I've been back in the States for a little over one week now and the adjustment isn't nearly as complicated as I thought. After the longest day of travel, complete with a little boy blowing a whistle on the plane for 16 hours, I arrived home in St. Paul. Immediately Ruth and I headed to Punch Pizzeria, for a delicious Neapolitan pie and then home to sleep.
So, what am I doing? Well, luckily enough I already have a job- back at Bethel University. Not nearly as adventurous as life in Zambia, but it boasts a weekly paycheck and health insurance. Still applying for graduate schools, I have it narrowed to four: University of Connecticut, University of Massachusetts, Michigan State University, and Colorado State. Wish me luck! And of course getting into the Christmas Spirit! It's not even Thanksgiving and Christmas commercialism is in full swing, but I can't pretend to not be a complete sucker for it all. If only the weather would cooperate, it's Minnesota and it's still 45 degrees and sunny everyday- where is the snow?! And of course helping Ruth plan our holiday trip to London- I'm just wanting to see Winston Churchill's house- because I'm a nerd.
Here's a few of my favorite American things:
Public Radio
Bon Appetite Magazine
Live Music (and constant access to my iTunes)
Driving- though I have a bit of trouble deciding which side of the road I should turn onto
Going to the library
Coffee
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Work, Waterfalls, and Baboons
First, you should all check out my last entry- it would be fabulous if you could support camp GLOW. It's a fantastic opportunity for girls in my area!
Now, an update on Zambian life. I cannot believe how busy September has been and October looks just as crazy; but, I'm not complaining I love having things to finally work on. Every week I spend two days working at the Ministry of Education office here in Mkushi- this means I have to look semi-professional when I come into town which is no small feat when you're biking in the heat to work! I do a plethora of projects for whatever office needs extra assistance for the day. This can range from going out on school/ teacher monitoring visits to working in the records room filing things away. It's more of an office job then what you would think a Peace Corps Volunteer would be doing. I also am working with a teacher at an elementary school, we're having our first teacher workshop this Friday. I'm pretty excited, it's for all 20 schools in my area! I'll be talking about how to target struggles at their respective schools without focusing on things that require lots of money they don't have or wont be able to obtain. For example- how to improve teacher performance, student attendance, record organization, etc. These seem like small things but really are big issues for schools. This past term the school closest to me had more teacher absences during the term than students! Finally, I'm working with a community school 2 kilometers from my house that has a majority of orphan and vulnerable students result from parents who have HIV/AIDS in the area. The school is having problems raising money to pay their teacher and get books for the students. So, hopefully they'll be able to start an income generating activity such as selling vegetables from a garden, making honey, etc. It seems that most of the problems I find in the education system revolve around lack of training and funding. While Peace Corps can offer knowledge and training, there's no money that I can hand out- this makes my job hard since I am constantly trying to convey this to the people around me.
On a lighter note- I have also been continuing to explore around me. This past weekend a few volunteers and myself took a trip to a beautiful waterfalls about three hours from my site. It was amazing and we were able to swim in them, it was like a movie! We camped overnight and in the morning a pack of Baboons walked through our campsite! This was great to see since most of the wildlife in Africa has been hunted and killed so outside of game parks there's not too much to be seen.
In other news: It's definitely hot season! I can't believe how ridiculously hot it is during the afternoons- it's too hot to move, to eat, pretty much to function, I can't even concentrate enough to read a book. They tell me October will be worse then September but then in November it will start to rain! I'm not sure this will be much better! I've started to domesticate my little house- I have concrete to plaster my walls so then I can paint them and I've broken ground on my own little garden. I'm planning on planting some seeds from America such as green beans, cherry tomatoes and broccoli; but, if they don't work it's a good thing I live in the farming town so I can just buy seeds made for African soil. But, I'll keep you posted on my experiment!
