Friday, February 6, 2009

September 16, 2008

Muli shani bonse!

As I sit down to write this, it hits me that it's been about 4 months or so since the last time I found myself here, sitting down to send one of these mass e-mails. As a result, I feel like it's only appropriate to preface this update with two statements: 1) I sincerely and profusely apologize for the delay. These periodic e-mails are my only form of communication with many of you, so I'm sorry that I've been so out-of-touch; and 2) Entirely too much goes on in a matter of 4 months here or anywhere else in the world for me to sum it all up without burdening you with what would most likely be the longest e-mail you've ever received, flooding your inbox, and prompting you to either delete it or only give it a brief skim, making the delayed update only a waste in the end. So, the following will merely be a recounting of major recent events in my Peace Corps experience, leading to inevitable generalizations and lapses in narration. Hopefully this task of drastically condensing my life without being able to go into details will prompt me to simply write more often in the future, seeing as it would allow me to avoid all of these disclaimers and limitations.

So, let's see, the most obvious question is: where to begin? Life continues to go relatively well for me here in Zambia. September 20 will mark 7 months since I moved to this beautiful country and 5 months since I became a resident of Maloba Village. Not only have I never lived outside of the United States for this long, but I've truly never had life pass by quite as quickly as it has these past few months. I'm happy to say that I've emerged from my "Community Entry Period," the first 3-months of service in the village, relatively unscathed and ready for 21 more months. Peace Corps encourages volunteers to take this period as time to assess community needs, familiarize yourself with the area, and simply adjust to village life. For someone like me, taking the time to just adapt and observe before diving right into a packed work schedule isn't the easiest thing in the world, but I understand and deeply appreciate Peace Corps' organic, from-the-ground-up approach to development.

Although I'm far from fully adapted to daily life in the village, I can say with confidence that Maloba has truly started to feel like a home to me. As my Bemba proficiency continues to increase and my familiarity with the dynamics of the community grows, I'm feeling more and more like a thread in the woven fabric of daily life here, instead of on a different plane entirely. It's difficult to put the subtle progression of my integration here into words since it's not any sort of sudden, grandiose ephiphany, but more of a complilation of small occurences and observations. I know I will never stop being somewhat of an outsider here -- a reality of the insurmountable disparity between my experience of the world and that of my fellow villagers. But having a child absentmindedly place his hand on my knee when sitting next to me, like I've seen so many children in the village do with their mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers...how can I explain? What words express that moment when something so small means so much, especially when you've spent every moment of every day grasping for a sense of belonging in a world so different from the one you come from? All I can say is that, though I have a long way to go, the gap between me and my community is slowly getting smaller, allowing more room for connections and relationships to form in spite of a plethora of differences, making me hopeful and resilient in a world where so many claim that this kind of common understanding is impossible, that conflict is inevitable.

In terms of work, my first 3 or 4 months involved spending a great deal of time meeting with individuals and various groups, finding out what they've been working on, what they hope to work on, and what sorts of challenges they face. Along the lines of my project's objectives, I've met with many lead farmers and farmers' groups in my area to talk about organic gardening and conservation farming, as well as starting a garden of my own to demonstrate some of these techniques. I never had a garden of my own back in the States, and I have to say that it's been a lot of fun and even therapeutic getting my hands dirty and watching things grow. Aside from that, I've spent a lot of my time with women's groups, giving talks on nutrition, going over basic business skills as a foundation to start small income-generating activities, learning how to cook local dishes, and sometimes just getting together to sing and dance. In fact, the women in my village and I get together almost every Friday afternoon to dance for about an hour or so. I have yet to figure out if this is simply for fun or if they see these as much-needed dance lessons for me, but it's one of my favorite times of the week nonetheless.

August proved to be one of my busiest months yet, involving almost 3 weeks out of the village. We're not allowed to travel for our first 3 months of service so, seeing as this period ended for me on July 30, I took my first vacation at the beginning of August to neighboring Tanzania. As luck would have it, my dear friend from college Sasha was traveling with her father and younger brother throughout the East African country and I was able to meet up with them for a few days of safari in Tarangire National Park. With my modest volunteer budget, getting to them cheaply from Zambia involved a 3-day train ride and a 10-hour bus ride, but traveling in it of itself proved to be one of the best parts of my trip, providing many interesting experiences and encounters along the way. Traveling alone was never something I had done or would have had the ambition to do prior to Peace Corps, but living by myself in the middle of a rural African village has upped my comfort with solidarity, to say the least. I never expected to see someone from home so soon in my service, so seeing Sasha and her family was more exciting than I can express.On top of that, taking guided tours both by car and on foot to come face-to-face with incredible wildlife in its natural environment was an experience I'll never forget, inspiring both awe at the beauty of nature and sadness at just how rare these animals have become. Plus, having hot showers, soft sheets, and amazing food when I've been living in the village was indescribable. I can only imagine how enjoyable these simple pleasures will be after more than 2 years.

