Kuseka! To laugh! I am sure you guys have been waiting to hear some funny stories! In general I can get plenty of laughs from observing the people and my surroundings. The names of little shops and businesses are hilarious…like Stop Jealous Tuck Shop (tuck shops are small general stores). Bars named Liquor Nest and Boredom Breaker! Other businesses try to be modern and name their shop things like J.K. International Sinda Branch…you just have to laugh because you know that there is no other shop other than this one much less internationally. The other day I saw a business called Broken Investments…too funny! People’s names here crack me up….the guard at our PC provincial house is Fatness. I have meet people named Innocence and Tears, or the best yet…Liverness Towel!! OMG!!
Modes of transportation provide plenty of laughs too. Monday I saw a guy riding his bicycle with a pig tied to the rack! The best part was that the pig was still alive and has his mouth tied shut!! A few miles later I saw a man with a goat tied to his bike! Bicycles are the most common transport in and out of the villages. Many people get rides into the boma (town) by riding on the bike racks (It would be nice if you could pull me into town..ha ha). I commonly see old women and children…the other day I saw a family of four all on one bike! I immediately thought ‘what would they give for a Hummer?” In the states we see one person in a SUV…here it would be filled with about 20 more people than would fit plus about 10 chickens and a few goats…that is if the goats weren’t being ridden in on the back of a bike! Ha! Ha!
As volunteers we are trained in HIV/AIDS education and we are encouraged to promote awareness in our villages. During one of our trainings a current volunteer came to share some of her experiences of HIV/AIDS education in her village. She had an awareness training in her village and she did a condom demonstration. She went through the 6 steps of correct and consistent condom use. Since she was in the village she had limited tools for her demonstration so she used a stick. She carefully explained that if you use a condom using these 6 steps you would be protected from HIV. She felt as if the session went well and gave condoms to the villagers. A few weeks later she was walking through her village and noticed a stick with a condom on it placed outside a hut. Come to find out, the villagers thought that putting a condom on a stick and placing it outside their hut was practicing safe sex! WOW!
During second site visit I stayed with a volunteer who was at the end of her service. She decided to throw a farewell party and asked the village to help her with the planning. We were sitting in the community school planning the party…you know going thru all the specifics…how many goats and chickens did we need and how were we going to get them. So it was decided that we needed 4 chickens and that the gizzards and livers were to be served to the village Headmen. It is tradition to serve goat at farewell gatherings but this man at the meeting continued to mention that we needed to purchase a pig stating… “But I know a pig!” it was too funny at the time…maybe you had to be there but HE KNOWS A PIG! Well we ended up getting 2 goats. I watched as the villagers killed and gutted the goats. No part of an animal goes to waste here…they eat it all. So sad to say but one of the goats was pregnant with two kids. When the man told us this I responded without thinking “Great, can we eat them as appetizers?” OMG! That was disgusting…but very funny! I must report that I did not eat any goat and I do not know what they did with the fetuses. ..hope I don’t get added to PITA’s hate list!
So, I have debated whether or not I should share this next story. It is pretty much the funniest and most disgustingly disturbing thing that has happened during training…and it just so happened to have happened to me…of course!! WARNING the following is not attended for all audiences. Men and children should be advised! So not to go into to much detail but I was at the moon (that is what Zambians call it when women have their cycle) and I did not want to throw my plastic applicators in the pit latrine (I know, who brings plastic to Zambia..what was I thinking?) Anyway, so I collected them all week in a plastic bag to throw into the trash pit. I tied the bag in a knot and threw it in the pit as I left for class. When I came home for lunch I noticed that a large number of village kids were around my compound. As I walked closer I realized they were playing with some type of toy. You may know where this is going….I walked up to a child and noticed that he had one of my applicators in his hands using it as a popper pulling it in and out. Then I looked over and saw that a small girl has one in her mouth using it as a whistle!! I was totally freaked out and screamed “Dirty, Very Very Dirty!” I was absolutely mortified…what had I done. How was I to know that the children would climb down into the trash pit, dig around and find my black trash bag, untie the knots and use my tampons and whistles and toys?!?! Moral of the story…don’t throw anything in the trash pit that you do not want children to play with!
Well just a few laughs for you! I am sure many more will come! Please email and write me to share some of the laughs you have been having! Heard any good jokes lately? What has Conan O’Brian and John Stewart been saying? Kuseka! Kuseka!
