puppies and random village things

Puppies being born, friends coming to visit, meeting up with my favorite village kids and their parents. Things are going well on this end just busy with work. I am working at two schools and teaching grades 7,8,9 English. Hard to believe that I only have 9 months left in Zambia! Im not to happy about that. So much to get done and so little time. My next big projects will be a book drive (which everyone can help me by sending me books!) and writing a grant to get funding for a HIV/AIDs, Guidence and counselling workshop for te teachers in my Zone, and the planning of a World AIDS Day event. Ill keep everyone posted on these things because I will need help (and frequent pep talks) for sure. Love you all. Ill write soon I promise.

teaching and such (grade 8 comprehension lesson on HIV)

The pictures are mainly of my Grade 8 English Class at my main school Mpumba Basic. The lesson was a listening comprehension lesson covering HIV/AIDs. During the lesson we did a transmisson game to show how HIV is easily spread between partners, we did a KWL chart(know, want to know, learn) about what they already knew and wanted to know about HIV/AIDS, we read a composition about HIV and how it is transmited, I used class volunteers to show how the immune system is affected by HIV and we played a true/false game over the contents of the passage. This is how a typical lesson goes in my classes. Me running around, asking for volunteers, having them read to me and making each other laugh.

A spoonful of peanutbutter makes the Coartem go down

The Malaria finally got me! Coming to Zambia I had two expectations: 1) to live in a mud hut 2) to get malaria. It started out as the flu and I think my immune system just couldn't fight off two things at once and Malaria struck. Its weird to say but now I can relate to my village on a different level. Everyone in the village says they have a "bit" of malaria and at one point I thought I had a "bit" of the malaria myself but it was nothing compared to the main event. Now I can see how people die from it even though I was no where near that sick! It just takes a lot out of you and if you don't have the proper medical help and you don't catch it fast enough it can get bad really quickly. Puts things into perspective! Funny how a little mosquito can do so much damage!
A lot of things have been put into preservative lately. My village, my village life in particular has been hit with a series of unfortunate but eye opening events. My best friend at the school and my main co-teaching counterpart lost her husband last week suddenly. I talked to her the same morning about bringing her puppies to her and a few hours later she was a widow. While the husband was said to have died suddenly, I knew he was HIV positive. A few months ago(after a year of me being quiet and already knowing) my co-teacher FINALLY told me she was HIV positive and that she trusted me enough to tell me. It meant a lot to me for her to finally tell me. There is so much stigma around being positive that she isn't open with about her status to the teachers or the community. She told me that her husband recently found out he was positive but their 3 children were OK. She's very committed to taking her ARVs and living positively because of her 3 children, despite the fact that her viral load count is shockingly high.
The funeral was my first one here even though there seems to be one daily. Its sad to think that I wont see him anymore and its even sadder to see the fear in my teacher's eyes because now she's alone. I wish I could do something more for them but I can't. This is a reality that they face often and while I am not, they are very 'used'(use to it) as they say.
As volunteers want to be integrated into the community and live as much as we can like the locals .While its a noble idea, we're still so detached. The fact that I have a water filter to clean the water I drink sets me apart. The fact that while I had malaria I also have medical care readily available so I'm not nearly as sick as one could get makes me different. The fact that I have a bike and shoes to wear when traveling from one village to the next for projects makes me a rich person. At first I tried to explain that I wasn't rich but in reality I am. Not rich as in money but rich in things, simple things taken for granted that change lives drastically. Peace Corps has 3 main goals it tries to accomplish and 2 out of the 3 of those goals relate to cultural exchange. Its really hard to do development and skills transfer work (goal 1) when there are so many other dire needs. I cant do it all especially in 2 years and I am glad people realize that.We often times come into this thinking that in 2 years we're going to change the world and bring major change to our areas and its a hard pill to swallow when things don't go as planned. I don't want to build buildings (many PCVs do its just not my thing)or imply that the way of living is wrong and that is the common misconception with development and aid organizations. I want to give people skills, materials and confidence to change things on their own. I feel like to first step to doing that is by being connected with the village. After my malaria, the broken borehole, kids dying from diarrhea and my one of my best friends losing her husband, I feel like I get it. I feel like I know why I am here. Sure I cant change all these things in 2 yrs and 3 generations of PCVs may not be able to change things either but I do serve a purpose. I am here to listen. I am here as a link to connect people with local resources they don't know about. I am here to try. I love my village and the people in it and I am glad that(even through a series of unfortunate event) I understand more now. That also comes with being in the village for a year. My time is coming to an end, I have 8months left but there is so much I want to do. So much that needs to be done but all I can do is continue to build relationships and continue to try. That's enough and I'm finally OK with that because in a way it is changing the world. Their world.

