Greetings family and friends! All is well here in Zambia, just trying to hang in there for my last 6 months. It's tough but I will do it. My emotions have just been up and down lately, and that has made it difficult for me to really enjoy the experience. But, recently I went on a safari at South Luanga National Park and it was absolutely amazing. I saw elephants, zebras, kudu, impala, lions, leopards, buffalo, wildebeest, baboons, hippopotamus, antelope, crocodiles, puku, monkeys, giraffe, and various types of birds such as bee-eaters, storks, swallows, ground hornbills, and fish eagles. Here are a few pictures from my trip.

I love you mucho.

Kim

It's around 4a.m. here in Zambia and I'm still awake. I guess my insomnia is back for a night. I'm staying at the house in Choma for a few days because I have bed bug bites on the side of my face, lower back, and legs. It's been an extremly itchy past few days...and gross too. I really can't blame the bed bugs though. I'd bite something as sweet as me too. That's why I can't go outside in the rain...sugar melts.

Anyway, the Southern Province volunteers will be gathering for another gardening workshop next week. Then, our new Country Director will be stopping by to visit us at our huts. It's a great opportunity to finally get to meet him and chat. I'm definitely excited about it.

Well, that's all for now. I'll definitely update if something exciting happens. Luv ya and ttyl!

Kim

Hey Family and Friends, I'm back in Zambia after being in the U.S. for a month, and it was absolutely lovely. I love that place! I truly loved being back home in the midst of my family and friends. I really wanted to get back to Zambia though because I was becoming too comfortable and I could've easily stayed there. But...I didn't! And now I'm back to work.

So, right now I'm working with a Women's group in my village who want to rear chickens. I'm really excited about the prospect of helping them get their small business started.

Well, that's my life right now and I'm loving it. TTYL.

Kim

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mom's out there!!!! Especially my own loving Mother.

I'm back from Midterm Conference and heading back to my village today. I'm glad that's over with and now I can offically begin my 2nd year as a PCV. It's not that I'm surprised I made it this long, but the time has just gone so fast.

I'm trying to gather some black dolls for my community because I see entirely too many little Zambian girls carrying white dolls around and I don't feel that it's good for their self-esteem. So, if you want to donate an old or used black doll to my community you're more than welcome to do so. I'll be home in July and will be gathering them then.

Love ya and TTYL,

Kim

Hey peeps, how are you? I'm in Lusaka for Midterm Conference which means getting more vaccines and checking in with my supervisor...and of course seeing all the other volunteers. I finally got my last dosage of Hepatitis A and B, plus a flu shot (you know swine flu kills) and a TB test. I can say that all those shots hurt like heck! You know I'm not a fan of innoculations, but it's all in the name of development, so what can I do? But, I'm healthy so it's no big deal.

We took a permaculture workshop and I'm really inspired to try it out in my village. It's a new way of gardening which is very labor intensive in the beginning, but after the initial work it's free sailing!!! I will let you know how it goes.

Love ya,

Kim

Wow, I can't believe it's been over 4 months since I've blogged. I'm really sorry. Funny how time flies when you're having fun!!!! So, for Christmas I went to Cape Town, South Africa to visit Tracy. It was so much fun. Unfortunately I gained 10 lbs eating at McDonalds and KFC most of the time. I just couldn't help myself. I really had no self control. Back home I never even went near McDonalds, but in South Africa I just couldn't get enough. It was the best food in the world. It was legit McDonalds...just like home.

While in South Africa Tracy took me to a township (also referred to as "the Location" because that's where all the South African's were located during Apartheid) of Guguletu where Xhosa is spoken. On the day we arrived 2 local boys were coming out of the bush. This is when 18 year old boys are taken into the bush to be circumcised and taught to become men. I believe they stay in the rural area for 2 full months. See pictures of them emerging below. It was truly amazing to see how excited the community was to see these new men emerge from their solitude. I actually had tears in my eyes, but I don't quite know why. (Feel free to chime in with your own opinions of why I was crying). To show our appreciation each person had to bring a bottle of brandy. There was so much food. It was unbelievable. It was so tasty. Especially the goat....yummy. We also went to a place called Mzoli's where everyone goes to eat and be seen in the Guguletu. I loved it. Tracy really showed us the true Cape Town. It wasn't all tourist spots and white washed fun. It was a true experience.

