Curious Adventures in Livingstone

Oh wow, oh wow, oh wow. What an exciting moment! The most fantastic thing happened today. Really a miracle.

I'm in Livingston! Another face of Zambia. We left Macha this morning and traveled down the bumpy road, through the bush, past fertile fields and on into the city of Choma. Discombobulated Choma. We boarded a bus for Livingstone, one of the adventure capitals of the world, known as the neighbor to the Victoria Falls, one of the natural wonders of the world. We arrived in one piece and found Jolly Boys, an exotic Indonesia meets Africa lodge with a pool and a bar and hot showers. I thought I swore off hostels, but this is a backpacker's paradise. It's so clean I could live here. Hammocks and cushions and clean beautiful rooms under straw roofs. I think we found Paradise. And tomorrow we see the Victoria Falls! The main street in Livingstone has everthing you could want, and I've never been so content to just walk down a street and stare at the goings on . Rural village and city, farmer and business owner, old fashion and new, face to face, all thrown together. It's incredible and just buzzing with life. You absolutely must visit!

After we got here and ordered a beer and lunch we jumped in the pool and then watched a massive 20 minute downpour of rain and lightning and thunder. Incredible; the beautiful mango trees waving in the wind.

I was feeling this horrible guilt this afternoon. Why am I on vacation? Who am I? Why do I get this, when there are people back in Macha sitting at the hospital eating nothing but nshima in the heat. Why do I get this beautiful life? I don't deserve a vacation. I should be home making money. Right? And it was hard to deal with the guilt, and then there's this guilt on top of the guilt because you think, "For God's sake Lauren, enjoy it, drink it in, you're here now, and you'll never know why, but you're here and this is what you have." Then the rain came and helped wash it away. I began to relax and be in my skin and appreciate the moment.

And then, oh so many wonderful things cascaded into the present, one after another, like the Falls, just pouring in. We met up with the Pastor, who I'm tired of calling the Pastor, so we'll call him by his last name, Imasiku, first name Mubuyaeta. We just learned it. Sometime you have to see it spelled out to get it. He lives and is originally from Livingstone, but he runs the church in Matcha. He happened to be home this weekend, so we planned to meet up with him for a meal or something. Little did we know how much time we'd really spend with him.

After a Fanta at a little restaurant, (we all drink Fanta here, very popular) he took us back to an accounting office he works at to introduce us to the owner, Antony. Antony left Sri Lanka 14 years ago to find a better life. He has horrible headaches, low energy levels, and digestive issues, and he was interested when Imasiku told him about BodyTalk, so Imasiku arranged for us to meet. Antony also happens to be an amazing visionary and humanitarian who has overseen the opening of an orphanage in Livingstone and a home for abused girls. Well to make a long story short, he's got a BodyTalk appointment with me in the morning, we're attending a fundraising river cruise tomorrow to support his charity that provides refuge and care to sexually abused girls, AND I'm teaching the girls Access the following day!!!! He just picked up the phone and set it up. Can you belive it? I could just cry, or scream, or do cartwheels round a hippo. I'll let you know how it goes. I'm so excited. I'm going to have to look up another word for excited, I use it so much. I'm so honored. Isn't it just magical when things come together, get handed to you, doors are opened, people trust you, your skills are used, the message on your lips that you're just dying to share is heard and understood. And Imasiku hasn't even had BodyTalk, he's just watched John's lecture on DVD. Anyway, lots of love to everyone tonight. Gosea booti.