I have about five minutes left to post something...sorry if it seems rushed, but I want to update everyone!
I am all moved into my homestay village. I live with another volunteer who I have become great friends with in such a short period. My homestay family is large and gracious. There are many smiling children who I am overwhelmed to see at night after long hours of language and technical training. I am learning kikaonde, which is the language that Zambians speak in Northwestern Province where I will be placed. I will be 25k away from the next volunteer, but I am happy that I am only 500 meters from a water source and only 1k from my school. I am so happy to be here. The Zambian people have been nothing but pleasant and seem to have an intense appreciation for life that I enjoy very much so. I hopefully will be able to post pictures in a month or so. I wish I had more time to describe my life here, but I have to catch a ride back to my village through Peace Corps.
I will quickly write a journal entry taken from Saturday, 2/27/2010:
I love Zambian thunderstorms. They calm the heat with their controlling bongo-like thuds. They creep slowly through the wide, African sky and unleash at the perfect time. The sounds of Nyanja singing and the bellowing laughs from local children are drowned out by the strike of a thunderstorm's wrath. The rain pitter patters on the straw roof of my mud hut here in Chishiko village. The soun is perfect motivation for studying KiKaonde. The rain hushes all other thoughts out of my mind, and I am able to rehearse my foreign phrases freely. And then...just when I am slumping into KiKaonde mindset, I am electrified by a strike of lightning only to remind me to stay on task with my new language.
Bamaama doesn't speak much English. She doesn't speak much KiKaonde either. But she sure laughs a lot and seeing her smiling face every morning is more language than I could ever ask for. Bamaama is the perfect representation of a generous Zambian. She wakes me up pleasantly in the morning with her warm laughter along with a boiling hot "bafa", bucket bath, awaiting upon my door stoop. I slowly awaken off my floor mattress and escape out of my mosquito net to the sounds of roosters and guinea fowls, and on the occasion, some Zambian hip hop music. Bamaama is always already on top of her daily tasks as I put on my bike helmet and rain jacket and begin to depart for my daily language lesson taught by Ba Golden. Bamaama's final ode of positivity before I leave, resonates with me throughout the day.
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Good morning, Kath.I received your text alert to me announcing this most recent blog posting. I love the writing, Kath ! It so describes your environment;I can picture my girl, right there...very satisfying.
ReplyDeleteI will be sure to pass the message along to your fam.,as you requested.
Talk soon ! Love and Peace, Dad
Katherine,
ReplyDeleteYou discribe your surroundings beautifully. Zambia sounds like a wonderful place. I look forward to your next post...
Be well!
Love,
Heather
well done, katherine! love and best wishes, Aunt kate
ReplyDeleteKath, Your writing is beautiful. Makes me wish I was there with you. You sound so happy...so alive. Talk to you soon. Love you and miss you so much.
ReplyDeleteJoyce
Hi Katherine,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed what you wrote. Thanks for sharing this awesome experience with us all. We will look forward eagerly to the next installment.
Love,
Aunt Jeanne
Great writing Kath! We miss you but are so glad to hear you are doing well. I'm getting plans in motion to visit next summer. A couple people have shown great interest. Anyways good luck with learning the language and call me when you get your calling cards!
ReplyDeleteLove, Dan
Katherine, your writing, as always, is beautiful! Can't wait to see pictures! I hope you get your package this week! It left customs on March 22nd. Talk to you soon. Love you and miss you! Mom
ReplyDeletePS. Can't wait to visit!
Wow Katherine, great writing, I loved it! Pictured myself in your shoes! Everyone misses you! Soupy says hello!
ReplyDeleteHeather!
Communication from Katherine has been limited to brief phone calls (thats us calling Kath from our land line)once per week, usually on Sunday mornings, when she is more apt to be available.
ReplyDeleteKatherine has reported that she is feeling great, has not suffered from any bouts with illness and continues to settle in to this new culture.
Her daily routine includes hours of training, especially learning the language (Kaonde) which will be spoken in her assigned village, Solwezi, Zambia. In our recent phone conversation, Kath spoke in her new Kaonde tongue, in what sounded to us as "fluent". (of course, she could fool us)
This just in; Katherine has texted messaged me to report she passed her "final language exam", a requirement to continue in the program and prerequisite to getting sworn in as a Peace Corps. Volunteer.
Kath will now be sworn in Friday April 23 and immediately be brought to her village where she will be teaching children (middle school ages) and volunteering in the local medical clinic, in addition to working to create HIV Aids outreach programs.
Kath reports the experience has been everything she imagined and then some. The Solwezi Village, while at a great distance from any city, will provide her access to a more equipped PC volunteer house (approx. 15 miles away ?) where she can retreat to, catch up on her blog...oh...and take a shower. ;)
I am hoping we can all here from Kath real soon, on this blog.
Her new address: Katherine Duval-Peace Corps. Volunteer
P.O.Box 110264 Solwezi, Zambia
Best~Jerome