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
E-mail from Charlye (2-19-07)
Muli Bwanji? (how are you?) Greetings from Chongwe village! Living with my host familyand being submersed into the culture, the language, the traditions has made me feel less like a M'azungu (foreigner) and more like a true Zambian each day.
VILLAGE LIFE
The Kayumba family have been wonderful. My atate (father) Andrew and amayi (mother) Ester consider me their 8th child. My amayi prepares my bucket bath two times a day..and she even boils my water for a hot bath! Someone in the family walks me to and from language and technical classes each day..2km each way for a total of 8 km! I get three hot meals of shima (grits) and two sides either eggs, beans, eggplant, cabbage, rape (spinach-like greens), and chiwawa (pumpkin leaves). I haven't been served meet since the first night. They offered me the liver and gizzard of a chicken out of a pot which had the feet and head still attached! I took one bite--and that took all I had in me--and left the remainders on my plate. They haven't served any meat since..thank goodness! They cook with tons of saladie (cooking oil) and the food lack nutrition. So, basically I eat carbs soaked in oil---yum yum, healthy! I get a lot of bisquits (cookies) from the tuck shop in the village..that is what I live for each day! I play with my 7 brothers and sisters everyday. Rhoda (16), Ramson (15), Elizabeth (13), Phabeon (10), Moses (7), Unius (2), and Victoria (10 months). We play football (soccer), frisbee, and they have taught me some games as well. We sing songs and practice Nyanja a lot. They are great teachers. I am surprised by my level of understanding at this point, but I guess living within the language helps (or requires) you to learn quickly. The highlight of my day is when Uni runs and greets me with a big hug and smile each time I come home! She is adorable! My atate had malaria earlier this week. It was very scary but he went to the boma clinic and they gave hime medication. He is feeling better now. Ted in my training group also had malaria this week but he made it thru fine and is back to good heath now!. It is the rainy season and a lot of the villagers are sick with malaria. It is very sad to see the sick riding to the clinic in the back of ox carts.
CHURCH
I visited a catholic church with my family. That was an experience! The church is a mud hut packed with villagers. We were so packed we were practically sitting in each others laps. The traditional dress for women is to wrap a chitanga around your waist over your clothes. So not only is it sweltering hot, we are all packed into a small church with no breaze and I have on double clothing! There was a lot of singing and dancing. A group of girls danced up and down the isles with each song. They waved their hands and yelled out. The men are required to sit on the left side of the church and the women on the right. Each week a different member of the church serves as the preacher. The entire service lasted over three hours and did I mention it was all in Nyanja!!
HELLO MOTO!
I am fortunate to have a nice mud hut of my own with a mattress on the ground and a small desk and chair. Before I left the states I heard stories of how I would develop close friendships with the bugs and rodents, but I did not realize these stories are in fact true. My first night in the village was challenging due to language barriers. My family and I communicated with gestures mostly. I sat in the M'palla (outdoor kitchen) and watched my amayi prepare dinner. After 3 hours, I knew only one word..Moto (fire). After dinner, my bath was prepared. I went into this shelter type thing and saw a bucket and a 6 inch black catapillar! I immediately ran out. I knew I had to face the music, and I was needed a bath in a bad way so I decided to make a new friend. Since I only knew one word in Nyanja, I decided to name my new friend Moto. Every morning and every night Moto is in the bathing shelter waiting for me. Sometimes he brings friends, other catapilars, roaches, spiders. I also had roaches and rats in my hut....they ran across my floor and climbed up my walls keeping me up at night. After about a week without sleep and living in terror I decided that something had to be done. My family could not understand that Americans are afraid of mice and rats. There wasn't any rat posioning to be found b/c they eat rats! So, my family got me a cat. Zambians do not name their cats or dogs, however, they do name their oxen (go figure). So my new cat's name is Chona (Nyanja for cat) and he loves rats!!! So I am now rat free and happy! So my two best friends are a catapillar named Moto and my cat named Chona!
The culture, people, and landscape is amazing. I love Africa! The sunsets are breathtaking. There are green rolling hills as far as you can see in all directions. The stars are incredible...I would never have imagined stars could be so bright. I saw a falling star the other night. I have been to traditional ceremonies with amazing music and dancing. The people are glad to have us here and to teach us the Zambian culture.
I love you guys and miss you more than ever. I am having the time of my life. Til the next letter.....
