Ndinafika mu America! I have arrived in America! Hey guys! It’s been a while since my last post and a lot has changed in my life. Due to an unfortunate safety and security issue my Peace Corps service was interrupted three weeks ago. Now I am back in the States and have a new sister-in-law! With my brother's wedding and visiting with family I have not had much time to sit and write to explain in detail what happened with the Interruption of my Peace Corps service. In short, a local man who worked with the Office of the President of Zambia assaulted me. Needless to say, Peace Corps removed me immediately and deemed my site as a safety and security risk. Due to the fact that there is currently a vacancy for the position of Director for the Education Program, PC was unable to find a replacement site for me to continue my service. I was sent back on Interrupted Service and therefore will not be continuing my service with Peace Corps. I have been state side for two weeks but it feels like I have been back forever. !

America’s fast paced culture has made the time to appear as it has flown by but when I think back to my 27-hour journey to the first world it seems like ages ago. I miss Zambia tremendously. I never thought I would say this but I even miss goats trying to drink my dishwater

Adjustment. Well, to be perfectly honest…I mean…I must be free…if I think too much about how PC handled my Interrupted Service it makes me a bit upset so I chose to think of the positive aspects of my service, the real reason I chose to serve. The people. The cross-cultural experience. I think about the people in Chimate village; the Kanyumba’s, my home stay family; my little “ici ciani” girls; Violet; the sound of children’s feet running behind my bike;

the mountains; the bumpy land cruiser rides down red, dirt roads; droppin’ it like it’s hot at Hills Café; mango tress; fields of maize; breathtaking sunsets; the illumination of the stars that fill the entire sky at night. I think about my fellow PCVs often, especially when I eat pizza or taco bell or when I sit on my comfy couch with a laptop in my lap surfing the net while I watch the Sopranos. But trust me I would trade it all in again for more time in Zambia. I miss bathing under the sun and stars, I miss my latrine but not the bats, I miss having to bend down for everything, I miss n’shima, I miss the relaxed, slow pace, I miss the sense of community, I miss the rich and colorful culture. Now that I have returned I am able to experience all the things I never took the time to appreciate before. I am able to move at a slower pace and experience life through different eyes.

Top 10 things I didn’t realize I missed in America

10. The smell in the air after a rain shower

9. The feeling of soft green grass between my toes

8. Scented candles and lotions

7. Arby’s curly fries dipped in Arby’s sauce

6. Hot baths

5. Soft TP and towels

4. Ice cold New Castle beer

3. Fabric softener and washing machines

2. My contour pillow

1. My grandmother’s laugh

What’s happening in America? When I first arrived I asked myself this question. I was eager to catch up with the current events of America. During my layover in DC, I watched CNN and I found myself comparing the headlines stories to my experiences in Zambia. “Wildfires in Idaho.” In Zambia they purposefully burn their entire country after the harvest season. “Michael Vick, who plays for the Atlanta Falcons is charged with animal cruelty for dog fighting.” What would PETA do if they saw the neglected dogs in my village? “Backpacks, are they weighing down our children?” If only the children in Zambia had backpacks or any books to put in them. Actually, I find myself making constant comparisons. I first noticed the obesity and wastefulness of the American people and how socially isolated technology keeps everyone and how connected it keeps everyone. The first cultural difference I noticed was on the shuttle between gates in Dulles airport. In Zambia it’s an understatement to say the buses are overcrowded. People greet, shake hands and even sit close to one another…okay lets be honest, they sit on top of one another with two chickens, a goat, three children, and a bag a sweet potatoes… and chat. And when they chat they genuine, sincere and compasionate. On the shuttle in DC, I was given the “why are you talking to me” look when I said good morning to a woman who barely looked up from her bluetooth, camera phone, mp3 playing, text-messaging, cell phone. People were seated in their protective bubbles, within a socially acceptable and expected personal distance sipping their double lattes, reading papers, and listening to ipods with their fingers busily flying away on their blackberries.

