Lea In Zambia

2008-02-18T09:25:00.000-05:00

~ Everything Starts As Somebody's Daydream
~Larry Niven

After several months of preperation, we are finally up and running on the Peace Corps website to take donations for our clinic project!!!! I have updated the link to the left of this page... it will take you to the PeaceCorps Partnership Project page for Zambia. Just scroll down until you see my name and you can click on the project for a complete summary of what were doing. There are two different clinic projects, so please be sure to pick the project with my name next to it.

The community and I are busy at work preparing for the "ground breaking" on our clinic project. However, we will not receive any of the funds until we have reached our fundraising goal in full. So this is your chance to help. It will literally be the difference between life and death for the villagers. The area I live in sadly holds the highest maternal death rate in the district due to the distance to the clinic. When our clinic is completed, the journey for health care will be cut to mere kilometers for some, and nearly in half for others. It's a project that will increase the quality of life for everyone in the community. Both the Chief and Chieftainess in the area are supporting our project, and are helping to mobilize the community to contribute their 25% to the project.

This project is certainly not mine though. It belongs to the villagers, and to you; because without your help,this clinic will never become a reality. Help does not always need to come in the form of a monitary donation,we know that making a donation is not always possible, but even telling the people you know about our project willmake all the difference in the world.
It's nearly impossible to explain the extent of suffering and death in the rural village setting, but it's there,and it's real; I see it everyday. The people you are helping are not people you know, but they are my friendsand family in the village. They are people who take care of, and have accepted me into their lives, culture andhomes with open arms. They are as much a part of my life as I am to you.

Our clinic cannot become a reality without your help. Please consider making a donation or telling your friendsand family about our project.

West side Story... Village Style

Last week the girls who fequent my house to play decided that we should have a "girls day". So we sent all the boys home and spent the afternoon cooking, coloring and playing games in my yard. Clearly, the boys were just toocurious about what "us girls" were doing all afternoon, so they would stand on the road "planning their attack",only to be chased and out run by the girls.
By 15:00 it just seemed like too much for the boys to take, and they returned with rocks and sticks, planning to fight their way back into my yard. What they had not expected was that the girls in my yard had an equally strong feeling that they boys should leave them alone. They were met by a "gang" of girls on the road in front of my house... and they too had rocks and sticks... ready to defend their "girls afternoon" with me. It was quite interestingto watch, and all in good fun, so I didn't interfere and let things run their course.

One by one, a girl and a boy would meet in the middle of the "battle field" with their respected rock or stick andthrow friendly insults back and forth at one another. Then at the same time, each would feel embarassed and runback to his/her friends and laugh. Then they would send out another from their team and repeat the process.

(insert background music here... "when you're a Jet you're a Jet all the way...")
Eventually, the girls grew tired of the boys and simply decided to chase them away. I can never be sure just howfar the girls chased the boys, but they returned after about 20 minutes stating that the boys would be leaving usalone from now on, and that we could get back to the "Kabuta Girls Jump Rope Tournament... 2008", which I did not win.

Termites 2... Lea 0...

When I first moved into my hut, the decor consisted of hard mud floors and mud bricks baked in the sun and held together by... you got it... more mud. During my stay in Kabuta, I've made quite a few changes to my house, cementing the floors and painting the walls etc. we even put on a whole new roof because the termites had eaten through the old one. Everything was falling into place, and my house was pretty cute for being a mud hut.

Apparently, the termites were not quite as taken with the home improvement choices I had made and decided to come out by the thousands to prove a point and to make their own "home improvments". The termites decided that thebest place to begin their own home improvements was from the ground up. For months, they silently ate their way through the foundation of my house, and up through the walls. I clearly had no idea that they were there, wagingwar day and night... until last week.

I was on my way to a meeting with Traditional Healers and busy going through the usual routine of shutting all the windows in my house. All of the sudden, the floor in my bedroom simply gave out, and I went crashing through thecement, which had just been neatly polished the day before. so there I was, thigh deep in a hole in the ground.

May I just note, that this incident happened right after a return visit to Americaland... home of good food and,for me, little exercise. Immediately, my first thought was... "oh shoot, I shouldn't have had that extra desert just before getting on the plane to come back". Then I just stood, in the hole in my floor, simply too embarassedto move for a moment... I mean, how could I explain to people with little to no embarassement that I had justbroken through my cement floor!?!?!?

Then it dawned on me... termites!! I hopped out of the hole faster than village children can devour a Flinstone'svitamin (which is the new favorite "sweetie"). After a few moments I worked up the courage to look back down intothe hole in which I had just been standing in; and there they were, in all their glory... thousands of termitesenjoying their afternoon lunch... which consisted of the foundation of my house. To this day, I swear I saw onesmiling at me!

Crashing through the floor was the termites second revenge... they also decided to send their extended familyover into my toilet, which my neighbor Ba Charity had stepped through just the day before!!! And really, if Ihad to pick a floor to fall through, I would have choosen the bedroom floor any day over the toilet floor!!

There haven't been any falling thorugh the floor incidents since then, but I did notice a hollow sound near thefront door of my house... leading me to believe that if I don't watch my step inside, I could very well go crashing through the cement once again. Only this time, I'll know that it's because of the termites, and not that extra piece of cake I had last month!

2007-10-22T04:43:00.000-05:00

Biggest Project Ever!!

Up until recently, every project I've worked on has seemed bigger than the last, and I repeatedly hear myself saying "this is the biggest project ever"... but this time, it really is the biggest project ever. We (the community and I) are well on our way to approval for a Peace Corps Partnership Project to build a new clinic and expand the existing clinic in my catchment area.

The catchment area for my clinic is home to more than 30,000 people and we have 1 clinic with only 2 clinic staff. The furthest village is 58km (36 miles) away from the clinic. Most people don't have bicycles, so they must walk the distance to the clinic. As a result of the distance, we have a high death rate, especially in maternal cases, during transport to the clinic. Also, those who are on ART (Anti-Retroviral Therapy) or TB (Tuberculosis) medication must go to the clinic on a weekly basis to refill their prescription, because of the inaccessibility of the only clinic, many become non-compliant with their medications, causing complications.

The project consists of the construction of a new clinic, 2 staff houses and 7 VIP (Ventilated Improved Pit latrine) in two different sites. We will also be working with the Zambian Government over the next 10 months to ensure a proper staff for our new clinic, and to make the necessary changes to divide our enormous catchment area into two very manageable catchment areas, each with a fully operational clinic.

This is your chance to help, we need to raise around $27,100 in order to successfully complete our much needed clinic project. We are working in partnership with Peace Corps, and will have a web page where you can find more information about our project, as well as make a donation (via credit card or otherwise). Anyone who donates will receive a tax write-off. I have pamphlets available to anyone who needs them, or wants to pass them out. Please spread the word to everyone you know, we can't complete this project without you.