Straight from Tanzania, I made my way back to Zambia and headed to Lusaka, the capital, for a week of "In-Service Training." Taking place after our "Community Entry Period," these sessions focused on evaluating how our service has gone so far and discussing some activities we might want to implement in our villages in the future. This was the first time many of us from my training group had seen each other since being posted to our respective villages, so it was a busy and exciting week, with a lot of catching up to do. Sadly, Zambian President Levy P. Mwanawasa passed away during that week, prompting a lot of commotion and mourning in the capital. Since the Vice President is an appointed, not elected, position in Zambia, there will be another presidential election this month. Fortunately, Zambia is a very peaceful and politically stable country, so none of the complications that often arise with elections in developing countries are expected to result, but it's a very interesting experience being here during this significant time in Zambia's history.

Coming back to the village after such an extended time away was simultaneously exciting and difficult. Towards the end of my travels, I was very much looking forward to getting back to the people and places I now have as my base. At the same time, seeing friends from home and spending time with fellow volunteers reminded me how much I miss the people and places I can relax and be myself with and leaving me only wanting more. After about a week or so, however, I easily got back into the rhythm of the village and have busied myself starting what looks like will be the biggest project of my service -- building a community school for the Maloba area. The closest school is currently over 7 km away, so the children in my village and adjacent villages walk this distance twice a day, every school day, resulting in significantly low classroom attendance, participation, and performance. Under the current Ministry of Education guidelines in Zambia, if a community builds their own school building, the government will later provide additional resources such as teachers, desks, books, and other classroom materials. So, we're submitting an application to the Peace Corps Partnership Program, which will set up a website and help us generate funds for this much-needed project. In fact, this is what has brought me here to Mansa, my provincial capital, this week, where I'll submit our application for review.

Well, I think that's more than enough recap for one e-mail. I really will make a greater effort to send more frequent updates in the future and not let life whisk me away here to the point of detachment. I've found that receiving and writing letters has been one of the best and most personal ways of keeping in touch, so please continue to send news along that way, in addition to e-mail (in case you've misplaced it or don't yet have it, my address is Sara Blackwell/PCV, Peace Corps/Zambia, P.O. Box 710150, Mansa, Luapula, Zambia). Hearing from you truly makes me feel closer to home and gets me through the moments of loneliness and homesickness. Unlike the frustrating experience of slow Internet connections and high Internet cafe fees, writing letters is the only other thing besides reading to do in the village once the sun goes down, so I guarantee a letter in return if you send one my way.

Hoping that each and every one of you is healthy, happy, and enjoying life.

