LearnServe Zambia 2017: Arriving at Greenpop (7/4)
Tuesday, July 4
Thinking back on the last couple of days, the only thing on my mind when we were leaving Lusaka was the students at Daughter’s Vision. I was thinking about how they all were so excited to see us in the mornings and the afternoons. Just seeing their faces made my day. There was one special girl whose name I couldn’t understand, but started with an L so I called her Linda. Just looking at her smile, watching her dance and hearing her say her first word gave me the best feeling I’ve ever had before. She said “bye”, and that made me feel like staying and just being with them more.
After a long 6 hour bus ride, we finally arrived at Greenpop in Livingstone. They were already greeting us even while we were still on the bus. They made us feel very welcomed and we knew we would be enjoying our short time here. Right away, Greenpop gave me new insight on deforestation and why it should be taken seriously and on the culture in Zambia and I knew we would be learning a lot here.
I struggle at communicating and interacting with other people that I don’t know at all. But, once I started talking to a few people here, it could be the staff or other students, it just made me want to talk to everyone and see where they were from, get to know them, and see the differences and similarities between the U.S. and other countries. You get to see the life that everyone brings from different parts of the world.
The first night was the first time I slept outside and the first time I ever slept in a tent. I learned that when Greenpop underlines “Bring a warm blanket”, that’s what they mean and for a good reason. It was very very cold but, as the days passed, it seemed to get less chilly at night and in the morning. Or, maybe I was just getting used to it.
On Monday, we mingled with people at the Greenpop camp, going to different stations and learning about the different activities we would be doing during the week that would educate us about various environmental issues. We learned about perma-culture, the importance of using rocket stoves to decrease the production of coal, upcycling, and eco-education. We also got to know each other and learn things about countries and cultures that were new to most of us. For example, in Zambia, you can’t look an elder in the eye because it’s a form of disrespect. And the women have to do everything inside (cook, clean, take care of the children), while the men of the household work outside the home all day. Women also sit on the ground while men sit in chairs as that is a form of respect towards the men who definitely have more authority in this culture. Apparently, girls are raised to respect men while boys are taught how to treat women. We also learned more about deforestation in Zambia, how that’s negatively impacting the environment, and why the alternatives (rocket stoves) could be way better than what is happening now.
On Tuesday, the camp broke up into different groups to do different activities in the community. The group I was in got the chance to actually plant some trees. We arrived at a field where trees they have planted over the past few years are growing and thriving and being used by the members of the community. We tried to plant 100 trees and although we weren’t able to plant all of them, we came close by getting about 70 into the ground. That day was the hardest I have worked in my life in the heat and even though the heat was burning my face off, I found that I really enjoyed it.
We ate local food prepared by the community, which looks similar to something I would eat back at home. We had n’shima, rice, cabbage, and two different spinach dishes. At Greenpop, they serve mostly vegan things, but there are two days where they do serve meat so as to not single anyone out who really enjoys it. Things like this are what help make the camp a safe, loving, open, and friendly place to be.
The next morning, at 7:45am, we started the day off with a big group dance in the middle of the field to get warm and energetic and psyched up for the day which was actually really fun. We then headed off to a couple of different schools to do workshops and teach local students about planting and recycling. The kids there were similar to the ones at Daughter’s Vision. I didn’t want to leave them and I just think it’s crazy how I build relationships with them in such a short period of time. We then played a game of soccer at the end of the day against a group of Zambian boys (except for Mariam who played on the Zambian team because she decided she wanted to be on the winning team) and when I mean they are very good, they are very good. They beat us 3-0 but it was still super fun and we held our own for a good portion of the game.
Randen T., Friendship Tech Prep High
