SO I'M IN ZAMBIA!!
I made it, all is good, feelin great! As I looked out the plane window and saw the stretches of green and rolling hills, I couldn't believe I was finally here. We were met at the airport by 6 land rovers that drove up in a line and wisked us down the road to our training sight. It is in a BOMA (town) about 45 minutes from Lusaka. I stared in wonder at the green planes and blue sky. We turned on to a red dirt road and bumped along passing jovial Zambians walking and waving children. This is a brand new training sight, so the people are not use to having a hurd of Americans around. They ALL wave as we go by. We have a soccer field by our dorms where we see the incredible sun set in the Zambian sky. And I thought Montana was big sky country....it literally goes on FOREVER! I will try to send mom a picture CD to eventually put online, but until then you'll have to imagine. We have had all traditional meals, including Nishima, the staple here. It is mushed and twice refined maize rolled into a football shaped ball. It is WHITE and totally carbs, no real nutritional value. They strip pretty much all the nutrients out of it, and it is virtually tasteless, but it fills the stomach. Another staple is cooking oil. Everything is doused in it. Aside from the obvious nutritional set backs, it tastes good. Our first few days have been really informational. I chose to speak BEMBA boo yeah..it is the most widely spoken language so I will either be placed in the Northern, Central or North West province. I am hoping to go to the north...it sounds delightful. We are headed out for a week long sight visits tomorrow morning where we will observe a second year volunteer in action. We start intensive training when we get back and then have a 2 week visit to our sight before actually moving. So far, most of my anxiety has been from the "unknown," which seems to be the routine..but as I get more information, the feeling shifts to excitment. I am extremly fortunate to be a part of this program. I am surrounded by incredible people who have done amazing things and will continue to do so. I will keep you updated as much as possible...until next time....
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6 comments:
Lisa! Welcome to the Peace Corps family! I'm so excited for you. And it's funny what you are writing, because I think I wrote and I definitely thought the exact same things at the beginning too. You are going to have such an amazing time! Good luck and keep in touch.
- Mark (PC Guyana)
Dear Lisa,
Enjoy the PC. My friend did one in Ukraine and loved it. Be safe. Be happy. Be loving. Be beautiful. Every adventure you take, you leave such an incredible mark on human life. Your dad would be so proud of you. I alone and proud to know such a noble young woman. Take care.
Always,
Amy Mullen
You are hope for the people.
Im with you all the time, i am so proud of you my dear Lisa!
You are just GREAT!!!
..."It was but yesterday we met in a dream.
You have sung to me in my aloneness, and I of your longings have built a tower in the sky.
But now our sleep has fled and our dream is over, and it is no longer dawn.
The noontide is upon us and our half waking has turned to a fuller day, and we must part.
If in the twilight of memory we should meet once more, we shall speak again together and you shall sing to me a deeper song.
And if our hands should meet in another dream we shall build another tower in the sky."...
lisa. i love you. i think i can see you, just over there, the sky is that big here. hmmm...and a cockroach just crawled across the computer keys. a great adventure only in it's first breath...my excitment for you abounds. And while I mourn for you, the loss of your irreplaceble presence in my daily life, i will keep you like a wocket in my locket and i'll drop it in my pocket, and we shall, in essence, still be together. However now, do you remember...,
"We are the seeds of the tenacious plant, and it is in our ripeness and our fullness of heart that we are given to the wind and are scattered."
tu eres muy intelligente... remeber when we drank sol up on the roof of the cabana at our "eco-lodge" on the coast, our feet dangling in the wind, you exasperated at our long toast :) and we thought the sky was so big? ha- africa has got one on you guate.
i am still grieving your daily presence. like at this moment, tears just well in my eyes. i feel your distance. i am so elated for all that you are able to be experiencing. so proud of you i am. ahhh one side note here- i sent you a letter perro yo no scribo "par avion" am i screwed? did you get the letter and pics sent with the boys?
we been kickin it here in nairobi a whole week longer than we anticipated, tomorrow we leave for Merreushi (god willing)- godbless africa, tomorrow = next week, 1hour =3 you know i am sure. but the past few days we were laughing how you would have just been board out of your mind, becuase we were reveling in the opportunity to just read- you know that distateful habit. UNLESS it is Bill Maher's a-z--- remeber how annoying we were that night at Alianza- curled up lauging hysterically at his terrifically policitally inappropriate commentary. oh sweet lisa....
ada wasmocking me becuase i have been incessently commenting that i miss you "soooooo much". jerk.
do you check your email at all- like should i be posting here instead of sending you updates to your gmail account?
WHEN IN SPRING should we come. beucase we are come hell or high water.... did you want to come to victoria falls? we were wanting to come down by land. looooooooooooooooooooove you with all my heart... and i really do miss you terribly. i hope the withdrawls from you subside soon.
love love and with somuch admiration for you- court
ps also remeber panza brunch when you found out? our last one, at the big table inside? how proud we all were... ahh
FYI: you have to use the white form if your package weighs more than four pounds!
the green form is only for under four pounds.
we just found this out.
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