Happy Holidays everyone! I can't believe it is December 16th already! Time is flying here...I can't believe I've been in Zambia for almost six months :-) Hope you all are enjoying the holiday cheer back home...it certainly doesn't feel like Christmas here but I'm still enjoying life here, so all is well!
Last week as Camp GLOW and I've mentioned camp in a previous blog post so if you aren't sure what it stands for, read the previous blog! So Camp Glow was held at the Zambian College of Agriculture-ZCA, and there were six peace corps volunteers involved-Katie, Danielle, Laura, Carroll Anne and Mary-Ellen and I. The camp was organized mostly by CA and Laura, but Dani and Katie did a lot of the proposal writing. Mary Ellen and I just observed since we are newbies. Well let's just say everything that could possibly go wrong, went wrong! It was definitely a learning experience for us all, and Mary-Ellen and I were able to see what needs to be done differently next year. The camp started on last Sunday, December 6th so the PCVs and our two facilitators went a day early to set up and organize. Originally, we were suppose to sleep the girls at a youth recreational center that a former PCV built, and we were going to sleep the teachers, facilitators and ourselves at a guest house nearby. Turns out, the rec center has turned out to be a popular hang out for creepy, drunk men that we in peace corps like to refer to as amaguys...and these amaguys were all over the pool table, tv and library in this rec center so that posed our first problem! How are we suppose to have a camp about girls empowerment for 14 year old girls at a place crawling with men...it was pretty frustrating because the guys did not want to leave so we had a to battle with them and finally, after our contact person with ZCA came, we were able to secure the place for our use only! The next problem came with the sleeping arrangements. Turns out the guest house only has three rooms with a double bed in each..so definitely not enough to sleep 12 of us. So we had to put mattresses in the rec center-in the TV room and the library and that's where we volunteers slept and the two facilitators. We gave the guest house to the teachers but they had to double up. Unfortunately, there were no mosquito nets and the rec center had really huge bugs all over the place so none of us slept really well there....oh well, we were troopers and really showed that peace corps volunteers can adapt to any situation, haha. So after the housing and the guy situation got resolved, we were finally ready to start camp and thought all our problems had been resolved. Not quite...when the teachers arrived, they wanted to be paid a sitting fee, which we can't do-it's a peace corps policy! It was so frustrating because we are volunteers who are donating two years of our lives to help Zambia and these teachers couldn't give up one week of their time to help empower girls at their schools! One of the teachers ended up leaving, so we were left with four of them, and they ended up being pretty good. The girls were absolutely great though and thoroughly enjoyed all the camp had to offer. The sessions were all about confidence building, staying motivated, goal setting and overall girls empowerment messages. It was sad because we had a session on rape and sexual abuse, and the girls felt comfortable enough to open up...and out of the nine girls we had, five admitted to having been a victim of rape or sexual abuse. Isn't that shocking and sad? More than half of them! Thankfully they felt comfortable opening up and we were able to give them good resources to seek help if they wanted. The girls all also went to the nearby clinic for VCT-Voluntary Counseling and Testing-for HIV. We did lots of arts and crafts with them and they were so sad when camp came to an end. I'm glad I got to attend and observe..I definitely have great ideas for next year's camp and we hope to open it up for all of Northern Province. If any of you want to help, let me know-either by this blog or in an email-and I'll let you know how you can! So yay for a successful camp Glow!
In other news, I finally got to know my neighbor who lives directly in front of me and he is amazing! He speaks excellent English and has done all sorts of home improvement things to my house. He is an amazing gardener and I asked him to help me start my garden, and since then, he has taken it upon himself to do all my home improvements like slashing all the grass, digging up six garden plots, building me a nursery, and clearing all my land! Really the surroundings around my house look great because of all his work! So I finally started a garden and it's already sprouting! I've planted green peas, green beans, pumpkin and he gave me maize seeds because of course, no garden is complete without maize for mealie meal to make nshima :-) In my nursery, I planted chili peppers, spinach and cilantro! I'm so excited, hopefully I have a green thumb! I have so much extra gardening space though so if any of you want to send me things, I'd love to have some seeds for flowers so I can make my last three plots flower beds! I love all flowers and would love anything you send!
My neighbor told me he was a former light weight boxing champion in Zambia and he likes to be called by his boxing name, Ba Billy Casper--his birth name is Christopher Musekanya so I call him Ba Billy. He is so smart, knows so much about politics and American pop culture. He is about 60 or so years old and has five children. He spent most of his life growing up in the copperbelt and returned to live in the village because his grandfather was the founder of my village and he wanted his family's presence back here. He has taught me so much about the Zambian political system, as well as the political systems of Africa. He also loves the Beatles, Rolling Stones and James Bond movies haha. We have some good conversations and I'm so glad I've finally gotten to know him because he is a great resource for me! So life's good in the village.
Next week, Christmas vacation! Yay I'm so excited. I'll let you know how it all goes! Hope you all have a happy, safe and wonderful holiday season! Miss you all and please please keep in touch, I love hearing from you all!!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year's!
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Pictures of My Home
Pictures of my hut sweet hut--taken in the dry season, will take new ones so you can see my garden!
Friday, November 27, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving!
Hello All!
Hope you all had a very relaxing and wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. Although it was sad not to be amongst my family, I did enjoy my Thanksgiving and even had an actual turkey dinner so it was fabulous!! The turkey was courtesy of the commissary in Lusaka...and the cooking was all done by Carroll Anne who is an amazing cook and she did a great job. I definitely over ate...and any weight that I had lost at site has been gained, plus some haha. In Zambia, being told you are "fat" is a compliment...and when I returned from Thanksgiving, I have had so many people tell me I'm fat :-) For Thanksgiving, all the Northern Province volunteers went to Kasama. We had a couple of meetings...some staff from Lusaka came up and gave us updates on the happenings of Peace Corps in general, and then on Thursday we had a house meeting just to talk about maintenance and such. It was nice to see everyone, but man 23 people in one house can get a little crowded at times!! But I like all the volunteers so it was a lot of fun and nice to let loose a little in the company of fellow Americans.
So things are going pretty well here in Zambia. My house finally got fixed and with the past few rainstorms, I've managed to stay quite dry! However, I did wake up one morning at 3 am to raindrops falling on my face....not fun, but luckily I was able to come into Mpika, buy some more plastic to put on top of my mosquito net and all is better now! I have posted some pictures on facebook, but I'll post some up here too so that you all can see my wonderful home and it's surroundings. It really is beautiful and I really am growing to love it all--rain or shine!
Work wise, November was pretty much a dead month for work...but luckily things are picking up. This week is Child Health Week so I'll be going around to the different villages with my EHT-Ellis and we will talk with the villagers about how to keep their children healthy. I also biked out a few weeks ago to Fisonge Village, which is about 20 k away to see their community school. It was in such a bad shape...actually, the school was closed because everyone was out picking caterpillars and the school did not have a roof or proper furnishings. It was really sad...and I'm not a Education volunteer, but hopefully there will be something I can do to help with that situation. I also went to Chailo Community school which is about 9 km away from me in the opposite direction of Fisonge and it was just as bad so we'll see what happens. This week, I will be having my Program Assistant, Beene come to my site for a site visit. It will be nice for her to see my place and for me to voice concerns...though I don't have any besides the lack of work.
In a week, Camp GLOW will start and I am really excited. Laura and Carroll Anne have been doing all the planning and so they really deserve all the credit...but I'm excited to be taking part and hopefully all goes well.
I have made Christmas plans yay! I'll be going with Kate and Meera (Kate's nearest neighbor in Mbala) to Livingstone to see Victoria Falls and go white water rafting on the Zambezi :-) I am so excited I really can't wait! On Christmas Day we will be going to Botswana for a 2 day, one night safari trip into Chobe National Park...again, SOO excited! I've always wanted to go so now is my chance. I'll definitely post pictures and let you know how it went.
So that's the happenings in my life. Not much to update because it's been slow moving but I'm enjoying every day, for all it's ups and downs, and the children certainly keep me entertained! I have taken some videos of them dancings that I'll post too.
Miss you all!! Please continue to write or email as I love hearing from all of you!!!
Hope you all have safe and happy holidays!!!
Hope you all had a very relaxing and wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. Although it was sad not to be amongst my family, I did enjoy my Thanksgiving and even had an actual turkey dinner so it was fabulous!! The turkey was courtesy of the commissary in Lusaka...and the cooking was all done by Carroll Anne who is an amazing cook and she did a great job. I definitely over ate...and any weight that I had lost at site has been gained, plus some haha. In Zambia, being told you are "fat" is a compliment...and when I returned from Thanksgiving, I have had so many people tell me I'm fat :-) For Thanksgiving, all the Northern Province volunteers went to Kasama. We had a couple of meetings...some staff from Lusaka came up and gave us updates on the happenings of Peace Corps in general, and then on Thursday we had a house meeting just to talk about maintenance and such. It was nice to see everyone, but man 23 people in one house can get a little crowded at times!! But I like all the volunteers so it was a lot of fun and nice to let loose a little in the company of fellow Americans.
So things are going pretty well here in Zambia. My house finally got fixed and with the past few rainstorms, I've managed to stay quite dry! However, I did wake up one morning at 3 am to raindrops falling on my face....not fun, but luckily I was able to come into Mpika, buy some more plastic to put on top of my mosquito net and all is better now! I have posted some pictures on facebook, but I'll post some up here too so that you all can see my wonderful home and it's surroundings. It really is beautiful and I really am growing to love it all--rain or shine!
Work wise, November was pretty much a dead month for work...but luckily things are picking up. This week is Child Health Week so I'll be going around to the different villages with my EHT-Ellis and we will talk with the villagers about how to keep their children healthy. I also biked out a few weeks ago to Fisonge Village, which is about 20 k away to see their community school. It was in such a bad shape...actually, the school was closed because everyone was out picking caterpillars and the school did not have a roof or proper furnishings. It was really sad...and I'm not a Education volunteer, but hopefully there will be something I can do to help with that situation. I also went to Chailo Community school which is about 9 km away from me in the opposite direction of Fisonge and it was just as bad so we'll see what happens. This week, I will be having my Program Assistant, Beene come to my site for a site visit. It will be nice for her to see my place and for me to voice concerns...though I don't have any besides the lack of work.
