Zambia 2/25/24 - Two Countries, One Family
Greetings from Zambia!
Thursday, February 22nd was dedicated to exploring Lusaka! In order to reach our various destinations throughout the day, we walked through the winding paths within sprawling street markets. It was an eye-opening experience to witness the way locals shop and socialize in Lusaka. We started off the day by visiting the Peace Embassy, which is home to many of our movement’s organizations in Zambia, including Youth and Students for Peace and Women’s Federation for World Peace. After the Peace Embassy, we visited the Lusaka National Museum. There, we learned about Zambia’s archaeology, history of independence, culture and lifestyle, and the first president Kenneth Kaunda. Visiting the museum helped us understand more about the nation that we call home for these twenty-one days. The rest of the afternoon was spent at a local mall, where we had downtime to eat lunch and shop. Back at the center, we spent some time reflecting and preparing to visit the Barlastone School the next day!
The following day was dedicated to visiting Barlastone School, located right next to the center where we were staying at. Just like in Ndola, we visited each classroom to talk about character values and play small activities. We were split into small groups to talk about the topics of purity, gratitude, living for the sake of others, leaving the plus, and doing the hardest thing / loving the hardest person. After the classroom visits, we performed a song and dance for the whole school. Our intention was not only to instill these important values we learn on GPA, but also to ensure that the students felt loved. We were exhausted by the end of the school day, but we left with full hearts knowing that we invested into creating a joyful experience for the kids. Towards the end of the day, we joined the Cheon Il Guk Citizens Academy (CIGCA, a year-long youth program in Zambia) in a few team bonding activities. This experience reminded that even through GPA and CIGCA are from the opposite sides of the planet, we share a powerful common base of striving to grow in our lives of faith. We got to meet the CIGCA members and shared with each other our experiences, passions, and backgrounds. It was an incredibly valuable experience for us to connect to some of the Zambian youth before heading to Livingstone the next day!
Next, we spent the following day traveling to Livingstone! The bus ride was approximately eight hours long, but we still made an effort to be intentional during this traveling period. We read hoon dok hae, sang holy songs, and received a morning service (short talk) about prayer. The rest of the bus ride we had conversations with each other, played a trivia game about our beloved staff members, and took time to rest and gain much-needed energy for our future activities in Livingstone. Upon our arrival to our destination, we ate dinner at a popular Zambian fast food chain called Hungry Lion and closed the day at a hotel. Stay tuned for updates out our adventures in Livingstone!
Generation Peace Academy
Miki K.
Blogger, Zambia
