So I realized that I didn't post much about my village other than about my family, or anything about my mud hut (pictures to follow hopefully soon!) so I figured I would indulge everyone with TWO blog posts in two days and tell you a little more about the place I now call home.
So I live in Mulomo Village, in Fiwila Mission Catchment Area, in Mkushi District, in Central Province, in Zambia, in Africa. Zambia is divided into 9 Provinces (Central (the best province obviously), Luapula, Northern, Eastern, Western, Northwestern, Southern, Copperbelt and Lusaka. Peace Corps places volunteers currently in Central, Luapula, Northern, Eastern, Northwestern and Lusaka. They have had volunteers in both Copperbelt and Southern in the past. There are none currently but in April they will be placing new volunteers back in Southern Province. Within these 9 provinces (which are equivalent to states in the US) there are 73 districts (I am not going to list all of them, one because I don't know all of them and two while Zambia may be making me a more patient person I am yet to become that patient). My district is Mkushi. Each district has a "BOMA" which is like the capital of each district. In the BOMA there are things like the bank, government offices, chocolate, the post office (a very important place for current PCV's) and other necessities that you can't get in the village. I like about 85-90 k from Mkushi (about 50 miles) on a long bumpy dirt road, however getting out of my village is not as hard as I anticipated. I can get transport Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning to Masansa, which is a "sub-BOMA" that is 30k (a little less than 20 miles) and from there can go all the way to Mkushi. Transport consists usually of riding in a canter, which is like a large flat bed truck that things like fertilizer, maize (corn), and building materials are transported on. \Masansa has everything I need though except for the bank and the post office so usually to get things like peanut butter, bread, talk time, cold soda I can just go there. It is also where my closest PC neighbor lives. I so far try and be in my village for 2 weeks and then out for the weekend. There is a lodge in Mkushi that we are able to stay in (ATB Lodge) that has good food, occasional hot showers, satellite TV, and PCV's have a great report with the staff, so on weekends that we go to the BOMA this is usually where we stay. Mkushi is one of the more rural BOMA's and it is an area where a lot of people pass through but there is not a huge population in the area, at least compared to other BOMA's. I live near the commercial farming block, so I live within a farming community. Most of the commercial farmers are white South Africans, Zambians, and Zimbabweans. A lot of volunteers have friendships with the farmers, I am yet to develop these, but I am still very new and I am so isolated. It does sometimes get hard to be out in the village day after day being so isolated, especially because right now there is very little work I am doing, as I said before I am in community entry so a lot of what I am doing in integrating into my community. I am looking forward to starting to do some work, but probably won't start anything major until February. The reason being that all this week I am in Serenje at the provincial house. On Decemeber 1st-6th I am attending Camp GLOW (Girls Leading Our World). It is a camp that Peace Corps puts on for girls every year through a grant. Two girls from volunteers villages in grade 7 or 8 and one community member attend the camp. There are informational/education sessions and then they will also be participating in fun activities like rock climbing, pottery, and canoeing. Usually volunteers don't have the opportunity to go due to funding, but I will be organizing the camp for next year so I will be attending with my girls. Then there will be Christmas and New Years (me and a bunch of friends from my intake are going to Malawi) and then we will have In-Service Training (IST) for two weeks in January, where we will be learning things like permagardening, composting, and other applicable skills to use in our village. I am really looking forward to this as a lot of the health training that I recieved I won't be using as much of but really want to learn about things like Income Generating Activities and composting. So then come February I will start doing some actual work and starting projects in my village, I am really excited!
I live right next to what I would consider a marsh, there are two in ground water holes that we usually get water from however since we are at the end of dry season right now they are almost out so lately I have been getting my water from faucets in Fiwila. The pipe water down from the mountains and there are various spikets in the main village (Fiwila) where the school, clinic, and church are. Due to the distance needed to drag water from Fiwila and the lack of water in the marsh, last week Paxina and I went out to a small stream the other day and washed our clothes in that. It was definitely a stereotypical Africa moment. I cook outside over charcoal every night and use candles for light. Zambia is also holding a national census this year and it includes foreigners in it, so I got to take two census's this year. It was very different from America's census! For one a person rides their bike out to your house to give you the survey. There are questions like "what mode of transport do you use: walk, bike, donkey, motorbike, car" "what heating method do you use?" (response: blankets and fire) "What type of light source do you have" (answer: candles). It's a whole different world here. But I love it, challenges and struggles included!
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
Bush Break
I'll start by saying that I sincerely apologize for my lack of blogging or emailing, but as I have been out in the African bush since September 27th my internet access has been extremely limited, so I will just start from the beginning and finish with today... happy reading!
So on September 24th I swore in as a real Peace Corps Volunteer (from here on out to be referred to as PCV) in Lusaka. We all got super dressed up and had coffee and tea at the house of the US ambassador to Zambia, Mark Storella, and then we were sworn in in a small ceremony followed by some light snacks. After that we enjoyed the rest of the day and night in Lusaka, and Saturday morning packed up the cruisers and headed off to our respective provinces. Since for Central Province we only had four new volunteers, our moving in process went pretty smoothly. That being said, for those provinces who had 12 new volunteers (like Northwestern) I can't even imagine the chaos that must have ensued, because when I say smoothly it was still hectic. We spent Saturday at Shopright, which is a grocery store here, which was a bit of a nightmare. At this point, I was just pulling things off of the shelves hoping that I actually needed them and that I wasn't forgetting anything. I also only had one contact in at this point so I couldn't see that well and it was sweltering in the store. We spent Sunday at the provincial house and were able to rest, do laundry, relax before heading to Mkushi on Monday. On Monday we got the rest of the things we needed for our sites, again hoping desperately that they were things we actually needed and that we weren't forgetting anything crucial. Tuesday morning they packed up the cruiser and off we went, the four of us, Ed, Brooks, Will, and me. I was dropped at my site second. When the cruiser pulled away I was so grateful that we had had second site visit, because I had already been dropped at this house, with complete strangers and watched the cruiser disappear. So it began.