In a week, Camp GLOW will start and I am really excited. Laura and Carroll Anne have been doing all the planning and so they really deserve all the credit...but I'm excited to be taking part and hopefully all goes well.
I have made Christmas plans yay! I'll be going with Kate and Meera (Kate's nearest neighbor in Mbala) to Livingstone to see Victoria Falls and go white water rafting on the Zambezi :-) I am so excited I really can't wait! On Christmas Day we will be going to Botswana for a 2 day, one night safari trip into Chobe National Park...again, SOO excited! I've always wanted to go so now is my chance. I'll definitely post pictures and let you know how it went.
So that's the happenings in my life. Not much to update because it's been slow moving but I'm enjoying every day, for all it's ups and downs, and the children certainly keep me entertained! I have taken some videos of them dancings that I'll post too.
Miss you all!! Please continue to write or email as I love hearing from all of you!!!
Hope you all have safe and happy holidays!!!
Monday, November 9, 2009
I've (barely) Passed the Rains Down in Africa
Oh man, my life has been pretty crazy these past two weeks!!!
Hope you all had a fabulous Halloween and are enjoying the beautiful fall-hopefully not too cold -weather back in America Land.
Things here, like I said, have been pretty interesting.
So let's start back at Halloween: For the weekend Mary Ellen, Carroll Anne, Laura and I decided to have a little party (by this I mean spend the night at a lodge in Mpika and make popcorn balls haha). Kate came down as well because she was on her way to Lusaka to get a retainer fitted (she lost her's) so it was so nice to see her! So we had a fun little party, I never realized how dangerous making popcorn balls could be but Mary Ellen certainly warned us haha. We also managed to get Cim's restaurant to make us a pizza (which they never do!!) so all was going well. Kate came down Friday, CA came down Saturday, and so the party was on Saturday night. On Sunday, Kate was going to hitch down to Lusaka. I had no work planned for the following week because my village is literally a ghost town-I never believed the villagers but they certainly do scatter during caterpillar season! So all of my work has been put on hold while my villagers are out and about collecting caterpillars. Because of this, I decided to go down with Kate to Lusaka to get my stubbed toe looked at by the medical staff. My toe nail has completely lifted on my big toe so I wanted them to decide whether to take it off or not, luckily they didn't cut it off :-) So Kate and I hitched early Sunday morning down to Lusaka. We got very lucky and had two fabulous hitches. We arrived in Lusaka as the sun was setting and stayed at Lynn & Les's--friends of my dad who work with Save the Children in Lusaka. They are so good to us, and it was super nice to take a hot shower, have a home cooked meal and sleep in a comfortable bed :-)
Monday, I saw the medical team and they doctored my toe and gave me some advice as to how to keep it clean. It was a brief visit. Kate got very sick so she had to see medical and they did all sorts of tests on her. I was told that a cruiser would be going up to Northern on Wednesday so I decided to go back to my site on Wednesday with them. Kate got worse on Tuesday and also I found out Tuesday that there was a fuel crisis so the scheduled cruiser trip was cancelled, leaving me on my own for transport. I decided to take the post bus (the bus that delivers the mail to all the provinces) but when I got to the station, the bus was all sold out and would not leave again until Friday. My only other options were to hitch or take the night bus...neither seemed appealing to do by myself and PC does not recommend either so I decided to take the post bus on Friday. So I had a week in Lusaka---a lot of time! Luckily, on Wednesday, I was sent to the National Convention on the Prevention on HIV/AIDs in Zambia to represent Peace Corps because none of the staff members could go! IT was such a big deal, and I was definitely under-dressed and the youngest person there! It was a three day convention on looking at the six drivers of HIV/AIDS and creating policy recommendations to help prevent the spread of it in Zambia. The President of Zambia, Rupiah Banda, gave the opening remarks on the first day, but I was not there so I missed it. I attended on the second day and I learned so much it was really amazing. I am glad I was sent and will be sharing the information I learned with my fellow PCVs at our In-Service Training (IST) in January because all of it is relevant to the work we are doing in the fields.
So I left Lusaka with Kate, who was feeling much better, on Friday early in the morning on the Post Bus. Everyone told us to take the post bus because it was very reliable and would get me to Mpika during the day...well, this was probably the worst bus ride I've ever taken! It was so slow and took all day just to get to Mpika! Kate was going to continue on to Kasama but by the time we got to Mpika, it was getting very dark and she would not make it to the Kasama House until very late so she got off and was going to stay at my site.
Well here's where the real craziness began....we got to my hut and it was a complete disaster! The day before we had had very heavy rains in Mpika so my poor house flooded and my bed was soaking wet! It was such a disappointment, especially because we had just been on that crazy bus all day and all we wanted to do was sleep...but there was not much I could do. I called Ba Jonathan who is the Northern Province Program Assistant, and he told me to stay the night in Mpika at Melodies' Lodge. So Kate and I had to hitch to Mpika in the dark...not a fun experience but luckily we got a good hitch and Melodies' had room so we just both crashed when we got there. Saturday morning, we went back to my site to assess the damage in the daylight. Luckily, nothing valuable was ruined although some of my pictures did get wet. I also realized that my walls are falling down...especially by my bed so this was not good either. I called my counterpart Gilbert and he said there was not much they could do because the villagers were gone.I called Ba Jonathan back and he told me to come to Kasama and stay at the house...so that's where I have been the past few days. Tomorrow, Ba Jonathan is coming to my house with me to see what has been done on my house since I've been gone. I really hope my bed is dry so I can stay there...it would be pretty terrible if I had to come back to Kasama!
So really no work has been done these past two weeks...it is a little frustrating because that's what I'm suppose to be doing now and I can't plan anything since no one is around. I think I'll focus my energy on the anti-aids club at school and helping out at the clinic.
So that's the happenings in my life now...it's always an adventure here in Zambia..nothing ever goes as expected but that's the exciting part of my life now!
I really hope all is well back home!! Miss you tons!
Hope you all had a fabulous Halloween and are enjoying the beautiful fall-hopefully not too cold -weather back in America Land.
Things here, like I said, have been pretty interesting.
So let's start back at Halloween: For the weekend Mary Ellen, Carroll Anne, Laura and I decided to have a little party (by this I mean spend the night at a lodge in Mpika and make popcorn balls haha). Kate came down as well because she was on her way to Lusaka to get a retainer fitted (she lost her's) so it was so nice to see her! So we had a fun little party, I never realized how dangerous making popcorn balls could be but Mary Ellen certainly warned us haha. We also managed to get Cim's restaurant to make us a pizza (which they never do!!) so all was going well. Kate came down Friday, CA came down Saturday, and so the party was on Saturday night. On Sunday, Kate was going to hitch down to Lusaka. I had no work planned for the following week because my village is literally a ghost town-I never believed the villagers but they certainly do scatter during caterpillar season! So all of my work has been put on hold while my villagers are out and about collecting caterpillars. Because of this, I decided to go down with Kate to Lusaka to get my stubbed toe looked at by the medical staff. My toe nail has completely lifted on my big toe so I wanted them to decide whether to take it off or not, luckily they didn't cut it off :-) So Kate and I hitched early Sunday morning down to Lusaka. We got very lucky and had two fabulous hitches. We arrived in Lusaka as the sun was setting and stayed at Lynn & Les's--friends of my dad who work with Save the Children in Lusaka. They are so good to us, and it was super nice to take a hot shower, have a home cooked meal and sleep in a comfortable bed :-)
Monday, I saw the medical team and they doctored my toe and gave me some advice as to how to keep it clean. It was a brief visit. Kate got very sick so she had to see medical and they did all sorts of tests on her. I was told that a cruiser would be going up to Northern on Wednesday so I decided to go back to my site on Wednesday with them. Kate got worse on Tuesday and also I found out Tuesday that there was a fuel crisis so the scheduled cruiser trip was cancelled, leaving me on my own for transport. I decided to take the post bus (the bus that delivers the mail to all the provinces) but when I got to the station, the bus was all sold out and would not leave again until Friday. My only other options were to hitch or take the night bus...neither seemed appealing to do by myself and PC does not recommend either so I decided to take the post bus on Friday. So I had a week in Lusaka---a lot of time! Luckily, on Wednesday, I was sent to the National Convention on the Prevention on HIV/AIDs in Zambia to represent Peace Corps because none of the staff members could go! IT was such a big deal, and I was definitely under-dressed and the youngest person there! It was a three day convention on looking at the six drivers of HIV/AIDS and creating policy recommendations to help prevent the spread of it in Zambia. The President of Zambia, Rupiah Banda, gave the opening remarks on the first day, but I was not there so I missed it. I attended on the second day and I learned so much it was really amazing. I am glad I was sent and will be sharing the information I learned with my fellow PCVs at our In-Service Training (IST) in January because all of it is relevant to the work we are doing in the fields.
So I left Lusaka with Kate, who was feeling much better, on Friday early in the morning on the Post Bus. Everyone told us to take the post bus because it was very reliable and would get me to Mpika during the day...well, this was probably the worst bus ride I've ever taken! It was so slow and took all day just to get to Mpika! Kate was going to continue on to Kasama but by the time we got to Mpika, it was getting very dark and she would not make it to the Kasama House until very late so she got off and was going to stay at my site.
Well here's where the real craziness began....we got to my hut and it was a complete disaster! The day before we had had very heavy rains in Mpika so my poor house flooded and my bed was soaking wet! It was such a disappointment, especially because we had just been on that crazy bus all day and all we wanted to do was sleep...but there was not much I could do. I called Ba Jonathan who is the Northern Province Program Assistant, and he told me to stay the night in Mpika at Melodies' Lodge. So Kate and I had to hitch to Mpika in the dark...not a fun experience but luckily we got a good hitch and Melodies' had room so we just both crashed when we got there. Saturday morning, we went back to my site to assess the damage in the daylight. Luckily, nothing valuable was ruined although some of my pictures did get wet. I also realized that my walls are falling down...especially by my bed so this was not good either. I called my counterpart Gilbert and he said there was not much they could do because the villagers were gone.I called Ba Jonathan back and he told me to come to Kasama and stay at the house...so that's where I have been the past few days. Tomorrow, Ba Jonathan is coming to my house with me to see what has been done on my house since I've been gone. I really hope my bed is dry so I can stay there...it would be pretty terrible if I had to come back to Kasama!
