So many exclamation points (marks? I forget which country uses which)! So, yet another four month break between blog posts- I know, I’m a terrible updater but I had an excuse. Lightening struck our internet router around Christmas and it wasn’t until early April that we got it fixed. I get some props for that, right?

Anywho, since I last wrote and now, things have been pretty damn busy. What with co-teaching, adult literacy, Camp G.L.O.W. (more to come on this later), the LLIT mosquito net study and hammer mill, I’ve hardly had time even to breathe in the past few months. I would go into detail about all the projects but to be honest I kind of just want to forget about work right now and enjoy my vacation (Yes, I’m writing on vacay. My life is just that cool). In any case I think I described most of my activities in an early post anyway so go back and read that one if you’re so interested-all except the net study which is basically a partnership with USAID/PMI and the Society for Family Health to study the longevity of mosquito nets and insecticide efficacy. I know, enthralling. I do, however, want to talk about one project that was just recently completed and incredibly rewarding for me, the rest of the volunteers that helped with planning and implementation as well as all the girls/mentors that were selected for the program.

So, I think I’ve mentioned this before but in Zambian society due to both culture and tradition, women and especially girls are highly overlooked. In villages it is not uncommon to marry off a girl child as early as the age of 14 years- I’ve seen it done multiple times in my school- for a bridal price as low as 250,000 kwatcha, roughly $50 US, or human labor. Though this practice is technically illegal, it is still rampant in rural areas despite both police and cultural leader intervention. In addition to early marriage, the worth of the girl child is substantially lower than that of the male child and many girls are pulled out of school at grade 7 in favor of working in the house or the fields. Girls in the village are afforded maybe half of the opportunities given to boys and often lack the motivation, assertiveness, self confidence as well as the sense of self worth to try and change that fact simply because they were brought up in a culture that does not value them nearly as much as it should. To help remedy this, the female volunteers of Luapula have planned and implemented a program called Camp G.L.O.W., which stands for Girls Leading Our World, a camp focused on girls’ empowerment that is implemented by volunteers all over the world. Each camp is unique to each group that plans it, but ours was run entirely by women, both Zambian and American, with as little male presence as possible to encourage a safe and open atmosphere for all the girls and mentors involved. G.L.O.W. Luapula took place on 10th-14th April at a Youth Center in our provincial capitol and involved 9 volunteers from Mwense, Nchelenge, Mansa and Samfya districts. Each volunteer (except one) brought two girls grades 7-8 of their choice and one community mentor to the camp which focused on issues such as girls empowerment, leadership skills, assertiveness, career planning, the importance of education, rape and gender based violence awareness, HIV/AIDS education as well as many other subjects that are either not or not substantially addressed in schools and the community. In addition, the girls participated in fun activities such as sports, arts and crafts and sanitary pad making. After the HIV/AIDS sessions, we partnered with an organization to provide voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) to everyone present in order to assist them in learning their status.

I have to say, out of all the activities in my service thus far, this has definitely been the most rewarding. The change in the girls and women, even after the first day, is so discernible that just being with them and seeing them grow from day to day was reward enough. I can’t put into words what it meant to me, and I’m sure the rest of the volunteers, to the entire camp come together and know that this may very well be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and hopefully a life changer for these girls and women. Granted it was a bit rough at times but the professionalism and positive attitudes of all the volunteers planning it, most notable the three in charge, helped solve every problem efficiently as possible. We were all exhausted at the end of it but honestly, after a week of 9 volunteers, 16 teenage girls, 8 Zambian mentors and countless surprises from the venue, facilitators and partners, who wouldn’t be?

So that’s what I’d been doing in the last few months. Recently, as in right now, I’ve been on vacay with friends and fam from America-land so updates on that later (preview: I get attacked by a baboon).

Well, not actually today. More like around this time last year...I boarded a plane to live for 2 years in a country I'd never been to, met 29 incredible individuals-many of whom in the subsequent months I've come to rely on as family and came to this country as a brand-spanking new Peace Corps Trainee.

Holy Jesus I've been here a year. I can't say that time has flown by- sometimes it feels like I've just stepped off the plane onto hot Zambian tarmac, other times it feels like I've been here for a hundred years. Like most things in this country, it just depends on the day. But, here I am, another year older, another year (hopefully) wiser, another year of incredible experience under my proverbial belt. So what have I been doing in my 2 cough3cough month break? Stuff.

Not gonna lie, my first Christmas away from my family was rough. No egg nog, no arguing whether we'd do white or colored lights, no real tree, no cookie baking marathon, no claymation movies or 24 hours of A Christmas Story. For the majority of the Christmas holiday, Mansa didn't even have electricity. But what we did have for the holiday was each other. Vastly different (packet punch, face paints and a night out to a dirty warehouse bar) but no less special, Christmas this year simply reaffirmed that what you do doesnt really matter, just who you do it with, and I spent my holiday with some of the best people a volunteer could ask for.

Okay enough of the sentimental stuff- onto the funsies: NEW YEARS! After traveling for 2 days from Mansa to get to Lusaka to meet my FAVORITE Zam-ladies and a whirlwind night devoid of sleeping but full of tequila, we found ourselves on a 6 hour bus heading to Livingstone to see Zambia's claim to world wonder fame- Victoria Falls. We did what we could on Peace Corps budget, which limited us to a booze cruise and a bomb New Years party at a lodge on the Zambezi, but honestly the best part was getting to spend some much needed quality time with the girls. But I'm not gonna wax poetic on how much I love my friends because I'm hoping they already know. Imma talk about the booze cruise (and New Years and Vic Falls). SO, its billed as a "river cruise" down the Zambezi where you're served dinner and as much booze as you can handle (or until they run out). We had an awesome time on it and saw a good amount of animals- a couple crocs, some monkeys and an f-ton of hippos. New Years Eve party was a booze-driven blur, enough to make me miss the actual countdown to the new year. There were monkeys that we saw jumping from branch to branch in the trees above us earlier in the night though. I think the best part of our vacation though was just seeing the actual falls. They were un-freaking-believable. I had a pre-concieved notion of what they would look like, but seeing the actual falls...they blew my mind. They're spectacular. Words cannot describe.

The biggest misconception that I had was that the falls fell into a giant pool of water, but they dont. It's like the earth just split and there's a giant scar running down the face of it that the Zambezi falls into. Its a giant valley pretty much, all black and jagged wet rock face. One of the things I found most impressive was the spray. No one really talks about it but since the water is falling on rocks and not into a pool, it creates a mist you can see from pretty far away that just blankets (and consequently soaks) everything. I thought it was the coolest thing when we were on the booze cruise and you could see the white spray coming up, or when we were driving to the falls in one of those open-top safari vehicles and we turned a corner and there we were at the top, mist billowing and the falls looking like the end of the earth. I wonder what Dr. Livingstone thought about that.

