Today when I was running on the road in Garneton I passed two men walking together in the other direction. One turned around and started running with me! I finally got tired and started walking and he kept in stride right next to me, without speaking a word. I didn't know what to say, so I kept quiet hoping he would get the idea that I wasn't really going to pay attention to him. Finally I said, "Ok, you can go back now!" He replied, "Ok" and just turned around and walked the other way!
One day I was running to the boys ranch, not really focusing on the what was around me because I was listening to my Ipod. It was about the time that the kids get off from school, and I had just passed a group of them in their cute blue uniforms. After a minute or two I looked behind me and they were all running after me! They stayed with me for almost a mile, and more kids joined us as we kept going. I thought it was funny, but I wondered if the Zambians thought, “There goes that crazy white girl again!”
I have been able to meet a lot of people on my afternoon run/walks. On Monday three people gave me their phone numbers so that they could run with me, learn English, or get some work. Sometimes people will try to match my pace and I will talk to them for a while. Many of the kids will try to practice their English, and after I greet them I hear a burst of laughter behind me.
That is so true about kids speaking English to you...they think it's hilarious if you answer back! I used to imagine my little Taiwanese kids thinking, "oh my gosh, it worked!" And then not knowing what to do next. :)
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