President Mwanawasa passed away. It has been a sad 2 weeks in Zambia because the entire country is in mourning. He was laid to rest a few days ago. I don't know what this means for country or what's going to happen. I'm just staying prayerful.
Due to the passing of President Mwanawasa, the training for Changes 2 and the meeting with the U.S. Secretary of Education was canceled. It was a bit disappointing but it's ok. School starts here on Monday so there will be an influx of iwe's coming back to the towns.
I have been extra broke. Family send money.
Kim
Friday, September 5, 2008
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Busting Loose
Site visit with the new volunteers went well. They are all very nice kids. We did have to walk 2 hours to meet the Cheif of Mbowle, Chief Sipawani, but it was worth it. We had a feast prepared in our honor and the Chief was very gracious. He's a wonderful person. Great visit. Plus they had tv so we got to watch Judge Judy and Passions (from 4 years ago!!!!).
After leaving Mbowle I went to visit another volunteer in Singani East. I enjoyed my stay but I got extremely sick. I seriously contemplated going home for the first time! It's not a good feeling to get sick in a rural setting. I will spare you the details, but let me say that it was not a pretty site!!!!
Right now, I'm in Livingstone about to head back to my village. I have been gone for over a week and my homestay family is worried about me. But, sometimes you really just need a break and to be around other volunteers. I will be in Lusaka from July 17 - 24th for In Service Training to get more on the job training. Then back to Livingstone for a Workshop paid for by Changes 2 (a program under USAID). AND....Me and the other RED volunteers from Southern Province will get to have lunch with US Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings. This will be the highlight of my time here so far!!!!!!! This is awesome.
Will talk to you all soon. Love you all.
Kim
After leaving Mbowle I went to visit another volunteer in Singani East. I enjoyed my stay but I got extremely sick. I seriously contemplated going home for the first time! It's not a good feeling to get sick in a rural setting. I will spare you the details, but let me say that it was not a pretty site!!!!
Right now, I'm in Livingstone about to head back to my village. I have been gone for over a week and my homestay family is worried about me. But, sometimes you really just need a break and to be around other volunteers. I will be in Lusaka from July 17 - 24th for In Service Training to get more on the job training. Then back to Livingstone for a Workshop paid for by Changes 2 (a program under USAID). AND....Me and the other RED volunteers from Southern Province will get to have lunch with US Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings. This will be the highlight of my time here so far!!!!!!! This is awesome.
Will talk to you all soon. Love you all.
Kim
Thursday, July 31, 2008
I'm Free!!!!
My community entry period of 3 months is finally over, so now I can leave my village without permission from the APCD. I am heading to help host a site visit with a fellow PC for the newest batch of PC volunteers. This should be very interesting.
I am finally getting comfortable enough with Chi Tonga to attempt speaking it in public. Previously I would be asked a question in Tonga and then I would answer in English. That was not a successful strategy. I just had to risk sounding silly and try and it worked. Nothing beats failure but a try. Well, I will update you all in a few days on how the hosting of site visit went.
Kim
p.s. Oh yeah....I finally got my package today. I'm in heaven!!!!!!!
I am finally getting comfortable enough with Chi Tonga to attempt speaking it in public. Previously I would be asked a question in Tonga and then I would answer in English. That was not a successful strategy. I just had to risk sounding silly and try and it worked. Nothing beats failure but a try. Well, I will update you all in a few days on how the hosting of site visit went.
Kim
p.s. Oh yeah....I finally got my package today. I'm in heaven!!!!!!!
Friday, July 11, 2008
It Was All A Dream
**disclaimer**
This story is fictitious, a dream. All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
The dream began on July 2nd....I went to pick Tracy up from the Airport and I have to say it was such a wonderful feeling to see someone from my family. I really can't put into words the joy and pure relief I felt at seeing her!!! It was amazing. After leaving the airport we decided to stay the night in Lusaka because it's a five hour bus ride to the town that I live closest to, which is Kalomo. We spent the entire day trying to find an ATM that accepts debit MasterCard. Every place accepts USD or Visa. (Which is another reason why the Dollar needs to get stronger). Anyway, Tracy decided to get her mother to Western Union us some cash so we could begin our fun-filled weekend. Everything seems to be working out. Just as Tracy sat in the chair to get the money, the power in the entire city went out!!!! NO JOKE!!!! How ironic. So okay, we knew that God would work it out, so we decided to wait it out...sure enough an hour later it was back on and we collected our cash. Yay!!!!
