Hello all who are still reading!

First let me say I kind of failed at the whole blogging thing. I started strong and then it seemed life happened and I moved away from writing it down. I want to say thank you for all the letters, packages, emails, and thoughts. I don't think letters have ever been so exciting. Many were reread, shared and all of them were saved and brought back to America with me. Thank you for all that posted blogs for me! I am so thankful I had such a supportive network here. It was a big two years for y'all with engagements, weddings, kids, family loses, adventures, and funny daily stories that make life amazing. Thank you for sharing them and seeing that I was still connected to them even though I was half a world away. And thank you for putting up with all the stories about Zambia stateside. I feel like everyday the phrase "in Zambia..." comes out of my mouth and I don't think they are stopping anytime soon so thanks for patience and interest; both feigned and genuine.

You might think its weird that I choose now to write another post but I feel like I can finally reflect a bit on my experience. Plus the education group that came the year after me and I helped trained just had their close of service conference. They are headed back to their villages and communities, passing off their projects, and saying goodbye. I can't believe its already time for it to all happen again. I can't really believe I've not only left but have been home for over 6 months. So it got me thinking...

The two questions people ask now that I'm back are; "How was it?" and "Did you love it?". And while the full answers to those questions will take years to fully realize and explain, I can say for the record it was truly amazing and I loved it all. I would often find myself saying I can't believe this is my life. While there were hard days and moments, there was never a day I wanted it to be over or come back. I left sad to leave, a little bit heart broken but knowing that chapter was done and I was coming home. Well I was partially right. A chapter might be done but the journey continues and home is slowing starting to feel like a place spreading across the globe. I thought about trying to recap my last year of service for you seeing as this was supposed to be a blog about my time in Zambia. But nothing really ever turns out the way you intend it to and often that slow shift and change makes things more valuable. So lets see what happens.

Over the last few months I have been trying to figure out what it all meant and what it means my next big step is. I have always walked into my adult life with set time breaks and experiences. college 4 years: goal-graduate and do the whole college thing. portland no more than 2 years: goal-support myself, learn a new city, and make sure peace corps was what I still wanted. and it was so Zambia 27 months: goal-be apart of as much as I could and help along the way. But now here I stand with no time limits, many goals in life, and difficult decisions to make. My time in Zambia gave me more confidence as a person but has made me realize how complicated and layers our world is which in turn as made me an even more indecisive person. (i know- who knew that was possible) My heart is pulled in two directions. I go back and forth between my ideological self "a person can add value and change to the world" and my now slightly jaded self "it was an amazing experience but we can't change whats happening". I question what change I made while in my community and if that change was good. I feel I probably got the better end out of the exchange. I wonder could I have done more? Did I loose part of myself as an artist and musician by stepping away for so long? Is the expat life the one I want? Or is teaching what still makes me happy? And can I combine all the worlds and I lives I want?

I know the problems of a privileged white girl. So I'll stop spinning and making you listen or more read any more of it. What will come out of all the indecision is yet to be seen but I'll keep you posted. For now I am only trusting the direction my heart is telling me to go. Which is first BACK TO ZAMBIA! and the adventure continues...

A few months ago my friend Ellyn (fellow returned peace corps volunteer) and I were talking on the phone and were both struggling with many of the same questions and one thing seemed to be so true. We both knew we had to go back to Zambia soon and had the next project in mind. Ellyn worked with this amazing special needs school in Northern Zambia and was now back still thinking about a physical therapy and fine motor skills training she had been planning and writing a manual for but never got to do. I was wishing I had included more music and art into my teaching time and was dying to get back and do another project with kids. We pulled in our other friend Ashley to help us merge these thoughts and make it actually happen. So now we have this awesome four day workshop involving bringing art and painting a mural into physical therapy and fine motor skills. As three broke ex-volunteers needless to say funding is going to be a problem but we're working on it. We are looking at different grants and ways to raise money so stay tuned!

