Adventure in Livingstone

Since House of Hope opened two years ago I have wanted to take the children to Livingstone. The majestic Victoria Falls is there. None of the children had ever been to a city either, so I thought it would be a really fun experience for them. I kept telling them “one day”. I decided now was the time, so I recruited my dad to help me, and we were off for the long journey to Livingstone.

When we arrived at Victoria Falls they saw monkeys and baboons! The kids loved them! They enjoyed watching them climb and use their hands. We walked over to the David Livingstone Statue. The kids had never seen a statue before! They were amazed by how big it was, and how real it looked. Tecra later told me the statue was her favorite part, and she started telling people that she saw David Livingstone. I keep correcting her that she saw a statue of David Livingstone.

They loved the falls and knowing that the very same water that was there is coming our way to make Lake Kariba. Jubec said his favorite part was going over the bridge to a small island for a beautiful view of the falls. After seeing the falls we walked down to what is called the boiling point. It is over 300 feet down a steep path to the place where the water swirls after the falls before it runs through the Batoka Gorge. It was beautiful and the kids loved it.

We took them for a drive around one of the local hotels so they could see zebra and impala. The kids liked that a lot! When Faith first saw the impala I didn’t see it so I asked her what it looked like. She said “Like a big goat that’s brown.” We also saw a statue of an eland and the kids thought it was a cow! I hope to one day show them more animals but April is not a good time for that.

I took them to a chicken restaurant here called Hungry Lion. The kids had never been to a proper restaurant before. They were really confused. “Bashedi, how are we going to eat now? Where are we going to cook?”

The idea of buying food someone else cooked had not occurred to them! Afterwards they ate ice cream in a cone. I have given them ice cream before, but they wanted the try ice cream in a cone like the books show. They loved it! I showed them Shoprite, our main grocery store chain. We have a book about grocery shopping and the kids didn’t really get it. They were amazed by how big the store was, and how they sold everything there!

There were plenty of firsts for the kids. They are all full of stories and want to go back. I am so happy I was able to share this experience with the kids! I love showing them their beautiful country, and helping them experience more of the world.

Sheri Jones