Charlye
VILLAGE LIFE
The Kayumba family have been wonderful. My atate (father) Andrew and amayi (mother) Ester consider me their 8th child. My amayi prepares my bucket bath two times a day..and she even boils my water for a hot bath! Someone in the family walks me to and from language and technical classes each day..2km each way for a total of 8 km! I get three hot meals of shima (grits) and two sides either eggs, beans, eggplant, cabbage, rape (spinach-like greens), and chiwawa (pumpkin leaves). I haven't been served meet since the first night. They offered me the liver and gizzard of a chicken out of a pot which had the feet and head still attached! I took one bite--and that took all I had in me--and left the remainders on my plate. They haven't served any meat since..thank goodness! They cook with tons of saladie (cooking oil) and the food lack nutrition. So, basically I eat carbs soaked in oil---yum yum, healthy! I get a lot of bisquits (cookies) from the tuck shop in the village..that is what I live for each day! I play with my 7 brothers and sisters everyday. Rhoda (16), Ramson (15), Elizabeth (13), Phabeon (10), Moses (7), Unius (2), and Victoria (10 months). We play football (soccer), frisbee, and they have taught me some games as well. We sing songs and practice Nyanja a lot. They are great teachers. I am surprised by my level of understanding at this point, but I guess living within the language helps (or requires) you to learn quickly. The highlight of my day is when Uni runs and greets me with a big hug and smile each time I come home! She is adorable! My atate had malaria earlier this week. It was very scary but he went to the boma clinic and they gave hime medication. He is feeling better now. Ted in my training group also had malaria this week but he made it thru fine and is back to good heath now!. It is the rainy season and a lot of the villagers are sick with malaria. It is very sad to see the sick riding to the clinic in the back of ox carts.
CHURCH
I visited a catholic church with my family. That was an experience! The church is a mud hut packed with villagers. We were so packed we were practically sitting in each others laps. The traditional dress for women is to wrap a chitanga around your waist over your clothes. So not only is it sweltering hot, we are all packed into a small church with no breaze and I have on double clothing! There was a lot of singing and dancing. A group of girls danced up and down the isles with each song. They waved their hands and yelled out. The men are required to sit on the left side of the church and the women on the right. Each week a different member of the church serves as the preacher. The entire service lasted over three hours and did I mention it was all in Nyanja!!
HELLO MOTO!
I am fortunate to have a nice mud hut of my own with a mattress on the ground and a small desk and chair. Before I left the states I heard stories of how I would develop close friendships with the bugs and rodents, but I did not realize these stories are in fact true. My first night in the village was challenging due to language barriers. My family and I communicated with gestures mostly. I sat in the M'palla (outdoor kitchen) and watched my amayi prepare dinner. After 3 hours, I knew only one word..Moto (fire). After dinner, my bath was prepared. I went into this shelter type thing and saw a bucket and a 6 inch black catapillar! I immediately ran out. I knew I had to face the music, and I was needed a bath in a bad way so I decided to make a new friend. Since I only knew one word in Nyanja, I decided to name my new friend Moto. Every morning and every night Moto is in the bathing shelter waiting for me. Sometimes he brings friends, other catapilars, roaches, spiders. I also had roaches and rats in my hut....they ran across my floor and climbed up my walls keeping me up at night. After about a week without sleep and living in terror I decided that something had to be done. My family could not understand that Americans are afraid of mice and rats. There wasn't any rat posioning to be found b/c they eat rats! So, my family got me a cat. Zambians do not name their cats or dogs, however, they do name their oxen (go figure). So my new cat's name is Chona (Nyanja for cat) and he loves rats!!! So I am now rat free and happy! So my two best friends are a catapillar named Moto and my cat named Chona!
The culture, people, and landscape is amazing. I love Africa! The sunsets are breathtaking. There are green rolling hills as far as you can see in all directions. The stars are incredible...I would never have imagined stars could be so bright. I saw a falling star the other night. I have been to traditional ceremonies with amazing music and dancing. The people are glad to have us here and to teach us the Zambian culture.
I love you guys and miss you more than ever. I am having the time of my life. Til the next letter.....
