The First Email From Zambia
Saturday, May 28, 2005 (is when I wrote this message, but I didn’t get to internet until today.
Since this email is so long, I took the liberty of adding a sort of table of contents, if you will, and numbered the subject matter particularly for my friends who won’t read all of it but want to know specific things about how I’m doing. For those who read it in it’s entirety, my love to you, but I understand if you have to take it in small doses. Happy reading!
T.O.C.
Intro, you should read all of this part
Logistics, my email reality, vs. slug mail
Where in Zambia will I be?
What language am I learning?
Why you should NOT worry about my safety & well being
More about my first village experience
What am I eating?
Training
The Close, All should read this too!
Man where to begin: Well, I’ll start by letting you know that I am blessed. That was an extremely long journey and I made it to the other side in one piece. I’ve experienced so much in such a little time, it’s amazing. By my third day in Zambia, I was in a village on a site visit, visiting a Peace Corps volunteer. I was fetching water from a hole about a 10 minute walk from where I was staying, cooking food on a Brazier with charcoal made from burnt wood, and sleeping in a tent under a sky full of so many stars, I wouldn’t even be able to begin to describe it. There are some things that come at a benefit without electricity, and a full sky of stars is one of them because when the sun sets there is no light to take away from their shine.
Before I go on, I need to work some logistics out with you all, my dear friends. Considering the challenge I had finding an internet source, I would love a second option of slug mailing you in absence of the internet. I’ll try to get out as many letters as possible, and who knows, in a world dependent on email, you might find it a treat to receive a hand written letter from a friend. As soon as I am placed in my site, which will be about 7-8 weeks from now, I will email my permanent mailing address. As of now, you can write letters to the training address: Natalie J. Gill PCT/PEACE CORPS/P.O. BOX 21527/KITWE, ZAMBIA . After mid July 05, I can get mail at Natalie J. Gill PCV/PEACE CORPS/P.O. BOX 630569/CHOMA, SOUTHERN PROVICE, ZAMBIA. If you plan on writing more than one letter, please number and date them. Also please email Aja your mailing addresses so she can compile it in one email and I hope to return next Sunday to get them and print them out. Aja’s email is aja_campbell@hotmail.com. Oh and MOST IMPORTANT if you are sending a package, please make it sound religious to ensure everything in it gets to me. So this means, write the address and return address in red ink, guys say it’s from Father (Your Name) and gals, say it’s from Sister (Your Name) and address it to Sister Natalie Gill (so I sound like a nun). I know this sounds strange, but just trust me. You will have to fill out a customs slip, please do not put what is in the box on the slip, but you can put toiletries, feminine hygiene products, religious artefacts, etc. Make sure you add the religious part, maybe draw a cross or two on the package and it should be good to go. This was a suggestion they gave us so that people would not take things out of the package. Don’t worry about it too much though. I’m going to send Aja (the Care Package Coordinator) a list of things that might be good to send.
Although I do not know what my exact location will be as yet, I do know that I will be in the Southern Province of Zambia, and you will be happy to know that it is the one closest to the VICTORIA FALLS (Natural Wonder of the World) so when you COME VISIT our trip there will be far shorter and easier.
I have already begun to learn Tonga. I had originally wanted to learn Bemba since it is more widely spoken, but I wanted more to be in the location that Tonga was spoken (Southern Province) because it is the hottest of the provinces and therefore suffers from drought, many people have hunger because of the lack of rain to grow food, therefore I felt that the need was greatest there and I could be of more use.
Now don’t let the drought and hunger mentions make you worry about me, I should be the least of your worries. Peace Corps treatment in Zambia is only second to Diplomats in most cases, in fact when we entered the airport, we bypassed customs by going through the Diplomat and VIPs gate. That was the fastest customs experience I have ever encountered. Peace Corps makes sure we don’t starve. Go without water, or safety. Any medication I might need, they either have already put it in my med/first aid kit, or get it shipped from the US in a jiffy. And if I get fatally sick, or any emergency happens they will fly out a helicopter to the nearest landing and scoop me off to the nearest hospital that does operation or whatever, they’re quite thorough here. They provide mosquito nets, blankets (yes it is QUITE COLD HERE! Probably under 40 degrees maybe even 35, it’s winter season, I can see my breath in front of me in the morning and at night) pillow, linen, everything one could need.