For most of January and a lot of February I was doing trainings outside of my village, but they were in conjunction with the Ministry of Education (MOE) and other NGO's in Zambia. The MOE has a radio program called "Learning at Taonga Market" which is used to help teachers with lessons. It comes on everyday at a certain time and teachers follow along with the broadcast. It's a great idea, however the problem was that many community school freeplay radio's went missing, or teachers were missing parts of the lesson because it moves to fast, etc. So, QUESTT has a program where they give Ipods to community schools in place of the former freeplay radios. I and other RED (Rural Education Development) volunteers were helping to train MOE officials on how to use the Ipods, then they in turn teach community school teachers how to use them. It seems to be working. I also did a Peer Education workshop with CHANGES2 which helps High School students prepare to implement training with their peers through things like AIDS Action Clubs, and Mentoring. Through this program we want to address behavioral change, gender issues, traditional beliefs, and to raise awareness of the ways that HIV/AIDS is spread amongst the population, and promoting life skills. Working with the teens was a great experience. They were not afraid of asking any and everything! They wanted clarification on certain things, and if one of the facilitators didn't know something they called them out on it. It was very refreshing. I loved it. It's definitely different than working with adults here, because they never say anything. They take lots of notes, but rarely ask questions or interact with the facilitators.

I also went to Zanzibar which is an island off the country of Tanzania for a music festival. There were local artists from all over Africa and beyond. It was really an amazing festival and not commercial at all. For the last night of the festival they had a bonfire on the coast. It was absolutely beautiful! It is the Indian Ocean so the water is pure blue and warm. And all I ate was fresh seafood for every meal, drank fresh juice and ate fresh pineapple and fresh coconut juice. Everything was fresh! It was awesome.

Those have been the highlights so far. I wish some of the family could come visit but I know times are tough right now.

I think that covers everything. Talk to yall later. Love ya,

Kim

For the first time in America's short yet sometimes troubled history, we have elected a Black man as President. It feels very surreal. Sometimes I get down about being out of the country during such a historic time in my life and the history of the U.S., but then I realize in life one has to make sacrifices to reach certain goals. I had no doubt that Mr. Obama would win the elections but I'm still very proud of the voters of the U.S.A. just because it was a landslide victory. Maybe the country has really matured after all. Now, this is not to say that things have changed all that much, but at least it's a step in the right direction.

Anyway, as for the happenings here in Zambia....

The community school teachers in my village still have not been paid in 4 months, so the teacher that lives next door to me has decided she will only teach 1/2 days now in the morning, then tend to her garden in the afternoon. This way she will not starve and will have food to eat. So, I will talk to my APCD and some of the community members to see how they will feel about me taking over for her afternoon classes. I'm still thinking about it though, because I really don't want to have a mandatory schedule. We shall see.....

Kim

Zambia's presidential elections took place on October 30th with Rupiah Banda edging out opposition candidate Michael Sata by only 2%!!! This should be a lesson to all eligible voters in the U.S. that we all need to vote. Vote your conscience, your best interest, your religion...whatever makes you feel good. Just vote!!!! Preferably for Barack Obama. Being outside of the U.S. and encountering people from all around the world I really believe that we need a public make over! Vote for change!!!! A change in foreign policy (bringing diplomacy back), a change in taxation (middle-class tax breaks), and most of all a change from the old guard to the new. It's time!

Ok, my political ranting is over...for now!!!

Anyway, there was a wedding in my village yesterday and typically a village wedding lasts long into the night. Another volunteer, Q, was visiting me so we decided it would be a wonderful cross-cultural experience for us to go see the ceremony and dance and sing along with the villagers. After lots of eating, singing, and dancing until dark we left and went back to my hut. Soon after returning to the hut one of the ladies on my compound brought a child up to my porch saying "he's been bitten by a snake". The boy was crying hysterically. Both me and Q were looking at each other in shock wondering what they wanted us to do. After a few moments they finally took the boy (Masha) away to an insaka and put some traditional medicine on the wound. Masha was crying, vomiting...he was extremely scared and frankly, so was I. Then a few minutes later another villager comes up to us saying he found the snake and killed it, and that it was a COBRA! So, me and Q pay 200,000 Kwacha to some guy to take the boy to town to a real doctor because the hut is 40 kilometers into the bush! Let me remind you that this is taking place at 9 at night, and it takes about 2 hours to get in or out of the bush because there is no paved road. Anyway, so we get to the Doctors office and he is on holiday! That's vacation for us. So, then we took him to the hospital and they gave him a tetnus shot! Nobody had any anti-venom so I guess that's the second best thing they could do for him. I had nightmares about this all night. I went to visit him today and he seems to be doing ok. Hopefully he will recover 100%.