Now, an update on Zambian life. I cannot believe how busy September has been and October looks just as crazy; but, I'm not complaining I love having things to finally work on. Every week I spend two days working at the Ministry of Education office here in Mkushi- this means I have to look semi-professional when I come into town which is no small feat when you're biking in the heat to work! I do a plethora of projects for whatever office needs extra assistance for the day. This can range from going out on school/ teacher monitoring visits to working in the records room filing things away. It's more of an office job then what you would think a Peace Corps Volunteer would be doing. I also am working with a teacher at an elementary school, we're having our first teacher workshop this Friday. I'm pretty excited, it's for all 20 schools in my area! I'll be talking about how to target struggles at their respective schools without focusing on things that require lots of money they don't have or wont be able to obtain. For example- how to improve teacher performance, student attendance, record organization, etc. These seem like small things but really are big issues for schools. This past term the school closest to me had more teacher absences during the term than students! Finally, I'm working with a community school 2 kilometers from my house that has a majority of orphan and vulnerable students result from parents who have HIV/AIDS in the area. The school is having problems raising money to pay their teacher and get books for the students. So, hopefully they'll be able to start an income generating activity such as selling vegetables from a garden, making honey, etc. It seems that most of the problems I find in the education system revolve around lack of training and funding. While Peace Corps can offer knowledge and training, there's no money that I can hand out- this makes my job hard since I am constantly trying to convey this to the people around me.
On a lighter note- I have also been continuing to explore around me. This past weekend a few volunteers and myself took a trip to a beautiful waterfalls about three hours from my site. It was amazing and we were able to swim in them, it was like a movie! We camped overnight and in the morning a pack of Baboons walked through our campsite! This was great to see since most of the wildlife in Africa has been hunted and killed so outside of game parks there's not too much to be seen.
In other news: It's definitely hot season! I can't believe how ridiculously hot it is during the afternoons- it's too hot to move, to eat, pretty much to function, I can't even concentrate enough to read a book. They tell me October will be worse then September but then in November it will start to rain! I'm not sure this will be much better! I've started to domesticate my little house- I have concrete to plaster my walls so then I can paint them and I've broken ground on my own little garden. I'm planning on planting some seeds from America such as green beans, cherry tomatoes and broccoli; but, if they don't work it's a good thing I live in the farming town so I can just buy seeds made for African soil. But, I'll keep you posted on my experiment!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Camp GLOW Donations Needed
I never thought I would be one to solicit donations from America but, this is what I'm doing. The camp will take place the last week in November so donations can be accepted through October.
The Central Province Girls Leading Our World (GLOW) Camp will educate and empower Zambian girls so that they can become positive role models in their communities. Many girls in rural Zambia face difficulties they are often unprepared to handle. Often times they are encouraged to marry and start families at young ages and few complete their high school education. Additionally, HIV/AIDS is a risk for many who have yet to be taught the ways it is transmitted and how to prevent it. Camp GLOW seeks to combat these issues by teaching both the girls and their teachers about assertiveness, self-esteem building, goal setting, facilitation skills, career planning, and the dangers and prevention of early pregnancy and HIV/AIDS. Girls will leave the camp more empowered and capable of teaching others about what they learned so that many others from the community benefit. One specific way they will do this is by creating girls clubs at their schools after they return to their villages with the expectation that after one school year, every girl in the club will have learned all of the GLOW messages. The girls who attend the camp will be expected to facilitate all meetings with the assistance of the teacher that accompanied them at the camp. These girls clubs, made possible by the education taught at camp GLOW will mean that girls in 10 different communities to become empowered by learning the skills and knowledge necessary to attain their potential for a healthy and self reliant life.
If you're interested in donating:
1. Go to www.peacecorps.gov
2. Click on "Donations"
3. In Volunteer's Last Name search for "Nti" or Project Number "611-048"
4. Select Zambia, Camp Glow and insert amount of donation.
Any amount is more than helpful. Thank you!
The Central Province Girls Leading Our World (GLOW) Camp will educate and empower Zambian girls so that they can become positive role models in their communities. Many girls in rural Zambia face difficulties they are often unprepared to handle. Often times they are encouraged to marry and start families at young ages and few complete their high school education. Additionally, HIV/AIDS is a risk for many who have yet to be taught the ways it is transmitted and how to prevent it. Camp GLOW seeks to combat these issues by teaching both the girls and their teachers about assertiveness, self-esteem building, goal setting, facilitation skills, career planning, and the dangers and prevention of early pregnancy and HIV/AIDS. Girls will leave the camp more empowered and capable of teaching others about what they learned so that many others from the community benefit. One specific way they will do this is by creating girls clubs at their schools after they return to their villages with the expectation that after one school year, every girl in the club will have learned all of the GLOW messages. The girls who attend the camp will be expected to facilitate all meetings with the assistance of the teacher that accompanied them at the camp. These girls clubs, made possible by the education taught at camp GLOW will mean that girls in 10 different communities to become empowered by learning the skills and knowledge necessary to attain their potential for a healthy and self reliant life.