Now back to the story of my experiences thus far. I met with a village headman who is just under the authority of the chief, and he described how power is distributed from chiefs to Zambian cabinet government, very interesting stuff.
I learned how to make the staple food Nshima (it looks like mashed potatoes but is made of maize and water and used as a filler with most meals, it takes on the taste of whatever relish you make with it) and relish today. And they sell soya pieces that are just as good as tofu for the Vegetarian in me! I think I’ll be just fine here in Zambia. My first village experience was an enjoyable one, everyone was so friendly and happy to welcome us as visitors. I can’t wait to get to my own site and experience my own village. I’ll tell you how that goes in a couple months.
For the next 8 weeks or so, I will be in an intensive training period. It’s both experiential and technical among other things. I am staying with a host family that is very kind. I have a new sister that is my age, so we’ve had lots to talk about. My time is very limited so I will have kind of sporadic communication, letter writing would be easier.
They said I will have most of my Sundays free (Monday thru Sat is training), so I will try to get back here next Sunday or the one after to read responses, get the list of addresses that Aja will hopefully have been able to compile (I hope you don’t mind me volunteering you AjaDoll), and anything else. When I am placed at the end of July, I’m not sure how long it will be until I find another internet source so lets enjoy this while it lasts. And please do write me because receiving letters is like Christmas! Even if you print out an email and mail it.
So until hopefully next Sunday, know that I am healthy, happy and well in Zambia. Be in touch soon and make sure you let me know in advance when you plan to COME VISIT so I can prepare for your arrival. And one more thing I would really like you all to help me with. Please send a picture to AjaDoll so that she can make a calendar (I’ll tell you more about this idea later Aja) with your pictures so while I’m away I can think of you each month. Another Peace Corps Volunteer was sent one from her friends and it was so nice, I would very much appreciate that. There are 24 months, so I need at least 24 pictures, if there are more, maybe you can put two to one page on the calendar. Group pictures are great too. Ok I think that’s it for now, what a mouthful huh! I look forward to hearing from you all soon.
Much Love & A Shower of Blessings,
Natalie J. Gill
p.s. I will try not to make all my messages this long, the first is always the most overwhelming.
Since this email is so long, I took the liberty of adding a sort of table of contents, if you will, and numbered the subject matter particularly for my friends who won’t read all of it but want to know specific things about how I’m doing. For those who read it in it’s entirety, my love to you, but I understand if you have to take it in small doses. Happy reading!
T.O.C.
Intro, you should read all of this part
Logistics, my email reality, vs. slug mail
Where in Zambia will I be?
What language am I learning?
Why you should NOT worry about my safety & well being
More about my first village experience
What am I eating?
Training
The Close, All should read this too!
Man where to begin: Well, I’ll start by letting you know that I am blessed. That was an extremely long journey and I made it to the other side in one piece. I’ve experienced so much in such a little time, it’s amazing. By my third day in Zambia, I was in a village on a site visit, visiting a Peace Corps volunteer. I was fetching water from a hole about a 10 minute walk from where I was staying, cooking food on a Brazier with charcoal made from burnt wood, and sleeping in a tent under a sky full of so many stars, I wouldn’t even be able to begin to describe it. There are some things that come at a benefit without electricity, and a full sky of stars is one of them because when the sun sets there is no light to take away from their shine.
Before I go on, I need to work some logistics out with you all, my dear friends. Considering the challenge I had finding an internet source, I would love a second option of slug mailing you in absence of the internet. I’ll try to get out as many letters as possible, and who knows, in a world dependent on email, you might find it a treat to receive a hand written letter from a friend. As soon as I am placed in my site, which will be about 7-8 weeks from now, I will email my permanent mailing address. As of now, you can write letters to the training address: Natalie J. Gill PCT/PEACE CORPS/P.O. BOX 21527/KITWE, ZAMBIA . After mid July 05, I can get mail at Natalie J. Gill PCV/PEACE CORPS/P.O. BOX 630569/CHOMA, SOUTHERN PROVICE, ZAMBIA. If you plan on writing more than one letter, please number and date them. Also please email Aja your mailing addresses so she can compile it in one email and I hope to return next Sunday to get them and print them out. Aja’s email is aja_campbell@hotmail.com. Oh and MOST IMPORTANT if you are sending a package, please make it sound religious to ensure everything in it gets to me. So this means, write the address and return address in red ink, guys say it’s from Father (Your Name) and gals, say it’s from Sister (Your Name) and address it to Sister Natalie Gill (so I sound like a nun). I know this sounds strange, but just trust me. You will have to fill out a customs slip, please do not put what is in the box on the slip, but you can put toiletries, feminine hygiene products, religious artefacts, etc. Make sure you add the religious part, maybe draw a cross or two on the package and it should be good to go. This was a suggestion they gave us so that people would not take things out of the package. Don’t worry about it too much though. I’m going to send Aja (the Care Package Coordinator) a list of things that might be good to send.