Word of caution though: as incredible as it is, it is also incredibly dangerous. Due to the ever-present mist, everything is wet and consequently slippery. The hand rails only reach to chest level if there are any at all. The drops are steep. Very, very steep. And the bottom of the gorge is full of not-so-soft rock. Not to mention there are unofficial guides that take you for an unofficial tour to walk on the lip of the falls (I'm serious-people do it. If the internet were working in Mansa I have pictures of two girls and an illegal guide standing in the water literally ON the edge of the falls). People die all the time.

There are also baboons. Not the lovably eccentric Rafiki baboons, but large, brown, intimidating baboons with even larger canines. Volunteers have horror stories in regards to these baboons and one stole my friend's purse to drink her alcohol packets and eat her doxycycline (malaria profylaxis) when we were there. A year ago a tourist got killed when a baboon tried to take away his camera and he slipped and fell into the falls. If you know me, there's only one primate I hate more than baboons. And that's gorillas.

So that's pretty much what I did during my vacay. Right now I'm in Lusaka for the new RED diversity panel (I'm special and unique!). It was so strange meeting the new RED trainees- even stranger than meeting the new CHIP/RAP intake since these new ones are in the same program. It was refreshing to see a group fresh out of America-land, enthusiastic and excited and still devoid of the cynicism and jaded menality that seems to take over the longer you stay and work in the field (sorry- just being honest). After panel I got to shop and hang out with a few of them and there's some seriously awesome people and potential in this group. They're gonna do some great things once they get in the field. Good luck with PST and power to y'all!

That's about all I've been doing recently. Term 1 started a few weeks ago (I nearly killed myself planning/writing up lesson plans for the one and a half weeks of lessons I missed) and its going pretty well, more on work and projects at a later date. Hope all is well in the home land! Love all of you and you know how to get me if you need me.

Since hot season is officially over, here's the best and worst of my least favorite season yet.

10 Best:

1. My solio and batteries are always charged because the sun is always out.

2. Cold bucket baths=HEAVEN.

3. Pupils attend school on a more regular basis.

4. You don't have to worry about your clothes or dishes being soaked due to unexpected rain storms.

5. You don't have to worry about the weather at all really; its always going to be sunny.

6. Your clothes dry in about an hour.

7. You dont really want to eat anything because its so damn hot so you lose weight and save money because you dont buy much.

8. Cold drinks (when you can find them) are just that much better.

9. The weather is so vastly different from home that I dont miss home as much.

10. The sky is bluer than I've ever seen.

10 Worst:

1. It is hot.

2. I get sweaty very quickly because its so damn hot.

3. After biking to my farther schools, I'm about a billion and one times more irritated because biking in the hot is about a billion and one times harder when its hot.

4. It is impossible to sleep at nights. I'm convinced that my hut actually absorbs heat so when Im trying to go to sleep (read- 7:30 pm) its basically an inferno. Some nights I have to lie on my cement floor because freaking everything is too hot.

5. The water in the well runs dry.

6. Villagers stop doing anything and sit on their porches at about 9 am because its effin hot.

7. I always forget my water bottle, so 5 km into biking, I realize I'm so screwed.

8. I curse having to move so my productivity decreases immensely.

9. Food goes bad REAL fast.

10. It is HOT, hotter than I've ever experienced before, and there's nothing that you can do about it. No cold drinks, no AC, no Pacific Ocean. You just deal with it any way you can.

Back at the house for PEPFAR training, which is basically a week-long workshop on HIV/AIDS. Nothing really new has gone on at site. Lots of working, lots of biking, lots of sweating. Its right in the peak of hot season right now, which means infernal heat day and night. REALLY not my favorite season. Hard rains have been coming and going (one huge storm hit a few days ago and knocked the power out in the middle of cooking steak fajitas. good old Zambia), but generally the weather's been humid as a crazy man.

So I think I'm going to follow the role of my fellow volunteers and write about specific aspects of Zambia and its culture, starting with one of my favorite things no matter where the hell I am in the world: FOOD, or one in particular. First and foremost, Zambian cuisine can be summed up in, more or less, one word. Nshima. Nshima Nshima Nshima. In Bemba-land, we call it ubwali and in Zambia-land, villagers eat it with every. single. meal. There's a saying here, that if you haven't eaten nshima, you haven't eaten. The call to eat meals for the Bena Ngumbo tribe (what the people of my area are called) is "Takuli ubwali," which means "You don't have nshima." It's kind of comparable to rice in Hawaii, but much more lauded and more central to the meal. In Zambia, the nshima is generally made out of three different kinds of flour: maize, cassava or millet. The most popular by far is nshima made of maize meal, which is a constant throughout the country. The cassava and millet varieties are found in certain provinces (Luapula, Northern and Northwest to be specific) in the more rural areas- they're considered to be less...civilized I suppose, for lack of a better word. Nshima comes in many many forms, depending on where you are. For example a restaurant in Lusaka may serve a personal-sized snowy white lump of breakfast meal (mass processed maize meal, utterly bland and tasteless, usually bought and served by wealthier Zambians- I am SO not a fan of breakfast meal nshima). At a family's house in Lusaka you may be served smaller, pre-made lumps of breakfast meal nshima that you pull out of a large communal bowl. In provinces near Lusaka you may be served a tan colored nshima, made from maize that has been grown and processed by the family. In my area, we usually get either a mix of home grown maize meal and cassava meal nshima or cassava meal nshima straight up, which is called ubwali bwa tute. More on this later. The general idea is, the farther you get from civilization, the more colored, textured, and, in my opinion, tasty your nshima becomes.

Me, cooking a pathetically small pot of nshima with lots of guidance.

So now that you have a general idea of nshima in Zambia, I'm gonna talk about nshima in Luapula, aka cassava capitol. Like I've said, in my area (bumfuck, middle of nowhere) we ONLY get home-made maize or cassava meal, usually mixed or straight cassava. Our nshima is not separated into neat little personal lumps that your transfer onto your plate, but rather it comes in a giant (I'm talking GIANT) brown-gray heap that is set in the middle of the table. We eat communally, and with our hands.

Step One: Reach your fingers into this lump that greatly resembles jaba the hut and pull out whatever you can separate. Word of caution: the nshima is ALWAYS the last thing to be cooked and goes straight from the fire to the table. Never have I seen a Zambian's fingers get burned. Me? Third degrees. Every time.

Step Two: Roll steaming hunk of gray matter into smaller bite sized balls.

Step Three: Consume.

Volunteers eat nshima to varying degrees, anywhere from never to every day, depending on how much they eat with their families (to my knowledge, no volunteer prepares nshima for themselves- feel free to prove me wrong). Me personally? I eat nshima every day except Sundays, one because i like it, two because I have NO time to cook for myself, three because even if i did have time to cook I probably wouldnt do it because im lazy (see future post on the tediousness of doing basically anything chore-related in Zambia). I dont eat on Sundays because my family goes to church until 15:00 (3 pm) and i get hungry before then and I actually have time to fire up my brazier and cook a decent meal. Anywho, Monday through Thursday I eat one meal a day, lunch, and believe you me, that is enough. My family usually brings it to me in my hut (since I'm usually at school when they eat) at around 12:30/13:00. I have tea for breakfast and dinner, maybe a small snack in the evenings, but usually not.