If you're interested in donating:
1. Go to www.peacecorps.gov
2. Click on "Donations"
3. In Volunteer's Last Name search for "Nti" or Project Number "611-048"
4. Select Zambia, Camp Glow and insert amount of donation.
Any amount is more than helpful. Thank you!
Friday, September 4, 2009
Pictures!
Here's the link to my facebook photo album!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2034040&id=67700268&l=5e556ea9a6
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2034040&id=67700268&l=5e556ea9a6
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Crossing the Street is Dangerous.
I've been in Lusaka for about a week now and slowly I'm adjusting back into city life. At first I was a bit overwhelmed with all the choices I could make: food, movies, and turning the lights on or off; but, now I'm loving it and exploring around. However, the drivers here are insane! Pedestrians DO NOT have the right away, even if you're in the cross walk and have the walk signal. I've had some close calls, all of which are exacerbated by the fact that I have not yet figured out which way I should look first when crossing! I saw Harry Potter this week and LOVED it, probably my favorite of all the movies!
While here I'm also doing some actual 'work.' We're attending a workshop on how to start planning projects in our schools and communities- this entails sitting in a classroom for about eight hours a day, after having copious amounts of free time in the village this is a bit tedious. It also has been nice to reconnect with those that I went through training with. After talking with others, I realize that I'm not nearly as rural as some others, which is surprising I realize. The fact that I'm able to get fresh fruit, cereal, chocolate, and yogurt in my area is a big deal and now I'm much more thankful for these small conviences.
I have no more exciting stories about village life at the moment so, I think it's time to update you all on my living situation since I don't believe I've ever gone into detail about the family I stay with. I stay with the headman, his wife and children (and their spouses). So, it's the headman, Patrick, and his wife, Katherine- they're pretty old in Zambian stardards, probably around 60. They have eight children but only some of them stay with them: Loveness, who's 21 and married with two of her own children; Brian; 20 and in high school (it's common to be older and still in school); Franny, 14; Dougy, 8; and the others live elsewhere. I don't know how a child decides to stay with their family or move away- I think it may just be dependant on the family. I spend most of my time with Loveness since she's closest to me in age and speaks fluent English. What do you do with a woman in the village? you may be wondering... Well, a lot of sitting on stools outside and chatting, although an equal amount of time is spent in silence as well Zambians are just fine with sitting and not talking which was awkward for me in the beginning. I also watch her work, the women here never stop going, in the mornings it's starting the fire, cooking food, washing clothes, working in the field and the afternoons entail cooking more food, cleaning around the compound (which yes, includes sweeping the dirt around the houses- something I still don't understand!), controlling the crazy children, and whatever else needs to be done. But the best part of spending time with the village women is the gossip they tell, translated into English via Loveness, I love to hear what's going on and who's doing what!
I was finally able to post pictures on facebook! I realize that not all of you have facebook, I apologize! But, I'm sure my parentals would be happy to pass some on to you via email if you ask nicely!
While here I'm also doing some actual 'work.' We're attending a workshop on how to start planning projects in our schools and communities- this entails sitting in a classroom for about eight hours a day, after having copious amounts of free time in the village this is a bit tedious. It also has been nice to reconnect with those that I went through training with. After talking with others, I realize that I'm not nearly as rural as some others, which is surprising I realize. The fact that I'm able to get fresh fruit, cereal, chocolate, and yogurt in my area is a big deal and now I'm much more thankful for these small conviences.
I have no more exciting stories about village life at the moment so, I think it's time to update you all on my living situation since I don't believe I've ever gone into detail about the family I stay with. I stay with the headman, his wife and children (and their spouses). So, it's the headman, Patrick, and his wife, Katherine- they're pretty old in Zambian stardards, probably around 60. They have eight children but only some of them stay with them: Loveness, who's 21 and married with two of her own children; Brian; 20 and in high school (it's common to be older and still in school); Franny, 14; Dougy, 8; and the others live elsewhere. I don't know how a child decides to stay with their family or move away- I think it may just be dependant on the family. I spend most of my time with Loveness since she's closest to me in age and speaks fluent English. What do you do with a woman in the village? you may be wondering... Well, a lot of sitting on stools outside and chatting, although an equal amount of time is spent in silence as well Zambians are just fine with sitting and not talking which was awkward for me in the beginning. I also watch her work, the women here never stop going, in the mornings it's starting the fire, cooking food, washing clothes, working in the field and the afternoons entail cooking more food, cleaning around the compound (which yes, includes sweeping the dirt around the houses- something I still don't understand!), controlling the crazy children, and whatever else needs to be done. But the best part of spending time with the village women is the gossip they tell, translated into English via Loveness, I love to hear what's going on and who's doing what!