I will post the web link just as soon as I get it. The villagers of Kabuta catchment area and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts for any help you can give. I will be sure to post pictures and updates whenever I can.

Chicken in a Bag!?!? - Bufi!!

The direct translation of "bufi" (pronounced boo-fee) is "lie", but it isn't as harsh as the translation sounds. In Bemba, it's used more like calling someone out on something, as if they are "pulling your leg", or it can be used as a falsehood. So its not like you're directly calling someone a liar if you use the word bufi.

In my village, there is this super cute little girl, Mable Mulenga. she's a spunky little 8 year old with a raspy voice. She loves to laugh and teach me Zambian jump rope and hand-claps. So Mable was over helping me wash dishes when she spotted an empty package of chicken (you know, like tuna in a bag, only its chicken). Mable quickly picked up the bag inquiring about its former contents while very intensely twisting and turning the package in her hands.
"ninkoko" I replied (it's chicken), not even thinking how it must look to Mable, who has only seen the kinds of chickens with feathers. Mable responded, "nkoko! Mu chola! Bufi" (chicken! In a BAG!, It's not true!)"eh - nkoko mu chola" (yes - chicken in a bag).

Clearly by this time, I realized how crazy I sounded... I mean, really... chicken in a BAG!?!? Before I had completed my thought Mable had called over all her fiends to tell them that in America chicken comes in a bag! They all broke out into peels of laughter and we finished washing dishes together.

What's My Schedule Again?

Every month I make a new calendar in my notebook. I've never ha to draw out my own calendar before. I mean, in America-Land you simply buy one that is already printed out, all ready to hang on the wall or sit on your desk. My homemade calendars always started with Monday, instead of the usual Sunday. This happened because when reciting the days of the week, one always begins with Monday. Well, this month I decided to start my calendar days with Sunday, and as a result, I've been off a day. Especially since my watch is broken, and I can no longer glance at my wrist to check what day of the week it is. Last Saturday, I was sitting on the porch, working on crocheting small pattern samples for various women's groups. I was definitely not in a hurry because I thought it was Friday... a meeting free day. There were 3 little boys whom I've never seen before watching me from the road. Its nothing unusual to have children observe my every move when I'm outside, so i didn't think anything of it. Then I noticed a few more children gathering (again not unusual). After some time, they all stood and stared intently at me while I was knitting. They would stare and then break into group discussion, then stare some more. Finally, after several moments, a few of the children started slowly walking toward me, turning around occasionally to motion for their friends to join them. Eventually, they all made it to my porch and asked me:

"Finshi mulepikula?" - what are you knitting?"Ama-Samples" - samples"Bushe, mwakwata mitingi pa 14:00 hours lelo kuli Kapela?" - don't you have a meeting today at 14:00 hours in Kapela's Village?

I glanced at the sun and realized that it was around 14:00hours. I quickly closed up my house and started off for the meeting. Of course, it started late, but if it hadn't been for the children, I wouldn't have made it at all! It just makes me laugh to think that the children in the village know my schedule better than I. I mean, really, who needs a calendar anyway...

Just Call Me Rachael Ray

Nutrition is a rather large component of the HIV/AIDS program. I have been holding cooking demos about twice a month since my posting to Kabuta, but recently, I've had more cooking demos than I can count. Usually, the cooking demos are with a specific group that I'm working with, so it's very interactive... everyone cooks.

The new trend seems to be just me demonstrating various cooking techniques or high protein recipes. For example, I've been working with the mothers of underweight children, so that they are more aware of the importance of their children's nutrition. The set-up reminds me of something I would see on the cooking channel... only village style. There are several women, all taking notes and observing as I cook in front of them... saying things like "and just add a pinch of salt" or, "and don't forget to roll the lemons first so that you can get maximum amount of juice from them". So there I am, in front of all these women, with my brasiers a'blazin' and my extremely dull village knife, whipping up a quick and simple batch of groundnut stew or millet cake. In the end, I'm always sure to say "and don't forget to come back next week... we're going to make peanut butter and jam!" I don't think I've ever cooked so much in my life!

The Scorpion and the Tarantula

This certainly was not as enjoyable as the Tortoise and the Hare. I didn't even think that there were scorpions in Zambia, but apparently I was wrong. I only know this because I found a scorpion in my house. Just a small one (phew...), but none the less, a scorpion. As if that wasn't enough, there were also 2 tarantula's in my house. Fortunately Libby was there for the first one... She's the brave one of the two of us. She sprayed it with half a can of Doom and finally it died. It was huge! There were even teeth!!

Then a couple of weeks later I noticed another tarantula in Kushipa and Talala's water dish. This time I was alone, after a brief meltdown followed by an outright freak out, I composed myself I ran for the can of doom. I sprayed once and the tarantula flipped over and all of its legs curled up. I thought it was dead, and having been liberated by spraying the spider all by myself, I thought that I would take a closer look... I mean, it was dead. So with my weakly lit headlamp, I leaned in for a closer look. All of the sudden, the spider jumped up!! All its legs were outstretched and it was coming straight for my face!!! I unleashed the remainder of my can of doom in every direction I could manage, and fell back onto the floor, all out of breath, as if I'd just run a marathon! I know, I know, looking back on the situation, I was being completely ridiculous, as I often am when it comes to insects. Today, I'm laughing about it, but at the time, it was clearly not a laughing matter.

2007-08-07T10:49:00.001-05:00

Just a quick update today. I'm writing a project proposal that I have to finish today before I go back to site tomorrow morning.

Butticles and such...

We had our WASHE workshop (Water And Sanitation Health Education). It was a huge success!! It was scheduled to last for 6 days, but we had to extend it to a full week in order to finish the toilet we were building as one of our practicles. The participants completed 3 days of theory where they studied various water and sanitation practices, as well as the protection of wells, and the building of toilets and spring boxes. Then we had 4 days of practical work in the field where we were able to do hands on work protecting a well in the community, as well as building a toilet and a spring box. In the morning before going out into the field, we all did a bit of yoga (which everyone loved)! Libby took some great snaps, so when I have a chance I'll post them. Since there were people to facilitate the sessions I spent a majority of my time helping in the kitchen, preparing breakfast, lunch, dinner and 2 tea breaks. Part of helping in the kitchen was clearly preparing food, during which time, I slaughtered countless chickens and even a goat!!! I know, I know... last year I wouldn't have even considered doing such a thing. The knife was so dull, I could have done a much better job with a spoon!! But it was a good cultural experience. Needless to say, I didn't eat goat, or anyother meat for the rest of the week... I still haven't gotten to the point where I can see my dinner wandering around the yard, and eat it a few hours later when it appears on my plate! Libby came over for the last few days to help with the workshop, and she was a huge help. I couldn't have finished the workshop without her.
So now, I'll explain "butticles". When we were preparing chickens, not only did I slaughter them, but I also learned how to pluck them and prepare them... which includes taking the insides out. Ba Mavis (a traditional birth attendant in the community) was teaching me how to gut the chicken, and when we came to cutting off the rear-end, she promptly said "and Ba Lea, now we cut off the butticles, because we don't eat that part". So as I'm looking at this poor chickens rear-end I said "oh yes, the butticles, that must be a very techinal term" to which Ba Mavis replied, very seriously, "yes, it is a very techinal term, it's a medical term". I thought it was pretty funny, I mean, clearly... butticles seems to be a very techinal term to me!!