My host sister in Chongwe cooking nshima for lunch.Like I've said before, volunteers lay on a huge spectrum regarding nshima with some who absolutely love it to those who hate it. For me it depends on what kind. I hate breakfast meal nshima. Will not eat it. But I LOVE straight cassava nshima. Mixed cassava/maize meal and home-grown maize meal is pretty good too. I know lots of volunteers dont like the cassava variety and I can understand why. It has a different taste, a different texture and, if you have a weaker digestive system, wreaks havoc on your stomach. The taste, I can't describe (sorry, guess you just have to visit!) at all- its nothing like I've ever tasted. The texture is kind of like mochi, but about a hundred times denser. Just as sticky. Maize meal is more granular, kind of like if you kept cooking cream of wheat until you could mold it into balls. And yeah, for some volunteers, cassava kills your digestive system. It is heavy. I dont think I could eat more than one meal a day even if it wanted to. Fortunately though, it just makes me full- no indigestion, diarrhea, stomach cramps, etc.

Zambian meal.So that is my attempt at trying to convey the importance, the prevalence, the entire platform on which Zambian cuisine stands on. Like nearly everything, everyone has a different opinion it- whether it be negative or positive. It is, however, an undeniable pillar in Zam-eats. Honestly, you couldn't come to Zambia and not try nshima. I mean, you could, but that would be like going to Italy and not trying pasta or pizza; its just a fallacy.

Hey friends, family and internet strangers! I'm at the house for a couple days for a co-teaching workshop I have to go to with one of my counterparts. Since I'm just finishing up my 5th month at site and my 8th month in country, I figure I should talk about what I've actually been doing here in Zambia. So for the first 3 moths at site I was in community entry not doing anything (Peace Corps rules, not mine) and I spent most of August in Lusaka for IST, so this month has basically been the first month I've actually started working-working. Here's a couple of projects me and my counterparts have started:

TEFL Classes

One of the first things I started early in September was English lessons with the Masanta community's (about 15K away) Women's Group. We have classes for an hour on Wednesday afternoons and an hour and a half on Friday mornings and I'm co-teaching it with the school's grade 8 and 9 math and science teacher. The highest education level of the women in this class is grade 7, and many are illiterate.

Co-Teaching Grade 7 English

Of the major goals in our program is to co-teach in a government basic school (GRZ), so for the past couple weeks I've been teaching grade 7s at Mwewa Basic. We're allowed to choose what grade (grade 5 and over is recommended since they're theoretically supposed to speak fluent english in these classes), subject, teacher we teach with and which days we teach. Since my class is over 80 kids, my co-teacher and I split the class in half and I took the faster learners who have a better grasp on english. I teach Monday-Thursday morning every week.

Adult Literacy

Another counterpart and I (the one who I brought with me to Lusaka to attend a workshop on Project Design and Management) began adult literacy lessons in Mwewa. We've only had a couple of lessons thus far but the community response has been insane. Right now we have about 80 adults registered and I think we're gonna cap registration at 100 so the classes dont get overwhelming. Since the levels are so different, we split the classes into spread out we split the class into literate and pre-literate groups. I'm working with the former group and, though I took the first couple classes myself, when I get back to site another teacher will be joining us as well.

Hammermill Project

Okay so in Zambia, the staple food is nshima. If you live in Hawaii, nshima is equivalent to rice-they eat it with absolutely EVERYTHING. There is a saying that if you don't eat nshima, you havent eaten. The preparation of this depends on the region that you live in (e.g. here in Luapula they're very big on eating tute or cassava nshima while in northern and northwest I've heard that millet is sometimes used), it is usually made with mealy meal, which is ground up maize (kind of like corn). The villagers have hectares of maize that they farm, but in order to get maize meal they have to take it to a hammermill, which is basically a big machine that grinds up the dried maize (or cassava or millet) for them. So for the women who live in Masanta (because all of this is the woman's job), the closest hammermill is 10K away. That means they have to walk this distance and back with a whole bag of corn on their heads at least once a week. In addition, the proceeds they earn from the hammermeal would go to funding education for orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs, usually children whos parents have died of AIDS). Im helping them write a grant proposal to get the money to build the structure and purchase the hammermill.

Tutoring Group

One day after class, a group of girls (mostly made up of the lower groups that I do not work with) came up to me and asked if they could possibly come over to my house for some extra school help. Since then they come over almost every other day for help with english and science. Then they sweep my yard :]

Aaaaand that's pretty much what I've been doing. There's a couple projects that may come up in the future (i.e. once my counterpart and I have been doing adult lit for a couple of terms we're gonna construct a community library-save your old books people!) but thus far, this is what's consuming most of my time. Its so nice to be a "real" volunteer, finally. We're not the newest intake in country and soon, we're not even gonna be the newest volunteers.

We're supposed to be in hot season now but the weather's been really weird lately. I mean, some days are ridiculously hot while others are freezing. And it rained today, which is unheard of at this time of year.

OH, and fun fact? I got 2 shelves made! I'm no longer living out of Zam-bags! AND my counterpart dropped off my work to another carpenter so theoretically my two tables and bookshelf will be done by the time i get back. Theoretically. This being Zambia, who knows. But that's what's been going on with me. MAD PROPS to Jenna and Tara for sending me packages! My kids will love the art supplies and thanks for the stew mix and pots. And im in all kinds of love with the Alice in Wonderland postcard book. And thank you Tara for all the goodies, mango scrub and dress! I already put the artichoke pesto to very good use :]

So I'm doing good and should be back in about a month for HIV/AIDS training workshop. Feel free to give me a shoutout. I have perfect reception at site but no internet. Love you all and keep up the love!

So IST (In Service Training in Peace Corps speak- the 2 week long training in Lusaka after community entry ) and my mini-vacay with my favorite people is over and I'm chilling at the house waiting for the next phase of my service to begin.

It's funny, I've begun to think of my service in parts-parts determined by when and where I can and cannot do this or that. And they all seem to be segregated into three month increments (which is also heavily influenced by the fact that im an education volunteer and we work in 3-month terms). For example:

PST-First 3 months in country

You can't really do anything. You attend endless admin sessions and language lessons and culture sensitization courses: Peace Corps bombards you with everything it has and hopes to some god that something sticks. I'm pretty sure this is the longest three months of your little PC life.

Community Entry-First 3 months at site

You can do some things, kind of. You're basically supposed to stay within your district and watch. After training, it seems like a huge amount of freedom and you're so jacked about learning everything there is to know about your new site you don't really want to leave anyhow. I did get a little stir-crazy by the end though. Perfect timing, Lusaka.

So now I'm into the phase of "real" volunteer. I can work when I want, I can leave my district when I want (and not get in as much trouble if caught awol), I can go to the house whenever I feel like it (case in point: right now...). Its nice. I'm glad that I can finally really get started on some of the bigger projects that I've been discussing with my communities-more on this to come when things get figured out. But now, here I am, on the cusp of (hopefully) big things, trying to get my head back into village mentality.

