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

Blog entry 5/23/09 – (Received and typed by Monica- LOVE YOU STEVIE!)

Some general questions:

Hello Everyone! I hope people are enjoying the beginnings of Summer. Although I have to admit that in my mind it is still snowing in Portland. Being here where the seasons are so different, I find myself just thinking of the states the way I left them. So I wouldn’t be surprised if I think it is Winter for the next two years.

So I thought I would take a few minutes to answer the questions I have been getting. I am only 3 months in and I am sure some of the answers will change with time, but right now here is where I am…

Are you picking up the language?

Well- not as quickly as I would like. Hopefully this is one of those answers that will change soon. I can greet and barely get by in the market. As for the rest of my vocab, it is centered around HIV/AIDS and education. But whenever I am working with people in these fields we use English. The official language of Zambia is English and is supposed to be what everything is taught in after grade 2. So because I spend the majority of my time with teachers, we speak a lot of English. In reality, very few students can actually speak English and all the lessons in school are usually translated into the local language. Plus, to work with people in the community especially women- I need to be better about studying and I have found a tutor in my village- I’ll keep trying.

Food: Any cool or funky foods> Are you getting enough?

Well let me assure everyone that I am getting more than enough. People are often disappointed with the amount of nshima I can eat. And the first week I was in my village I was getting so much food, I couldn’t eat it fast enough. Leftovers without a fridge is tricky. The staple food of Zambia is nshima- basically ground maize that is cooked into a porridge paste you roll it into a ball and eat it with a relish- either very cooked veggies, beans, or on a really special occasion- chicken. Nshima is very hard to make and doesn’t actually have any nutritional value but a meal is not a meal without nshima. It is believed “Nshima is POWER!” While it is not the healthiest food, Zambians love of it is understandable. The one thing nshima does is make you feel full. Whether or not your children are getting the vitamins they need, at least they are going to bed full.

Zambia is slightly lacking in its variety of food. It is a lot of nshima, ground nuts, sweet potatoes, onions, and tomatoes. A few bananas, sour oranges, and on a really good day giant avocado. The veggies are leafy- some are similar to kale, there is Chinese cabbage and most commonly it is sweet potato leaves or pumpkin leaves. Of course when you get the larger cities you can find more variety but where I am it is a lot of the same thing.

As far as cool or funky food…

The two finkiest think that I have not tried yet but are very popular, and mice and caterpillars. And something tells me I can go through my two years not needing to try these. Although I am a bit excited to try hippo meat at a festival next month.

Now that I am cooking for myself, I eat a lot of rice and soya pieces, eggs, pasta, oatmeal. I cool everything in a small charcoal brazier. I have been perfecting my tortilla skills and other breads. Last week I even managed to bake a pretty decent cake for another volunteers birthday!

Is it hot?

Yes! Right now it is cold season but there is very little cold about it. Maybe the mornings are a bit chilly and the sun is setting earlier but if this is cold season- I am not looking forward to hot season.

How is your house?

I love my house! It has three small rooms, tons of furniture because my host father is a carpenter, and a very nice grass roof that does leak yet (keep your fingers crossed for the rainy season). I have a nice dirt yard just waiting for me to plant a garden and a nice little kinzanza (a gazebo type structure). It faces five or six other houses on the compound so there are always people walking by and kids in my yard. I have a very cute cat posted down from the volunteer before me- Myo. Myo keeps the mice away and climbs in my lap in the mornings. Plus I am right down the road (well, path) from my main school. Which is nice- especially when meetings are canceled. My house is feeling more and more like a home and I seem to be handling living on my own just ok.

Ok- that is it for now- Life is pretty boring but hopefully I will have some good stories soon- keep the letters coming! I promise I will write back!!! Hope Life is well and I miss you all. Thank you for all the support.

Mwende Bulongo (travel well)

Na Natemwa (with my love)

Stevie

4-19-09

I am about to enter my final week of training and just started reading "Life Of Pi". I came across this passage and think it perfectly describes our group of trainees.