Back in the Saddle Again...

So i'm readjusting to village life after quite some time out of the village. After the cholera outbreak, I was in the village for the WASHE workshop, then shortly after, it was back to Mansa again, but this time for Raven's going away party. I went back to site for a few days, then left for Libby's wedding and Egypt. The day after I came back, I hosted a 2nd site visit for the new HAP volunteers coming to Luapula. Now I'm back in Mansa again to finish one project proposal and write another. This time, we are organizing an HIV/AIDS workshop for Traditional Birth Attendants, Community Health Workers, Community Counselors and Traditional Healers. It's another week long workshop, so the community and I will be quite busy for the next couple of months organizing this.

The roof on my house was finally put back on, after over a month of having no roof (luckly I was gone for 3 weeks of it). It had to be replaced because the termites had eaten through the grass. It wasn't as bad as it sounds. At least it wasn't rainy season, and sleeping in a tent on my bed WAS a bit of an adventure.

Mutomboko Festival...

At the end of July, a bunch of us went to the Mutomboko Festival in Kazembe. Its an celebreation of the battle victories of the Lunda people in Luapula. It was quite an interesting day. In the morning, everyone (and I mean literally everyone) gathers around the gates of the Paramount Chief (the Chief to all the Lunda people, and other Lunda Chief's) to await his exit from the palace walls. When he finally comes out, there are drums so loud that you can feel the beats rumbling through your body, and gun shots from old guns which have to be loaded from the top. He comes out to pray to his ancestors by a tree with bones surrounding it. After that he makes his way to the river to make offerings to 2 brothers who drowned in the river. It is practically a stampeed of people all russhing to witness the Mwata (meaning chief) make his offerings in the river. In the afternoon, there is a ceramony at the "stadium" in Kazembe, where all the Chiefs come out and dance. There are offerings to the Mwata and the Vice President of Zambia even came and gave a speech. When the Mwata makes his entrance, again the beating of the drums, and he is carried in sitting on a wooden chair (which he will also be burried in after he dies) by several others. He is dancing in his chair, and also beating a drum of his own. It was spectacular!! I have some pictures which I will post when I get a chance. But we stayed with a missionary family during the ceremony, and Tom (the father) has made a website fully explaining Mutomboko, and all the symbolism which makes the ceremony. He also has AMAZING pictures there for you to see. The website is www.mutomboko.org I hope you enjoy it. I haven't actually seen it, but if it's half as good as his pictures I've seen, it will be fantastic.

I hope everyone is well. I miss you all.

2007-07-22T03:29:00.000-05:00

Egypt...

I'm just back from Egypt with my friends Raven and Rebecca. There are so many things to tell, but I don't want to bore anyone, so I'll just touch on a few places we visited. we moved around a lot, spending 2 days in Cairo, Aswan and Luxor. We spent the night sailing on a feluka (a traditional Egyptian sail boat) to Luxor, and then a night in Alexandria.

Egypt is so much busier than I ecver expected. It's so interesting because the pyramids are right in the middle of the city. So when you look at the pyramids all you see is desert and pyramids (it looks just like the pictures), but then if you turn around, you see Cairo, there is a golf course right next to the pyramids and the 20 million people who live in Cairo are all moving around. There are tall buildings, and the drivers hoot their horns constantly. We took camels out to the pyramids, which was a lot of fun. My camel's name was Ali-Baba, Raven rode Michael Jackson, and Rebecca rode Mickey Mouse. It took 30 years to build the pyramids with 100,000 workers. But when the construction was done, all the workers were murdered because there was a fear that they may share the secret to building the pyramids. We went inside the last pyramid (the first, and largest pyramid only allows 150 people a day inside). When you first walk inside the pyramid, you must immediately bend over and walk down this long ramp. It takes several minutes, and there is aboslutely no air circulation (I mean, you are walking down into a tomb). Anyway, I'm not a clusterphobic person at all, but there were a few times when I could feel the walls closing in on me. After walking down for a while, there is a small space for you to stand and stretch, but then its back to another ramp, this time going up. Finally you enter the tomb itself. There is a large room with what seems like a 20 ft. ceiling. The only thing left inside is the sarcafagus. Everything else was either taken by grave robbers or has been moved into the Egyptian museum in Cairo. None-the-less, it was still amazing to actually be inside one of the pyramids.

We also went to the library in Alexandria. Holy moly!! The library is just incredible. The building itself is shaped like a dome, and there are 11 floors. When you walk in, you are actually walking into the 4th floor. There is a sail shaped glassed area where you can stand and look over the entire library!! The light source for the library is entirely natural. There are eye shaped windows int he ceiling (this is to let in maximum amount of light, but without the heat). Then on the outside of the eye shaped windows, there are eye lashes!! They are there to keep the rain water from blocking any light that may be getting in through the eye shaped windows. There is complete sound proofing on the walls, so sound just doesn't travel inside the library. There are 3 different musems and the capacity for 8 million books (but right now, there are only 500,000). The entire library is also computerized. So if you have a chance to check out the library website you should. You can pick any book, and the computer will open directly to the page you need!!! Raven and I were in Awe, especially coming from the village! Then there is this machine called the Espresso Book Machine. There are only 2 in the world, on in DC and the other one in Alexandria. The book machine, depending on how thick your book is, will actually print a copy of the chosen book and bind it in 20-40 minutes!!!! The library is ironing out copy right issues now, but once that is finished, you will be able to go into the library, and have a print out of any book there!!

We visited various temples. Of course each one special in its own way. There is just so much history written on the walls, floor to ceiling hyroglyphics. I can only imagine what it must have looked like when they were first carved... just alive with color. There are larger than life statues, some fully intact, and others just bits and peices. The snaps I took certainly don't do it justice.
While in Aswan, we also visited a Nubian village. I held a crocadile!! We were hosted by a beautiful Nubian woman and her 2 children. One of which was absolutely in love with my camera. Here name was Ro'hya and she was 6. She has a priceless smile. I took a bunch of snaps, so I'll post them first chance I get. Nubian homes are interesting, when you walk in, there is no roof. So the inside is just like the outside (sand on the floor). There are sitting areas on either side of the home, covered for protection from the sun (it was 110 degrees while we were there). Then there are 2 rooms with dome shaped ceilings, one was full of hand made things to buy. The floor was covered in gravel. Then there was a room with a bed and a couple of wardrobes. This is where the woman slept with her two children.

