Day 15: And so the trip ended, the journey continuing in heart and mind

In our first big group discussion that took place in Zambia, we were tasked with discovering our own personal answer to what our purpose was here in Zambia and Zimbabwe. I allowed myself to reflect on this question internally. I quickly discovered that this was a hard question. I didn’t really know where to start and so I sat there stumped and frowned at the ground. A few very long seconds passed until I came up with an easy way of processing it for myself. I simply asked myself a different question; ‘if you could describe to yourself why you are here in three words, what would they be?’ This was definitely a “duh” moment for me because this question of purpose suddenly became easy. I came here to experience, to share, and to love.

            Today, I can very confidently state that this is exactly what I did. Experiencing and sharing walk hand in hand for me. Through singing and performing with local choirs we encountered our first cultural exchange. Through our daily activities, some as basic as eating and experiencing our temporary living spaces, we had more encounters. It was my intentional decision to approach this trip with an open mind and welcome newness and inexperience. This allowed me to grow and fully enjoy these new experiences.

            I was here doing what I love and for me that was singing. The best part about this love was that I got to sing with my favorite people. Being here allowed us to do another thing that I love, listen and watch other choirs perform. I love watching performances because I love being inspired. Being able to listen to the local choirs here and share in their music was a wonderful experience. It reconfirmed my love and curiosity for things that are unfamiliar. I found both meeting and getting to know the members of these new choirs and experiencing and learning some of their repertoire to be very enjoyable. Their music and what it meant to them said a lot about who they were, but also how they functioned as a community. Their love for music was transparent in every interaction we had and it was incredibly easy to connect with the choir members because of this. For this reason, I believe that music was the foundation for the friendships I made.

            Tonight’s concert reflected this back to me. I was particularly moved by our combined performances with CHS. The song that I loved the most was Thixo Onothando, which was sung in the native language, Ndebele.

Text and Translation:

---- Thixo Onothando  (Verse 1) ----

Thixo onothando, ndimi phambi kwako

Lord with love, I stand before you

Thixo onothando, ndikuthande ndifakaze ngawe

Lord with love I witness for you

           

            I witnessed love throughout the entirety of this trip. I saw it amongst our choir. It was present in the smiles we gave each other, the “hey, how are you?” check ins, and the care for one another that was demonstrated by our willingness to listen and be there for each other. I witnessed love in how our choir was treated with every new encounter with a new choir. The members of many choirs would greet each of us individually, shaking our hands, faces grinning, ready to experience this journey with us. They were kind to us, there were dedicated musicians, they were our friends. I know that I came to Zambia and Zimbabwe in the name of music, but I also came in the name of love. Just as I came ready and wanting to love, I was also a recipient of love. It came from my companions and my new friends and for this I am so grateful.

-Zabelle Messick '20