Well, I haven't slaughtered anything recently, but I did eat a catipillar and some impalla!!
With the chicken, I kept telling myself that it was for the cultural experince, as was the catipillar. However, I do think that the cultural experience can only take me so far, and the catipillar was pretty close to crossing the line!! They tasted just as bad as they smelled!! The impalla wasn't too bad; but I certainly wouldn't recommend catipillars for your next dinner party.

So apparently everyone in Kakolo village knows where I live. One of our trainers strongly encouraged us to explore when we got posted to our sites. He said that it was impossible for a PCV to get lost becuase everyone will know where we live. So clearly, because I have the worst sense of direction in the entire universe, I got lost (in my own village) walking home from tech training. Someone had put some new hay on the ground and since it wasn't there in the morning, I was just lost. So I remembered the advice that was given, and asked some lady walking down the road (with a baby on her back) for some help. The only problem being that I couldn't remember the name of my host family. So I went to this lady and simply said "I don't know where I live". She laughed and walked me all the way home!! Then she and my BaMayo laughed at me some more.

My days here are pretty routine. I get up around 6:00 am and tool around in my hut for a bit before going to take a bucket bath. Then comes breakfast, usually bread and jam and a hard boiled egg. Then it's off to language training, which is held under a tree in our language trainers front yard. I am there until 12:00. Then it's home for lunch, which is always a mystery. Yesterday it was potatoes, just potatoes..... During the afternoon I have tech training, which is about our HIV/AIDS program specifically, or Peace Corps. I am there until around 17:00 or so. then I'm home for another bucket bath and dinner, which again is a mystery. Last night it was rice and beans. After dinner, I sit and talk with my host family (utilizing the 5 sentences I know in Bemba over and over again), and it's off to bed at 20:00. I know, I know, I'm really pushing the envelope staying up until 8:00 pm!!!

People have been asking what to send in packages, so I've made a small list:

• Crystal Light individual packets (any flavor)
• Rechargable Batteries (AA and AAA)
• Any kind of sugarless gum
• Combos or Hot and Spicey Chex Mix
• Gallon size zipping zip lock bags
• Loofah's
• Anything else that seems interesting ^_^

We are going on our second site visit next week. So I will write all about it when I return. Thanks to everyone who has sent letters. I love you all and miss you.