Being a volunteer is a whole lot more psychological than I thought. Its probably the toughest part for me, personally. It was easy to regulate in the states, there was so much to distract yourself from your emotions: internet, tv, myriad of instantaneous things to do. Here, especially in the village, its you and your emotions-chapwa. I wake up with loneliness every day and it kisses me good morning on the forehead. You have to have your shit together, yo to live this life.

On that note, its easy to find happiness in small things. Some of my favorite afternoons here have been spent shelling ground nuts or shucking maize with the women and stumbling through bemba stories with my sister. Not to mention that no matter what the day was like before, every morning I wake up at dawn when everything is fresh and new, I know that everything will be okay because, well, im here.

Hey friends, I know its been a while since I last wrote and many have been questioning whether or not I had died from some random African disease (I haven't) or gone off the map mentally (status still undetermined).

Right now I'm in the provincial capitol (Mansa) for the provincial meeting, but for the past couple months I've been 100+ km from civilization -and, consequently, internet- spending copious amounts of time alone in my village. and LOVING it. Okay so my first couple weeks were a little rough (killed my phone -twice-) but once I got my shit figured out, things have been going well. Not to say that it hasnt been hard...some days I've spent the entirety of the light hours sitting on my porch and staring into the African bush that is my front, back and side yards but for every hard moment, there is always an equally amazing one. I've done so much and gone through so much damn change in my life that I can't possibly talk about all of it, but Ill try to do the generals. I'll start with the negs.

So the hardest part thus far in my 5 (holy shit) months of being in country? I am alone. You can tell yourself that you'll be alone, you can try to mentally prepare, to think of all the ways that you'll cope, but to tell you the truth, you can't. There is now way to tell how you'll feel or what you'll need until you are sitting by yourself in the middle of your village. Most days its easy to deal with but some, jesus you just have to curl up with a bottle of peanut butter and some vodka.

But like I said, for every negative, there are much more positives. Whether it be in the schools, with the kids or just biking through this amazing place that I now call home. My favorite time of the day is the morning. I get up ungodly early (5:45 ish) so each day I get to watch the sunrise come up over the trees and the mist in the valley and dambo is ridiculously gorgeous. And then there's the lake. About 2-3 times a month my closest neighbor and I bike to our BOMA (Samfya, which is the biggest town in our district) which is a little over 60 km away and camp on the beach. The lake is huge so it basically looks like an ocean. It's called Bangweulu which means "when the ocean meets the sky." At about 16-17:00 ish the wind dies and the lake gets as smooth as glass and honestly you cant see where the water ends and the sky begins. I cant even tell how amazing it is.

Well now that I've gone on about how amazing Zambia is I guess I should tell you about what I'm doing. For these first three months (called community entry in Peace Corps world) I cant do work but I'm supposed to be getting to know the community, checking out my GRZs (government funded schools with grades 1-9) and community schools (schools funded by the villages, usually a little farther out), watching lessons and whatever else that helps you get to know the community and vice versa. Thus far I've gone to all 5 of my GRZs and my 3 community schools, met the senior chief in my area and a bunch of headmen, sat in on more lessons than I can count, and gave myself diarrhea about 3 times, which is pretty good considering how much I've been cooking. Which I do on a brazier, that I can light with great success, by the way.

So yeah, that's my life. I really want to upload pictures, but the internet at the house is really slow, so once I find good internet I'll get them up. I'll probably have internet again in a couple of weeks so I'll give y'all an update then. Lots of love to you all and hope to hear from you sometime soon :)

Hey all!

Right now I am writing to you as an official PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEER! Thursday we had our swear-in ceremony at the US ambassador’s house where we took the oath (of volunteerism?) that changed us from trainees into full-fledged, honest to god volunteers. But lots else has happened since I last wrote: I went on second site visit (SSV) where I spent almost two weeks up in Luapula, 5 of which were alone in my village, we had our LPI (language placement interviews- final language tests that determine whether or not we get to swear in; I passed), I did the speech in Bemba representing my village at cultural day, and, oh yeah, my province is burning down. Or, burned down, actually. Which is why we (the 6 of us who are going to Luapula) were stuck for a couple of extra days in Lusaka. So here’s the gist of it: I guess last week there was a bunch of random killings that were rumored to be for ritual ceremonies in Mansa (the provincial capitol where our provincial house is), so there were giant riots where a bunch of people got killed and half of the shops and a gas station got burned down. Here's some news stories about it:

Two Die in Mansa Riots

Cops Nab Over 220 Mansa Riots

Since we needed to do our shopping for post and there isn’t really a Mansa left to shop in we were stuck in Lusaka for two extra days (during Easter Weekend, mind you) where everything is about twice as expensive. Also the city was on lockdown, so we couldn’t have gone in even if we wanted to. In PCV world, that means that when everyone else left on Friday for their provinces, we left today (Sunday). Good news (kind of?) is that since they don’t want us staying in Mansa, we’re getting posted tomorrow instead of Wednesday. Other good news: I got to eat a REAL breakfast and INDIAN FOOD. Like real-life eggs benedict with toast and tea kind of breakfast and a 30 pin (roughly $6) all you can eat vegetarian Indian meal. SO GOOD. Anywho, right now I’m sitting in our provincial house in Mansa with an incredibly sore back from our 10 hour cruiser ride attempting to upload pictures to Facebook. I’m kind of bummed that I don’t get to stay at the house longer (read: use the internet) but it sounds like we’ll be the first group posted, which is good…I guess. The past couple of days have been a kind of limbo. Saying goodbye to close friends, being stuck in Lusaka then the cruiser ride from hell and finding out that we’re being posted TOMORROW. It’s been a little nuts. I am happy though that I FINALLY get to move into my new home! I just didn’t expect it to be so soon. Anyway, starting tomorrow I will be in community entry, where I cannot leave my district for 3 months. I’ll try to keep you all posted on what’s happening in my life, but I’m not exactly sure how much access I’ll have. Miss you all and keep sending the love! Also, my address changed. My new contact info is:

Ambrosia Kaui, PCVP.O. Box 710150Mansa, ZambiaAFRICA

And if you really love me my number is: 260976700222

Also I updated my wish list so send away. I love letters too.

The title means "my family in Zambia" in Bemba.

So for the months I'm in training in Chalimbana I am living with a host family in Chishiko Village. My compound consists of 5 buildings: my bamaayo (mom) and bataata (dad)'s house, my sisters hut, the kitchen hut, my hut and the insaka (kind of like a gazebo where Zambians receive guests). One of the Bemba language teachers uses my family's insaka for his language class. I go to the headman's insaka which is about a 5 minute walk away and is much more awesome. But anyway, back to my family. Zambians are really into big and extended families. It took me about 2 weeks to finally get the family order right. There are (at this present moment) 3 sisters and one brother living on the compound in addition to me, my mom and my dad. Two of the sisters (who are daugters of the sister of my mom) that were there when I first arrived have disappeared to Lusaka and have yet to return. The oldest that is still living on the compound is a daughter of another of my mom's sisters. My mother has 5 (I think) children herself, the two other girls that are living with me, one that I've never met and am kind of unsure actually exists, one boy that randomly showed up and then disappeared again, and the youngest boy that lives with us. In addition to that family that's here all the time random people come in and out constantly. I'm never sure if someone will be staying for a few days or if they're just a short term visitor.

