Cirque du Soleil in 7 parts

Just returned from 2nd site visit and it was awesome! 8 of us went to Central Prov. and stayed with Zach who was a great host. Central Prov is beautiful and I'm so glad I got to see it. Zach works hard and has some great farmers. We stayed at homestays and our family was really nice and made Julie and I feel at home. We got a lot of exercise (finally) between the 4o minute bike ride to and from Zach's place and the mountain we climbed and the pond visits! I never thought Central would be hilly but it is and it makes biking very challenging.

We went to a cultural day at the local school and saw some traditional dances and drank some traditional drinks....not too bad. We also attended a village party one night where I tried wild boar!

The other highlight of site visit was getting back to Mwekera. We were responsible for our own transport back and it was much easier than we anticipated. We hiked over a mountain and walked for 5 minutes when a minibus came by! The minibus wasn't packed when we got on but within a half hour we were hauling about 15 people, 4 giant backpacks, a suitcase, and a chicken. We made it safely to Kapiri and got lunch at our favorite gas station and as we were taking our last bite a big bus pulled up and they drove us to Kitwe. Assuming we make it back to Mwekera this afternoon in one piece it will be a successful trip!

We have two weeks of training left and then it's off to Eastern Prov! I will miss everyone but I'm ready to get out and start working. I've heard good things about my site and I can't wait to see it. I'm going to Eastern with 3 really great people and I'm glad I don't have to leave them. Julie and I figured we haven't been more than 20 feet apart in the last 2 weeks. I don't know if I'll be able to sleep tonight w/out her right next to me.

Tomorrow is back to reality....I've taken 3 hot showers in the last 3 days and it's amazing what a a shower can do for morale! It's also back to nsima, lepu (rape), and kayera (beans) but it makes me appreciate pasta, garlic bread, and Don Pedro when I can get it!

Ah yes, Julie and I feel we left our Serenje homestay with much to talk about for years to come. After a two hour walk to their home on the first night we decided it made more sense to bathe together. So try to imagine a mud hut w/out a door and a reed mat barely covering the doorway. Now add a few logs strategically balanced on some other logs and rocks. And finally add a psychotic chicken and her babies in the corner. That was our bathing situation every night of site visit because it was too much fun the first night to stop. Cirque du Soleil has nothing on us!

Spending the Kwach

I will be away from Mwekera for a couple of week starting tomorrow. I leave for Central Prov. for a two week site visit. First site visit was too much goodness and I'm hoping this is more of the same. Too bad Uncle Kit won't be there.

We got out of class early today so we got a head start getting into town but it didn't work out so nicely. Our horn happy minibus driver stopped for any possible fare and made a 30 minute ride turn into an hour. Oh well, Julie, Jerms, and Uncle Kit made the trip enjoyable. Let's hope we can get home faster - we've got a cricket tournment tonight and much fun will be had.

Zambian 4th of July was wonderful. It was the first of 3 4th of July's that I will spend here and I hope the next two are just as fun as this one. The party really got started during the day when I ate a fried caterpillar and impala (just for you John S!) at our Cultural Day celebration. Just a word to the wise - if you haven't had beef in about 10 years, don't eat impala. While it tasted good, it really did a number on my system....or maybe it was the Eagle.

My luck ran out this week....I got sick. I got great treatment at the clinic in Kitwe and I'm feeling fine now. Just a bacterial kidney infection...nothing Cipro can't cure! I have great friends who came and checked on me multiple times and hung out in CB3. And my host mom, sisters, and trainers were more than accomodating.

Here's some info on my site!!! We found out where we are going yesterday. I will be going to a village called Muthumba in Eastern Prov. It's 30k outside Katete and 60k from the Boma of Chipata. My fellow Chinyanja speakers will be fairly close - Rachel is only 15k away in Songwe!!! Julrie will be about 60k in Kapata Moyo and Dave will be 70k in Indaba (Dave is 5k from the boarder of Malawi)! I don't have a house yet but I'm told it will be done before I get there - good thing I have a tent because I don't really believe that :)

Thank you everyone for the emails and thank you Alicia for the package!!! Time to go pick up dinner for tonight.....PIZZA!!!

Do it for 'Merica!

It's getting close to a month since I left home and it's been a great experience so far! I'm looking forward to celebrating July 4th on Tuesday and we're doing it 'Merica style, complete with fireworks!

Before I forget, I want to say thank you for the emails Grandma, Lisa, Bill, Dad, Mom and anyone else I missed. Also, Ruth, Grandma B., Grandma D., Katy, and Bill - Thank you for the letters. You have no idea how much I love getting letters and everyone is jealous of me, especially when I get 4 letters in one day!

Check the links to my fellow trainees - I know Ray has some pics on his. In case you're wondering what I'm doing in that pic (I'm in the green shirt), I'm releasing fingerlings into a pond! I helped dig a pond yesterday and it was alot of fun - hard work but fun.

You would not believe the Zambian winters! It's in the 40's in the morning and by 10:30 or 11am it's in the 80's. The sun is intense here! I'm not tanning all that much - the Mef blocks that but I have some sweet tan lines! The winter will be over in a month or two and then I'll miss it when it's raining every day!

For anyone who is thinking of coming to visit, please do! Words cannot describe it and pics would not do it justice. Zambia calls itself the real Africa and I think they are right. It's what I thought of when I thought of Africa and it's everything I hoped it would be. Although I want to see more wildlife but the zebras are cool!

Training is going so fast. We had our first language exam yesterday and I think I did okay. We will find out our site postings in a couple weeks and as much as I want to know, I don't because that means I'm going to have to leave all of the awesome people I've become friends with. It's amazing how quickly you can become friends with people when you have an extreme common experience. I feel like I've known these people for years.

I'll try to update again in a few weeks! Send letters!!!!!