When I first arrived I was overcome with concerns. Would I like my family? Would they like me? Would I have any privacy? How lonely would I be? How would I do without having cell phone service (network)? Would I like my village? What was I going to do with that first 5 minutes after the cruiser left? While there are always things to think about, and it does get lonely at times, and I do get frustrated at times, I love my village, I love my family and there is no where else in the world I would rather be (except sometimes up in Mwinilunga with Jack, or visit California for a few days, especially after the Giants won the World Series!).
I have an amazing family, the Mulomo family, and I feel as if they have brought me into their family as one of their own. I live on a compound with them. There is my bambuya (grandmother). She is probably pushing 80 and tough as nails but at the same time one of the sweetest old ladies. She works as hard as the rest of the young Zambians, cultivating and harvesting her fields, carrying water on her head, doing laundry, cooking for the 8 grandkids that she has one way or another inherited. Then there is Paxina. Without Paxina I think I would have died from loneliness, or hunger, or both. She is my age, speaks really good english has this amazing, sparkling personality and has been someone I can confide in about anything. We cook dinner together every night. For most of the the time I was eating nshima with her, but after gaining about 10 additional pounds I told her that I was no longer eating nshima, however we still cook together and eat together each night. It's very nice because every day I have someone to talk too. There are some days that I just want to hide in my house and not interact with anyone. At first I would really try and fight these days, try and force myself to go interact with people, but my heart wasn't in it. Lately, I have just been allowing myself to have these days, and I find that the more I allow myself to just have the days that I need, I have less of them. She also saved my life (okay so that may be a bit of an overdramatic statement, but not that overdramatic). So a few weeks ago we were laying out under the stars on a reed mat chatting after dinner and suddenly Paxina yelled "Get up Get up Natalia there is a small snake!" (I go by Natalia in my village, it is easier for Zambians to pronounce than Natalie) I of course jumped up, and my other friend Sherine (Paxina's cousin who also lives on the compound with her parents Ba Nighton and Ba Abness and their other children) beat it into two pieces. The school boys that rent a house from bambuya finally came over after hearing us screaming to find the snake already dead, and informed us that it was a baby cobra. I told them they had been useless. We now eat inside. Apparently with the rainy season come the snakes. Cooler weather, but also snakes. I guess it's the trade off.
I also had a black mamba encounter the other day. Someone told me when we first got here that Peace Corps is all about doing what your scared of, and in so many ways this is proving true. Someone else also told me that snakes won't cross open ground. I wish I could remember who, so I could tell them that they lie! I was walking towards my house when this bright green snake shot over open ground past my house. After swallowing my initial fear, I started yelling "Insoka Insoka Insoka" which means snake in Bemba. I grabbed a giant stick and started chasing after it (which I later remembered was a bad idea because mambas will chase you back), I got one good whack at it, it then reared up halfway off the ground...so creepy... and escaped into the bushes. I was slightly disappointed that I didn't get to kill it, it would have made for an even better story!!
So I have been in community entry, which means I am not allowed to leave my district (Mkushi). I am also not allowed to be doing work. I am just supposed to be getting to know my community, meeting people, trying to understand what they want to work on. One this I have discovered is that they don't really need a health volunteer. While there is always HIV/AIDS education to do, and child nutrition, what people mostly need is business skills, sustainable farming techniques (especially when it comes to pest control & fertilizer), and fish farming... so I won't be doing as much administrative type of health stuff, more teaching and education but that is what I prefer to do anyways. There are other volunteers around me that are trained in the other fields around me so hopefully we can do some collaboration on some projects.
I have made friends in my village and hopefully will be starting on some projects come January/February. I have also tried my hand at gardening. I wouldn't say I have a green thumb, but nothing has died yet, so I find that encouraging. I planted beans (which are doing spectacularly) and my swiss chard and tomatoes are still in their nursery, though I think that the tomatoes are about ready to be transplanted. In February I will try and plant watermelons, zucchini, onions, and carrots. I would love to try some other things like bell peppers, basil, pumpkins, broccoli, peas, kale, and eggplant so if your dying to send your favorite PCV in Africa something, seeds along with chocolate and coffee are always appreciated!! I am still putting the finishing touches on my house, but its almost done. I have a hammock in it, which is where I hide away! I wish I had brought more of my knick-knack things to make me feel a little more at home. Its fun when you visit other volunteers to see what they have done with their houses, everyone has their own personal touches and made it their home. Mine is blue and white so I'm trying to create a bit of a mederiteranian/greek feel to it, not sure if I am going to accomplish this, but I am going to try my hardest!
So this week I am at provincials. Every November and June all the volunteers in every province come to their provincial house and have a province wide meeting. The meeting in November is scheduled to coincide with Thanksgiving, so even though it doesn't feel like Thanksgiving here, we will all be working Wednesday and Thursday to have a Thanksgiving feast! It's always a nice break from the village to get out for a few days, visit with other Americans/PCV's, relax, enjoy a cold beer or soda. It's amazing the things you begin to appreciate when your living on the basics. Things like cold coke, cold water, internet access, full cell phone coverage, americans to speak english with, real showers become treats. People have been working hard on the house since it's new and its definitely gaining character and starting to feel more homey.