I always feel a bit egotistical when writing a blog so thanks for sticking with me and indulging my thought process. Sorry this is a long one but its been awhile. I hope you'll continue to follow my journey. I'm starting the blog back up and hopefully we can make this project come to life! Enough about me how are you?! I'd love to hear how life is looking for you

Love to you all-Mutende Mwane (peace to you)

Stevie

Letter from Stevie! Postmarked 7.26.10

Editor: Monica Lucero

(editor’s note: I hope I got the African words right Stevie!! Love your style, we don’t measure our years like this often enough- what an awesome year you’ve had! Xo!)

“How do you measure, measure a year.”

(It’s amazing how often RENT gets stuck in my head…could be all the talk of AZT, ARVs, or all the candle lighting)

Well first let me apologize! I have majorly been slacking! I mean December? Merry Christmas? 6 months since my last entry? PATHETIC! I’ll try and stay more on top of it but to be honest no promises…

A couple of big things have happened in the past 6 months so lets do a quick review

Jan:

- brought in the New Year in Malaui- fabulous

- enjoyed mango season- already miss it!

- Got some weird sand worms from Malawi- no further details needed

- It rained- a lot!

Feb:

- went to Zanzibar with a big group of volunteers to go to an African Music fest and sit on the beach- the trip was amazing! Good music good food, good people, and THE OCEAN! Longest I have ever (and hopefully will ever) be away from the ocean.

- Still more rain

- Lots of school fun

March:

- helped train the new group of volunteers that flew-in-newbies!

- Went back to Iwaka at the end of the month for a conference and ended up singing with a live band at a bar- a little Lauryn Hill

April:

- had a huge Easter extravaganza with some volunteers stationed in other provinces. They all made the treck to NW and we made tons of food all weekend- Easter brunch= bloody mary’s, challan bread French toast, and bagels from scratch

- went to a few rehearsals with the guys I met at the bar and performed at this swanky Italian restaurant for an event the Italian Embassy was hosting- random!

- Had to say goodbye to a lot of volunteers that made up a large part of my life here- but finished their service- miss them tons!

- Mufumbue had elections for a new Parliament member. Things got a bit violent and we stayed far away!

May:

- Had my mid-term conference- only one year left!

- Stayed in Iwaka for some medical fun- I’m ok!

- Had provencial then country wide meetings

And here we are in June! So now you are caught up on the highlights but there is one thing I want to go back and discuss before I move on. It’s kind of a big one…

April 25th 2010 was my one year anniversary of being an actual Peace Corps Volunteer. It means I am over half way done with my time in Zambia!

And with that comes all kinds of mixed emotions. I asked myself how do you measure a year?

One Year in Zambia equals…

- books read- 45 (Editor: WOW!)

- Schools visited- 7

- Nursery schools opened- 2

- Countries visited- 3

- Painfully long staff meetings- 49

- Hours spent hitching- well over 500

- Times I’ve seen apples for sale in Mufumbue- 3

- Provinces in Zambia seen- 6

- Zambian water falls visited- 3

- Kids in my yard daily- 8-13 (editor: “noodles” ☺ )

- Tables my host father has fit into my hut- 7

- Bafwas I have had built- 4

- Kitenge items I have sewn- 31… Christmas stockings, postcards, clutch, guitar strap, bags, earrings, 1/3 of a quilt

- Phone cases I have made and lost- 3

- This American lifes I have listened to – 62+

- Hours waiting for a ride at Kasempa turn off- 27

- Elephants I’ve seen- 4

- Bridges I have jumped off- 1

- Times I have performed in Lusaka- 3

- Pillows I had to destroy because of mold- 2

- Bags of charcoal- 4

- Times I took the bus instead of hitching- I still ask why I did that to myself- 7

- Pairs of reefs I wore to the ground- 3

- Engagements of weddings of close friends and family- 15- seriously guys!

- Volunteers that have visited my house- 11

- Other volunteers sites I’ve seen- 16

- Coloring books my kids have finished- 4

- Days I wanted to leave Zambia- 0 (moments? Yes, but entire days? Never)

How do you measure a year?

