World Malaria Day

Photos from World Malaria Day (WMD) events in Lusaka (my photos) and in Livingstone (where todd gets photo credits).

WMD candlelight vigil at the Anglican Cathedral in Lusaka

At the ceremony unveiling the First Lady's MTCT billboard (above and below)

(Above) Zambia's First Lady, Maureen Mwanawasa

One of 31 Cycling Association of Zamia (CAZ) cyclists doing the 920km Race Against Malaria from Serenje to Livingstone

(above) Alice and Ester at WMD events in Livingstone

(above, l-r) Dr. Awa Coll-Seck Executive Director of Roll Back Malaria, Princess Astrid of Belgium, RBM Malaria Ambassador Yvonne Chaka Chaka

Cyclists in Livingstone - the end of the race!

while waiting

I accompanied TJ out to a training for his work with the hopes of photographing malaria survey workers in action in Chongwe. Finny came along, too...and he spotted this strange character dancing it's way across the path and into a patch of nastertiums.

Flap Necked Chameleon

Chamaeleo dilepis

(this is what we think this is - please correct me if we are not correct!)

Owen's school...the big mystery

School seems great – Owen started in K at the American International School. AIS has a great campus, small classes (16 in Owen’s class - I know, teachers in Seattle, most of whom have an impossible 28 kids in their classes are green with envy over this as they should be. Let’s work to get class size down in Seattle Schools!) .

Todd has been bringing Owen to and fro so I am kind of in the dark about the details of school and Owen’s school day…I know they have watched a scary movie in French class, I know they did PE and Owen STILL doesn’t have his school uniform (which is only for PE), I know he ate his lunch and snack down to the last crumb the first day but ate a few peanuts the second day. I know they had a birthday party and he got a piece of pink cake and brought a balloon home for Finn. I know that he met the US Ambassador on Friday b/c she came to officially open the new ‘early learning center’ which is the new preschool facility. I know they had a substitute teacher on Friday. This is all I know. I really miss being able to drop him off and pick him up, pop in, and of course to work in the classroom.

School is in session until June 20th…they just had a 2 week break (I think Seattle has break this week as well). The public schools, “government schools” are coming to their break this week – the kids go three months on, one month off. I think all of these school have great uniforms – jumpers, sweaters, slacks, button-down shirts – which I was really looking forward to for O. No such luck. The kids look so nice walking to school in packs – all in their school colors. Owen just has his leopard logo AIS tee-shirt and black shorts for PE twice a week.

In the end, he's happy with school and glad to go. Getting out the door is tough - school starts at 7:15, out at 2pm.