Adjustment to this sudden shift in lifestyle continues increase my self-awareness. I’ve been reconnecting with family and friends. As of now I have been staying at my dads in Nashville, TN. Life’s road is winding with unforeseen bumps and turns along the way. Along the journey, it is important to take the time to stop and enjoy the scenery and the special surprises it brings. Now that I am back I am thankful that I am able to share special days like Sam and Thadd’s baby shower, Tara’s bacheloret party, Dre’s b-day, and Tara and John’s wedding. Let’s not forget the Titans vs. Colts game Sunday with my dad! My next adventure along my journey is flying to Denver for a cross-country trip. Dre and I are driving from Denver, CO to Charleston, SC…not exactly coast to coast but close enough. We are going to make all the ‘come see the world’s largest prairie dog ’ stops and of course stopping at all the must sees like the St. Louis Arch and Graceland (yes a girl from TN has yet to see Graceland). At least I will not have to worry about sitting on a bus next to a woman vomiting kapenta! We’ll stay at Folly Beach, SC till around the first of October then head back to good ol’ Nashville to figure out what’s next.

I am looking into other grassroots job/volunteering opportunities in developing countries. I have applied for Volunteer Service Overseas (VSO) www.vso.org.uk Its like the British Peace Corps except it is not funded by the government. It receives its funding thru non-governmental organizations (NGOs) or from host countries themselves. US nationals must apply thru the Canadian VSO http://www.vsocanada.org/ I have a phone interview tomorrow, Thursday Sept 13th! Some other ideas that I am interested in researching as future possibilities include relief work in Peru or New Orleans, AmeriCorps www.americorps.org , School Psych jobs abroad or within inner city America, working in orphanages in Africa, teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) overseas http://www.tefl-prague.com/ So far I have completed only surface level searches, so if you have any ideas, web links or personal connections PLEASE let me know. I really fell in love with Africa and I would love to return as soon as possible so my searches have been primarily focused around my return! I am also up for some traveling!!!!!

P.S. Dre sent me this link to an article today and I found it very interesting. Check it out if you get a chance.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20657234/site/newsweek/

Please keep me in your thoughts during my transition and preparation for my next adventure. I would love to chat and or visit with you all while I am here. Email will the best way to contact me, as I do not have my cell or bluetooth/blackberry implanted into my ear yet! ha ha!

Love,

Charlye

...Would you say “zikomo” (excuse me) to a cow!

...Are snot rockets a feature presentation.

...Can you buy bottles of cow blood at the chemist (pharmacy).

...Are termites and crickets edible.

...Are pots scrubbed with dirt and sand.

...Are pigs and goats strapped to bike racks.

...Would you poop in a bag.

...Would you eat off the ground

...Would you get chased by baboons.

...Is child labor not only accepted but expected.

...Would it be believed that a ‘donerfish’ (mermaid) was spotted.

...Would you pick off or spoon out the mold and eat the rest.

...Can the Bread Hustle be truly appreciated.

...Can your official police statement not be your statement at all.

...Can you be hustled by a man renting VCRs.

...Will your phone be stolen out of your hand while you are talking on it.

...Will you be called lazy for sleeping till 0700 hours.

...Would you become upset by poop in your recently swept dirt yard.

...Would you be considered early if you arrive an hour late.

Bwanji Zonse! Hello Everyone! Things have been extremely busy for me in Chadiza since I wrote back in May. Now that I have oriented myself with the community and with my job roles I have been able to assess some of the needs and begin several projects. Also, I have had some pretty interesting personal and cultural experiences that I know you guys are eager to hear—ONLY I N ZAMBIA!

