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
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