Egyptians are also very friendly. Of course there is always the person try ing to hustle you for money, but we met so really nice people along the way. Most notably was the hotel manager in Aswan, Husein. He was very interested in our safety and making sure that we didn't get ripped off in the bizare. So he escorted us through the bizare and waited while we all went shopping (and when Raven and I are together... well, lets just say that that its a bwafya). He made sure to take us the shops where he knew the owners, so that we wouldn't be hastled. The hospitatlity was incredible. We were always being offered a cup of Egyptian tea, or water. But we did learn the hard way while we were visiting the pyramids in Giza, that if someone says its a "gift" it really isn't and you have to pay for it. So back to Husein, after taking us to the bizare he treated us to tea and a lemon juice drink at a local coffee shop, which, by the way, was open only to men. We were able to go because we were tourists, but it was still a bit strange, just a bunch of men smoking hukas, and then the 3 of us and Husein.

So we had a great time, Raven and Rebecca are off to Turkey next, and I'm back to the village today to host 2nd site visit.

Drama on the Nile

2007-07-10T14:40:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I've last posted... I seem to start every entry with that. So much has happened since my last post. I'll have to tell you all about it when I have more time on the internet. I just wanted to post quickly while I have the chance.

Raven and I arrived in Cairo this morning. Her friend Rebecca is here visiting as well... she's a lot of fun!! Tonight we went for a dinner cruise on the Nile. There were whirling durvishes (I have no idea how to spell that). Anyway, the performance was amazing. I'll try to post my photos first chance I get. The evening started with 3 dancers and a drummer. For some reason, one of the dancers felt compelled to come and pick me from my seat to join him in his dance!! It was a lot of fun. Luckly, I wasn't the only one picked from the audience. Only, it was just my luck that the skirt I was wearing was a bit big, so I was in fear of loosing my skirt during our dance!!! So that was akward, but over all, it was a good time.

There was also a belly dancer. She was amazing!! I've never seen anyone dance like that before. Well, it seemed as if some people were offended in the audience. The women who were wearing head scarves got up towards the end and walked out. But then, as the woman was dancing on the table, this man walked up behind her and kicked the table out from under her!!! And so the drama began, she got up in a rage and picked the cane she was dancing with and tried to beat him over the head!!! A bunch of men rushed out to hold her back, and also to hold back the man who had kicked the table out from under her. There was a lot of shouting in Arabic (which I clearly couldn't understand), but it was apparent that people were quite angry. I really felt bad for her. I mean, that guy didn't have to kick the table out from under her. So finally, everyone made their way out into the hallway to finish their "discussions" and the whirling durvishes came out for their performance.

It was an interesting evening. Tomorrow we're off to the pyramids and a couple of other places, then its straight onto an overnight train to Luxor (or maybe Aswan). The 10 days here are going to pass quickly, I can already tell. I'll post pictures as soon as I have the chance.

Also, my friend Libby got married on 2nd July. If anyone from her AMAZING family is reading this... I hope you had a great time during your travels to Zambia. I look forward to seeing you in America-Land. I'm so happy to have met everyone. And Lib... you were absolutely BEAUTIFUL.

my love to everyone.

2007-04-25T10:12:00.000-05:00

Welcome Back To Kabuta!!!

I never thought it would happen... but after pleading with Peace Corps to let me stay in my village (which didn't work), I decided that it was clearly time for some solid ground work and evidence that Kabuta is, in fact, not prone to cholera outbreaks annually and that my water source is safe from the lake. After presenting my findings, Peace Corps has reversed the decision to move me from Kabuta. In fact, I can go back to my very own home!!! It was definitely worth spending my Easter holiday doing some research into the matter. In the end, everything worked out perfectly, I couln't be happier!! The past few weeks have been rough in Mansa, and only due to the fact that I was dreading having to leave my village. I can't wait to get back to Kabuta and pick up where I left off. Actually, I'm going home to America for a quick visit first, so I'll have to wait for a few more weeks before I can head back to Nchelenge, but the most important thing is that I can go back... what a relief!!!

Missing you all so much.
ps. I'm not quite sure how this post is going to look. Actually, I'm not sure if I'm even posting to the right blog, for some reason, everything on the screen is in German!! Go Figure...

2007-03-30T09:00:00.001-05:00

Good Bye Kabuta...

As it turns out, my village is at the center of the cholera outbreak; and even though there were no actual cholera cases from Chile Village (my village), Peace Corps isn't willing to take a chance. So right now, we are starting the process of looking for a new house, further inland from the lake. I understand why Peace Corps didn't want to risk letting me stay in the village, and believe me, I certainly don't want cholera; but there couldn't' have been a worse time for me to leave. There are so many projects going on right now. Luckily, I am working with some very reliable counterparts, and we're able to keep in touch and work on projects long distance. We're still planning on having our WASHE workshop, and completing the clinic project, but I just don't want to be away. I love my village, and my neighbors are wonderful. I feel so at home in Kabuta. I'm trying to find good things about this situation, but sometimes it's difficult. So I'm not sure where my new site will be, at least I can stay in my catchment area, so I can still work with my community, which is the most important part. I just wish I didn't have to move; but everything will be okay in the end, and if it's not okay, it's not the end.... I just have to keep telling myself that.

Hooray for Egypt!!

On a much happier note, Raven just booked our tickets for Egypt. We're going there for a holiday in July!! I'll be sure to post those pictures!

2007-03-29T07:54:00.000-05:00

Cholera Bwayfa

Right now I'm in Mansa for who knows how long. I can't go back to site until Peace Corps determines that it is safe. The cholera outbreak in Nchelenge was especially bad this year because there were such heavy rains. Cholera is very treatable if one can get to the clinic within the first 24 hours, but some people have to travel 20+km to get to the clinic, and they just don't make it on time. There are also fishermen who stay out on the lake all night fishing which contributes to missing the 24 hour window period. Which is why there is cholera in the Lake. I don't want to leave Kabuta, it feels like home now, but Peace Corps is definitely concerned with my safety first. Luckily there were no cases in Kanyembo, so Libby is safe. So, I'll be in Mansa for a while... at least I'll be able to keep up with my e-mail... and there's geat reception for those of you who want to call.

Kasanka... Up in Here... Up in Here...