So really no work has been done these past two weeks...it is a little frustrating because that's what I'm suppose to be doing now and I can't plan anything since no one is around. I think I'll focus my energy on the anti-aids club at school and helping out at the clinic.
So that's the happenings in my life now...it's always an adventure here in Zambia..nothing ever goes as expected but that's the exciting part of my life now!
I really hope all is well back home!! Miss you tons!
Monday, October 26, 2009
Camp Glow
Happy Almost Halloween everyone!
Hope you are all enjoying the cool fall weather and getting into the holiday spirit! Things here are going well...it is HOT HOT HOT now! October is supposedly the hottest month out of the year, and I really didn't think it was that bad but now, it's pretty unbearable at times-especially when biking!
Saturday was Zambian Independence Day...I thought everyone would be out celebrating but to my surprise, there was hardly any celebrating! I came into Mpika to meet up with Laura and we biked to her house where I spent this weekend. She lives 15k (7.5 miles) from Mpika and man I'm I sore from that biking! I thought 7k from my site to Mpika was bad, but she is all up hill so it makes it even worse. But she is so in shape she finds it no problem to bike that much haha. I tell you, after two years, I'll certainly be able to enter the Iron Man competition :-) The weekend was nice and relaxing.
Today, we are in Mpika trying to finalize plans for a camp that Peace Corps is putting on. The 7 Peace Corps volunteers in Mpika District will be hosting camp GLOW-Girls Leading Our World from December 6th-12th. Since Mary Ellen and I are the newest volunteers, we are included but not expected to plan for the event, however since I'm so close to town, I've offered to help Laura in the planning. For the 5 volunteers who have been here for a while, they will be bringing two girls from their local schools and one teacher to this camp....and basically it is an empowerment camp. I am really excited as this is really what I spent a lot of my time at college studying! It will be interesting to see how this camp plays out and hopefully the girls will walk away from it really empowered! I'll keep you updated on how the camp goes!
Work wise, things are really picking up...I never thought I'd be busy during my "no-work" community entry period but really, I'm super busy! Last week, we started village inspections so I was able to meet everyone in White Village and Chilebela Village. My catchment area of Chibansa has 27 villages so now I can cross off three of them that I've visited! The third being my own village of Bufuba. I am also super busy with the anti-aids club at school. Last week, we had our first official session and I gave the lesson on myths and facts of HIV/AIDs. I was impressed by how much the students already knew, but there were a lot of truths that they thought were myths so it was a good lesson for them to learn. This week, we are tackling the immune system and how HIV/AIDs affects it. Wish me luck! The students are really great though and seem geniunely interested so it works well for all of us. Last week, I attended a School WASHE meeting (Water and Sanitation Education) which was sponsored by the NGO DAPP-Development Aid People to People. It was held at the school and we went around looking at the various water sanitation facilities...whether the school had adequate toilets, hand washing facilities, a water source etc...unfortunately, my school is lacking greatly in water sanitation so hopefully this new School WASHE committee will try to work to improve the school's situation. They don't have a water source at school so school children are made to bring a 2 liter bucket of water every day so they can clean the toilets. They don't have hand washing facilities so children don't wash hands after they use the restrooms. It really is a hygiene issue! And there are so many students but the school lacks adequate desks so the students sit on reed mats on the floor. I am hoping that I'll be able to work with the school to improve their situation, somehow.
On Thursday, I came to Mpika to meet up with Dr. Mulenga who works at the Ministry of Health. I introduced myself and told him I'd be working with him to help Chibansa catchment, but he is such a busy man that I feel my workings with him will be really limited. I also met with the DEBS-Director of the Education Boards and she is a really great lady. I am hoping she will work with me to help Chibansa School.
This week, my agenda is pretty full with more village inspections and anti-aids club. I finally got my kitchen door put on, and painted, and my kitchen walls cemented so all I have left to do is lime the walls (to keep termites away) and my home will be complete. As soon as I have everything set up, I'll take pictures and post for everyone to see!
Alrighty well I'm going to sign off for now. I really hope you all are well! Please write and keep me up to date on your wonderful lives!
Miss you!!!
P.S. I apologize in advance for my previous and any future posts that I have not spell/grammar checked this blog....I write against the clock and never have enough time to go back and re-read so sorry sorry!
Hope you are all enjoying the cool fall weather and getting into the holiday spirit! Things here are going well...it is HOT HOT HOT now! October is supposedly the hottest month out of the year, and I really didn't think it was that bad but now, it's pretty unbearable at times-especially when biking!
Saturday was Zambian Independence Day...I thought everyone would be out celebrating but to my surprise, there was hardly any celebrating! I came into Mpika to meet up with Laura and we biked to her house where I spent this weekend. She lives 15k (7.5 miles) from Mpika and man I'm I sore from that biking! I thought 7k from my site to Mpika was bad, but she is all up hill so it makes it even worse. But she is so in shape she finds it no problem to bike that much haha. I tell you, after two years, I'll certainly be able to enter the Iron Man competition :-) The weekend was nice and relaxing.
Today, we are in Mpika trying to finalize plans for a camp that Peace Corps is putting on. The 7 Peace Corps volunteers in Mpika District will be hosting camp GLOW-Girls Leading Our World from December 6th-12th. Since Mary Ellen and I are the newest volunteers, we are included but not expected to plan for the event, however since I'm so close to town, I've offered to help Laura in the planning. For the 5 volunteers who have been here for a while, they will be bringing two girls from their local schools and one teacher to this camp....and basically it is an empowerment camp. I am really excited as this is really what I spent a lot of my time at college studying! It will be interesting to see how this camp plays out and hopefully the girls will walk away from it really empowered! I'll keep you updated on how the camp goes!
Work wise, things are really picking up...I never thought I'd be busy during my "no-work" community entry period but really, I'm super busy! Last week, we started village inspections so I was able to meet everyone in White Village and Chilebela Village. My catchment area of Chibansa has 27 villages so now I can cross off three of them that I've visited! The third being my own village of Bufuba. I am also super busy with the anti-aids club at school. Last week, we had our first official session and I gave the lesson on myths and facts of HIV/AIDs. I was impressed by how much the students already knew, but there were a lot of truths that they thought were myths so it was a good lesson for them to learn. This week, we are tackling the immune system and how HIV/AIDs affects it. Wish me luck! The students are really great though and seem geniunely interested so it works well for all of us. Last week, I attended a School WASHE meeting (Water and Sanitation Education) which was sponsored by the NGO DAPP-Development Aid People to People. It was held at the school and we went around looking at the various water sanitation facilities...whether the school had adequate toilets, hand washing facilities, a water source etc...unfortunately, my school is lacking greatly in water sanitation so hopefully this new School WASHE committee will try to work to improve the school's situation. They don't have a water source at school so school children are made to bring a 2 liter bucket of water every day so they can clean the toilets. They don't have hand washing facilities so children don't wash hands after they use the restrooms. It really is a hygiene issue! And there are so many students but the school lacks adequate desks so the students sit on reed mats on the floor. I am hoping that I'll be able to work with the school to improve their situation, somehow.
On Thursday, I came to Mpika to meet up with Dr. Mulenga who works at the Ministry of Health. I introduced myself and told him I'd be working with him to help Chibansa catchment, but he is such a busy man that I feel my workings with him will be really limited. I also met with the DEBS-Director of the Education Boards and she is a really great lady. I am hoping she will work with me to help Chibansa School.
This week, my agenda is pretty full with more village inspections and anti-aids club. I finally got my kitchen door put on, and painted, and my kitchen walls cemented so all I have left to do is lime the walls (to keep termites away) and my home will be complete. As soon as I have everything set up, I'll take pictures and post for everyone to see!
Alrighty well I'm going to sign off for now. I really hope you all are well! Please write and keep me up to date on your wonderful lives!
Miss you!!!
P.S. I apologize in advance for my previous and any future posts that I have not spell/grammar checked this blog....I write against the clock and never have enough time to go back and re-read so sorry sorry!
Thursday, October 15, 2009
ZamFood
Greetings all!
First off, thank you so much for all the fabulous mail I've been getting...it is wonderful to hear from you and I'm glad that you are finding this blog enjoyable! I finally figured out how to change the comment setting on this blog, so now anyone who wishes should be allowed to comment! Hope that helps those of you who have wanted to comment!
Also, many many thanks to Ms. Rice's class for the letters! It made my week and I have written responses to all of you so be looking for them--but remember, it's mail from Africa so it might take a few weeks! Also, Happy Birthday Ellie!
Things in Zambia are still good...I'm still in this "honeymoon" stage where everything is perfect. My home is still not complete but it is getting there. The carpenter finally came and put a new door on the house and it is beautiful! So much more secure than my previous door! But he has not finished my bookcase for my clothes so I'm still living out of a suitcase. My shelves for the kitchen are finished and are also beautiful...this carpenter is very talented and is so friendly I'm glad I'm giving him lots of business! I finally got plastic put up on the inside of my hut so now when it rains, I'm protected! I live in the windest place in Zambia so unfortunately with the plastic, it makes it extremely loud but I'm managing to sleep at night so that's good!
Yesterday, I held my first anti-aids club meeting at the school. There are so many students it is a little overwhelming!!! But the first meeting went well, we laid out the rules and expectations for the club. I am hoping to co-facilitate with the students so every week, I'll have one of the older students lead a session with me. Next week, we are really delving into the topic of HIV/AIDs and learning about what it is and how it is spread. I think it will be a good successful club, and I'm hoping that I can take a group of dedicated students up to the other basic school in my district, Kaole Basic to start up a club there since they do not have one.
