Home From Home

As the days seem to fly by and my time in Zambia seems to be moving at quite some pace, I've started being asked the question about whether I miss home and more so whether I miss playing football. If I'm honest before coming to Zambia I was dreading taking a break from football; for as long as I can remember my evenings and weekends have been dominated by football, by training and by games and by days spent on the road travelling. I wasn't quite sure how I would deal with not playing or training properly for four months and whether not only would my ability be affected but my fitness and normal active routine of training.

Just look at that face

To some extent I do miss football, I miss my teammates, I miss coaching my girls, I miss being part of the Bristol Academy family. But as my time is being spent here being invested into something worthwhile, something of value, if I'm honest I couldn't wish to be anywhere else. I love Zambia, I love the culture and I love life here. Zambia is my home from home and I've never felt happier in such a place. The people are incredible, so full of joy and are always welcoming. The children are magical and any day that seems a little down or a little miserable can simply be lit up by seeing a smile on one of their faces. Every placement site I visit, every school I attend or even every street I walk down, I am greeted with a hello and a muzungo shout as people just want to talk to the 'white girl' and find out how I am.

Yes I miss my family and my friends but they say home is where the heart is and I know that no matter where I am in the world, or whatever adventure I am on, that my home will always be with me and the people I love. Zambia is amazing, it's scary to think I have been here nearly two months but I am so content with my life here, genuinely content with the way I spend each and every day.

My life motto for some time now has been, 'striving to live a life that makes a difference' and here in Zambia I feel that this can be worked towards. I feel that I am and can continue to add value to the people I meet, the programmes I support and the community I work in. Every day is spent out in the communities, coaching the children and all you need to do is look at their faces to know that we are making a difference, that the IDEALS students are changing lives.

Zambia is my home from home and I couldn't wish to be anywhere else. I'm content here, a feeling that has characterised my time so far and one I hope remains. Let the Zambia dream continue... #ZamFam

Chance Encounter

This week has reminded me of the power of a chance encounter. Having been in Zambia for nearly 7 weeks now and not having my own specific placement site, sometimes it's easy to feel like I'm floating through and not really making the difference I foresaw before coming here. Everyday varies as I head out to a different site, supporting the students as they deliver PE lessons, Girls in Action workshops and coaching sessions. But this week two moments have happened that, if I'm honest, made me smile quite a lot and reminded me of the power of a chance encounter.

Everyday we meet 100s of kids, we sing songs and dance and have the same conversation time and time again... "Hello, how are you? I'm fine thank you, how are you? Fine!" And sometimes it becomes repetitive but these moments reminded me that every conversation, every chat, every encounter can have a greater impact than we can ever understand.

The 'Minions'

Whilst on the truck tour on Tuesday we visited every site and one of those site was Chipata, where I hadn't been able to visit apart from a handful of times during Group 1. During one of those visits, I spent half an hour with the pre-school group which we fondly nicknamed The Minions, you'll understand when you see the photos. When returning this week I was walking towards the basketball court when I heard someone shout my name, on turning around I saw this little girl, no older than 5 running towards me smiling. She jumped on me shouting Grace, Grace, Grace! I didn't know her name but recognised her face, but my biggest delight came simply from the fact she knew my name. One meeting, only half hour spent with about 30 of them, singing songs, counting and dancing, of which most they just shouted back at me. But that encounter was enough to leave an imprint in this young girl's memory that she knew my name! It made me feel like I'm actually adding value, a much needed gentle reminder.

My second encounter or gentle reminder came when I popped to the Big Green Box to buy my lunch of nshima and chicken. For those who don't know I'm quite a fan of nshima and have found a place near each placement site that sells it, this one near the Sport in Action office. On popping in the lady at the counter's first words were, "Hello Grace, I've missed you". I didn't even have to say anything but she remembered me, she remembered my name and was genuinely interested in finding out where I had been and what I had been doing. 

The power of a chance encounter was evident and has reminded me that everyday we have conversations, sometimes brief, but in those moments we should give our efforts to those we speak too as we should never underestimate what that moment can bring. Two gentle, much needed reminders have highlighted the impact we can all have both here in Zambia, at home or wherever we are in the world. A simple conversation, a smile, a wave, costs nothing but gives so much!