I was finally able to post pictures on facebook! I realize that not all of you have facebook, I apologize! But, I'm sure my parentals would be happy to pass some on to you via email if you ask nicely!
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Hail to the Chief!
This past week the honorable Chief Chitina came to stay with my village and because I stay with the village headman I was privy to a front row seat to all the happenings. The chief of course doesn't travel all by his lonesome but, I was amazed to see all the things and people, his posse as I have come to think of them: a counsel of 'advisors,' two armed guards, and a plethora of other people that I wasn't able to determine their function other than drink a lot of beer and play drums well into the night. The first day, the village hosted a 'town hall' meeting in which the villagers were able to voice their problems and concerns to the chief, the ones that the headman had not previously been able to resolve. The meeting was in Bemba so, I understood only a little but I was able to grasp one of the complaints: It seems that a man's goat had wandered into a woman's field and eaten some of her crop that she was selling; then, the woman proceeded to call the man some not nice names and the man thought the woman should be punished. What I found so amazing about this whole encounter was that it was not the woman who clearly lost money in not being able to sell the crops the goat ate that brought the complaint forward but, the man because he had a hurt ego! (This goat story might give you a brief understanding of my day to day happenings in the village.) I wasn't able to hear how the Chief resolved the matter because, by this time the Chiefs guards spotted me successfully hiding in the back of the crowd to not draw attention to myself and forced me to move to the front to sit in front of everyone next to the Chief on a chair; the only reason that I could discern for this happening was because I was White. So, I had to awkwardly sit in front of everyone for the remainder of the meeting and pretend that I understood what was happening in Bemba; it was strange to say the least! Other than the meeting there was good food, music and dancing. I still am unsure as to the actual role of Chiefs throughout Zambia since now everything is handled through the Zambian government. At one time, Chiefs did play an important role in creating laws and managing the people.
Through a little exploring, I was able to find a nice little swimming hole by my home! I am hoping that 1.) It doesn't dry up by hot season and 2.) There aren't any alligators/ crocodiles in it- I can't remember which we have here in Africa! Which reminds me of a story I heard recently about a woman who was doing her laundry in the river and was attacked and lost her arm! Therefore, I no longer do my laundry there. Which means I have to haul my water to my house to wash but, at least I still have two arms!
Next week, I head to Lusaka, I have big plans to eat a vanilla ice cream cone. Next week also surprisingly marks my six month anniversary in Zambia, I feel like there's still so much for me to learn and figure out; needless to say I haven't even really started my education work yet- that will come next month.
Through a little exploring, I was able to find a nice little swimming hole by my home! I am hoping that 1.) It doesn't dry up by hot season and 2.) There aren't any alligators/ crocodiles in it- I can't remember which we have here in Africa! Which reminds me of a story I heard recently about a woman who was doing her laundry in the river and was attacked and lost her arm! Therefore, I no longer do my laundry there. Which means I have to haul my water to my house to wash but, at least I still have two arms!
Next week, I head to Lusaka, I have big plans to eat a vanilla ice cream cone. Next week also surprisingly marks my six month anniversary in Zambia, I feel like there's still so much for me to learn and figure out; needless to say I haven't even really started my education work yet- that will come next month.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
A Brick and Thatched Roofed Chalet For One, Please!
I have successfully finished my three months of community entry! This means that I am technically a full fledged Peace Corps Volunteer, for real this time! Now, I can actually begin working on projects in my community and with schools, utilize the Provincial House every month, and GO ON VACATION! This leads me to the title of my blog; as I begin going through my travel guide book to Zambia I’ve noticed that many of the lodges you can stay at offer local accommodations of a “brick and thatched roofed chalet!” Coincidently, I believe that I’m already living in a brick and thatched roofed chalet; however, I don’t yet feel that I am on vacation. For my first Zambian adventure, Mary, Leann and I will be travelling to Lake Kariba in Southern Province for some fun in the sun at the end of August, following our two week training in Lusaka.