October 24th is Zambia's independence day and I have been warned that on this day, the village will become deserted because all of them will be out picking caterpillars! That's right, in my district, Mpika, we are famous for our caterpillars and the Zambians love to eat them! So my villagers will camp out for months in the "bush" and collect as many caterpillars as they can and then sell them in the market for additional money! It is a crazy notion, but I am told I can't leave Zambia without trying caterpillar....so after the 24th, I'll be able to give my opinion on caterpillar :-) On the subject of food, Zambian food is very bland compared to other places. They staple is a dish called Nshima, which is made by adding a ton of mealie meal to water until it thickens. They eat Nshima for every meal: breakfast, lunch and dinner! It usually is accompanied with a relish of some sort (relish= side dish) like chicken, rape (which is like collard greens) or cabbage. I have grown accustomed to Nshima but do not cook it at site for myself, so many of my villagers are very worried about my eating haha because Zambians believe that no one is full unless they have eaten Nshima. My favorite relish is called Ifisashi and it is made with Rape, ground nuts that they finally ground into a paste and mix into the rape. It is very delicious!
Work wise, things are great. I had my first meeting with the neighborhood health committee on Tuesday...and this was the longest meeting ever! I literally was at the clinic from 8 am in the morning until 4 pm!!! The only good thing was that they served us lunch :-) The committee is really great and the people are all excited to work with me! Next week, I start my village inspections so will go around with Ellis to all of the villages in my catchment area to meet everyone. I am so ready to do this as I feel I have not explored my area enough!
Today, I am in the Boma with Mary Ellen-my neighbor in the village of Mpepo-about 100K outside Mpika. She is my closest neighbor from my intake...and is one of our older volunteers but she is really great! She is like a mother-figure and is always looking out for us. She came to town so that we could meet with the ministry of health officials. Unfortunately, they were not around today, but we had a productive day meeting with the other various NGOs and introducing ourselves. I splurged and had an ice cream as my birthday treat to myself :-)! I might go to Mpepo with her to see her village and come back tomorrow but haven't decided yet if that's what I should do.
Other than that, I'm still adapting and adjusting to life in the village.
I miss you all and think about you all the time! Please continue to write and feel free to comment now!! Hope all is well back home!
First off, thank you so much for all the fabulous mail I've been getting...it is wonderful to hear from you and I'm glad that you are finding this blog enjoyable! I finally figured out how to change the comment setting on this blog, so now anyone who wishes should be allowed to comment! Hope that helps those of you who have wanted to comment!
Also, many many thanks to Ms. Rice's class for the letters! It made my week and I have written responses to all of you so be looking for them--but remember, it's mail from Africa so it might take a few weeks! Also, Happy Birthday Ellie!
Things in Zambia are still good...I'm still in this "honeymoon" stage where everything is perfect. My home is still not complete but it is getting there. The carpenter finally came and put a new door on the house and it is beautiful! So much more secure than my previous door! But he has not finished my bookcase for my clothes so I'm still living out of a suitcase. My shelves for the kitchen are finished and are also beautiful...this carpenter is very talented and is so friendly I'm glad I'm giving him lots of business! I finally got plastic put up on the inside of my hut so now when it rains, I'm protected! I live in the windest place in Zambia so unfortunately with the plastic, it makes it extremely loud but I'm managing to sleep at night so that's good!
Yesterday, I held my first anti-aids club meeting at the school. There are so many students it is a little overwhelming!!! But the first meeting went well, we laid out the rules and expectations for the club. I am hoping to co-facilitate with the students so every week, I'll have one of the older students lead a session with me. Next week, we are really delving into the topic of HIV/AIDs and learning about what it is and how it is spread. I think it will be a good successful club, and I'm hoping that I can take a group of dedicated students up to the other basic school in my district, Kaole Basic to start up a club there since they do not have one.
October 24th is Zambia's independence day and I have been warned that on this day, the village will become deserted because all of them will be out picking caterpillars! That's right, in my district, Mpika, we are famous for our caterpillars and the Zambians love to eat them! So my villagers will camp out for months in the "bush" and collect as many caterpillars as they can and then sell them in the market for additional money! It is a crazy notion, but I am told I can't leave Zambia without trying caterpillar....so after the 24th, I'll be able to give my opinion on caterpillar :-) On the subject of food, Zambian food is very bland compared to other places. They staple is a dish called Nshima, which is made by adding a ton of mealie meal to water until it thickens. They eat Nshima for every meal: breakfast, lunch and dinner! It usually is accompanied with a relish of some sort (relish= side dish) like chicken, rape (which is like collard greens) or cabbage. I have grown accustomed to Nshima but do not cook it at site for myself, so many of my villagers are very worried about my eating haha because Zambians believe that no one is full unless they have eaten Nshima. My favorite relish is called Ifisashi and it is made with Rape, ground nuts that they finally ground into a paste and mix into the rape. It is very delicious!
Work wise, things are great. I had my first meeting with the neighborhood health committee on Tuesday...and this was the longest meeting ever! I literally was at the clinic from 8 am in the morning until 4 pm!!! The only good thing was that they served us lunch :-) The committee is really great and the people are all excited to work with me! Next week, I start my village inspections so will go around with Ellis to all of the villages in my catchment area to meet everyone. I am so ready to do this as I feel I have not explored my area enough!
Today, I am in the Boma with Mary Ellen-my neighbor in the village of Mpepo-about 100K outside Mpika. She is my closest neighbor from my intake...and is one of our older volunteers but she is really great! She is like a mother-figure and is always looking out for us. She came to town so that we could meet with the ministry of health officials. Unfortunately, they were not around today, but we had a productive day meeting with the other various NGOs and introducing ourselves. I splurged and had an ice cream as my birthday treat to myself :-)! I might go to Mpepo with her to see her village and come back tomorrow but haven't decided yet if that's what I should do.
Other than that, I'm still adapting and adjusting to life in the village.
I miss you all and think about you all the time! Please continue to write and feel free to comment now!! Hope all is well back home!
Friday, October 9, 2009
Survived my first week!
Greetings from the internet cafe in Mpika! So I am on day 10 of being on my own in the village and so far things are going really well. When Ted, the PCVL (Peace Corps Volunteer Leader) dropped me off at site, he was very disappointed because they had not put a new roof on the hut, or put a roof on my cimbusu (toilet) and there was grass all around the hut so he told them that if the work was not finished in three days, he would come back and take me out of the site. So the first night in my hut, I had a lovely view of the full moon so it was lovely! Thursday, I thought the village would turn out in crowds to finish my house....but they didn't! And I spent the day just playing a lot with the children and reading. There are a million children in my village...most of them are great, some of them are not! I often feel like I am babysitting them which gets old and frustrating at times, but for the most part, they are just overly curious excited children. My house is located literally in the center of the village...everyone has to walk by my house to get to the village center or the paved road, so there is always foot traffic. In many ways, I love it because it doesn't feel so remote or isolated. At other times though, when I would like privacy or alone time, it is quite difficult! But overall, I love my site and the location...I am surrounded by beautiful beautiful hills and trees so I am at peace when at site. On Friday, Ba Gilbert...my counterpart who is the chairperson for my housing committee, came and really started work on the house. He whitewashed my walls for me and painted the walls with some paint I had bought in Kasama. I told him I could do the painting but he didn't believe me so did it himself! Hahah oh well, at least it does look good. On Saturday, a carpenter came out to my site and I ordered some furniture which will be ready tomorrow, I'm so excited! I am getting a door to put on my kitchen, which is a smaller mud hut outside my regular hut so I'll be able to store all my food and kitchen stuff in a room that will be secure! I am getting a new door for my hut because the one I have is not good. I am also getting shelving for the kitchen, as well as a bookcase to put my clothes in so I'm excited that once it is in the house, I'll be able to unpack. Also on Saturday, the headman for my village, Ba Lawrence came and built a new roof for the cimbusu as well as a fence so there toilet was a little more private! That same day, later in the afternoon, I met with my clinic staff to lay out agendas for the next three months. Ellis Kalengo, the EHT (Environmental Health Technician) is a really great resource and I am looking forward to working with him. When I returned home, the roofing crew arrived and put some plastic and thatch on the roof. Lucky, they did it just in time as we had our first rain storm that night in Mpika!! I was sooo lucky and remained dry throughout the night.
Sunday, I went to the Catholic Church with Gilbert. It was a VERY long service...and we didn't have a priest--there is a shortage of priests so it was some community members who led the service. But the service was very nice and the music was amazing...so much drumming, singing, dancing--truly an African church service. Ted came back as promised on Sunday and was so impressed with the work on my house! He really made the village feel special haha.
My real work week began on Monday but I had nothing scheduled so I spent the day at home...reading and trying to come up with plans for work. I played a lot with the children who are great when I want company! They love doing things for me...like fetching my water, washing my dishes and it is hard for them to accept no! I am hoping I can have someone help me with laundry and getting my water regularly as carrying a 20L jerry can is extremely heavy and I'm a weakling! I am amazed at how strong the women and children are here. I see mothers with babies on their backs, 20l jerry can filled with water on their head and a bucket in each hand all the time and am always in awe at their strength! The women in Zambia, as I'm sure throughout Africa, as the hardest working group of people and there days are so long and tiring, but they always greet with smiles on their faces and seem happy! I am excited to work with the many women's groups in my community!
Tuesday, I was suppose to go the clinic but my EHT cancelled on me so I had my first meeting cancelled....haha I guess I am suppose to get used to it as this is quite the norm in Zambia. So I spent the day doing home improvement projects...and proved to Ba Gilbert that I could paint by painting the windows and window sills in my hut.
Wednesday, I met with Laura and Carrolle Anne...two PCVs who live in my district and have been here for a year. Laura is my nearest neighbor and is 7 k from me. We went to Mpika town and had lunch at a Somalian restaurant which was very nice and then I came back because I had to meet with the Anti-Aids club at the basic school. The club is very excited to start work and it will be interesting to see what they have already been doing. The teacher I'm working with worked a lot with the Jeana so he wants to carry on where she left off. I will be going to the school regularly.
Thursday, I went to the clinic and observed the ante-natal clinic....it was an interesting experience and the expecting mothers were so friendly! I will be going regularly to those clinics and hopefully doing some health talks on safe pregnancy and safe motherhood. Thursday afternoon, Ba Gilbert's wife brought me lunch...it was so sweet of her and it was nice to have some company (other than the children) while eating.
