I'M OFFICIALLY A PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEER!!!!!!!!!! I am up in Northwest Province after a 12 hour drive up from Lusaka. It's good to finally be in my provence for good. I've been at the Peace Corps Provincial House for Easter weekend hanging out and getting to know some of the other volunteers in Northwest. I will be posted on Thursday to my site in Lumwana East Village.
When I'm posted on Thursday I'll begin three months of community entry; which means that I will remain in my district and get to work on intergrating into my community, getting a lay of the land, and learning where I can be most effective working for the next two years. Community entry also means that I can't visit the PC house so I won't have computer access for the next 6-8 weeks until the provencial house meeting sometime in June. After that I'll be back at the house around the end of July or beginning of August. Planning for sure to be back at the house for my birthday (August 6th) because the RED 2011 intake has in-service training back in Lusaka that we have to travel down to on the 7th of August. I'll be down there for two weeks and then not really sure past that point...
So now onto some recent happenings (in no particular order)
* Acquired my alien registration card today. They had to take a picture for the card and of course I wanted to smile but was informed that it was not allowed. But the hardest thing to do is to remain straight faced when all you can think about is laughing and your friends are laughing at your sad attempts. So the Zambian immigration man took the picture right in the middle of my struggle with laughter - great picture. Made immigration a more enjoyable experience though :)
* Alright so I tried to post pictures but the internet speed isn't having it. I will try again tonight sometimes it works better at night but if there isn't a picture update my apologizes (mom and dad might talk to you about sending pictures home to you on a jumpdrive? and then you posting pictures along the way? we'll see) Til then hopefully you can see some of the pictures that everyone else from my intake have been adding.
* SWEAR-IN: Was last Thursday at the Ambassador's house. The house/grounds are quite the contrast to the life that I will be living for the next two years; but it was great to be able to sip good coffee and eat chocolate chip cookies while chatting with the other volunteers in the RED intake. Most of the volunteers got chitenge (kitenge in Kaondo) outfits made. I know I already commented on it but wore the dress my host home stay brother made for me. Hopefully I will be able to post some pictures of it sometime soon. The ceremony was about two hours long complete with the new volunteers singing a couple of Zambian songs, taking the official oath, and then taking pictures on the beautiful grounds and saying goodbye to the PC staff that we would be leaving behind in Lusaka as we all departed for our provinces.
It is quite strange to be leaving one phase of my life in Zambia behind and starting a new phase all within Peace Corps but with mostly everything else changing. No longer will I be sitting in the classroom all day: Ba Fanny teaching April and I Kaonde under the banana tree in Ba Fanny's yard, tech sessions every afternoon learning about the Zambian classroom, culture, and how to live the rural Zambian lifestyle from my host family. Now all of that has been left behind and in two days I will find myself standing in front of my hut wondering where to go from there.
I have several community entry (first 3 months at site) projects to keep me going. This includes cementing the floor of my kinzana (outdoor sitting area), putting up mealie meal bags on the inside of my thatch roof (have a large termite problem and would prefer one more layer between them and me as well as an additional noise barrier from the termites, I'm also working on my quilting/sewing skills and have started what will surely be a long process of hand sewing a chitenge quilt/duvay cover that I will then use on my bed (see how many months that one takes - cross my fingers it's done in time to actually use in Zambia before I return home in two years), also working on learning Lunda so I can communicate with some of the women in my family and the younger children, have about 30 books to keep me busy once I set up my hammock, and have a couple of cooking and other various projects. My list of projects is in addition to the goals/objectives that we're supposed to accomplish through our program during community entry but the personal projects are to give me direction when I need it the most.
I'm really excited to get to know my family in Lumwana East. There is my new Bamaama and her three sons and their families that live on the compound; in addition to a cousin and his family. All in all it seems like there should always be someone around to sit with and children about to play a game of soccer or one of the many other Zambian games that children here play with minimal resources. I need to make a family tree to get down everyone's names especially because I find most Zambian names hard to understand especially without seeing it written down. Going to have some interesting cultural and language exchanges with my family I'm sure. I'm also looking forward to getting to know the area better. I think my game plan will be to bike around on the tarmac (paved road) and also the bush paths to see what path goes where and meet more of my neighbors.
Finally getting to my village is what I have been waiting for since I first stepped off the airplane 3 months ago and I'm really excited to start this new leg of my PC experience but at the same time a bit nervous to be completely off on my own (don't worry Heather or Mom not safety nervous but moreso being on my own nervous). April and I were chatting today and realized that when we're posted in the next couple of days it will be the first time we have ever lived by ourselves. Go figures that we would pick a rural African village to start that one. Suppose it's all part of the go big or go home mentality. First time ever traveling abroad and I depart for the next two years of my life. Learn a new language for first time (really learn - enough to actually communicate something of meaning - so high school french is out) I would learn an African tribal language only spoken by 1.6% of the population of Zambia... and then continue on to need to learn a least the elementals of an additional African tribal language.
On that note ready or not site here I come.
On a completely separate note. Was able to skype with my family and one of my friends back at home while I've been at the Peace Corps house. Absolutely wonderful to be see their faces again and be able to communicate more clearly than just over the telephone. My family has taken to saying "over" "roger" or "10-4" when we're done with a sentence so that we do not cut off each other with the slight time delay. Laura decided to make up one of her own "9-10" (love you Laura). Also quite enjoying making faces and what not (eyebrow raises, etc...) while chattering on skype. So thanks for those that skyped with me and to others hopefully the next time I'm in the house (not for a bit) we'll be able to make it a date :)
So hopefully some of this blog post is coherent and hope everyone back at home is doing well and enjoying the beginning of spring :)
Over and out,
~Andrea
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