I somehow found myself recruited to join a group at the church, Girls Friendly Society, or GFS. The general principle is that older girls help out younger girls, like a big sister program. A lot of the girls are between 12 and 18 so I'm hoping they'll want to do some kind of program, or at least feel like they know me and trust me enough to talk to me about any health concerns they may have, especially when it comes to boyfriends. I have to get a uniform. I got in trouble with the priest yesterday because I didn't have my uniform yet. I have never been scolded by a priest and I definitely don't ever want to be again, especially an Anglican priest (think Catholic priest, but married). I had to dance in front of the church by myself (embarrassing) and had to sing but luckily with all the other girls (slightly less embarrassing). It was the second time I had to dance in front of my community. October 24th was Zambian independence day, and there was a celebration in the village, which I was asked to dance with. At least I had someone with me, but I danced to Shakira Wherever Whenever in front of about 250 Zambians, they loved it! And I felt that the community warmed up to me a lot after that, so the embarrassment was well worth it, luckily I love to dance!
You loose a lot of your pride here, I feel mine being chipped at away daily. When you speak Bemba to people, they laugh at you, because they can't believe a white person is attempting to speak Bemba. When you dance they laugh. Sometimes they ask you to sing. Things like maintaining pretty toes and eyebrows become the last thing on your mind. Often I will try and do things myself only to have to ask for help or more often have someone jump in and help me. You also learn to laugh, at yourself and just at life. Day by day I am learning to relax, go with the flow more, and just let it happen as it may. The more and try and control things the less successful I am. I'm not saying I am blissed out yet, but I am trying to go with the flow as much as possible. A few times I have gotten frustrated though and have cried to gotten impatient, but I try and manage as much as possible. Some days are a lot tougher than others, but every day there is this "Oh My God I am in Africa, this is amazing!" moment. I wish I was more artistic and could find a way to draw or paint everything I see. I try and take pictures when I can, but every time I take one I just think "this just isn't capturing what I'm looking at" and while a lot of that can probably be contributed to my novice photography skills and average camera, there is also things that a photograph can't capture. Maybe that is the skill of a talented photographer, to capture the feeling that the picture is meant to convey not just the image.
Since I have internet access there is a good chance I may get another post up this week, and will definitely get pictures up onto facebook. For all of you that read this, become a follower! One it will make me feel better about myself that I have followers and it will notify you whenever I post a blog so that you don't have to stalk my blog only to be disappointed. After December I will probably have a chance about once a month to update my blog. Also feel free to send me letters I love getting mail! My address is:
Natalie Neft, PCV
Peace Corps
P.O. Box 840038
Mkushi
Zambia
Happy Thanksgiving!
So on September 24th I swore in as a real Peace Corps Volunteer (from here on out to be referred to as PCV) in Lusaka. We all got super dressed up and had coffee and tea at the house of the US ambassador to Zambia, Mark Storella, and then we were sworn in in a small ceremony followed by some light snacks. After that we enjoyed the rest of the day and night in Lusaka, and Saturday morning packed up the cruisers and headed off to our respective provinces. Since for Central Province we only had four new volunteers, our moving in process went pretty smoothly. That being said, for those provinces who had 12 new volunteers (like Northwestern) I can't even imagine the chaos that must have ensued, because when I say smoothly it was still hectic. We spent Saturday at Shopright, which is a grocery store here, which was a bit of a nightmare. At this point, I was just pulling things off of the shelves hoping that I actually needed them and that I wasn't forgetting anything. I also only had one contact in at this point so I couldn't see that well and it was sweltering in the store. We spent Sunday at the provincial house and were able to rest, do laundry, relax before heading to Mkushi on Monday. On Monday we got the rest of the things we needed for our sites, again hoping desperately that they were things we actually needed and that we weren't forgetting anything crucial. Tuesday morning they packed up the cruiser and off we went, the four of us, Ed, Brooks, Will, and me. I was dropped at my site second. When the cruiser pulled away I was so grateful that we had had second site visit, because I had already been dropped at this house, with complete strangers and watched the cruiser disappear. So it began.
When I first arrived I was overcome with concerns. Would I like my family? Would they like me? Would I have any privacy? How lonely would I be? How would I do without having cell phone service (network)? Would I like my village? What was I going to do with that first 5 minutes after the cruiser left? While there are always things to think about, and it does get lonely at times, and I do get frustrated at times, I love my village, I love my family and there is no where else in the world I would rather be (except sometimes up in Mwinilunga with Jack, or visit California for a few days, especially after the Giants won the World Series!).
I have an amazing family, the Mulomo family, and I feel as if they have brought me into their family as one of their own. I live on a compound with them. There is my bambuya (grandmother). She is probably pushing 80 and tough as nails but at the same time one of the sweetest old ladies. She works as hard as the rest of the young Zambians, cultivating and harvesting her fields, carrying water on her head, doing laundry, cooking for the 8 grandkids that she has one way or another inherited. Then there is Paxina. Without Paxina I think I would have died from loneliness, or hunger, or both. She is my age, speaks really good english has this amazing, sparkling personality and has been someone I can confide in about anything. We cook dinner together every night. For most of the the time I was eating nshima with her, but after gaining about 10 additional pounds I told her that I was no longer eating nshima, however we still cook together and eat together each night. It's very nice because every day I have someone to talk too. There are some days that I just want to hide in my house and not interact with anyone. At first I would really try and fight these days, try and force myself to go interact with people, but my heart wasn't in it. Lately, I have just been allowing myself to have these days, and I find that the more I allow myself to just have the days that I need, I have less of them. She also saved my life (okay so that may be a bit of an overdramatic statement, but not that overdramatic). So a few weeks ago we were laying out under the stars on a reed mat chatting after dinner and suddenly Paxina yelled "Get up Get up Natalia there is a small snake!" (I go by Natalia in my village, it is easier for Zambians to pronounce than Natalie) I of course jumped up, and my other friend Sherine (Paxina's cousin who also lives on the compound with her parents Ba Nighton and Ba Abness and their other children) beat it into two pieces. The school boys that rent a house from bambuya finally came over after hearing us screaming to find the snake already dead, and informed us that it was a baby cobra. I told them they had been useless. We now eat inside. Apparently with the rainy season come the snakes. Cooler weather, but also snakes. I guess it's the trade off.