Today, I am in Mpika...have spent the morning at a training for community drama hosted by Health Communication Partnerships (HCP) and it was very interesting. I am hoping that they will come train my anti aids club so that they can start doing community theater as a tool to educate people on health issues. I also meet with the DAPP organization in town and have set up meeting times for next week to discuss possible work. I am staying in Mpika tonight with Laura...we are cooking dinner for a lady who runs the orphanage in Mpika so I am looking forward to that.
So far, I am staying upbeat and positive. Life here truly is much more simple and beautiful. I enjoy spending time reading, relaxing and meeting the various people in my villages. They are so friendly and so welcoming. It is hard to believe I'll be living in this community for two years! It seems so long, yet not enough time for all the work that needs to be done!
Alrighty, well time is running out....hope you all are doing well!!! Please please write me or comment on the blogs so I know what's going on over there in the wonderful U.S. of A!
Miss you!!!
Sunday, I went to the Catholic Church with Gilbert. It was a VERY long service...and we didn't have a priest--there is a shortage of priests so it was some community members who led the service. But the service was very nice and the music was amazing...so much drumming, singing, dancing--truly an African church service. Ted came back as promised on Sunday and was so impressed with the work on my house! He really made the village feel special haha.
My real work week began on Monday but I had nothing scheduled so I spent the day at home...reading and trying to come up with plans for work. I played a lot with the children who are great when I want company! They love doing things for me...like fetching my water, washing my dishes and it is hard for them to accept no! I am hoping I can have someone help me with laundry and getting my water regularly as carrying a 20L jerry can is extremely heavy and I'm a weakling! I am amazed at how strong the women and children are here. I see mothers with babies on their backs, 20l jerry can filled with water on their head and a bucket in each hand all the time and am always in awe at their strength! The women in Zambia, as I'm sure throughout Africa, as the hardest working group of people and there days are so long and tiring, but they always greet with smiles on their faces and seem happy! I am excited to work with the many women's groups in my community!
Tuesday, I was suppose to go the clinic but my EHT cancelled on me so I had my first meeting cancelled....haha I guess I am suppose to get used to it as this is quite the norm in Zambia. So I spent the day doing home improvement projects...and proved to Ba Gilbert that I could paint by painting the windows and window sills in my hut.
Wednesday, I met with Laura and Carrolle Anne...two PCVs who live in my district and have been here for a year. Laura is my nearest neighbor and is 7 k from me. We went to Mpika town and had lunch at a Somalian restaurant which was very nice and then I came back because I had to meet with the Anti-Aids club at the basic school. The club is very excited to start work and it will be interesting to see what they have already been doing. The teacher I'm working with worked a lot with the Jeana so he wants to carry on where she left off. I will be going to the school regularly.
Thursday, I went to the clinic and observed the ante-natal clinic....it was an interesting experience and the expecting mothers were so friendly! I will be going regularly to those clinics and hopefully doing some health talks on safe pregnancy and safe motherhood. Thursday afternoon, Ba Gilbert's wife brought me lunch...it was so sweet of her and it was nice to have some company (other than the children) while eating.
Today, I am in Mpika...have spent the morning at a training for community drama hosted by Health Communication Partnerships (HCP) and it was very interesting. I am hoping that they will come train my anti aids club so that they can start doing community theater as a tool to educate people on health issues. I also meet with the DAPP organization in town and have set up meeting times for next week to discuss possible work. I am staying in Mpika tonight with Laura...we are cooking dinner for a lady who runs the orphanage in Mpika so I am looking forward to that.
So far, I am staying upbeat and positive. Life here truly is much more simple and beautiful. I enjoy spending time reading, relaxing and meeting the various people in my villages. They are so friendly and so welcoming. It is hard to believe I'll be living in this community for two years! It seems so long, yet not enough time for all the work that needs to be done!
Alrighty, well time is running out....hope you all are doing well!!! Please please write me or comment on the blogs so I know what's going on over there in the wonderful U.S. of A!
Miss you!!!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Officially a volunteer!
So I am officially a Peace Corps Volunteer!!! It is so nice to be finished with training although I will admit that it will be sad not to see everyone until our IST conference in January. Swear-In Ceremony was held at the U.S. Ambassador's house and it was such a nice event! We had people from different government ministries attend, as well at various directors of NGOs and embassies attend. Kate and I had outfits made out of citenge (colorful cloth that Zambians use for everything!) and they turned out so well! I have posted some pictures so you all can see. The ceremony was full of speeches, including speeches by some of the newly sworn in volunteers. Ashley, from my Bemba group, was chosen to give a speech and she did such an amazing job as well! She is so fun, and I am going to miss her and Ryan since they were my closest neighbors at homestay and I saw them every day!
My homestay was a great experience but I am glad it is over. It was sad to say goodbye to all of the wonderful kids and my Bamaayo but I am ready to be on my own and try to take care of myself! Last Wednesday, we had a cultural farewell day where we bid thanks to our homestay families by preparing an American meal for them. It was a great event but a very long day for us. We started cooking at 8 in the morning and the families arrived by noon. Before we ate, we had a little ceremony where I gave a speech in Bemba thanking the families-I was so nervous but luckily they laughed at the right times so I guess I was saying things correctly. We also gave gifts to our families and they gave us gifts. I gave my family lots of pictures that I had taken over the course of two months, and they gave me a very nice and useful cooking pot!
Thursday, we were picked up by the cruisers early and taken to Lusaka for some last minute administrative sessions before the swear-in ceremony on Friday. Thursday night, a group of us went to Arcades, one of the malls here, and saw a movie-Kate and I saw the Proposal while the majority saw GI-Joe because we had already seen GI-Joe. After the movies, we all had some drinks at a local restaurant and I was able to get a mojito and it was sooooo good! It made my night! Friday we had the swear in, then we were taken to another mall to do some shopping for items we couldn't get in our provincial capitals for our sights. I didn't buy much but got some photos developed, so that was nice. Afterwards, the northern province crew went to an Indian restaurant which was delicious and cheap!
Saturday, we left early for Kasama, the provincial capital in Northern and it was so nice to be on our way to sight posting! Sunday, we went to some waterfalls near Kasama and they were beautiful! We went swimming and unfortunately, as we were climbing through some wet rocks to get closer to the falls and swim, I slipped and badly stubbed my big toe and it still hurts today...it will be sore for some time but I am glad we got to go to the falls!
Yesterday was a crazy day because all nine of us new volunteers had to shop for our sites, which included household supplies, food and fun stuff. It was chaos but we managed to get everything we needed and spent less money than expected! I am so ready now for site! Today, we are posting four volunteers. Tomorrow I get posted so after this, I am not sure how much I'll be able to update this blog but I will certainly try!
The next three months is a period called community entry in which I am technically not suppose to do any work. Instead, I am suppose to go around to all of my villages in my catchment area (around 20k) and introduce myself and my role in the village. I am also suppose to use this time to assess the needs of the community and start making plans for possible work. Many have asked what I'll be doing specifically so here is a little bit of my job description: I am serving as a community health improvement volunteer so my job is to look at the various health issues in the community and see what we can do collectively, with local resources and local leadership to address and improve their health. In Chibaunsa, access to clean, safe drinking water is a major concern for them so that is something we are going to work on for the next two years. Also, diarrhea is the number one illness for children in my catchment and this is linked to the water issue so hopefully that will also be addressed. Of course big picture wise, malaria and HIV are huge and will always have to be incorporated into the work. I am located pretty close to the boma (town) so I will be able to collaborate on projects with NGOs in my village. I am really excited and anxious to start work so it will be hard to just observe in the next three months, but I know it is absolutely necessary so either way it will be good.
Alrighty well I must end this for now because my internet time is running out. I miss you all so much!! Please please continue to write and send me little messages, I love hearing from you all!
Also, my phone number in Zambia is: +260977746365 if anyone would like to call our text me!
Here are some pictures of PC Zambia Life :-)
Kate, Ang and I at PC Office Zambia
Kate, Ang and I with the new country director for Zambia!
At the waterfalls in Northern
My Bemba Group with our wonderful language teacher, Ba Leonard!
My homestay was a great experience but I am glad it is over. It was sad to say goodbye to all of the wonderful kids and my Bamaayo but I am ready to be on my own and try to take care of myself! Last Wednesday, we had a cultural farewell day where we bid thanks to our homestay families by preparing an American meal for them. It was a great event but a very long day for us. We started cooking at 8 in the morning and the families arrived by noon. Before we ate, we had a little ceremony where I gave a speech in Bemba thanking the families-I was so nervous but luckily they laughed at the right times so I guess I was saying things correctly. We also gave gifts to our families and they gave us gifts. I gave my family lots of pictures that I had taken over the course of two months, and they gave me a very nice and useful cooking pot!
Thursday, we were picked up by the cruisers early and taken to Lusaka for some last minute administrative sessions before the swear-in ceremony on Friday. Thursday night, a group of us went to Arcades, one of the malls here, and saw a movie-Kate and I saw the Proposal while the majority saw GI-Joe because we had already seen GI-Joe. After the movies, we all had some drinks at a local restaurant and I was able to get a mojito and it was sooooo good! It made my night! Friday we had the swear in, then we were taken to another mall to do some shopping for items we couldn't get in our provincial capitals for our sights. I didn't buy much but got some photos developed, so that was nice. Afterwards, the northern province crew went to an Indian restaurant which was delicious and cheap!
Saturday, we left early for Kasama, the provincial capital in Northern and it was so nice to be on our way to sight posting! Sunday, we went to some waterfalls near Kasama and they were beautiful! We went swimming and unfortunately, as we were climbing through some wet rocks to get closer to the falls and swim, I slipped and badly stubbed my big toe and it still hurts today...it will be sore for some time but I am glad we got to go to the falls!
Yesterday was a crazy day because all nine of us new volunteers had to shop for our sites, which included household supplies, food and fun stuff. It was chaos but we managed to get everything we needed and spent less money than expected! I am so ready now for site! Today, we are posting four volunteers. Tomorrow I get posted so after this, I am not sure how much I'll be able to update this blog but I will certainly try!