It is the cold season now and yes it does get cold in Africa. The high winds are the major cause of the drop in temperature. At night the air is so cold I wear my good ol’ Western sweatshirt and fleece pants. Then by 9:00 am I am cycling up a huge mountain wiping sweat out of my eyes. I’ve been told July is the coldest month with frost on the ground in the early morning. Hey, one good thing about all the goats sleeping around my house at night is that they might provide some form of insulation! Ha ha! But the afternoon heat continues to be intense..if this is the cold season I am by no means looking forward to the hot season in October. I have made some close friends in the village. My closest friend is Violet Zulu (in the picture above), she is the headman’s daughter-in-law. She is pretty educated (went to grade 10) and can speak English fairly well. Violet is my support system in the village. I eat with her and her family, I go to the fields and garden with her to harvest, she washes my clothes for me, and she fills me in on all the history (or gossip if you will) of the people in the village. I have gotten used to village life. So much so that sometimes I have to stop and say okay if my friends and family could see this right now they would freak out…oh but me, I am used! I can start fires like an Eagle Scout, I can see in the dark like a superhero, I can cycle off-road paths somewhere between Lance Armstrong and Cary Hart, I can make peanut butter like Rachel Ray, and I can build just about anything with a stick and a piece of string like MacGyver!

Plan Banda

In my last letter I told you that I was given a tribal name, Kristena Zulu. I learned from the Chief that Zulu is not a Chewa Tribal name. The name Zulu is actually from the Ngoni Tribe. My Headman’s last name of Zulu comes from his mother’s family. Here in Eastern Province tribal passage is matriarchal; therefore, passage of headman was given to my Headman from his mother’s brother. The Chief insisted I receive a name from the Chichewa Tribe of his Chiefdom. As a result, I am now Agnes Banda! In my village I am still called Kristena Zulu however, in the boma and around the Chief I am called Agnes Banda. For those of you that follow celebrity gossip the name Banda may sound familiar. Banda is the name of the child that Madonna adopted from Malawi. Malawi is only about 30km from Chadiza and we are of the same tribe, the Chewa Tribe. So if all else fails I can come home and be the nanny of Madonna’s adopted child. I mean who else can teach the material baby the language and culture of his tribe? Everyone needs a Plan Banda.

Kill Count Dracula

I am sure you are wondering about the bat that lived in my latrine. Operation Kill Count Dracula was a huge success. After many high anxiety trips to the pit latrine, I couldn’t take the threat of the bat a moment longer. Through a series of bat reenactments and my limited Chinyanja vocabulary, I was able to explain my problem to my Headman. Yeah, that was a morning I will never forget. My Headman speaks deep deep Chewa and I was trained in Lusaka Chinyanja, so our communication is difficult to say the least. Although I didn’t know the words for bat or wings in the local language, I did know the word for rat, choswe. So I said in my botched Chewa something like this…Ku chimbuse, ili yima monga choswe koma ili ndi…um…um …um. (In my toilet, there is an animal like a rat but it has…um…um). Because I didn’t know the word for wings I used my universal sign language and start flapping my arms up and down. I am sure anyone would have gotten a good laugh at me trying to explain ‘bat’ to my Headman. The villagers walking by probably said “Oh, that white one, she has lost her mind.” Once he made sense of my bat pantomime, it was time to discuss an action plan. I was extremely proud of my fluency in the language as I was able to fully explain my carefully plotted plan of Operation Kill Count Dracula! Thanks to my beekeeping group that I meet with every Friday (yeah I will get to that later), I knew the word for smoke. We pulled some of the grass thatch from the roof of my latrine and set it on fire and put it down in the hole and covered the hole with a plank. Bye Bye rat-like birdie! The Operation was a success and I can now “Be Free” in the chimbuse!

Blind Leading the Blind.

