Zambia Part 2

Zambia Part 2

Hi Kids!

Your friend Flat Stanley here. I know that first grade is almost over for you. When I come back home to the United States, you will already be having summer vacation. Will you be traveling too?

Last time I wrote I was visiting a school in Zambia. Well, I was able to join my friend Dr. Clarke and drive around the city of Lusaka in a Land Cruiser truck! Here I am getting ready for our day trip. Caio, you asked about the cars here. In the city, the roads are paved, and all kinds of cars are used. Out in the country, the roads here are made of dirt, and when it rains the dirt turns to mud. Regular cars would get stuck, so people use jeeps, Land Cruisers, or other big trucks.

I noticed that many people do not have sinks in their homes. Some people have to walk down the road every morning to get water for bathing or drinking. There is a town well that brings the water up through a hose. Other places have a pump, where people have to push a handle up and down to get water. Here are some boys in the neighborhood doing the morning chore of filling water buckets to bring back to their home.

Wow, we are sure lucky to have water in our homes! These boys are good helpers though and I'm sure they made their parents happy helping with chores.

After our drive around the city we decided to go on safari. Do you know what a safari is? That's right, it is when you go searching for animals in the wild. Many people think of Africa when they think about safari. Did you know that you can go on a safari in your very own backyard? All you need is a hat, some sunscreen, a pencil and paper to write down what you see and maybe a pair of binoculars. You look around nature and try to find as many insects, birds or animals that you can find. It is important to be nice to the animals so that you do not disturb them.

Both Anna and Gloria Linda asked about the animals in Zambia. Here are some of the animals I saw on my Africa safari. Can you name them?

Which animal is your favorite?

Someone else asked what kind of clothes people wear. In the big city of Lusaka, where we are staying, people dress just like we do in the USA. This is called Western clothing. Look at a world map. Do you know why it might be called that?  Here are a group of boys and their teacher. Their shirts, shorts and pants look like the things we wear. Do you know what game they are going to play after their picture is made?

That's right! Soccer! It is the favorite sport of the country.

People who live out in the country often wear traditional clothes. City folks dress like this too for special holidays and festivals.

This is the one picture that we did not take ourselves. Dr. Clarke found it on the computer, so we could show you. The colors are bright, and the clothes are often homemade. The jewelry has a ot of beads and shells. Does it look a bit like the traditional clothes in another African country that I visited?.

That's all, first graders.  Have a great summer vacation and thank you for being such good readers!

Your friend,

Flat Stanley

Hello from Zaire

Zambia School Trip!

Hello!
It's your friend Flat Stanley here. I bet you have been wondering where I have been? Let me see if you can guess...It is one of the largest continents and is known for elephants and zebras. That's right! AFRICA! Africa is a big place with many countries. I traveled to the country of Zambia with my friend Dr. Clarke. We flew into Zambia's capital city, Lusaka. Mrs. North told me that you wondered if it is rainy or dry in Zambia. It can be both, there is a rainy and a dry season. We arrived at the end of rainy season, so everything was very green.

Zambia is in the middle of southern Africa.  Keyasia asked about the schools here. I am glad that I got to visit one so I can show it to you. Below is a picture of me visiting a school in Zambia. It is called Kondwa Centre. Kondwa means happy in the local language...Nyanja. On the playground wall they had a map of Africa and Zambia inside it...Zambia is shaped a bit like a butterfly some people say. What do you think?

I had a fun time visiting the school in Lusaka. They have a playground, 4 classrooms and many colorful drawings on the wall designed by the students. Many of the children do not have much money, so the school provides each student with two meals a day and a toothbrush! Do you eat breakfast and lunch at Richmond Drive, too? I packed my own toothbrush in my backpack so I could join in on the fun! Here are the bags where students keep their toothbrushes...

 

We drove to a fruit orchard that belongs to the school. Ellison asked what kinds of different foods they eat here, and Alex asked what types of different trees and plants they have. In the orchard I saw things that answer both questions! Here is a picture I took of Dr. Clarke with Mrs. Angela. Mrs. Angela is the school principal and is very nice.

They are standing next to guava trees. Do you know what a guava is? They also had mango, banana and papaya growing in the orchard. My tummy was full afterwards! Have you ever eaten any of these fruits? Would you like to try some?

We drove around Lusaka in a big car. Nora, I heard you were wondering about the houses in Zambia. :) Most of the homes are very different from Rock Hill. Homes in Zambia are often made of concrete blocks and metal roofs. It makes a lot of noise on the roof when it rains, but that is exciting.