Zam pics

A year in review

LONG Time! It’s been a while yet again since I’ve written. Since I’ve officially been in the village and in Zambia for a year, seems only right for me to do some sort of review of what has happened. But instead of spending countless hours at the computer Ill just review in a list… a top 10 of sorts.

Top 12 realizations of the year (in no particular order)

1) You can’t live in two places at once- In the beginning, I was really upset about being so disconnected from family and friends. I tried to live in America and Zambia at the same time in the sense that I tried to stay the person I was in American while living in Zambia. That didn’t work too well. As soon as I let my American life go - in the sense of accepting the fact that I’m no longer the person I was living the life I use to- I started to find my place here. I want to be a part of everyone’s life back home and I can, but I have to be HERE in order to make the most of the experience. I’m glad I learned that!

2) “Take chances, Make mistakes, get messy"- Ms. Frizzle from the Magic School Bus said it best I think! You only get one life, might as well live it up and take anything for granted. I have the rare opportunity to do some amazing things that people only dream of. Seeing one of the 7 wonders of the world, petting a lion, living in Africa, meeting the ambassador, taking showers under the stars, seeing the 2nd longest waterfall in Africa those types of things. I also live a life most would hate. Black mambas, flesh eating ants, unreliable public transport, leaky roofs and of course no electricity or indoor plumbing. But really what is life without risk. I get bored easily and I haven’t been bored yet here. This is literally a dream for me even with the occasional series of unfortunate events but that’s anywhere. So long story short....I wouldn’t trade this for anything!

3) Don’t forget to say thank you- Many times in the hustle and bustle of my former life, I rarely took the chance to stop and take in the world around me. Here, it’s completely different. This place reminds me to stop and be thankful for the little things. One morning around 6am I was awaken by my dog, chickens and the sounds of the village. I was angry that I was up at 6am and I walked out my house grumpy. I looked at the sun rising over my yard and I quickly said sorry (for being grumpy) and thank you because I was up early enough to experience the beauty of nature. We ask for a lot and forget to be grateful for the little things and what we have. I catch myself saying thank you more often now.

4) If you bring them sweeties, they will come- When I first went to the village, I took so much pride in doing all my own chores. I felt independent and it kept me busy. As my service continued and started getting busier, I realized that there were just some things I hated and really didn’t have time for. I hate fetching water! It’s not like its far or anything I just really don’t like doing it. About 5 months in, I realized that the kids in my village wanted candy and they would do ANYTHING to get said candy. So now I give them candy in exchange for jerry cans full of water!!! Its perfect and now since I’ve started my garden the kids come around everyday to get me water. Too bad they can’t write my lesson plans ;)

5) Always bring a book to a meeting- Meetings never start on time…ever. So instead of being annoyed or angry I just bring a book or something to do. I like to think I’m multi-tasking. There really is no exception to this rule.

6) The secret ingredient is cheeky chili/ sweet chili sauce- I’m no chef but I do enjoy cooking. I like trying new things and making culinary creations. But I’ve noticed that literally everything I cook has either cheeky chili (hot sauces) or sweet chili sauce. Zambians love salt and I love spice. My teachers make fun of me because I like cheeky chili so much and use to carry a bottle in my purse.

