Saturday, February 26, 2011

Finding Nemo: Welcome to Zambia!

I've been in country for over three weeks now and I'm happy to say I'm doing well and having a marvelous time.  Were I organized, I'd have written this out before and just typed it now, but I'll be shooting from the hip (as one of our Zambian-British medical officers says) so bear with me. 
First--ooh, the anxiety of just sitting here, at an Internet cafe in Lusaka, trying to type as fast as possible, is something I am happy not to have all the time.  Bleh. 
So here's the story so far:
After a great weekend in Philadelphia with my mom, I met my Peace Corps training class on Monday, January 31st.  By Tuesday we were on our first adventure--rather than leaving for JFK airport at 2:00a.m. Wednesday as scheduled, we left at around 7pm (if memory serves me) in an attempt to beat a snowstorm.  We beat the weather, a bit, but delays at JFK still made us miss our connection in Johannesburg, South Africa.  Nonetheless, we made it in to Lusaka by Thursday evening, February 3rd, just a few hours off schedule.  We were warmly greeted by staff and the Peace Corps Volunteer Leaders from several provinces, and off we went to a hostel/training center, where we spent the next few days. 
I could write pages about the first week alone, but I'll attempt to keep it brief!  :) 

On Sunday we "rang in" to officially begin our training with a ceremony that included PC staff, U.S. Ambassador to Zambia Mark Storella, and Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Johnnie Carson, who happened to be visiting.  This was a pretty cool experience.  Ambassador Carson himself was a PC Volunteer back in the '60s, so it was very humbling to be reminded of this bigger entity of which we are all now part.

We opened the days after "fly-in," as the initial period in country is called, by site visits.  Three other trainees and I rode several hours to visit a married couple near Musofu.  They've been here for a year; one is a RED (Rural Education Development) volunteer, like I will be, and the other is in the LIFE (Linking Income, Food, and the Environment) project here.  We had a fabulous time camping in their yard, spending a lot of time in their insaka (equivalent to a living room, only it's an open-air mud hut), and climbing "cell phone mountain" to try to get service.

Ah! I have a cell phone.  For me, texts are a bit spendy (about 10 cents, but bear in mind that's USD and I'm on a limited income) to send but I can receive them for free.  Calls to the US are rather expensive (much more so than texts) but theoretically I have internet on the phone so email will work.  I have yet to access Internet on the phone, but I'm a believer.  If you'd like to call, my number is +00 26 097 66 99993.  I think it's +00, anyway...not sure how to call from the US but it should be fairly simple to figure out.  26 is Zambia's country code.
Zambia is 7 hours ahead of Eastern time, 8 hours ahead of Central, etc.

Returning from site visit on Thursday, Feb. 10 (we had departed on Monday, Feb. 7) was great--all the other trainees had had a great time at their site visits, so it was fun to swap stories.  On Friday, we learned our languages.  I am learning Mambwe along with one other trainee.  This means that there are two sites near Mbala, in Northern Province, where we will each be posted after we swear in on April 21, 2011 (also my brother's 19th birthday). 

We moved to our host homes in Chongwe district (about 40 minutes or so from Lusaka) Friday night, just hours after learning our language groups.   I was terrified as my host mother ran out of the house with a chorus of "LALALALALALALALA" in a high-volume, high-pitched voice.  I was greeted so warmly--the lalalas are just a fabulous display of excitement--and within moments was set up with my mattress, mosquito net, and water filter in a room inside her mud-brick-walled, tin-roofed house.  My yamayo, or host mother, got me all set up and then began talking in quite fluent English, so my fears were allayed (is that a word?) rather quickly.

My host family's house, and the house of my fellow Mambwe Mama, who lives nearby, is in the middle of a cornfield.  It's pretty exciting.  I have my own pit latrine building and thatch bathing shelter, where I take my bucket baths each morning, and my room has a window (no glass, but it locks shut with a wood panel shutter, of sorts) so I'm pretty lucky.  We've been in a bit of a drought, despite it being rainy season, but around 3am this morning it started pouring buckets and continued for hours.  I was not among the volunteers who got dripped on/evacuated out of their individual huts during the course of the night, so I'd say I definitely lucked out in the host family department.