Talk to you all soon!

Kim

Hi Family and Friends. I'm still here in Zambia, still trying to figure out the best way to go about my service. Nothing new or exciting is going on so far. Zambia will have elections on October 30th, so we will be unable to do anything until the votes are counted. Speaking of elections, I'm nervous about the U.S.A.'s upcoming elections. I haven't received my absentee ballot, so I mailed in an official write-in ballot just in case. I want my vote to be counted!!!!!

It's been difficult for me to find a big project to do, maybe because I'm just not that inventive. I work directly with the DEBS (District Education Board Secretariat) office, but he's such a busy man that he rarely has time to give me things to do. So, most of the time I hang out at my community school and work with the children in my village. The community school in my village only goes up to grade 4 right now, and they only have 2 "classrooms" which are actually 2 separate mud huts with grass roofs. The children sit on bricks and write on their laps in lieu of desks. Grades 1 and 3 go in the morning from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm, then grades 2 and 4 go from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm, and they get a 30 minute break. Sometimes I wonder how good of an education can they be receiving, but it's better than nothing. They have limited resources in the community.

With all that I have said above, I really hate that many children and their parents don't utilize the resources that are available in the United States, especially in the Chicago Public School system. Having attended and worked in the public school system I realize that it's not a perfect system, but if you use the system properly most children can and will succeed. We have put a lot of money into education. I would love for us to stop dumbing down children and bombarding their brains with video games, music videos, and television. It's really ruining a generation!!! Just my opinion.

Okay, so I kind of went astray on this post but oh well....It's MY BLOG! I Love you all.

Kim

Kim

President Mwanawasa passed away. It has been a sad 2 weeks in Zambia because the entire country is in mourning. He was laid to rest a few days ago. I don't know what this means for country or what's going to happen. I'm just staying prayerful.

Due to the passing of President Mwanawasa, the training for Changes 2 and the meeting with the U.S. Secretary of Education was canceled. It was a bit disappointing but it's ok. School starts here on Monday so there will be an influx of iwe's coming back to the towns.

I have been extra broke. Family send money.

Kim

Site visit with the new volunteers went well. They are all very nice kids. We did have to walk 2 hours to meet the Cheif of Mbowle, Chief Sipawani, but it was worth it. We had a feast prepared in our honor and the Chief was very gracious. He's a wonderful person. Great visit. Plus they had tv so we got to watch Judge Judy and Passions (from 4 years ago!!!!).

After leaving Mbowle I went to visit another volunteer in Singani East. I enjoyed my stay but I got extremely sick. I seriously contemplated going home for the first time! It's not a good feeling to get sick in a rural setting. I will spare you the details, but let me say that it was not a pretty site!!!!

Right now, I'm in Livingstone about to head back to my village. I have been gone for over a week and my homestay family is worried about me. But, sometimes you really just need a break and to be around other volunteers. I will be in Lusaka from July 17 - 24th for In Service Training to get more on the job training. Then back to Livingstone for a Workshop paid for by Changes 2 (a program under USAID). AND....Me and the other RED volunteers from Southern Province will get to have lunch with US Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings. This will be the highlight of my time here so far!!!!!!! This is awesome.

Will talk to you all soon. Love you all.

Kim

My community entry period of 3 months is finally over, so now I can leave my village without permission from the APCD. I am heading to help host a site visit with a fellow PC for the newest batch of PC volunteers. This should be very interesting.

I am finally getting comfortable enough with Chi Tonga to attempt speaking it in public. Previously I would be asked a question in Tonga and then I would answer in English. That was not a successful strategy. I just had to risk sounding silly and try and it worked. Nothing beats failure but a try. Well, I will update you all in a few days on how the hosting of site visit went.

Kim

p.s. Oh yeah....I finally got my package today. I'm in heaven!!!!!!!