Thus far my family has been amazing. I eat lunch and dinner with them nearly every day. The food is friggen PHENOMENAL (more on that in another post). Chishiko Village is the best. It's the closest to the center so my bike ride is only about 3 k, max. Some people live as far as Chongwe, which is the bigger town, on the Great East Road but 5-7k away from the training center. Kind of a bitch to bike daily.

We have our meals outside on a reed mat (ubutanda) and lately we've been having late dinneres under the stars by the light of my solar lantern (thanks Peace Corps). The sky here is indescribable. The sunsets and sunrises (yes, I am up for the majority of them) are gorgeous. There have been so many moments when I'm sitting under the setting sun and just cant believe that this is my life. I guess that's what no electricity does to you. The moon is sutpidly bright sometimes, nearly enough that I can read by it. A couple weeks ago the full moon rose orange-red out of the cornfield horizon and it was haunting.

The lack of electricity does have its disadvantages though. Navigating your way through the cornfield to a dark pit latrine in the middle of the night is NOT the funnest thing to do. At least mine doesnt have roaches or spiders, unlike the one at first site visit (I peed in the bushes most of the time). No matter how hard I try not to think about it, scenes of 'Signs' and 'Children of the Corn' always pop into my head. Poking around in the cornfield (maize field, whatever) at night is not fun.

The weather has been pretty amazing as well. Its supposed to be rainy season but it's only really dumped a couple of times since we've been here. We had one huge thunderstorm at night when I was in my hut. It was pretty incredible (as in terrifying). You can see the rain moving in huge dark masses over the landscape. At night the lightening shows in the distance light up the entire sky. Better than TV I think. A couple of nights a few of us stayed at the bar way to late (18 hours maybe?) and an incoming storm made it get dark early and fast. Biking home in the dark with thunder and lightening was definitely not one of my brightest moments. Note to self: always carry headlamp.

Language has been going surprisingly well. We have had 2 language simuations thus far and I'm pretty happy with my scores. Also, the most exciting news of my life has been announced: SITES!!!

As many of you know I will be living in Mwewa Village in the Samfya district of Luapula province. Definitely was the province I wanted and from what I've heard, my site sounds amazing. We are heading out to second site visit tomorrow and I will be living on my own (dear jesus) for 5 days then re-convening with a small language group to stay with a PCV for 3 additional ones. I'm staying with this guy named John who's a RAPer (Rural Aquaculture Project-fisheries and stuff) and suggested bringing "copious amounts of booze" (which we did) for a bush party. Oh, and I heard we're camping next to a lake for a night? I'll take plenty of pictures and get them up as soon as I can.

Life has been AMAZING. Busy, but so much more than I could have asked for. Love all of you and thanks for all your support! I'll write more when I can and get pictures up ASAP.

Muli shani! Welcome to my first post from Zambia! Okay, so I've been in the country for about 3 weeks, but I'm kind of limited in the interwebs department. Anywho, since staging began in PA life has been hectic.

Highlights:

1. Due to a huge snowstorm we got a phone call in the middle of one of our training sessions and were told that we had an hour and a half to pack and get on a bus to NY (our original bus was supposed to leave 8 hours later at 2 am)

2. Our flight to South Africa was delayed and we had to wait about 5 hours at JFK causing us to miss our connecting flight to Zambia

3. We got a new flight to Zambia but still had to wait about 6 hours in the airport

4. At about 9 pm and after 30 something hours of travel we touched down in Lusaka

Since then we've been shuttle around through the bush, pooped in holes, ate strange things, been given surprise shots (I've had at LEAST 11 thus far), and have basically begun to adapt to rural Zambian life. Right now I'm staying in Chalimbana for my 3 months of training. Im living in Chishiko Village with a host family in the middle of a corn field. I have my own one room, mud hut with a thatched roof. It's kind of awesome. Im one of only a few people that have raised beds (most people sleep on mattresses on reed mats on the floor) but the stand doesnt fit so the mattress is too long/skinny for it. Also, I'm one of the few people with a shelf. Spoiled, I know. I have a small tub thing that I use to take bucket baths, wash my face in the morning and -ahem- pee in at night (I only did that once and I put a bunch of water and body wash in it to make it smell less). My bamaayo (host mother) heats up all of my wash water. I can't even say how great it is to take a warm bucket bath and watch the sun set and the stars slowly come out. Again, spoiled, I know.

Also, I have my own ulusasa (bathing shelter) and icimbusu (pit latrine) that's slightly hidden in the maize field. The hole-as-a-bathroom really isnt that hard to get used to. It's not the most glamorous but much easier than I thought it would be. And mine doesnt even smell that bad. You just have to make sure everything gets in the hole and not, say, on your foot.

Sleeping in the hut does take a little getting used to though. Every night I can hear things fall onto the plastic covering above my head and small animals scurrying in the thatch. Thank god for mosquito nets.

Speaking of mosquitoes, I've had some pretty bizarre dreams that I'm pretty sure were mefloquine (our weekly malaria prophylaxis) induced. Not even going to go into those. In addition, the mefloquine has given me some pretty mean insomnia. I wake up at about 3 am every night and don't fall back asleep for a couple of hours. Bemba study time I guess. BTWs, Bemba is the language I'm learning. That means I'll be in either Luapula, Northern or Central Province (some people already know their provinces, lucky assholes)...I'm gunning for either Luapula or Northern.

The only complaint I have is about the roosters. They start crowing at about, oh, midnight and continue pretty much every hour on the hour. They're even in my dreams as people with rooster heads (mefloquine handy work). I'm honestly tempted to just decapitate them. Chicken for dinner and no crowing. Win win.

We got our mountain bikes the second day we were in Chalimbana. After being shuttled around in land cruisers it's nice to be independently noble again. Thus far I've mostly been riding to and from the training center and our tech school (about 10 minutes) but last Sunday we rode to Chongwe (the nearest bigger town about 35-45 minutes away) to get some chitenge (bright pieces of fabric that they uses for skirts and a million other things) and cell phone minutes.

Well, thus far that's how my life has been going. I'll update more on my family, language/tech training, intake and whatever else later. Much love to everyone in the states! Kafikenipo mukwai!

I am leaving the United States today and I will not be back for almost 2 and a half years. This life that I know and the person that I am will not be the same when I return.

Those statements have been running through my head constantly. This jumble of emotions is impossible to describe to someone who hasn't gone through it themselves. I'm excited, I'm anxious, I'm nervous, I'm ecstatic, I'm afraid. But despite all of these emotions and uncertainty, the one thing I'm absolutely sure of is that I am ready. I am ready for whatever I need to be ready for. I know there will be things that I need to overcome in the future. There will be debilitating nights when all I want to do is jump on the next plane to the states. There will be failures whether it be in the projects that I plan or the flaws in my character. I will have to haul my own water, make my own fires, bike endless kilometers and do basically everything by hand. Life is going to be hard. And I know that. But for every failure, disappointment and lonesome day, there will be accomplishment, success and companionship. I'm leaving behind my friends and family, but I'm gaining a whole new support system with both my Guinea and Zambia groups. I'm leaving my own home to find another one on the other side of the world.