My little village is much the same. My sister, Loveness, gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. It was maybe the fastest birth ever, I was sitting with her at about 10:00am the day of and she was not in labor but, the baby was born at 2:00pm! I’ve been occupying my time visiting other volunteers in my province. A couple weeks ago it was another volunteer’s birthday so a few of us headed to his site for a celebration. It was a good time complete with cheeseburgers! And this past week, I decided to bike 50 kilometers (about 30 miles) to visit my friend Leann at her site. It was quite the bike trip, I am very glad I decided to bring saddle bags for my bike. From Leann’s we travelled to our friends Mary’s site which was an adventure in itself. Mary lives about 25 kilometers off of the main road. So, we got transport to that point and then thought we would be able to get a ride the 25 kilometers; however, we were not able to and ended up walking the entire way! Needless to say it was a long day.
Other Zambian Factoids: I lied in my last post when I said that Zambia will be in the World Cup. Apparently they still had one game against Algeria, which they lost dismally. I watched the game at a ‘sports bar’ here in Mkushi. It’s still cold season, and I realize I write about the weather every blog; BUT, it is ridiculously cold many days and now it’s also cloudy and windy too! And preparations for the chief are still underway in my village, we have a house built. He’s on a three month tour of all his villages and at the end there will be a large harvest celebration to signify the end of the harvest.
Finally, thanks for all the mail and packages! I have been pleasantly surprised at all of the things I’ve been receiving! And I promise to try very hard to get pictures of my life here online soon!
My little village is much the same. My sister, Loveness, gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. It was maybe the fastest birth ever, I was sitting with her at about 10:00am the day of and she was not in labor but, the baby was born at 2:00pm! I’ve been occupying my time visiting other volunteers in my province. A couple weeks ago it was another volunteer’s birthday so a few of us headed to his site for a celebration. It was a good time complete with cheeseburgers! And this past week, I decided to bike 50 kilometers (about 30 miles) to visit my friend Leann at her site. It was quite the bike trip, I am very glad I decided to bring saddle bags for my bike. From Leann’s we travelled to our friends Mary’s site which was an adventure in itself. Mary lives about 25 kilometers off of the main road. So, we got transport to that point and then thought we would be able to get a ride the 25 kilometers; however, we were not able to and ended up walking the entire way! Needless to say it was a long day.
Other Zambian Factoids: I lied in my last post when I said that Zambia will be in the World Cup. Apparently they still had one game against Algeria, which they lost dismally. I watched the game at a ‘sports bar’ here in Mkushi. It’s still cold season, and I realize I write about the weather every blog; BUT, it is ridiculously cold many days and now it’s also cloudy and windy too! And preparations for the chief are still underway in my village, we have a house built. He’s on a three month tour of all his villages and at the end there will be a large harvest celebration to signify the end of the harvest.
Finally, thanks for all the mail and packages! I have been pleasantly surprised at all of the things I’ve been receiving! And I promise to try very hard to get pictures of my life here online soon!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Community Entry Part 2
Well, I've finally met all the other fabulous volunteers in Central Province! This past week we came together at our Provincial House to have our yearly Peace Corps meeting. The week was filled with many activities including roasting an entire pig in the ground, needless to say after months lacking meat protein it was delicious!(A note on Provincial Houses: Peace Corps is kind enough to provide a house complete with electricity and hot showers for every Province, we get four days a month to go and relax and clean ourselves.) There are 27 of us in Central(about 250 in all of Zambia), it's interesting to note the wide variety of people attracted to the Peace Corps.
Life in the village is much the same. However, teachers have been on strike these past few weeks, wanting more money from the Ministry of Education. Therefore, I don't have much actual Peace Corps work, in terms of visiting schools to be doing. Instead, I've been filling my days spending more time with my family and continuing my copious amounts of reading, I'm a bit embarrassed the amount of books I've read in the short time I've been here! Harvesting is almost complete, now farms are waiting for the government to set a price for the crops and start buying them. It's an interesting system, I don't know of any private companies that are buying the crops only the Zambian government. I believe the women in my village have started to become used to my daily jogs, in the beginning they would come out from their insakas (cooking huts) and tell me I look tired and try to show me the short-cut back to my home; either that or I look much less tired and out of shape! This past weekend, I attempted my own laundry, my sister who normally does it is very very pregnant, it went ok, and to my untrained eye my clothes look clean!
In other Zambian news:
The Zambian soccer team won the game this past week that will send them to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa! And in village news: The Chief (very important man) is coming to stay with us in August. The village is busy preparing everything for him, including building him a new home!