Seeing how I just finished reading High Fidelity here are some of my top 5’s…

Top 5 Zampop artists (enjoy the names)

- Dalisoul (youtube it! You know you want to!)

- Mampi

- JK

- Ozzy

- Cosmo

Top 5 artists I only love b/c

- Lady of Zambia Gaga

- Rhiana (well that’s not new, bit the conviction is)

- Akon

- Kesha

- All Zampop

Top 5 artists I have rediscovered and constantly have on:

- Bill Withers

- Michael Jackson

- Sara Berallis

- Amas Lee

- Sam Cook

Top 5 Zamlish Phrases

- sorry sorry (pardon me/sorry!/oops)

- I am used (I have adjusted)

- Ka-small (very small ka in front of any thing to make it small)

- You are creating (you are lying)

- At reast! (at least…)

Top 5 words in any of the Zambian languages

- mwane- used for everything

- bufi- bemba- lies!

- Twakosa- kaonde- we are strong

- Kafwako- kaonde- nothing

- Chambwende- luvalle- perfect/exactly

Top 5 vices I kind of liked in America that I can’t live without here

- salt

- Coca cola

- Crisps or potato chips

- Chips or fries

- Milk chocolate

Well I’ll stop there for now but I love and miss you all!

Mushale Bulongo

Next Wednesday marks my nine month anniversary in country. This seems absolutely crazy. I am constantly mixed with feeling I just left, feeling like I have been gone forever, and feeling like I have so much more to go and work has just started. While my friend Brittany is talking about having a "It could have been a Baby" party, (who said theme parties had to die in college it dawns on me that the holiday season is upon us! The weird thing about time, is we all measure it differently. For the majority of my life, my years were measured by grade levels and summer vacations; then flights home, concerts, papers, finals, shifts, gigs, buying plane tickets, changing seasons, and of course holidays! I no longer have the majority of those things to measure tie and while there are "seasons" in Zambia, it's really not the same. If you think Northern California is moderate and never changes much as far as weather goes, think again. Zambia has 3 seasons; cold, hot, and rainy. Cold is from about June-Aug. and really isn't cold. It's true the mornings and evenings do cool down, but the days are hot and sunny. Hot season as you might have expected is HOT and dry. Rainy Season is rainy (shocking, I know) but when the sun comes out it gets pretty hot. You know it will never rain in cold and hot seasons, and you know it will rain at least once a day during rainy season. And while the small weather changes do affect me more with no insulation, heater, ice, or popsicles, I am always in a skirt and t-shirt; give or take a scarf and sweater in the morning. Rainy season I never leave without my rain jacket and random plastic bags.

But I digress…..the reason I started the topic is because without the same seasons as the West Coast, I don’t really grasp that time is moving there as well as here. It might be a bit egocentric but part of me still thinks it’s snowing in Portland. I know life didn’t stop when I left, but I have no concept of the day to day, so only the big events seem to bring me back to reality; like the fact that Joshy is actually in college; and way too many people are now engaged; and Christmas!

As many of you know, I LOVE Christmas. I think Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, and Christmas should all be thought of together. A time of family, friends, cocktails, crafting, god food, good laughs, cuddling, Christmas movies/musicals, trees, tea, and of course Christmas music! And I start early. None of this wait ‘til after Thanksgiving shit. I start November 1st baby. (well to be honest, most years I have to working start on some kind of Christmas program in Oct) This year, even though I was in a sundress, I was cleaning my hut to the most awesome Christmas play-list in the morning on the 1st. It was fabulous. And really I have to do all I can here to make it actually feel like the holidays. This holiday season holds a lot of firsts for me. (like most of what I have done in Zambia…I guess that one was a bit too obvious) While I won’t be getting little booties to hang on the tree saying “Baby’s First Christmas”, this one might end up being more signifigant….A Christmas of Firsts!

This will be the first Christmas in my memory that I won’t be spending on Montego Key, which means this is the first Christmas away from my family (Last years freak snowstorm aka “arctic blast 2008” was a close call…but was saved by Craigslist…got to love it) …and NO bloody marys! With any luck I’ll be able to find something resembling tomato juice and vodka, but honestly there is nothing better than bloody marys at the Greenwells.