Honestly, the magnitude of my decision really hasnt hit me yet. Yes, I know that I am leaving, but it doesnt feel like I'm leaving for Africa and it certainly doesnt feel like I will be gone for 2 years. I can't even comprehend 2 years. Its weird, I've waited for this for over a year, and now, the day I'm leaving, it feels like I havent had enough time. Up until this week I've been painstakingly counting the days until I left but now, it feel like I need a few more to absorb the little details of home. I know that once I meet everyone and begin orientation it'll be a whirlwind of excitement but right now, while I'm still here, I'm missing home just a little.

Wow guys, sorry for the melancholy post. I promise next one will be much less reflect-upon-my-life and much more HOLY-SHIT-IM-IN-AFRICA. Next time you hear from me, I'll be in Zambia :)

To those closest to me, and you know who you are, thank you. Thank you for everything. If it weren't for you and your support, I would never be able to do what I am doing. All of it, its because of you and I know that in the coming months I'll be relying on you more than I ever have while in the states. Thank you for what you've done, what you are doing and what I know you will do for me in the future. No words can express what you all mean to me.

Since this picture was taken I've managed to exchange a carry-on and make everything smaller somehow.

See you all on the other side. This time for AFRICA.

From the moment you all heard that I wasn't going to have electricity, I'm sure your first thought was, "But how am I going to keep in contact with my [insert significant role I've played in your life]?!?" Well, the incredibly rustic answer is: mail. Paper mail. At least until I get settled enough to get a cell phone then figure out a way to get the number of said cell phone to you. My address is:

Ambrosia Kaui, PCT

Peace Corps

P.O. Box 50707

Lusaka, Zambia

AFRICA

Send me letters, pictures and surprises! Send me YOU after my first 3 months of training and community integration period! But really, from what I've read on countless volunteer blogs, letters and packages from family and friends play an integral role of keeping a volunteer's morale up. Don't let me be the girl who feels unloved because she gets nothing at mail time, people! Also, keep in mind that mail takes an average of 2-5 weeks to get to me. Sometimes it may take way less or way more time, or it may not even show up at all.

Here's a couple of tips to ensure that whatever mail you send graces my hut, and not the hut of some random African family:

-Write "Par Avion" or "Air Mail" on the front to ensure that it goes by air

-Number all of your correspondence so I will know if anything does not arrive. In addition, photo copy your letters so you still have a copy in the event that one of them does get lost.

-Write "God Bless," "God is Watching" or a few choice bible verses on your letters to discourage thieves-If you have anything important to send me, stick it in the middle of a tampon box and close it back up to seem as if it hadn't been opened-If you do need to send a package, your best bet would probably be the flat rate boxes from USPS. You can check the USPS website for pricing, I think the small one runs around $30. Letters are $0.98.-When you fill out the shipping form for packages, DO NOT write down what is in the package. Down play everything. Say the contents are something boring like school supplies or bibles and make sure the boxes themselves are taped up well.

All of this information is on the "Contacting Me" page on the left. Also, my address will change on April 21st, which is swear-in, so I'll keep you all updated on my new address (you'll also be changing my title to PCV, to stand for volunteer instead of trainee). Eventually I'll put up a wish list of things that I like so you will have a better idea of what to send if you choose to go the package route but honestly, I will love and cherish anything you send me.

6 days to Stage!

Now that we're into the final weeks before leaving I've begun thinking in terms of "lasts." My last this and my last that, kind of like when you're a senior in college and super aware of the fact that it's your last first day of the semester and all that good stuff. Anywho, the first of my lasts came today when I went to my favorite Asian nail salon and got a mani/pedi for a wedding I have to go to on Saturday. No more perfectly lacquered OPI nails. In addition my dad leaves on a business trip on Saturday and won't be back until after I'm gone, so in 3 days I'll have to say my second big goodbye (my first one was Matt...that sucked). Though I won't be able to spend time with my dad for a whole week, I am kind of relieved that I don't have to say goodbye to my mom and dad at the same time. But on the other hand, the last time I spent this much time at home was when I was in the 6th grade. Yeah, seriously. Not that I'm not going to miss my family, but I'm kind of dying here.

On the packing front, all of my stuff is still in neat little organized piles, right next to my suitcases. I'm hoping they'll just jump right in and situate themselves so they're under 80 lbs. Though I've made no progress on actually putting things in the suitcases, I did stock up on some of the toiletries that I've been using due to my cancelled Guinea program. So, yes, I literally have everything I need to go, they're just not where they're supposed to be. But I still have a week and a half so I'm not stressing too much. I also added a machete to my packing list (I know, sounds badass right?). We have a bunch lying around the house so I figured why not? I'm not exactly sure what I'll need it for, but it seems like one of those things that it doesnt hurt to have while in the African bush.

Hopefully I'll have something more interesting to write about in the next couple of days besides how I still havent started packing yet.

10 days till stage!

So I cut my hair (get the reference? GET IT?!?).

BeforeAfter, 12" ShorterI had intended on cutting my hair before I left for Zambia, but I was lucky enough that my hair was long enough to donate to Locks of Love! This is the second time I donated to LOL, the first time being when I cut my hair short right before I went to college (trending much?). Cutting my hair really isn't a big deal to me though. I don't put product in it, I brush it once a day after I come out of the shower and my idea of maintenance is conditioner. At least I'm getting an early start for Africa?

Speaking of Africa, 20 days and counting! Right now I'm scotch guarding all of my fabrics, dying all of my white tank tops a darker color, and getting all of my financial affairs in order (STILL need to go to the notary for the Power of Attorney). I finally decided what luggage I'm bringing with me: a medium sized duffel bag and a rolling suitcase. Combined they're about 5" under the limit and small enough that even though I'm REALLY good at packing, I'm guaranteed not to go overweight. I'm going to carry on a backpack and a small duffel which I'll probably pack all my things for stage in. WOOT.

We got an email from our APCD (Associate Peace Corps Director) saying that we'll be getting calls from the PC Zambia staff this week, between 3:30 pm-9 pm Zambia time, to get better acquainted and what not. I'm 12 hours behind them. They said that they'd be calling the west coast toward the later end of the day, so here's hoping that I will be awake and coherent for this incredibly important phone call.

Until I have more interesting and remarkable things to tell you...20 days till stage!

I finally got my staging e-mail today! Here's my travel info/staging schedule. It's finally starting to become real again.