Here are a few books that I highly recommend(I am pretty much an expert by now!):
Empire Falls, Richard Russo
In the Lake of the Woods, Tim O'Brien
God's Pocket, Pete Dexter
Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier
Life in the village is much the same. However, teachers have been on strike these past few weeks, wanting more money from the Ministry of Education. Therefore, I don't have much actual Peace Corps work, in terms of visiting schools to be doing. Instead, I've been filling my days spending more time with my family and continuing my copious amounts of reading, I'm a bit embarrassed the amount of books I've read in the short time I've been here! Harvesting is almost complete, now farms are waiting for the government to set a price for the crops and start buying them. It's an interesting system, I don't know of any private companies that are buying the crops only the Zambian government. I believe the women in my village have started to become used to my daily jogs, in the beginning they would come out from their insakas (cooking huts) and tell me I look tired and try to show me the short-cut back to my home; either that or I look much less tired and out of shape! This past weekend, I attempted my own laundry, my sister who normally does it is very very pregnant, it went ok, and to my untrained eye my clothes look clean!
In other Zambian news:
The Zambian soccer team won the game this past week that will send them to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa! And in village news: The Chief (very important man) is coming to stay with us in August. The village is busy preparing everything for him, including building him a new home!
Here are a few books that I highly recommend(I am pretty much an expert by now!):
Empire Falls, Richard Russo
In the Lake of the Woods, Tim O'Brien
God's Pocket, Pete Dexter
Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Community Entry- A Day in the Life Of...
I'm about three months into my Peace Corps life. Here's a brief snapshot of a day in the life of a volunteer:
I typically roll out of my hut around 7:30am; however, I'm up long before then, usually about 3:00am, or whenever the roosters fall out of their trees and decided to start crowing! I eat a quick breakfast of oatmeal and then get ready for the day. This includes listening to the news on BBC Radio, checking the New York Times on my phone, and taking a bucket bath. To bathe in a bucket, I have a giant bucket that I carry to our water pump and fill only about half way, since I have to carry it back 100yards! From here, some people are ambitious and heat their water over fire before they wash, but I'm far too lazy to do something like this. I have a special grass structure outside where I bathe, I'm hoping to make a stand for my solar shower soon! After bathing, I hop on my bike and visit one of the various schools in my area to meet them. I'll tell you of my favorite school thus far, it's a community school about 3 kilometers from my home. I went to their Parent Teacher Association Meeting last week before classes started and all of the men that attended were dressed so that I felt that I was in 'Good Fellas' African-style! I thought about attempting to explain this to them, but I figured once we were passed the language barrier and cultural differences the humor of the situation would be gone, so I share with you all instead! I've discovered that one meeting a day is about all that I can fit into my schedule- Zambian meetings rarely start on time and take hours of time. Then I bike back to my home to reflect on the day and start devising project ideas based on what I've heard. Then I go for a run once the sun stops beating down on me and then I start cooking dinner. I've been surviving on watermelon and sweet potatoes, they're pretty delicious!
If it's Saturday, Sunday, or a day that nothing's scheduled- I'll either head into town or read books in my house. Since being posted about two weeks ago, I've read 10 books! If I keep this pace, I'll read roughly 400 books in two years!
Life in Zambia is much simpler and slower paced than in the States. While it was challenging to adjust to this in the beginning, I'm slowly starting to learn to!
I typically roll out of my hut around 7:30am; however, I'm up long before then, usually about 3:00am, or whenever the roosters fall out of their trees and decided to start crowing! I eat a quick breakfast of oatmeal and then get ready for the day. This includes listening to the news on BBC Radio, checking the New York Times on my phone, and taking a bucket bath. To bathe in a bucket, I have a giant bucket that I carry to our water pump and fill only about half way, since I have to carry it back 100yards! From here, some people are ambitious and heat their water over fire before they wash, but I'm far too lazy to do something like this. I have a special grass structure outside where I bathe, I'm hoping to make a stand for my solar shower soon! After bathing, I hop on my bike and visit one of the various schools in my area to meet them. I'll tell you of my favorite school thus far, it's a community school about 3 kilometers from my home. I went to their Parent Teacher Association Meeting last week before classes started and all of the men that attended were dressed so that I felt that I was in 'Good Fellas' African-style! I thought about attempting to explain this to them, but I figured once we were passed the language barrier and cultural differences the humor of the situation would be gone, so I share with you all instead! I've discovered that one meeting a day is about all that I can fit into my schedule- Zambian meetings rarely start on time and take hours of time. Then I bike back to my home to reflect on the day and start devising project ideas based on what I've heard. Then I go for a run once the sun stops beating down on me and then I start cooking dinner. I've been surviving on watermelon and sweet potatoes, they're pretty delicious!