The next three months is a period called community entry in which I am technically not suppose to do any work. Instead, I am suppose to go around to all of my villages in my catchment area (around 20k) and introduce myself and my role in the village. I am also suppose to use this time to assess the needs of the community and start making plans for possible work. Many have asked what I'll be doing specifically so here is a little bit of my job description: I am serving as a community health improvement volunteer so my job is to look at the various health issues in the community and see what we can do collectively, with local resources and local leadership to address and improve their health. In Chibaunsa, access to clean, safe drinking water is a major concern for them so that is something we are going to work on for the next two years. Also, diarrhea is the number one illness for children in my catchment and this is linked to the water issue so hopefully that will also be addressed. Of course big picture wise, malaria and HIV are huge and will always have to be incorporated into the work. I am located pretty close to the boma (town) so I will be able to collaborate on projects with NGOs in my village. I am really excited and anxious to start work so it will be hard to just observe in the next three months, but I know it is absolutely necessary so either way it will be good.
Alrighty well I must end this for now because my internet time is running out. I miss you all so much!! Please please continue to write and send me little messages, I love hearing from you all!
Also, my phone number in Zambia is: +260977746365 if anyone would like to call our text me!
Here are some pictures of PC Zambia Life :-)
Kate, Ang and I at PC Office Zambia
Kate, Ang and I with the new country director for Zambia!
At the waterfalls in Northern
My Bemba Group with our wonderful language teacher, Ba Leonard!Well hope you all enjoyed the blog! Please write me! Also, if anyone would like to send me things, I have listed a few items that I could really use:
* Sharpies
* Good pens
* Wet Ones-antibacterial wipes
* Gum
* Easy Mac
* Crystal Light or powdered flavoring for water
* Vanilla-they have the fake stuff here
* Duct Tape
* Batteries-triple A and double A-they are terrible here
THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!
Miss you all so much!!!! LOTS OF LOVE! ~Sarita
* Sharpies
* Good pens
* Wet Ones-antibacterial wipes
* Gum
* Easy Mac
* Crystal Light or powdered flavoring for water
* Vanilla-they have the fake stuff here
* Duct Tape
* Batteries-triple A and double A-they are terrible here
THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!
Miss you all so much!!!! LOTS OF LOVE! ~Sarita
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Pictures of my life in Zambia!
Peace Corps Trainees watching a soccer game: trainers against trainees-sadly, we lost! In the photo from left to right: Kate, myself, married Ashley from my Bemba class, Ashley W and Angela :-)
My favoritest little girl in my village, Mavis! She makes me smile every time I see her!
I love these kids....they love to dance for me and have coloring parties outside my hut!
The village children and I :-)
My homestay family: Bataata Caifus, sister Joyce and Bamaayo Doris...I will miss them when I move to the village, they took excellent care of me!Sunday, September 6, 2009
Northern Province
Hello Everyone!
I have just been on my first overnight bus in Zambia and luckily I survived :-)! I found out two weeks ago that I was going to be posted in Northern Province in Mpika District and so last week we all went out to our sites so that we could see what we would be getting into and returned together on the night bus from Kasama-the provincial capital of Northern to Lusaka. The bus trip took about 13 hours so I am quite far away from the capital but I like it that way! I am so excited and happy about my site...I am living not far from the BOMA of Mpika which is what they call the town so it is perfect location. I also have quite a few NGOs working in the area, including Irish Aid, USAID, World Vision etc that the volunteer before me worked with so I am excited to see what I can possibly do to help. My village is great and the people are so welcoming! I arrived at my actual site on Wednesday and the villages had a huge dance and welcome celebration for me at the rural health center where I will be working. It was overwhelming but beautiful and I really feel like they want me there. I am a 2nd generation volunteer but the volunteer before me left after a year of service so they were really disappointed in that and asked if I would stay three years to make up for it! Haha...I told them I would give it my best for two years and that is all I can promise! My hut is pretty nice...unfortunately I wasn't able to take any pictures but it is pretty big! I have two rooms, one sitting room and then a really large bedroom. I also have a small kitchen outside, a beautiful insaka (gazebo) that is on top of a hill in my backyard with an amazing view of the valley and then a bathing shelter and chimbusu-toilet. I have quite a bit of land and the volunteer before me did some farming so I might try my hand at gardening :-) My house needs quite a bit of work and I plan on cementing and painting the house so as soon as it is cozy I will post pictures! We stayed at our actual sites for two nights alone to get the feel of what it would be like. This was my favorite part of training and it is so hard to be back here in Lusaka! I just can't wait to be out in the bush and trying my hand at this work! My village headman is a very nice man, although the previous volunteer did say that he drinks quite a bit-which is not surprising as most men here in Zambia drink a lot! I also met my counterpart Gilbert-he is the secretary for the Health Community Center so he showed me around my health clinic and is a good guy from what I can tell. He speaks pretty great English so he helps when I can't understand the Bemba. Oh my Bemba is improving, slowly but surely and I was able to make a formal introduction to the villagers and clinic staff entirely in Bemba and they understood so yay for that! Northern Province is really gorgeous with lots of rolling hills and trees...it reminds me a lot of Pietermaritzburg but a more dry version. It is also pretty cold, actually it is the coldest district in Zambia so my winters aren't going to be fun! Luckily winter is ending and the dry hot season is approaching.
From my training group, nine of us are going to Northern. Five of us are in the health program and four are in the Rural Aquaculture program. I am so excited that my good friend from training will be in Northern province because I think after we get posted, it will be hard to see people from other provinces since we are so far away! But Kate is in Northern and we have the same provincial house-a house that Peace Corps provides for volunteers to escape to if they need a break from village life. We are allowed four nights per month at the house, which is in Kasama. It is a nice big house but it reminds me a lot of a sorority house. I met most of the current serving volunteers and they are really great but because I guess the hardship of service, they like to drink a lot when they get together. The house is surprisingly well organzied and will be a nice escape! And there is a full kitchen so we can cook delicious food like we eat in America!
Life in Zambia is great overall but there are little things that get really frustrating. The guys are very annoying and really persistent in trying to get you to talk to them or give them money. I went with a current serving volunteer from Mpika to Kasama and she showed me how to hitch, and the entire two hours that we waited for a ride, we were approached by drunk amaguys who wanted us to take their minibuses. It is so annoying! Hitching is quite popular in Zambia and is actually a much better, sometimes safer way of getting around Zambia then the public transit. Often the drivers of minibuses or buses are drunk so going anywhere with them could be bad. We ended up getting a hitch with a USAID pick-up truck who were heading up to Kasama to build a borehole. It was a nice ride and a pleasant conversation! It was kind of scary the first time but with time, it will be a piece of cake!
Sorry this is so jumbled...I am running out of time at this internet cafe so I must close for now but I promise to update again really soon!
I hope you all are well and please please write me!
Oh I have a new mailing address, please use it:
Sarita Fritzler, PCV
P.O. Box 450100
Mpika, Zambia
AFRICA
Miss you all!
I have just been on my first overnight bus in Zambia and luckily I survived :-)! I found out two weeks ago that I was going to be posted in Northern Province in Mpika District and so last week we all went out to our sites so that we could see what we would be getting into and returned together on the night bus from Kasama-the provincial capital of Northern to Lusaka. The bus trip took about 13 hours so I am quite far away from the capital but I like it that way! I am so excited and happy about my site...I am living not far from the BOMA of Mpika which is what they call the town so it is perfect location. I also have quite a few NGOs working in the area, including Irish Aid, USAID, World Vision etc that the volunteer before me worked with so I am excited to see what I can possibly do to help. My village is great and the people are so welcoming! I arrived at my actual site on Wednesday and the villages had a huge dance and welcome celebration for me at the rural health center where I will be working. It was overwhelming but beautiful and I really feel like they want me there. I am a 2nd generation volunteer but the volunteer before me left after a year of service so they were really disappointed in that and asked if I would stay three years to make up for it! Haha...I told them I would give it my best for two years and that is all I can promise! My hut is pretty nice...unfortunately I wasn't able to take any pictures but it is pretty big! I have two rooms, one sitting room and then a really large bedroom. I also have a small kitchen outside, a beautiful insaka (gazebo) that is on top of a hill in my backyard with an amazing view of the valley and then a bathing shelter and chimbusu-toilet. I have quite a bit of land and the volunteer before me did some farming so I might try my hand at gardening :-) My house needs quite a bit of work and I plan on cementing and painting the house so as soon as it is cozy I will post pictures! We stayed at our actual sites for two nights alone to get the feel of what it would be like. This was my favorite part of training and it is so hard to be back here in Lusaka! I just can't wait to be out in the bush and trying my hand at this work! My village headman is a very nice man, although the previous volunteer did say that he drinks quite a bit-which is not surprising as most men here in Zambia drink a lot! I also met my counterpart Gilbert-he is the secretary for the Health Community Center so he showed me around my health clinic and is a good guy from what I can tell. He speaks pretty great English so he helps when I can't understand the Bemba. Oh my Bemba is improving, slowly but surely and I was able to make a formal introduction to the villagers and clinic staff entirely in Bemba and they understood so yay for that! Northern Province is really gorgeous with lots of rolling hills and trees...it reminds me a lot of Pietermaritzburg but a more dry version. It is also pretty cold, actually it is the coldest district in Zambia so my winters aren't going to be fun! Luckily winter is ending and the dry hot season is approaching.
From my training group, nine of us are going to Northern. Five of us are in the health program and four are in the Rural Aquaculture program. I am so excited that my good friend from training will be in Northern province because I think after we get posted, it will be hard to see people from other provinces since we are so far away! But Kate is in Northern and we have the same provincial house-a house that Peace Corps provides for volunteers to escape to if they need a break from village life. We are allowed four nights per month at the house, which is in Kasama. It is a nice big house but it reminds me a lot of a sorority house. I met most of the current serving volunteers and they are really great but because I guess the hardship of service, they like to drink a lot when they get together. The house is surprisingly well organzied and will be a nice escape! And there is a full kitchen so we can cook delicious food like we eat in America!
