Community entry is coming to an end at the beginning of January. All that this means is I'll be able to leave village and take vacation days.
Some of the latest highlights:
I have a garden now, thanks to the help of some of the people in my village and the children. My garden was made by a woman who I met in the market while I was buying bread. I mentioned to her I wanted to make a garden and she came to my house two days later to help me. In exchange, she said I had to go to church with her, which is a fair price. A few days later children came to my house and I wasn't in the mood to entertain so I told them I was resting. Then, I could still hear them giggling which usually means they're up to no good...so after half an hour I went outside and there were about ten children whom had brought seeds with them and were planting my garden for me. They planted pumpkins and corn, and then I brought basil seeds out, so those were planted as well. The garden is growing well and because it's the rainy season I don't have to water it. I'm excited that I will have fresh vegetables.
I've also been composting and my neighbors have been giving me their goat manure. Every time they bring it to me I'm so grateful (I don't think they've ever seen anyone's face light up from receiving goat poop). I'm collecting it so I can do a manure-tea demonstration and so I can use it in my garden after the vegetables have finished growing.
A couple nights ago I decided to go out to the cimbusu (bathroom) without having my headlamp turned on because I wanted to look at the stars. On my way back, I felt a sting on my left foot and then my right foot. I went into my house, looked down, and there were ants crawling on my feet. Then, I go out my door and turn on my headlamp there were ants everywhere. They were surrounding my house and just started to ascend my doorstep. I didn't know what to do so I went and got my hot goals from the brasier and poured them on the ants. I also got lime and poured that around my house. After this, they didn't come into my house, but I sat on my front stoop with my headlamp and my camera just watching them. They make a high-pitched noise and they were coming from as far away as I could see. After about two hours they were all gone. In the middle of this event I called my host and he said, "Are they dark brown or black? Oh, they're just black? Just leave them alone, they'll go away." It's amazing that these things just happen and you're just supposed to get out of their way.
Other than these highlights, I've just been reading, fixing the plastic that lines my roof, working at my clinic, and doing other mandatory chores.
I've been enjoying getting to know my neighbors and the people who work at my clinic and I'm starting to make friends.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Community Entry
Hello, I'm currently going through community entry. I've been living in my village named Mutono Village in the Nchelenge District in Luapula, Zambia. I've been reading a lot and getting to know (and master) the daily village routines. Everyday I wake up around 6 A.M., sweep my hut with my two-foot-tall broom, sweep the dirt outside (to prevent ants), eat breakfast (usually the leftovers from the night before), and then I try to do a chore that doesn't have to be done everyday. For example, I might wash my dishes, wash my floor, or wash my clothes. I've started putting my bed outside in the sun once a week. This is mostly because I'm paranoid about getting bed bugs again and it's good to air things out a bit. My roof is thatched so a lot of dust falls on my bed, especially when a storm goes through and it becomes very windy. Some of the chairmen on the Neighborhood Health Committee put plastic up along the inside of the roof to lessen the dirt, this also makes it sound like leaves when the wind goes through. As for the bedbugs, I'm not sure yet if I've gotten rid of them. I've been separating my clothes because to get rid of them you have to boil your clothes. This means I have to light the brasier, boil water, wash the clothes, put them out to dry, and go to my borehole to pump more water. It's quite the process, so I've been boiling some of my clothes once a week and then keeping the ones I boiled in a separate container. I'm hoping the will work. Please cross your fingers for me.
A couple times a week I've been going to my clinic to listen to the doctors diagnose people in the Bemba language, or to help out with small tasks. But, I usually feel like I'm in the way and slowing them down even though they're very happy to have me there.
