Online but not so connected.. my first few days in Zambia

My first few days in Zambia,

I met my new boss, and although he seems very nice he would barely make eye contact with me and the gentlemen the he brought with him named Rod is a volunteer from the UK didn’t seem to be too friendly but we sit right next to each other at the office I haven’t seen yet.

So we met the other 2 volunteers in town to meet with the Nutritional council who oversees all of the nutrition groups.  there are 50 nutrition groups in Zambia and still they have 48% of the entire population who are malnourished.. so it’s safe to assume they aren’t using their resources in the best way possible.. but that’s why we’re here!

I finally met my roommate.. and if ever I can say I’m grateful ...she will be enough.. I’m so lucky she’s kind and friendly and very welcoming! There is a community of volunteers in Siavonga and all over Zambia. They are a close knit group.. 1 of the group Elisa( from Italy and super warm and welcoming) invited us for dinner.. Joi (my roommate) and the 2 the other volunteers who work at SNG group, Adam and Rod.. We got home from Lusaka last night at 7pm, the drive home was fantastic.. a ton of potholes the size of a full tire.. they could swallow my little echo up whole) Lots of lush greenery in contract to tons of small communities made of huts and little shacks built out of wood and thatch. Most of the locals live in communities with no electricity and no running water, they use coal to cook with. The children are all running around happy and playing and parents are working hard , usually the women are responsible for farming.

Our drive home was 2.5 hours, on our way we stopped for goats crossing the street, saw children driving ox driven carts, and best of all there were Zebra at the side of the road like we would see horses driving up north in Toronto.  My house is really sweet, the kitchen is tiny and not well equipped but we have to make due, the bathroom is great, there is no hot water in Siavonga at all, but when it’s 40 degrees who needs hot water so far the showers have been really refreshing.

Saturday

My first full day in Siavonga, Joi took me to the market. The market is about a 6 minute walk from our place.. Everything in Siavonga is up on a hill so it’s exhausting walking in the heat but we have a pool to cool off in when we’re done. The market is sparse and doesn’t have a lot of selection.. I will be eating a lot of tomatoes and eggs and mangoes. We have 2 chickens right on our property who lay eggs.. so they are super fresh, but you can also buy eggs at the local market. The market made on gravel  patches.. not what I expected, the former volunteer who was living with Joi actually built there only road in the market.  There is a small bank, post office, bakery (they only bake 4 things) and a very small grocery.  You can walk the whole town in 2 minutes.. so we’ll see what lies ahead.

Yesterday afternoon we had a few friends over, Sam and Venod who work for  Mbaba orphanage came over, vinod from india and sam from Virginia, super nice guys who work with 60 girls  in an orphanage.  Elisa and Nicholas, adam and rod and joi and I it was a nice afternoon. We made lunch and swam. Time goes by very quickly during the day here. The days are packed with socializing.. which is really nice so you don’t feel so lonely.

Last night we went to a guys house who is white and was born here in Zambia, he was such a great host, he owns a beautiful compound with at least an acre in garden and a huge home. He is a friend of another native Zambian who owns a  lodge that the volunteers hang out at regularly. Really nice guys.. had a few drinks and then we went home. I slept all night until almost 9am. I did my first round of laundry.. just my underwear in a  bucket with soap.. we actually have a house boy who gets 80,000 from joi and 1 each who does our laundry and (that’s about 20.00 mthly to come twice a week) so I’ll only have to do my underwear! J Today we are going to Sandy beach and the owner of a lodge has allowed us to use his kitchen to cook in, so we’re making pasta carbonera.. we’ll see how that goes should be a lot of fun though! Much love miss everyone xoxo  

Hi From Zambia

I arrived this morning.. with the first ever cardinal of Zambia. he was just ordained in Rome this week! So we had tons of press and lots of welcomers at the airport I felt famous.
Although for the last 2 days I've been crying non stop.. now that I'm finally here I've stopped. I still don't know how I'll live without my husband for 6 months but I'm trying not to cry about it anymore.

I did see the toilet first hand.. and it's a real one with a flusher and all. (I'm staying in a hotel tonite while in the capital) I also found out that Siavonga is one of the hotter places in Zambia so I do have a pool.. for real! I also have a roommate named Joi belle. Can't wait to meet her tomorrow. I'll be in the capital for training today and tomorrow and then off to Siavonga and I start work on Monday.

It's crazy culture shock but somehow I feel like I belong.. it's a really strange feeling.. but the adventure has definitely begun.
So stay tuned.. I have a SIM Card for my cell and I'm up and running.. and tomorrow we'll see what will be with internet connectivity. For the next 2 days I'll have connectivity from the program office! I'll post pics soon.

Long goodbye's

This week has been filled with ups and downs, excitement and fear... and happiness too. I sold all of my butterfly and monkey cookies.. and raised $375.00 for VSO just from cookie sales! So thanks to all my friends and colleagues who bought them all up and a special thanks to dutchess of dough (Erin) for making them for me. dutchessofdough.com 

This week was my last at work, I've never not worked in my life.. so leaving work on Friday was surreal. I have always said I don't define myself by what I do.. but I'm rethinking that.


My hub on the right, Duncan his best friend in the middle and Corey is bro on the left



I had a great chance to spend some time with colleauges outside of work at Hemingways.. which was really great and my branch had a great potluck lunch for my last day, it was delicious! I also had an opportunity to spend 1 on 1 time with my closest friends.. it's really hard to say goodbye when you know you'll only be able to keep in touch by email.. it's not the same as speaking and/or hanging out; It will be tough to be out of their lives for the next 6 months. I look forward to arriving and meeting new friends; none of whom will ever take the place of what I call homebase friends.. those are the people who you have grown with most of your life. To me they are the most important and even though through the years your relationships shift and change they are still the people you come home to when you feel lost.

For the last 8 weeks I've felt really excited to start this adventure, but as it approaches I get more afraid and realize how much I'll miss home and all it means.. but I know it will be worthwhile.



Libby Bell and I



Tamar, Helen and Joanna (my girls from the office)

change of departure date

As we approach the 13th I picked up my medication, packed and am slowly saying my goodbyes.. I checked my personal email at the beginning of my work day.. SURPRIZE! an email from the travel coordinator asking if it would be okay if I left on the 24th instead..the good news is I also got an email from my future roommate.. not only do I have a toilet but I dont have to share it with anyone else. My roommate seems friendly and fun.. so I can't wait to arrive! So 10 more days in Toronto..

planning and packing

Training Class Oct 29- Nov 2 2010

Training finished last week and it was fantastic.. truly much more than I ever anticipated... I thought we would learn what not to do while in country, but instead it was like giving us the keys to uncode our new cultural reality.
I'm 6 days away from departure... this was a big weekend. We had a great dinner on Saturday night with close friends to say good bye.  This weekend I focused on getting packed up and ready to go.. I'm 80% of the way there. Just a few more things to put into my bag and 1 fight with Manulife to overcome and I'll be cleared for departure. I am in the process of unlocking my old cell phone so I'll have a phone to bring with me to get me started. I wanted to say hi to all my class mates who were all outstanding! Safe travels to all..
I'm so excited to get there but I'm having some trouble sleeping through the night at this point, partially out of nerves and partically out of excitement. I'm spending my final Friday with my husband just me and him for the day... This week is full of seeing friends who couldn't make it to the dinner.. I look forward to saying goodbye slowly.. Have a great week everyone!