This will be my first Christmas out of the country; my first Thanksgiving sans family as well and will also be turkeyless. This will be the first holiday season I won’t make haystacks with my mom and stay up til midnight Christmas Eve wrapping presents along with the rest of my family, all ducking into different rooms avoiding someone different every ten minutes.

This will be the first year in who knows how long hat I won’t be singing in any type of Christmas program. First year with no tree, or lights, or hell…even electricity. First New Years with no ocean and I’m sure the list can go on….but never fear, not all firsts are bad and life here is totally worth it. It will be my first North-West (Zambia) Thanksgiving. All the Volunteers in the Province are coming and we are doing a Zam-style/Americaland Thanksgiving with lamb, chicken, and soya, instead of turkey and tofu-rkey. My mom is sending “White Christmas” so I can bring the tradition and greatness to the Peace Corps House. There will not only be lots of carols but I’m sure plenty of Christmas crafting, decorations, and a Christmas bed!

And while you are all bundled up and pale, I will be sitting on the shores of Lake Malawi with a group of people I love and eating fresh mangos. (still probably pale as well) New Years will include a full moon and hopefully just enough craziness. Plus, not only do I get to avoid all the holiday shopping commercials, I get to celebrate a whole 10 hours earlier. (Most five year old kids would kill for Christmas morning 10 hours earlier than last year)

So Happy Holidays everyone! I hope you enjoy the people around you and embrace all the cheesy and wonderful parts of this tie of year. I miss you all and love you all so much. Eat lots of food, drink good (or cheap) wine, sing carols as much as possible, and enjoy the lights……I’ll miss the lights for sure. Travel safely, and if you can, check in on my mom. I think all these firsts will be hard on her too.

And remember: Will Ferrell said it best…. "The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear"

10 points if anyone knows what a Christmas bed is….

20 if you can correctly guess how many times I used the word Christmas without counting…..there really is no good synonym for that one….

(included in a letter written to Maggie Nov. 14, 2009 and posted by Dad)

Posted by Karly

Written May 13, 2009

(Sorry for the delay. I was out of the country, then I moved. It took awhile for the letter to catch up with me)

ALL THAT GLITTERS IS GOLD

First, let me preface this entry by saying that I believe people are born with a sexual preference and people don't choose to be gay or straight. And while I am straight, I admire those who embrace who they are even when it can be a more difficult path. I will continually fight for equal rights and think they gay marriage struggle in America has gone on way too long. That being said, I don't think I will continue the fight in Zambia.

In Zambia being gay doesn't really exist and if it did, it would be illegal. One of the good sides of this (if there could ever be one) is the fact that men can be as feminine as they like. Grown men can wear pink cheer camp t-shirts. Guys hold hands in public. Men can sing as high and as loud as they want, and basically act as openly gay as they wish to and no one assumes anything because there isn't even the question of gay or straight. As heart-breaking as it is to see a clearly gay man and know he will never accept a part of him, it still makes me smile just a bit when I see a man just flaunting it!

Today I walked past the most flamboyant bike I have ever seen. Now a lot of people in Zambia trick-out their bikes with reflectors or crazy mud flaps, but this one went above and beyond. It was wrapped in streamers, covered in fake flowers, and even had a pinwheel on the handlebars. The driver of said bike is part of the praise team at the Church of Destiny and when I walked into the church and saw him tuning a guitar-like instrument, I thought, "now there is a homosexual." I felt so bad for him knowing he could never truly be himself (with that said, I don't actually have any idea what the underground gay scene is. As far as I now, no one has heard of any. Lusaka might be a different story, but where I am, I think the chances are slim--but there must be something, right?) So I sat there thinking, "at least this boy can sing and no one will say anything," but he broke my heart.

Then a week later her passed me on the coolest bike ever! It happened while I was in a bad mood getting worse, and it turned my whole day. I mean, how can a grown man riding a mike with a pinwheel and so may shiny additions it glitters not make you smile?