"In many ways, running a zoo is a hotel keepers worst nightmare. Consider: the guests never leave their rooms; they expect not only lodging but full board; they receive a constant flow of visitors, some of whom are noisy and unruly. One has to wait until they saunter to their balconies , so to speak, before one can clean their rooms, and then one has to wait until they tire of the view and return to their rooms before one can clean their balconies; and there is much cleaning to do, for the guests are as unhygienic as alcoholics. Each guest is very particular about his or her diet, constantly complains, and never, ever tips. To speak frankly, many are sexual deviants, either terribly repressed and subject to explosions of frenzied lasciviousness , or openly depraved, in either case regularly affronting management with gross outrages of free sex and incest. Are these the sorts of guests you would want to welcome to the inn?" pg 14

....OK, so maybe not perfect, but a pretty good description. Except the "gross outrages" are more subtle and manifest into inappropriate jokes in mixed company, or a stronger need for hugs. Both are equally scandalous acts in Zambia. There is also the similarity in the way we are watched like zoo animals. "Look, there is a new group of White People in a constructed habitat

that is made to look like their natural home. Lets watch and see how they live."

...and it makes me smile.

It is going to be hard to walk away from training. Well not really training but my training group. Sure it is nice to actually have a schedule and a defined purpose for everyday, but I have a feeling I won't really miss 4 hour language sessions, 3 hour tech, and all day medical, cultural, and admin. presentations 6 days a week. It's just the people I don't want to leave. It is always the people. My life is and has always been about the other people in it. (thus the reason I even write this blog) And somehow in only 2 months I have become ridiculously close to people here. Peace Corps plays this horrible game where you are placed in an extreme situation with a group of people and just as you are making this your family, you all are torn apart and are scattered across the country.

So here goes- I am jumping into community entry- leaving behind another family and entering a village for 23 months.

Kafwako Lukatazno

( Ain't nothin but a thang)

hey everyone! So I am breaking the cycle and taking a few kwacha to write to everyone. Everything here is great. I am officially a volunteer!!! And am getting dropped at my site in two days- SCARY! Thank you all so much for the the kind thoughts and letters and keep[ them coming...I promise I will respond to any letters/ packages set my way. It is your best shot at getting some Zambia postage!

I have gotten a few questions about what to send me so I thought I would put up a list. Please don't feel like you have to. But if you so choose to put something in the mail, know that I will love you forever and you will probably make my life complete. If you do put a package together please don't feel like you need to get everything these are just ideas because people asked

things that I would love gettting...in no particular order

good tea

hot chocolate

candy...like sour worms, skittles, starburst etc

chocolate...in any form

your favorite baking recipes

any kind of protein that does go bad...packets of salmon, chicken, tuna, beef jerkey

magazines...like rolling stone, spin, the economist

ready spice packets...like taco/ fajita packs (not sure what those things are called but you know what I mean?)

any kind of art supplies

yarn

trail mix/nuts...I love most things trader joes comes up with

things that make water taste better...ice tea, kool aid, crystal light packets

And just because my birthday is coming up-aka if you want to send me a gift it should be in the mail by the middle of june

travel board games or games that breakdown easy (if any one can find the card game set please send it my way...and if someone sends me settlers of catan i will give yuou my first born)

stationary

DVDs...things that you like to watch when you wnat to do nothing all day or are sick(especially tv shows...the office, grey's, arrested development...etc)

Ok that's it and really no pressure!

I'll keep the blogs coming

love you all

mushale bulongo

Hey everyone! Below is the latest UFSIZ (Update From Stevie In Zambia)...

-Maya

Well if there is one thing both Peace Corps and the Zambian education system loves- it's acronyms. For example, currently I am a PCT (Peace Corps Trainee) in the middle of PST (PreService Training). I am in the RED program (Rural Education Development). Most of my trainings are at FTI (Farmers Training Institute). The PCMO (Peace Corps Medical Officer) has given me a total of 8 shots thus far and more are coming. I am about to go on my SSV (Second Site Visit) where I actually get to see where I am moving. Then hopefully after PST I will become a real PCV (Peace Corps Volunteer). Tomorrow I have interviews with the CD (Country Director), and TD (Training Director).

And that's just the beginning. The Zambian ministry of education (MOE) loves them even more! Every position has it's own acronym. Schools are broken into zones. Each zone has somewhere between 10-30 schools. In each zone, there is the ZHS (Zonal Head School), with a ZIC (Zonal Inset Coordinator), an acronym within an acronym inset (In-Service Training), and every school has an SIC (School Inset Coordinator). The ZHT, ZIC, and SIC make-up the ZEST (Zonal Educational Support Team). Then there is SPRINT (School Program for Inservice of the Term- Not sure how that one works...). SPRINT is baiscally any training or meetings for teachers. Like... a TGM (Teachers Group Meeting) or a SIMON (School Inservice and Monitoring) or a GRACE (Great Meeting at Resource Center)... And the list goes on and on- seriously that is just a few!