I spend a lot of time reading and lying in my hammock. So far I've read about 8 books just during the 5 weeks I've been in community entry. (I've made a list of them in my diary so I can look back and see all of them)
I've also visited my Peace Corps Volunteer neighbor a couple times. She lives about 20 km away and it's a beautiful bike ride. It's nice to have a destination to bike to and someone to cook food with. The other day we decided we were going to bike around the lagoon and into the rubber tree forest. This was a trip that was supposed to only take about twenty minutes, but we ended up getting a little bit...misplaced...and it took 4 hours. But it was beautiful. We biked through rubber tree plantations, kassava farmland, and past many houses. We then asked for directions from Zambians, but it's tricky because they use bush paths to get everywhere, so they can't just say go straight down this path.
I've been getting creative with what I cook, making different types of bread, lentil-rice burgers, and different variations of tomatoes and onions with rice or noodles.
I have the goal of bathing and cooking before it gets dark and then reading, writing, and doing yoga then going to bed. The rats haven't been as big of a problem. There was one night that I left larvacide out (to put in the toilet to kill fly larvae) and the rats ate through the container. Ever since that night, I hardly hear them.
Everyday is an adventure where a plethora of things happens, so this blog entry could be many many pages, but I'm going to keep it at this.
A couple times a week I've been going to my clinic to listen to the doctors diagnose people in the Bemba language, or to help out with small tasks. But, I usually feel like I'm in the way and slowing them down even though they're very happy to have me there.
I spend a lot of time reading and lying in my hammock. So far I've read about 8 books just during the 5 weeks I've been in community entry. (I've made a list of them in my diary so I can look back and see all of them)
I've also visited my Peace Corps Volunteer neighbor a couple times. She lives about 20 km away and it's a beautiful bike ride. It's nice to have a destination to bike to and someone to cook food with. The other day we decided we were going to bike around the lagoon and into the rubber tree forest. This was a trip that was supposed to only take about twenty minutes, but we ended up getting a little bit...misplaced...and it took 4 hours. But it was beautiful. We biked through rubber tree plantations, kassava farmland, and past many houses. We then asked for directions from Zambians, but it's tricky because they use bush paths to get everywhere, so they can't just say go straight down this path.
I've been getting creative with what I cook, making different types of bread, lentil-rice burgers, and different variations of tomatoes and onions with rice or noodles.
I have the goal of bathing and cooking before it gets dark and then reading, writing, and doing yoga then going to bed. The rats haven't been as big of a problem. There was one night that I left larvacide out (to put in the toilet to kill fly larvae) and the rats ate through the container. Ever since that night, I hardly hear them.
Everyday is an adventure where a plethora of things happens, so this blog entry could be many many pages, but I'm going to keep it at this.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
It's Like Camping for Two Years
So, training is coming to an end. I just took my second Language Proficiency Exam, and my final is this week. I scored an intermediate-advanced level, which seems to be better than I'd grade my English right now (I think the Bemba is effecting my English). Once training is done, I'll go to my site in Luapula and I have to remain in my village for three months. This is a long time, because PCVs (Peace Corps Volunteers) have about eight days a month to be outside of our villages, but since integration is the goal, we don't have any days we can leave.
I've noticed two drastic changes in myself since this experience has started: I'm eating fish (not the kapenta, which are small fish which are dried and salted) and, when need be, beans. I thought I would never be eating beans, but my body craves the vitamins. In general, Zambians do not eat what Americans would call a "balanced diet" and we're told that they don't have access to the foods that would allow them to have a balanced diet. They concentrate on having their meals contain protein, vitamin A, and carbohydrates. In general, this leads to their meals being nshima (they never have a meal without it) and beans (vitamins) or nshima and cabbage.
I also had my first bacteria caused illness: giarrdeah. All you have to do is take four large pills at the same time and it kills the bacteria. These symptoms can re-occur but that hasn't happened to me yet *knock on wood*. Don't drink the water unless it's filtered as well as boiled.
We're getting into the hot/dry season so it's been hard to function during the peak hours. People have been asking me what it's like to live in Zambia, and it really is like camping: The stars/sunsets/sunrises are glorious every day and night, the food could be better but I'm getting used to it, and there are a lot of crawling critters (just make sure to tuck in your mosquito net tightly and they're more scared of you then you are of them...?).