If you've got it--flaunt it!

Love to all,

Stevie

Hey every one! I thought I would break from tradition and post something myself. I am currently in Lusaka at Headquarters and have a real computer at my disposal. Well the internet is a bit fussy and getting pics on facebook has been a nightmare but I am trying. I have now been in country over 6 months which just seems crazy! I have finished my community entry period and have been down in Lusaka for an in-service training with my intake (the group I flew to country with). It was wonderful seeing everyone again after 3 ½ months apart! It was an exhausting 2 weeks with long days of training and late nights of…catching up. After that 11 of us headed down to see Victoria Falls for a few days. And I jumped off a BRIDGE! Yes that’s right and I did it not once but twice. Victoria Falls is the 3rd highest bungee jump site in the world, measuring at 111meters high. Five of us decided to jump and the company that does it runs this package deal. So for 20 dollars more you can bungee jump, gorge swing, and zip line. After I jumped on my own, I took off one harness and put another one on, strapped to my friend and stepped off the bridge again. Let me tell you the second time is way scarier. The falls were absolutely beautiful and we had a great time at the hostel. But lets bring it back to the reason I started writing this entry…

We were all asked to present on our life in the village and summarize our community entry at training. Most people just kind of talked through some funny stories, Brittany (my neighbor) was interviewed by a puppet of her cat she made (which was equally hilarious and slightly worrisome). I decided to switch it up a bit and wrote a song, well two songs that sum up life in my village. I have had some many requests for the lyrics and suggestions to put then up, so I thought I would. The first one is called “Go Slow” and is a bit of a jazzy medium swing. A “go slow” is similar to a sit in or a strike. The teachers show up to work, sit there all day but don’t teach; which often doesn’t look much different than a normal school day. My schools were on a go slow for a good 6 weeks and all my work quickly disappeared. Let’s see…there are other references in the song you might not get but I promise they are funny. BOMA= my “town” nataz = school performing arts competition. Mazungu= white person. DEBS = incharge at the district level. “just ok” = everyone’s answer to everything. “Used”= phrase meaning I am comfortable with or used to… mufu= mufumbwe the district I live in. Don’t worry about the acronyms, it isn’t worth explaining there are so many of them. Hope that is enough to get your Zamlish started…

Go Slow

Chorus

[Go Slow, don’t move too fast

Just enough to keep the kids coming to sweep the class

Go slow, don’t move too fast

Next term might see some teachin’ so sit back and relax]

Now let me tell you all a little tale

Of life under the sun for one quite pale

The mission in front was impossible

To make teachers willing not just capable

Chorus

At first I hoped to be just a fly on the wall

But soon there was nothing to see at all

The first week of term was for cleaning the class

And all the complaints were just a pain in the ass

No rural hardship so we fight for the cause

And then with the what what, sports and nataz

The strike was decided the only way

No learning to do so pupils stayed at bay

Chorus

Yet I still have three months to fill with time

So I thought I’d tell you about in this here rhyme

With the schools all deserted and empty

I found many other things tempting

There is the important job of entertainin’

Always a hit- what’s that mazungu makin’