Miss and love you all madly,
Sara

June 7, 2008

Mwashibukeni bonse!
It's been just over a month since my last e-mail -- a month of a new life in Maloba village that has so far been a daily adventure in adjusting to my new home and learning countless things about village life, about what it is to be a Peace Corps volunteer, about Zambia, and about myself. Like all of the e-mails I have written since arriving in Zambia, I have no idea exactly where to begin. So, I guess I'll just start at the beginning...
I was driven out to my site in the early morning of April 30, the anticipation and anxiety escalating exponentially with every kilometer. The moment that we pulled up to my mud hut to the moment when the Peace Corps staff drove away is now only a blurred memory of excited smiles and shaking of hands and unloading of supplies and overwhelming emotions. During training, one of my favorite Bemba phrases that we learned was "Lelo ni lelo," which means, more or less, "Today is the day." When I stepped out of the Peace Corps truck and greeted my fellow villagers, this was the first thing that popped into my head and out of my mouth, which is now a running joke in Maloba as villagers greet me with this phrase almost every day. The moment that every Peace Corps volunteer can vividly recall -- when the Peace Corps vehicle drives away and you are left there, on your own, to start your new life -- can truly not be put into words. I will just say that it's a moment I will never, ever forget.
The first few days went by incredibly fast as I busied myself with unpacking and settling into my new home -- my first time ever living completely on my own. I was lucky enough to inherit some furniture from the previous volunteer, which made moving in a lot easier. I have a lot of space as far as mud huts go, with a sturdy grass thatched roof and a small front porch where I spend a lot of time reading and writing. My compound consists of my hut, a small open shelter called an insaka for cooking and hanging out in, a small garden area in the front yard, a bathing shelter, a "icimbusu" (pit latrine) behind the house, a grass-thatched fence that winds around the front of the yard, and mango, orange, papaya, avocado, and guava trees galore. I live very much in the middle of the village, with lots of people continuously walking by, which is the kind of setup I was hoping for as some volunteers live somewhat separated from the rest of the village -- great for privacy but not ideal for socializing. My closest neighbors are Kingford and Georgina, along with their 6 children who are my new best friends. Kingford is a fairly successful small-scale farmer who speaks pretty good English and has quickly become one of my closest counterparts in the village. On the opposite side of my house lives Mambwe and Lucia and their 3 small children. Mambwe is finishing Grade 12 -- Zambians of all ages are at various levels of their education due to school fees starting in Grade 8 that can delay progress for many years until money is available to attend -- and is therefore gone the majority of the time, coming home about once a month. Lucia has been struggling with malaria for the past few weeks. Seeing her struggle to care for the young children alone and ill breaks me every day.
Everyone in my village has been more than welcoming, and I am so appreciative of their enthusiasm and eagerness to have a volunteer in their village. Since moving in, I have become progressively busy, meeting with various groups in my village and in surrounding communities. As I may have explained in a previous e-mail, my site is about 1 km from a local protected forest. The Forestry Department under the Zambian government has set up local committees to manage the natural resources available in and around the forest, so I have been busy meeting with these groups to introduce myself and do some needs assessments to figure out how we can work together during my two years here. I've also been meeting frequently with various women's groups, doing soya demonstrations to talk about nutrition, planning potential small-scale businesses for them to generate some extra income, and doing lots and lots and lots of dancing. I was fortunate enough to be invited to and attend a "banachimbusa" within my first few weeks, which is a traditional event where all the women in the community gather for an all-night (from sunset to sunrise), women-only dance to initiate those in the village who are about to get married. This was simply incredible, a priceless cross-cultural experience that I learned so much from and that I will carry in my memory forever.
My neighbor Kingford and I started a garden out by the local dambo, planting cabbage, spinach, tomatoes, onions, squash, rape, peppers, and marigold to implement organic farming techniques as a demonstration for other members of the community. The use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides is an unfortunate and expensive trend among the majority of farmers here in Zambia (and throughout the world), so Kingford and I are excited to create a demonstration plot where others can come and learn about the use of natural, environmentally-friendly fertilizers and pesticides made from the resources that are in abundance in this beautiful country.
Between these activities, I spend my time cleaning, cooking, washing dishes, doing laundry, fetching water, and other daily activities that take substantially more time and effort here than they do in the States. Overall, I'm managing very well and love the village life more and more each day. I must admit that the first week or so was tough. Having never lived on my own before and having only a limited vocabulary in the local language resulted in some difficult moments of loneliness and frustration. And I can't even express the intense longing to talk to all of you back home during those first few days. Peace Corps volunteers always talk about how it takes getting used to just being with yourself so much and with your own thoughts, but how refreshing and enjoyable this becomes. Day by day, I feel this transition and am beginning to truly cherish the opportunity to be free from so many distractions and to just have time to think -- to really think -- and just appreciate where I am.
I'm now in Mansa, the provincial capital, where all the volunteers in Luapula province have gathered for a few days to meet and go over updates and information from the Peace Corps Office in Lusaka. I'm headed back to the village tomorrow -- a trip that consists of about an hour car ride and then a 4-hour bike ride on dirt roads. I'm biking more than I ever have in my life, which feels great and is an amazing way to see the country. I'll be returning to Mansa around July 4 to celebrate our American holiday with other volunteers and will send another update around that time. My Internet access will most likely be about once a month from here on out, so please don't be concerned if you have not heard from me again for quite some time.
Please know that although I don't have the time or Internet cafe funds to respond individually to your e-mails, I love and cherish each and every single one. I'm writing letters as much as I can and prize each letter and package I receive, so please continue to communicate with me this way as well. I love and miss you all with all my heart.
Tukamonana (we will meet again),
Sara

