I have been sick with a head cold. They had me spend the night at the training center so I could be watched, as I was running a fever.
So today my Bamama walked to Chibembi, asked them to let me come out of class so she could see how I was and give the oatmeal she made for my lunch. I am back home to night and still very clogged up. I only have language class tomorrow in a closer village, so I can rest longer.
Saturday we are headed to Lusaka where I am going shopping for a few things. One important thing being peanut butter. A fellow student brought a PB&J sandwich in today and he was envy of us all! I also really want McDonalds!!!
Thursday, February 20, 2014
My house
Village people. Women are selling popcorn, boiled peanuts and pumice stones. Woman are not allowed to eat the peanuts as they are bad for fertility. But men can, they are good for their virility.
Laundry day
My yard Bamama says flowers take the sadness and sickness away, so she plants them. 
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
On the 11th we were taken to our training center in Chibembi. And to our villages were we will be living in. My village, Mwulundo is about 5k away from the training center. We are all in different villages.
I met my Bamama that I will be living with for the next 3 month. Her name is Marry. She is a single mother.
My Bamama is very sweet. She has 3 sons, 2 living at home. Sylvester goes to school in another village and Moses stays home. I have my own hut, behind her house, she has it painted and fixed up very nice with pretty curtains on the windows. She speaks Kahonde, which is the language I will be learning. She does speak a little English, so with us both struggling and hand gestures we are doing well.
It is fun to hear them speak English, they put a y should on the end of the words, forkys, knifeys, spoonys! The also say "eh" with different inflections, like we say, right, sure, okay, yeah, in response to a conversation. I am trying to learn how to do it. It feels very awkward.
She brings my breakfast and supper to my hut and eats with me each day. She has my bath water ready when I get up before I go to school and again when I get home from school. It's important to bathe twice a day here. The food is good, but their staple is a meal made from maize - nashiama, it is not something I will ever make for myself, EVER! She did teach me to make her version of scones (sconeys) and was impressed the next day when I could make it by myself. And thanks to the skills learned from Jenny and Brad Lawrence, I really impressed her with my knowledge of how to kill and dress a chicken. Thanks!
The first morning I went to school, Bamama walked me to the bus stop to be picked up. We got our bikes and several of us coming from the same area ride to from school together. I almost quit the first week, just not sure I could face the bike again. I am sore and more out of shape than I thought, but it is better this week.
We had a cross-cultural exchange - We got to ask why our host families do certain things and they could ask why we did certain things. They wanted to know why did Americans want to be alone so much and why did we look at the stars, they think that is really strange (we don't get to see this many stars at home generally and the constellations are in the wrong places!). When I told Bamama that with lights from the cities we don't normally see so many stars everywhere, she just shrugged and walked away, she just can't comprehend that.
Also why did we show our emotions so much? We found out that any hot drink is called tea, even if it's coffee, which is instant here. Bamama thought I was crazy when I kept asking for tea, and she was pointing and the coffee saying tea back. She made pumpkin for supper one night and asked me if I had ever had it. I told her about all the pumpkin things we can get in the fall, coffee, bread, cookies, she thought that was very funny.
I have lizards living the ceiling, and have never seen so many spiders, I try not to look at them, just walk on by. Ants so big. In fact all bugs are bigger and not in short supply.
I know from the language I am learning that I will be in the North West corner of Zambia when I am done here. That is the place where that language is mostly spoken. They have pineapples and elepants there, that I'm looking forward to.
It's the rainy season here, everything is wet, so muddy. Makes it much harder to ride the bike. There was a beautiful sunny day last week, I charged everything with the solar chargers and washed clothes and badly needed task. Well actually, I helped while Bamama did it and visited with her sister and mother.
Yesterday I started feeling sick, it's a cold. I will be staying tonight at the training center so they can keep an eye on me, but I'm fine, just head cold, draining into my stomach and a slight fever. I also got Rabies and typhoid vaccinations.
I have pictures that I will put on later today. It's hard to get and keep reception and everything takes so long to download.
Many have said they want items for a care package, here is the list I now have.
I met my Bamama that I will be living with for the next 3 month. Her name is Marry. She is a single mother.
My Bamama is very sweet. She has 3 sons, 2 living at home. Sylvester goes to school in another village and Moses stays home. I have my own hut, behind her house, she has it painted and fixed up very nice with pretty curtains on the windows. She speaks Kahonde, which is the language I will be learning. She does speak a little English, so with us both struggling and hand gestures we are doing well.
It is fun to hear them speak English, they put a y should on the end of the words, forkys, knifeys, spoonys! The also say "eh" with different inflections, like we say, right, sure, okay, yeah, in response to a conversation. I am trying to learn how to do it. It feels very awkward.
She brings my breakfast and supper to my hut and eats with me each day. She has my bath water ready when I get up before I go to school and again when I get home from school. It's important to bathe twice a day here. The food is good, but their staple is a meal made from maize - nashiama, it is not something I will ever make for myself, EVER! She did teach me to make her version of scones (sconeys) and was impressed the next day when I could make it by myself. And thanks to the skills learned from Jenny and Brad Lawrence, I really impressed her with my knowledge of how to kill and dress a chicken. Thanks!
The first morning I went to school, Bamama walked me to the bus stop to be picked up. We got our bikes and several of us coming from the same area ride to from school together. I almost quit the first week, just not sure I could face the bike again. I am sore and more out of shape than I thought, but it is better this week.
We had a cross-cultural exchange - We got to ask why our host families do certain things and they could ask why we did certain things. They wanted to know why did Americans want to be alone so much and why did we look at the stars, they think that is really strange (we don't get to see this many stars at home generally and the constellations are in the wrong places!). When I told Bamama that with lights from the cities we don't normally see so many stars everywhere, she just shrugged and walked away, she just can't comprehend that.
Also why did we show our emotions so much? We found out that any hot drink is called tea, even if it's coffee, which is instant here. Bamama thought I was crazy when I kept asking for tea, and she was pointing and the coffee saying tea back. She made pumpkin for supper one night and asked me if I had ever had it. I told her about all the pumpkin things we can get in the fall, coffee, bread, cookies, she thought that was very funny.
I have lizards living the ceiling, and have never seen so many spiders, I try not to look at them, just walk on by. Ants so big. In fact all bugs are bigger and not in short supply.
I know from the language I am learning that I will be in the North West corner of Zambia when I am done here. That is the place where that language is mostly spoken. They have pineapples and elepants there, that I'm looking forward to.
It's the rainy season here, everything is wet, so muddy. Makes it much harder to ride the bike. There was a beautiful sunny day last week, I charged everything with the solar chargers and washed clothes and badly needed task. Well actually, I helped while Bamama did it and visited with her sister and mother.
Yesterday I started feeling sick, it's a cold. I will be staying tonight at the training center so they can keep an eye on me, but I'm fine, just head cold, draining into my stomach and a slight fever. I also got Rabies and typhoid vaccinations.
I have pictures that I will put on later today. It's hard to get and keep reception and everything takes so long to download.
Many have said they want items for a care package, here is the list I now have.
Pudding cups no vanilla
Walters pink lemonade packets from Dollar General
ranch dressing packets
dried fruit
tomato soup packets, (dried not canned)
jerky
tuna packets
Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers!
Love you all
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