Kasanka is a national park in Central Provence... Every year, there is a huge bat migration. There are so many bats that the sky turns black when the move (or so I've been told). Just before coming to Mansa this time, I spent a couple of days at Libbys site in Kanyembo. It was like a wildlife retreat!! There were imposhi outside (biting ants that move by the thousands). The termites that are eating through the hay on the roon (and the bricks as well) were dripping into the bedroom, and the bats... there were so many bats squeeking/screaming in the roof that Libby and I swore it was like Kasanka National Park in her house!! Looking back, it was fun, we were both inside her mosquito net shining our headlamps around to try to scare the bats into scilence (we failed), each trying not to frighten the other while watching bats crawl up the wall!! Of course, I had just taken my mefloquin the day before, so seeing all the insects and bats gave way to two nights of miserable hallucinations. All is all, I think we handled the "infestation" pretty well... at least we can laugh about it.

Be Sure to Always Rinse Twice

I usually do my own laundry, but this past time Eunice (one of my neighbors) came over and took my laundry to wash for me. When I got it back, it was sooooo clean, clearly much cleaner than when I wash my own clothes. I was wondering what her secret was. While I was cycling to Libbys last week, it started to rain as soon as I left... of course. So there I am, the Muzungu cycling in the pouring rain (which draws enough attention), but then, all of the sudden my trousers started foaming!! I guess my clothes were so much cleaner becuase Eunce clearly uses more soap than me. So now, there is a soaking wet Muzungu cycling in foaming trousers with soap bubbles following closely behind!! I'm sure it was quite a site!!

New Snaps!!

2007-03-05T13:12:00.000-05:00

Check out the "my photos" link, just put a bunch of new albums!! Hope you enjoy ^_^

Bot Flies.... WHAT!!!

2007-03-05T12:40:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm in Mansa for longer than I had expected, for multiple reasons. Mostly to work on TOT stuff (a training of trainers that Libby and a few other volunteers and I are working on for next month), but in the mean time, I got bot flies!! Actually, I got them the night before I came to Mansa. Well, maybe first, I should explain what bot flies are... uh, I'm not quite sure EXACTLY what they are, but from what I can gather, they are bugs that get onto your clothes while they are drying, then when you put them on, they burrow into your skin and stay there until they hatch out.... okay, is anyone else besides me completely grossed out now!?!?

Anyway, I have 14 of them. I stayed at my neighbors sisters place the night before coming in, and she really was just trying to be a good host, so she washed her sheets before I came over. In the end... bot fly city!!! It's all good though, Raven and Joshua were awesome friends and while I played Sudoku, they pulled them out for me (at at least they weren't on my butt... that would have been a bwafya sana-- big problem in Bemba).

2 Months at Site!!

2007-03-02T05:57:00.000-05:00

It’s been so long since my last entry…sorry for the delay… here’s what has been happening over the past few months…

My New Favorite Place…

I went to Zanzibar for holiday, which was amazing. I’ve never seen anything like it. There are white sandy beaches and women who give massages, henna tattoos or manicures right there on the beach. There are also Masai warriors walking along the beaching selling handmade jewelry. They wear beautiful robes with plenty of beads and carry spears!!

I went on a tour through the spice forest with a guide and two small boys who made us cones from banana leaves (to hold the sample spices in), and small woven frogs from leaves, as a gift in the end. There was also a fruit tasting, I tested passion fruit for the first time… yummy!!

The second day on the island, a bunch of us went snorkeling. The coral reef was breathtaking. There were so many fish I had never seen before, including a giant red and gray starfish, we were also visited by a family of dolphins who swam alongside us for a bit!

After almost a week on the beach, we headed over to Stone Town, a city full of endless alleyways with countless curio shops. Many of the doors have huge spikes on them, which were used to keep the elephants away. There is a night market where vendors come to sell their paintings and other crafts. Freddy Mercury (the singer from Queen) was also born in Stone Town, but he only lived there for a minute before moving to India.

Zanzibar has an extensive history regarding the slave trade. During this period, 10 million people came through Stone Town to be sold at the slave auction. I went on a tour of the former slave market, which left me feeling sick. We went into actually rooms where people were kept (in retched conditions) before being sold in the slave market. It was a difficult tour to take.

We took the train there and back – two days each way. The train took s through a game park where we saw elephants, zebras, giraffes, impala, a hippo, hyena and a baboon (which I didn’t personally see). So, if anyone is looking for an incredible way to spend a holiday, Zanzibar would definitely be a place to consider. Let me know if you’re going… I’ll meet you there!!

Back in Kabuta…

I was worried that I may have a difficult time adjusting back to village life after such a wonderful holiday, but I found that I was happy to be back home. There are so many projects to keep me busy in Kabuta, I can never stay away for too long.

One of my main projects is the completion and opening of a clinic in my catchment area. The “tech team” and I are working with the NHC’s (neighborhood health committees) on gathering all of the information so that we can submit our proposal. This will be your chance to help, as we will be asking for assistance from friends and family in the States. I’ll write more once everything is finalized.

I’m working with the community and the clinic to organize a WASHE workshop (water and sanitation health education). Right now in Kabuta, we have a pretty serious cholera outbreak. There have even been some deaths. When the water sources in my catchment are were tested, they were all very contaminated with various bacteria; and now that it’s rainy season, there is all sorts of clay and who knows what else floating in the water. So water and sanitation in Kabuta is a bwafya sana (meaning “big problem” in Icibemba). There was a baby who died last week from diarrhea… and he lives behind the clinic. Diarrhea is so common in Kabuta because of poor water conditions. Right now, especially in this time of cholera, it is so important that we sensitize and educate the community. My hopes are that this workshop will train enough people who can then go out into the community to help others.

I’m also working on a project proposal with the Veterinary and Livestock Department in the BOMA to launch a small animal husbandry program. Due to the location of the community (directly on Lake Mweru), the people have come to rely heavily on fishing. The problem is that because of the population, the lake is being severely over-fished. The idea behind this project is to encourage people to become rely on other means of income generation… beyond the lake. We’re hoping to bring dairy goats, sheep, pigs and chickens to Nchelenge District; which will help not only to generate income, but also with malnutrition. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that our program is a success. So right now, I’m busy with the community organizing pilot groups for the project. I’ll keep everyone posted as things unfold.

In addition to the major projects, my days are spent working with various women’s groups, sharing new knitting and crocheting patterns, working on a marketing plan for an IGA (income generating activity) crocheting hammock chairs for babies. There are various cooking demos and soya workshops. Meeting with the Anti-Aids Clubs through the catchment are and working with the CAFT (Community Aids Task Force) to organize ZATF’s (Zonal Aids Task Force). I am working with the Social Welfare Agent and the PTA’s at the schools to mobilize groups of caregivers of OVC’s (orphan and vulnerable children) for various IGA’s to help with school fees for the children. We’re looking into bee keeping and animal husbandry, as well as knitting/crocheting, baking and gardening. Then there are the health talks and sessions about positive living, HIV/AIDS and nutrition. We (the community and I) are certainly busy.