Day 2: We took the CRI bus because Mazhandu bus company (the only reputable bus company in Zambia) was full. After paying our fare, we still had to wait over an hour to leave because they wanted to wait until every seat was filled before they would leave (which is why I only take Mazhandu if I can help it). We finally arrived in Kalomo five hours later to complete darkness. Tracy was very shocked at how dark it was...I didn't even notice it.
Day 3: I showed Tracy how village life is...cooking on a brazier, getting water from a bore hole, using a pit latrine, sitting with the family. I think she really enjoyed it. We also decided that we would go to Choma which is where the Peace Corps provincial house is located. It was the 4th of July, the United States Independence Day, so we decided to spend it with other Americans. They absolutely loved her!!!! Seriously adored!!!! We had a wonderful time with the other volunteers.
Day 4: This is where the DRAMA begins. We go back to Chikoli (the village) and we are locked out. We spent over 2 hours trying to break into my hut in various ways. And, I would like to point out that my Leatherman Fuse came in handy!!! (Dad, I told you that there would be a need for a multi-tool). I used the screw driver to take the bolt off my door and went in with no problem. So, after we got into the hut we decided to pack and go to Livingstone. While waiting on the bus we decided to go to El Pantano, my favorite restaurant in town, and met an American choir. They were nice...the end. So, we decided to hitch-hike to Livingstone. We were picked up by a really nice married couple. The husband was Zambian and the wife was Zimbabwean. The wife feels that it's okay for her husband to take another wife because it will stop him from going out an cheating...he agreed! While driving we noticed a terrible accident. It seems as a car swerved to avoid a truck and hit a tree. People were screaming and crying. It was a bad scene. This is a very rural place so there are no ambulances, no police squad cars etc, so we decided to go a few miles to report the accident at the police station. The police didn't seem to care, but we did our part and reported it. They said they would send someone and hopefully they did. So, after traveling for hours on a bad road we finally arrived in Livingstone. We checked into our hotel and decided to go out. However before we went out I realized that I left my VISA debit card at my house!!!!! This is where part II of the DRAMA begins! I immediately call my sister and tell her to wire me some money ASAP, which she does. We go to get the money and every Western Union in town is closed!!!! We have no money!!!!!!!!!!! Not enough to be in Livingstone on at any rate. Thank God Tracy is calm because I was insane!!! It was a holiday weekend So, we decide to go and eat at The Pub & Grill to sort things out and if worse comes to worse we will just go home the next day. While in our booth, the waitress comes up to us and asks us if we would mind sharing our booth and I was in a bad mood so I told her "NO!", but Tracy (the kind hearted, loving person that she is) said "Yes" and a lovely Australian couple, named Aggie and Simon, sat down. God is Good!!!!!! We told them our dilemma and they told us that we could go to the Zambezi Sun to use the bank and that it would be open even on the holiday. They were a Godsend. They even bought us a Savannah Dry! So, now we had options.
Day 5: We got up early to find out if the Western Union would be open so I could try and get the money that my sister sent, but of course they were closed. So, we went to the Zambezi Sun and they had a Barclays bank!!! My bank!!! YAY!!!! So I was able to withdraw money from my own account and Tracy was able to use here MasterCard Debit. God always has a ram in the bush...pun intended :o) After we got money we booked our Elephant back Safari and the Sunset Cruise. We went on the Sunset Cruise which was absolutely beautiful, and we saw Aggie and Simon there. Afterwards we went to dinner with them again. I just want to stress how wonderful they were.
Day 6: We got up extra early to go on the Safari and it was amazing. I really enjoyed it, but I think Tracy really only wanted to go so she could take a picture on an elephant holding up her sorority sign. It was cute though.... After the Safari we left and got on a bus home. I went back to my village and Tracy went to Lusaka and flew out the next day!! I called her every hour just to make sure she was safe and she told me I was a psycho stalker each time.