Flight to Staging

Saturday, January 29th

American Airlines Flight #286

Lihue, Kauai to Los Angeles, California (flight time 5 hours 30 minutes)

Depart Lihue at 10:00 pm

Arrive in Los Angeles at 5:30 am on Sunday

Sunday, January 30th

US Airways Flight #710

Los Angeles, California to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (flight time 5 hours 5 minutes)

Depart Los Angeles at 8:45 am

Arrive in Philadelphia at 4:50 pm

**extra night stay in hotel provided by Peace Corps**

Staging

Monday, January 31st

6:00 pm- Official Registration as a Peace Corps Trainee

Tueaday, February 1st

7:00 am- Registration

7:30 am- Depart for Medical Clinic

8:00-10:00 am- Clinic Appointment to Receive Immunizations/Vaccines

1:00-3:45 pm- Ice Breaker, Who We Are and What's Expected of You

3:45-4:00 pm- Break

4:00-6:30 pm- What You Expect, What's Next and Closing

Flight to Africa

Wednesday, February 2nd

2:00 am- Check out of Hotel

2:30 am- Bus Arrives for Loading and Departure to New York JFK Airport

10:40 am- Flight Departs for Zambia

United Airlines Flight #9816

New York, New York to Johannesburg, South Africa (flight time 15 hours)

Depart New York at 10:40 am

Arrive in Johannesburg at 8:40 am on Thursday

Thursday, February 3rd

South African Airlines Flight #62

Johannesburg, South Africa to Lusaka, Zambia (flight time 2 hours)

Depart Johannesburg at 10:30 am

Arrive in Lusaka at 12:30 pm

So now that another reason my family is verifiably insane Christmas has gone by and I'm another year older, I'm beginning to decompress from the holiday madness and look forward to the New Year and STAGE!

Christmas this year was interesting, not only because the fam began drinking the spiked eggnog around 10 am, but because of all the different gifts that I got. Example: in Christmases past I got fancy cocktail dresses for various fraternal events and banquets, shiny/strappy/classy or a combination thereof heels, iPods, digital cameras, pearls, the like. This Christmas I got a tent, a sleeping bag, hiking shoes, saddle bags and bungee chords. Oh, how my life has changed. And just because I find it all so new and novel, I'm going to share!

Yes I haven't had a pedi in about 3 weeks and my legs are spiky. Don't judge me. And my feet aren't that fat. I promise.My Chacos! I was kind of iffy about investing in a pair since I NEVER wear shoes (sandals?) like these and wasn't sure where I would ever wear them again. I was pleasantly surprised that they weren't horrendously ugly and that they actually had a bunch of different designs I could choose from. Eventually I narrowed it down to two different colors in this style but ultimately decided on this one since it would probably compliment the dirt best. Since I got them in the mail they've kind of grown on me. Also, Chacos loves PCVs so I got them for 50% off. Score.

Columbia Hiking Boots: first pair of hiking boots I've ever owned.Not that I've never been hiking, I've just always used my running shoes and didn't really feel like getting anything else. I actually got these for a pretty good price, they're not crazy ugly (this seems to be a recurring theme in rationalizing my purchases) and they're very comfortable.

2 person tent and 25 degree sleeping bag by Coleman and my saddlebags/bike pouch. There's also a bunch of rechargable batteries stuffed in the bag. This is the bulk of my Christmas presents. I actually bought the tent and saddlebags myself from Amazon with my grandma's Christmas stipend (she gives us a limit of what we can use and we usually shop for our own gifts) and found the sleeping bag in my truck (after my mom told me to go look there for my brother's Christmas gift -which is still lost, BTW- forgetting that MY gift was hidden there) so I ended wrapping the majority of my own Christmas presents. My family is like that.

My Solio! Thanks to the boyfriend (who also got me a $200 gift certificate to a spa for Christmas). He's the BEST.I will not be music-less! Seriously looking forward to having some crazy dance parties with the village and introducing them to some epic John Williams compositions.

Gratuitous shot of all my Peace Corps paraphernalia that is slowly taking over my closet.

As of right now, the only things I need to get are some bath products since I've been using them due to my postponed departure date. You've heard correctly: I'm officially done with Peace Corps shopping! I still need to do a few administrative things (register for absentee voting, transfer power of attorney, send my degree to the country desk, etc.) but it's a huge relief to know that the bulk of my preparations are done. Slowly but surely, life in Zambia is becoming a reality!

After weeks of researching my to-be home I figured I'd put together some of info about Zambia so you all can get to know how I'll be living for the next 27 months come January 31st.

-Landlocked country in southern Africa with a population of about 13 million, mostly concentrated in the capitol city Lusaka and the copper belt region

-Land area is slightly larger than the state of Texas

-Surrounded by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and Angola

-Tropical climate with three main "seasons": the rainy season, the cool dry season, and the hot dry season

-The official language is English (which I'm a little disappointed about, but that means I can concentrate solely on learning one language), but the amount of local languages is estimated to be anywhere from 72-85. Some of the main ones are: Nyanja, Bemba, Chikunda, Kaonde, Cokwe, Tonga, Lundwe and Luvale. According to PCV blogs, sounds like I will actually get to pick which language I want to learn, which dictates which region I will be sent to.

-There are two levels of education, basic education (years 1-9) and upper secondary education (years 10-12). Most schools provide basic education, as 9 years is considered to be sufficient schooling, but many children drop out after year 7 since tuition is only free up to that year.

-HIV prevalence is over 10% for the country

-Infant mortality rate: 68.4/1000, total fertility rate: 6.07 children/woman, life expectancy: 52.03 years

-Major infectious diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, Hepatitis A, typhoid fever, malaria, plague, schistosomiasis, and rabies. Degree of risk is very high.

In addition, the PC Zambia program seems to be pretty damn tough. I will be living in a thatched roof mud hut with no running water or electricity. I will have to light my own fire to cook over every morning and night (or whenever I'm hungry). I will be biking anywhere from 40-60 km (25-37 miles) DAILY and the PC has highly suggested working out before getting to the country. Here's a direct quote from the Assignment Description:

"If you have doubts as to whether you are ready to undertake the cultural adjustments and demanding nature of such an assignment for two years, then do not accept."

This is SO what I signed up for.

Not to mention that it has lions, hippos, crocodiles, zebras, wildebeest, giraffes, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, and every other animal that you associate with Africa (and numerous safaris to go see them on). That's right, I'm gonna be living in the Lion King. Oh yeah, and Victoria freakin Falls!

Also, did I mention that it is gorgeous?

My formal invitation packet came in the mail yesterday. It's kind of weird, going through all of it again. Its like I already did this once and all the enthusiasm that came with the first invitation is half way dulled because A) I already knew which country I'd be going to (which is a VERY good thing seeing as how if I would have had to wait AGAIN to discover my assignment I would have clawed my eyes out) and B) I'd done it all before.

Not that I am at ALL ungrateful...I'm CRAZY excited to be going to Zambia and have been researching it like its going to disappear if I don't, but for everything I learn about Zambia, something about Guinea is still in the back of my brain. Every time I think about leaving at the end of January, a little voice in the back of my head says, "If Guinea went as planned, you'd have been there for 3 days already." Not to mention that I miss my Guinea group! They are some seriously amazing people that I probably will not have the opportunity to meet in person.

Well, c'est la vie. I'm sure once the holidays (YAY christmas, birthday and new years!) are over and the staging e-mail comes I'll be just as as excited as I was before. On to the updated resume, aspiration statement and visa application! Again.