During my community entry period I traveled to each school and village within my catchment area to complete sensitization activities. I have 8 GRZ government schools and 6 IRI centers/community schools (like here in this pic). I held meetings in each village to orient myself with the area and the people, meet the village Headmen, sensitize the people regarding Peace Corps and my work in their village, and to share and exchange information about American and Zambian cultures. One day while I was waiting at Kapachi Basic School for the IRI mentor to escort me to his community school 2 km away I met Mr. Michael Banda. Mr. Banda is a highly educated man who attended a school for the blind in a nearby town within Eastern Province. After a lengthy conversation we learned that we were headed to the same village and that our escorts were both extremely late. I had never visited Khalika Village and didn’t know the bush path that would lead me there. And although Mr. Banda walked with a walking stick, the path was too rough for him to travel alone. With a lot of confidence from Mr. Banda and a lot of uncertainties from me, we decided that with the combined efforts of my sight and his knowledge of the village paths we could make it to Khalika together. There could never be a more appropriate time to use the old saying of ‘the blind leading the blind.’ This was it in the truest form. Thirty minutes later, not only had I made it to the village but I had made a friend. The meeting was a success as I was able to listen to the villagers identify their needs and concerns. There were farmers who requested assistance with beekeeping, women who are interested in information on family planning, and those living positively would like to form a support group. After the meeting I began to question my abilities in assisting these villagers. What do I know about beekeeping? How can I assist these villagers if I can’t fluently speak the language? Could I even find my way back to this village alone? I was reassured by my experience with Mr. Banda on the walk back to Kapachi School. I realized that any task no matter how big the challenge can be accomplished as long as you are not walking alone. Mr. Banda is interested in learning more about the culture within America. If anyone is interested in becoming a pen pal or if anyone could connect Mr. Banda with another visually impaired person please let me know.

Got Beans?

I have been very fortunate thus far in my service in regards to my physical health. Other than the expected stomach troubles, I have only been sick once. This particular occasion I thought I might have been experiencing malaria-type symptoms. I had a fever, the chills, body aches, vomiting, and diarrhea…all the signs of malaria. But I didn’t have any mosquito bites nor were the symptoms I was experiencing as severe as the horrifying stories I had heard from other volunteers. The day I was feeling sick my friend and fellow PCV, Micah came to take care of me. She cooked soup and closely monitored my symptoms while keeping the Cortem (malaria medication) nearby. The soup was amazing, potatoes, eggplant, soya, tomatoes, onions, green beans and vegetable cubes…a feast for the village! Sadly I didn’t have much of an appetite. The following day I was feeling better and needed rest so Micah left. Long and not so appetizing story short, there was a lot of left over soup b/c as we all know it is difficult to eat something that you tasted on the way back up the night before. Due to the lack of a refrigerator and any type of electricity for that matter and the fact that I didn’t feel comfortable with the thought of giving the villagers food poisoning, I decided to give the starving dogs in my village my leftovers. I poured the soup on the ground behind my house and called for the dogs. Green beans are not commonly seen or eaten in the village so the dogs devoured everything but wouldn’t touch the beans. In the short amount of time it took me to walk to the front of my house and get my grass broom to sweep the beans away, the curious children had come. I turned the corner and the children were gathered around the dogs’ leftovers. A small girl turned around with a mouth full of green beans!! The children had picked the beans off the ground, the same beans that the dogs had eaten all around and were eating them! What could I do? Who needs to worry about food poisoning from lack of refrigeration? After witnessing this I only worried about all the dirt and dog saliva they had consumed! I guess they have a tolerance for dirt…no children were harmed in the making of this soup.

Traditional Healers

During training I learned of witchcraft, juju and traditional healers from others experiences and stories. Now that I am in the heart of the village I am able to experience this deep cultural belief first hand. These are true stories and the Chewa people truly believe in the power of witchcraft. A woman in my village fell ill. She was feeling weak, dizzy, and experiencing headaches. Her husband took her by ox cart to the neighboring village to the traditional healer. The healer told her that she did not have any blood in her body and that she needed to drink blood. They traveled to the boma and bought a bottle of blood at a shop. She drank the entire bottle of cow blood mixed with milk! Yummy Yummy! Another woman in my village was experiencing headaches and pain in her legs. The traditional healer made small holes on each side of her head and her knees, ankles, and feet, and then smeared black charcoal over the holes.

There are countless stories and many cross-cultural experiences I can’t wait to share with everyone. I am truly happy here and I am learning more about myself with each passing day. I have to challenge and push myself to adapt to the culture and to recognize my strengths as well as my weakness. I miss you all tremendously. I will be back to Chipata July 1st for my vacation to the game park in south Lilongwe about 5 hours from Chipata. I will be taking a safari and seeing The Big Five: elephants, zebras, hippos, cheetahs, and giraffes. We will be camping in tree houses and reportedly the animals roam beneath you at night. So I will be sleeping with the wild African animals! Til next time……

Charlye, Kristena, Agnes

Hey you guys! I got a bush note last week and it is too hilarious not to share! Okay so a bush note is just a note that is passed from village to village til it finally somehow ends up in the right hands. So I was impressed b/c the note was written in English but my Headman was upset b/c he couldn't read it. It is village practice for all communication to go through the Headman first before any messages are delivered to people in the village. It was quite funny b/c my Headman had to walk to the school to get a teacher to interpret the letter for him before he came and passed it to me.