I also had a black mamba encounter the other day. Someone told me when we first got here that Peace Corps is all about doing what your scared of, and in so many ways this is proving true. Someone else also told me that snakes won't cross open ground. I wish I could remember who, so I could tell them that they lie! I was walking towards my house when this bright green snake shot over open ground past my house. After swallowing my initial fear, I started yelling "Insoka Insoka Insoka" which means snake in Bemba. I grabbed a giant stick and started chasing after it (which I later remembered was a bad idea because mambas will chase you back), I got one good whack at it, it then reared up halfway off the ground...so creepy... and escaped into the bushes. I was slightly disappointed that I didn't get to kill it, it would have made for an even better story!!
So I have been in community entry, which means I am not allowed to leave my district (Mkushi). I am also not allowed to be doing work. I am just supposed to be getting to know my community, meeting people, trying to understand what they want to work on. One this I have discovered is that they don't really need a health volunteer. While there is always HIV/AIDS education to do, and child nutrition, what people mostly need is business skills, sustainable farming techniques (especially when it comes to pest control & fertilizer), and fish farming... so I won't be doing as much administrative type of health stuff, more teaching and education but that is what I prefer to do anyways. There are other volunteers around me that are trained in the other fields around me so hopefully we can do some collaboration on some projects.
I have made friends in my village and hopefully will be starting on some projects come January/February. I have also tried my hand at gardening. I wouldn't say I have a green thumb, but nothing has died yet, so I find that encouraging. I planted beans (which are doing spectacularly) and my swiss chard and tomatoes are still in their nursery, though I think that the tomatoes are about ready to be transplanted. In February I will try and plant watermelons, zucchini, onions, and carrots. I would love to try some other things like bell peppers, basil, pumpkins, broccoli, peas, kale, and eggplant so if your dying to send your favorite PCV in Africa something, seeds along with chocolate and coffee are always appreciated!! I am still putting the finishing touches on my house, but its almost done. I have a hammock in it, which is where I hide away! I wish I had brought more of my knick-knack things to make me feel a little more at home. Its fun when you visit other volunteers to see what they have done with their houses, everyone has their own personal touches and made it their home. Mine is blue and white so I'm trying to create a bit of a mederiteranian/greek feel to it, not sure if I am going to accomplish this, but I am going to try my hardest!
So this week I am at provincials. Every November and June all the volunteers in every province come to their provincial house and have a province wide meeting. The meeting in November is scheduled to coincide with Thanksgiving, so even though it doesn't feel like Thanksgiving here, we will all be working Wednesday and Thursday to have a Thanksgiving feast! It's always a nice break from the village to get out for a few days, visit with other Americans/PCV's, relax, enjoy a cold beer or soda. It's amazing the things you begin to appreciate when your living on the basics. Things like cold coke, cold water, internet access, full cell phone coverage, americans to speak english with, real showers become treats. People have been working hard on the house since it's new and its definitely gaining character and starting to feel more homey.
I somehow found myself recruited to join a group at the church, Girls Friendly Society, or GFS. The general principle is that older girls help out younger girls, like a big sister program. A lot of the girls are between 12 and 18 so I'm hoping they'll want to do some kind of program, or at least feel like they know me and trust me enough to talk to me about any health concerns they may have, especially when it comes to boyfriends. I have to get a uniform. I got in trouble with the priest yesterday because I didn't have my uniform yet. I have never been scolded by a priest and I definitely don't ever want to be again, especially an Anglican priest (think Catholic priest, but married). I had to dance in front of the church by myself (embarrassing) and had to sing but luckily with all the other girls (slightly less embarrassing). It was the second time I had to dance in front of my community. October 24th was Zambian independence day, and there was a celebration in the village, which I was asked to dance with. At least I had someone with me, but I danced to Shakira Wherever Whenever in front of about 250 Zambians, they loved it! And I felt that the community warmed up to me a lot after that, so the embarrassment was well worth it, luckily I love to dance!
You loose a lot of your pride here, I feel mine being chipped at away daily. When you speak Bemba to people, they laugh at you, because they can't believe a white person is attempting to speak Bemba. When you dance they laugh. Sometimes they ask you to sing. Things like maintaining pretty toes and eyebrows become the last thing on your mind. Often I will try and do things myself only to have to ask for help or more often have someone jump in and help me. You also learn to laugh, at yourself and just at life. Day by day I am learning to relax, go with the flow more, and just let it happen as it may. The more and try and control things the less successful I am. I'm not saying I am blissed out yet, but I am trying to go with the flow as much as possible. A few times I have gotten frustrated though and have cried to gotten impatient, but I try and manage as much as possible. Some days are a lot tougher than others, but every day there is this "Oh My God I am in Africa, this is amazing!" moment. I wish I was more artistic and could find a way to draw or paint everything I see. I try and take pictures when I can, but every time I take one I just think "this just isn't capturing what I'm looking at" and while a lot of that can probably be contributed to my novice photography skills and average camera, there is also things that a photograph can't capture. Maybe that is the skill of a talented photographer, to capture the feeling that the picture is meant to convey not just the image.
Since I have internet access there is a good chance I may get another post up this week, and will definitely get pictures up onto facebook. For all of you that read this, become a follower! One it will make me feel better about myself that I have followers and it will notify you whenever I post a blog so that you don't have to stalk my blog only to be disappointed. After December I will probably have a chance about once a month to update my blog. Also feel free to send me letters I love getting mail! My address is:
Natalie Neft, PCV
Peace Corps
P.O. Box 840038
Mkushi
Zambia
Happy Thanksgiving!
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Trying to Just Hang Out....
It's been a while since I have posted anything and I feel that this blog is probably the best way to send out a massive "this is what I'm doing" notification instead of writing 50 million individual emails (I love you all but you know you wouldn't want to do it either!)
