R O U S's Rodents of Unusual Size

I'm not really having problems with rodents of unusual size but they do burrow around and it is quite an affair when they makea break for the surface and people are perched patiently with medieval garden hoes ready to strike. Good times in Zambia I tell you what!

The Von Trapp family is doing very well and we just had cultural night yesterday. It was the day that our host families get together with us at our training center and cook traditional foods--most of which can or could be found on survivor. Like catipillars and flying ants and termites. Those are like cheetos to some people here. A big "AWE" for me. That means no in Bemba. I tried the little treats they hold so dear and was not impressed. I, in my finest American form, embarrassed my BaMayo with a stading ovation and hollars when she told us all what she had cooked. It was a good time for all involved. Cooking here in Zambia takes time. I would say that atleast 3 hours a day is devoted to cooking and its process. Lighting the fire, boiling water, cutting, mixing, ect.

I'm still surviving for the most part. I'm learning to play soccer, thats fun. I'm pretty much strong arming everyone. I got a wicked sun burn yesterday during the soccer and volleyball games that I took part in. The African sun does not mess around. I' going to be leather when I get home. The finest gold color but leather none the less.

I would love to tell you more but I'm on a search for ice cream cones and milk shakes with my compadres.

Ohh the places you'll go ....

I'm here again, in a rush. I had big plans to write something great and tell you all about how I hate chickens and how things are going but I'm in a rush all the time. Being on the internet was number one on my to do list for the day but we are so busy all week and when I get to town all I want to do is sit with my friends have a Mosi (an African brew) and relax and catch up on what we've done all week-- and we do alot. I have class 6 days a week. The first week was long. But now that we are learing the good stuff like HIV/AIDS and Malaria, Non Formal Education Techniques, I finally feel like I'm doing something worthwhile.

I don't think that I have ever felt hungry as often as I feel here. Fruit is scarce and meals are separated by 4 hours. Plus we bike a ton to get to all our classes. All in all its great. My host family might as well be the Von Trapps from Sound of Music. The first day I'm in my bathing shelter scrubbing up and the village choir--led by my family-- is singing a mere fifteen feet away. I pee'd my bathing shelter. Not really.

We have to be home before dark so it cramps my style to say the least. If you write me long hand that would be great just in case I don't have you address. The chickens thing, I hope that they all get bird flu and die. All I want to do is sleep at 5 am, not get woken up by crowing. Not cool.

I love you all and I miss you. Write me and I can feel better than everyone else when I get mail :)

PS, I love the BBC

Back to life, back to reality

I just got back from four days of my first site visit in the "bush." It was AWESOME! The PCV we stayed with was wicked cool and gave us a really great idea of what it was going to be like once we got through training. His compound was about 25 miles of the "tarmac" which is Zambian for paved road. It was an adventure ride in the Landcruiser out to his place.
He lives right next to the rural health center and a water pump which was really nice considering how much water the five us went through a day. One of the other PCV's hasn't bathed at his site for 107 days and counting. Turns out that guy is rugged. I bathed everyday and felt sweaty and dirty again within about two minutes of getting dressed. My saving grace is the Chitenga. Its a skirt wrap sarong thing. Alot more breezy than pants if you know whatI mean. Ohh and I'm tan again. And I haven't had any crazy dreams from the malaria meds--that I can remember.
But back to bathing, that was a fun time! We got a bucket of water and a cup and a bathing shelter which is open air. So I bathed under the most amazing starry night ever. In the UP you see stars, but in the bush you see all the stars. Its so hard to put everything that I have done so far into a post but just know that it is great and I love it. I talk about you all constantly and hope that someday you can make it here to see what its like. I would love to get letters from you and pictures--I think that I said that before. If you feel really inspired some chapsick and mascara and granola bars and beef jerkey would be appreciated to. I'll definately try and keep this up and maybe in a week I'll have something funny to say....