Anywho, here it goes:

Charlye Ramsey,

First and Foralmost I would say how are you? You are here informed that there is a club making a kraal for the goats. Come at 08:00 hours and watch what they are doing.

Yours,

Councillor

Too funny! First and for almost! ha ha! Of course I attened b/c as you have read in my previous blogs I HATE GOATS! I really hate them. And I am so glad the villagers are beginning to learn that walking in goat poop is not cool :)

Out with the old and in with the new. For the life of a villager, this can be interpreted in many ways. Some of the things I learned during training I have found as very useful, however, as I quickly discovered, I was living the life of luxury in Chongwe. If I was directly taken from the plane to the bush I am not sure if I would have made it. In retrospect, life was easy during training however at the time, I thought I had been dropped off in the middle of nowhere. Now I really know what nowhere really is. It is biking uphill 10 km to find electricity, but still no luck in finding running water. It is going for days without realizing that you haven’t spoken English. It is waking up at 4:30 am to chickens and goats and pigs and screaming children just to sweep your dirt yard. It is co-habitating with spiders, termites, lizards, frogs and rats. It is going 4 weeks without washing your hair or looking in a mirror. It is cycling 36 km (22.5 miles) in one day. It is attending traditional ceremonies with men wearing headdresses and animal skins. It is living in a village with a polygamist Headman. It is finding 101 uses for a stick. It is craving pizza so much that you dream you are swimming in marinara sauce. Chimate Village is quite a large village. Mufumu (Headman) Chimate is a polygamist. Between himself and his two wives, they have 20 children, 21 counting his newest child, Kristena Zulu – ME! Following Zambian traditions the Headman passed his tribal name Zulu to me. I am not certain where Kristena came from. It is not Christina or Kristen but a ‘Zamblish’ combination of the two. Now I am expected to name the next born child in the village. There is a young girl who is 6 months pregnant and I thought of giving the name Liberty to her child to represent America. Her pregnancy was unplanned and she and the father of the child do not intend to marry. The father and his family were ordered by the Headman to give the girl two cows and 300,000 kwatcha (about $73). Dowries are a common practice in Zambia. I have been asked countless times how many cows my father is requesting for my dowry. I just tell them that I do not know how to cook nsima and they are no longer interested! A man will not marry a woman if she does not know how to prepare their staple food of nsima. Other than being served on a plate, I have not seen any rats (knock on wood). It is harvest season now but I have been told that once the crops are taken from the fields that the rats come in the villages to look for food. So, I have that to look forward to. As of now I have traded my host family rats for pit latrine bats. The bats have taken residency in the depths of my latrine as their bat cave. I have decided that bats are much more terrifying than rats, I mean aren’t bats just rats with wings? Using your imagination, I am certain that you are able to envision why I am much more afraid of bats in my latrine than rats in my house. Peace Corps Medical Office would get a good laugh from a med report that begins with “Well, I was squatting over my pit latrine when…”.

24. It is much easier to carry things on your head (see Emma).

25. Green bananas and oranges are ripe.

26. It's liberating to go 4 weeks without looking in a mirror.

27. Don't drink village beer, they say it makes you blind! (I think we use the term "beer goggles").

28. All of 1980s Goodwill clothing donations must have been sent to Zambia!

29. Yum-Yum Honey Crunch (peanut better) and SaltyCrax (crackers) are the bomb!

30. Living with spiders, lizzards, and termites isn't that bad, however, I could do without the rats and bats!

31. Villagers give drunk a whole new meaning!

32. As homosexuality "doesn't exist" in Zambia, men walking hand in hand is more acceptable than for men and women.

33. An old plastic container can entertain Zambian children for hours.

34. It's okay to read more than one book a day.

35. Attending 3 hour meetings in a not yet mastered 2nd language gives you plenty of time to make lists of things you've learned!