So I got my site positing last week! Zambia is divided up into 73 (it was 72 but I was told recently it is now 73) districts which are in 8 different districts (Northwestern, Western, Southern, Central, Lusaka, Eastern, Northern & Luapula). I have been studying Bemba so I knew I would be going to Northern, Luapula, or Central. I got posted to Fiwila Village, in Mukushi District, in Central Province. My village is 75km from the main road. In Zambia there are 2 main paved roads, the Great East Road and the Great North Road. After that it is mostly bumpy dirt roads and a vast network of bush paths. My BOMA (which is like the district capital) is Mkushi which is on the main road, however I will be close to a town called Masansa where I will be able to get all the food I need. I will be living in my own mud hut (which is rumored to be large in the world of mud huts) on a compound with a family in my village. My clinic is less than a km away and it is a missionary clinic. There is of course two sides of this. Because it is missionary it is well run and well staffed but I may have to bite my tongue when it comes to religious issues. I am really hoping since we have a common goal that we will be able to reconcile any differences and work for the betterment of our mushi (village in Bemba). I was supposed to go out to my village yesterday to see it and meet my community but I had a little mishap...
In PCZ (Peace Corps Zambia) there are two site visits. One when you first get to Zambia to give you a taste right off the bat what village bush life is like. On this site visit you could go anywhere in the country, for example I went to Northwestern province but would never be posted there because it is not a Bemba speaking province. The second site visit it to your actual province and district so you can do things like meet people that are going to be your neighbors for the next 6 months to 2 years (depending on where they are in their service) see your Boma, talk with current PCV's about their work, and I think, most importantly, meet your village and see your house. Our second day at site we realized that the RAP (Rural Aquaculture Program) volunteers had *stolen* (they still claim it was an accident) our chocolate, coffee, chips, and crackers. Well there was no way we could allow this to happen so we waged war and set out to capture our goods. Unfortunately, like all warriors, we had to suffer hardships for our treasure, and our hardship was an 8km walk there. Somehow during this walk I tweaked my ankle/foot. I tried to tough it out but sprained ankles and the African bush don't mesh well. After trying to tough it out and hope it felt better for 2 days I couldn't take it anymore and had to call our PCMO (Peace Corps Medical Officer)who told me to go to the provincial house (more about that in a second) and STAY OFF IT for 48 hours. I have been doing my best to just lay around the house and keep my foot up and the IB Profin flowing. It's been a challenge because I am not the kind of person who can lay around the house all day! Yes, when I'm really tired, was out late the night before, maybe drank a little too much the night before, sure I can do that. But when I'm bursting with energy, loving where I am and just wanting to explore it it's really hard to just sit... so I'm doing the best I can at it!!
So the provincial house! Every province has a PC House in the provincial capital. Here in Central Province (the best province) our house in in Serenje. The person who lives here full time is our PCVL (Peace Corps Volunteer Leader). They are the resources person for the volunteers in our province and are a great source of information. They are also someone who has just completed their 2 years of service so they are very in the know of everything you are going through or will go through and can really appreciate your struggles and triumphs. Our PCVL is Mindy and she is FANTASTIC! She is so supportive of us volunteers and is a great teacher. She also cares about us and is here for us. I really don't think I could ask for someone better. She is so easy to talk to you so helpful. At the provincial house there are bedrooms and bathrooms so you can shower and sleep, a TV, DVD player with movies, a library, prescription drugs (this is also where you go when you are sick or injured) people keep things like computers here so they don't take them out to site. There is a full kitchen for cooking and dining room table for eating. There are also 3 dogs, who are adorable. Things like province wide meetings occur here. People can also come here when they need a few days our of their village, when they are going to Lusaka (the capital) it can be a good stopping over point. If they have meetings in Serenje they can stay here. It is 10,000 kwacha (or 10 Pin) per night which is the equivalent of 2 dollars so really affordable. There is a maid and gardener so the place is kept clean and round the clock guards so it is safe. Our house is also brand new so we will get to be part of creating it's character. I have a feeling it is a nice place to come to escape from village life, even if just temporarily.
I am loving being in Zambia! Not every day is wonderful, but there is something wonderful in every day. I stay with an amazing host family in the village of Kabelika. My bataata (or father) name is George. He is a builder and a lay preacher and extremely hard working and very devoted to his family. He can speak really good English and is well read. I love having conversations with him. We learn a lot from each other and he is probably one of my best friends in PC. My bamaayo, Hilda, is equally incredible. She is shier and quieter but tough as nails. She works so hard from 5am to 21 hours (9pm). For the past two weeks my bataata has been in Chongwe (the nearest city to us) for a conference so it has just been bamaayo me and the kids and it was amazing because we really got a chance to bond. She has me in what I call "zamwife" training, but I love it! She is teaching me how to cook umusalu (vegetables) and eggs, I am not yet allowed to do the nshima. I help he with dishes but she fired me from laundry. We go to the village garden together and she makes me a hot bath everyday. I have 4 brothers, James (12) Graveson (9) Keshash (6) and Mwanza (18 months). They are so well behaved (for the most part) and really watch out and take care of each other. My family is also raising me a chicken. I cannot decide what to name it since every time I try and catch it, it runs away. I am taking suggestions but so far I really like Penelope, but maybe Lola. I have no idea what I am going to do with the chicken once they give it to me, but it is a huge huge gift to give to me, especially since they are raising it especially for me. I really find myself lucky that I have a host family that I feel so part of! I will be very very sad to leave them. We had a zamfamily photo shoot a few weeks ago, bamaayo told me I had to put on a Chitenge for it, which is traditional Zambian wear. I will try and get some pictures up soon!