Charlye
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Charlye's blog continued (1-27-07)
This is the rest of the last blog that Charlye posted. She didn't have enough time to type it all....she mailed it to me and asked that I post the rest. :-) dre
SHAKE SHAKE
The beating of the African music continues but now it is mixed with laughter. The villagers are laughing at the dancing by the remainder of my training group who decided they enjoyed the shake-shake and stayed at the bar. Shake-shake is the name Zambians give to the act of shaking the contents of their homemade maize (corn) beer. The varying provinces in Zambia mix a variety of beers with their maize, however, it is consistently called shake-shake due to the manner in which it is prepared and served. Shake-shake's gritty taste wasn't something I particularly cared for, however, it is Zambia's most poular drink so I had to take a drink from the bucket that was being passed from person to person. It is the most common because it is affordable to the villagers. Only 2,000 kwancha (50 cents). A coke costs around 4000-5000 kwancha. For this price you can fill any container you bring.
NSHIMA
Meals are quite a sight. We eat with our hands. No napkins, no utensils. We grab a handful of Nshima (maize which is pounded similar to grits) and ball it up in our palm. We dip it into sauces and use it to scoop our other food - cabbage, relish, chicken, fish. The Zambian trainers and the PCVL (Peace Corps Volunteer Leaders) have mastered the technique, however, we are extremely messy after meals and do not seem to mind. The Nshima is very bland and contains little to no nutritional value. When sauces and other foods are added it becomes the substance to the meal. Nshima is the staple in Zambian's diet. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner - nshima, nshima, nshima!
NYANJA
Our communication with the Chongwe villages is limited to simple greetings and nonverbal gesturing. The interactions with children is much less challenging. They enjoy playing soccer. We taught them how to play duck, duck, goose and they loved it. We started with a small circle of about four volunteers and six children. Our cheering and laughter became contagious. Before we knew it, there were about 40 children playing and villagers of all ages watching and cheering. The language spoken in Chongwe is Nyanja which also happens to be spoken in the Eastern province where I will be posted after training! Today we selected the language we will learn during training. The language we chose determined our post provinces. The PCVLs gave a brief overview of each of the six provinces and we had to decide the language we will study and the province where we will be posted for two years. Of course I had no preference, all of Zambia is beautiful. I will study Nyanja and live in the Eastern province. The Eastern province is montainous with rolling green hills and valleys. It is the hottest province in Zambia with temps in the 100s-110s. There are seven of us going to Eastern, Diana is going to teach us all how to rock climb and repell! Our exact post within Eastern will be determined near the end of training based on interviews and skills acquired.
PC ZAMBIAN LIFE
Zambian life is amazing so far. I am still surprised that I am finally in Africa. I have been sharing my pictures of family/friends with anyone and everyone. We sing to Shakira and Beyonce in the community showers (not for long because the water is too cold). Our arms are sore from the second round of immunizations (only 11 more shots to go!) If we are able to sleep at all, we are awake at 4:00am because we haven't adjusted to Zambia time. We are all experiencing these moments together. We are growing closer and closer each day. Monday (29 Jan.) we will leave the hostels and head to the African bush for our first site visits.
In small groups of 5-7 people we will travel to a province different than our assigned province in order to experience another region of Zambia. We will stay in tents at a current PCV's site for one week. Once we return to Chongwe we will meet our host family. I am excited about meeting my family and beginning to live as a Zambian!!
SHAKE SHAKE
The beating of the African music continues but now it is mixed with laughter. The villagers are laughing at the dancing by the remainder of my training group who decided they enjoyed the shake-shake and stayed at the bar. Shake-shake is the name Zambians give to the act of shaking the contents of their homemade maize (corn) beer. The varying provinces in Zambia mix a variety of beers with their maize, however, it is consistently called shake-shake due to the manner in which it is prepared and served. Shake-shake's gritty taste wasn't something I particularly cared for, however, it is Zambia's most poular drink so I had to take a drink from the bucket that was being passed from person to person. It is the most common because it is affordable to the villagers. Only 2,000 kwancha (50 cents). A coke costs around 4000-5000 kwancha. For this price you can fill any container you bring.
NSHIMA
Meals are quite a sight. We eat with our hands. No napkins, no utensils. We grab a handful of Nshima (maize which is pounded similar to grits) and ball it up in our palm. We dip it into sauces and use it to scoop our other food - cabbage, relish, chicken, fish. The Zambian trainers and the PCVL (Peace Corps Volunteer Leaders) have mastered the technique, however, we are extremely messy after meals and do not seem to mind. The Nshima is very bland and contains little to no nutritional value. When sauces and other foods are added it becomes the substance to the meal. Nshima is the staple in Zambian's diet. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner - nshima, nshima, nshima!