If it's Saturday, Sunday, or a day that nothing's scheduled- I'll either head into town or read books in my house. Since being posted about two weeks ago, I've read 10 books! If I keep this pace, I'll read roughly 400 books in two years!
Life in Zambia is much simpler and slower paced than in the States. While it was challenging to adjust to this in the beginning, I'm slowly starting to learn to!
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Brrr...Cold Season
It's officially cold season below the equator and I was shocked to find that it's actually a bit chilly! The days are still sunny and hot but nights and mornings are cold enough to require a jacket and I can see my breath!
In other news: Five days until I become an official Peace Corps Volunteer! Technically this all depends on my Bemba language score this Tuesday. So, send me all your thoughts and prayers as I take my final test! Friday will be our big swearing-in ceremony at the US Ambassadors home. I'm excited and ready to complete training. Although after two months of constant American interaction, I'll have a bit of a shock moving into my village. However, I'm looking forward to returning to my new village. I had a fantastic week long stay in my new home during training. Once again, I'll be living in close proximity to a host family. This time though, I'll be much more independent, they will not be cooking for me or doing my laundry. While I'm ready to start cooking my own food again, I am dubious of my laundry skills- I'll probably end up paying a woman in my village to do it for me! My new family is wonderful; they've had two Peace Corps volunteers prior to me so understand Peace Corps and my American-ness. I'll have my own home on their compound and in terms of Peace Corps homes it's a mansion (actually it's a two roomed brick hut)! And it's fully furnished thanks to the volunteer before me. Another added bonus is that my water source is a water pump only 100 yards from my front door. And the real selling point is my backyard is a banana orchard!!!
My first three months at site are for 'community entry.' Technically I'm not supposed to be doing an Peace Corps projects or work, my job during this time is to meet all the families in my village and travel to all the schools in my district to meet the teachers. For those of you who know how bad I am with names and faces, this is probably going to be more work than actual projects I hope to accomplish! However, after these two intense months of training I am looking forward to the slower pace of being in the village. Following community entry, I'll go back to Lusaka for one final week of training and then I can officially begin my Peace Corps service.
Zambian factoids:
For those of you that follow soccer, Zambia has a chance to make the 2010 World Cup Playoffs! This is big news here and it's hard not to get drawn into football excitement. I broke down and bought an internet phone. I'll have the same phone number but will now be able to facebook and email more easily and it'll be cheaper than texting for all you in the states. And finally, it's harvest season here and since my new family has a large farm I'm about to learn the art of harvesting corn- wish me luck!
I have a new address, keep the letters coming! I love any and all news from home!
Cindy Schuchart/ PCV
PO Box 840038
Mkushi, Zambia
Africa
In other news: Five days until I become an official Peace Corps Volunteer! Technically this all depends on my Bemba language score this Tuesday. So, send me all your thoughts and prayers as I take my final test! Friday will be our big swearing-in ceremony at the US Ambassadors home. I'm excited and ready to complete training. Although after two months of constant American interaction, I'll have a bit of a shock moving into my village. However, I'm looking forward to returning to my new village. I had a fantastic week long stay in my new home during training. Once again, I'll be living in close proximity to a host family. This time though, I'll be much more independent, they will not be cooking for me or doing my laundry. While I'm ready to start cooking my own food again, I am dubious of my laundry skills- I'll probably end up paying a woman in my village to do it for me! My new family is wonderful; they've had two Peace Corps volunteers prior to me so understand Peace Corps and my American-ness. I'll have my own home on their compound and in terms of Peace Corps homes it's a mansion (actually it's a two roomed brick hut)! And it's fully furnished thanks to the volunteer before me. Another added bonus is that my water source is a water pump only 100 yards from my front door. And the real selling point is my backyard is a banana orchard!!!
My first three months at site are for 'community entry.' Technically I'm not supposed to be doing an Peace Corps projects or work, my job during this time is to meet all the families in my village and travel to all the schools in my district to meet the teachers. For those of you who know how bad I am with names and faces, this is probably going to be more work than actual projects I hope to accomplish! However, after these two intense months of training I am looking forward to the slower pace of being in the village. Following community entry, I'll go back to Lusaka for one final week of training and then I can officially begin my Peace Corps service.
