Networking day...

Hi

Firstly thanks to all those who have emailed etc - its great to know people are reading this and I'm not just blogging into the darkness.

What a bizarre day - I was tired - the rains arrived last night big style - wham bam thunder and lightening on the roof of my hut! I think the whole village was on go slow this morning.

Anyway we went to hand in the application for funding for the school - a long process - off to the internet cafe to print it (the school has no printer - and then it transpired the internet cafe had no paper) - then to the photocopying stall in the market 0- and lastly to stationary shool to buy an envelope - Donata said this wasn't needed - but I insisted that we dont o a funding bid with no envelope.

Anyway we then went to the Council to hand it in - and madness took over - I was ferried from Office to Office meeting people talking to them about why I am here - I met teh head of teh Counclil, the HIV team, Planning, Social Welfare, Procurement, Education, District Comissioner and Health - meetings were stopped for my arrival!

I suggested to Donata that we needed more to say than 'hello' so we will eb returning next week with the business plan -(which I still have to write - guess that's the weekend). Then in teh street we bumped into teh local Chief - who gifted the land for the new school - so an invite to the Palace follows to present said business plan.


Moving on Donata was stopping all and sundry to introduce me - she then had to go to the bank to get her pension - its fourteen quid and took 90 minutes to withdraw - I took the opportunity for a nap under a tree in the bank's grounds.

This afternoon we went to the site of the new school - its in the poor area of the village - over the bridge where I am not allowed to go without being accompanied. Its on a plateau on teh top of a hill - its roasting hot with views to local grantite hills - and surrounded by mud and straw huts - it was in real Africa with Ox's ploughing the ground - and the people here really did have nothing. Donata told me this was also where she lived - I just gulped and carried on.

We walked back to the to0wn attracting local kids following the Mzungu - White Man - like the Pied Piper of Hamlyn - and then  set a list of things to do - word seems to be getting out that there's a stranger in town. I am to meet the local MP on Monday, the Community Radio Station are makinga  programme about me - I tried to hold out for a series - and it now looks as though I may be meetying teh Zambian education Minister for Education before I leave.

Other than that the vollage and school want me to return - with some Rathbone young people next year - go get teh cash for that Rossy!

And Bev re your note on sending things / helping - watch this space....

Anyway apologies for the bad typing - I am racing both the lighta nd teh rain (which will mean a power cut)

And - apparently its Caterpillars for tea - can't wait.........

Good news there was Watermelon in the Market - though Donata is outraged that I was ripped of because I paid 40p for it!

Take care all