In the BOMA, Libby and I just finished a four-week workshop with the employees of Anvil Mining on the basics of HIV/AIDS, transmission, prevention, stigma and VCT (voluntary counseling and testing). We were requested to arrange workshops with the police force here, since that is another high-risk population; but that will have to wait until next quarter since we’re both so busy.

The vegetables in my garden have grown enough so that I can eat them now… that’s a rewarding feeling… eating something that you’ve grown. I also just planted celery and watermelons… a little late, but better late than never I guess. Also, my 2 pushi (Kushipa and Talala) are boys!! I just learned that last month... it was a shock, considering that I thought they were girls for the first 5 months of their lives... don't know how I missed that one!?!?!?

Thank you so much to everyone who sent packages!! The contents of your packages really gave our “toe-time” a boost!! For those of you who don’t know what “toe-time” is… my neighbors come over every few weeks (just the ladies), and we just spend time together talking while doing pedicures and facials. It’s a good time!!

I miss you all so much,

xoxoxo

2006-11-14T13:47:00.000-05:00

I've been at site for roughly three months, and the time has passed quickly. Village life is so different, it can be amazing and awful and inspiring and frustrating... all in one day. I'm finally done wiht my community entry meetings. I had a cooking/soya demo with the ladies in Kabuta East (my furthest Eastern zone - about 17k on a bust path). We made soya milk, soya sausages, ifisashi (veggies and groundnuts), cicense (little fish) and chicken with groundnuts, kasava fritters (similar to doughnuts) and much more. It was a lot of fun. I facilitaed the workship with two women from the Breast Feeding and Nutrition group in Kabuta. We had to end our workship a little early though because the rains set it.

Rainy Season...

So we've gotten into rainy season here. There have been some terrific lightening storms... with orange lightening out on the lake! The plastic I put on the inside of my roof keeps me safe from the leaky places in the grass. It makes it a bit dark on the inside... thanks for the stars Mama.
I just planted a garden as well. Hopefully it will work. The sunflowers I wrote about last time didn't quite work out. Actually, I planted sunflowers and tomatoes grew instead!! Go figure....
So I was admiring my tomato plants when a big fat pig (literally) cam over and sat right on them!! Well, needless to say, my little plants were completely crushed beyond recognition. So this time around, I've put some prickly bushes around to keep the plant smashing pigs away from my garden. I planted carrots, tomatoes, onions, red and green peppers, garlic and rape (a leafy green). In December, I'll plant maize, groundnuts, soya, watermelon, popcorn and maybe pumpkins.
Just on a side note, I experienced transport in the pouring rain. My transport to the BOMA was in the back of an open bed truck, and of course it started to pour on my way in (for those of you who get letters with water dammage, sorry). Well, I just wanted to add that I looked at my rain coat before leaving and made the conscious decision to leave it... because apparently I thought that it's only rainy season in Nchelenge... anyway, I'm a little satly about the whole leaving behind of the rain coat incident... but luckly it hasn't really rained since I've been in Lusaka.

My New Best Friend?

I think I have a new best friend in the village. His name is Joshua... he's four. There are tons of pictures of him, he's super cuts. He comes over almost every morning to visit. He likes to sing and dance in my yard, he loves to be a little helper... oh, and he's teaching me Bemba, and I'm teaching him English. We make a pretty good pair!!

What!! You Can't Hear Me!!!

Bemba is quite an interesting language. One word can have three or four different meanings... depending on the context of the sentence of course. For example, the work "ukumfwa" can mean to hear, understand, feel, listen or hark. So when I say "nshaumfwa" I'm usually meaning, I don't understand. Well, there is this one little girl who likes to come over and visit, she's quite chatty, but unfortunately, she also speaks at the speed of light, and my ability to understand speed Bemba hasn't quite been fully developed yet... but I'm working on thet. Anyway... I digress... so if I say "nshaumfwa" -- meaning I don't understand, she takes it to mean that I can't hear her. So she takes a huge, audible, breath in and repeats herself at the top of her lungs!! She makes the funniest little face hen she does it, almost looking like a cartoon character, her eyes squeeze shut and her arms shoot backwards as her body lunges forward. It's pretty cute.

Nshima Until 2008...

I've been on a little nshima kick lately (that's the staple food in Zambia). And by kick, I mean, maybe... MAYBE making it twice a week. Well, my neighbors noticed that I bought some ubunga (what nshima is made from) in the market. They told me to give them K1,500 (which is the cost of the hammer mill) and they would get some ubunga for me. So I gave them the money, and a few hours later, their daughter came over with a huge bowl of ubunga. It was great, I would be able to have nshima for a few months of this amount. I thanked her for it, and went back to making flip charts for my meeting the next day. About 15 minutes later, she came back again, only this time with the biggest bucket on top of her head... FULL of ubunga!! Apparently, the huge bowl was just the extra that couldn't fit in the bucket! I filled every available bucket I had in my house with ubunga, and still had to send about half of it back because I just didn't have anyplace to store it... so now, I guess I'll have nshima until 2008!!!

I'm working on uploading more pictures, hopefully it will work. Check the my photos link if you're interested.

Hooray For Pictures!!!

2006-10-08T05:21:00.000-05:00

Hello,
I just added 350 pictures to the link on my blog. They are all out of order, and there are a lot of doubles, but they are all there. Every pictures I've taken since I've been in country. I hope you enjoy.

^_^

2006-10-08T04:41:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone,

Things in kabuta are going well. I'm busy with my community entry meetings. Of the 7 meetings I had scheduled last week, only 2 have been cencelled. One from a miscommunication in the schedule (bush notes aren't the most reliable), and the second because of a funeral, which sadly occur quite offten in the village. Last week there were 3 in my village alone. 2 children and one man. It was really sad.

On a happier note, one of my "stitch 'n' bitch" groups is taking shape. They call themselves the "Twatasha Women's Group of Chile Village" (Twatasha means 'we thank you' in Bemba). They are eager to learn new patters -- thank you Mama for sending them!! Most of the women in the group are TBA's (traditional birth attendents). So they are one of the primary target groups of people the HAP (HIV/AIDS Program) is interested in reaching. We are working on an action plan for an IGA (income generating activity) to raise money for a new sewing maching. Right now, they are renting one, and after paying the owner of the machine and covering the costs of materials, they are barely breaking even. It's a win-win situation because while the women are stitching, we can talk about HIV/AIDS, PMTCT (pregnant mother to child transmission) and gender issues within Zambia.

The weather here is changing. A couple of days ago, it was too hot to move (luckly, that was on the day that my meeting was cancelled due to a lost bush note). So I was able to sit and practice crocheting on a ried mat in the shade. A few little girls from the village came over and colored while I crochetted. We were all moving as little as possible. It made me feel really lazy just then, writing about how little we were all moving, but literally, it was too hot to move... and for those of you who know me, kow that I'm usually melting when it's anything above 70 degrees!! It's also rained a few times. When that happens the color of the lake changes, exposing the shore line of the Congo. It's really cool!!

