Home, Sweet Home

Here are some snaps of my home...enjoy!

Living room:

Me. In my home. How exciting!

View from the from of my house

After the first rain these flowers sprouted in my front yard

And of course, my favorite little girl, MpunduLove and miss you all!!! and Happy Franksgiving!!!

-b

My 24/7 Babysitting Job

So where there's rural life in Zambia, there are children---and lots of them! I have a few favorites, they come over and sweep my yard for sweets, sing and dance with me, or even make hats out of leaves and sticks. They are alllllways full of energy and don't really like to listen when I tell them to leave. The other day some of them latched my door shut from the outside and the little buggers walked away...leaving me locked in my hut for 30 minutes. But even with the constant babysitting, I have a few favorites:

This is what happens when you give the children chalk and no paper to write on...I think I caught Supserman in the act of eating it...which makes the dissapearance of my chalk more understandable now.

It took me 3 weeks to figure out what "injuka" meant, and now they play with my playing cards every single dayEverything is good in the village- I miss you all! Send letters!

Love,b

Ukushana!!!

Hello hello!

It has been about 3 weeks since being posted in my village and I am having an amazing time. My village is very motivated and excited to work with me. Lots of biking and meetings...and plenty of time to sit around and think, paint, write, and read. I have started to get settled into my house, and have finally gotten a table and chair--it's nice to not have to sit on a yoga mat anymore! I forgot my camera chord so have included some photos from a friend's camera-enjoy!

This photo to the left was taken at the waterfalls--oh, to wash dishes in the river...in Zambia...right next to a waterfall...life is amazing! The one on the right was during second site visit--the kid on my shoulders was holding on for dear life...

Below is at Samfya beach-white sand, clear water, and crocs...what more could you ask for? Unfortunately, even with the strict advice or a passer-by to not "let the sun burn your skin," the sub-saharan ball of fire scorched my epidermus like it was going out of style.

Have received many of your letters and packages---thank you for the love!!

I miss you all and hope life is well.

-b

You're beautiful baby! Don't Let the sun burn your skin!

Hello friends/family/strangers! So this will be last last time I blog for a few months. Tomorrow I get posted in my village and won't have cell phone service nor internet where I'm going in Luapula--although word around the campfire is that I can text if I go to a termite hill about 1K away and hold my hand a certain way...so yea...

These last few months of training have been amazing. I have had major ups and downs and have done and experienced things that have expanded my mind in directions that I never thought possible--and I still have two more years to go!!!



The first photo above is of me and my host family in Chongwe, Lusaka (minus my host dad and older host bro). We all look a little creepy...but pay no attention. This is who I stayed with for the 9 weeks of training. They are amazing people and are always up for a good laugh (usually laughing at me) and smiles. I moved out a few days ago, but plan on keeping in touch during the rest of my stay in Zambia.

Below is a photo I took at the one of the waterfalls in Luapula during second site visit. It was amazing to swim in the water and jump off the falls. I even did my I-never-practice-back-flip. (not twice, didn't want to push my luck)


Here is another photo of our group after swear-in. It's an amazing group of people (now down to 40) who are all extremely excited and enthusiastic about being here. I have really enjoyed getting to know everyone and sharing good times. It's awesome to learn new things from such an intelligent bunch of folks, and I'm excited to make some visits over the next few years.

Please don't think that this is one extended vacation--because it's not--but yesterday we went to the another waterfall site where we were able to swim(and jump) and enjoy the beautiful HOT weather. Luapula is an amazing province with so much to offer. There are beautiful falls and lakes, and there truly is no shortage of water in Luapula for this land-locked nation. Let's just say that it has helped me get over my fear of heights, although that fear also quickly passed after paragliding in India, so it may be more appropriate to say my "respect for heights." (there might be a photo of me jumping on facebook that a friend is posting--so check it out)

A few weeks ago during a hike through the burnt land of Luapula, we were shown these rock paintings. These were just discovered less than a year ago, and the land owners have yet to determine when they were made. Apparently they are very similar to those in Malawi and other surrounding areas. It was surreal to see something so amazing that hasn't been put up in a tourist book. The photo below is just one of the many I took. I am hoping to be able to post those at a later date.

So I am running out of time but I hope you all at home and around the world are enjoying life! The blog post title is named after one of my favorite quotes that i've heard since I've been here. This is an amazing place!

New Address!!

I will be sworn in soon and moving to my site, sooo from now on please send all mail to:

Brittany ____, PCV
P.O. Box 710150
Mansa, Luapula, Zambia
Africa

AIR MAIL

THANKS THANKS THANKS to everyone who has sent things! I haven't received any of your packages because they take extra long, but I will be sure to let you know when I do!!!