All in all I enjoyed my time with Tracy. But, she made me realize that I need to slow down and get some order to my life...I need to plan and budget more (I hear you TRACY!!!!) I can do this.
**disclaimer**
This story is fictitious, a dream. All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
This story is fictitious, a dream. All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
The dream began on July 2nd....I went to pick Tracy up from the Airport and I have to say it was such a wonderful feeling to see someone from my family. I really can't put into words the joy and pure relief I felt at seeing her!!! It was amazing. After leaving the airport we decided to stay the night in Lusaka because it's a five hour bus ride to the town that I live closest to, which is Kalomo. We spent the entire day trying to find an ATM that accepts debit MasterCard. Every place accepts USD or Visa. (Which is another reason why the Dollar needs to get stronger). Anyway, Tracy decided to get her mother to Western Union us some cash so we could begin our fun-filled weekend. Everything seems to be working out. Just as Tracy sat in the chair to get the money, the power in the entire city went out!!!! NO JOKE!!!! How ironic. So okay, we knew that God would work it out, so we decided to wait it out...sure enough an hour later it was back on and we collected our cash. Yay!!!!
Day 2: We took the CRI bus because Mazhandu bus company (the only reputable bus company in Zambia) was full. After paying our fare, we still had to wait over an hour to leave because they wanted to wait until every seat was filled before they would leave (which is why I only take Mazhandu if I can help it). We finally arrived in Kalomo five hours later to complete darkness. Tracy was very shocked at how dark it was...I didn't even notice it.
Day 3: I showed Tracy how village life is...cooking on a brazier, getting water from a bore hole, using a pit latrine, sitting with the family. I think she really enjoyed it. We also decided that we would go to Choma which is where the Peace Corps provincial house is located. It was the 4th of July, the United States Independence Day, so we decided to spend it with other Americans. They absolutely loved her!!!! Seriously adored!!!! We had a wonderful time with the other volunteers.
Day 4: This is where the DRAMA begins. We go back to Chikoli (the village) and we are locked out. We spent over 2 hours trying to break into my hut in various ways. And, I would like to point out that my Leatherman Fuse came in handy!!! (Dad, I told you that there would be a need for a multi-tool). I used the screw driver to take the bolt off my door and went in with no problem. So, after we got into the hut we decided to pack and go to Livingstone. While waiting on the bus we decided to go to El Pantano, my favorite restaurant in town, and met an American choir. They were nice...the end. So, we decided to hitch-hike to Livingstone. We were picked up by a really nice married couple. The husband was Zambian and the wife was Zimbabwean. The wife feels that it's okay for her husband to take another wife because it will stop him from going out an cheating...he agreed! While driving we noticed a terrible accident. It seems as a car swerved to avoid a truck and hit a tree. People were screaming and crying. It was a bad scene. This is a very rural place so there are no ambulances, no police squad cars etc, so we decided to go a few miles to report the accident at the police station. The police didn't seem to care, but we did our part and reported it. They said they would send someone and hopefully they did. So, after traveling for hours on a bad road we finally arrived in Livingstone. We checked into our hotel and decided to go out. However before we went out I realized that I left my VISA debit card at my house!!!!! This is where part II of the DRAMA begins! I immediately call my sister and tell her to wire me some money ASAP, which she does. We go to get the money and every Western Union in town is closed!!!! We have no money!!!!!!!!!!! Not enough to be in Livingstone on at any rate. Thank God Tracy is calm because I was insane!!! It was a holiday weekend So, we decide to go and eat at The Pub & Grill to sort things out and if worse comes to worse we will just go home the next day. While in our booth, the waitress comes up to us and asks us if we would mind sharing our booth and I was in a bad mood so I told her "NO!", but Tracy (the kind hearted, loving person that she is) said "Yes" and a lovely Australian couple, named Aggie and Simon, sat down. God is Good!!!!!! We told them our dilemma and they told us that we could go to the Zambezi Sun to use the bank and that it would be open even on the holiday. They were a Godsend. They even bought us a Savannah Dry! So, now we had options.