My newest past time (aside from crocheting) is pounding groundnuts. My neighbors gave me a small mortar and pessel -- and by small, I mean about 18" tall, not like the tiny ones you put on the counter in the states). Pounding is almost therapeutic in a way. But more importantly, it's the way to awesome peanut butter!!

Just a couple random things... I tested goat! It tasted like chicken, and was much better than caterpillars!! Also, I learned how to light my brasier without using a fire starter, usually with the assistance of my 5 year old neighbor!! And I planted sun flowers, and some of them are actually growing!!!

It's a short entry. I've just finished uploading the rest of my pictures, hopefully I can get them to link to the blog. I'll write soon. I hope all is well with everyone. I miss you all.

My Life So Far In Kabuta...

2006-09-16T06:02:00.000-05:00

First, I'm sorry it has taken me so long to post. After returning from 2nd site visit, training flew by, and before I knew it, I was swearing in and getting posted to my site. I wanted to post for everyone to read, but I was sick so I couldn't make it to the internet cafe, but I'm fine now.

I'll start by telling you a little about my house. It's small, which is fine with me. Since the roof is thatched grass, a lot of dust falls into my hut, so a smaller place means less to sweep. When I got to site, I was living in a mud hut for real!! The floor was mud as well as the bricks. Luckly, my neighbor, who also happens to be the Headman, is very motivated. He arranged for my house to be cemented. So technically, I'm still living in a mud hut, although it doesn't feel like it as much anymore.
I live on Lake Mweru, and my house faces West, so the sunsets are amazing. Since Kabuta is situated right on the lake, fishing is a large source of income for people. There are little tiny fish called cicense which are best caught at night. So after dark, the lake lights up from hundreds of boats with lights attached all around. All thel ights look like the Chicago skyline from a distance, it's really beautiful. There is also a large maket within walking distance. It's actually more like a sub-BOMA, so I can find almost everything I need there, even a cold coke!!

I've Been Adopted By 2 Kittens.....

I always thought it would be nice to have a cat at site to keep away mice and other "ROUS's", and I accidentally ended up with 2!! A couple of days after getting posted, I stepped into my icimbusu (pit latrine) only to be met by two grown cats who were equally as startled as I. They both bolted for the door and I fell backwards out of the icimbusu into a huge pile of dirt, (which by the way, I'm sure my neighbors found pretty amusing). It took me a few minutes to work up the courage to step inside again, because who knows what other animals could have been inside. When I finally made it back inside, I discovered a tiny kitten. She was hissing and trying so hard to be brave (even though she was so small that she could fit in the palm of my hand). I got a bowl of mild and put it ni the icimbusu and left her alone. A few house later, I saw, what I thought was the same kitten, by the tree in my front yard. I made a bed for her and went back to the "busu" to get the milk, only to find the original kitten still there. I named the kitten from the "busu" Kushipa, which means courage in Bemba, and the kitten by the tree Talala (peaceful). Their names fit their personalities... and they're both super cute!!

The Tech Team...

Right now I'm busy meeting everyone. My catchment area is so large (13 zones), so there are 2 Chiefs (one woman and one man). I've only had a chance to meet the woman, so right now, I'm restricted to zones 1-10 until I meet the other Cheif.
There are 4 people in particular whom I am working with. Ba Chile (my neighbor, Headman and the Health Center Chair), Ba philamon ( Social Welfare Extension Agent), Ba Chipampwe (Support Group and Community Aids Task Force Chair) and Ba Jakson (Agricultural Extension Agent). Together, they have formed, what they call, "The Tech Team". They are all community leaders, and as a group decided that someone from "The Tech Team" would accompany me to each of my meetings. These 4 men have a solid understanding of Peace Corps and, most importantly, our goal of sustaiable developement. I fell really lucky to have such motivated counterparts. They have helped me to arrange meetings with each zone, as well as with the schools in the area, TBA's (traditional birth attendants), CHW's (community health workers) and various women's groups. In fact next month, I have a meetings scheduled every day!!
As of now, I'm working with 4 suport groups for PLWHA (people living with HIV/AIDS), Nutrition and Breast Feeding groups, a farmers group and a few "stitch n' bitch" groups.

Chile Village Children....

At any given moment, there are at a minimum, 8 children playing in my yard. There are "regulars" and a few in particular that are really sweet. Some of the kids call me Ba Maria instead of Ba Lea (the Ba is for respect), it's cute and certainly better than Ba China. My house seems to be the current "hot spot" in Chile Village. Children come over by the dozens when Kushipa and Talala are outside playing. They all stand around wide eyed and cheer when the kittens jump in the air. You'd think they were watching some major sporting event from all the noise they make. It's really cute.
The other day, I shared some chocolate milk with some kids who were over. I think it was the first time they had ever tasted such a thing. They were quite apprehensive when I first gave it to them, (I don't blme them, it is, after all, a brown liquid). I think thye were testing it to be polite, but the minute they had a taste, their faces lit up, and they gulped down the rest. The look on their faces was absolutely priceless. I wish I had been able to catch it on film.
The little girls are especially cute. They insist on helping me with my dishes if I am doing them when they come over. Sometimes, I give them lotion, and we all sit on the porch together putting lotion on our hands and feet.

Random Things I Forgot To Tell You....

My friend Katy and I were in a Zambia music video... quite by accident. We were really on our way to get Fanta's, but Ephram's (he's the singer) manager ran after us asking if we would be in his video. It was a bit akward, but fun. Then Ephram gave us a ride home and invited us to his luanch oparty. Unfortunately, we couldn't go.

I learned/experienced traditional dancing. That's all I can write about it bceause the "events" of the ceremnony are only privledge to married women (we were an exception) and men are not allowed at all. So out of respect for Zambian culture, I clearly can't post it on the internet. But it was QUITE interesting. If you want details, just send an email or letter.

I have a new address: Lea Wilkinson/PCV

US Peace Corps
P.O. Box 710150
Mansa, Zambia
Africa

I get cell reception in my mud hut!! How crazy is that!?!?!? If you don't have my numer already, ust send me an email. Or chances are that you know someone who has it already

I have one request: Please send candy or fun little games (like jacks, or bouncy balls etc.) or crayons and coloring books for the children. I know they would just love it!!!

Thanks to those of you who have sent letters and care packages, they mean so much. I don't have internet access in Nchelenge, but I will be sure to post next chance I get. Until then, I'll have to rely on snail mail )or the cell phone n my mud hut... which I still can't get over!!)

Hooray for Luapula!!