Now you can be a pro! I am afraid after my COS (Close of Service), I will never be able to speak in complete sentences...

Mwane!

-Stevie

I know we all miss Stevie, but how amazing is she! I’m so proud to call her friend…

LIVE from Zambia

April 3rd, 2009

Basic training schedule.

Right now I am two weeks into training. I stay in a smallish mud hut. It has a mat on the floor with my mattress on it. It is a thatched roof with garbage bags to help with the rain. I have a mattress draped in my LOVELY mosquito net at all times. I have a little window but just keep my door open so I can see and get any light in my room. I have a small stool, table and lantern. Every morning I wake up around 6:30, (two hours after the rooster, no not The Rooster), starts. My Bjmama heats up some water for my bucket bath. I have a bathing shelter that is basically an open room made of tall grass. After my bath I usually have breakfast of tea, peanut butter and some white bread or fried cornmeal. Then I have 4 hours of language-go home for lunch- then 3 hours of tech training. Thursdays and Saturdays are the only time my entire intake is together for HIV/Aids Training, as well as cultural sessions. So we have half of Saturday and Sunday off to study and do whatever.

Yesterday we threw together a game of Ultimate Frisbee and just hung around till dark. Basically, my day ends when the Sun’s gone, (around 8p) and I stay up for a bit with my flashlight, but am pretty lame and crash by 9:30p. I have training until the end of April and I think it will be a mixed blessing when it’s finally over. I am REALLY excited to cook for myself, have my own place, see and meet my community, actually be around people using the language I’m currently learning and be on my own schedule! But, this also will mean I will be totally on my own…might not have cell service and won’t see anyone from training for three months. So at this moment the training days feel like they are crawling by, but I am sure, like everything, I will miss them when they are gone.

Kaeikaipo,

Stevie

Yay! An update from the Rooster! I (Maggie, friend from Willamette) recieved this letter yesterday, and attempted to hack her account, only to find out she doesn't even have the right password for her account (really, rooster, REALLY). It is with further ado that I bestow these wonderful words upon the masses!

Friday March 13th, 2009

Currently I am sitting on my little stool watching my Bamama cut up vegetables for dinner. It is right before sundown and I can almost feel time slip by me- those last few minutes of usable light never seems long enough. The giant sky is threatening a storm and thunder is looming in the distance. But I am still not sure if rain will really fall. It is the tail end of the rainy season here and it is starting to cool off at nights- but it is a perfect 75-85 degrees during the day.....that is a guess- and hopefully soon my guesses will be in celsius!

As I switch to lamp light.....I am just finishing my third week in Zambia and my second week with my family. I will be here until the end of April (I think)....and honestly I keep waiting for the big freak-out but it hasn't happened! Life kind of just goes on....and although I am nowhere near comfortable, the unfamiliar is becoming comforting. Plus training has a very structured schedule so it just feels like what I am supposed to do. I am adjusting to the diet and minus one day of general stomach aching, I haven't gotten sick. Knock on wood- but I know my time is probably coming.

I had my first language test today. It was an oral test with two different teachers covering basic greetings, talking and asking about me/other people/ where I come from/ what I do/ what my family does/ names/ marital status, etc. Then the test my vocab on school supplies, gardening tools, food, body parts, eating utensils, illnesses and a few commands- oh and describing another person physically. Not bad for a only two weeks fo language class. I feel like I still have so much to learn and don't understand most of what my Bamama asks me but I made it through the test and I don't think they are sending me home yet ;)

Saturdays we only have half days of class. So after HIV training and then HIV training again in Kikaonde, a bunch of us usually play some kind of game at the football pitch. (**editor's note- roughly translated to SOCCER FIELD....she is so cultured!)

And really I am super excited for Sunday- we get to go into Lusaka and go to an "American" type shopping mall. Who would have ever thought I would look forward to a mall!? But it means a grocery store and I can buy fruit for the first time in weeks! ....and maybe some ice cream...... There is a fruit shortage or something in my village so an orange has become gold! Well, dinner calls......

Miss you all!Shalaipo!

Stevie