Hello from Zambia!!!

Hi Everyone! Because I do not have regular computer access during my 9 week training period, I have been keeping a journal of my experiences, here is a snippet of what I have done so far. I am internet cafe for just a short period of time, so I apologize in advance for any misspellings, etc.

First Site Visit:

After just a few nights spent at a training center outside of Zambia's capital city, Lusaka, my intake of volunteers was sent out on our first site visit. During this time, we were to stay with current volunteers at their posts out in the bush! I was sent to Northern Province, specifically Mpika district, to the village of Mununga. The current volunteer did not have enough room in her hut for all of us, so we took our tents and camped out for 3 nights. Memorable moments from the trip include:

1. Having the father in the neighboring house stay up all night guarding our tents (we heard rumors that he circled our cluster of tents with a club to protect us!)
2. Taking "snaps"of the kids. They love love love to have their picture made!
3. Watching the neighbors kill and cook a chicken and rooster in honor of our visit to the village.
4. Helping the mother of the neighboring family prepare a traditional meal: nshima, relish (rape with ground nuts), etc. (Food will require a whole separate post- coming soon, I promise!)
5. Learning from our host volunteer the boundless culinary possibilities of the brazier (or charcoal cooking stove)- we made a curry dish, spaghetti, scrambled eggs, pancakes, popcorn, tacos, and even a cake! I am definitely looking forward to experimenting with both new and old recipes as soon as I have my own brazier.
6. Learning how to tie my chitenge (wrap skirt) so that is didn't fall off while walking. I have been told that this traditional piece of cloth has 500+ uses, the most popular being clothing, apron, headwrap, baby sling, purse, blanket, towel and curtain. I am sure that I will discover many more uses over the course of my next 27 months.
7. Experimenting with the bucket bath for the first time. It's just you, a bucket of warm water, a cup and towel in an enclosure made of some sort of grass that does not lend itself to much privacy!
8. Attempting to learn how to use the bathroom in a pit latrine, a target that to most Americans would seem nearly impossible to hit. After several failed attempts and wet shoes, I learned that disrobing from the waist down was the best method while I was still in "pit latrine training".
9. Experiencing my first long ride in the back of a land cruiser - 6 hrs of bumpy roads in the back of a land cruiser with 7 other volunteers (but no one complained!).

Overall, the experience was great! It gave us volunteers a chance to see what village life is really like, time to voice our fears, concerns, and excitement surrounding our next 2 years of service in Zambia, and time to recharge after several busy days of travel, shuffling baggage, filling out forms, receiving a plethora of vaccines and playing numerous icebreakers with PC staff and fellow PC trainees.

I have other journal entries that I want to post, but my time is just about up. I attempted to upload my pictures, but the computer is taking quite a while, so I will probably have to wait until another time. I know you are on the edge of your seat waiting to see me in my adorable new chitenge, so I promise that I will try again with the pictures next time. Know that I am safe and happy and continuing to discover Zambia!

Much love!

Salley

Are we there yet?

The past two days have been quite slow, full of a string of setbacks and much waiting. We were warned that transportation would be frustrating, but I anticipated that this would come later in Zambia, not so early in our journey.

It all started in Atlanta, with a bus mix-up that required us to transfer buses, leaving our luggage on a sidewalk downtown in the heat and drizzling rain for several hours. Our 16 hour flight from Atlanta to Johannesburg was delayed a bit, so upon arrival in South Africa last evening, we missed our connecting flight to Lusaka, Zambia. After spending several hours in the airport sprawled out all over the floor, Peace Corps staff were able to reserve us rooms in a nearby hotel. After one last night with a warm shower and comfortable bed, we are back at the airport in Johannesburg waiting on our flights. Our group of 58 has been split up, some having caught an earlier flight to Lusaka, others waiting for the evening flight, and still others waiting on standby. I was one of the lucky ones to secure a ticket on the evening flight tonight, so, if I keep my fingers crossed, later today I will finally set foot in Zambia!

I still do not feel like I am in Africa. Being confined to the airport feels more like being stuck in an upscale mall. We are taunted by picture books in the gift shops depicting Victoria Falls and safari scenes, and I think that everyone is chomping at the bit to get to our final destination. We have explored as much of the airport as we can, lugging around our heavy carry-ons, and bought some of the local junk food. My chutney flavor Simba Chips being my first taste of Africa : )

The long fight went surprisingly well. I was seated directly in the center of my row, which wasn’t too bad as I had other volunteers on either side of me. One of my seatmates let me lean on his shoulder for a bit, which was very sweet, considering the possibility of me drooling all over him. He assured me that he had his poncho with him just in case I got out of hand, but luckily he didn’t have to use it : ) The food wasn’t too great, but edible, and the flight attendants couldn’t have been any nicer. I got up several times towards the end of the flight to look out the window at the dusty landscape of Namibia and Botswana as we crossed over. It was pretty to look at, wide and vast – my first glimpse of Africa!

I will let you know when I finally reach Zambia! Until then, I will stand guard over a sleeping group of fellow volunteers in the airport, as I am the only person still awake!