**disclaimer**

This story is fictitious, a dream. All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

The dream began on July 2nd....I went to pick Tracy up from the Airport and I have to say it was such a wonderful feeling to see someone from my family. I really can't put into words the joy and pure relief I felt at seeing her!!! It was amazing. After leaving the airport we decided to stay the night in Lusaka because it's a five hour bus ride to the town that I live closest to, which is Kalomo. We spent the entire day trying to find an ATM that accepts debit MasterCard. Every place accepts USD or Visa. (Which is another reason why the Dollar needs to get stronger). Anyway, Tracy decided to get her mother to Western Union us some cash so we could begin our fun-filled weekend. Everything seems to be working out. Just as Tracy sat in the chair to get the money, the power in the entire city went out!!!! NO JOKE!!!! How ironic. So okay, we knew that God would work it out, so we decided to wait it out...sure enough an hour later it was back on and we collected our cash. Yay!!!!

Day 2: We took the CRI bus because Mazhandu bus company (the only reputable bus company in Zambia) was full. After paying our fare, we still had to wait over an hour to leave because they wanted to wait until every seat was filled before they would leave (which is why I only take Mazhandu if I can help it). We finally arrived in Kalomo five hours later to complete darkness. Tracy was very shocked at how dark it was...I didn't even notice it.

Day 3: I showed Tracy how village life is...cooking on a brazier, getting water from a bore hole, using a pit latrine, sitting with the family. I think she really enjoyed it. We also decided that we would go to Choma which is where the Peace Corps provincial house is located. It was the 4th of July, the United States Independence Day, so we decided to spend it with other Americans. They absolutely loved her!!!! Seriously adored!!!! We had a wonderful time with the other volunteers.

Day 4: This is where the DRAMA begins. We go back to Chikoli (the village) and we are locked out. We spent over 2 hours trying to break into my hut in various ways. And, I would like to point out that my Leatherman Fuse came in handy!!! (Dad, I told you that there would be a need for a multi-tool). I used the screw driver to take the bolt off my door and went in with no problem. So, after we got into the hut we decided to pack and go to Livingstone. While waiting on the bus we decided to go to El Pantano, my favorite restaurant in town, and met an American choir. They were nice...the end. So, we decided to hitch-hike to Livingstone. We were picked up by a really nice married couple. The husband was Zambian and the wife was Zimbabwean. The wife feels that it's okay for her husband to take another wife because it will stop him from going out an cheating...he agreed! While driving we noticed a terrible accident. It seems as a car swerved to avoid a truck and hit a tree. People were screaming and crying. It was a bad scene. This is a very rural place so there are no ambulances, no police squad cars etc, so we decided to go a few miles to report the accident at the police station. The police didn't seem to care, but we did our part and reported it. They said they would send someone and hopefully they did. So, after traveling for hours on a bad road we finally arrived in Livingstone. We checked into our hotel and decided to go out. However before we went out I realized that I left my VISA debit card at my house!!!!! This is where part II of the DRAMA begins! I immediately call my sister and tell her to wire me some money ASAP, which she does. We go to get the money and every Western Union in town is closed!!!! We have no money!!!!!!!!!!! Not enough to be in Livingstone on at any rate. Thank God Tracy is calm because I was insane!!! It was a holiday weekend So, we decide to go and eat at The Pub & Grill to sort things out and if worse comes to worse we will just go home the next day. While in our booth, the waitress comes up to us and asks us if we would mind sharing our booth and I was in a bad mood so I told her "NO!", but Tracy (the kind hearted, loving person that she is) said "Yes" and a lovely Australian couple, named Aggie and Simon, sat down. God is Good!!!!!! We told them our dilemma and they told us that we could go to the Zambezi Sun to use the bank and that it would be open even on the holiday. They were a Godsend. They even bought us a Savannah Dry! So, now we had options.

Day 5: We got up early to find out if the Western Union would be open so I could try and get the money that my sister sent, but of course they were closed. So, we went to the Zambezi Sun and they had a Barclays bank!!! My bank!!! YAY!!!! So I was able to withdraw money from my own account and Tracy was able to use here MasterCard Debit. God always has a ram in the bush...pun intended :o) After we got money we booked our Elephant back Safari and the Sunset Cruise. We went on the Sunset Cruise which was absolutely beautiful, and we saw Aggie and Simon there. Afterwards we went to dinner with them again. I just want to stress how wonderful they were.

Day 6: We got up extra early to go on the Safari and it was amazing. I really enjoyed it, but I think Tracy really only wanted to go so she could take a picture on an elephant holding up her sorority sign. It was cute though.... After the Safari we left and got on a bus home. I went back to my village and Tracy went to Lusaka and flew out the next day!! I called her every hour just to make sure she was safe and she told me I was a psycho stalker each time.

