You can call me! (Al)

Hello All,

How is everyone? Well, my biggest news of the week is I bought a cell phone and it works. So far. My mom and dad have the number and you can get it from them and call me. I highly recommend using a pre-paid international calling card (the Costco one is good) because it is otherwise extremely expensive. Mom, have you received the phone bill from that one time you called without? Someone talked to their mom for an hour and the phone bill was $600. I hope that does not happen to you!

In other news: One week from now I will know where I will be posted for the next two years. I am still crossing my fingers for Luapula, not just because Elliott lives there, but because I like everything about it and the sites sound awesome. Apparently the two HAP (my project - HIV AIDS Project) sites are really close to each other and they're both close to a big lake with white sandy beaches!!! Not like I can swim while I am here -- we just had our session on shistosomiasis (google it) on Thursday: NSHILEFWAYA! (I DO NOT WANT!) Right, so in one week I will know whether I am going to Luapula, Central, or Northern Province for the next two years and I will share that info with you. However, I might not get to email for a while, probably not on Sunday, because I leave on Sunday to go on second site visit to the province where I will be posted. We will be gone for 10 days, but we will be in towns for a bunch of that visit and I'm sure I will be able to connect. Otherwise, call me!!!

Training is going super well. I really like it and I am making great friends. On Tuesday (July 4th) we had Cultural Day - July 4th is also a public holiday in Zambia. I think it is Farmer's Day. We all stayed home with our host families in the morning and I learned to cook kapenta (small dried fish) and soya pieces. They said I was a natural. In the afternoon all of the bamaayos came with us to Mwekera and prepared a TON of traditional dishes. I ate a caterpillar. I didn't like it. I won't do it again, but I did live through it. We watched while they killed 8 chickens all at once. Now I know how if I ever decide that I want the experience. Again, I have forgotten my camera to let you in on the visual experience. Anyway, the food was awesome, and interesting, and plentiful all at once. Ciisuma sana sana sana (it was very very very okay, or exciting, or tasty, or good). Ifyakulya nafiwama sana (The food is very good). I make sure to tell my bamaayo that the food is very good everytime I am served any kind of vegetable. Note: send vitamins.

Last night we went to a disco in Kitwe, called Exodus. I think it is a kind of bizarre name for a nightclub, but it was most excellent. Not too different from some of the joints I frequented in Cape Town. However, I did get to practice my Bemba with a couple of cocktails in me. Anyway, a good time was had by all. They drove us back to the training center and we all camped out in a small tent city on the grounds. I got three hours of sleep and we got up this morning to come to Kitwe. I promptly bought some cheese (I don't get any in the village) and some chocolate and bananas.

I really like Sundays because they are our only day off in the week. Last week after posting to the blog I went and got schwarma (it's a lot like a gyro . . . really tasty) for lunch and ate it at this place called Linda's, where there is a swimming pool and a bar, and not a whole lot else. There is no water in the pool at present, but we spent the afternoon drinking Congolese beer from big bottles poolside. It was heaven. We may very well go there again this afternoon!

I guess there's not a whole lot else to report right now. A sort of uneventful week I guess. I can say that biking is getting so much easier and I have cut my time to Mwekera to just under an hour. I actually look forward to Thursdays, both for the fun of seeing everyone all together and for the bike ride.

Like biking, my Bemba is also improving. I find myself conversing with my bamaayo a lot more often (she doesn't speak English, so that is a good sign that I am getting better). I am entirely aware that I have only 5 more weeks of language instruction, and I should be working my bum off to get really good while I have the help. I am sure that I will pick up a ton in the village when I am posted, but I am nowhere near being able to facilitate sessions in Bemba.

On Tuesday I am giving a nutrition workshop to fifth graders at a local school. I am pretty excited about it. At least I know a lot of food words in Bemba! When I go on site visit I will get to conduct some more sessions, probably at the clinic, probably on HIV prevention, to brush up on my facilitation skills and try to do some presenting in Bemba. The rest of this week will be spent digging in the dirt to learn as much as I can about gardening. I am so excited!!!

Alright everybody. I think I need to go now. I miss you all like crazy. Keep the letters coming and I will post my new address as soon as I know it.

Love and hugs to all,

LIBBY