Our last day in Mporokoso began early. Mass was at 6:30 and after breakfast we met with our students we had been working with. We were sent off with an original farewell song performed and composed by a group of totally blind and albino students. What fine young people. We love them all. Following that we met with teachers and student representatives. We will miss working together with them and their teachers.
We got on the road by 10:00 and not far into the journey we heard some dragging behind the bus. The tail pipe had fallen and was scraping on the road, most likely brought on by the condition of the roads. Duct tape was left behind at school so we used a suitcase strap to tie it up and continued on our way. We visited the original mother house of the Sisters of the Child Jesus in Chilubula where we presented them with restored pictures of the founders. We also stopped at Kaputo the novitiate of the Sisters of the Child Jesus and met young beginning sisters.
We arrived in Kasama about 2:00 for a quick lunch at the mother-house of the Sisters of the Child Jesus. We arrived back in Kawambwa at 8:30.
The school/convent bus always is well utilised, picking up and dropping off passengers, and delivering and picking up packages with rarely and empty seat.
The roads have to be seen to be believed. The highway has many large fuel tankers and transport trucks which share the road with passenger vehicles, over loaded bicycles and motor cycles; buses, dogs, indecisive chickens, wandering goats, people sitting on, or at the edge of the road, and multitudes of people walking on the road. In this mix, are the craters in the road that the vehicles zigzag from one side of the road to the other to miss. Passengers are jostled from sided to side and bounced around. It was so intense that the rosary hanging from the front mirror flew off its spot. Then when it gets dark and raining it is a nightmare. When we arrived back in Kawambwa tonight it was with gratitude we didn’t hurt anyone. Our two drivers Louis and Josephat have nerves of steel and maneuver this with confidence.
We arrived back to an enthusiastic welcome from the sisters and supper and another beautiful cake by Sister Marjory.
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Bus loaded and on the Way to Kawambwa.
About 7 hours. |
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| Colleen's students mentors! Awesome kids. |
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| John MI cutting Sr Marjory's welcome back cake. |
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| And you thought your job was rough...breaking rocks |
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| Blind and albino Girls singing a farewell song they composed. |
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| Poor sight comes with Albinism |
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| Fixing the dragging tail pipe, a casualty of bad roads. |
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| Church in Chilubula |
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| Young nuns in training |
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| Hill of beans |
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| Fire wood |
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| Sisters love the pictures restored courtesy of Bob Martin. |
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| Branches on the road mean a broken down vehicle. |
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| Loaded to the max |
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| Zigzag driving |
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| Goat on the loose |