Zambian factoids:
For those of you that follow soccer, Zambia has a chance to make the 2010 World Cup Playoffs! This is big news here and it's hard not to get drawn into football excitement. I broke down and bought an internet phone. I'll have the same phone number but will now be able to facebook and email more easily and it'll be cheaper than texting for all you in the states. And finally, it's harvest season here and since my new family has a large farm I'm about to learn the art of harvesting corn- wish me luck!
I have a new address, keep the letters coming! I love any and all news from home!
Cindy Schuchart/ PCV
PO Box 840038
Mkushi, Zambia
Africa
Saturday, March 28, 2009
I've Got A New Home
We received our site placements! I’ll be located in the Central Provice only 5 kilometers outside of the Mkushi town. I’m going to be a boma volunteer, which means that I’ll be working at the district level of education. (Zambian education starts at the National Level, Provincial Level, District Level, and finally Zonal) For the entire next week I’ll be staying at my new home in the village meeting all the people and discovering what my job will be. I am so excited to see where I'll be living and working for the next two years! I will also be getting a new mailing address that'll be closer to my site. So, STOP SENDING MAIL TO THE LUSAKA ADDRESS! It wont reach me by the time I am finished with training! I am appreciating all the letters I've been recieving... I'll let you know as soon as I can my new address!
Training is still going strong! I am happy, healthy, and loving Zambia.
Here are some more factoids:
The rainy season in Zambia is coming to an end, followed by the cold season. I am appreciating the cool nights and mornings brought by this season after the hot and muggy weather brought by the rain! I took my first fall off my bike last week and in true Cindy-form it was both ridiculous and graceless! I was riding with my friend Mary and once she was able to stop laughing she pulled my bike off of me, because of course it landed completely on top of me! I'm still struggling through a new language, I'm pumped to test out my skills in the village this week!
Training is still going strong! I am happy, healthy, and loving Zambia.
Here are some more factoids:
The rainy season in Zambia is coming to an end, followed by the cold season. I am appreciating the cool nights and mornings brought by this season after the hot and muggy weather brought by the rain! I took my first fall off my bike last week and in true Cindy-form it was both ridiculous and graceless! I was riding with my friend Mary and once she was able to stop laughing she pulled my bike off of me, because of course it landed completely on top of me! I'm still struggling through a new language, I'm pumped to test out my skills in the village this week!
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Peace Corps Training
I’ve arrived safely in
After being whisked throughout the country for the first week to visit current Peace Corps Volunteers to see what life in two months will be like for us; we have finally settled in a village just outside of
Here are some other factoids of life here:
My village calls me ‘The Girl Who Prefers Trousers’ because, I don’t wear the traditional long skirt called a chitenge(it’s just way too hard to bike in!) I’ve become a biking pro- who knew? I miss sugar more than anything- you can buy whatever chocolate you want here but not sweet candy. So, feel free to send candy (chewy sweet tarts, skittles, starbursts and gum)! My training group is pretty fun, so don’t worry I’ve made lots of good new friends! I’ve only seen one snake and it was tiny, if possible Zambians are more afraid of snakes than we are. And not packing my hiking boots was a good life choice since I have not even put on anything other than my J. Crew flip-flops for two weeks!
I miss you all! I’ll be thinking of the Bethel Crew as you move into your new building this week- Good Luck!
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Training Address
I will be able and would love to receive mail at this address from March- May:
Cindy Schuchardt/PCT
Peace Corps
P.O. Box 50707
Lusaka, Zambia
Africa
Mail can take up to 4 weeks to reach me, so send early and often! If you're interested in sending packages, the US postal service has free international boxes you can fill with numerous great things for me; such as, Chewy Sweet Tarts and copies of InStyle magazine. And please don't forget to specify Africa in the address, we don't want to make our trusty mail personnel whip out their atlases.
Cindy Schuchardt/PCT
Peace Corps
P.O. Box 50707
Lusaka, Zambia
Africa
Mail can take up to 4 weeks to reach me, so send early and often! If you're interested in sending packages, the US postal service has free international boxes you can fill with numerous great things for me; such as, Chewy Sweet Tarts and copies of InStyle magazine. And please don't forget to specify Africa in the address, we don't want to make our trusty mail personnel whip out their atlases.
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