Day 5: We got up early to find out if the Western Union would be open so I could try and get the money that my sister sent, but of course they were closed. So, we went to the Zambezi Sun and they had a Barclays bank!!! My bank!!! YAY!!!! So I was able to withdraw money from my own account and Tracy was able to use here MasterCard Debit. God always has a ram in the bush...pun intended :o) After we got money we booked our Elephant back Safari and the Sunset Cruise. We went on the Sunset Cruise which was absolutely beautiful, and we saw Aggie and Simon there. Afterwards we went to dinner with them again. I just want to stress how wonderful they were.
Day 6: We got up extra early to go on the Safari and it was amazing. I really enjoyed it, but I think Tracy really only wanted to go so she could take a picture on an elephant holding up her sorority sign. It was cute though.... After the Safari we left and got on a bus home. I went back to my village and Tracy went to Lusaka and flew out the next day!! I called her every hour just to make sure she was safe and she told me I was a psycho stalker each time.
All in all I enjoyed my time with Tracy. But, she made me realize that I need to slow down and get some order to my life...I need to plan and budget more (I hear you TRACY!!!!) I can do this.
**disclaimer**
This story is fictitious, a dream. All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Tonga and White Sox
Surprisingly I am getting better at Tonga!!!! It's very exciting for me to finally understand and be understood in Tonga...and all I can say is thank God! It was looking pretty shaky there for a minute. Last week I was a substitute for the 1st grade class at Chikoli Community School and it was a really interesting experience...kids are kids. They behave the same no matter the culture.
Surprisingly the Sox lost to the cubs in the first game of the Crosstown series. This is unacceptable for plenty of reasons, but if you're a Chicagoan you know the reasons, and I don't need to explain. May the best team (White Sox) win. Go go Sox.
I have to leave early...I will write again soon.
Kim
Surprisingly the Sox lost to the cubs in the first game of the Crosstown series. This is unacceptable for plenty of reasons, but if you're a Chicagoan you know the reasons, and I don't need to explain. May the best team (White Sox) win. Go go Sox.
I have to leave early...I will write again soon.
Kim
Saturday, June 14, 2008
New School
The community school that it is in my village wants me to help them get money to finish a new school. I am in the process of trying to find NGO's and thinking of IGA's that will assist them with the plans. The word around town is that cement is so expensive because the World Cup will be in South Africa in 2010 and this has driven the price sky high. So...wish me luck as I try to find local funding.
Also, I am extremely shocked at how abstract the program is. I mean...we can do or not do whatever we want. It's all very strange. I'm still trying to find my place here.
Kim
Also, I am extremely shocked at how abstract the program is. I mean...we can do or not do whatever we want. It's all very strange. I'm still trying to find my place here.
Kim
Friday, June 6, 2008
New Adventure...or just crazy????
So, I live in Kalomo district, which is 60 km from Choma where the Peace Corps provincial house is located. I took my bike mainly because I didn't have any place I could leave it while I was in Choma. So, when it was time to go back, I get the bright idea to ride back. BIG MISTAKE!!!! I rode for 3 hours until my body just wouldn't ride anymore. I don't know what possessed me to think I could ride that distance. It was unreal. I finally gave up and hitched a ride on the back of a flatbed truck. (Don't worry...hitching is normal in Zambia.) The moral of the story: Think before you take a bike 60 kilometers and try to ride it back!!!!!
Last week was tough for me. I get frustrated that I'm not speaking the language properly. It doesn't help that "the old lady" that I live with (that is what she is called by everyone...I would never use this term normally) constantly tells everyone visiting in Tonga "Chitonga is a problem for this one...ba Jalle spoke Tonga fluently". She says this every single day, every time I'm around. I'm really trying to brush it off, but I really can only take so much.
Well, wish me luck and keep me in your prayers!!!! Love ya,
Kim
Last week was tough for me. I get frustrated that I'm not speaking the language properly. It doesn't help that "the old lady" that I live with (that is what she is called by everyone...I would never use this term normally) constantly tells everyone visiting in Tonga "Chitonga is a problem for this one...ba Jalle spoke Tonga fluently". She says this every single day, every time I'm around. I'm really trying to brush it off, but I really can only take so much.
Well, wish me luck and keep me in your prayers!!!! Love ya,
Kim
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