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!