April 29, 2008

Mwashibukeni bonse! (Good morning everyone!)
I am now officially a Peace Corps volunteer! After 9 weeks of Pre-Service Training, I've made the transition from trainee to volunteer after our Swearing-In Ceremony last Friday. I'm now in Mansa, the provincial capital of Luapula, getting ready for the culminating moment in the Peace Corps experience when I'm dropped off alone in my village to start my two years of service. The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of events and I can't even begin to describe my excitement about settling into my mud hut and getting to know my community. It feels like only yesterday that I stepped off the plane in Lusaka with absolutely no idea what life would be like the following day, let alone for the next 9 weeks, and it is truly baffling to look back and think about all I have learned and experienced between then and now.
Since my last e-mail, we wrapped up training with an intense schedule of language and technical evaluations, including a 45-minute language assessment where we individually sat down with an instructor and carried on a conversation in our local language to the best of our abilities. Needless to say, these were some stressful times, but I'm happy to say that everyone in my training group reached the required fluency level of intermediate low or higher. This means that no one will have to stay for more training, which sometimes happens when their language skills aren't quite what Peace Corps requires before dropping the volunteers in areas where English is scarce. I have to say that the last few weeks of training were quite difficult after we had all briefly visited our provinces and villages a few weeks back. Sitting in a classroom after seeing where I will be living and meeting some of the people in my village was not easy since I have been wanting nothing more than to begin getting to know the members of my community and to dive right into the work I have been trained to do for the past 9 weeks.
At the same time, I truly valued every last minute I had with my host family and fellow trainees -- people I have grown incredibly close to and who have given me such strength and joy for the last 2 months. In addition to each of you, I now have even more people to miss when I'm in the village! But, I'm fully aware of how lucky I am to have so many people in my life to miss in the first place. Thinking ahead to the next 2 years often results in an intense juxtaposition of emotions -- fear of the unknown mixed with excitement for unexpected experiences; sadness about the distance between me and all those I care about back home mixed with extreme happiness at the thought of how fortunate I am to have such support back in the States; being acutely aware of how different life is from all I have known for the past 22 years mixed with an increasing connection to my current surroundings...the list goes on and on. In short, being a Peace Corps volunteer involves a roller-coaster ride of emotions, but not a day goes by when I don't feel completely present and alive -- a feeling that is hard for me to describe, but that I am sure to now chase in all that I do for the rest of my life.
The past week has been bittersweet as we celebrated the end of training and bid our host families and each other goodbye before heading out into the bush. We hosted a "Cross-Cultural Day" last Wednesday for our host families, cooking some American dishes and performing some of the Zambian songs and dances we have learned so far. Both my bataata and bamaayo (father and mother in Bemba) came and I gave them each a tree I had planted at the beginning of training for them to add to their gardens. We were picked up from our home-stays and taken to Lusaka the following morning, which ended up being quite emotional for me. As I've mentioned in some of my other e-mails, I could not have asked for a warmer welcome to Zambia than that provided by my host family and I will very much miss seeing them every day.
Our Swearing-In Ceremony took place in Lusaka last Friday, with the U.S. ambassador to Zambia and some of ministers for the Zambian government attending. For the ceremony, a few trainees were selected to present a speech in the local language they have learned and I was lucky enough to be one of the trainees selected! Since this can sometimes be a bit boring for members of the audience who are learning or know languages other than the one being presented, I decided to write and present a poem in Bemba, which went over very well! All in all, it was an amazing day, one that I sincerely will never forget. We were all shipped out to our respective provinces the morning after the ceremony and I've been at the Peace Corps provincial house for Luapula province since then, gathering all that I need to furnish my mud hut, feed myself, and basically live the village life.
Tomorrow is the big move-in day! I will not be back in an area with a computer until June, so please don't be worried by my lack of communication over the next month or so. I will write again as soon as I can, and please continue to send updates on how you are doing and what's going on back home. It means the world to me to hear from all of you.
Shalenipo!
Sara

April 5, 2008

Mwapoleni bonse!

Hello again from Zambia! It's been a few weeks since I've been in contact with the majority of you, so I thought it was time to send out another update. My Pre-Service Training has gone by extremely fast -- I only have about 20 days left until my Swear-In Ceremony, where I become an official Peace Corps Volunteer, and move into my village where I'll be living for the next two years! There's been so many new developments and adventures since I last wrote that I have no idea where to begin...The majority of the weeks have stuck to our basic training schedule, with language classes in the mornings, technical training in the afternoons, and cultural training on Thursdays at our main training center. We've all seemed to have grown pretty accustomed to finding our ways around Chongwe, the town outside of Lusaka where we're living and learning during training, and the constant routine of it all has often produced a strange sense of normalcy in a place so different from anywhere I've ever called home before. In terms of daily life, it's almost difficult to think of what to write about -- not because it has been uneventful and not because it hasn't inspired any kind of reflection, but because the adjustments that once seemed so major have mostly become second nature and it's now more of a luxurious surprise than an expectation to have accommodations like electricity and running water to perform daily tasks. To say the least, it's been quite a surreal experience -- I find myself constantly balancing an intense sense of awe at my surroundings and an increasingly strong sense of familiarity with the people and places I have interacted with so far.