2006-07-24T12:35:00.001-05:00

I'm going to be placed in Luapula Provance. The district is called Nchelenge and my village is Kabuta. I haven't seen it yet, but I hear that it's beautiful. I'll be living near Lake Mwerau ( I didn't spell that right), anyway, I've been told that you can see the lake from my house!! Luapula is known for it's fresh fish (yikes), so I guess I'll have to learn to like fish. My water source is not a 30 minute walk each way, but just 500 meters... and the water comes from a covered spring!! I'm only 26K outside of the BOMA, but there is a market in my village where I should be able to get pretty much everything I need. I'm about 1K from the clinic, which is exciting. There are 3 NGO's there, Doctors Without Borders, FAO (which is some sort of food NGO) and PAM (but I can't remember what that stand for right now). My closest Peace Corps neighbor is also 5K away (which is super close). I've also been told that there is cell phone reception which is pretty exciting!!

Right now, I'm in Mansa. I was only able to make it 1/2 way back from our 2nd site visit. I was originally going to take a bus straight back to Kitwe, but I learned this morning that it decided to take a route through the DRC, so I couldn't go. I'm staying at the provincial house in Mansa tonight, and tomorrow morning I'll take a bus to Kiperie and then hitch the rest of the way to Kitwe.

My first experience on public transport in Africa was rather interesting. We took the Peace Soldier bus. We had a trailer on the back of the bus with everyone's luggage and bikes in it. I guess they didn't attach it very well, because about 500 meters down the road it fell off and rolled into a ditch. So we had to wait while they retreived it and re-attached it. They were holding the trailer on with a few salt bags, which clearly fell off somewhere on the road. So then a few hours later, we notice that the trailer is starting to shake quite a bit. Then we notice that it is fishtailing out of control!! We shouted at the driver to slow dow, but I think he started to go faster instead. Well, clearly, the trailer was totally out of control by this time and it was launched off of the back of the bus through the village and fields!!! Luckly no one was in the way, but the bikes were ruined (PC sent new ones quickly). I was suprised however, that none of the luggage fell off of the trailer during it's journey through the bush. So we had to pull over again for the trailer. In the end, we made it....

During our site visit, we were pretty busy. We had language almost every day, and had a chance to facilitate 3 different meetings. One on gender to grade 9, another on action planning to the HCC's (Health Center Committee) and mother to child transmission and biological/cultural reasons women are more volunerable to HIV/AIDS with the TBA's (traditional birth attendants) and various Community Health Workers. Each session was amazing in its own way. It gave me a really good idea of what I will be doing in the village. On the last day, we went to the waterfalls to swim and picnic. We weren't planning on swimming, but decided to at the last minute and ended up just swiming in our clothes, it was a lot of fun and the waterfalls were beautiful.

I will have a new address in the next few weeks, so I'll post it first chance I get. If you are planning on sending mail anytime soon, please wait for the new address. If you have already sent mail to Kitwe, PC will forward it to me at site. Thanks again to everyone who has sent letters and packages!!! I miss you all. ^_^

2006-07-09T04:21:00.000-05:00

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.

2006-06-18T03:24:00.000-05:00

Zambia is amazing. I've just returned from my frist site visit in Mpeka in the Northern Provence. The villagers were so friendly, the first evening we were there the neighbors came over to dance and play the drums for us! On the second day I slaughtered the chicken we ate for lunch!! I had to stand on its wings until it stopped twiching, and there was blood all over my foot... but it was a good cultural experience. The chicken that was slaughtered before me actually got up after it's head was cut off and started running around, which brought a whole new meaning to "running around like a chicken with its head cut off". It was quite a site.

I'm learning Bemba which means that I could be posted in a variety of places in Zambia. I'm hoping for the Northern Provence, but I'll be happy anywhere.

I've just moved in with my host family 2 days ago. Things are going really well. When I get home from training, my Bamayo (host mother) prepares bathing water for me, after that, we eat dinner together, just my Bamayo and I. The children eat in another hut after we eat. There are 6 or 8 children, I'm not quite sure. Everyone is so friendly. I have yet to meet my Bataata (host father). He works very hard, and comes home after I've already gone to sleep and leaves before I get up. The two oldest boys (William and Timothy) speak English pretty well, so they help me with my Bemba. My Bamayo also speaks English but not as fluently as her boys. Last night, my Bamayo was teasing me. She said that since I'm learning Bemba so well, she is only going to speak English for 2 more weeks, then after that, only Bemba!! I tried to barter with her for more time, but it didn't seem to work, in fact, the more I tried the shorter the time became. So in the end, it was "in 2 days, no more English, only Bemba". I guess I'd better get crackin' on my Bemba!!

I have my own hut with my host family. It is much more than I expected. There is a small living room with furnature, and a bedroom with a bed. I feel bad because my hut seems to be nicer than that of the family.

Well, I'm at an internet cafe in Kitwe, and the group I'm with is finished. Ba Harriet (one of the language trainers) has been so kind to sit and wait for us all while we've been emailing for the past hour, so I don't want to keep her waiting any longer. I'm trying to post some pictures, hopefully you will be able to see them by clicking on the link in my blog. Please write, letters mean so much, and thank you to those who have written already. I miss you all so much.

Alive and Well in Africa

2006-06-10T09:49:00.000-05:00

Well, today is my second day in Zambia. Things are going well. We're staying at a little place about 15k outside of Lusaka. Tomorrow I'm off for my first site visit in the Northern provence. It is near one of the national parks. The PCVL's (Peace Corps Volunteer Leaders) say that they have a suprise for us, but they won't let us know until tomorrow. I hope that it is a stop at the national park. Today we got some more shots and will be fitted for our bikes. I've now heard that we will be able to have internet access about once a week while in training. Last night I ate pizza with banana's on it, it was interesting. Haven't had any traditional Zambian foods yet. Well, there are only 2 computers here and I don't want to keep people waiting. I'll write soon.

Just a quick second...

2006-06-07T06:31:00.000-05:00

I'm in Philly, arrived on Monday. There is only one computer in the computer lab at the hotel, so I probably shouldn't keep everone waiting too long for me to finish. Staging went really well, we're off to get our shots in a few minutes, then to JFK to fly over to Jo'Berg tonight at 5:55 pm. We've been told that we won't have access to internet during our entire training! So I'm not sure if I'll be able to use email. But please write.... I can't wait to hear from everyone!!

Finally!!

2006-03-15T13:12:00.000-05:00

After a year in limbo and a failed attempt to leave for Lesotho in October of 2004 as an education volunteer with Peace Corps, I finally have my chance. On New Year's Eve I received my invitation to serve as an HIV/AIDS volunteer in Zambia (what a great way to start the new year!).

I created this site as a way to keep in touch with friends and family during my 27 month stint in Africa with Peace Corps. I'm not leaving for another 2.5 months though, but I'm sure the time will go by pretty fast. I'll be sure to keep everyone posted as my Zambian adventure unfolds!!