1. Refridgerate After openning is just a suggestion.

2. Laziness is relative.

3. Shaving is overrated.

4. You really only need two sets of clothing.

5. White people really can't dance.

6. College dorms were luxury suites.

7. I can beat anyone in a staring contest.

8. Laughter is a universal language.

9. The 10 second rule doesn't apply here, if it falls on the ground I am eatin' it!

10. Don't worry it willl build your immune system.

11. I hate goats.

12. A bucket of water can go a long way.

13. Save everything, you will use it again later.

14. I could steal candy from a child.

15. Green oranges and bananas are ripe.

16. Twenty six years of proper English instruction can be reversed in two short months.

17. Clear your plate, there really are starving children in Africa.

18. Mail from home is like gold!

19. Soya pieces. Why aren't they big in America?

20. I can sit and do nothing for hours on end.

21. Once you get a fire started you will want to cook all day.

22. Burn everything before throwing it into the trash pit (first see number 13).

23. I really stand out in a crowd, being white and all.

What exactly am I doing in Zambia? By popular demand, I will describe to the best of my abilities what my work as a PCV will entail. Overall, my PC work will help to promote sustainable development. PC uses an old proverb to describe its work, which I am sure you all have heard many times before. If you give a man a fish he can eat for a day, but if you teach a man to fish he can eat everyday. The three goals of Peace Corps are (1) to provide trained men and women; (2) share and exchange culture with the people whom you are serving; (3) share your host country culture with those in the states. These goals are great and encouraging b/c if and when you are not as successful in your project as you had hoped to be, you always know that you are continuing to accomplish goals 2 and 3 (which I am doing now!). As the result of current education volunteers’ feedback, the LTM (Learning at Taonoga Market) program has been changed to the RED (Rural Education Development) project. My group is the first to be assigned to this project, so we are the pioneers. Our projects will be fluid in nature as we find what aspects of our project work best with Ministry of Education (MOE) initiatives. My work is not limited to education initiatives. We are encouraged to participate in secondary projects such as sensitizing rural communities on issues surrounding HIV/AIDS, GADZ (Gender And Development in Zambia), WID (Women in Development), Girl Empowerment, Life Skills, Family Planning, IGAs (Income Generating Activities), and any other area identified by the community.

Overview of Zambia MOE—(they LOVE acronyms so get ready!)

Zambia’s education system functions through the Ministry of Education. The MOE operates at the National, Provincial, District and Zonal levels. --- I will be working within the Eastern Province and since I am the volunteer nearest to the BOMA (British Oversees Management Area or town) in Chadiza, Chadiza serves as both my District and Zonal levels (aka Boma volunteer). ---- Each District has a DEBS (District Education Board Secretariat) Office and a DRC (District Resource Center). The DRC serves as a resource for all the schools within the district. Official MOE meetings and trainings are held within the DRC. Within each district there are many zones. Each zone has a Zonal Head School (ZHS), ZRC (Zonal Resource Center) and a Zonal Education Support Team (ZEST). The ZEST is made up of the Zonal Head Teacher (ZH), Zonal In-service Coordinator (ZIC) and School In-service Coordinator (SIC). The main function of the ZEST is to carry out the MOE initiative SPRINT (School Program of In-service for the Term).

Briefly, SPRINT trains, monitors and evaluates curriculum, teaching methodology, student performance, and educational initiatives such as ODL (Open and Distance Learning) and IRI (Interactive Radio Instruction). Within each zone there are GRZ (Government of the Republic of Zambia) schools and community schools. GRZ schools are funded and ran by the government. The community schools are funded and ran by the community. Education in Zambia is not free. All children must pay school fees and although children are not required to wear school uniforms or shoes many children are teased/bullied if they do not. As a result, many children particularly OVC (Orphan and Vulnerable Children) fail to attend school. Another common reason for low attendance or low enrollment numbers is the lack of value for education within the villages. Many families need their children to work in the fields to maintain their family’s welfare. A perfect example of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs; one must have their immediate needs such as food, health, and shelter met before they can focus on other areas of need such as education. (I can be easily distracted by my strong opinion in this area so I will remain focused on the topic at hand).