A little known fact is that the only place a person can find the typical African animals is in the game parks during a safari. They're basically fenced in with the exception of the crocodile, hippo, deer-like animals, and snakes and you must pay to be escorted through the parks This means that if a person visits Zambia, they don't have to worry about walking along and being attacked by a lion or cheetah. (People have voiced concern that I might be attacked while mountain biking. Rest assured.)
Any suggested reading/hobbies? (I've finished about 10 books so far and I'm always looking for a new one.)
(It seems that most of those entry is full of incomplete thoughts, this is due to time restrictions.)
I've noticed two drastic changes in myself since this experience has started: I'm eating fish (not the kapenta, which are small fish which are dried and salted) and, when need be, beans. I thought I would never be eating beans, but my body craves the vitamins. In general, Zambians do not eat what Americans would call a "balanced diet" and we're told that they don't have access to the foods that would allow them to have a balanced diet. They concentrate on having their meals contain protein, vitamin A, and carbohydrates. In general, this leads to their meals being nshima (they never have a meal without it) and beans (vitamins) or nshima and cabbage.
I also had my first bacteria caused illness: giarrdeah. All you have to do is take four large pills at the same time and it kills the bacteria. These symptoms can re-occur but that hasn't happened to me yet *knock on wood*. Don't drink the water unless it's filtered as well as boiled.
We're getting into the hot/dry season so it's been hard to function during the peak hours. People have been asking me what it's like to live in Zambia, and it really is like camping: The stars/sunsets/sunrises are glorious every day and night, the food could be better but I'm getting used to it, and there are a lot of crawling critters (just make sure to tuck in your mosquito net tightly and they're more scared of you then you are of them...?).
A little known fact is that the only place a person can find the typical African animals is in the game parks during a safari. They're basically fenced in with the exception of the crocodile, hippo, deer-like animals, and snakes and you must pay to be escorted through the parks This means that if a person visits Zambia, they don't have to worry about walking along and being attacked by a lion or cheetah. (People have voiced concern that I might be attacked while mountain biking. Rest assured.)
Any suggested reading/hobbies? (I've finished about 10 books so far and I'm always looking for a new one.)
(It seems that most of those entry is full of incomplete thoughts, this is due to time restrictions.)
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
My name is Deborah
Hello. I'm currently at my provincial house in Mansa, Luapula right now. (Every province has a Peace Corps provincial house and Peace Corps volunteers go there for trainings or just to get away. A volunteer can stay for a few days every month.) It's nice because it has internet, electricity, movies, and comfortable beds. I'm here because I just finished my 2nd site visit and we're waiting for transport to Lusaka which will get here tomorrow morning. I will be living with my host family again, finishing training, and going to my site mid October.
My second site visit was extremely helpful because it allowed me to see the hut I'll be living in (mud, 3 rooms, grass roof) and meet the people in my community. I met my Ba Mayo, who's land I'm living on and who made me meals and heated my bath water on a brazier every morning. I spent most of my time just being with the people in my village. Zambians think that being alone is a bad thing, so when one group would leave another would come. Privacy is pretty limited. They asked me what my name and surname is so I told them Kelly DeVore....From this they call me Ba Deborah. Zambians tell their family name first and their personal name second, so they think DeVore is my individual name, but they have an accent so it comes out to be Deborah. "Ba" shows respect, like "Mr." or "Mrs." I might have to start introducing myself as DeVore Kelly. I was even given a Bemba name :Mwensa (m-when-zah). My neighbor that gave it to me said it means "one who is active", but others say that there is no meaning in the name, it's simply a name.