Language learning is going well.  Our first test--a conversational language simulation--is on Monday, so we'll see how that goes.  Our other training is a big amalgamation of technical (i.e., general development + Zambian education system + teaching methodologies +++), safety/security, cross-cultural, and medical sessions.  So far I've been very impressed.  The food has been great overall; I'm learning to love n'shima.  I'm excited about getting some dairy today, though.  :)  Actually, we had one stop at a mall before our first site visit for Internet and grocery shopping for food to take to site, but my 10 minutes at the internet cafe resulted in one email that didn't send and didn't save. :(  Today we're back in the city (Zambia's capital) for a bit of a cultural session (driving tour past State House and Parliament, plus a session with a local author about Zambia's history and culture, and a visit to the National Museum).  We were excited to be granted a few more mall hours for food items and Internet time.

I think I've exhausted the basics.  I hope all of you are so well, and I'm sorry I can't respond to individual messages or emails at this point.  It's quite likely I'll only have one or two more stops at an Internet cafe during the next two months, but please know I'm thinking of you!  Snail mail is much appreciated; you can reach me at:

Andrea Mayrose/PCT
Peace Corps
P.O. Box 50707
Lusaka, ZAMBIA

Write Air Mail/Par Avion on the letter, and please number & date it.  Writing a religious sentiment ("God is watching" or such) supposedly helps prevent theft, though it feels a tiny bit sacreligious.  I do think God is in support of the mail service, though. :)
Again, my phone is: +00 26 097 66 99993.  Would love to hear from you by any means!


For now, you can find me ("Nemo" = me in Mambwe, hence the title...not so much about finding myself; I have two years to be introspective!) in Chishiko village, near Chongwe.  For the next two years, you can find nemo in Zambia. 

With much love, & tukatini mukwai ("Stay well")
Dre

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Playing catch-up

I've sent out a Christmas letter for the past few years.  This year, I wrote my family's letter, and my own never made it past draft form on my computer.  Before beginning tales of Zambia, I'm including it here to catch you all up...Joyeux Noel!

16 December 2010
Loved ones, near and far:
Another December.  This year finds me with more snow than surf outside my window, but as always I have been richly blessed.  Here’s my year, in a nutshell:
The year 2010 began with my 26th birthday and a new job at Harmonium, Inc.’s elementary after-school care program.  Working with kids in an educational setting was a welcome change from four months of monotonous temp work, but as a part-time position, it also meant the job search endured.  I spent some of the next five months working part-time only, and others scrambling to capture a few hours of sleep as I divided my time between elementary school kids in the daytime and watching the sun rise while answering phones as a seasonal Customer Service Representative for several online gift brands.  I have learned a bit more patience with phone representatives!
            After many conversations with God in 2009, I also decided to apply for the Peace Corps, so much time was spent on applying and preparing myself for that goal.  Mardi Gras marked another fantastic dance opportunity as my hip-hop company, Kruciaal Element, performed in downtown San Diego.  I continued dancing into the spring while training for the La Jolla Half Marathon, which I ran in great health and great spirits in April.  On Easter Sunday, I experienced my first earthquake, which was exciting and luckily didn’t cause any real damage in my area.  I spent free time in the spring doing some yoga, making a few more attempts at surfing, and enjoying the company of great friends, particularly through my church community and dance team.  I was thrilled to celebrate my younger brother Michael’s graduation from high school by bringing him to experience a little SoCal sunshine.  Shortly thereafter, my last week in San Diego included my first trip to México, where I spent a few hours meandering through Tijuana.
            With some degree of sadness, I once again packed up my belongings, had a farewell pool party, and bid adieu to my roommates, friends, and the kids at my school.  I was delighted, however, to return to my Cambridge home for a second summer as an Assistant Dean at Harvard Summer School.  After ten months of trying to stay afloat financially and find something even slightly meaningful for work, it was strange but gratifying to be treated with the esteem and deference that I enjoy in my role there.  More importantly, I again had a great staff and wonderfully motivated students, and I spent my off-hours taking advantage of the new bike share and exploring both new spots and old favorites haunts in the Boston area.
            In August, I returned to Salem to reconnect, once again, with my family.  I spent my first night back in a home new to me, as my parents separated during the course of the past year.  I decided to live with my mom and siblings during the duration of my time here, and while that gets interesting when my boyfriend (also my sister Anne’s teacher) comes over, I have enjoyed the extra closeness this allows me with my family, particularly during this time of transition and healing.  I’ve been working primarily as a substitute teacher.  I miss the adventure of living in a place where everything is new to me, but I am excited to have that opportunity in the near future. 
My Peace Corps assignment has changed and been delayed several times, but it now seems highly likely that I’ll be departing for the Republic of Zambia in late January 2011, living there until late spring 2013 and working in community development and rural education.  I’ll miss my opportunities to see many of you over the coming two years, but I hope to write long letters and be in touch through text messages or email as much as possible.  You are welcome in my hut any time!

