Salt-stealing cows

Wow! So please, do not expect such frequent bloggings as these. I put up more pics.

We swear-in on Friday. Swearing in for Peace Corps means the same thing as swearing in in the military. We will be swearing to defend the constitution, etc., etc. I get to make a speech in Tumbuka and it will be televised on ZamTV!! crazy.

Friday, I will become an official Peace Corps volunteer! I can't believe I've been here 2 months and that training is almost over! I'm very excited to move to my village, but I'm also sad to be leaving all my fellow trainees. We have all grown very close over the past weeks. 2 trainees went back home last week and that was a weird experience. It was very sad to see them go. It also brought up a lot of mixed emotions and feelings and thoughts and re-evaluations about what I'm doing here and whether or not PC is right for me, if I can handle it, etc. They put a lot of emphasis on contemplation and evaluation of our personal commitments. PC is not an easy journey and it seems a high percentage of people leave before their 2 years are complete. There are situations and emotions that we will go through (and some I/we already have) that are maybe impossible to convey to you because without experiencing them yourself, there are no words. Experiencing and living through these alone and without adequate expression is difficult and everyone deals with it differently on a personal level. I wish all the best to Anthony and Laura. I think we all felt a twinge of jealousy knowing that they now have air conditioning, loved ones nearby, ice cream whenever they want, loved ones nearby, fast internet, loved ones nearby, Mexican food, family and friends...can you tell what I'm missing the most?

People are so different and unique. This is especially fascinating when you realize that Zambians are as diverse as Americans. Loved ones, I know you are still nearby, and will be even closer in 2 years, but I've got a job to do and a Zambian life to live and am terribly excited to get to it! Your words of encouragement in letters, emails, and phone calls are incredibly important to all of us volunteers. Personal comforts can easily be lived without (just ask most rural Zambians). If anything this experience is showing me what is essential in life, what I thrive on personally and as a human being. And only after 2 months! Meghan and I were talking last night and wondering what we will be like in 2 years (as a person). What will our views be? What will be important to us? What will be different? What do we hope will change? What do we hope will not change? What kind of person will we be? How will we come to terms with losing the person we once were? I think these are questions most people face at different times in their life. It just seems like we are fast-tracking them through such an intense experience. But I must admit, this realization makes it all the more exciting and intriguing. I just hope you all still like me. :)

It is odd what has become common-place in my everyday life. I'll try to write down some examples and share them with you at a later time. I've crocheted 7 beanies so far and hope to finish 2 more this week! See my photos for a few.

What's that? You want more philosophizing from me? Ok...so I've been thinking a lot about what I'm doing here....what am I doing here? Have you been wondering the same thing? What the crap does Peace Corps actually do? I honestly did not have a good idea when I first applied nor when I got on the plane to come to Zambia. I think I have a better idea now and I will try to share it with you best as I can...

Peace Corps promotes development and cultural exchange. Yes, I am helping people to develop fish farms, but I am not forcing them to nor am I pretending I know what is best. I am going to be living in a community and providing them with information. Information they could not otherwise find access to (sorry for ending so many sentences with prepositions...my english is going to crap here). When I arrive in my community, I will not tell them that they need fish ponds. If farmers wish to know how to build and manage fish ponds, it is up to them to come to me and work with me in attaining that knowledge. I am to be like a reference point. If the villagers do not want fish ponds, but wish to learn better agricultural practices or maybe they want to grow an orchard, or beekeeping, or they want to know how to make jam, or how to market their crocheted things, or they need help with applying for loans from NGOs...or any number of things...I am there to receive their questions and help them find answers. I am an information resource, not a pusher of beliefs or ideals. Because you are not here, it might be hard to realize the isolation of rural Zambians and their lack of accessible information. It's hard enough to me to find reliable internet, and with the low literacy rate, where and how is a mother of 7 kids (with an 8th grade education) going to find information regarding proper nutrition, and/or information on how to start a sewing co-op with 14 of her closest friends, and/or how she can grow better crops to provide food for her family year-round (yes, most all the women have their own vegetable gardens from which the family survives on. The men grow the cash crops). I will be there to answer questions. If I do not know the answer, my job is to use the resources I have available to me to help them find an answer.

Unlike missionaries and some NGOs, Peace Corps does not promote hand-outs. We do not drive into villages in fancy vehicles, unload a bunch of free crap, and then drive off to expensive hotels with electricity and running water. PC trains individuals to learn the language of the locals and how to take care of oneself in such a rural setting. Then, they drop us off to live with and learn from the people for 2 years. Hopefully, by becoming a trusted member of a community, we will be better able to understand their needs and all the cultural implications wrapped up in the issues and work with them to come up with better solutions to their problems/needs/wants/desires. Also, our development work aims at sustainability. We do not tell the people what they need, instead we work with them, listen to them, and try and help them achieve their goals as sustainably as possible. Sounds good in theory right? We'll see what I think about it all in 2 years...

Oh, not to say missions and NGOs aren't doing great work here....some are, some aren't. Success comes in different forms for different people. I guess what I've learned through training is that our main purpose is to focus on promoting practices that the people can continue to benefit from after we leave their villages. To teach them things that can be passed on to future generations. The second and third goals of PC are cultural exchange. Teach them about American culture and learn Zambian culture to pass on to Americans.

So how about a story?

The little girl (Patti) at my homestay family is scared of cows. These last few evenings after supper we all sit around and chat a little. Patti, being a toddler, will throw tantrums. She likes to grab the container of salt and throw it. So lately the grandmother (Patricia) will hide the salt and when Patti cries for it, Patricia will tell her that the cow outside stole it (there is no cow outside). Then, she will make loud cow noises and Patti will scream and throw herself onto her mother and try to hide! It is so funny! We have a salt stealing cow. Also, my sister Marcey, has recently brought up how interesting it is that different cultures have different sounds for animals. In America, cows say "MOO." Here, cows say "BAUW."How's that for some cultural exchange?

Much love to all. Hope all the philosophizing doesn't have too much B.S. in it...I'm still not sure myself, but I thought I'd give a crack at it (if nothing else, to be able to laugh at myself in a year or so...). Maybe it will give you a better idea of what I'll be trying to achieve personally and professionally over the next 24 months and it will give us all something to discuss in months/years to come.

Thanks for listening. Lutani makola! (go well)