Nine Monthaversary

Happy Saturday!

Friday marked nine months since I boarded a plane in New York City and flew to Zambia! It’s hard to believe that in just three months I will have already been in Zambia a year.  At the end of November, just one month from now, I will have one term of teaching English under my belt. It’s crazy. It’s also crazy knowing that life back at home is going on without me- friends move cities, graduate college or get new jobs. The little nephew who could barely crawl in January is now able to talk to you on the phone.  Time feels like it barely moves here but maybe that because it’s moving so fast.

The teaching routine is still the same: Teach mid-morning to early afternoon. Make lunch and then return to the school around 3pm for either adult literacy on Monday, Tuesday, or Thursday or meeting that are going on.  I love my adult literacy class.  They aren’t afraid to ask questions which I really like. This week, on Tuesday, I’m going to start teaching them about HIV prevention.  I’m a bit nervous about teaching men my father’s age about HIV prevention but I’m sure it will work out just fine.

My cat, Scout, is living up to her name. She goes out and hunts at night and generally stays out until morning when she meows at 5am for me to let her in. One night however, I heard her meow at my door.  When I let her in she dropped something large and grey at my feet.  A dead mouse. She then picks it up and plays with it for the next twenty minutes before eating it. All of it- including the bones- in front of me. At least I know she’s doing her job. Right?

Finally, October is hot season in Zambia. Which is just like summer in Texas- except without air-conditioning, ice and swimming pools. My Peace Corps friends and I have made two weekend trips to camp on the beach in Samfya just to try to get a bit of relief.  While at site though, my mud-brick hut absorbs the heat during the day, leaving the house relatively cool during the day. At night, however, it keeps in the heat.  So many nights I’ve woken up drenched in sweat.  There is a big river next to me. My students love to go swimming in it but I’ve never been brave enough to join them since there have been recent crocodile sightings in the river.  Instead, I think longingly of rainy season, which is supposed to start any day now.

That’s all for now! Have a Happy Halloween everyone!

 

Two Stories

Hey everyone! I'm back from a two month hiatus. Let me update you on whats been going on in my life-

August- I spent two weeks in Lusaka, the captial, at out inservice training. It was great (and kinda crazy) to be around all the amenities I'm used to having in America again. Afte our two weeks in Lusaka most of my intake went to Nkahta Bay, Malaw. Nkahta Bay is on Lake Malawi, one of the biggest fresh water lakes in the world. It was absolutely beautiful! I even learned how to scuba dive! No certification yet though.

September- School started up again. Term three runs from September to November. I'm teaching 6 and 8 grade English and I recently started up an adult literacy class. So far I think its going really well. I'm also still working with my Beekeepers trying to get that program up and running. I also got a black and white kitten to catch the mice in my hut. I've named it Scout but my neighbors call her Shupa, which means 'trouble' in bemba. and seriously, the cat is 'shupa.'

Now for two stories:

The first story takes place at the beginning of September. I was heading to Mansa for the weekend but was stopping in Samfya to meet with the Senior Officer of the Forestry Departement about the Beekeeping Club.  So my taxi left around 7:30, plenty of time reach Samfya in time for my meeting. However, about 10km from Samfya, the taxi runs out of gas. The driver tries to start the car about 5 times but no cigar. Luckily for us though we ran out of gas about 100m away from a police check point. So up comes the police officer on his motorbike. The driver and officer talk for a bit. The other passengers and I think that maybe the cop has some petrol with him or back at the checkpoint. Instead, our driver climbs up on the back of the motorbike and they ride off in the distance towards Samfya. So there we are sitting in the middle of nowhere, in the one place on the road there is no cell phone coverage. Cars are passing us offering us assistance but of course we can't do anything because the driver isn't there. And we can't leave because our possessions are locked in the trunk.  A minivan even drives by and gives us enough petrol to get to Samfya but of course we can't drive anywhere because...the driver has the keys. So two hours after we run out of gas, the taxi driver comes back- this time on the back of a bicycle and we continue on to Samfya. By this time I have of course missed my meeting but I was able to meet up with him in Mansa later that day so it all worked out. And don't worry during the entire ordeal I never felt scared or in danger, it was just more of a nuisance than anything.

The second story took place that Sunday on my return from Mansa. It/s well past dark by the time I get back to my hut. My neighbor, ba Mary must have been waiting to make sure I had gotten back okay so she came out to greet me. I open my door and there's no cat. I look in all over my house, still no cat. So I'm worried about my kitty that, at this point, I've only had one week. So I ask ba Mary if she's seen my cat. This takes a while since she speaks no English and my Bemba is still severely limited but we get there in the end. She says that she hasn't seen my cat  and goes back home. My 10 minutes later, though, there is a knock on my door. Ba Mary had asked her son, Martin, if he knew what had happened to my cat and as it turned out my other neighbor, ba Ennis had seen it, knew it was mine and was keeping it at her house for me! Ba Mary and I walk over there. Ennis says that I should come back in the morning when it's bright. Her little kids, though, ask to use my headlamp  and go into their house and find my kitty.  Both Ennis and Mary think its hilarous that I'm so worried about my cat and and talking to it like it's a "child."  Mary escorts me and kitty back to my house still laughing about how worried I was about my cat. So I look at ba Mary and tell her, "Ba Mary, I don't have a child so I have a cat." (One of the first things any Zambian asks me is how many children I have.) Mary thinks this is Hysterical and starts cracking up. As I walk into my hut I hear her crowing, telling Ba Ennis what I just said.

Well that's all for now! Hope everyone back home is doing g