Day 3: First Impressions

Today was the first full day in Lusaka. The morning’s lesson was “go with the flow” as, upon arriving, we learned that we needed to move our exchange with the Sacred Heart Choir to later in the day. This gave us time to visit the mall to acquire kwacha.

The first big event of the day was Mass at St. Ignatius College. I appreciated the familiar and unifying nature of the celebration which became apparent when the St. Ignatius choir broke out into harmony during the first hymn. Fr. Charlie, originally from Ireland, spoke of this coming together as the presence of the universal Church. After Mass we had lunch with the school’s staff, which was my favorite part of the day. I hadn’t expected to laugh so much today, but talking with one of St. Ignatius’ history teachers and some GU students allowed for both fun and insight into some of the challenges Zambia faces. For example, I was surprised to learn that they do not teach a “history of Zambia” course at the school. The teacher told us a story of his trip to a convention where he was one of two Africans, the extreme stereotypes he faced, and his response to them. It caused me to reflect on my own stereotypes and images I had associated with “Africa”. Somehow I expected something very “other”, directly contrasting the friendly faces and conversations of the Sacred Heart Choir and the St. Ignatius community. The familiar praise and worship songs interspersed throughout the performances of singers and dancers along with my various conversations such as talking with Toku, a St. Ignatius student, about her favorite author, Cassandra Claire, reminded me that we are connected. Most importantly, we are all human.    

Throughout the day, the presence of a deeper spirituality appeared through the songs, prayers, and conversations grounding the day in gratitude and helping me to resist becoming overwhelmed. My favorite part of the evening was talking, dancing, and singing with a fellow alto of the Sacred Heart Choir, Pauline, and talking with their pianist, Kaseba, who was among the choir members who waited four hours to greet us when we arrived in Zambia. I am very ready to sleep as it has been a long, exhausting, and exciting day.

Sweet Dreams,

Andrea Timm ‘17

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