Greetings from Zambia. It's hard to know what details of my foreign lifestyle to fill you all in on, considering I rarely get to update the blog. I could fill endless pages with observations and wonderment of my life in the village. I can only say that I am continually challenged and humbled by the ups and downs of my work and everyday life. Work is really picking up, I've had a slue of meetings with my Neighborhood Health Committee and other communities as well. It's been very difficult for me to communicate to my community why I'm here in Zambia and what my work entails. Naturally they see me as a miracle worker coming from the land of opportunity and it's heartbreaking for me to have to tell them that I can't build their bridge or fund their schools. On the other hand it's beautiful to have them be so excited and thankful for my presence, and to merely watch them take joy in my attempt to live a Zambian life. I'm getting used to the laid back lifestyle of a Zambian village; my meetings usually start from half an hour to an hour late. People usually trickle in throughout and I'm never quite sure who's going to show up. Sometimes I have 15 village kids sitting in wonderment as to what I'm saying. At the end of every meeting, my communities love to teach me a new aspect of their culture, which usually involves cooking a local dish. My latest venture was homemade peanutbutter, called ichikonko in Bemba. It involves shelling, roasting, peeling, and pounding ground nuts. It's quite exciting to see a peanut transform into butter. My villagers always laugh at joy when I try to participate in the culture. I'm still getting used to life in the village, though I've been able to establish a routine and I'm excited to become more familiar with the groups I'm working with and really progress with them.
I'm really starting to make my mud hut feel like a home. Though I still get bombarded with critters. It's amazing how cockroaches don't phase me anymore, where as I would have been horrified before to find one sharing my living space. I had to remove 2 tarantulas from my hut just last week, and had to get a village kid to help me with a giant spider who happened to be on the inside of my mosquito net (which is a definite faux pax and a no-no). The village kids come in handy quite often, and luckily they're never too far away. I cemented the floors of my hut last month, and I've never been so excited about....cement. It cuts my dust intake in half so my lungs are much happier! Not to mention a significant cutback on ants and termites. Termites, by the way, I have found to be incredible creatures. They work at an incredible rate, have mounds that are six feet high, and are often eaten as a local dish. I sometimes come home to find termite tunnels popping up all over my hut. My snake sitings have risen to 4! I am doing surprisingly well at handling the encounters. I've only had one near my hut and again, the Iwes (children) came to my rescue. It's hard to imagine not sharing a space with a crawly creature or two.

I want to thank everyone for their letters and love. One of my favorite things to do after the sun sets is to read letters by candle light when I get lonely in my village. Thank you for taking time to share this adventure with me and for keeping me in your thoughts and prayers. This experience continues to be enriching and is pushing me to lengths I never could have imagined. I am endlessly grateful for the opportunity I have to serve and I am strengthened by the thoughts of friends and family at home. Until next time, Lisa.