Sunday, February 18, 2007

my first month

so, all of that said, on to my world! it's strange to finally be in front of a computer in a city because in my village it feels like all of this could almost not exist, it's so far away and so unknown. i wanted to put pics up today of my beautiful family and village, but i forgot my connector cable! so, sorry, they'll have to wait!

since i wrote last things have happened so quickly. first, we went out on a site visit. i went to central province, which is a place i could end up in 3 weeks when we get out sites. we spent two nights near the BOMA (the district capital, which is an acronym left over from the colonial period) of serenje, which was nice. the volunteer actually lives outside the BOMA, in a village, but is very close and works closely with the ministry of education officials in town. she lives in a beautiful little compound, though her family is pretty quiet and there are no kids, so she is able to have a bit more of her own "space." after two nights there we moved to another site, in the bush. there, the volunteer has many siblings and has a stronger relationship with his family, who he eats with most nights and is very close to. it was a lot of fun to go out right away and spend time with current volunteers because we got to see what their sites look like, ask questions, see schools, explore, and relax a bit. our volunteers were also just a lot of fun, so it was a good intro to peace corps in zambia.

after those 5 nights we came back to lusaka where we had warm water (though the showers didn't work, so it was still just a bucket bath IN the shower!) and time with our whole group. peace corp brought in a traditional zambia dance group which was amazing. i am physuically incapable of moving my body in that way.

then, two weeks ago, we moved in with our host families! i have a mom, a dad, 9 siblings, and a nephew. though, only four of the siblings live at home. the parents and the three old siblings all speak english well, which has been REALLY good for starting to get to know them. my nephew is four and ADORABLE. the first day, instead of being scared like many of the kids (the muzungus are kind of scary!), he pushed aside my book of chicago pictures and quickly crawled into my lap. we became fast friends. :-)

my family is really great. they are friendly and fun and i like hanging out with them. my mom and my sisters are teaching me how to cook and sweep and do laundry and more. i went to church with them last week, which was interesting, though confusing. i think they think i'm interesting, if bizarre.

ok, i have five more minutes to write. so, i'm going to try to encompass everything. but, if not, i miss you all, and i would LOVE to hear from you. so, letters are so welcome. and as soon as i have my site i will put up my new address. i should get back on the internet in 3 weeks.

so, my daily life. i wake up around 5:30 when it starts to get light. then i stay in bed until around 6:30, dosing off. my classes monday through saturday usually start around 8. i have bemba in the morning, from 8-12. then i come home for lunch and hang out with my family. then, i go back for tech training in the afternoon, until 5 or 6 (which we call 17 or 18). and then i come home, take a bucket bath, eat dinner with one or two of my family members. at first it was my mom and lately it's been my sister or sisters (one of the ones who speaks english with the little one who doesn't) and there is a lot of "cinci ici?" or "mutila shani ____ muchi bemba?" translation: what is this? or how do you say _____ in bemba?

my village is very close to the tarmac (the paved road) which is the one eastern road in zambia and heads out towards malawi. though it feels very rural. immediately you get into a sand road, maize fields, and mud huts. my hut is a mud hut with a grass roof and i think it's where my sisters stayed before i came, which makes me feel a little bit bad.

anyway, i need to sign off and pay. i miss everyone so much. i'm doing well, though especially as i try to convey what my life is like here i am reminded of how far away i feel from you all. i would LOVE to get letters. and i promise a response to ANYONE who writes. also, the number to my cell phone is 011 26 097 186 411 and i check for text messages most mornings and nights because my village has cellphone services. so, if you want to call, send a text about when and i will text back to let you know if my phone will be on! love you all!

why blog?

so, it's come to my attention a couple times since i got here that blogs in peace corps can be controversial. peace corps, understandably, worries about controlling its media image and blogs are a new and unpredictable source of media attention. we, the volunteers, can observe, write, and spread information that is incorrect and/or offensive. i feel pretty strongly however, that this blog remain open and accessible because of how much i believe in the new democracy of media. blogs allow everyone to suddenly become journalists and columnists, in a way. we are all suddenly allowed to write about, comment on, and critique the world around us.

all of that said, i feel i must strongly acknowledge that i recognize the power, both positive and negative, that blogs can potentially have. i recognize that i am now, in some ways, a journalist. my observations and words can be taken as fact even though i may not see them as such. my critiques may be misunderstood. my relationship to peace corps may be exaggerated. but, i think that the power we have as individuals to spread our experiences and reflections outweighs those negative.

when i found out that i was coming to zambia, i found very little information on the internet OTHER than peace corps volunteer's blogs, which i tried to keep up with, understanding that they were one of my few sources of information about a world i was soon to be joining. i read those pieces knowing that they came from individuals, with individual experiences (sometimes good and sometimes bad) and individual capabilities of reflection. yet, for that access into a new world i was, and am, thankful.

in my case, my blog is primarily for my family and friends to read about my experiences and reflections on my time here in zambia. however, i am sure that people who i do not know will (and already have) found it and will use it as a resources in their own ways. for that reason, i will do my absolute best to combine journalistic integrity with my own personal stories. blogs present a unique crossroads for this kind of exploration. so, i hope it can be used as such. a piece of journalism, a letter, a story, a reflection and opinion piece, and a view into a world so different from the one i come from and the one most of you who are reading this come from!

a quick note: i did not have to write this, but rather i think it's important to explain some of my "blog philosophy." i hope it's helpful!