JUNE 19 2007

Hi everyone,I'm at an internet cafe in Lusaka, paying something like 20000 Kwacha (the exchange rate's abuot K4000 for a dollar, so not much) but not feeling bad about the line of people behind me.

So, we flew from JFK to Johannesburg, South Africa last Friday-Saturday. Saturday night was spent at one of the cushiest hotels I'd ever been in, with an amazing buffet for dinner that included about 8 different chocolate desserts.. not a commodity I will be getting much of in the next few years, so we enjoyed them while we could!

Sunday we arrived in Lusaka, Zambia. We've been staying in a government-training campus-hostel facility, and driving packed into LandRovers to the PC headquarters for the beginnings of training. We chose our language groups and thus, the provinces to which we willtravel, yesterday. I will be studying Bemba, which is one of the more widely used languages, and going to Luapula, which was my first choice of places to go. It's in the northern part of Zambia, and has lots of waterfalls, rivers, and lakes- apparently this means fish will be a big portion of my diet, and I"m told the crocodiles generally stay away from people. There are about 30 volunteers serving there, so I'll have neighbors just a long-ish bike ride away.

Today we are in town to do some shopping (cell phones! who knew??) and then tomorrow I will go with the 3 guys who are also in the LIFE program and learning Bemba to visit a volunteer in the Copperbelt province. That's about 4-5 hours away, and we're goign to stay with her in her village for 4 days. I'm very excited; that'll be the first taste of village life and the work we'll be doing, as well as a chance to say "Muli shani?" (How are you?) to lots and lots of people.

So, my cell phone number is 0978367051 I don't know what the Zambia country code is, but you're all at nice high speed internet connections, so look it up yourselves :-) Text messages are far cheaper than phone calls, but don't expect TOO many because I'm a poor volunteer. If you desperately need to hear my voice call me, but probably text me first to make sure my phone's on and I"m paying attention.

Apparently skype is fairly cheap to use for international calling, also, if you use that.

I'm off to buy chocolate for our volunteer host!
No idea when I'll be back online, but that shuoldn't stop you from writing me back.

Nan


JUNE 18 2007

Hi everyone,

Here is a brief hello from Lusaka, Zambia. I am insanely excited to be here, and the other 46 people in my training class are amazing. We decided today what languages we'd be studying; I'm going to be learning Bemba and will be living and working in the Luapula province once training is completed.

So far I haven't seen too much, but I've been able to experience some of the foods I'll be eating (with my right hand ONLY!) for the next few years... every volunteer I've met so far LOVES it here, and many of them have extended their service for a third year because they love it so much.

Tomorrow I'll be getting a cell phone; buy a phone card if you want to call me, that way it costs you money instead of me :-p

I'll write more when there aren't 10 people in line behind me.

Nan