Last year I listed, on the back of my letter, a compilation of books, music, and films that had inspired me over the course of 2009.  This year, I’ll use a few of these to provide glimpses into dear moments and dear people of 2010:
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, and Ice Cream by Chris Dale, which narrated wonderful moments with Kelcie, the first person to show me what a caring, honest, supportive relationship feels like.
The music of Chris Dale and numerous Asian boy bands, including DBSK, which filled car rides home with my brilliant friend Lilly from the Kruciaal Element dance team, who reminded me of all the qualities I want to cultivate in myself and gave me great hope for that generation just a bit younger than my own.
Party in the U.S.A. by Miley Cyrus, as I sang it quite frequently with my students in the after-school program at Sequoia Elementary School in San Diego.  While they frequently requested Justin Bieber songs, alas, I did not know any of his lyrics.
Fried Green Tomatoes by Fannie Flagg (though the film is excellent as well), which filled several quiet nights back in a Harvard dorm room at the beginning of Harvard Summer School, while I entrusted the care of the dorms more fully to my staff and let a troubled, unresolved friendship fade away into the night.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson, passed on from my boss, the director of the Summer School SSP (and published author) in Cambridge, which sustained me through a two-day-turned-into-three-day trip from Boston to South Dakota on a Greyhound bus.
Never Can Say Goodbye, ABC, I Want You Back, and I’ll Be There by the Jackson Five, marching-band renditions of which I heard daily from mid-August through mid-October while working as the color guard coordinator for my high school’s marching band.
Warrior King by Lt. Col. (Ret.) Nathan Sassaman, which helped me understand the paradox of being a soldier and support my brother Michael in his journey to and through basic training as an Army infantryman.
The Twilight series of films, since I’m several years behind the tide, which inspired many silly moments between my sisters and me.
When You Look Me in the Eyes and other songs by the Jonas Brothers, who made a début this Halloween (in the form of my sisters Anne, Beth, and I) in a lip-synced concert given to the poor souls who trick-or-treated at our house.
Must Have Done Something Right by Relient K, a sweet tribute from Josh, who has made this South Dakota sojourn a lot more interesting, shown me what it means to feel comfortable as a couple, and who shared with me so many moments of honesty and security.  I know now what it feels like when someone cares enough to stick around!
With wishes for a new year filled with peace, joy, healing, and some good old-fashioned craziness now and then,
Dre

the inspiration...

I dwell in Possibility--
A fairer House than Prose--
More numerous of Windows--
Superior--for Doors--

Of Chambers as the Cedars--
Impregnable of Eye--
And for an Everlasting Roof
The Gambrels of the Sky--

Of Visitors--the fairest--
For Occupation--This--
The spreading wide my narrow Hands
To gather Paradise--
(Emily Dickinson, #657)