7) Just because it looks or smells good, doesn’t mean it taste good- no explanation needed especially because this is in reference to what I make. I guess that’s why Zambians don’t smell their food….its deceiving.

8) Fat is a term of endearment- In the Zambian Culture, it’s a good thing to be called fat because it means you have enough food to eat and you are healthy. In American culture, it’s obviously a bit different. Even after a yr I cringe a little when I’m sitting in the village with the women and they can’t stop talking about how fat I am, especially after I’ve just come from Lusaka and Kasama where I’ve eaten my weight in cheese and they can tell. I’ve started telling people that it’s an insult in my country to tell someone they are fat. So now they say I’m just a “bit” fat.

9) “If soya pieces were in America, this is what America would taste like”- This is what one of my PCV friends said after we had Mexican night at my house and I used soya pieces. Soya is the new chicken! Soya pieces are basically tofu/soya bean chucks. You can cook them like chicken and add them to anything. I eat them at least 3 times a week. You can put them in pasta, curry, tortillas, or even eat them straight out of the bag (I haven’t gotten that desperate yet). To top it all off, they are a great source of protein! I’m bringing some back to the states.

10) After a long day, nothing hits the spot like a bucket bath- Bucket baths are so nice for some reason. I rather bucket bath then take a shower, especially when you can take a bath under the starts.

11) Hitch Hiking is an art…and a sport- People are so nice here and are willing to help you anyway they can, for me that normally means driving me somewhere. I’ve met a lot of interesting people getting a “lift” and it’s not as dangerous as it sounds. I get the seat with a seat belt 8 times out of 10 and the drivers are super nice. I even get free rides sometimes. Transport is the biggest problem in this country and since I live 10 hours away for Lusaka (Nations capital) and 6 hrs from my provincial house, I do what I can to get where I need to be. Especially when vacations are concerned.

12) Music is the universal language and dancing is how you communicate- I love dancing and I love that I am in a country where people express themselves with music and dance. My dancing abilities surpass my Bemba speaking abilities and at every function I go to (even school meetings sometimes) I’m required to dance. The women in my village even know my favorite Zampop song! Here you dance to tell stories also. During Camp GLOW, the girls did a dance showing how to say no when a sugar daddy approaches you. It’s also fun to dance to my American music with people in the village; they don’t know how to dance to Jay-z or Adele.

Top 10 highlights of the last year

10) 4hr hike to Kalombo Falls, the 2nd tallest waterfall in Africa
9) Gratitude Sunday (every Sunday)
8) KITCHEN PARTY!!!
7) Grade 9 Debates- it was the first time anything like it had happed at my school
6) Seeing Victoria Falls
5) Northern Province house days/ Camp GLOW
4) HENDRIX!!!!
3) TGM on teaching and learning aids
2) Village Birthday Party
1) Safari in Botswana/ Petting a LION


It’s been a great year in every aspect. There have been some ups and downs for sure and they have made me stronger to say the least. I’ve had some success in teacher training in the form of leading teacher group meetings. I’ve seen and improvement in the kids as they were able to hold debates in English. People say it (teaching pupils in the rural areas) can’t be done but it can. These kids were able to pick topics, develop arguments, counter arguments and express themselves verbally in what is probably their 3rd or 4th language. The teachers now know it can be done and want to implement these themselves. I’ve developed relationships with the women in my village and I’m seen as a daughter to them.

This week I helped with training of the new volunteers and watched the volunteers 1 yr ahead of me leave. It’s been a mix of; look at where I was a year ago and look where ill be a year from now. I’ve learned a lot about a lot in the last year and hopeful I could help the new trainees learn something too. I also visited my host family from training this week. It was emotional in the sense that with some rough patches in my current village, I wish I could have this family near and it was comforting to know they still remember me and have room in their heart for me. It’s great that they still love me even though my Bemba has gotten worse. Someone from home told me in a letter that this is an amazing journey that most people only dream of. A journey of happy and sad times, of growth and learning and she was right. She also told me to enjoy my journey….and I’m doing just that. I’m excited for what the next year of service will bring. Hopefully it will bring another great Camp GLOW, a resource center full of books and computers, more condom demonstrations, more trips to beautiful places, more village shin-digs, less books in my personal library because I would have read them all, more Bemba and more growth, strength and happiness.