Although I do not know what my exact location will be as yet, I do know that I will be in the Southern Province of Zambia, and you will be happy to know that it is the one closest to the VICTORIA FALLS (Natural Wonder of the World) so when you COME VISIT our trip there will be far shorter and easier.
I have already begun to learn Tonga. I had originally wanted to learn Bemba since it is more widely spoken, but I wanted more to be in the location that Tonga was spoken (Southern Province) because it is the hottest of the provinces and therefore suffers from drought, many people have hunger because of the lack of rain to grow food, therefore I felt that the need was greatest there and I could be of more use.
Now don’t let the drought and hunger mentions make you worry about me, I should be the least of your worries. Peace Corps treatment in Zambia is only second to Diplomats in most cases, in fact when we entered the airport, we bypassed customs by going through the Diplomat and VIPs gate. That was the fastest customs experience I have ever encountered. Peace Corps makes sure we don’t starve. Go without water, or safety. Any medication I might need, they either have already put it in my med/first aid kit, or get it shipped from the US in a jiffy. And if I get fatally sick, or any emergency happens they will fly out a helicopter to the nearest landing and scoop me off to the nearest hospital that does operation or whatever, they’re quite thorough here. They provide mosquito nets, blankets (yes it is QUITE COLD HERE! Probably under 40 degrees maybe even 35, it’s winter season, I can see my breath in front of me in the morning and at night) pillow, linen, everything one could need.
Now back to the story of my experiences thus far. I met with a village headman who is just under the authority of the chief, and he described how power is distributed from chiefs to Zambian cabinet government, very interesting stuff.
I learned how to make the staple food Nshima (it looks like mashed potatoes but is made of maize and water and used as a filler with most meals, it takes on the taste of whatever relish you make with it) and relish today. And they sell soya pieces that are just as good as tofu for the Vegetarian in me! I think I’ll be just fine here in Zambia. My first village experience was an enjoyable one, everyone was so friendly and happy to welcome us as visitors. I can’t wait to get to my own site and experience my own village. I’ll tell you how that goes in a couple months.
For the next 8 weeks or so, I will be in an intensive training period. It’s both experiential and technical among other things. I am staying with a host family that is very kind. I have a new sister that is my age, so we’ve had lots to talk about. My time is very limited so I will have kind of sporadic communication, letter writing would be easier.
They said I will have most of my Sundays free (Monday thru Sat is training), so I will try to get back here next Sunday or the one after to read responses, get the list of addresses that Aja will hopefully have been able to compile (I hope you don’t mind me volunteering you AjaDoll), and anything else. When I am placed at the end of July, I’m not sure how long it will be until I find another internet source so lets enjoy this while it lasts. And please do write me because receiving letters is like Christmas! Even if you print out an email and mail it.
So until hopefully next Sunday, know that I am healthy, happy and well in Zambia. Be in touch soon and make sure you let me know in advance when you plan to COME VISIT so I can prepare for your arrival. And one more thing I would really like you all to help me with. Please send a picture to AjaDoll so that she can make a calendar (I’ll tell you more about this idea later Aja) with your pictures so while I’m away I can think of you each month. Another Peace Corps Volunteer was sent one from her friends and it was so nice, I would very much appreciate that. There are 24 months, so I need at least 24 pictures, if there are more, maybe you can put two to one page on the calendar. Group pictures are great too. Ok I think that’s it for now, what a mouthful huh! I look forward to hearing from you all soon.
Much Love & A Shower of Blessings,
Natalie J. Gill
p.s. I will try not to make all my messages this long, the first is always the most overwhelming.
posted by Natalie | 10:46 AM
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