Still Busy

Man, I thought being in Zambia, I wouldn’t be so busy anymore. It’s like I’m always on the move even here. Now, don’t get me wrong, I have more free time than a little bit, but still not as much as I thought. It’s amazing how easy it is to meet people and connect with people here on every level of the government. And it’s even more amazing the privileges being “American” affords me. I think people give me much more credit than I’m do, or assume I’m a dignitary because I’m a foreigner, but if that’s what it takes to get the job done than so be it, I’ll play that role as long as people work together to accomplish the health goals of their community. Yesterday, there was a big sports tournament HIV/AIDS awareness day at the primary school that is nearest to me so I attended. And they sat me with the Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Member of Parliament and District Commissioner so I chatted them up. They also introduced me to the group of a few hundred people students and the like, and I very culturally inappropriately stood VERY briefly waved and sat back down. Then they introduced the next person, he got up and walked to the front and went through this protocol I had no knowledge of previously addressing, “To the Minister of Sports, Member of Parliament, District Commissioner, Committee Members of this event Good Morning” and then he proceeded in a speech that was at least 5 minutes. I was quite embarrassed, because they announced me first so I didn’t know the protocol I had no one to mirror. So I asked the MC if he could introduce me again and I would share a few words, so later I got up and mimicked the style and the people were much more receptive… phew! Anyway as I chatted them up, I asked the Minister how to go about connecting with former Zambian president Kenneth Kaunda and his HIV/AIDS work and organization that he has formed, and the Minister gave me his card and said, you just call or email me and I’ll set up an appointment for you to meet with Mr. Kaunda. It was just that easy, meeting a former president, can you imagine me asking Dianne Wilkerson how to meet up with Bill Clinton? I wonder how far that would get me. Anyway, so I think I’ll follow up on that as soon as I educate myself some more about his programs. I haven’t talked too much about my new family. I’m surrounded by houses; the headmen, his three wives, his nephews, and grandchildren. Everyone has their own family house, and most of them look like mine although mine is the only one with a porch, or “veranda” as they call it. The headman has to be in his 80s but he’s very energetic, strong and kind. He is very supportive of my work and always helping me find anything I need to live in the village. I’m closest to his third wife, probably because she speaks a little English, and she’s got spunk! She has 8 children and tons of energy. She is a traditional birth attendant, so she helps to deliver babies in the village. She takes care of 3 orphan children, my favorite is Lista, I’ll make sure to get a picture of her to you soon. Then there is China Bonzo, he was delivered by a doctor who was Chinese so they named him China, anyway, he is a former Community Health Worker and has been the most helpful person since I’ve been here. He’s only one year older than me but he is married with 3 children. Don’t worry that doesn’t make me feel like I have to be married any faster. Unfortunately for me but fortunately for him, he’ll be leaving to go to boarding school to complete grade 12 which is a wonderful accomplishment since most young men do not get past grade 7 , 8 or 9 because of lack of school fees. Then there is Aunety, the closest I’ll have to a daughter in a while. She is 15 and in grade 8 and she is helping me around the house while I host meetings and all that good stuff, she is very bright and I will be helping her with her school fees and learning English as she helps me with the house and learning Tonga. All in all, my village family is wonderful and I look forward to getting to know the rest of my community as the days go on. Now, since I’ve been away for quite sometimes, a bit over 3 months, 99 days to be exact, (yes I am counting, not in a bad way, but because I’m a person that enjoys making lists and countdowns and countups maybe I’ll have a mini-party on day 100) so I thought it would be okay for me to talk about the things I miss about USA: - Most of all I miss my family and friends (obviously) - Perforated sheets (man we take easy tearing for granted in America, it’s a pain without it here) - 8’11 sized papers (here it is A4 size which is longer but still shorter than legal, I began cutting papers down to fit in the binders that I bought with me, but why fight the power, if you can’t beat em’ join em’) - 3 hole punches (here it’s two hole punch which with longer paper makes inner dog ears) - Flush Toilets (although my quadriceps and hamstrings are becoming quite strong from squatting in the cimbuzi (pit latrine), I still like a good toilet seat every now and then and they can be found in the cities of Zambia) - Quiet nights sleep (although I love animals, sort of, the howling of dogs in heat every night and roosters crowing at obscene hours of the morning can get to a sistah, but I’m learning how to sleep through it) - Microwaves (cooking on an open fire burns the eyes and makes them red, I don’t know how the women here do it so often, they are so strong) - Running Water (the art of balancing a 20liter Jerry Can full of water with my leg while I try to position it over my hands to pour and wash them has not yet been perfected) - Paved Roads (particularly when I’m in the back of a minibus or vehicle and I either bump my head or come quite close to my head meeting the sandy and rocky road) - Toilet paper in public bathrooms (now in the states, it’s not always available, but most of the time you can find some, here it just doesn’t happen, although you often see newspaper in the corner of the toilet, so I never leave home without my roll of TP) - Night Club Life (although I always complained about it in Boston, I find myself missing it, because I haven’t found a place near my village where people like to dance, but I’ll keep looking) - People walking by you trying to avoid eye contact and not speaking (now I really disliked this in the states, but here people walk by you and stare at you without speaking until spoken to, not as many people as in the states, but it’s just different. But for the most part people talk to one another, everyone knows their neighbors that’s how we feel safe) - Being able to go somewhere secretly or with few people knowing (here when I leave my village I have almost a 2km walk to the road to catch the vehicle and I meet at least 10 – 15 people on the way who ask me where I’m going so I tell them and when I come back at least 20 – 30 people ask me how was my trip to wherever) After a little laughter comes the sad part. I'd like to take this time to farewell Spring who has left Peace Corps and me to return to America. She will be surely missed by all of us in Zambia. Here is our last bye-bye photo together: Ok, that’s all for now, I’ll think of something else to list later. Please don’t forget to write, slug mail and email are distinctly different, you’ll see if you WRITE ME A LETTER. HUGS! Natalie