NYANJA
Our communication with the Chongwe villages is limited to simple greetings and nonverbal gesturing. The interactions with children is much less challenging. They enjoy playing soccer. We taught them how to play duck, duck, goose and they loved it. We started with a small circle of about four volunteers and six children. Our cheering and laughter became contagious. Before we knew it, there were about 40 children playing and villagers of all ages watching and cheering. The language spoken in Chongwe is Nyanja which also happens to be spoken in the Eastern province where I will be posted after training! Today we selected the language we will learn during training. The language we chose determined our post provinces. The PCVLs gave a brief overview of each of the six provinces and we had to decide the language we will study and the province where we will be posted for two years. Of course I had no preference, all of Zambia is beautiful. I will study Nyanja and live in the Eastern province. The Eastern province is montainous with rolling green hills and valleys. It is the hottest province in Zambia with temps in the 100s-110s. There are seven of us going to Eastern, Diana is going to teach us all how to rock climb and repell! Our exact post within Eastern will be determined near the end of training based on interviews and skills acquired.
PC ZAMBIAN LIFE
Zambian life is amazing so far. I am still surprised that I am finally in Africa. I have been sharing my pictures of family/friends with anyone and everyone. We sing to Shakira and Beyonce in the community showers (not for long because the water is too cold). Our arms are sore from the second round of immunizations (only 11 more shots to go!) If we are able to sleep at all, we are awake at 4:00am because we haven't adjusted to Zambia time. We are all experiencing these moments together. We are growing closer and closer each day. Monday (29 Jan.) we will leave the hostels and head to the African bush for our first site visits.
In small groups of 5-7 people we will travel to a province different than our assigned province in order to experience another region of Zambia. We will stay in tents at a current PCV's site for one week. Once we return to Chongwe we will meet our host family. I am excited about meeting my family and beginning to live as a Zambian!!
Sunday, January 28, 2007
In Zambia
Bwanji! (Hello!) Muli Bwanji? (How are you?) Ndiri bwino. ( I am fine.) I am now in Zambia! It is everything and nothing like I expected. Last nights journal entry will explain my experience thus far in Zambia!.....
At the moment I am sitting on my bed in the hostel protected by a mosquito net. There is African music beating thru my window from the neighboring bar. The music played all night last night (I was awake b/c my sleeping patterns are off--I am not sure if it's from jet lag or the identified side effects from the malaria meds, or both) do tonight about 20 of us decided to mingle with the local villagers of Chongwe, which is about 50 km from the capital Lusaka (central province). Everyone has been very friendly and welcoming. People wave at us as we ride by packed 10 deep in off road Land Cruisers. And by ride by, I mean down bumpy red dirt roads while the villagers walk and ride bikes with children and large objects stacked on their heads. Today we even saw a buggy pulled by 2 huge oxen with the biggest horns I have ever seen. The cheildren run after us behind the rovers waving and screaming in a language that I do not understand yet.
Our communication with the Chongwe people is limited to simple greetings and mostly gesturing. Today we chose our language which determines our post for the next two years. I will be studying Nyanja which is in the eastern province of Zambia! Easterm is mountainous, very green, and beautiful and extremely HOT!! The hottest of all the provinces!! Monday we will head out to the bush for site visits. I am going to the southern province where Victoria Falls is located. We will stay there a week and then head back to Chongwe for the rest of training.
My time is running out (only three minutes left) I am enjoying my time here in Zambia. I feel safe and comfortable. Please mail me letters..this will be the last time i have access to internet for the remainder of training.
Love you guys
Charlye
At the moment I am sitting on my bed in the hostel protected by a mosquito net. There is African music beating thru my window from the neighboring bar. The music played all night last night (I was awake b/c my sleeping patterns are off--I am not sure if it's from jet lag or the identified side effects from the malaria meds, or both) do tonight about 20 of us decided to mingle with the local villagers of Chongwe, which is about 50 km from the capital Lusaka (central province). Everyone has been very friendly and welcoming. People wave at us as we ride by packed 10 deep in off road Land Cruisers. And by ride by, I mean down bumpy red dirt roads while the villagers walk and ride bikes with children and large objects stacked on their heads. Today we even saw a buggy pulled by 2 huge oxen with the biggest horns I have ever seen. The cheildren run after us behind the rovers waving and screaming in a language that I do not understand yet.
