The move

I just moved into my new house on Thursday March 4th. The day consisted of getting up early, packing the things I had in Serenje, driving to Chalata to pick up my program director then driving up to Kafwa village. My director told the community members that they were taking me to a new villagesince Kafwa community didn't appear to work well with each other or with me. He gave one main example. Then the villagers blamed everything on me and said some hurtful things about me. After that I loaded up my belongings and said goodbye as quickly as possible because I just wanted to be out of there for good. On the way out we got my bike in Chalata and some money in Mkushi. I will admit I cried a bit on the way out and not because I was sad to leave, but because the people there were so mean. Despite all of that sadness, arriving at the new village was wonderful. The family was happy to see me and the house was finished and ready for me to move in. One of the mothers hugged me and said welcome home my daughter. And they really have treated me like one of their children all this week. The village is called Mikunku. The host father is originally from Zimbabwe so he speaks Shona, English, and now Bemba. He ahs two wives that are both amazingly sweet and helpful. They bring me food all the time and invite me to eat dinner with them. They planted two flower plants in my yard and are always trying to help me settle in and make sure I'm taken care of. There are several children around and one of the oldest girls, named Precious has been really helpful. She speaks English well and isn't shy about it so we usually speak in english for her to practice and I've helped her with some homework problems. She took me to the school on Tuesday to meet the headmaster and some teachers. So far everyone I've met has been really great. There are several people from Zimbabwe and they all sem to be really hard working which is awesome. I've also attended a women's club meeting last Friday. Unfortunately, I've only been in my village for 5 full days. I had to leave Wednesday morning to go to a meeting in Serenje. I was supposed to return on Thursday morning, but had to come to Lusaka instead for an appointment. Overall everything is great, this new village seems to be the complete opposite of the last one so I'm really looking forward to working there. Also, I'm planning to go up to Zanzibar for Easter with a few other volunteers, so I'm looking forward to that as well. UPDATE from 2014: After moving to my new house, I looked forward to enjoying the improved living situation, but fate had other plans. After just two weeks in my new home, I began experiencing health issues. I was sent to a few specialists in Lusaka before eventually being evacuated to DC for better treatment. I spent several weeks undergoing treatment before I realized that I would not be able to return to Zambia any time soon. Instead, I was medically separated in May. While, I hoped to someday be reinstated in the Peace Corps, God had other plans for me. I ended up working as a zookeeper, getting a masters degree in sustainable development, starting an NGO IIM International and marrying the love of my life. Currently, my husband (another RPCV from Zambia) and I are living in Zambia again and running IIM International which is able to do more for development in Zambia than we were able to accomplish during our short Peace Corps Services. Overall, I highly recommend Peace Corps to anyone interested, but I will warn you that it will change your life! In my case, despite all the hardships, I truly believe my life has been improved because of my time in the Peace Corps, even though it was cut short.