All in all I enjoyed my time with Tracy. But, she made me realize that I need to slow down and get some order to my life...I need to plan and budget more (I hear you TRACY!!!!) I can do this.

**disclaimer**

This story is fictitious, a dream. All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Surprisingly I am getting better at Tonga!!!! It's very exciting for me to finally understand and be understood in Tonga...and all I can say is thank God! It was looking pretty shaky there for a minute. Last week I was a substitute for the 1st grade class at Chikoli Community School and it was a really interesting experience...kids are kids. They behave the same no matter the culture.

Surprisingly the Sox lost to the cubs in the first game of the Crosstown series. This is unacceptable for plenty of reasons, but if you're a Chicagoan you know the reasons, and I don't need to explain. May the best team (White Sox) win. Go go Sox.

I have to leave early...I will write again soon.

Kim

The community school that it is in my village wants me to help them get money to finish a new school. I am in the process of trying to find NGO's and thinking of IGA's that will assist them with the plans. The word around town is that cement is so expensive because the World Cup will be in South Africa in 2010 and this has driven the price sky high. So...wish me luck as I try to find local funding.

Also, I am extremely shocked at how abstract the program is. I mean...we can do or not do whatever we want. It's all very strange. I'm still trying to find my place here.

Kim

So, I live in Kalomo district, which is 60 km from Choma where the Peace Corps provincial house is located. I took my bike mainly because I didn't have any place I could leave it while I was in Choma. So, when it was time to go back, I get the bright idea to ride back. BIG MISTAKE!!!! I rode for 3 hours until my body just wouldn't ride anymore. I don't know what possessed me to think I could ride that distance. It was unreal. I finally gave up and hitched a ride on the back of a flatbed truck. (Don't worry...hitching is normal in Zambia.) The moral of the story: Think before you take a bike 60 kilometers and try to ride it back!!!!!

Last week was tough for me. I get frustrated that I'm not speaking the language properly. It doesn't help that "the old lady" that I live with (that is what she is called by everyone...I would never use this term normally) constantly tells everyone visiting in Tonga "Chitonga is a problem for this one...ba Jalle spoke Tonga fluently". She says this every single day, every time I'm around. I'm really trying to brush it off, but I really can only take so much.

Well, wish me luck and keep me in your prayers!!!! Love ya,

Kim

I have insomnia again. I woke up this morning at around 1:45 and couldn't go back to sleep until I'm guessing around 5:00ish which is annoying because that's the time people on my compound start preparing for their morning tasks. I'm wondering if it's the Mefloquin that's causing this insomnia...I really don't know. Normally I would use my cellphone to get on the internet but...Celtel, the worst cellphone service provider ever, isn't working! They give a new meaning to bad customer service. First off, their towers went down for a day and a half! The majority of the country uses Celtel so we were all without any type of service for a full day. I can't imagine this happening in America and people not going insane. Anyway, so finally their cell towers are working again, but internet will not work. I've called for 2 days and they said it should be fixed, but now I can't even get through to customer care from my phone. Can you imagine not being able to contact a company about customer service???? Normally I would just go to the nearest Celtel location (which is what they advise on the recording), but it is 60km away and I can't get there right now. That's around a 2 hour bus ride. I apologize for this rant. I just want to make it known that CELTEL = WORST CELLPHONE SERVICE PROVIDER EVER!!!!

In other Peace Corps related news...the 3 musketeers is now down to 1. Eric Hastie and Ryan Hill both went home. During training we would ride our bikes through Chishiko village, complaining all the way (well, just Ryan and Me because Eric was the Lance Armstrong of the group...without HGH of course). They just up and left me. In their defense, they didn't have adequate housing, and were constantly harassed for money, and I guess this was too much for them to handle. I will definitely miss them.

I want to thank those people who email me on a daily basis...I know you're at work and extremely busy, but taking time to email me makes me feel great!!! So, thanks to Melanie, Candice, Sam, Chris and Nancy...and especially my Mom who actually got an email address just so she can keep in touch with me! I love you all.

Kim

P.S. To those who I have emailed constantly with no response...thanks!!!!