Life in Zambia is great overall but there are little things that get really frustrating. The guys are very annoying and really persistent in trying to get you to talk to them or give them money. I went with a current serving volunteer from Mpika to Kasama and she showed me how to hitch, and the entire two hours that we waited for a ride, we were approached by drunk amaguys who wanted us to take their minibuses. It is so annoying! Hitching is quite popular in Zambia and is actually a much better, sometimes safer way of getting around Zambia then the public transit. Often the drivers of minibuses or buses are drunk so going anywhere with them could be bad. We ended up getting a hitch with a USAID pick-up truck who were heading up to Kasama to build a borehole. It was a nice ride and a pleasant conversation! It was kind of scary the first time but with time, it will be a piece of cake!
Sorry this is so jumbled...I am running out of time at this internet cafe so I must close for now but I promise to update again really soon!
I hope you all are well and please please write me!
Oh I have a new mailing address, please use it:
Sarita Fritzler, PCV
P.O. Box 450100
Mpika, Zambia
AFRICA
Miss you all!
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Midway through training
Hello Everyone! So that last post was really typed out about three weeks ago but did not publish for some reason until just right now so I'm sorry about the lack of correspondence!
Things are pretty good here for the most part. I have been at my host family for three weeks now and have adapted quite well to living in a mud hut, using a pit latrine, taking a bucket bath even though washing my hair is still difficult-a solar shower might become a necessity that I'll need sent to me-and overall my host family is great. It is a small family for Zambia but I like it. My bataata-father in bemba language-is a house builder so he is gone quite often. His name is caifus and he is forty. My bamaayo-mother in bemba-is great. She really wants me to learn bemba so works with me everyday to practice. She speaks pretty good english. She is only thirty! They have a fifteen year old daughter named Joyce who is also great. She always picks me up from school and we walk home even though I have my bike! She also really wants me to learn bemba so i am slowly getting better. It is kind of difficult but my language trainer says my group is learning the best. We actually had our first simulation test yesterday and our group scored the highest, and I got a 4.9/5.0 so not bad! My language group only has three people in it so it is perfect. It is myself and then a married couple named Ryan and Ashley. They are great and we work well together. They are also my closest neighbor at my home stay family so that is nice. We all think we will be placed in Luapula province but I will not know for sure until the end of August. Luapula is supposedly a beautiful province with lots of water and fish so we will see. It is quite far from Lusaka though.
Training is pretty intense and very interactive. We spend all day everyday in training. I wake every
morning at 6 to the wonderful choir of roosters! They sound like broken records and are so annoying! So I am awake early and have breakfast in the main house at 7 then gather my stuff before heading out on my bike to my language class which is held at the womens club-a mud hut in the middle of the bush-luckily it is only five mins away from my house. The bike riding is slowly improving-I am very out of shape but also it is really hard to ride on unpaved, rocky and sandy roads! By the end of two years I will be the most fit I have ever been :) my language training lasts for four long hours! Luckily with just three of us we manage to go a little faster so we get out early. I bike back to home, have some lunch usually rice and soya and then bike to chilimbana school where we have tech sessions. The trainers for the health tech part are great and give some really good advice. After tech we get home around five thirty at which point the sun is setting so we take our bucket baths, eat dinner and practice language with the family. I am not too fond of the zambian food so am looking forward to cooking for myself! The food is very plain so can't wait to spice it up.
The pc staff are great, especially the local zambian staff. They all have great insights and give some great tools for us to have a good two years. We have been talking a lot about sustainable development and I really dont understand why we are talking so extensively about this considering we all signed up for the job so whether we agree of sustainable development practices we are here so how can we make the most of it. For the past few days we have had so many talks about development in general and some people have some really negative attitudes about how development doesnt work. I just always want to ask then why did you chose to do pc? I hope we move on from this topic because whether or not we think it is sustainable we are here doing development work so how can we work within our communities to help them better their lives in a
sustainable way. That is what i hope we start talking about! The debate is important but not in our training seminars.
So that is a look at my life right now...I am sorry for the delayed updates on these blogs, access to a reliable computer is really hard! Please please write to me, we all look forward to mail call on thursdays :-)
Hope all is well in the states!!
Love and miss you all!
Things are pretty good here for the most part. I have been at my host family for three weeks now and have adapted quite well to living in a mud hut, using a pit latrine, taking a bucket bath even though washing my hair is still difficult-a solar shower might become a necessity that I'll need sent to me-and overall my host family is great. It is a small family for Zambia but I like it. My bataata-father in bemba language-is a house builder so he is gone quite often. His name is caifus and he is forty. My bamaayo-mother in bemba-is great. She really wants me to learn bemba so works with me everyday to practice. She speaks pretty good english. She is only thirty! They have a fifteen year old daughter named Joyce who is also great. She always picks me up from school and we walk home even though I have my bike! She also really wants me to learn bemba so i am slowly getting better. It is kind of difficult but my language trainer says my group is learning the best. We actually had our first simulation test yesterday and our group scored the highest, and I got a 4.9/5.0 so not bad! My language group only has three people in it so it is perfect. It is myself and then a married couple named Ryan and Ashley. They are great and we work well together. They are also my closest neighbor at my home stay family so that is nice. We all think we will be placed in Luapula province but I will not know for sure until the end of August. Luapula is supposedly a beautiful province with lots of water and fish so we will see. It is quite far from Lusaka though.
Training is pretty intense and very interactive. We spend all day everyday in training. I wake every
morning at 6 to the wonderful choir of roosters! They sound like broken records and are so annoying! So I am awake early and have breakfast in the main house at 7 then gather my stuff before heading out on my bike to my language class which is held at the womens club-a mud hut in the middle of the bush-luckily it is only five mins away from my house. The bike riding is slowly improving-I am very out of shape but also it is really hard to ride on unpaved, rocky and sandy roads! By the end of two years I will be the most fit I have ever been :) my language training lasts for four long hours! Luckily with just three of us we manage to go a little faster so we get out early. I bike back to home, have some lunch usually rice and soya and then bike to chilimbana school where we have tech sessions. The trainers for the health tech part are great and give some really good advice. After tech we get home around five thirty at which point the sun is setting so we take our bucket baths, eat dinner and practice language with the family. I am not too fond of the zambian food so am looking forward to cooking for myself! The food is very plain so can't wait to spice it up.
The pc staff are great, especially the local zambian staff. They all have great insights and give some great tools for us to have a good two years. We have been talking a lot about sustainable development and I really dont understand why we are talking so extensively about this considering we all signed up for the job so whether we agree of sustainable development practices we are here so how can we make the most of it. For the past few days we have had so many talks about development in general and some people have some really negative attitudes about how development doesnt work. I just always want to ask then why did you chose to do pc? I hope we move on from this topic because whether or not we think it is sustainable we are here doing development work so how can we work within our communities to help them better their lives in a
sustainable way. That is what i hope we start talking about! The debate is important but not in our training seminars.
So that is a look at my life right now...I am sorry for the delayed updates on these blogs, access to a reliable computer is really hard! Please please write to me, we all look forward to mail call on thursdays :-)
Hope all is well in the states!!
Love and miss you all!
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Mwapoleni Mwaki
Hello everyone!
I am sitting in an internet cafe in Lusaka and have been in Zambia almost two weeks now! I am having a great time...Zambia is a beautiful country and the people are so welcoming. We arrived in Lusaka on the evening of the 23rd a few days after orientation in D.C. I met my entire group in D.C.--it is an interesting group of people. it is cool to see why people are doing this...a lot are world travelers but some have never been overseas which is so crazy!!
I am settled in my homestay family now...for the first week, we were staying at a government hostel which was nice but definitely not what I'll be staying in for the next two years. Last weekend, we all went to different provinces to see what life was really like for volunteers. I went to Southern Province which was nice to see because they will not be placing any of us down there...it is where Victoria Falls is and is a very developed part of Zambia so peace corps, because of cut backs on funding, is pulling out of that province for now. I stayed with a health volunteer named Brittany...she is a great person and gave us tons of helpful information. She speaks Tonga and we met all of her local village neighbors. She is in a very remote part of Zambia though...about a two hour bike road to the tarmac which is what Zambians call the paved road and then another four hour bike ride to the nearest town. I hope I will have a placement that will not be so remote!
After returning to Lusaka, we got split up into language groups. I found out that I will be learning Bemba so that means I will be placed in either Central, Northern or Luapula province. I have a feeling I will be in Luapula but will not know for sure until closer to the end of training. I am staying with a Bemba speaking host family...they are great and my family loves having a volunteer. It is the first time they have had a volunteer stay with them so it is a really big deal in the community. They are jehovah's witnesses so I declined to go to church but hopefully I'll be able to go to a catholic one with another volunteer's family.
Training is so intense but it will be great I hope I master the language but man, it is very different from English so that is kinda of hard. They can't say R's and have trouble with my name so i am referred to as Ba Sarah--oh well by the end, hopefully they can say Sarita. The PC staff seem nice and I have met some other volunteers who have been really great about giving us hints.
Life in Zambia is very different than in the states, but so far I'm loving it. It is a beautiful country and there is so much to learn. I hope I am able to be a good volunteer but I guess that will come in time! Two years is so long but doesn't seem long enough for the amount of health work that these rural villages need. I hope I do leave some sort of impact...
Anyways, this is turning into rambling, I'm sorry! I must close for now becuase I am sharing this internet time with a few other trainees so they need to get on now.
Please please write to me as I'd love to hear from you all!! I have posted letters so please be looking for them!
If you do send letters, please write AIR MAIL on the envelope and if you send packages, please put religious materials enclosed on the outside so that no one tampers with it!
I hope to hear from you all soon and I hope you are all well!!
Miss you tons and tons.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
A week before the BIG ADVENTURE BEGINS!!
So here is the blog I promised I would start so that anyone who was interestd in my journeys abroad could follow :-)
I leave for Arlington in 5 days and Zambia in 7 days!! Crazy how time is just flying...and there is still so much I have to do and pack! But I'm very excited!
The Peace Corps asks us to respond to some questions they post in our aspiration statement. I have attached mine so that you may get an idea of what I hope to accomplish during my two years.
