Public Transport Adventure

Hello all,

I thought since I seem to have a bit extra internet access this week I would send a little note. I am now in the concluding stages of my second site visit. I was part of a four person team that faceilitated a Life Skills Workhop in a village in Monze District of Southern Province in Zambia. Life Skills includes information about the four main ways of HIV transmission, methods for prevention, women's higherrisk of getting the virus, and behavior change as atool for preventing the virus. Lots of good interaction, group participation, and mutual learningas we are not so much lecturing as we are facilitating an exchange of information. There were a lot of good questions and discussion.

It has been a great time here in the south because I finally have had the opportunity to use the language I've been learning for the past weeks. On the way to the village we took public transport which was a small pickup truck that we piled 13 people on top of luggage in the back (me being one of them) and 3 people in thefront and we were in for a bumpy ride. Maybe 10-15minutes into it, the truck broke down and we jumped out to push it. While we stopped about 42 cows, bulls and their baby calfs (yes I counted) walked across the road in front of our truck. After pushing it a fewyards down the road they realized it was stuck in 4th gear and so we stood out next to a farm for a good 2hours while it got fixed. Then we jumped back in and sang oldies from my ipod, as we rolled down the very bumpy road bracing ourselves so that we didn't fallout. We sang at the top of our lungs and the Zambian brothers and sisters in the truck with us laughed atthe crazy Americans. It was such excitement. We got there safely, though in the dark and climbed a coupleof mountain-like hills with our luggage to get to the mud hut we were to camp outside of for 4 days.

After the visit, we snuck down to touristy Livingstone for two days (where I am now) where we were spoiled with pizza and where I had my first hot shower in almost two months (of course I've been bathing, but using the bucket bath method, if you come visit I'llshow you how it's done). We stayed at a place called the Faulty Towers or 8km from the Victoria Falls (you can google it and check it out) it was very nice. Ididn't see the falls yet, I waiting for my first visitor to come and then we'll go together.

Well, that's all for now, look out for more pictures in the upcoming days. Keep me in your prayers.

Natalie