two days and I boarded my first in over a year. After hitching to Eastern province last December on my way to Malawi (a 5-hour hitch in a really good ride we got lucky to get), we were in Mfuwe in less than an hour flight; this is where my dream state began. Getting somewhere in Zambia in less than 5 hours of standing by the side of the road, meeting and greeting strangers and taking sometimes questionable transport, this couldn’t be real!? We arrived in Mfuwe and were taken then on a four-hour ride through South Luwangwa Park in order to get to our Bush Camp. Instantly after getting into the camp we were seeing Zebra, Impala, Elephants, Oh my! It was incredible and everyone got their first view into what our Safari was going to look like. When we finally arrived at our camp it was pretty late at night, maybe 20:00 (8:00 pm) and I just figured that since it was so late we would probably not have dinner and just crawl straight into bed—silly peace corps mentality. No, instead we were greeted with hot chocolates by the staff and a man asking what time we would like dinner, as it was already ready, we said 15 minutes and it was ready in 15 minutes. Not just dinner but a 3-course meal of the best food I have had in my entire life. Dream state was continuing and getting even more vivid. Maybe this was a Malaria prophylaxis dream; they are usually pretty outlandish and vivid. Definitely had to be the prophylaxis. So then we continued to be pampered and see incredible animals for four days. The mornings we would wake up early and be out on Safari by 6:30 and back by 10:30. Then we would have an early lunch/brunch with incredible food that was all made from scratch on site- I ate my weight in whatever they gave me, after this vacation it was back to rice and stir-fry for another year. Then we would have a Siesta from around noon until 16:00/4:00pm. This was wonderful as it was the heat of the day so we could read in the shade, nap in our incredible beds, and shower in our outdoor shower while watching a herd of buffalo go by and just relax. We would usually set out on another drive in the afternoon for our night drives which were amazing. We would drive for a while until right when the sun went down when they would stop at some absolutely magnificent spot where we would have “Sundowners” or cocktails as the sun went down. Then it was off for another hour or so of driving where our drivers could spot a tiny chameleon in a tree with their spotlight, which looked like a leaf to the naked eye. Incredible. So after our wonderful Safari was over it was time for “the real Africa”, village life.
We were first welcomed in Mansa by some more PCV’s who were sweet enough to make my family a welcome sign and clean up our often cluttered provincial house. After a quick tour of Mansa (not so much to see) it was off to the village! Seven of us packed into a small car and off we went. The Village was wonderful. I am not going to lie I was a little concerned about this part of the trip as we were going from one extreme to another and I have heard some horror stories of parents crying every night they are in their child’s village, wondering what their crazy child is thinking, etc. However the Simmons clan did fabulous! We cooked them a delicious stir-fry the first night and hung out and got them acquainted with peeing in a hole in the ground, using candles and headlamps when the sun went down and of course playing with my children. The next day the village took over. It was father’s day so we cooked my Dad some delicious pancakes for breakfast and just hung out a little while. Then it was off to the festivities! We went over and took a short tour of my clinic and then started watching all of the Bamaayos (women in the village) cook every dish I have ever heard of and some I hadn’t even tasted yet. They cooked for hours and we watched for a short while before the drumming began. Then the drumming began and that’s when things started getting crowded. I think the majority of my village was in the surroundings within 5 minutes? This seemed more normal to me, back to reality, I was famous again and everyone was staring. Dream state went on a reprieve for a short while. Then the traditional dancing started and it never stopped. It was wonderful, my youth sang welcome songs, the whole community got up to dance and my family got to see what a traditional Bemba dance looked like. Obviously at the end they wanted us to get up and dance so thankfully my fellow PCV’s aren’t so timid, so we all got up and showed the village the skills we had learned in the past year. I must say they are still talking to me about it and I am sure will be until the day I leave Zambia. Then it was time to feast. As my parents looked a little dubious about the meal, eating with your hands and what this mush in front of them was, my brother dug right in. I was impressed by his nshima eating skills. A lot of people think it’s an acquired taste but he put down a good amount. As for myself and my PCV’s it was like Christmas—Chicken (never ever get in the village because its too expensive), all types of ifishashi ( ifisashi is any vegetable which they mix with pounded groundnuts making kind of a “creamed spinach” type of dish) and fresh fish (we usually only get to eat the dried tiny fish), it was wonderful!! The rest of the afternoon we just laid in our Nshima Coma’s- often can’t move after eating so much Nshima, and my family got their last play time in with my iwes.
The next morning it was back to the dream state. We left my village at 6:00 am and were in Livingstone by 14:00. This would usually be at least a three-day trip for me. One day biking into Mansa and getting my things, then hitching to Lusaka which on a good day you can get there in less than 12 hours and then another day of hitching to Livingstone. I was dreaming again. We spent the next four days relaxing, eating more delicious meals and seeing the amazing Victoria Falls. We also had a few adventures which included Bungee jumping with my brother while my parents very daringly watched from a café overlooking the gorge we were jumping into with a cord tied to our feet, as well as riding elephants on our last day through the river and into the sunset.
Before I knew it the adventure I had been waiting on for so long was over. I was waking up from the most amazing dream of my life. Except it wasn’t a dream, it really happened. I know this may seem like an obvious statement but I have to keep writing it out to remind myself that it’s true. It was a wonderful vacation with the people I love the most in the world. I got to laugh, joke, talk, discuss, debate and explore with them. All of the things I am lucky enough to do with my Peace Corps family now but that I will always miss doing with my real family. As the trip came to a close I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel, saying goodbye again for another long period of time. Although it was hard I felt shockingly content after the last hugs and kisses were given. I have lived in Zambia for a year now and it really has become my home. I have an amazing support system in my fellow PCV’s and my fellow villagers, I have a hut that feels like home and a country which I can’t seem to breathe in quick enough. The vacation was incredible and something I will remember for the rest of my life, but so is my Peace Corps service and that in of itself will always make me want to wake up from a dream.