My role as a RED volunteer is two pronged. My focus includes (1) educational initiatives at the District and Zonal Levels and (2) strengthening and/or starting community schools including ODL and IRI initiatives. My main counterparts at the district level will be the DRCC (District Resource Center Coordinator) and the DESO-ODL (District Education Standards Officer of Open and Distance Learning). My main counterparts within the zonal level are the members of the ZEST, the ZH, ZIC and SIC. Within my zone there are many community schools and my main counterparts will be the IRI mentors/teachers and the members of the CSC (Community School Committee). It should be noted that although I am the “boma volunteer,” the boma here in rural Zambia is nothing like what you may think of when you hear ‘boma’ or ‘town’. It is extremely underdeveloped with limited to no resources. So while I will be working with high MOE officials at the District and Zonal Level, I will also be working with community schools within my zone. My village, Chimate, is 10 km from the boma and my district offices however my catchment area quite large. I will serve many GRZ and community schools within my catchment area. One way to promote sustainable development will be to strengthen the communication between the District, Zonal, and Community schools. Linking community schools together to share resources, informing IRI mentors of teacher trainings at the District/Zonal Level, and sensitizing communities on the importance of education are all ways I can promote sustainable development.

(1) Specifics related to my work at the district and zonal level include but are not limited to strengthening the capacity of MOE officials, developing a comprehensive resource center that will provide the teachers a central place to go for classroom materials, to research specific content areas, and to seek support from other educational professionals. I will also work closely with the ZEST team in monitoring and evaluating various projects and initiatives such as SPRINT and SIMON (School In-service and Monitoring). I will also attend teacher trainings and meetings to discuss teaching methodologies, learning styles, and student assessments.

(2) My work within education in the villages include identifying existing community schools and IRI centers as well as identifying any villages which may need to start a community school. Many children have a great distance to travel (20 km or more) to attend the closest GRZ School. Due to these difficulties many children are unable to attend school. For these reasons, it will be important for me to sensitize communities on the importance of education and to encourage them to build a community school. I will work to identify and train a villager to serve as a mentor for the IRI program and to help the school with IGAs to build the school and pay the mentor.

Secondary projects are just as important to my work as RED projects. There has been a strong emphasis on HIV/AIDS and IGAs. IGAs are particularly important for community schools as they provide funding for the mentor salaries and to assist OVCs with school fees, uniforms and materials. Common IGAs include pig farming, school gardens, beekeeping, and other animal husbandries. For the first two months I will be working on community entry projects which include conducting needs assessments, identifying resources through community mapping, completing school profiles, working with my language tutor, identifying and building rapport with a translator and potential counterparts, and getting to know my district and village. During community entry we are strongly encouraged not to leave our village; therefore, I will remain in my village until PC Provincials, which are May 18th.

I hope you now have a better picture of what I will be doing over the next two years. :)

Over the past two months I have learned a lot about the Zambian culture from my cross-cultural trainings and from living with a Zambian family. Culture and religion are extremely valuable to this Country and it varies across the various regions as well as within the villages. These are brief overviews of what I have either experienced personally or have been told by native Zambians.

