Day 13: Saturday with the GRS Interns

Highlights of Day 13

Going to Adventure City
Going to Alpha Bar

I got invited to join the GRS interns and some of the BSA staff to a day at Adventure City in Lusaka. It's a waterpark, put-put, play place with soccer field and volleyball court....It has everything really. And since they had been planning this trip for six months, it rained for the first few hours we were there. Luckily, there was a shelter so our group of 14 did our own energizers to get introduced.

Determined not to have the rain ruin our Adventure, we headed for the slides. Despite the rain I went running up the cement paths and wooden stairs to the top of the slides. Without lifeguards anywhere around, I went down the slides and into the pool below. And even though the bottom pool was about 4 feet deep, I charged down head first. Despite the thunder and lightning, I continued the rampage on the slides and playing in the pools. You could call it peer pressure, but I prefer to think of it of relying on the local expertise that the lightning does not strike the ground as often as it does in North Carolina. (Lightning strikes the ground more often in NC than any other US State) Nevermind the lifeguard trainings I have because I had fun in the storm anyway! It was great not having to abide by US waterpark rules--going head first down a really long slide is awesome! Brian streamlined as he came down and skidded a solid 25 ft past the slide on the surface of the water.

We came back to warm up (the temperature drastically drops when it rains here) and dry off as we started getting the food ready for the lunch barbeque. I helped peel some potatoes then went to play with Lazarous's son Naditzo. He's such a cute kid! I spent a large part of the day chasing him, kicking the soccer ball with him, dancing with him, teaching him how to blow a raspberry; quality play time!

The only down side is that I only understood "emway", which means "hey you" in the formal sense. Everything else he said beyond that was over my head! Fridah and Lazarous have tons of pictures of me with my new buddy so I hope to get those before I leave!!!

Around 5 we all headed home and crashed. Some of the GRS interns didn't come to Adventure City but joined us that evening to go to Alpha Bar. So Brian, Tommy, Grace, Fridah and boyfriend and friend, Lena and Kennedy and myself all packed into the car. I was so excited that Grace and Fridah was joining the dancing group--those two know how to break it down! We went to Alpha Bar which is a club in Lusaka. Bruce joined us later to dance the night the away. Again, it was just a blast!

Monday I'm slated to start with Valid International. Then I leave on Thursday. I hope the next few days crraaaawwwl by!