The first couple days were interesting. They mostly consisted of me sitting on my porch surrounded by about 30 children and 10 adults asking me questions in a language I don't understand very well. I mostly would just greet them and tell them I'm learning Bemba so I don't know how to effectively communicate yet. My Ba Mayo and host know English (but they won't talk to me in English very often). Translating and learning Bemba for four days straight can be exhausting! Finally, on my third day I took out my Bemba dictionary and it helped a lot. I could communicate and understand what people were saying to me, for the most part. I'm the first white person most of the people in my village have seen. This leads to them being very confused as to why I would ever leave America (the land of plenty), the purpose of me being there, and babies are scared of me. My day is unusual if I don't make a baby cry by saying hello.
During my stay, I went to a Zambian wedding. It was great. The wedding party spends about an hour and a half slowly dancing a rehearsed dance down the aisle. The people who are attending the wedding dance up to them as they're dancing give them money. Pops and food are handed out to everyone in attendance after the dancing. Then, there's more dancing done by the bridal party. It's extremely difficult to explain, so I highly suggest looking at this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HM2qliw-CXQ&feature=related or going to youTube and searching for Zambian Wedding. Part way through, there was a power outage (which they say happens quite often) so the music stopped. But, they kept dancing as if the music was still playing because it was being video taped.
I also ended up going to a church service, because Zambians are very religious so I wanted to see what it was like. It was basically 3 hours of people staring at me and reading scripture. It was a Jehovah's Witness service. I made sure to tell them that I'm attending to see what it's like and to learn more Bemba. I've been told that other services have a lot of instruments playing music and dancing, so I'm going to attend a service like that. But, Sundays will be my day of rest because everyone will be at church.
As I was leaving my Ba Mayo was sad ("They're taking my daughter!") and the villagers kept telling me they were worried that I wouldn't come back. It was confusing to them that I came and then left. Approximately 90% of Zambians never leave their village and have no desire to travel, so when they see/hear of others traveling, they don't understand the purpose. (I talked to a man and asked him if he'd ever been to a national park to see the African animals, and he said he'd seen a giraffe once, so he sees no reason to go to a park.)
I'm looking forward to getting back to training where I'll see the other Peace Corps trainees and my host family.
My second site visit was extremely helpful because it allowed me to see the hut I'll be living in (mud, 3 rooms, grass roof) and meet the people in my community. I met my Ba Mayo, who's land I'm living on and who made me meals and heated my bath water on a brazier every morning. I spent most of my time just being with the people in my village. Zambians think that being alone is a bad thing, so when one group would leave another would come. Privacy is pretty limited. They asked me what my name and surname is so I told them Kelly DeVore....From this they call me Ba Deborah. Zambians tell their family name first and their personal name second, so they think DeVore is my individual name, but they have an accent so it comes out to be Deborah. "Ba" shows respect, like "Mr." or "Mrs." I might have to start introducing myself as DeVore Kelly. I was even given a Bemba name :Mwensa (m-when-zah). My neighbor that gave it to me said it means "one who is active", but others say that there is no meaning in the name, it's simply a name.
The first couple days were interesting. They mostly consisted of me sitting on my porch surrounded by about 30 children and 10 adults asking me questions in a language I don't understand very well. I mostly would just greet them and tell them I'm learning Bemba so I don't know how to effectively communicate yet. My Ba Mayo and host know English (but they won't talk to me in English very often). Translating and learning Bemba for four days straight can be exhausting! Finally, on my third day I took out my Bemba dictionary and it helped a lot. I could communicate and understand what people were saying to me, for the most part. I'm the first white person most of the people in my village have seen. This leads to them being very confused as to why I would ever leave America (the land of plenty), the purpose of me being there, and babies are scared of me. My day is unusual if I don't make a baby cry by saying hello.
During my stay, I went to a Zambian wedding. It was great. The wedding party spends about an hour and a half slowly dancing a rehearsed dance down the aisle. The people who are attending the wedding dance up to them as they're dancing give them money. Pops and food are handed out to everyone in attendance after the dancing. Then, there's more dancing done by the bridal party. It's extremely difficult to explain, so I highly suggest looking at this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HM2qliw-CXQ&feature=related or going to youTube and searching for Zambian Wedding. Part way through, there was a power outage (which they say happens quite often) so the music stopped. But, they kept dancing as if the music was still playing because it was being video taped.
