Trip to Zambia - Part 6 (Church & AFCON Final)

It is interesting to watch a family get ready for church. Everyone has their own routines and ways of getting ready. I used to think that it took effect for my family to get out the door and to church on time, but compared to the Kaomas, we were quick. J I don’t mean for this to sound as if I am putting them down, because I’m not; it is just interesting to note the similarities and differences in family dynamics across the globe. We start with the typical timetable given by the parents, “We want to leave by ‘such & such’ a time” and then the parents continue getting ready for church, thinking that the children are doing the same. Little do they know that the children’s timetable is a lot slower, especially because its morning, and they don’t really pay attention to the time.

I think we made it out the door and on our way to church about 15 minutes after they wanted to leave, which isn’t too shabby considering there were 8 adults and an infant getting ready and piling into the vehicle to go. We picked up their youngest daughter on the way to church because she had spent the night at a friend’s house.

I will never look at Pittsburgh potholes the same way again. I used to think they were pretty bad, and in some areas they are, but compared to the road that we took to get to church, they’re child’s play. I don’t know how the drivers manage to maneuver around some of these potholes without getting stuck – they are very skilled and well-practiced in avoiding them. They have an added obstacle of pedestrians walking throughout the street, usually in the way of the cars because they’re also trying to avoid the potholes as they walk.

The church we went to meets in a school about 30 minutes outside of Lusaka. Similar to the Dzaleka Camp church, they gave Kayla and I and Mrs. & Mrs. Kaoma, seats of honor along the wall beside the podium. There were only about 30 people there, but it was a joyful service. The pastor (Kayla has the names written down, check her blog to find out J) opened us up with a ‘Bible Start’ lesson, going through some scriptures and then asking for some testimonies from anyone who wanted to share.

After Kalengule’s message, the pastor said that they had something to give us to show us how much they love us and appreciate us coming to join them for church. They gave us flowers! Granted, they are fake flowers, but that just means they will last for a long, long time and be a ready reminder of our time in Zambia. J

Before heading to lunch, we had to stop and see about purchasing our bus tickets for the ride home the next morning. Kalengule gave us a couple different options, but we all three seemed to agree on one that would get us home by Monday night. You can read my next post to see all the details – it was definitely a looong day of travel, but worth it to be sleeping in our own beds in Blantyre.

We went out to eat for lunch to Shaka’s Grill (Shaka is a great warrior in Africa – there was some interesting history about him on the menu), though by the time we got our food it was closer to dinner time. This was another reminder of America for Kayla and I because the restaurant was in a mall, right next to the movie theatre! The food was delicious and we had the opportunity to talk with the Kaoma’s son and get to know him a little better.

We had heard that the game was going to start at 8:30 or 9:30pm, so on the way home from eating, we stopped to pick up some ice cream for celebration. The kids also went and found some fun glasses to wear with their chitenjes – I’ve posted some pictures in my Facebook group with them. Kayla and I were also able to stock up on some snacks for the ride home – including 50 cent sugar donuts that tasted delicious! J

We were finally back at the Kaoma’s house and we basically had to hurry up and wait for the game to start. Kayla and I finished up our packing so we would be ready to leave at 4:00 am the next morning. Some other family members came over to join us for the game, so the girls were fixing some food in the kitchen. Kayla and I were both pretty tired from all of our travels the past few days – we didn’t know if we’d be able to stay up to watch the game (which we did find out started at 9:30, ugh!) or not.

Around 8pm, they had the opening ceremonies for the game, which was pretty neat to watch – it reminded me a little bit of the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony, though not nearly has intricate or detailed. Once the opening ceremonies had finished, I decided to take a nap since I knew we’d be up for a while. I got about 20 minutes of rest in before the game started and the cheering began.

Kayla and I aren’t big soccer fans and watching this final confirmed that for us both. The game is 90 minutes long and neither team scored during that whole time. Zambia came close a couple of times, though. Since they have to have a winner, they had to play another 15 minute overtime session and whoever was ahead by the end of that time was the winner. Again, neither side scored (and there may have been two 15 minute periods for overtime – I can’t remember) so now the game would be determined by penalty kicks. Each team had 5 kicks – Ivory Coast had the first kick so if they made it and Zambia didn’t, they would win.

I think it was the third kick for Ivory Coast and the player missed it, causing an uproar in the Kaoma household because Zambia now had the chance to win. Well, during the commotion, there was apparently something wrong with the kick and the player was given another chance to kick; and of course he made it in. Five kicks on each team and all of them scored. Now begins the next round of penalty kicks – remember how I said the game started at 9:30pm, and it has two periods of 45 minutes each with a 15 minute halftime – yeah, it was close to, if not after midnight as these last few penalty shots were being taken. I think it was the eighth penalty kick that an Ivory Coast player missed and a Zambian player made it – winning the AFCON Final for Zambia for the first time in their history!! That was an awesome moment to witness, not just on television, but in the Kaoma’s house as well. There was such jubilation and celebration – they immediately went outside to blow their vuzuzwelas, honk the car horn and cheer with everyone else in their city.

What made this win extra special was the fact that they dedicated it to some fallen teammates. In 1993, the Zambians had made it to the final game, but did not win. On the way home, the plane that they players were in crashed and killed them (reminds of the ‘We Are Marshal’ movie – a great story if you’ve never seen it!). This win was a moment to unite Zambians together as one, and we found out that the Malawians were just as excited and celebrated right alongside their neighbors.

Though it was a late night and only allowed Kayla and I to get about two and a half hours of sleep, I wouldn’t have traded the experience for anything. I feel privileged to be able to say that I was in Zambia when they won the AFCON Cup for the first time. J