We finally swore in as Peace Corps Volunteers on April 25Th. It was a beautiful ceremony with most people wearing chitenge outfits which was really cool. Everyone got into the spirit of things. After swearing in the people going to Southern Province went to Victoria Falls!!! It was absolutely amazing! It just lets me know how awesome God is. There was a rainbow there at the falls, that I'm sure is there whenever the water is full like it is now. The water pours in from everywhere and I was overwhelmed by that amount of water. I could barely breathe and while walking across the bridge I fell and hit my head. It was pretty scary. I think my pride was hurt most of all!!! Besides having a sore neck for a few days, it was great. I'm fine now.

I got posted to my site in Chikoli (Kalomo district) on April 30Th and I'm happy to say that I don't have an ant problem...knock on wood!!! But, my place is an absolute mess. I mean it is horrible. I need a book shelf and a place for my clothes. Jalle (the volunteer I replaced) left a ton of books related to the RED program and then Peace Corps gave us a ton more. I have so many books with just information and no place to put them for now. Other than that, I'm loving it.

At this time I'm in the "Community Entry" period where I'm supposed to be getting adjusted to my village, my new home, and the language...and just doing basic community needs assessment. Now that I'm in the village, I realize that I know NOTHING of Tonga. It's as if 140 hours of language training went out of the window. Don't get me wrong, I can greet with the best of them, but that's where my conversation ends. It usually goes something like this:

MORNING

Stranger: Mwabuka buti?

Me: Kabotu. Mwabuka buti?

Stranger: Kabotu...(insert long phrase in Tonga that I don't understand)

AFTERNOON

Stranger: Mwalibizya buti?

Me: Kabotu. Mwalibizya buti?

Stranger: Kabotu...(insert long phrase in Tonga that I don't understand)

Then inevitably they say some long sentence that I don't catch one word of. Then the disappointment comes over their faces. It's pretty bad or should I say...sad! I'm totally lost. Although, the "Community Entry" period lasts for 3 months and I don't have to do anything work related. I just need to focus on getting adjusted to my community and communicating with people. That's awesome. My motivation to learn the language comes from the fact that I got ripped off so many times in the market because I can't speak the local language. I wanna start getting the Zambian price for things, instead of the American price. Believe, there is a big difference in those prices. They all think I'm rich for some reason!!! Me!!!! Some guy came up to me as said, "Mommy, give me money....I want to buy something". As if I just have money to give away. I was perplexed. I guess we as Americans are perceived as being rich. I guess these people don't understand the declining dollar!!! I know it stresses me out to think about. The exchange rate for 1 American dollar is 3390 kwacha...1 British pound is 7000 kwacha, and 1 Euro is 5000 kwacha. Tell me that's not scary!!!!!

Anyway, I'm still enjoying myself and Zambia. I wish you were with me. Oh yeah, I received the best package the other day with the best stuff that you can imagine. All I can say is I am very grateful. It had everything I need. Now I don't have to cook. I just want to take a second to say that I totally underestimated the cooking situation. I thought it would be a breeze, but I'm going to either lose weight or spend all my money buying food in town. I can't cook on a brazier and have to go to a boar hole to get water for the dishes, it's just too much for this city girl to take. I did try it, but I almost cried from outrage. Seriously.

Also, I want to congratulate my cousin Tracy for passing her viva and she will receive her PhD from St. Antony's College at Oxford all at the tender age of 26. I think I speak for the entire family when I say we are definitely proud of you Dr. Carson!!! (I know I will receive a hate email from her because of this)...sorry dear.

I love you all!!!

Kim

So, I will be the Kalomo boma (town) volunteer. I returned from 2nd site visit with more questions than answers. I will be a replacement volunteer, which will be interesting because the volunteer I'm replacing is well loved in the community and town! She is a great person. I just want everyone to accept me for me and not constantly compare me with my predecessor. The house is a typical mud hut, but it has a beautiful porch that I can chill on for days!!!! The only problem is...gasp...ants!!!!! The ant problem that she is having is crazy. She's trying to get it taken care of before I move in, but someone told me recently that the problem is still occurring. I'm all for living in the bush but I don't want the ants taking over my living quarters...period!!!! I am still a "Betty" after all!!!! I don't know what I'm going to do if I can't get the problem under control.