I also ended up going to a church service, because Zambians are very religious so I wanted to see what it was like. It was basically 3 hours of people staring at me and reading scripture. It was a Jehovah's Witness service. I made sure to tell them that I'm attending to see what it's like and to learn more Bemba. I've been told that other services have a lot of instruments playing music and dancing, so I'm going to attend a service like that. But, Sundays will be my day of rest because everyone will be at church.
As I was leaving my Ba Mayo was sad ("They're taking my daughter!") and the villagers kept telling me they were worried that I wouldn't come back. It was confusing to them that I came and then left. Approximately 90% of Zambians never leave their village and have no desire to travel, so when they see/hear of others traveling, they don't understand the purpose. (I talked to a man and asked him if he'd ever been to a national park to see the African animals, and he said he'd seen a giraffe once, so he sees no reason to go to a park.)
I'm looking forward to getting back to training where I'll see the other Peace Corps trainees and my host family.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
My address:
For now, my address is:
Kelly DeVore
US Peace Corps/ Zambia
PO Box 50707
Lusaka, Zambia
If you feel the urge to send me something, write religious sayings (christian) on the side of the package in red marker/ink...Just in case.
This address will be changing within the next couple of months and it takes about a month for something to reach me. (I put this up for you Mich :) )
Kelly DeVore
US Peace Corps/ Zambia
PO Box 50707
Lusaka, Zambia
If you feel the urge to send me something, write religious sayings (christian) on the side of the package in red marker/ink...Just in case.
This address will be changing within the next couple of months and it takes about a month for something to reach me. (I put this up for you Mich :) )
A Brief Update
Once again I have a little bit of time to be on the internet. I'm now half way through training, just had my second language test, and going to my second site visit tomorrow. It'll be a 10 days long and a 12 hour drive (because we can't drive through the Congo due to "political unrest") and I'll have my first opportunity to meet the other Peace Corps Volunteers (who will be living in the same province as I am) at the Provincial House in Samfia, Luapula. The Provincial House is 300 kilometers away from my site (side note: 3 miles in every 5 kilometers). During this visit I will also get to see my house, meet my neighbors (the best I can since my Bemba isn't even to a survival level; it's a work in progress), and meet the community I'll be working with. I'm lucky, because where I'll be living is near a paved road and I have electricity and cell phone coverage near (not in) my hut. Many people do not have these luxuries. I will also have access to all the fish that I want...I'm going to have to learn to like fish.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
My first blog in Zambia
So, I'm currently going through Peace Corps Service Training (PCST) and living in Chongwe, Zambia. I've been here since the middle of July and I quickly discovered that I will have limited access to internet (probably about once a month). I'm part of the CHIP program, which is a group that focuses on bringing health education in rural areas. The training is six days a week and approximately eight hours a day (Saturdays are only 3 hours). The training is made up of language, technical, cultural, and bike maintenance. In language, I am learning Bemba which is the most widely spoken language in Zambia. Also, if a person doesn't know Bemba, they will get the gist what you're saying because it's similar to the other languages. I'm in Zambia with a group of 38 people. We basically learn the same things, except for the language (the language determines which area of Zambia we will be living in for the two years of service).
In technical training, we learn about the main health concerns and issues in Zambia. Since I don't have a health background, this is extremely beneficial to me. We also learn the culturally appropriete ways to talk about this issues. For example, we explain the HIV virus by using a scenario about a garden. (The cows <HIV> are trying to break through your immune system <the fence>to eat your vegetables <white blood cells>)
On an average day, I wake up when the sun rises (because there are roosters EVERYWHERE) have breakfast with my host family and ride my bike down the bush paths a mile to get to class. After class, I go back to my in'ganda (house), bathe, spend time with the host family (which usually includes stirring up bread and watching a dubbed-over japanese soap opera), eat dinner, and go to my hut to study Bemba and read. I've been told that I will be "well read" by the end of my service.