Thanks for reading! Hope you all are well : )

BIG Sigh of Relief!

I arrived in Atlanta today for “staging,” Peace Corps pre-departure orientation. I have met some AMAZING people and feel like we have a really great and supportive group. Saying goodbye to my family this morning was very difficult, but meeting people that are feeling exactly as I am has made what could have been a really terrifying day, a really wonderful and relieving experience.

Sorry to be so brief, but I have to get my beauty rest before heading out tomorrow! I will let you know when I arrive on Thursday!

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers!

Here is my first Peace Corps photo!!!

FREAKING OUT!!!

I have cried at least once each day for the past 5 days. The stress of preparation and saying goodbye has proven to be very difficult. I have been assured by returned volunteers that the first part of this journey will be the worse though, and I am hopeful that they are correct. I think that once I get to Zambia and get busy settling in and eventually find a routine, things will be better. I am still very excited to be embarking in such an incredible experience, and know that this is an opportunity I would never want to pass up.

I have included my mailing address during training to the right. I have heard that during the first 8-9 weeks, internet access is spotty, so contact via letter writing is suggested. If you feel like sending a letter to a land far far away, get out your stationary and get creative! I will appreciate hearing from you : )

I have to bring this post to a quick close, as I need to go wrestle with my suitcase for the rest of the day. Next time I write, I will probably be in Zambia!

Take care while I’m away!

Love,

Salley

I just don’t know what to do with myself…

It has been a while since I have last updated, so I feel like I should at least put something on the page (for all my fans out there, you know - thanks for reading, Mom). It is about time for the obligatory “COUNTDOWN!” post that so many soon-to-be Peace Corps Trainees include on their blogs as departure looms nearer, so here’s mine:

Two weeks to go, and I am surprisingly calm. I’m at the beach with my family and find myself at a loss as to what I should be doing. The past month has been spent rushing around gathering info about Zambia, filling out PC paperwork, having a ridiculous number of passport-sized photos made, buying gear I think I will need (despite all the disapproving remarks from friends who fear that I am taking more than is necessary – and yes, just so you Debbie Downers know, my Aveda hair products are essential, and they will find their way onto the plane no matter what), settling money and legal matters at home, eating (as discussed in my previous post), seeing friends and family here and there, and studying for my exam to become a Registered Dietitian (which I passed last Monday, Yippee! That’s one less thing to worry about upon my return to the states in 27 months!).

I think that because I have been pretty tied up over the last several weeks, I don’t even know what to do with myself now that I have some down time. I think I’m just going to go with it, sit back, and enjoy my last bit of time at home. It might be quite a while before I am given the opportunity to just sit and do nothing. I am looking forward to seeing one of my best friends who is flying in from NYC tomorrow, and hanging out with other buddies and family at home before I leave. Perhaps I’ll practice packing my suitcase, or setting up my tent.

I also want to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who has helped me prepare for my adventure. Because of the things I was able to purchase with your help, I feel so much better prepared for Zambia. And your kind words of encouragement will remind me, each day I am over there, of why I decided to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer, and give me comfort in knowing others are thinking of me back home. Thank you for supporting me, and in doing so, also showing your support of the Peace Corps!

Food Baby!!!

With only about a month left before I leave for Zambia, I have begun scrambling to consume as many of my favorite comfort foods as possible. This may seem like an easy task, but right now, I sit here typing feeling extremely uncomfortable, pregnant with a slaw dog, french fries, and two glasses of Pepsi, and I wonder if I can go on. I have done pretty well so far, tried to pace myself, and have a few more things to eat before I feel like I am ready for Africa. So far my food triumphs include: Biscuit Factory, Krispy Kreme, Thai food, a waffle cone of Ben and Jerry’s Chunky Monkey, Dog House, pizza, and a banana split. Still to come are BBQ, a Cookout milkshake, Alex’s House breakfast, Mediterranean Deli, and fried chicken. I am a little over halfway there, so I hope I can see this through to the finish. Elasticized pants are definitely in my future, and I am thankful that I hear that those wraps women wear in Zambia can be very forgiving. Let’s hope so at least!

Ugh, off to take some tums and digest…

Roach Motels and Rat Traps

I am going to stop reading the blogs of current PC volunteers serving in Zambia. In my excitement to learn more about the country, I thought that reading first-hand accounts would give me the best idea of what to expect. While there are many touching stories of connections made with host families and village residents, the stories that seem more common are more of the “holy mother, you will never believe what happened today!” type events. There are stories of ants and termites that can bore through concrete floors, roaches and spiders who are so numerous that they become housemates or are named as pets, a rat the size of a large cat falling onto a sleeping volunteer’s face, and a cobra curled up underneath a volunteer’s bed. With all these online cries for help, you’d think Terminix would have swooped in by now to corner the market on pest control. The need is obviously there. I am now wondering whether I should devote the majority of my packing space to rat traps and roach motels, as it appears that a large majority of the volunteer’s day is spent either trying to catch or squash the little vermin, and if those efforts prove ineffective, they devote a great deal of time to writing about them instead! Either way, I know that am going to have to get to know nature a little bit better : /