Wow. This week has been intense, to say the least. After learning YESTERDAY that my original program to Guinea had been cancelled, I got a call from my placement officer today to discuss possible re-assignments for me. After we went over a bunch of new assignments in locations all over the world (I was THIS close to going to Central America), I'm pleased to announce that I've decided to go to Zambia in southern Africa and will be leaving on January 31st!

Instead of staying with my original nomination for Public Health Education, I will be working in Rural Education Development which is focused on assisting rural schools and teachers. This is MUCH more suited to my skill set, and definitely something I was looking at pursuing in grad school. Not to mention that I get to stay in Africa, which I DEFINITELY wanted.

I'm still sad that I won't be able to learn about the culture in Guinea and I am very sure that I will visit there sometime in my lifetime, but at the same time I am SO SO happy with my new assignment and excited to begin researching my new country.

I should be getting my formal invitation on either Saturday or Monday, so more welcome books, program descriptions and searching for RPCVs is in my future. For now though I think I'm going to go decompress and bake something...I'm still a little overwhelmed by all of these life changes.

Good bye Guinea, Zambia, here I come!

Well, my Guinea saga of postponement and an unstable government has come to an end in that yesterday I got a phone call from the Country Desk stating that my program has been cancelled. I can't say that I didn't expect it on some level; with the deaths after the election announcement and the borders closing on Saturday, it really wasn't looking too good for us volunteers.

So how did I react? Not like I expected to, honestly. Yes I was pretty sad, but not devastated. Yes I wanted to know what was going to happen next, but it wasn't irritated that I didn't know. Yes, I wish it hadn't happened, but I understand why it did. I was talking with Matt (the boyfriend), who knows that I am the QUEEN of instant gratification, last night and even he was surprised at how well I was taking all the information. So I guess I'm patient now...who knew?

Anywho, yesterday when I got the call the person at the country desk said that I should be expecting a call from placement by Friday. Today PC has been making calls (I missed mine, they called at 6:30 am and my phone was in the kitchen so I didnt hear the ringer, damn you 5 hour time difference!) and a bunch of my former training group got placed in some pretty awesome places, so I'm excited to find out when/where I'll be going next! More updates when I know my new assignment :]

Yesterday my fellow invitees and I got a phone call from Peace Corps Washington stating that our original departure date, Dec. 2nd, would be postponed until mid-January, tentatively the 13th.

Honestly, when I first found out, my heart sank. To put things into perspective, I got my official nomination for this program on December 1st, 2009. I have been looking forward to this date for literally a YEAR and being told that I would have to wait for 6 more weeks was not what I wanted to hear. After lots of "glass half full" self-motivational thoughts, I'm still a little bit bitter about it but on the whole, but a little bit relieved at the same time. Though I was fully prepared for leaving on the 1st (Nov. 30th, actually), I was a little bit reluctant about having to spend Christmas, my birthday and New Years away from family. Leaving in January would help avoid all the emotions that spending the holidays away from home (in Africa, no less) would inevitably bring up. Thank you PC for looking out for all us volunteers' personal safety, even though it may be tough to digest at first.

In addition, the postponement made my parents happy. About 100 times more so than when I told them I was going to Guinea. Go figure. Now to figure out what the hell to do for an additional month and a half.

So, as most of you know I'm going to Guinea. Heres a couple of facts about my to-be home:

-About 94,891 sq mi, which is about the size of Oregon, that is divided into 4 main regions: Bass-Cote (lowlands), Fouta Djallon (mountains), Haute Guinea (savannah), and the Forest/Jungle region-Bordered by Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Mali, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Cote d'Ivoire -Guinea is the starting point of the Gambia, Senegal and Niger Rivers, among others-Population: about 10.5 million which are separated into about 24 different ethnic groups, the most prominent being Peul, Malinke and Susu -The official language is French, but local dialects are also spoken (which I will also have to learn, based on where my site will be)-Most of the population is Muslim, but there are also some Christians as well as some traditional animists-Literacy is at about 29.5%-Guinea is one of the largest exporters of bauxite, but also has iron, uranium, diamond and gold deposits which haven't been mined due to poor government-Climate is tropical with average high of 85 and average low of 74 (but in Haute near the savannah it is said to get up to over 100), rainy season lasts from June to November

Guinea has been under authoritarian rule since it gained independence from France in 1958. In 1984 General Conte seized power militarily after the death of the first president, Toure, and was elected in 1993 in a democratic election. Conte was re-elected in 1998 and 2003, but the elections were fixed by government officials. In December 2008, following Conte's death, the military staged a coup d'etat which put General Camara in charge. Unwilling to turn power over to a democratic government, Camara's military troops opened fire on peaceful protesters in September 2009, killing over 150 people and injuring even more. Around this time, Peace Corps suspended the Guinea program, and evacuated all of its volunteers.

Right now, Guinea is in the second wave elections, which have narrowed the candidates down to Cellou Dalein Diallo (Peul) and Alpha Conde (Malinke). These elections were supposed to have taken place in September but were postponed about 3 times due to miscommunications and a biased election commission chair. About a week ago, the board replaced the former chair Louseny Camara with General Siaka Toure from Mali who (after postponing the election again, which was supposed to take place last Sunday), according to CNN, just announced TODAY that the elections will take place this coming Sunday, on Oct. 31st.

Fingers crossed.

Hey guys, this will be my blog for the 27 months that I will be in service, i.e. probably the best way to figure out if I'm dead or alive.

As most of you know, I've been invited to Guinea, West Africa, starting in December. Here's a small timeline showing how I got to this point:

-September 2009 Began Peace Corps Application

-October 2009 Finished Application, including transcripts, fingerprint forms, and reference letters

-October 18, 2009 Interview with Peace Corps Recruiter, received un-official nomination due to the fact that there were no open positions for summer departure that I was qualified for

-December 1, 2009 Officially nominated for a community development program in Francophone Sub-Sahara Africa

-Mid-December 2009 Received Medical Packet

-January 2010 Submitted Medical, Dental and Legal Documents

-February 2010 Received Dental Clearance

-Late-February 2010 Contacted by Medical Office for more tests

-March 2010 Received Medical Clearance

-July 2010 Contacted by Eligibility Specialist for more information on student loans

-Late-July 2010 Received Legal Clearance

-August 7, 2010 Contacted by Placement Officer to provide an updated resume that included language study

-August 7, 2010 Sent updated resume

-August 20, 2010 Contacted by Placement Officer about updated resume, told him that I had sent it nearly 2 weeks ago and he finds it unread in his inbox; Received verbal invitation after final assessment

-August 23, 2010 Leave for Florida, WITHOUT my invitation packet

-August 25, 2010 Official Invitation Packet for Public Health in Guinea, West Africa arrives in the mail, Matt picks it up and tells me where I will be for the next 2 years

-Immediate reaction thereafter "Okay..." Honestly I thought I was going to be going to Burkina Faso or Cameroon, mostly because when I checked the PC website it said the Guinea program was suspended...which it was.

My program will be the first new group of volunteers after the evacuation and suspension of the program following the September 2009 violence. More on that (and Guinea) later.

For now, au revoir and happy first post!