Butemwe (my Kaondo name)

Hello everyone!!!!

So going to start off with a little overview of logistics and then share some interesting thoughts/tidbits :)

Back in Lusaka right now. That's right one week later - I'm a lucky duck. This past week we had a supervisors workshop where we met the head teacher at our closest government school. Tonight we're camping out at the tech center and then tomorrow morning bright and early at 6:00 leaving for Northwest!!! Very excited. There is a mud hut waiting for me made by a village that is also waiting to meet me. Almost a homeowner :) Sunday, tomorrow, we'll drive up to Northwest and then spend the night at the Provencial house before heading out Monday morning to my village. I'll spend the week (M-F) in the village by myself getting to know everyone and the surroundings a bit. Then Saturday I'll head back to Solwezi, stay just outside the city with Sarah a RED volunteer. There our language instructor will meet up with us and we'll have some cultural and language time before heading home on Wednesday, March 30th. Then we have 2 1/2 weeks to learn some more language, tech it out a bit more, and then swear-in on April 21st and heading to Northwest for good!!!

Interesting thoughts/tidbits:
* Butemwe - this is my kaonde name - it means love. My head teacher from Lumwana East Basic School gave me my Kaonde name when I met her at the supervisors workshop. There is a CHIP (health) volunteer Audra 7 k from my hut that works teaching HIV/AIDS in their school - her name means blessing.
* I will be learning Lunda. My head teacher during the workshop informed me the family I am staying by is Lunda, the other promenent language in NW. I am near the border between Kaonde and Lunda land. So my family and the village I am living in is Lunda but the schools teach in Kaonde from grade 1-6 and then in English grade 7-9. I'm so great at language they figured I should learn two! (sarcasm if you didn't catch it Heather or Laura :) Going to learn a couple of elemental phrases from the volunteers in my intake that speak Lunda.
* It's crazy to me when I step back and think about it. Here is a country working to become a developed country while most of its citizens are at least bilingual, with it not uncommon to find tri- or quadlingual Zambians. It you're a Lunda family for example living in Lumwana East (where I'll be living) the children must learn Kaonde in order to understand information at school, their family speaks Lunda at home, and then by grade 7 they must know English in order to continue in school. Crazy to me. If I had to have been even bilingual growing up pretty sure I would have flunked out or at least not have reached the level I am at today. But at the same time I am glad the Zambians have retained their language because it is part of their culture and a large part of their identity.

More thoughts to come in a couple of weeks. Out of internet time. Love you all and keep in touch :)