In Limbo

Hey Everybody, Well. I was supposed to be on my way back to the village today, but I am in financial limbo. I haven't been paid, so I have to stay in Mansa until that happens. I thought of some more random stuff I can tell you about my site. I have a whole lot of children at my house whenever I am home. They like to stare at me. Capwa (Chop-wa - It means that's all, or it's finished). They also like to mimic everything I say in English or in Bemba. The unfortunate thing is that they don't listen to what I say. They don't go away when I ask them to and they only listen when threatened with violence. In fact a friend of my neighbors came with a shovel the other day and they all went running. I refuse to threaten violence, so they don't listen to me. My new tactic is to tell the headwoman when they're bothering me. (For instance, when they try to climb into my window to touch my bike.) They have to listen to her. My even newer tactic is to tell them that they're not allowed to sit and stare at me. If they want to play in my yard that is fine, but they can't sit and stare at me. So, it worked the other day. They played some games and danced a little and when they were sick of entertaining themselves they left. It was beautiful. I've now been away for a few days, I don't know how this will affect the "iwe" situation. "Iwe" means "you" in Bemba, without respect. So a lot of Peace Corps Volunteers call the children "iwes" when they're doing obnoxious things (like repeating everything I say and showing me no respect). A lot of the children have never seen a white person before. I didn't think it was really possible, but indeed for some of the children in my village I am the first white person they've seen up close. I've made a few children terrified. They scream their heads off. I try to say "cilifye" (chill-ee-fee-ay - it means "it's alright"), but they keep screaming. I have to just walk away. Their mothers always think it is funny. I have also had kids try to touch me, as if to see if I am real. Others touch my arm and rub it to see if the white will come off. It's pretty interesting. I usually just do it back to them (which frequently freaks them out). Well. I think that's good. The price of Internet has gone back up. Sadly. I miss and love you all. Be well and check out my photos, a bunch are new even since yesterday. Hugs & Smooches, LIBBY

Panono Panono (Little by little)

Hey hey hey.

So, we had our Provincial Meetings yesterday, followed by the Luapula Superheroes Party. Good times. Photos to come eventually. Unfortunately Elliott was in absensia. He missed the flying contest. I am adding more photos today to the Flickr account. So check them out. There are some sweet ones of my amazing neighbors and of my house. It is entirely possible that you'll hear from me again in the upcoming days. I still have not been paid (or rather, my living allowance is not showing up in my account) so I have no money to take back to the village. I'll have to stick around in Mansa until that gets sorted out.

Okay, so my site. I am really liking it. My area has close to no clue about sustainable development and it is going to be a major challenge to get them working on projects. However, my clinic officer is new and he is coming from an area where he did a lot of work with the Community Based Organizations at his clinic. So, together we can start some exciting things happening in Kanyembo. I am told there are two women's groups (I haven't yet met with them - one wants my help to build a bore hole because there is an insane water problem in Kanyembo) and an active breastfeeding group (to promote breastfeeding for proper nutrition for babies). I am also told that there is an HIV/AIDS support group. I'll find out more about that this week, but I haven't met them yet. So, at this point I am still just trying to network around my village and meet the people I am supposed to meet. Introduce my self everywhere I go, etc.

I do a lot of introductions when I go to the lagoon to draw my water everyday. The women are really surprised and confused as to why this muzungu is there drawing water. They all try to help me and they ask me lots of questions like why I'm not married and why I don't have children. I've been told several times that if I were Zambian I should have 4 or 5 children by now. However, when I tell people that I am 24 they all tell me how young I am. I guess I look older to them.

Yeah, so I have a beautiful lagoon right by my house. If I stand in just the right place at my house I can see the water. However, I walk down there everyday to get water and I do my laundry at the lagoon also. It is gorgeous and the sun sets over the water every night.

My neighbors are going to help me plant some vegetables in the many plots of dirt around my house. We are going to do it together, which is awesome because I eat all of my meals at their house, so it is good that we can grow some food together. We're going to plant soya!!!!, tomatoes, maize (corn), sunflowers, rape (a kind of cabbage), okra, onions, carrots, cucumbers, soya, soya, and more soya. Soya is an amazing food. It is magical because it is a complete protein all on it's own. You can make a million different things with it and it is super nutritious and delicious!! One of my major tasks in the village is to get the people to eat soya. They all grow it, because it is so easy to grow, the seeds multiply really well, and if you plant at the right time of the rainy season, you don't even have to weed it. So lots of people grow it, they just don't eat it -- they sell it. Particularly in a place with so much malnutrition, they need to be eating soya. The problem is Zambians like to do things the traditional way. They like to cook the same relish (all food in Zambia is called relish, unless it is nshima) their mothers and grandmothers cooked and they don't frequently try new things. So, I'm going to do my best to make soya part of the culture in Kanyembo at least. Nshima (the mealie meal staple) is a definite part of the culture. Whenever I meet women in my village they want to know if I know how to make nshima, if I know how to pound cassava (which is how they turn it into mealie meal), etc. Nshima is eaten at least twice a day by almost everyone in Zambia. It has no nutritional value (especially cassava nshima, sorghum and millet have slightly more nutritional value, but no one eats those).

