Hello everyone! Life here is still going fairly well. After my mountain climbing attempt in the last blog, I returned to the village for a week and then headed to Serenje BOMA (each province has a Peace Corps house where there is an office and bedrooms so we can stay there up to 4 nights a month for almost free, and there is electricity to charge things and a real oven to bake and cook fancy things) I went to an Agricultural show there that was kinda fun and it was nice to see some people. I love my village because it’s beautiful and peaceful and I have 2 really good friends that are brothers and speak English fluently plus I have 3 other semi-friends and a nice teacher plus family that I like to visit. Aside from that I have not done much though because there were some frustrations with miscommunications-about why I was there and what Peace Corps is-and my host that was supposed to help me settle in for the first 3 months of community entry before I actually start working is lazy and not a very good person combined with the fact that everything happens much slower in Africa means that I haven’t done anything and I don’t even have people interested in future projects yet. I know I haven’t been here long so I’m hoping it will get better and I will actually be able to do something in the next two years that I am here. For these first 3 months we are not allowed to have vacation and I feel a little stuck knowing that I’m not allowed to leave my district (Serenje is the next district over but I can go if I have permission) Still, I feel like even now I have not spent all that much time in my village because of going to the BOMA or going to visit other volunteers (I also had my first visitor at site). Mkushi BOMA is about 50km and Serenje BOMA is about 65km away so really it’s not far and I live only 10km from the main road that goes to the BOMAs but it’s still somewhat of a hastle to get transport although I admit I have it much better than many people in other parts of the country. I hitch most of the time and only if I can go for free. One time I had to pay 5pin or about 1 dollar for a ride in a semi truck and it turned out the driver was really drunk, still drinking and scary but after I realized that he didn’t want to let me back out so I just prayed that we wouldn’t crash and luckily we didn’t. That was not the first or last time that the driver was drinking beer on a hitch. I try to wait for a “safe” driver but there’s only so much you can do. The bus drivers and mini bus drivers are usually worse and their vehicles are less road-worthy plus overcrowded. I did take a minibus last week for free in exchange for telling the driver and his friend about America, it was fun but took twice as long because we stopped so much for passengers. I am currently in the middle of starting a few projects-one is raising rabbits for a source of protein and the rabbit cage is behind my hut, almost finished. It took me and a 15 year old only one day to go in the forest and cut down 35 small trees to strip the branches into poles and carry them back to my house. It was kinda nice to finally do some physicl work and the next day my friend Ackson and I took down a wall and salvaged 400 bricks to use for a building to house the pigs we hope to get soon. I also collected a bunch of jatropha seeds to start a tree nursery. I still have a lot of work to do on each project and I still would like to plant a garden but we’ll see when anything happens if ever. Now for some random facts: the 5 second rule from America has become the if the ants haven’t taken it yet you can still eat it despite the dirt because it’s a shame to waste good food. I read about a book a day and sometimes I feel like it’s almost not worth starting a new book if I know I won’t have time to finish it that same day.
Wall of Fame:
Grandma and Grandpa
Grandpa and Chris
Laurie and Andy
Gary and Tracy
Cindy M.
Lori N.
Patti W.
Cathy R.
My parents
*Thanks for the packages because I truly appreciated them and to those of you who haven’t sent packages, there is still time for you to make it onto the wall of fame. (Also I very much appreciate the letters but I don’t have room to list all of you who have written to me)
For those of you that would like to know here is a list of some things I would particularly appreciate:
1. chocolate bars and/or chocolate chips for baking
2. peanut butter m&ms/reeses pieces
3. dried blueberries
4. raisins
5. Gatorade
6. mac and cheese
7. marshmallows
8. cheezeits!
9. baking soda (just a little)
10. brownie/cake mixes
Finally I will leave you with a little info about the food I have been eating in Zambia. The staple is ubwali/nshima which is a polenta type mush that is made from ground finger millet/cassava/sorghum or most commonly maize and eaten with the hands-you dips the balls into a relish. The relish is usually some leaf that is boiled far too long with a little bit of cooking oil and a tomato. My least favorite leaf is rape which is by far the most common in the village unfortunately. Another of my least favorite foods is a tiny dried fish called kapenta that smells horrid and tastes just as bad plus you have to eat it with the eyes and everything. I commonly eat boiled or mashed or fried sweet potatoes which are less sweet than the ones in America and they taste amazing. Mostly I eat pb and j because its easy. Every now and then I have a tuna sandwich or cereal with boxed whole milk (tuna, boxed milk, and whole milk are all things that I never would have eaten in America, but here it’s like a special treat.) One of my favorite parts of leaving the village is eating good food, but I also enjoy seeing other volunteers. I must admit that I recently ate a roasted rat in the village. Actually, it tasted pretty good once you got over the fact that you’re eating a rat. I did have to ask my friend to rip of the head and the tail before I would touch it though. I think that’s all the news that I have for now but I will be in Lusaka in one month and maybe I can put some pictures up then keep your fingers crossed!
I hope to send you something else soon :)
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