Every night I take a bath to the African sunset. I stand outside in my bathing shelter and just try and drink it all in. I just finished my Pete's coffee (always feel free to send me more!) but every morning I was drinking good hot coffee and watching the African sunrise. I bike anywhere between 2 and 6 k per day and I LOVE the bike riding. It's been years since I have mountain biked and I forgot why I loved it. Bemba is the most difficult part of training but I have a teacher that meshes with my learning style really really well and a language partner who learns at the same pace as me. We just had our second language evaluation and I am still doing well. I am hoping that I will get to use the language a lot in my village so that I can get good at it! I love the idea of being fluent (or semi fluent) in Bemba!
Hopefully tomorrow I will get to go to Fiwila, then on Wednesday back to Lusaka where we will have a counterpart workshop. In our villages we work with counterparts, usually many sometimes of both sexes, that are community members that are involved in the sectors we work in (for example, since I am a CHIP volunteer I may have counterparts that are community health workers, doctors or nurses (though this is rare), outreach workers, ministry of health officials, members on the NHC (neighbor hood health committees) or just community members who are involved in the RHC (Rural Health Center) which is the clinic)These people will be who I work with to find out the needs of the community, will hep me meet and make connections in my village, will help with trainings, planning, setting up groups etc etc. Peace Corps is assigning me one for the workshop but I can work with anyone once I am posted to the village. We spend the 1st three months doing "community entry" where our main goal is to identify what the community sees as their main health problems, brainstorming, and just getting to know the community. You do not actually do any work. This gives you a chance to find out who is genuine and trust worthy in their intentions and also allows you to really get to know your community which is uber important!
After the workshop I will have 2 more weeks left and then will swear in on September 24th, pending me passing my Bemba exam, so I should really get to studying...like... now!
I will try and post again soon, and will get out my new address in the next few days. Please continue to email/send letters they are always appreciated!
So I got my site positing last week! Zambia is divided up into 73 (it was 72 but I was told recently it is now 73) districts which are in 8 different districts (Northwestern, Western, Southern, Central, Lusaka, Eastern, Northern & Luapula). I have been studying Bemba so I knew I would be going to Northern, Luapula, or Central. I got posted to Fiwila Village, in Mukushi District, in Central Province. My village is 75km from the main road. In Zambia there are 2 main paved roads, the Great East Road and the Great North Road. After that it is mostly bumpy dirt roads and a vast network of bush paths. My BOMA (which is like the district capital) is Mkushi which is on the main road, however I will be close to a town called Masansa where I will be able to get all the food I need. I will be living in my own mud hut (which is rumored to be large in the world of mud huts) on a compound with a family in my village. My clinic is less than a km away and it is a missionary clinic. There is of course two sides of this. Because it is missionary it is well run and well staffed but I may have to bite my tongue when it comes to religious issues. I am really hoping since we have a common goal that we will be able to reconcile any differences and work for the betterment of our mushi (village in Bemba). I was supposed to go out to my village yesterday to see it and meet my community but I had a little mishap...
In PCZ (Peace Corps Zambia) there are two site visits. One when you first get to Zambia to give you a taste right off the bat what village bush life is like. On this site visit you could go anywhere in the country, for example I went to Northwestern province but would never be posted there because it is not a Bemba speaking province. The second site visit it to your actual province and district so you can do things like meet people that are going to be your neighbors for the next 6 months to 2 years (depending on where they are in their service) see your Boma, talk with current PCV's about their work, and I think, most importantly, meet your village and see your house. Our second day at site we realized that the RAP (Rural Aquaculture Program) volunteers had *stolen* (they still claim it was an accident) our chocolate, coffee, chips, and crackers. Well there was no way we could allow this to happen so we waged war and set out to capture our goods. Unfortunately, like all warriors, we had to suffer hardships for our treasure, and our hardship was an 8km walk there. Somehow during this walk I tweaked my ankle/foot. I tried to tough it out but sprained ankles and the African bush don't mesh well. After trying to tough it out and hope it felt better for 2 days I couldn't take it anymore and had to call our PCMO (Peace Corps Medical Officer)who told me to go to the provincial house (more about that in a second) and STAY OFF IT for 48 hours. I have been doing my best to just lay around the house and keep my foot up and the IB Profin flowing. It's been a challenge because I am not the kind of person who can lay around the house all day! Yes, when I'm really tired, was out late the night before, maybe drank a little too much the night before, sure I can do that. But when I'm bursting with energy, loving where I am and just wanting to explore it it's really hard to just sit... so I'm doing the best I can at it!!
So the provincial house! Every province has a PC House in the provincial capital. Here in Central Province (the best province) our house in in Serenje. The person who lives here full time is our PCVL (Peace Corps Volunteer Leader). They are the resources person for the volunteers in our province and are a great source of information. They are also someone who has just completed their 2 years of service so they are very in the know of everything you are going through or will go through and can really appreciate your struggles and triumphs. Our PCVL is Mindy and she is FANTASTIC! She is so supportive of us volunteers and is a great teacher. She also cares about us and is here for us. I really don't think I could ask for someone better. She is so easy to talk to you so helpful. At the provincial house there are bedrooms and bathrooms so you can shower and sleep, a TV, DVD player with movies, a library, prescription drugs (this is also where you go when you are sick or injured) people keep things like computers here so they don't take them out to site. There is a full kitchen for cooking and dining room table for eating. There are also 3 dogs, who are adorable. Things like province wide meetings occur here. People can also come here when they need a few days our of their village, when they are going to Lusaka (the capital) it can be a good stopping over point. If they have meetings in Serenje they can stay here. It is 10,000 kwacha (or 10 Pin) per night which is the equivalent of 2 dollars so really affordable. There is a maid and gardener so the place is kept clean and round the clock guards so it is safe. Our house is also brand new so we will get to be part of creating it's character. I have a feeling it is a nice place to come to escape from village life, even if just temporarily.
