The Yoo's (picture stolen from Dr. Yoo's blog)
Paul and Janie Yoo are a husband-wife medical missionary couple who are 4 1/2 years into their 6 year commitment to serving in Zambia. Paul went to dental school at Loma Linda, while Janie did med school and ophthalmology residency at Loma Linda before completing her corneal fellowship at Harvard. Their kids Jaycee and Zachariah are 3 and 1, respectively, and always keep things entertaining.
My first night in Lusaka, the Yoos had me over to their house, where I got to meet the family and their dog Chino, and enjoy a dinner of curry, white rice, and Korean pancakes, with chocolate chip walnut bread and mango ice cream for dessert!
That first weekend, I attended church nearby the hospital with the Yoos. As Zambia is currently in the rainy period of fall, what had been a warm, sunny day prior to the church service turned into a warm, rainy day by the end of service.
As we rode the 3- minute ride back from church to the eye hospital, I saw little Zachariah staring out the back window, and imagined he was wondering who this soaking wet man riding in the back of the pick-up truck with a crazy grin on his face was.
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The country of Zambia, described geographically as a "figure 8" in the Lonely Planet guidebook, is bordered by the Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Tanzania. 23 years to the day before I was born, Zambia gained its independence from the British, inaugurating Kenneth Kaunda as its first prime minister. Among other things, Kaunda apparently urbanized the country so that over 50% of the population lived in cities. This trend has reversed to an extent in more recent times so that now the rural population is higher than it was previously. There are 6 or 7 commonly spoken languages in the country- English is the predominant one, owing to Zambia's former status as a British colony, and Nyanja is also spoken commonly. Zambia is also generally considered one of the safest countries in Africa (my parents are probably relieved to hear).
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There's an ineffable sensation that occurs while in the African countryside, at least for me as I absorb the visual stimuli of lush green foliage splayed over rolling hills against a deep blue sky full of white billowing clouds. I often think of the character Levin in Tolstoy's Anna Karenina who, perhaps over-idealistically, feels a oneness with the land as he works on his estate, and a genuineness and sense of vitality there he does not feel while mingling among Russian high society.
This past weekend, all of us who are currently living at Lusaka Eye Hospital took a trip about an hour southwest of the city to Riverside Farm Institute, in the town of Kifue. In addition to the Yoos, An- a senior ophthalmology resident at Loma Linda, Kaleb- an accountant who just finished up at Walla Walla University and is spending a year here, and JoyJoy- a Bangladeshi dentist, are all spending time at the hospital. While attending church at the institute, we met Jabel, the current director of RFI.
Jabel spent his childhood growing up at Riverside Farm Institute, as well as other African countries such as Tanzania, and a few years ago returned to his childhood home. He and his wife Michelle had also worked in Sudan during the late '90s/early 2000's during the Sudanese civil war in between time back in the US. Along the way, they had four kids who they're now raising in their home partway up one of the mountains in the institute.
View from the front yard of Jabel and Michelle's home where we engaged in an intense game of soccer with the kids
One year old Zachariah and his new cat friend
Road leading up to their home
The 3,000 acre plot on which the institute sits, Jabel explained, formerly belonged to a certain Dr. J.G. Foster, who had practiced in Lusaka in the early-mid 1900's. Foster had been well known for treating Zambians and non-Zambians, unlike many other doctors who only treated white patients at that time. When Foster retired he wanted to use his land to develop programs which would help enrich the lives of local Zambians, and the Riverside Farm Institute was born. Jabel also told us a story about how Dr. Foster treated many patients with leprosy, whose condition often progressed to the point where they could not close their eyes. According to Jabel, Foster would rewire the patient's facial nerves so that when they opened their mouths, their eyes would close and they would blink! I'm not sure if it was apocryphal or not but ophthalmology resident Anh realized that it was a similar phenomenon to a condition she had learned about in residency called Marcus-Gunn pupil.
The institute itself is now home to a variety of programs, including agricultural/engineering projects, a medical clinic, a mobile dental clinic, and Bible classes.
rows and rows of banana trees
Jaycee cheesing for the camera
The crops, including bananas, wheat, and soybeans sustain all other activities on the farm
Jaycee chatting with her friends up front
Rehab center for patients with strokes, heart conditions, and those recovering from chemical addictions
baobab tree
Kifue river, which is inhabited by hippos and crocodiles. Fun fact- hippos are one of the most lethal animals in Africa
We also got to meet Paul, who's spending some time in Zambia before starting medical school, as well as his wife Michelle, and Rachel, a recently graduated nurse spending a year in Chad and Zambia.
All in all, it was a rejuvenating day and a chance to tap a little more into the lifeblood of the country of Zambia.
Group picture after lunch (back row, L to R- JoyJoy, An, Rachel, Michelle, Mackenzie, Jabel, Paul, Katie, Kaleb; front row, L to R- yours truly, Hudson, Mrs. Yoo, Jaycee, Paul, Janie, Zachariah)
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