When you head 1 1/2 hours out into the bush on a rainy day, it's not possible for it to be a one day trip. And there aren't motels to stay in along the way. Luckily, there is Macha. Macha is a rural area way out in the middle of nowhere that is extremely developed. The Brethren in Christ Church first put a medical clinic here. Then, John Hopkins University put a malaria research center here. Then, some Americans started a school here. Now the area has an airstrip, and the Netherlands are financing many other projects in this area (even a university is projected!) Since so many Americans/Dutch/etc. come to Macha to work, they have guest houses and dorms, so we had a place to stay.
We arrived around 4pm and it was POURING. There was an American couple there who is running the school who were hoping to recruit us to run the boarding part of the school, so we had planned to eat supper with them just to be kind. When we arrived at 4 and nobody was around, we called this couple to get keys to our house. Instead, they came and picked us up and took us to their house. The roads were probably the worst I have seen in Zambia and this man drove FAST. My arm was bruised on the back door as we flew over potholes! (I was holding Cason!) Then, I noticed something cold on my arm. I look up, and the sunroof is leaking. Laurie and I start giggling in the back and the next thing you know the sunroof is just pouring water down on us! Ok, pouring might be a slight exaggeration, but it was a steady flow of rainwater! The absurdity of the situation--being tired, hot, and sweaty from traveling/visiting all day, riding with some stranger to who knows where, and then getting soaked along the way--it proved too much for us in the backseat. I was laughing so hard I was in tears. :)
When we got to their house, we looked around at the school and were quite impressed. It was about 5:00 now, so we sat in their living room (we don't know these people from Adam!) just twiddling our thumbs. The phone rings and it is the "Dutch people." Apparently, we are eating at their house and dinner will be at 7:30. So we sit some more...kinda wondering what we are doing there!!
Supper was interesting! This Dutch couple (I'm not using their names so that they won't be able to find my blog!!) was very nice and VERY visionary. The meal was delicious..we had soft tacos, Indonesian rice, and the biggest bowl of guacamole I have ever seen. (Avocados are about 20 cents in Zambia and are huge!) We then had tea/coffee and some custard. It was very European. We stayed until about 10pm, while the "Dutch man" (as Blu calls him) explained his plans for the growth of Macha. It was kinda interesting--his belief was that we are more than conquerors through Christ and so the world is here for us to conquer. He had great plans and will probably do amazing things in Macha and the surrounding area as far as humanitarian development, but we kinda differed in ways to go about reaching people in Zambia. We weren't really sure if they were hoping we would join them in Macha or what, so it was kinda awkward at times.
We got back to our rooms and thought, "wow...this was an interesting evening!" It was a good connection to make, however, and we will laugh about the vehicle that rained on us for years to come! In Zambia, you never know what each day will hold and who you will meet! And, finally, Day Two in Zambia came to an end... :)
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