The Start of a New Chapter

As one chapter closes, a new one opens and Sunday marked that transition as we bid farewell to Group 1 and we welcomed Group 2 to Zambia. The past 6 weeks feels like they've flown by yet on the other hand I feel like I've been in Zambia quite some time. That time has been colourful, we've had our ups and downs, highs and lows, challenges and successes but overall I would confidently say that every student can look back upon their placement in Zambia with fondness! I have cried, smiled, laughed and cried some more but it's been a learning curve on many levels. When Steph and I arrived in Zambia on the 1st June, on my fronts we felt like students again, experiencing a new place as we took time to remember the bus routes, the local language and the culture. Zambia is different to how I remember and that's not always a bad thing but sometimes it's not always a positive thing; At times I've found that change difficult and although it's taken longer than hoped, I am learning daily to embrace the change, to embrace challenges and reflect upon Group 1 as a learning chapter. I now feel much better placed to support Group 2 through their experience, as I now feel very much settled in Zambia. 

I'm excited to use the past 6 weeks experience, challenges and successes to help make Group 2's experience the BEST it can be. On Sunday we welcomed 8 new students to Zambia to start an adventure of a lifetime and I'm excited to help shape that. Time to go out everyday and chase my dreams, remembering the reasons I decided to come back to the place I love the most. 

Our first official photo as Group 2 (minus Steph)

Wallace Tournament One Successfully Delivered

The teams gathering for the official welcome

Now the mayhem of Saturday has died down I can take a moment to gather my thoughts and reflect back on our first Wallace Tournament of the year. At the end of every six week placement, the students bring together the teams they have been coaching during their time here for the renowned Wallace Tournament. All five placements, Chipata, Fountain of Hope, Mtendere, Munali and St Patrick's rallied together the teams they had in football, basketball, netball and volleyball to not only celebrate all their hard work but for a chance for the children to challenge themselves against the other placements. This year the Olympic Youth Development Centre offered to host the tournament so rather than using our normal venue of Munali, we had the fantastic facilities of the OYDC where they had a 3G football pitch, purpose built netball and basketball courts and a volleyball court which differed greatly to the venues many of the children had been training at each week. 

The alarms were set and most of the students were up before 6am to complete their final prep before heading to their placement sites to meet their teams. Myself, Steph and Jenny, the staff member, had our taxi booked for 7:30am and before we knew it we were on our way to the OYDC to sort out the facilities before we welcomed over 350 children. A slightly stressful morning followed but the placement sites had soon arrived and the chants had begun as the excitement of the day was clear for all to see. Many of the children attending had never had the chance to experience the OYDC which made the day even more special and more memorable for them as well as all of us.

A team talk for Fountain of Hope's U12s Team

The official opening welcome was given by James and a mass song led by Sara before the sports begun. We had competitions running for U12s, U15s and girls' football, U12s, U15s and girls' basketball, mixed volleyball and U15s and U17s netball. As with most tournaments the start was delayed as we tried our best to deliver it on British time but we had to remember we were in Zambia and things are always much more relaxed and chilled. As I didn't have a particular team or area to oversee I volunteered my services for officiating and lent my hand to support the football tournament. 

The winning penalty for Team Munali

One thing that surprised me more than I expected was the level of competitiveness demonstrated by not only the UK students but the teams they had coached, with some of the children even cheating despite our motto of ‘fair play’. It seemed that winning was fundamental but I think this aspect made the day more enjoyable as each game was closely competed with teams only nipping it by one or two goals. The competitions continued as the day progressed, and despite some stressful moments running around, the children absolutely loved it as all of them were beaming with smiles whenever I walked by. As the day came to a close I was nominated the ref the U15’s football final and what a game it was. Despite the game finishing 0-0 and going to penalties you could feel the tension on the pitch as the teams pushed for the win but acted carefully to ensure they didn’t risk giving away a goal or making a mistake. The penalties themselves were probably some of the most tense penalties I had ever witnessed as both teams missed the first few, with Munali edging it 2-1 overall. 

The teams proudly collecting their winning medals

The medal ceremony soon followed as the winning teams proudly made their way to the front to collect their medals and be recognized for their success. To make sure every child who took part had a memento from the day, we had Wallace Tournament wristbands made which every child eagerly took as we handed them out. Overall a tiring but successful day as the students were not only able to see the fruits of their hard work but the children were able to come together to compete and put their practice into action. Another day in Zambia that I will never forget and our first of three Wallace Tournaments successfully delivered!