Our communication with the Chongwe people is limited to simple greetings and mostly gesturing. Today we chose our language which determines our post for the next two years. I will be studying Nyanja which is in the eastern province of Zambia! Easterm is mountainous, very green, and beautiful and extremely HOT!! The hottest of all the provinces!! Monday we will head out to the bush for site visits. I am going to the southern province where Victoria Falls is located. We will stay there a week and then head back to Chongwe for the rest of training.
My time is running out (only three minutes left) I am enjoying my time here in Zambia. I feel safe and comfortable. Please mail me letters..this will be the last time i have access to internet for the remainder of training.
Love you guys
Charlye
Friday, January 26, 2007
Johannesburg, South Africa
Hey guys! We just arrived safely in Johannesburg South Africa! The flight was long and we had a lot of turbulance--but I was able to catch up on a few movies that I really wanted to see...oh and I watched Little Miss Sunshine AGAIN!! I love that movie!.
Due to safety concerns we are not allowed to leave the airport hotel. We were warmly greeted with wine and cheese--the African wine is great. I only took a sip due to the serious side effects of alcohol and our malaria pills. We are not allowed to drink 24 hours before or after taking our pill, which we take once a week.
I have met the most incredible people in my training group. It is hard to believe that only 3 days ago I meet 40 strangers who have now become my extended family. Most people are 23-24 years old, there are 3 African Americans, 1 married couple (both 26), 4 Asian Americans, 9 males, and the rest caucassian females. The oldest volunteer is Angela 38 and the youngest is Tamera 22. There are only two of us from the south and of course I am getting a lot of comments on my southern accent! Everyone in our training group is with the Radio Education Development (RED) program ---yes, my program has a new name, it is no longer Learning at Taonago Market---- and with the Health program.
DC was great! We were there during the State of the Union--there were armored cars and police barricades everywhere. I was able to see all the sights. I got sick my second day in DC (a horrible stomach bug was going around) and they were going to delay my departure a few days..but thanks to all the medicines mom packed for me I was able to make it with the group! Speaking of mom and packing---This was one of my biggest concerns--packing! It is a joke within our group now that Charlye packed the most and that I can fit at least a small village of children in my bag! It all worked out fine in the end--African Air let me check three bags without a charge. So far, my experience with the African people has been very pleasant and welcoming.
Tomorrow we leave for Lusaka and begin training. I will not have access to the internet during the 9 week training period. We will have a short time to email on Sunday Jan 28th. I am very excited to arrive in Zambia and meet the people, play with the children, and view the beautiful landscape! This adventure finally became a reality once I was in the air. It was very difficult for me to turn my cell off- once I did I knew this journey was official. Even now, I think I hear my phone ringing!
Our training group is very very close. We have been looking out for each other and have formed close bonds already--I can hardly believe I know all their names and what state they are from and I have only known them for 3 days! So, please do not worry. I feel safe and comfortable. I miss you guys and will write again soon.
Due to safety concerns we are not allowed to leave the airport hotel. We were warmly greeted with wine and cheese--the African wine is great. I only took a sip due to the serious side effects of alcohol and our malaria pills. We are not allowed to drink 24 hours before or after taking our pill, which we take once a week.
I have met the most incredible people in my training group. It is hard to believe that only 3 days ago I meet 40 strangers who have now become my extended family. Most people are 23-24 years old, there are 3 African Americans, 1 married couple (both 26), 4 Asian Americans, 9 males, and the rest caucassian females. The oldest volunteer is Angela 38 and the youngest is Tamera 22. There are only two of us from the south and of course I am getting a lot of comments on my southern accent! Everyone in our training group is with the Radio Education Development (RED) program ---yes, my program has a new name, it is no longer Learning at Taonago Market---- and with the Health program.
DC was great! We were there during the State of the Union--there were armored cars and police barricades everywhere. I was able to see all the sights. I got sick my second day in DC (a horrible stomach bug was going around) and they were going to delay my departure a few days..but thanks to all the medicines mom packed for me I was able to make it with the group! Speaking of mom and packing---This was one of my biggest concerns--packing! It is a joke within our group now that Charlye packed the most and that I can fit at least a small village of children in my bag! It all worked out fine in the end--African Air let me check three bags without a charge. So far, my experience with the African people has been very pleasant and welcoming.