I'm optimistic about working within my community, mainly because they seem excited to work with me. I feel that I can do some good work. I will never complain about CPS again!!! Here, they have either Community Schools, Government Schools, or Private Schools. Community Schools are in the rural communities and that community is supposed to pay the teachers, even if not in cash, they are supposed to pay "in kind", with things like a chicken or millet mill, etc. But, in most of the community schools the community is not contributing at all because they really feel that the government should provide a free education to everyone. (That may be true, but many of us realize that you can't always wait on government bureaucracies to get around to you...you gotta do for yourself). All children are supposed to go to school, but many times the girls are not put in school because they are needed to work around the house and to help take care of the family. Or, many just get pregnant and start their own families, which causes them to drop out of school. The Zambian government is doing a great job of implementing policies that encourage girl children to attend school and not drop out but, it's a slow process. Anyway, everyone goes to primary school (elementary school), but from every school there will only be 1 or 2 spots per year for students from that school to go to high school!!!! So, many students just drop out and work on the farms. They don't even see the point in wasting time going to school when they will inevitably work on the farm anyway. The government schools have less of these types of problems but their biggest problem is that they are largely affected by HIV/AIDS. HIV/AIDS has totally taken away many of the educated in Zambia. And, this is just the tip of the iceberg!!!! But, it's a Christian nation and that will get them far.

I'm vigorously preparing for my language exam that will happen before swear-in. I didn't do so well on the last exam so I'm working harder than ever to try to get it. I guess I overestimated my ability to pick up on a new language. Oh, how I long for Spanish!!!!!

In better news...I finally got mail!!!! Tracy sent me Flamin Hot Cheetos from South Africa. I'm guessing that is why the package arrived so soon (a week and a half from the time it was sent). I'm still waiting on packages from a few other people but I haven't received anything from the states just yet. Oh yeah, my camera is broken, so I have to buy a new one. The screen is scratched up and every time I try to zoom in to take a picture it just cuts off on me!!!! I need a camera to document this journey.

All in all I'm having a great time here!!!! The weather is lovely, the people friendly and dollar goes a little farther or further (i don't know). Even though I haven't received mail you should still send stuff in email like, new music. I've been listening to the same music for a month and a half so feel free to send new music. Well, I love ya, I miss ya....

Kim

Greetings....I am back in Lusaka for a few hours, where all of the Peace Corps Zambia trainees are meeting to buy groceries in preparation for our second site visit. It is exciting any time we go into Lusaka, but this time is special because we are preparing to visit our actual sites for the first time. We will be at our site for 1 week!!!! I will be the Boma (town) volunteer in Kolomo in the Southern Province. This is the site I wanted because there is great trasportation in Southern....plus the fact that Livingstone is there makes it all the more attractive to me, because I am a big city girl!!!! I love city life. But, there is something to be said for a quiet life in the country.

Okay, down to business....I have not received any letters or emails from hardly anyone. I know that the postal system is pretty slow here in Zambia but I do expect emails every now and then. It's very exciting to check email and get a message from home. Also, I would love pictures of people....anything!!! Think of me in a rural village, far from home and everyone I know and love and not even a picture to remember you by. I have to rely on memory....and my memory is very short.

Well, I hope to hear from someone soon...I love and miss you all!!!!!!

Kim

I arrived in Zambia on February 25th with 52 other Peace Corps trainees from various ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds. Everyone has been great so far. We are one big family. Right now I am staying with a host family in the rural village of Chishiko, near the town of Chongwe. My host family is lovely and my bamaama (host mother) is a great cook, which makes things so much easier for me. We don't have any running water, lights, or electricity. Think African Bush! But, that's not the most difficult part. The hardest part is adapting to a new culture. Right now my bamaama cooks for me, washes my clothes and prepares a "bucket bath" for me each day. My host family is Tongan, since I am learning the Tonga language. I will be heading to the Southern Province after our official "swear-in" ceremony on April 25th. I don't know whether I will be in the village or the boma (town) because it has not been decided yet. Either way there is no guarantee that I will have any cell towers in the area. But, most of the volunteers that are already in the area do have cell and internet service from their cell phone. There are also a lot of NGO's in Southern, which is one of the reasons I chose that area. It just seems like they will have more resources. I firmly believe in finding and using the resources you have at your disposal.