I became master of the brazier cake

Cause mufu birthday’s were serious to take

Chorus

Chasing after the DEBS took many a day

Happy to find a new one’s on the way

See our DEBS happened to be a big fat jerk

And seemed to hate me just as much as my work

Never turned down a single invitation

Resulting in hours of church and salvation

I made friends with the small one block boma

On days with power we cried HALLEJAH

Chorus

The strike finally ceased with 3 weeks to go

Hit the ground runnin’ on with the show

My ZIC’s quite a rockstar, she is one sassy lady

We were bikin to schools in my zone daily

Managed to fit some TGM’s in

Did lots of work with a program called SHN

I am used when it comes to life village side

Just ok with selling my soul… for a free ride

Chorus

House décor included some painting

And when I get home there’ll be kitty waiting

Let’s hope that the go slow is truly finished

Otherwise my to read list will be diminished

Not sure how much real teaching there will be to see

When all of these kids out runnin’ free

But I’ll still be there tryin’ to fight the good fight

One step at a time, proving education’s a right

Chorus

…just a bit of culture exchange

So the second song I wrote is a bit more on the ‘real song’ side. This one is more about just being here in general and what service really means or does. We all spend a lot of time wondering if any of this matters. Would our village just be better if we or all the NGO’s just left? Why are we actually here? Needless to say I had plenty of time to think all about this over the past 6 months and really still don’t have an answer. Nor do I think I will have a better one in two years. I just know this is what I am meant to do right now. Even through all the frustration and difficultly, I am really happy here and for now that is what matters. I believe there is true value in choosing to spend your time for others and most days that is enough for me.

I also had a few conversations with another volunteer in northwest about how often life in the village feels a bit like life on a boat- even though we are completely land locked. Often you look out and see nothing for miles. I live a simple life that can basically fit in to three suitcases; I cook one pot dishes on a small brazier; shower with a bucket; sit out in the sun and read a lot. The list goes on but you get the picture. In addition to that, the stars have become my biggest comfort. No matter what the day has been like, the Southern Cross always makes me smile and reminds me I love it here. I think partly because I was so excited for an entirely new sky before coming, but there is something about the Southern Cross that seems to connect me to my home here and my home in the states. The Southern Cross is just magical I guess.

But I put this disclaimer out- Please take these lyrics with a grain of salt. I really hate just putting lyrics down with out the music because I feel they always sound cheesier when read and not sung. Unfortunately I am lacking a recording studio, so you will all just have to wait for the real thing ‘til either you visit or I come back in 2 years.

Southern Cross

Verse 1

Cast out on a ship

set on land all a blaze

unknown how life has come this way

everyday set the course

destination unsure

and the patience of waiting and waiting, not knowing if it matters at all

Chorus

When the sun melts away

And one by one the stars appear

Then I gaze at the Southern Cross

And the world melts away

All the worries and the doubts

And I know that this is right

Verse 2

Some days start so strong

endless movement forward

this could be the real start of things

yet somehow turn away

everything falls apart

and I'm sinking and spinning and trying just to keep floating at all

Chorus

When the sun melts away

And one by one the stars appear

Then I gaze at the Southern Cross

And the world melts away

All the worries and the doubts

And I know that this is right

Bridge

How much can you change without taking what is there

And How much take you give without knowing if they care

And How much can you take without loosing while you came

There's value in unseen efforts

The beauty's in the choice of time

Verse 3

All it takes is one day

one sweet moment of bliss

then the shore somehow comes into view

on it goes spend your days

slowly gliding along

without seeing, or asking, not knowing how this became home at all

When the sun melts away

And one by one the stars appear

Then I gaze at the Southern Cross

And the world melts away

All the worries and the doubts

And I know that this here right

When the sun melts away

And one by one the stars appear

Then I gaze at the Southern Cross

And the world melts away

All the worries and the doubts

And I know that this is right yes I know that this, this is right

Hope you enjoyed and it wasn’t too long of an entry. To sum it up life is great- crazy- but great. I miss you all and think of you always! Wish you all to be happy, healthy, and great letter writers- Stevie

…….from a letter received 08-19-09

Blog Entry 07-20-09:

“That’s what the students are really for”

Part of the Community’s agreement to have us come and work for them for two years, is that the Community provides a safe (preferably dry) house, and help us maintain basic needs for a structure, i.e….a bathing shelter (bafwa), a latrine (chimbus), a gazebo (kinzanza), and a roof with no holes. Now my house is awesome, as I mentioned before, but the roof could use a bit more grass and I’m in such a busy area that my community not only promised to patch my roof, but to also rebuild the fence the volunteer here before me had. But once getting here, I didn’t actually think these two things would happen…..until today.

My APCD (the person in charge of my program and basically my boss) came to visit my site last week. We met with all my counterparts and reminded them of all the promises they made. Plus, the 6 week strike/go-slow is finally over 3 weeks before the term ends, so this week my counterpart was “on it”. My main counterpart is a teacher at my nearest school and it’s also her job to help monitor the other schools in the zone and facilitate in-service teacher trainings. Her official title is ZIC (zonal in-service coordinator). My ZIC is a sweet yet super sassy woman with a voice that gets shit done.