The family I'm staying with lives in Kabeleka village and is made up of my Ba Taata (father), Ba Mayo (mother), two sisters (Carol and Naomi), and three brothers (Bruce, Brian, and Martin). They're very happy to have me and another volunteer (Kristin) stay with them, and say that we increase the value of their household, because of the knowledge that we share.
Food is extremely important to the Zambia culture. When I went to my first site visit in Luapula, all of the villagers at the site got together, brought practically all of the food they have, and cooked us the traditional dishes. As a guest, it is extremely impolite to tell them that you don't want something, so you must atleast try everything. Everything is eaten with your hands. The main food that is eaten here is nshima, which is basically made from corn meal that is cooked down into a mashed potato-like substance. It's then dipped into a relish (the side dish) and enjoyed. It's extremely plain tasting, but upon arrival we were warned to never say anything bad about nshima to a Zambian. I don't think that there is a Zambian that doesn't like nshima. It is served at every single lunch and dinner. Another traditional dish is "rape". It's made of kale-like leaves that are cooked down in water for about 15 minutes. Ground nuts (peanuts) or tomatoes and onions are sometimes added to it. So far, my favorite food is soya, or dehydrated soy pieces. They can be put into any dish, but usually they're cooked with tomatoes and onions. (Tomatoes and onions are crops that can be grown year-round). In general, the food is plain, but growing on me, and with hot sauce everything is good. :)
I found out yesterday that I will be living in Luapula for my two years of service. My hut will be near my health clinic, near a market, and on a lake. I'm running out of internet time, so I apologize for the misspellings and twakamonana (see you later).
In technical training, we learn about the main health concerns and issues in Zambia. Since I don't have a health background, this is extremely beneficial to me. We also learn the culturally appropriete ways to talk about this issues. For example, we explain the HIV virus by using a scenario about a garden. (The cows <HIV> are trying to break through your immune system <the fence>to eat your vegetables <white blood cells>)
On an average day, I wake up when the sun rises (because there are roosters EVERYWHERE) have breakfast with my host family and ride my bike down the bush paths a mile to get to class. After class, I go back to my in'ganda (house), bathe, spend time with the host family (which usually includes stirring up bread and watching a dubbed-over japanese soap opera), eat dinner, and go to my hut to study Bemba and read. I've been told that I will be "well read" by the end of my service.
The family I'm staying with lives in Kabeleka village and is made up of my Ba Taata (father), Ba Mayo (mother), two sisters (Carol and Naomi), and three brothers (Bruce, Brian, and Martin). They're very happy to have me and another volunteer (Kristin) stay with them, and say that we increase the value of their household, because of the knowledge that we share.
Food is extremely important to the Zambia culture. When I went to my first site visit in Luapula, all of the villagers at the site got together, brought practically all of the food they have, and cooked us the traditional dishes. As a guest, it is extremely impolite to tell them that you don't want something, so you must atleast try everything. Everything is eaten with your hands. The main food that is eaten here is nshima, which is basically made from corn meal that is cooked down into a mashed potato-like substance. It's then dipped into a relish (the side dish) and enjoyed. It's extremely plain tasting, but upon arrival we were warned to never say anything bad about nshima to a Zambian. I don't think that there is a Zambian that doesn't like nshima. It is served at every single lunch and dinner. Another traditional dish is "rape". It's made of kale-like leaves that are cooked down in water for about 15 minutes. Ground nuts (peanuts) or tomatoes and onions are sometimes added to it. So far, my favorite food is soya, or dehydrated soy pieces. They can be put into any dish, but usually they're cooked with tomatoes and onions. (Tomatoes and onions are crops that can be grown year-round). In general, the food is plain, but growing on me, and with hot sauce everything is good. :)
I found out yesterday that I will be living in Luapula for my two years of service. My hut will be near my health clinic, near a market, and on a lake. I'm running out of internet time, so I apologize for the misspellings and twakamonana (see you later).
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