I apologize for not updating my blog more often. We are extremely busy with language and technical training. We have classes Monday - Saturday from 8.00 am to 17.00 pm, so it's very hectic. On Sunday we are supposed to rest, but of course we find things to do. Fortunately our trainers brought us into Lusaka so we could shop and use the internet today. I'm not really doing anything exciting. Learning the language has been difficult, but I'm confident that over time and with practice I will be communicating effectively and efficiently very soon. I even passed my first language assessment. I'm super psyched!!! The biggest challenge for me has been having to ride my bike through my village. I'm staying in a rural village and the "roads" have gradual inclines and declines that I can't really see, but can feel as I ride. The good news is that I should be getting in shape in no time at all.

I just finished reading "Brothers and Sisters" by the late Bebe Moore Campbell and it was a good book. I enjoyed reading about how we see each other and how we see ourselves in terms of race in America. If anyone has any reading material they want to send to me, I'm open to it. By all accounts there will be lots of down time to read books and do other projects. So, feel free to offer suggestions.

I left my camera usb cord at home so I can't download any pictures just yet. I'm thinking that when I feel my SD card up, I'll just send it home for Melanie (my sister) to load onto the internet for me. We will see how it works out. Well, I love and miss you all. Please write or email me soon. I'd love to hear from you!!!!!!

Kim

So, most of you know that I will be leaving for Zambia on February 20th to begin my dream of becomming a Peace Corps Volunteer. I am SO excited. I don't know exactly what town I will be in yet, but I will be safe. Everyone can rest easy. Nonetheless, keep me in your prayers!!!

Aspiration Statement

Expectations of Peace Corps Service

I have worked in the field of Education for the past two years. However, I suspect that the tasks I will undertake as a volunteer in Zambia will be vastly different due to language and cultural differences. Nonetheless, whatever challenges I face, I am confident that I will be able to overcome them. As a Peace Corps volunteer, I have many expectations regarding working in the RED program as well as my working within the community at large. I expect to work more as a community organizer, so the skill-set I have to use will be different than working in a classroom environment. I will bring the skills and competency that I possess as a professional who has worked in the educational field as well as working in and living in various communities throughout my life, to my community as well as to the Ministry of Education. These skills include communicating effectively, using the technology that is available, problem solving and conflict resolution, and research and evaluation, as well as resource management. I also hope to achieve a sense of camaraderie with other Peace Corps volunteers—many of whom will likely experience many of the same challenges that I will face—and form a unified team for the betterment of the community, in which we will live and provide service.

Strategies for Adapting to a New Culture:

I intend to employ a number of valuable strategies in order to effectively meet the needs of my program. These include being open to new ideas and innovations, building trust between my colleagues and me, and acknowledging differences and conflicts in order to resolve them, instead of allowing difficulties to fester. I want to be in an open atmosphere that will enable me to bring my ideas to the table. In return, I intend to listen to others ideas, especially the host country members because they are more familiar with the country and its citizens. Working as a cohesive unit will be the best way to effectively assist the community.

I am excited about learning and living in a new culture. My own cultural background will inevitably be different from members of the new community that I will join. However, there is also a good chance that we have more in common than not. Being able to work well with the other volunteers and the community, as a whole, is my primary goal for my service; cultural adaptation is a prerequisite to my success on any of my projects. Therefore, I plan to be open to all aspects of my new community and culture. I acknowledge that I will make some mistakes, but I plan to learn and grow from the challenges that I will face during my time as a Peace Corps volunteer. I hope to approach difficulties with a sense of humor, refraining from taking myself so seriously that my confidence is shaken and my goals are not achieved. I also want to be a risk taker, unafraid of learning and trying new things, while keeping my mind open to new ways of thinking. Nonetheless, patience is my most important goal. I understand that it will take time for me to adapt to such a new environment, and success will come a little at a time. Through patience, I can cope with these new changes and effectively adapt to an exciting new lifestyle.

During pre-service training, I hope to gain enough knowledge about local languages that I will be able to communicate effectively in my community. I expect to learn about some of the cultural differences that I might encounter living in a new place.

Personal and Professional Goals:

The Peace Corps will greatly influence my personal and professional goals. Following my service, I hope to have gained many skills that I will continue to use throughout my life. Whether I decide to enroll in a graduate program or continue working in the field of Education, I plan on using the knowledge and experience gained in the Peace Corps throughout the rest of my life. I feel that Peace Corps service will assist me in gaining first-hand knowledge about international relations. Living in a global society affects each of us daily, and working internationally is my way of shaping the world that I live in, and helping to make it a world that everyone can flourish in.