Time and Distance. These are two areas, which Zambian and American cultures vary greatly. It took me a while to learn the difference between ‘just now’, ‘now’, and ‘now now’. ‘Just now’ could mean in 10 minutes or 10 hours, ‘now’ is any time from now, and ‘now now’ is for real now. Very similar with distance is the expression ‘Just There’. This is actually one of my favorites and I used is quite often. You will ask a Zambian where anything is and they will ALWAYS respond “It’s just there.” This could mean a few feet away or several km away. You may ask where someone is and you will get “oh, they are just there.” Once again, this could mean they are in the hut next to you or they could be visiting someone in a village 20 km away. As you can imagine, this can lead to great difficulties when you are trying to get directions because EVERYTHING is JUST THERE! I was trying to find ZamChik just last week (its only the best take away in Zambia) and I asked at least 5 people and they all gave me varying directions…. “Turn by the tree and you will see a path”…WHAT!? Do you know how many trees and paths there are? Which tree and which path…who knows? Finally a child escorted me to the best chicken and chips ever…it was worth it! Another common expression related to location is “You will find me just there.” As a sign of respect when you are ending a conversation you tell the person that they will find you and of course it is always just there. In American we learn that time is money and we always try to make the most out of our time. I tried to explain to my host family that Americans can buy precooked and packaged meals that can be cooked in a microwave (yeah that took a lot of explaining). They were even more shocked to hear that we “take our meals’ in our cars. Time is of no virtue to Zambians. When someone comes to visit you it is expected that you stop what you are doing and sit and talk with them, no matter what you are doing. You offer them a seat and usually some food and drink. They may stay and chat about nothing or even sit quietly for hours and hours.

Language and Expressions. I have already told you about some common expressions related to time and distance. Another frequently used expression is “It’s just okay.” How is the n’sima? It’s just okay. How was your day? It was just okay. Fosholo is one of our favorite words in Chinyanja. Its literal translation is shovel but we use it to mean ‘fo sho’…like ‘for sure’. We love it fosholo! Also, Zambians say, “you will be used.” At first I thought they meant that people will use me, but I now know that it means to get accustomed to or to get used to. For example, two nights before I left my home stay family the rats came back. This time I wasn’t nearly as afraid as I was before. My family said, “You are used.” I knew that at the moment I was truly ready for my posting to my village…I was used. I am used to this lifestyle, even the rats.

Witchcraft and Juju. Witchcraft, juju and traditional medicine and healers are quite common. Zambians actually have strong beliefs in their practices. Unlike stories of witches that we are accustomed to hearing witches here do not fly on brooms, they fly in baskets. They are only able to fly naked and at night. There are restrictions on areas in which they can fly called NO FLY ZONES. This is an area in which a more powerful witch resides and if they fly through this no fly zone they will be thrown from their basket. Here is a true story from a man in my village. He said that one Sunday he was walking to church and saw a naked woman laying on the ground. He believed her to be a witch and she was killed. Villagers also believe in juju. A PCV in Eastern told me that a woman in her village unexpectedly died and they believed her death was caused by juju. The family accused the neighbor of putting a juju spell on her. The husband confronted the juju woman and she said yes, she was a witch (it is common in here to admit to a crime even if you did not do it…I don’t know why). The husband then set fire to the woman’s house and she was killed. If a person dies tragically or unexpectedly the villagers have a “flying coffin” ceremony. This is where the coffin is carried around the village after the funeral to find the person that caused the death. Supposedly the coffin directs itself, much like the weegee boards we are more familiar with. The coffin goes to the door of the person that caused the death and the person immediately admits to the crime. Witchcraft and juju is so strongly believed that the innocent truly believe that they must have done it.

Beliefs and Superstitions. Just as in America there are numerous Zambian superstitions however, the different is that here in Zambia they are commonly practiced and truly believed.

-Pregnant women cannot stand in doorways or they will have difficult labor.

-If a man cheats on his wife while she is pregnant the wife or child will die in delivery. If a woman is having difficulty during delivery, the husband is called in and accused of having an affair and the only way the woman or child will survive is if he admits to adultery.

-If a spouse dies, his or her spirit will haunt the living spouse until that spouse has been cleansed. To be cleansed another person within the family (usually a cousin) must have sex with the grieving spouse and that sets the spirit free.

-A woman who is at the moon (menstruating) is not allowed to cook with salt or she will become ill.

-If a young boy as premarital sex, his fingers will grow oddly long.

-It is considered bad luck to ask a woman about her pregnancy.

These stories are just a small taste of Zambian culture. There will be many more to come.

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!

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

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!!

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

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.

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:

drink/spice mixespackaged pastasinstant oatmealrechargable batteriesrope/twinemagazines/newspapers/booksgranola/protein barsgifts 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!