MY ASPIRATION STATEMENT:
A: The professional attributes that you plan to use, and whatever aspirations you hope to fulfill, during your Peace Corps service:
The professional attributes I will bring to my role as a Community Health Development Peace Corps Volunteer are my strong work ethic, professional standard of dress and deportment, strong research skills regarding health content and community organizing processes (best practices), and my willingness to give and receive constructive feedback to improve personal and project performance. Above all this, I hope to build on my personal qualities of patience, flexibility and a sense of humor.
B. Your strategies for working effectively with host country partners to meet expressed needs:
To be productive and effective as a health volunteer, I will approach my job with a solid understanding of what is expected of me and commit to excellence in carrying out my responsibilities. To do this, I know I will need to form strong connections with staff at the rural health clinics and other community based programs, government officials, village leaders and, of course, adults and children in the community. I am a very easy going, social and collaborative person by nature, as well as being widely traveled (I lived overseas for many years), so I am comfortable in reaching out and mingling with people at all levels. I will naturally lend an active ear to the problems of parents and children in the community who are, after all, the intended beneficiaries of the good work we are supposed to be doing. I think the biggest challenge I will face is how to effectively manage differences amongst various players in how problems are perceived and addressed, especially when efforts and solutions seem inadequate. I will strive continually to improve my skills in communication and diplomacy; and seek guidance from committed local partners, other PC staff, volunteers, and counterparts whose work I respect.
C. Your strategies for adapting to a new culture with respect to your own cultural background:
Being an American citizen of Indian heritage, adopted by Caucasian parents, and having spent the majority of my childhood growing up in various parts of the globe, I will continue to approach life overseas with an open mind, heart and, of course, a good sense of humor. I know that life in Zambia will be very different from the life I live now in America, and have lived in India, Egypt, Ghana and South Africa; but I think my unique background and experiences will make the transition easier for me than perhaps others. I am fully aware, however, that I will need to hone skills in adaptation and resilience. In order to be accepted in Zambian society, I will present myself as someone who is eager and willing to immerse myself in the culture by acquiring language skills and experiential knowledge about traditions and ways of life. In turn, I will project an openness and pleasure in sharing things about my own life and culture. I know that at times I will feel frustrated with differences in, for example, concepts of privacy, time, gender roles, pace of work and so on, but I have a fundamental trust in people’s inherent kindness and sensibilities concerning respectful attitudes and behavior—even when there are differences. I will always seek to be understanding and courteous in my dealings, even when outlooks significantly differ and conflicts arise.
D. The skills and knowledge you hope to gain during pre-service training to best serve your future community project:
During pre-service training, I hope to steep myself in information that will better my ability to serve as a productive volunteer. In addition to language training, which I know will be emphasized and I hope to master, I hope that health and organizational development training specific to the different sectors volunteers will be working in will take place. Of course, I expect that there will be many elements of training that have general and important application to all volunteers concerning their day to day lives (living in mud huts by themselves in Zambian villages!), personal health, safety, security and so on. In my case, I expect (hope!) to be introduced to health content, a profile of local needs and challenges of the communities regarding nutrition, sanitation, and diseases (HIV/AIDS, malaria, TB, childhood illnesses), and effective strategies for progress in addressing them. I would like to end my pre-service training with a good basic knowledge base (in all areas!) on which I can build through my own personal initiative and the resources PC will provide down the road. I hope to receive whatever is most important to get me up and running as quickly as possible in settling in to my house, community and work assignment.
E. How you think Peace Corps service will influence your personal and professional aspirations after your service ends:
My father served as a PCV in Nepal in the late 1960s, both my father and mother worked for PC, and have spent nearly 20 years living overseas, with my father working largely with CARE and Save The Children in program management and as a country director, and my mother working and volunteering with local NGOs. I have been deeply influenced by their service orientation and experiences, and hope to follow my father’s lead in pursuing an upper level position with an NGO, or even join the U.S. Foreign Service. Presently, I am following my mother’s lead at working for little but gaining invaluable grassroots experience and contributing the sum of my education, interests, skills and talents toward facilitating positive change at the local level. My father’s political science degree and experience growing up on a farm served him well in grassroots agriculture coop development work as a PCV in Nepal. My mother’s background in social work has likewise served her well in bringing value to health and child protection programs. I believe that my political science degree (with a minor in gender studies) has prepared me well for new immersions—now in health studies, and will enhance my understanding of health work within the context of complex social, political and government systems. My upbringing, past studies, new learning and commitment will, I believe, combine to make me an asset to the U.S. Peace Corps, and will guide me in my future plans for graduate school and a career in humanitarian work.
Well I hope to be in touch with many of you before I leave but if not, please please keep in touch and know that you are all in my thoughts and prayers over the next two years!!
My address for the next three months while I'm training:
Sarita Fritzler, PCT
P.O. Box 50707
Lusaka, Zambia
AFRICA
Please write me, I promise I will write back to every letter I receive!! and send packages... :-)
I leave for Arlington in 5 days and Zambia in 7 days!! Crazy how time is just flying...and there is still so much I have to do and pack! But I'm very excited!
The Peace Corps asks us to respond to some questions they post in our aspiration statement. I have attached mine so that you may get an idea of what I hope to accomplish during my two years.
MY ASPIRATION STATEMENT:
A: The professional attributes that you plan to use, and whatever aspirations you hope to fulfill, during your Peace Corps service:
The professional attributes I will bring to my role as a Community Health Development Peace Corps Volunteer are my strong work ethic, professional standard of dress and deportment, strong research skills regarding health content and community organizing processes (best practices), and my willingness to give and receive constructive feedback to improve personal and project performance. Above all this, I hope to build on my personal qualities of patience, flexibility and a sense of humor.
B. Your strategies for working effectively with host country partners to meet expressed needs:
To be productive and effective as a health volunteer, I will approach my job with a solid understanding of what is expected of me and commit to excellence in carrying out my responsibilities. To do this, I know I will need to form strong connections with staff at the rural health clinics and other community based programs, government officials, village leaders and, of course, adults and children in the community. I am a very easy going, social and collaborative person by nature, as well as being widely traveled (I lived overseas for many years), so I am comfortable in reaching out and mingling with people at all levels. I will naturally lend an active ear to the problems of parents and children in the community who are, after all, the intended beneficiaries of the good work we are supposed to be doing. I think the biggest challenge I will face is how to effectively manage differences amongst various players in how problems are perceived and addressed, especially when efforts and solutions seem inadequate. I will strive continually to improve my skills in communication and diplomacy; and seek guidance from committed local partners, other PC staff, volunteers, and counterparts whose work I respect.
C. Your strategies for adapting to a new culture with respect to your own cultural background:
Being an American citizen of Indian heritage, adopted by Caucasian parents, and having spent the majority of my childhood growing up in various parts of the globe, I will continue to approach life overseas with an open mind, heart and, of course, a good sense of humor. I know that life in Zambia will be very different from the life I live now in America, and have lived in India, Egypt, Ghana and South Africa; but I think my unique background and experiences will make the transition easier for me than perhaps others. I am fully aware, however, that I will need to hone skills in adaptation and resilience. In order to be accepted in Zambian society, I will present myself as someone who is eager and willing to immerse myself in the culture by acquiring language skills and experiential knowledge about traditions and ways of life. In turn, I will project an openness and pleasure in sharing things about my own life and culture. I know that at times I will feel frustrated with differences in, for example, concepts of privacy, time, gender roles, pace of work and so on, but I have a fundamental trust in people’s inherent kindness and sensibilities concerning respectful attitudes and behavior—even when there are differences. I will always seek to be understanding and courteous in my dealings, even when outlooks significantly differ and conflicts arise.
D. The skills and knowledge you hope to gain during pre-service training to best serve your future community project:
During pre-service training, I hope to steep myself in information that will better my ability to serve as a productive volunteer. In addition to language training, which I know will be emphasized and I hope to master, I hope that health and organizational development training specific to the different sectors volunteers will be working in will take place. Of course, I expect that there will be many elements of training that have general and important application to all volunteers concerning their day to day lives (living in mud huts by themselves in Zambian villages!), personal health, safety, security and so on. In my case, I expect (hope!) to be introduced to health content, a profile of local needs and challenges of the communities regarding nutrition, sanitation, and diseases (HIV/AIDS, malaria, TB, childhood illnesses), and effective strategies for progress in addressing them. I would like to end my pre-service training with a good basic knowledge base (in all areas!) on which I can build through my own personal initiative and the resources PC will provide down the road. I hope to receive whatever is most important to get me up and running as quickly as possible in settling in to my house, community and work assignment.
E. How you think Peace Corps service will influence your personal and professional aspirations after your service ends:
My father served as a PCV in Nepal in the late 1960s, both my father and mother worked for PC, and have spent nearly 20 years living overseas, with my father working largely with CARE and Save The Children in program management and as a country director, and my mother working and volunteering with local NGOs. I have been deeply influenced by their service orientation and experiences, and hope to follow my father’s lead in pursuing an upper level position with an NGO, or even join the U.S. Foreign Service. Presently, I am following my mother’s lead at working for little but gaining invaluable grassroots experience and contributing the sum of my education, interests, skills and talents toward facilitating positive change at the local level. My father’s political science degree and experience growing up on a farm served him well in grassroots agriculture coop development work as a PCV in Nepal. My mother’s background in social work has likewise served her well in bringing value to health and child protection programs. I believe that my political science degree (with a minor in gender studies) has prepared me well for new immersions—now in health studies, and will enhance my understanding of health work within the context of complex social, political and government systems. My upbringing, past studies, new learning and commitment will, I believe, combine to make me an asset to the U.S. Peace Corps, and will guide me in my future plans for graduate school and a career in humanitarian work.
Well I hope to be in touch with many of you before I leave but if not, please please keep in touch and know that you are all in my thoughts and prayers over the next two years!!
My address for the next three months while I'm training:
Sarita Fritzler, PCT
P.O. Box 50707
Lusaka, Zambia
AFRICA
Please write me, I promise I will write back to every letter I receive!! and send packages... :-)
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