 

I'll send another report from Zambia soon. Ja'Cari asked about the language that they speak in Zambia. As I said earlier, it is called Nyanja. Now I'll leave you with a lesson on how to say "Thank you" in Nyanja..."Zikomo kwambire"! Give it a try and you and your classmates will be speaking like a Zambian too!

Your friend,
Flat Stanley

More Haiti!

Hello First Graders!

This week I spent a lot of time in our Hotel room while Dr. Fitter was busy working, but one afternoon he did take me out for a ride.

Ja'Cari asked me about how people talk in Haiti. One of the fun things about Haiti is that they speak several languages.  The main languages here are Creole and French.  A lot of the signs are in both languages.

Here is a sign that I saw.  Can you see the French?  It is written in blue letters on the bottom of the sign. Can you see the Creole? It is written in black letters on the top of the sign.  They look alike and sometimes sound alike, but are different languages. 

Nora wanted to know about animals in Haiti. Many families have pet dogs, as they do in the United States. I saw a lot of dogs in neighborhoods. The wild animals that I have seen are little frogs and lizards. Because Haiti is on an island, there are lots of beaches. There you can see crabs, and fish in the water.

 We went and visited a school here.  It was really cool and the teachers were  really nice. 


                           


This is the National School in Hatte Chevreau.  Dr. Fitter held me up so I could see the sign better.  I went inside and the teacher showed me the classroom.  That was fun. We laughed a lot!



They even gave me my own seat at one of the desks.  Because it was late in the afternoon, the children had already gone home. That was disappointing. I wish I could have met some kids.

Does this classroom look like yours at all? How is it different?

 

My stay here is almost over. Tomorrow I will fly back to the USA. Traveling is great fun, but there's no place like home!

 

See yoiu soon,

Flat Stanley

In Haiti

 

Hi kids!

So, I've made it to Haiti with Dr Fitter.  Dr Fitter works with Dr Appelgren.  He brought me along to see Haiti and visit some spots with him and his colleagues.  We arrived on Wednesday in Port au Prince. Caio, that is the capital, and the largest city. It has more than a million people. It is larger than Charlotte, which is the city near where you live.

Ellison asked if I am having fun in Haiti. Yes I am! On my first day we were driving around and I saw some interesting things.

This is a picture of a tap-tap.  They are like buses down here.  They are extremely colorful and people hop on and off them as they make their way through town.  I was very impressed with the designs and the paintings on them.  Darren wants to know what kinds of clothes they wear. You can see in this picture that a lot of the people wear clothes that are similar to those that we have in the United States. 

When I was traveling, I was able to see some of the country.  Here is a picture of me next to a lake.  It was really big!

Jaelin asked about mountains. You can see low hills in the background of the picture I have seen a lot of these. Yes, Haiti has mountains too, but I haven't been there yet.

                              

Alexander asked about the plants and trees that grow here.

Haiti is in the Caribbean and it's pretty warm! All plants that like hot weather grow well in Haiti. The hibiscus is the national flower. Isn't it pretty? 

            

There are palm trees and banana trees too. Once there were a lot more trees in Haiti, but many of them have been cut down for firewood. People are trying to replant many areas, so that Haiti will have more trees again.

That is all for now. I will be here for one more week. I will write again, and try to answer more of your questions.

Your friend,

Flat Stanley

Washington State!

Hi everyone!

Now I am in Washington State on the other side of the country!  If you go to the beach here you would even see a different ocean!  If you to the beach in South Carolina which ocean do you see?
If you go to the beach in Washington State you would see the Pacific Ocean!

I am going to answer your questions.  Someone asked if there are cities there.  Yes, there are some big cities and some small cities, but I went to an area where there are just farms and lakes.  I even took a picture for you!

Here I am by the lake!  As you can see, it was very cold!  There was even part of the lake that was frozen- look!

Someone also asked if I saw animals.  Yes- I saw a bighorn sheep!  It is seen in the mountains here and lives in the wild.  When we were driving we saw it eating grass by the side of the road.  Those horns look dangerous!

The males are called rams, the females are called ewes, and the babies are called lambs- just like regular sheep on a farm!  These sheep live on their own in the forest, though.  When the babies are born they start walking the same day.  Do any of you have baby brothers and sisters?  I bet it took them a lot longer to start walking!

Someone asked what I am doing.  I am helping Dr. Appelgren while she talks to the other doctors about some people who got sick.  She is trying to help figure out what made them sick so that we can help to prevent other people from getting sick.   I think that we are doing a good job!