Okay, more about me and my site. My house is inordinately large for a Peace Corps Volunteer. My friend Lea was visiting on my birthday and she was sitting in the sitting room and I was in the "kitchen" and we couldn't hear each other talking (which might not be weird for an American house, but my house is all open ceiling-ed with a thatch roof). I have only a bed and two chairs to furnish this large house. I called it my "kitchen", but I don't really cook and it has no running water or anything that makes it anything more like a kitchen than a bedroom. My site still has no toilet or bathing shelter, so I'm using my neighbors. My Provincial coordinator has come twice to tell my community that if they don't make me a toilet and bathing shelter that she will come and take me back to America. They sound like they don't want that to happen, but they still haven't done anything.

I'm really busy in my village, having at least one meeting each day. It is kind of crazy to schedule two things in the same day here. Nothing starts on time (I schedule most of my meetings for 14 hours -- 2pm -- but people usually show up around 15 or 15:30) and you can't have meetings in the morning because that is when everyone is out in the fields cultivating and working on their gardens.

I've learned there are certain things one must tote around everywhere in Zambia:
1) Water
2) Toilet Paper
3) Hand Sanitizer (although, I'm nearly over that one)
4) A Book (you get to do a lot of waiting)
5) A Headlamp (you never know how long you'll be waiting)

So, this is a long entry, but I'm trying to post as many photos as I can. So I am sorry for the random stream of consciousness.

I hope everyone is doing well. Thanks to all of those who called on my birthday. It was really sweet of you all. Duncan, sorry we got cut off. My mom tells me that you want to come visit!!!! Do it. We have a saying in Luapula: GET IN THERE. It should really be the next Peace Corps Worldwide slogan. (My other favorite Peace Corps slogan is: "I always knew the glass was half full, I just never knew I could bathe in that much water." so true.)

Okay, so that's what I can think of for now. Pretty sure this has cost a fortune. Awesome, since I have no money right now. Everyone think good thoughts for my sister Jessica who is about to have a baby "any time from now" -- I wish you well Jess. I love you. Please know that I'm thinking of you constantly and I really wish I was there.

Okay. Shalenipo Mukwai (stay well).

Hugs & Smooches,
LIBBY

Wow. It's been a while. . .

Okay, where to begin. Posting. I’ve been living at my site for three weeks now. As I anticipated, this is the most difficult part of Peace Corps service. All things considered, I have many things to be thankful for (and I mean that in a good way): • My site is right on the tarmac (paved road). I have a decent bike ride into town, and I can actually go there and back in one day (it is 34km – about the distance from Brattleboro to Greenfield, MA). I’ve done this ride twice and both times it was bearable. • My BOMA is beautiful. The lake is so gorgeous and I’ve never eaten this much fish in my life. We even have a couple of night clubs (which is fun, but would be more fun if I were a guy – Zambian women don’t really go to bars). • My Peace Corps neighbors are lots of fun. We’ve become a little family and we’re all pretty silly, so that’s good. • My actual/physical neighbors are amazing and they’ve been taking such good care of me. I still don’t have a pit latrine or a bathing shelter at my house, so I’ve been using theirs, not to mention I am taking all of my meals with them. If I don’t show up for a meal they come and get me. It is so wonderful to have them and totally serendipitous that they are people I would be friends with anyway. Ba Gilbert is 26 years old and works for the court in Kanyembo. His wife Ba Florence is 22. They have three children, all girls. Mwape is 5, Mary is 3, and Ida is 6 months old. Mwape has been away for her school holidays with her grandmother in Mansa, so I’ve barely gotten to know her at all. (School is different here, they go to school for three months and then have a month off, then back to school for three months, etc.) Mary, however, is the cutest and most adorable child in my village, if not in all of Luapula (and there are some pretty cute kids here). She is a little entertainer and she can do no wrong by me (which is a stretch for me, because I’m not really a kid person – as you all know). Okay, now because I've been uploading photos, I've taken forever and I'll come back tomorrow to fill you in on the rest of the details. And, to give you some more visual stimulation. Much love everyone. Sorry this is short. PEACE.

PHOTOS

Hey all! I've been trying to post some new pictures on the flickr account. Just click on the thing with the flashing photos and you should be able to get to my new ones. Smooches.