Tomorrow we leave for Lusaka and begin training. I will not have access to the internet during the 9 week training period. We will have a short time to email on Sunday Jan 28th. I am very excited to arrive in Zambia and meet the people, play with the children, and view the beautiful landscape! This adventure finally became a reality once I was in the air. It was very difficult for me to turn my cell off- once I did I knew this journey was official. Even now, I think I hear my phone ringing!
Our training group is very very close. We have been looking out for each other and have formed close bonds already--I can hardly believe I know all their names and what state they are from and I have only known them for 3 days! So, please do not worry. I feel safe and comfortable. I miss you guys and will write again soon.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Departing Details
Lions, Tigers, and Hippos OH MY! The time has finally come. For those of you who are saying, "I know she is going to Africa with no running water or electricty to work with kids or radio..." and have forgotten the details, the following is for you (For those who have heard the story a thousand times, please skip!). For the next 27 months, my primary project will be serving as a coordinator for an interactive radio instruction program focused on bringing primary school curriculum to the people of rural Zambia who have neither facilities nor instructors for traditional schools. My secondary projects will target the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
I depart Nashville Monday the 22nd for orientation in Washington, DC. There I will meet the others in my training group who are headed to Zambia (est. 30+ volunteers). For the next three days we will learn the ins and outs of volunteer service and safety precautions followed by rounds of immunizations. Once we are protected from malaria, yellow fever, and hepatitis, we will board a 16 hour flight directly to Johannesburg, South Africa--thank goodness I have Harry Potter downloaded to my ipod! We will stay overnight in Johannesburg and take a short two hour flight to Zambia's capital Lusaka the following afternoon. Zambia's time is eastern + 8 hours. For the next three months I will live with a host family while in Pre-Service Training (PST). Then I will be assigned a village for the next two years. Once I a home aka hut, I will update my address.
We have been warned that the most challenging aspect of service is isolation from friends and family. I will be more than likely to live 50+ kilometers from the nearest volunteer and internet access will be very limited. Snail mail will be my primary method of communication and greatly appreciated. For untampered mail, the PC advises Air Mail or Par Avion be written on envelopes (some have even suggested writing Religious Material on envelopes/packages). Air Mail takes a minimum of 2-4 weeks to arrive in Lusaka--so start writing now :) My address during training will be:
Charlye Ramsey/PCT
c/o Peace Corps
PO Box 50707
Lusaka, Zambia
Many of you have asked about packages and for a list of items I may need. These are items current volunteers have requested:
I depart Nashville Monday the 22nd for orientation in Washington, DC. There I will meet the others in my training group who are headed to Zambia (est. 30+ volunteers). For the next three days we will learn the ins and outs of volunteer service and safety precautions followed by rounds of immunizations. Once we are protected from malaria, yellow fever, and hepatitis, we will board a 16 hour flight directly to Johannesburg, South Africa--thank goodness I have Harry Potter downloaded to my ipod! We will stay overnight in Johannesburg and take a short two hour flight to Zambia's capital Lusaka the following afternoon. Zambia's time is eastern + 8 hours. For the next three months I will live with a host family while in Pre-Service Training (PST). Then I will be assigned a village for the next two years. Once I a home aka hut, I will update my address.
We have been warned that the most challenging aspect of service is isolation from friends and family. I will be more than likely to live 50+ kilometers from the nearest volunteer and internet access will be very limited. Snail mail will be my primary method of communication and greatly appreciated. For untampered mail, the PC advises Air Mail or Par Avion be written on envelopes (some have even suggested writing Religious Material on envelopes/packages). Air Mail takes a minimum of 2-4 weeks to arrive in Lusaka--so start writing now :) My address during training will be:
Charlye Ramsey/PCT
c/o Peace Corps
PO Box 50707
Lusaka, Zambia
Many of you have asked about packages and for a list of items I may need. These are items current volunteers have requested:
- drink/spice mixes
- packaged pastas
- instant oatmeal
- rechargable batteries
- rope/twine
- magazines/newspapers/books
- granola/protein bars
- gifts for Zambians-anything "American"
Thank you all for your support and encouragement. You have given me the strength to bear spiders and rats in my hut, biking 50 km each day, eating maize (ground corn), and walking 3km for water. After two years I know I will walk away an even more determined, happier, stronger person for taking the risks and hardships. If you are interested in learning more of the specifics of my service check out the PC Zambia Welcome Book at this site http://www.peacecorps.gov/welcomebooks/zmwb611.pdf I will miss you all greatly and will be anxiously awaiting your letters!
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