I am loving being in Zambia! Not every day is wonderful, but there is something wonderful in every day. I stay with an amazing host family in the village of Kabelika. My bataata (or father) name is George. He is a builder and a lay preacher and extremely hard working and very devoted to his family. He can speak really good English and is well read. I love having conversations with him. We learn a lot from each other and he is probably one of my best friends in PC. My bamaayo, Hilda, is equally incredible. She is shier and quieter but tough as nails. She works so hard from 5am to 21 hours (9pm). For the past two weeks my bataata has been in Chongwe (the nearest city to us) for a conference so it has just been bamaayo me and the kids and it was amazing because we really got a chance to bond. She has me in what I call "zamwife" training, but I love it! She is teaching me how to cook umusalu (vegetables) and eggs, I am not yet allowed to do the nshima. I help he with dishes but she fired me from laundry. We go to the village garden together and she makes me a hot bath everyday. I have 4 brothers, James (12) Graveson (9) Keshash (6) and Mwanza (18 months). They are so well behaved (for the most part) and really watch out and take care of each other. My family is also raising me a chicken. I cannot decide what to name it since every time I try and catch it, it runs away. I am taking suggestions but so far I really like Penelope, but maybe Lola. I have no idea what I am going to do with the chicken once they give it to me, but it is a huge huge gift to give to me, especially since they are raising it especially for me. I really find myself lucky that I have a host family that I feel so part of! I will be very very sad to leave them. We had a zamfamily photo shoot a few weeks ago, bamaayo told me I had to put on a Chitenge for it, which is traditional Zambian wear. I will try and get some pictures up soon!
Every night I take a bath to the African sunset. I stand outside in my bathing shelter and just try and drink it all in. I just finished my Pete's coffee (always feel free to send me more!) but every morning I was drinking good hot coffee and watching the African sunrise. I bike anywhere between 2 and 6 k per day and I LOVE the bike riding. It's been years since I have mountain biked and I forgot why I loved it. Bemba is the most difficult part of training but I have a teacher that meshes with my learning style really really well and a language partner who learns at the same pace as me. We just had our second language evaluation and I am still doing well. I am hoping that I will get to use the language a lot in my village so that I can get good at it! I love the idea of being fluent (or semi fluent) in Bemba!
Hopefully tomorrow I will get to go to Fiwila, then on Wednesday back to Lusaka where we will have a counterpart workshop. In our villages we work with counterparts, usually many sometimes of both sexes, that are community members that are involved in the sectors we work in (for example, since I am a CHIP volunteer I may have counterparts that are community health workers, doctors or nurses (though this is rare), outreach workers, ministry of health officials, members on the NHC (neighbor hood health committees) or just community members who are involved in the RHC (Rural Health Center) which is the clinic)These people will be who I work with to find out the needs of the community, will hep me meet and make connections in my village, will help with trainings, planning, setting up groups etc etc. Peace Corps is assigning me one for the workshop but I can work with anyone once I am posted to the village. We spend the 1st three months doing "community entry" where our main goal is to identify what the community sees as their main health problems, brainstorming, and just getting to know the community. You do not actually do any work. This gives you a chance to find out who is genuine and trust worthy in their intentions and also allows you to really get to know your community which is uber important!
After the workshop I will have 2 more weeks left and then will swear in on September 24th, pending me passing my Bemba exam, so I should really get to studying...like... now!
I will try and post again soon, and will get out my new address in the next few days. Please continue to email/send letters they are always appreciated!
Monday, July 26, 2010
Out Into The Bush...
So I'm up in the Northwestern province of Zambia is a town called Solwezi at what is called the provincial house. After we finish IST (in service training) and then our community immersion (first 3 months of site) we will have 4 days a week to come to the provincial house in whatever province we are stationed in. Here we will go to meetings/meet up with other PCV's (Peace Corps Volunteers)/ shower/go on the internet, write reports, print, upload new music etc etc etc. Right now I'm headed to my first site visit but because our site was so far away we had to make an overnight stop at the provincial house. We left the In Service Training Trust (ISTT) which are these goverment hostels we've been staying at this morning at 7 and got here around 6 so needless to say it was a VERY long day! We did drop 4 other PCT's off at a site in the copper belt and got to see how one PCV has his hut/pit latrine/bathing area set up and it was fantastic!
Getting to Zambia was a challenge in itself, I'm pretty sure that it was a test to see if we could really hanld Peace Corps. So on Wednesday morning we load up two busses they are suppossed to take up to the federal building to get our yellow fever vaccines and then to the airport for our flight, now enter glitch #1. So on the way to the federal building it is discovered that the bus drivers are only contracted to take us to the airport and because they have other rides for that day they cannot take up to get our shots, wait, and then take us to the airport. So we unload everything and post up at this federal building in Atlanta for 3 hours. Our coordinators in Atlanta worked tirelessly to work something out and we all got to the Atlanta airport and onto our flight in time. The flight was fairly uneventful, but fun. When there are 56 people hanging out in a plane there is always someone to talk to! However, we arrived in Johannesburg an hour and a half late and we only had a 2 hour lay over in SA for our flight to Lusaka. Needless to say we missed the flight. So after several calls to Washington D.C., Delta Airlines & Zambia we all shuttled over to a really nice hotel where we got to take hot showers and sleep in giant beds. We had to be at the airport the next morning at 8 so we were only in SA for about 8 hours (I did get a stamp for it though!) Luckily for whatever reason my group got put on a 10:55 flight to Lusaka however about 60% of our group couldn't get on a flight until that night and so we didn't all arrive in Zambia until Friday. However, we are all now here, all in one piece and ready for the next adventure!
So like I said tomorrow morning we go for our first site visit out in the bush. I'm with three other volunteers and we made ourselves dinner tonight we were so proud! Granted it was on a stove and not open flame but all the same! Tomorrow we'll see what it's like to be living in a village. We also walked around Solwezi which was exciting!
