Some reflections on life so far...

So wow I am a few weeks away from my one year anniversary in Zambia...crazy but exciting at the same time. I want to take this time to update on my highs and frustrations of living under the beautiful zambian sky.

Highs:
* Despite having very little, Zambians in general are the most welcoming, friendly and hospitable people I have ever encountered. They are always willing to help, invite you to join them for a meal and talk to you. Their smiles are so contagious and you can't help but be happy, most of the time.

* The children, despite their sometimes lack of listening skills, are full of joy and laughter and can always make me smile, even when I am in a bad mood. They are so creative and can entertain themselves for hours without getting bored. It is amazing just watching them run back and forth along my street pretending to be a train, or running with tires and sticks and having the time of their life. They are so content with what they have-no such thing as being materialistic in the village.

* People are born dancing and music is in their blood. Whether it is a meeting, a church service, a funeral or just an evening around the fire, the sounds of African drumming can be heard and dancing is abundunt. If you want to be welcome right away, you just have to bust into dance and smile :-)

* The African sky is the most amazing site to see. With the absence of skyscrapers and city lights, every night you can gaze at a billion shimmering stars and the milky way. A full moon provides enough light that you don't even need a flashlight to see where you're going. And the sunsets take your breath away-no joke-and unfortunately, a camera does no justice to it's beauty. Honestly, whenever I am having a bad day, I sit on my front stoop and watch the sunsets and the arrival of the evening sky, and life's better again :-)

* Village living is amazing and surprisingly, very easy to adapt. I love washing dishes, cooking meals on my brazier (I'm slowly becoming quite the cook!), handwashing my clothes and cleaning the house. Life is simple and peaceful. I wake up to the sounds of school-going children and fall asleep to the sounds of drumming, it's beautiful. I love sitting on my front stoop and watching the daily activities of villagers-women juggling two jerry cans full of water with a moveous (bemblish word-bemba & english, love it!) baby strapped to her back, children eating sugar cane and gossiping on the way to school, men slashing the grass and clearing the surroundings, and villagers just visiting with one another. Yes, life is truly beautiful here.

* Attempting to speak Bemba is the best ice-breaking technique-the minute I greet in Bemba, everyone laughs and relaxes. They believe with this simple Bemba, I'm fluent, therefore, I'm one of them and welcomed with open arms.

* Work is rewarding and the people are appreciative. It's an amazing feeling to be thanked profusely for simply doing my job-after any meeting with a health group, I am thanked as if I just gave them a bundle of gold! It makes my job worth doing.

* I have the best neighbor ever and am so thankful for all the home improvements he has taken upon himself to do. I live at the "statehouse" according to my villagers, and it's all thanks to him. He is also a great source of information and loves to talk-it's nice to have someone who speaks great English so close.

* I have really great, motivated working counterparts in the village, and they motivate me to continue working. Their energy is endless, I always am struggling to keep up with them. The most amazing thing is they follow American-time, not ZamTime (arriving two hours late) so it's truly awesome to work with them. I am hoping they can influence their villagers to be more like them.

* Zambians are so so so helpful, whether its in giving me a free hitch or helping me carry my bags when I return home from a trip. They offer and don't ask for anything (although you know they would appreciate something). Also along this line, it is so safe in Zambia-I have never (knock on wood) felt uncomfortable or unwelcome here. And you meet the most interesting people hitching, who would have thought, right? Ahh I live the life :-)

Well like any story, there are good things and bad things...not necessarily bad, but some big frustrations I've had over the course of the year:

* It gets old very fast when meetings are constantly being canceled or people don't show up when they say they will. Example, today I scheduled meeting with the headmistress at a private girls' school to talk about camp glow-this school is about 25 km from my site so I made the effort to come in today, phoned ahead to make the appointment, and when I got here, was told the headmistress was in the boma at another meeting-ugh! It really tries one's nerves...no matter how much you try to get over it, it's still frustrating.

* Being called muzungu (you-white in Bemba) also gets old, very fast!

* Being called iwe (you or child in Bemba): I am not a child! And I like to be addressed with the respectful Ba...It is irritating to walk through the boma and have men cat call and shout "iwe"-sorry guys, it does not flatter me in any way.

* Being asked to give things to people-'Ba Sarita, Mpeleniko amaticket ku Amelika', You're rich, You're an American, give me your ipod, cell phone, etc etc. ugh the concept of volunteer is so foreign they really do not believe me when I say I don't have anything to give but knowledge.

* Fights in the village. Zambians are generally the friendliest people I've ever met, yet they do have pent up anger and when something pushes them too far, something fierce is unleashed and fights erupt. And the most annoying part is that no one stops it! They form a crowd and watch. And unfortunately, my shouting of "Awe"-NO!, does nothing!

* It's quite irritating that even though a man is married and has a family to support, he has no problem asking me (in a non-joking manner) to be his girlfriend and hoping I say yes. Even my lecturings of faithfulness and being committed does not stop the steady stream of proposals.

* Abstinence-only sex education at the public schools makes it very hard to educate youth on prevention methods for HIV/AIDs and STIs. At my anti-aids club, I am not allowed to do a condom demonstration because condoms are not allowed at school, yet the number one reason why condoms aren't effective is because of improper use! Ahhh.

* Excessive, continual waste of money in drinking. Public displays of intoxication is something I see on a daily basis and when people are drunk, they love to be loud and obnoxious. I have a policy of no drunk people on my property but this stops nothing. And in group constitutions, there is a no drunkeness allowed rule-yes, it is that big of a problem. And it is so sad-parents say they have no money for school fees, food, clothes, etc yet there is always enough for alcohol. And whenever I address this in the village, people just laugh and move on....this is an on going battle I try to fight every day.


So there you have it. The highs and lows. Overall I am so incredibly happy and truly love Zambia and the Zambian people. Every culture and society has their flaws-America is not perfect in any sense and a lot of my frustrations can be found on a slightly different scale in America, so it is nice to take this time to reflect on them here in Zambia.

Other than this, life is good and I am super busy. I am enjoying village life immensely and live in the most perfect location! I have been able to enjoy the world cup fever spreading all over Africa in the boma with other pcvs and european volunteers-we have a great support group in Mpika and it's fantastic. I wish you all were here to share this experience with me!

Hope all is well back in America-land. Please please please continue writing/emailing/commenting as it makes my day to hear from all you back home!

Happy Summer :-)