9 Days to Go...

We're 9 days away from departure for our long-anticipated epic journey to Africa, and we're just about ready to go!  We've had our last shots today, we've bought half the contents of Shoppers Drug Mart and of MEC, and we've gone through several books about travel in Africa (mostly Jimi... I've never seen him so interested in reading!).  But the main thing that's gotten us ready is the wonderful people who are helping us organize our trip.  Chandni and Ami from the Zambian Children's Fund Canada have been absolutely amazing - full of information and advice about Zambia and the surrounding areas, and they are the ones who are making it possible for us to volunteer at the Chishawasha Children's Home and school just North of Lusaka, Zambia.  We are endlessly fortunate and grateful to have the opportunity to work with them on this initiative, and that they were willing to set it up for us.  Hiren has been awesome as well with getting us started and helping us navigate the tourism industry in Zambia and beyond, and we are so lucky to have the opportunity to spend some time with Chi's family in Zimbabwe... we just wish they could all come with us!  Altogether, these people have helped us create an incredibly unique chance to experience Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Tanzania as authentically as two born-and-bred Canadians can, and we cannot thank them enough.  From our hearts...thank you!

For us, this trip is about experiencing the world and opening our minds to the ways that we can contribute to making it better.  In deciding to travel in Africa, we always knew that volunteering would be a crucial part of the experience.  Since we live with privilege, we believe we have a duty to do what we can to empower those who do not, but we also recognize that we aren't familiar with the contexts and lives of the people we'll be living with.  We don't expect to change the world (this time)... we're just hoping to learn as much as we can about what would help most, and hopefully this will be the first of many opportunities for us to contribute.  Next time, we'll return with more knowledge and maybe a more specific purpose.

Experiencing the world is also about seeing all of the things that make it so amazing, and we can't wait to come face to face with the boundless natural beauty of Southern Africa!  We're particularly excited to see as much wildlife as possible (maybe even from the back of an elephant!), to check out Victoria Falls, and to visit Zanzibar, both for the culture and the landscape. 

Now, if only I can convince Jimi that, despite what the Africa book says, we probably shouldn't knock on farmers' doors and ask to camp on their lawns...     

So welcome everyone, to our journey (or 'safari' as it is said in Swahili)!  We'll do our best to keep you updated as frequently as we are able.  In the meantime, check out ZCFC via the link to the side.

Sincerely and with much love,
  ~ Jenny & Jimi