I now know that I will be learning Bemba which is the primary language spoken throughout Zambia. I will be posted in either the Central Province, Northern Province, or Luapula Province, I won't know for another few weeks which one I will be going to. On Friday we will be placed with our host families and then on Monday we will start our language classes! I'm still super nervous about the language but the class is at least a 3 student to 1 teacher ratio so that should help. The PCVL's and other PCV's we've met have been SO helpful and willing to answer all of our questions no matter how stupid they may seem...
I might have to kill, gut, pluck, and cook a chicken tomorrow...wish me luck. I also saw my first snake today! Okay so granted it was very dead, very flat, and very small, but still I DIDN'T FREAK OUT! I have a feeling when I wake up and a black mamba is sitting in the middle of my floor or when I'm out in the fields and encounter a puff adder it might be a different story...but one of the PCVL's (Peace Corps Volunteer Leaders) today said that "Peace Corps is all about doing stuff that you are afraid of" which really put it all in perspective. This is all about doing things that scare you, or that are hard and challenge you, but that you push yourself to do because it is all for something greater than you and it is a unique opportunity to be part of something truly incredible.
Getting to Zambia was a challenge in itself, I'm pretty sure that it was a test to see if we could really hanld Peace Corps. So on Wednesday morning we load up two busses they are suppossed to take up to the federal building to get our yellow fever vaccines and then to the airport for our flight, now enter glitch #1. So on the way to the federal building it is discovered that the bus drivers are only contracted to take us to the airport and because they have other rides for that day they cannot take up to get our shots, wait, and then take us to the airport. So we unload everything and post up at this federal building in Atlanta for 3 hours. Our coordinators in Atlanta worked tirelessly to work something out and we all got to the Atlanta airport and onto our flight in time. The flight was fairly uneventful, but fun. When there are 56 people hanging out in a plane there is always someone to talk to! However, we arrived in Johannesburg an hour and a half late and we only had a 2 hour lay over in SA for our flight to Lusaka. Needless to say we missed the flight. So after several calls to Washington D.C., Delta Airlines & Zambia we all shuttled over to a really nice hotel where we got to take hot showers and sleep in giant beds. We had to be at the airport the next morning at 8 so we were only in SA for about 8 hours (I did get a stamp for it though!) Luckily for whatever reason my group got put on a 10:55 flight to Lusaka however about 60% of our group couldn't get on a flight until that night and so we didn't all arrive in Zambia until Friday. However, we are all now here, all in one piece and ready for the next adventure!
So like I said tomorrow morning we go for our first site visit out in the bush. I'm with three other volunteers and we made ourselves dinner tonight we were so proud! Granted it was on a stove and not open flame but all the same! Tomorrow we'll see what it's like to be living in a village. We also walked around Solwezi which was exciting!
I now know that I will be learning Bemba which is the primary language spoken throughout Zambia. I will be posted in either the Central Province, Northern Province, or Luapula Province, I won't know for another few weeks which one I will be going to. On Friday we will be placed with our host families and then on Monday we will start our language classes! I'm still super nervous about the language but the class is at least a 3 student to 1 teacher ratio so that should help. The PCVL's and other PCV's we've met have been SO helpful and willing to answer all of our questions no matter how stupid they may seem...
I might have to kill, gut, pluck, and cook a chicken tomorrow...wish me luck. I also saw my first snake today! Okay so granted it was very dead, very flat, and very small, but still I DIDN'T FREAK OUT! I have a feeling when I wake up and a black mamba is sitting in the middle of my floor or when I'm out in the fields and encounter a puff adder it might be a different story...but one of the PCVL's (Peace Corps Volunteer Leaders) today said that "Peace Corps is all about doing stuff that you are afraid of" which really put it all in perspective. This is all about doing things that scare you, or that are hard and challenge you, but that you push yourself to do because it is all for something greater than you and it is a unique opportunity to be part of something truly incredible.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
One Month To Go....
I'm having some serious issues writing my aspiration statement, and completely freaking out about what to pack... how does one go about packing for two years with only 2 bags and 80 pounds! I think my focus on things like what to bring and what shoes to bring is happening because it is impossible for me to focus on what is about to happen.
I have expectations for training and then later my volunteer service, but how well can one really prepare oneself for life in rural Africa? I guess make sure you have the right shoes...
I feel so overwhelmed with things to do! I envy the PCV's who received their assignment back in April, they have had so much more time to prepare themselves (or maybe freak out...) I feel like I have SO much to do in so little time, I have about 5 million lists going! Luckily three people are coming to look at my room this week so hopefully one of them will work out, but even once I find someone to rent my room there will be the additional concerns of when they move in, when I move out, getting all my stuff packed up, or rather distributed to different people, and even just the administrative stuff that must be done! On top of this I need to pack, work, and pour over blogs/books/reading material to be as prepared as possible, and somehow I know that I could read every piece of literature on Zambia, Peace Corps, the Community Health Improvement Project (CHIP), and what it is like to live in a mud hut in a Zambian village and I would still be unprepared!
I was relieved to learn today that you can get an internet phone and you can email/facebook on a fairly regular basis. I was going to start to feel very alone if I couldn't at least email!
Some things I know I will need:
1. Solar Head Lamp
2. Tevas (or some variety thereof)
3. My iPhone (purely for musical purposes)
4. My journal
5. tons of pictures of my amazing support network
6. SPF 50
I'm going to start reading " A Few Minor Adjustments" tomorrow.
I swing back and forth, sometimes many times a day, between sheer terror and utter excitement! I don't even know what to expect! Today I was reading a blog written by a girl that is about a year ahead of me in her program and just reading about what she is doing in Africa made me so excited because it really is what I want to do with the rest of my life (in some form or another)
I really appreciate and respect that I will be working to build sustainable health programs, for there is nothing worse than creating dependency in the health care sector. This is going to be such a different population than the one I deal with on a regular basis and I wonder which will be more challenging?
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