When we drive around we see a lot of farms.  I know that on Rock Hill farms people grow cotton, corn, and even strawberries.  I learned over Thanksgiving that people in Florida grow oranges.  Here the weather is different so farms grow different things- like grapes, apples, and cherries.  Yum!  

I also saw a LOT of snow!!!!  I was afraid that I would get buried under the snow like these cars!  Brrrrrr.....

Finally, someone asked if I had seen a school.  Well, no, I didn't get the chance to go to a regular school this time but I did see a different kind of school- a ski school!  Kids here go to regular school during the week but on the weekend for a special treat they might get to go to ski school.  They all ski together in a line and try not to fall down.  It looks fun!

Do you see the teacher in the red coat?  All the kids have to wear blue vests so that she can find everyone in her class!  Sometimes they would fall down but the snow was soft so they were okay.

Well, that's it.  I guess that I should head back to Rock Hill soon.  I can hardly wait for my next adventure!!!

Your friend,
Flat Stanley

More Kenya!

Hi kids!

I am still in Kenya.  Did I tell you that Dr. Appelgren came with me to Kenya?  She did!  She is working on a project here and is showing me around.  She is helping me to answer some of your questions. 

Some kids asked about the plants that grow here.  On the farms, they grow many things, including things your family might have for breakfast.  They grow coffee, tea, and corn (grits are made from ground corn!).  They also grow other yummy stuff like sweet potatoes! 

One special food that they eat here is called ugali (you say it "oo-gah-lee").  It is made from corn, too, and it is like really thick, dry grits.  Here is a picture of Dr. Appelgren eating ugali:

Do you see how she is holding a small bit of the ugali?  She takes a little bit and uses it to pick up the greens she is eating.  Many people use the ugali to pick up and eat vegetables and meat.  It is always important to wash your hands before eating, but it is even more important when you are eating with your hands!  Do you see something in the picture that Dr. Appelgren used to wash her hands?

Someone else asked about cities and the places that people live.  There are big cities in Kenya.  The biggest is Nairobi, the capital.  Here is a picture:

It looks just like many cities in the US, there are apartment buildings and hotels and even shopping malls.  Many people live here, but many people also live in much smaller communities like this one:

And in the areas where there are hardly any houses, I saw houses made of sticks and other natural materials:

In houses like this there is no electricity and no running water.  It is also hard to keep the mosquitoes out.  That is a problem because the mosquitoes here can make people sick when they bite them. 

Someone asked about schools, too.  There are many schools in Kenya that are in the city and have many classrooms, but I saw a classroom in a very tiny village where all of the children of all ages are taught together.  They do not have their own desks, and there aren't many books.  It makes me think about how lucky we are at Richmond Drive to have such a nice school!

Do you see the special red clothes that the teacher is wearing?  He is a member of the Masai tribe.  Many of the people in Nairobi wear clothes just like the clothes in Rock Hill, but in a Masai village the men all wear these special red clothes.  They also do a famous kind of dance where they jump very high!  Look!

Isn't that cool?
I love to meet new people and learn about how they live.  Every country that I go to has so many special things to learn!  I am coming back to the US now though.  See you soon!

Your friend,
Flat Stanley

Jambo!

Hi Kids!  Jambo!

Jambo is Swahili for "hello"!  Swahili and English are two of the main languages spoken here in Kenya.  Now you can say hello in English, Spanish, Chinese, and Swahili- WOW!

Things have been so busy here!  I got to go on a safari- that is a trip where you drive around in the areas where animals live and take pictures of them.  Here are some of my favorite pictures- do you know which animals they are?

I saw a LOT of zebras!

Why did the elephant cross the road?

It was the chicken's day off!!!  Haha!

Do you see the mountain in the background of this picture?  That is Mount Kilimanjaro, it is the highest mountain in the whole continent of Africa!  It is actually in the country of Tanzania but you can see it from Kenya!

Giraffes, of course!  I'll bet you knew that one!

This one is hard!  These are wildebeests, also known as gnus.  Wildebeest means "wild cattle", and they are related to antelopes and are very distantly related to cows!  Do you see the babies in the picture?  They can grow up to weigh almost 600 pounds!!

The crested crane, one of the many pretty birds I saw.

I hope that you liked my pictures!  Next time I will write more about the people that I met here and the cities.  I'll write more soon!  Until then- Hakuna Matata!  (that means "no problem" in Swahili- there is a song about it in the movie the Lion King!  There is a lot of swahili in that movie- did you know that Simba is Swahili for "lion"?  It's true!)

Your friend,
Flat Stanley