WELL, i've been in zambia now for over 2 months and i am finally able to make a post on this thing. lots have happened and i feel like i've been here for much longer than 2 months, but it also feels like it flew by. weird, but that seems to be the general sentiment about time here for volunteers. this was a big week. we finished training, had our final language tests on tuesday (i have been learning to speak kiikaonde), had a cultural celebration with our homestay families on wednesday, where we cooked AMERICAN food!... moved out of our homestays on thursday, and yesterday officially swore in as volunteers at the american ambassador's beautiful home. i gave a speech in kiikaonde with a few other volunteers.
a bunch of us decided to go out to celebrate last night, so about 20 of us piled into the back of a pickup truck and went to a couple bars, where i managed to lose/get my cell phone stolen yet again. got a new one today, same number. 2 months, 3 phones. some things will never change. got a new one today, same number.. let's hope peace corps will be kind and reimburse me. i anyway, it was good to go out.
so everyone moved up to the pronvinces they will be living in for the next 2 years. everyone except for me, because i had a pleasure of staying behind in lusaka to have a root canal this morning. i can't decide whats worse: hungover sitting sideways in a packed cruiser for 8+ hrs on unpaved roads or hungover and having fully conscious dental surgery. so tonight i'll be staying at the peace corps office bunk house and then heading up to solwezi on a bus at 6 am tomorrow. i won't actually be going to my site in mufumbwe until may 3, because all the volunteers in that district have been temporarily evacuated due to supposed mid-term election violence in the area. don't worry mom, i think peace corps is just extra-cautious.
i am missing you all back home lots and lots. i have dreams about people from home all the time, and they are always funny and happy :) i've gotten letters from some of you and thank you thank you thank you!! it is so nice to get letters... if you haven't heard back from me, i apologize.. training kept us sooooo busy, plus mail is suuuuper slow. i WILL get to you all eventually! but here's an overview... zambia is really nice, the weather overall has been pretty hot, very rainy when we first got here and not so much anymore.. it will be the cold season soon. the food is okay. the staple here is called nshima which is made out of maize and it's basically a white lump.. doesn't have much taste or nutritional value, but it is eaten for lunch and dinner in every zambian home, every day. it's not bad but its taken forever for my stomach to get used to it. i have no running water or electricity where i stay and i bathe and go to the bathroom in outdoor shelter/latrine. im very used to all that now. zambians are welcoming, peaceful and generous people.
i miss you all back home so so so so so so so much. more soon. xoxoxoxo