Zambia Workteam 2015: Weekend - Saturday & Sunday

Plans for Saturday morning fell through, so we spent the day quietly at the Friary. At 3 p.m. (or 15 hours as they say here) we were driven to the Kitwe Market by Mary. The market is a maze of shops close together. The narrow paths between the shops are uneven dirt with concrete and bricks in just enough places to turn your ankle. There are unknown liquids running down the middle of the paths, some of which are covered over with hastily made board walks. The shops seem to sell everything; food, new & used clothes, furniture, phones & electronics, cosmetics and jewelry. Mary took us to a shop that sells cloth for making chitenge (chit-en-GAY) which is a type of skirt the local ladies use for just about everything, including wrapping a baby on their back. Mary made sure we got the Zambian price, not the rich-white-tourist price. Next we went to a shop that sells carvings and paintings. Many things in each shop are the same, but they are apparently made in Zambia using ebony, malacite and hematite. Again, negotiations were mainly handled by Mary. On the way back to the Friary, the air was very hazy with smoke, thick enough to be a fog. Once we got away from the city it was better.

Sunday was an early start to go to the Roman Catholic church in Kitwe for 7:30 service. However, today was the Feast of the Sacred Heart, so the service was moved to the school field nearby which is run by this church. So the 8:00 service started at about 8:50 and was a mix of English and Bembe, the local language. The singing in Bembe is very beautiful, and the drummers add a great beat. The homily from the priest compared married relationships to bone marrow, (to lots of laughter) so calling your spouse 'my bone marrow' is a good thing. We were invited to Barry the St. Francis School head master's house for breakfast. His wife had the meal ready for 9:00 but because of the service change, we didn't get there until nearly noon. It was interesting to drive through the middle/upper class suburb and see the houses and gardens. Our welcome was very warm and the meal delicious. The rest of the afternoon was spent quietly at the Friary.