I traveled seventeen hours from Chipata to Lusaka to Choma. On my bus ride from Lusaka to Choma (to which I ran through traffic for thirty minutes with three bags strapped to me in order to reach in time), we were stuck in more traffic and took back streets through the capital city. At first I felt frustrated at the bus driver and his diversions, but I decided to take a deep breath and look out the window and people-watch. It was actually a beautiful perspective, a glimpse into the night-time lives of the urban poor. Candle-lit shacks, men drinking shake-shake (cheap Zambian alcohol) and dancing their day away, occasionally glancing at women walking by and pondering whether or not to call their attention. Women selling vegetables and evening snacks, children holding hands running down the streets.
Upon arriving in Southern Province, I visited Nachibanga village after seven months of living in Chipata. The trip was not meant to be a prolonged goodbye; rather, I wanted to solidify for my village and host family the reality that I really am thinking about them and missing them constantly. I spent a few days in Choma and appreciated time at the Peace Corps provincial house with volunteer friends, a house which acted as somewhat of a refuge away from the stresses of life in rural Zambia during my two years of service. The ladies selling vegetables in the market in Choma remembered me, as did the guys working at Spar (the one grocery store in town) and the mini-bus drivers. They even passed me while running and yelled out the window, "Muzoka?" which was my bus stop on my journeys back to the village.
The morning I returned to Nachibanga I left Choma at six in the morning and hitched to Muzoka. In Muzoka I was greeted by the women selling vegetables on the side of the road as they shouted, "Chipego (actually an enunciated 'CHIIPEEGOOO')! Where have you been?! We missed you!" It was like old times, because they used to ask me the same question each time I left my village for two days to go to town throughout my service. I said hello to my favorite tuck shop owners and bought lollipops for the kids before walking towards Nachibanga.
The first stop on my walk down the dusty road from Muzoka to Nachibanga was to visit Viness, the head of our HIV support group in Hambala village. She was so surprised to see me, and her huge, kind smile was absolutely priceless. We chatted for a while, and she proudly showed me the work she was doing with my replacement volunteer and the PEPFAR training she attended for Peace Corps. Viness understood that I needed to visit other people, so after some time we gave each other hugs and I continued walking.
I had just left Viness' house and began sweating from the mid-morning heat when I saw a woman walking towards me. I knew it was Ba Judy (well, I was almost positive-- I didn't have my glasses on) and I picked up the pace and ran to give her a huge hug. It was like nothing had changed. We walked the remainder of the road until we reached home.
At home I saw Banene (my host grandmother), Ba Erin and her children, Ba Edith and Noah, and Ba Leifson. We sat and talked about what was new, then quickly fell back into the routine of me listening to (and trying to understand) the village news and gossip of the day. When I saw Maya, the first baby I named in the village, I smiled wide and went to give her a hug. But Maya was cautious-- she couldn't believe it was me. It took her a few hours before she came over to hug me and hold my hand. She was speaking in full sentences and has so much attitude-- she is going to be a very strong woman when she grows up.
Ba Judy and I walked to the health post and found it painted. I also found the new block on the school completed and in use. Ba Judy spoke of plans to build a mother's shelter with the new volunteer, and to build a house for a nurse using government grant funds for which they had already applied. Progress, slowly but surely! I ran into two teachers with whom I was very close, and we spoke for a while before I went to see the Headmaster Mr. Musune. Mr. Musune was a source of strength and support for me, particularly throughout the arduous process of building our health post. He also supported my efforts with the Anti-AIDS club, and allowed me to speak openly about HIV and condoms (something that is very rare for a headmaster in Zambia). When I walked onto his compound, his face lit up. He excitedly asked me how I was doing, what I would be doing when I returned home to America, and how long it would be until I visited again.
Our next stop was Ba Stanley's house. Ba Stanley built my new hut when my old one flooded, and completed the job with only the help of one other person-- Ba Judy. Nobody else wanted to build the house, and if it weren't for him, I would not have been able to go back to Nachibanga. I found Ba Stanley mending a shoe for a friend. It was really a metaphor for how things work in Zambia: anything broken can be fixed and continue to be used, and if you don't have the tools to mend it yourself, you ask your neighbor for help. Ba Stanley is a very quiet and humble man, and my time with him always feels meaningful and filled with genuine intention behind our exchange of words.
After a quick stop back at Ba Judy's house (in which she told me she needed to bath so she could look as clean as I did-- though I was certainly much dirtier and caked in a layer of dust), the visit was almost over. I said goodbye to Banene, Ba Erin and her kids, Ba Edith and Noah, and as I walked away Maya started to cry. I turned around to wave, and then continued walking and speaking with Ba Judy about secret things only Tonga women can know (secrets that had been shared with me as I became incredibly close with the women in my family). We had been walking the entire day and felt exhausted, but continued walking and talking. I said one final goodbye to Viness, and was able to see another member of our support group (a tiny older women with only one front tooth and a huge gaping smile) who always cracked me up with her feisty attitude. When we reached the roadside, we met Ba Judy's new husband Ba Glanson, and the two of them waited until a hitch stopped for me. Alas, my first visit back to Nachibanga had ended, and it filled me up with happiness and love to last for a long time.