Accomplished!!!

When I last wrote, I was attending the PEPFAR workshop. It was amazing! I learned so much and our counterparts did to. We took people from our village that we intend to work with so we would both be trained in talking to our communities. We all left the workshop with new knowledge and experiencing new things. Several counterparts had never been tested for HIV so the option was given to everyone at the workshop. Majority of all of us got tested which is a step in the right direction. Also one counterpart had never seen a condom until the workshop...she has 10 children. Now she knows how to correctly put on a condom! My counterpart (Julie) and I have already started our work. She is talking to mothers at the under 5 clinic for babies and I have taught about 4 HIV/AIDS prevention and awareness lessons in my English class. The kids really think im crazy now but they are learning! They now know that you CAN NOT get HIV from mosquitoes and from kissing!
In addttion to wrokshops, I taught a TGM (techer group meeting) on Teaching/ Learning Aids for the teachers at Mpumba. I have yet to feel more accomplished in my service as a RED volunteer! They loved the presentation. The were active from start to finish, asked questions and even participated in making teaching learning aids.They did a GREAT job making teaching aids, I was so proud of them! I made a few T/L aids of my own to show them how they can use local resources. I made a computer form cardboard, place value chart with removable parts (cardboard), a solar system mobile from sticks, powedered milk lids and string, sentence cards and HIV transmission pictures. The teachers all said this was the best TGM they had ever done and that I was a very good teacher/presenter! The said that I should start leading all the TGMs. As a result, I am leading a TGM on learner centered teaching, the headteacher bought glue for the teachers to make materials and Ive already seen more T/L aids in the classroom!!!! YAYAYAYAYAYAYA. I love my job!
I also had my 1st birthday in africa! It was too fun. I basically had 3 parties, one in the village, on in the boma and one at my house. The one at my house was just a dinner with 2 other volunteers and the boma party was to celebrate my b-day as well as another volunteers and to celebrate our one year mark. But the village party was something else. We had it the Sunday before my b-day since I had to teach. I was given a chitenge suit to wear for the occassion (ironincally enough it had little crowns which was appropriate since my Bemba name Mwaba means princess). I bought a chicken and was just expecting me and a few other women to just have a good time cooking. I was wrong. Not only did we have chicken but we has all my Zam favorites: chicken, Nshima, chibwabwa(pumpkin leaves), beans, and ifishashi(ground peanuts & veg! It was a feast! The women kind of let me help. After we ate out amazing meal it was time to dance because no party is complete without dancing! But before I could dance, I was given a cake! Julie made me a cake!!! It was in the shape of a heart and had my name on it :) It was a great day. When the dancing started all the kids came to dance with me. They even sang my favorite ZamPop song so I could dance to it!!! The women even commented on how nice my hips are and how well I can move them. Yup I love my Job!!!
Thanks to everyone who wished me a happy birthday...I couldnt have asked for anything better!!!!

I wish that I knew what I know now....

So Ive almost been here a year and while I learn something new everyday(about my village, my job and especially myself) I feel like I have a handle on things....today. Its almost time for the new intake of LIFE(agriculture)and RED(education)to come and Ive been thinking a lot about what it was like preparing for this amazing yet unpredictable journey I am on. I know one thing I spent a lot of time doing was reading blogs from current volunteers to see what I could possibly expect. So in the event that this will probably happen to me, I want to be prepared. So these are list of things Im glad I brought, had mailed to me or wish I would have brought:

In the context of being a RED Volunteer:
- a blazer- Zambian teachers dress better then I ever will so it would've been nice to bring nicer clothes to teach in. Not just skirts or trousers I expect to never wear again but nice clothes.