I'm happy to say that life with my host family has continued to be endlessly enjoyable, with each day bringing progress in my ability to communicate and connect with them. My Bemba is coming along, panono panono (bit by bit), and it's so exhilarating to just be able to have a 5 or 10 minute conversation without resorting to English. An official "Home Stay Day" was reserved for us to spend with our host families a few weeks back, which ended up being one of my favorite days here in Zambia so far. I spent the majority of the day following my host mother around, learning (through broken Bemba and many, many gesticulations) the art of sweeping out mud huts, cleaning pit latrines, bargaining at the chaotic local market, and preparing some typical Zambian dishes. I have to say that Zambian women are some of the strongest individuals I have ever encountered. I am in constant awe of their incredible ability to do pretty much all of the physical tasks around the house, and all with a baby strapped to their backs. Remnants of blisters and the beginning formations of calluses all over my hands are testimony to the difficulty of the work that the women here do every day for their entire lives, and I can only hope to leave here having developed a fraction of their strength and resiliency. When I'm not biking around from training session to training session, I spend a lot of time helping the family harvest their fields of groundnuts (peanuts), which is their main source of income. As a LIFE (Linking Income, Food and the Environment) volunteer, I'm learning all about conservation farming, agroforestry, composting, beekeeping, environmental education, etc. and it's been priceless having a Zambia farmer as a host father to get a first hand account of everything I'm learning about in my technical classes. I can safely say that I truly feel a part of the family at this point and will be very sad to leave them at the end of training. Getting to know them and feeling myself increasingly connected to them has definitely been one of the most enjoyable aspects of Peace Corps so far, and there are so many experiences -- learning with my host mom, discussing both African and American politics with my host dad, hearing all the children laughing in the mornings and singing in the nights -- that I will carry with me for the rest of my time here, if not for the rest of my life.

The past week has actually been spent away from our host families after we found out our site placements last week. Site placement is basically a culminating moment in training where we finally find out which village we will be placed in for our two years of service. Considering the fact that up until this point we had no idea where in the country our new homes would be, we were all incredibly excited to find out this information, to say the least. So, no I can finally say that I will be living in Luapula province, Samfya district, Maloba village! My site is actually the exact site I had my eye on and 3 of my closest friends I've made during training are also placed in Luapula as well, so I couldn't be more excited. After finding out our placements, we all packed up and prepared to head back out into the bush to briefly visit our villages and see where we'll be living. The drive out to the site was amazing, and I couldn't stop grinning from ear to ear as we made our way through the lush greenery and past the breathtaking lakes and rivers of Luapula. The main road out to my area runs right along Lake Chifunabuli, with Lake Bangweulu right beyond a small strip of land. Lake Bangweulu is the largest area of water in Zambia, with white sand beaches, beautiful blue waters, many fish, crocs, and hippos! When we arrived to the village, we pulled up to the mud hut, garden, and small compound that will be my new home and found almost the entire village gathered in the front yard! Greeting everyone and finally putting a tangible image to what I have only imagined in my head for months and months was a lot to process, and it was a moment that I am sure to never, ever forget.

I'm now in Mansa, the provincial capital of Luapula, meeting other volunteers in the area and setting up logistics like a bank account. Here's my new mailing address!

Sara Blackwell, PCV
Peace Corps/Zambia
P.O. Box 710150
Mansa, Luapula
Zambia

I continue to miss all of you very much and think of you often. Please don't hesitate to send e-mails (or letters!) my way. Although I don't get to a computer often, reading about what everyone is up to back home makes me endlessly happy. Hope you are all doing well!

Shalenipo! (Stay well!)
Love,
Sara

March 16, 2008

Muli shani bonse! Hello from Zambia!

It's been about 3 weeks since I arrived in this beautiful country, and I'm healthy, happy, and loving every minute of my Peace Corps experience so far! Apologizes for not getting in touch sooner, but finding electricity, let alone a computer with Internet access, is a rare occurrence where I'm now living. Sorry also for the unavoidably impersonal mass e-mail, but I wanted to make sure to send at least a quick hello to each of you for the time being until I have access to my e-mail again (and there's really no telling when that will be!).