So today I came to the school for an afternoon meeting and found her directing all the 4th graders to take grass to my house. And all the 5th graders to take poles. It was quite a sight…tons of little kids in white and maroon uniforms running down the path with grass on their heads. The path starts to fill up and all you can see is grass bouncing, dust flying, and hear giggling as they fly down the road.

07-27-09….fast forward a week..

I have not only been to all my 7 schools, but Moses (my host father) has almost finished the fence around my house. It makes my place feel totally different. I like the privacy and it hasn’t stopped the kids at all…but I am just a bit worried that it might be too isolating. Oh well, only time will tell and it’s way too late now. Moses also said he’s going to build me a garden fence as well. Pretty soon I will have my own garden! I’m also currently cementing my walls so I can paint the inside of my house. Things are changing at “nzubo pa ba” Stevie.

Random side note…

The first school my ZIC and I went to visit for introductions is called Kakikasa and is about 4km away from me. After talking to all the deputy head teachers, I went and met all the teachers. I told them why I’m here and let them ask any questions they had. It came out that I’m a singer and they requested a short song, so I sang the first verse of “Amazing Grace”. Then when I was leaving the school they gave me a giant bag of ground nuts.

So in a way, I kind of felt like I was singing for peanuts……

Much Love,

Stevie

…Dad’s note…

Stevie has hit her 6 month mark and is currently back in Lusaka for a week of training with her entire group of PCV’s. After that they’ve all planned a group trip to Livingstone and Victoria Falls, which will include a 111 meter bungee jump over the Zambezi River. (100 % safety record they say) Stevie’s goal is to be one of the jumpers. (I might be rediscovering religion)

I am not sure if I have mentioned this before so forgive me if I am repeating myself but - I love the kids (or noodles as Lexi has taught me and I use constantly). They are by far one of the things I love about Zambia. I think Carrie (my room mate throughout training) put it best... the kids here look like lost boys from Peter Pan. They run around barefoot, with ragged clothes in groups playing with anything they ca make into a toy. It is quite impressive actually. Old plastic bags and a bit of old string becomes a football, volley ball, cricket ball, or something to throw at smaller kids. Some twine/string, old dried corn rinds, drink cartons, tin cans -- they become make-shift cars of things to push and pull around. Since moving in I have become the newest form of entertainer. While I am walking to market little voices come screaming out of the bushes. "How-ah-you How-ah-are How-ah-you." Noodles just come and sit outside my hut watching me cook, read, wash dishes -- it never gets old. I have become their television program although this tv program smiles back and that sends them into a laughing fit. Their smiles break my heart every time. They really are just too cute to handle. Maybe in a year they will start driving me nuts but for right now Natemwa obewa bingi. I love the noodles! Stevie.

Hey I just wanted to let everyone know I made it safely and everything is GREAT. I only had time to send to a few people so please spread the word accordingly - i tried to get one of every group. Zambia is beautiful, everyone is amazing and I am really excited to head out to our first Site visit tomorrow.

Love you all and will send a better email when I have the time!

Stevie

The Rooster departed today on her flight to Zambia. This is just a tribute. -Maya

...well almost. I leave for DC on Monday and then head to Lusaka a few days later. I will be in training for the next three months and will eventually find out where I will be living for the next two years.

So here is how I am hoping this whole thing is going to work. I will have very limited internet so I will update when I can, but the majority of my posts and updates will come from letters I am sending back to the states. Mail takes awhile and the first three months are going to be crazy busy…basically, I will update as soon as I can but at this point “no news is good news.”

Thank you all for the wonderful words of support and encouragement. Please keep sending them because I will need all I can get. I love you all and will be constantly thinking of you and missing you! Rally those frequent flyer miles, check those travel sites, and get ready for slightly adventure traveling to Zambia, the real Africa. There will always be room in my small hut.