-Index cards- Sure you can make your own index cards from paper and I have but index cards have been great for teaching/learning aids, remembering pupils names and making flash cards.

-Craft materials- You can buy colored paper here and some arts supplies but having my arts and crafts things have been nice because you can incorporate them into lessons and Ive also have a few pupils meet me on the weekends to color/draw which has been fun.

-Children books: These are good for the younger grades and to test English literacy for the older grades. Also when the kids are yelling at you and playing in your yard its great to sit them down and read to them. A lot of PCVs have kitchen libraries where they loan out books to the kids.

-Scissors- all the zam scissor break

As a PCV:
-extra headphones- headphones break and things are expensive in country

-batteries- expensive in country

-tevas/watershoes- I wish I would have brought them it would've made a few vacations more fun

-FITTED SHEETS!- just trust me! One set is nice. You are given a pair of sheets and a blanket when you get here but fitted sheets just make life a little easier

-Crystal light/flavored water packets- water can get boring

-Tea- Yogi tea hasn't hit Zambia yet

- Sweat pants- sure we work 24/7 (technically) but you can never have too many sweat pants in rainy and cold season when you cant go anywhere or when its too cold and you don't want to go anywhere

-bras- sorry but don't just bring sports bras....bad idea and don't just bring one...even worse idea

-home decor- pictures, posters, anything to make your hut feel homey.

-Tennis Shoes- good for running and vacations

-"Town" clothes- so yea we live in the village but we aren't there all the time. You travel all over the country and don't want to look like a bush rat all the time.You can keep your nicer/vacation clothes at the provincial house.

-Jacket/coat- cold season and rainy season can get pretty chilly. I have a raincoat and a light fleece jacket and that's fine.

-Whatever makes you feel comfortable!!!!- I brought my stuffed animals (yea I said it) because two years is a long time and some days you just need something from home.

-IPOD/MP3 player- duh! Music is a must and CD get scratched really easily

-Laptop- ok so I didn't bring one and I kinda wish I did. So if you bring one bring a converter/ voltage changer to charge it. We have reporting we do every quarter and a laptop would make it easier but you can do fine without it. A lot of volunteers have small laptops they've brought and they can update blogs, shrink pictures and watch movies in their hut. It really is a convenience thing but think about it.

-Solar Charger- its just a good idea.


Things I freaked out about:
-Phone!!! getting a phone is literally the 2nd thing you do in country! Bring money to buy a nice phone(with internet)and you'll get your sim card and everything here. Communication by phone is easier than I thought!

-Post- The post office is a crazy. It takes 2 weeks for letters and about a month for packages. Bring stationary :) I spend a good bit of my free time writing letters home. This form of communication can be frustration hence getting a phone with internet. Ive not have a huge problem with the post while Ive been here.

-light- you can buy a solar lamp in Lusaka when you are getting posted and you can buy candles in bulk...no problem there

-length of skirts- so they say don't wear anything above the knee, which I think is a good rule of thumb. As for shirts, showing arms is not a big deal.

-Water- A water filter is provided and you can buy chlorine in country

-Food/Spices: Ive have gotten just about all my species in Zambia and I cook all my meals so I use spices often. The only spice I haven't found...seasoning salt. Some things are harder to find but you can get anything in Lusaka even crushed red pepper :) Parmesan cheese is nice to bring or get sent even if its in little packets from fast food restaurant. You can get dairy in this country in town not really in the village but powdered milk isn't so bad. You can make some pretty fancy things in the village with local ingredients you just have to look or stock up in Lusaka. Ive always asked people to send me M&Ms, junk food or things where you just add water. If you are a tea or coffee drinker...bring that!!! I have people mail me tea in every package. There's good tea in Lusaka and some bomas but I hear if you are an avid coffee drinker to bring that. You can buy a french press in Lusaka.


I think this is it for now! No matter how you pack you will always have someone offering to send you something which is great because there will always be something you forget! Feel free to email me or ask me questions here. Happy Packing!!!!