It has been more than three months since my last blog entry, and folks are getting angry. Admittedly, I had some things to get my head around. Kirsten and I left Zambia ("exiled from Eden" we like to say) and came to Spain. Now we are in England. And I freely confess that there was some part of me that suspected that the readers of this blog were a tad more interested in education in Africa than they were in what I was up to.
But there have been so many questions, that I thought I'd perhaps dedicate this re-entry blog to answering the main ones.
Why did you leave Zambia?
From the very beginning, the idea was to continue to teach and write whilst working on the Zambian school. While internet is accessible, and sufficient for emails, blog postings and the occasional grading of student work, it was not sufficient for the development and research that we needed to do. The message isn't so much "never again" as "not yet."
Perhaps, then, it was a tad inconvenient, or less comfortable than you had in mind?
Trust me, comfort had nothing to do with it. Two weeks before leaving, the first time that we came to the conclusion that we'd need to leave, we had something of a breakdown at the mud hut, our first home, on some of the richest and most beautiful land in the world. We profoundly did not want to leave. We determined to redouble our efforts to stay, coordinating time at cafés and hotels in Solwezi to get ahead. It was like spinning tires in mud, making it worse. Money was required to pay for internet space and time, and with frequent power-outs and internet downtime, we lost more than we made. We needed another plan before we ran out of money completely.
So it wasn't a matter that Zambia itself was a part of the problem?
If Zambia didn't have a host of challenges, we would not have been there in the first place. There is a lot of good work going on, and there is a lot of good work that is yet to be done. Of course Zambia's infrastructure was a part of the problem, but that wasn't directly why we left. We left because we could not afford to stay.
So why Spain?
One evening in Kitwe, at a YMCA internet café, we studied options for plane tickets. The goal was to find the cheapest ticket to a country with reliable internet. The winner: Lusaka to Barcelona by way of Johannesburg and Istanbul.
OK, but you ended up in Granada, half-way across Spain from Granada. How'd that happen?
The night before departure, we investigated cheap rental properties in Spain that would include internet. Most of them were at or near Costa del Sol. We rented a car in Barcelona (for very cheap) and drove there, attempting to call and email landlords along the way. The first person to return the call was Tim Shepstone, who had a beautiful and cheap place in Acequias. We took it without having even toured it. Who knew that we would wake up to see the splendour of the Sierra Nevada from our balcony? We were happy not to sleep in the car.
Right. So now you're in—England? Why?
The Canadian visa in the Schengen Area, which includes Spain, lasts for only 90 days, after which we were required by law to leave for another 90 days. Schengen encompasses Portugal, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and just about everywhere else except the UK and Ireland, so our options for a cheap next-stop were limited. Meantime, Tim, who has become a good friend, had just purchased a property right on the seaside at St. Leonard's-on-Sea, and offered to rent it out to us at a good rate.
Right. So what's next? When are you coming back to Canada?
Don't know, and don't know.
But you're coming back, right?
Yes, that's the plan. We just don't know when, exactly.
Have you concluded your work with Zambia?
There is still much to be done and there is work from away that we can do. However, we found ourselves in the unfortunate situation of needing to work like mad to get our heads back above water, which dampened the momentum we had with the project. More work is possible in the future.
Would you go back?
Definitely. But we have to be able to work, no matter where we are.
Hopefully this clears a few things up... I'll resume my travel musings shortly. It occurred to me to switch blogs to do so, but I don't think that I will. The work we are doing with Virtual High School is good work, and it is also "chance building" for many students all over the world. There is great potential for online learning to do even more. This blog's name has outlasted the plan it was intended to label, and has gone on to encompass something else. I cannot help but be happy about that.
—Vance
But there have been so many questions, that I thought I'd perhaps dedicate this re-entry blog to answering the main ones.
Why did you leave Zambia?
From the very beginning, the idea was to continue to teach and write whilst working on the Zambian school. While internet is accessible, and sufficient for emails, blog postings and the occasional grading of student work, it was not sufficient for the development and research that we needed to do. The message isn't so much "never again" as "not yet."
Perhaps, then, it was a tad inconvenient, or less comfortable than you had in mind?
Trust me, comfort had nothing to do with it. Two weeks before leaving, the first time that we came to the conclusion that we'd need to leave, we had something of a breakdown at the mud hut, our first home, on some of the richest and most beautiful land in the world. We profoundly did not want to leave. We determined to redouble our efforts to stay, coordinating time at cafés and hotels in Solwezi to get ahead. It was like spinning tires in mud, making it worse. Money was required to pay for internet space and time, and with frequent power-outs and internet downtime, we lost more than we made. We needed another plan before we ran out of money completely.
So it wasn't a matter that Zambia itself was a part of the problem?
If Zambia didn't have a host of challenges, we would not have been there in the first place. There is a lot of good work going on, and there is a lot of good work that is yet to be done. Of course Zambia's infrastructure was a part of the problem, but that wasn't directly why we left. We left because we could not afford to stay.
So why Spain?
One evening in Kitwe, at a YMCA internet café, we studied options for plane tickets. The goal was to find the cheapest ticket to a country with reliable internet. The winner: Lusaka to Barcelona by way of Johannesburg and Istanbul.
OK, but you ended up in Granada, half-way across Spain from Granada. How'd that happen?
The night before departure, we investigated cheap rental properties in Spain that would include internet. Most of them were at or near Costa del Sol. We rented a car in Barcelona (for very cheap) and drove there, attempting to call and email landlords along the way. The first person to return the call was Tim Shepstone, who had a beautiful and cheap place in Acequias. We took it without having even toured it. Who knew that we would wake up to see the splendour of the Sierra Nevada from our balcony? We were happy not to sleep in the car.
Right. So now you're in—England? Why?
The Canadian visa in the Schengen Area, which includes Spain, lasts for only 90 days, after which we were required by law to leave for another 90 days. Schengen encompasses Portugal, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and just about everywhere else except the UK and Ireland, so our options for a cheap next-stop were limited. Meantime, Tim, who has become a good friend, had just purchased a property right on the seaside at St. Leonard's-on-Sea, and offered to rent it out to us at a good rate.
Right. So what's next? When are you coming back to Canada?
Don't know, and don't know.
But you're coming back, right?
Yes, that's the plan. We just don't know when, exactly.
Have you concluded your work with Zambia?
There is still much to be done and there is work from away that we can do. However, we found ourselves in the unfortunate situation of needing to work like mad to get our heads back above water, which dampened the momentum we had with the project. More work is possible in the future.
Would you go back?
Definitely. But we have to be able to work, no matter where we are.
Hopefully this clears a few things up... I'll resume my travel musings shortly. It occurred to me to switch blogs to do so, but I don't think that I will. The work we are doing with Virtual High School is good work, and it is also "chance building" for many students all over the world. There is great potential for online learning to do even more. This blog's name has outlasted the plan it was intended to label, and has gone on to encompass something else. I cannot help but be happy about that.
—Vance
Silly Vance... I don't care where you are or what you are doing! I just want to hear about YOU! and Kristen???!!! (well this is a new development). Anyway my friend, I hope you are well and think of you often when I hear the cadets march down my street here in Brussels. Would love a catch up whenever you get a chance....or are in the country! Take care my friend.
ReplyDeleteLiz