So, where to begin? All 52 of my fellow Peace Corps/Zambia trainees and I arrived safely in Lusaka (Zambia's capital) on the evening of February 23 after almost 24 total hours of travel, and it's really been non-stop from then until now...These last few weeks have been jam-packed with orientation into the Peace Corps program, medical/security briefings, and training sessions in language, technical skills, and Zambian culture. I have to say that I've been completely blown away at how well organized and comprehensive our Peace Corps training has been so far and feel more and more secure in my decision to serve as a volunteer every day. Zambia has the largest group of Peace Corps volunteers out of all of the countries in Africa, so it's been incredibly exhilarating to meet so many new people and learn about the amazing work that's going on here. Without getting into too much detail in order to avoid an encyclopedia-length e-mail, here's a briefing of what life's been like for the past 3 weeks:

After only 3 days of orientation sessions in a hostel outside of the city of Lusaka, we were split into groups of 4 and, in true Peace Corps fashion, whisked out into what's commonly referred to as "the bush" to stay with currently serving volunteers and get a true sense of what the next 2 years of our lives will be like. My group loaded up in a Land Cruiser for a bumpy 6-hour ride to the Eastern province of Zambia to stay with a volunteer named Tim who's been here since last June. Like Tim, the 4 of us are LIFE (Linking Income, Food and the Environment) volunteers, so it was exciting to see first-hand what our program is all about. Going from life in America to sleeping in a tent and functioning with no electricity or running water on a daily basis within a matter of 4 days was quite an experience, but I appreciate the Peace Corps quickly exposing us to what we're in for and allowing the volunteers themselves to initiate us into the Peace Corps program. After almost 5 days watching and learning about life as a volunteer -- including fetching water from the local water source, cooking over a brazier, bathing with only a bucket of cold water and bare hands, interacting with fellow villagers, and basically going about daily life in the village -- we re-emerged from the bush and headed back to Lusaka for placement with a host family for the 9 weeks of Pre-Service Training (PST).

Being separated from any fellow trainees for the first time was a big moment as we were each dropped off with our few bags, a bike, and absolutely no training in the language spoken by our Zambian families. The 73 local languages in Zambia are more or less grouped into 7 official languages, and each of us chose which language we want to learn on our second day in Zambia based on where in the country we want to work and with whom we'd like to be in close vicinity. After briefings on each of Zambia's diverse provinces and consulting with some of my fellow trainees that have quickly become close friends, I signed up to learn Bemba, Zambia's most widely-used language that is spoken in the central and northern areas of the country. Based on this, and the fact that I'm a LIFE volunteer, I will be living and working in either Luapula province or Central province for the next two years after PST. Both of these areas are distinguished by lush forests, high rainfall, beautiful waterfalls, lakes, and rivers, and many many mangoes, so I'm incredibly excited, to say the least.

Each of us has been placed with a family that speaks our respective languages so that we'll have the opportunity to learn all that we can before being placed in a village at the end of training. I can't even begin to express how incredible my host family experience has been so far. My host father and mother are some of the most generous and kind-hearted people I have ever met, and I'm having the time of my life getting to know all 14 children that live on their compound! My bataata ('father' in Bemba) likes to call himself the chief of his "small village," consisting of about 10 small mud huts, one of which is set up with a mattress, small desk, and lantern for my use during training. Since moving in, we've settled into our training schedule and time has truly flown by. Each morning, I wake up around 5:30 am for a morning run with the breath-taking African sunrise as my companion, take a bucket bath, eat a quick breakfast, head down the dirt road to a local school for about 4 hours of language training and 4 hours of LIFE technical training sessions, come home for dinner, study, and get into bed by about 11:00 pm. It's been a rather intense schedule, but I'm learning so, so much each and every day.

I wish I had more time to communicate with all of you back home, but just know that I carry you in my heart each day that I am here. Being here has reminded me at every moment just how lucky I am, especially when it comes to all of the love and support I have back home. I'll write again as soon as I'm able, but communication has proven to be quick difficult so far. Please don't hesitate to write me at:

Sara Blackwell/PST
Peace Corps
P.O. Box 50707
Lusaka, Zambia

Please write "Air Mail" and "Par Avion" on envelopes. Getting letters or packages from home will be more exciting for me than you'll ever know...
I hope you are healthy and happy. I miss you all dearly.
Love,
Sara