Clothes are scattered in piles on the floor – sleeveless blouses, skirts and shorts for Africa, heavy sweaters for Europe, my books on tropical herbal medicine, Robert’s building tools – utility knife, multipurpose screwdriver, carpenter’s pencils, measuring tape.
The power, gas and phone bills are paid. Our will and insurance is up to date. I think we’re almost ready to go again.
We’re getting better at it, I think, this annual packing, cleaning the house, getting it ready for interim renters, becoming global farmers again.
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But still it takes energy, and as exciting it is to go, it is also hard to leave. I always think of John Steinbeck’s words in his book Travels with Charlie. I will be liberal with my quote, as I gave the book to my son to read and he hasn’t returned it. In it Steinbeck says the closer the time comes to leave for long trips, the dearer home and loved ones become to him.
On Jan. 8 we boarded the plane for Switzerland. We look forward to seeing our son Mike and his new wife Jacqueline again, also Robert’s parents and family. We’ll spend a few weeks there. On Feb. 2 we will meet up with Harold and Johanna Huising in London and fly together to Lusaka, Zambia, where we will spend the next three months in mostly agricultural development work.
This is our fifth trip to Zambia. Harold and Johanna have been on three of those trips, and we’re excited to have them come back with us. We missed their company last year, and their advice and wisdom when we had to make tough decisions.
And the cold beer and sprite in the lodge at the edge of the Kafue River just doesn’t taste the same without Harold’s laugh.
On Jan. 8, I’m surrounded by our maximum allowance of carry on baggage, two computers, flight bag, backpack, purse. Our son Dan is on his way home again on the icy, snowy roads. We live almost two hours from the Edmonton airport.
In this kind of weather – snow, cold, hard wind – it would be nice to be a bit closer. Friends and family phoned or stopped by to say goodbye, all commenting on how glad we must be to be leaving Alberta.
We are and we’re not. It’s hard to believe the golf course outside the airport will be green and busy when we arrive again.
Pastor Jessy from Mpongwe sent us an e-mail two days ago. I had written him that we planned to travel from the airport with public bus (five hours) as the four of us and our luggage would be too much for one car.
“I have borrowed a Land Cruiser station wagon from a friend which can carry the four of you with your good,” he wrote. “Surely you cannot go by public transport when you have friends like us. Just help us with gas when coming back. Is that OK with you?”
He and his wife, Loveness, will be picking us up at the airport. We were quick to take his offer. Public transport is interesting in its own way but that would be a whole other story.
Check out Stamm’s stories from last year’s trip to Africa, here.
Check out photos from last year’s trip in our new WP Photo Gallery.
Photos from this year’s trip are also available in the WP Photo Gallery.
