Is this still Zambia?

Hi Friends!

Its been a busy month for me here in Zambia. I spent the last two weeks of January in Lusaka for our in-service training (IST). It was a chance for us all to check in and get a little more training now that we had a real idea of our work and lives in Zambia. The transition from quiet, rainy days in the village to long days of seminars(and not getting my 10 hours of sleep) was a little hard but overall the two weeks were a lot of fun and maybe a little educational.

Going from the village to Lusaka was a major transition and had us all wondering if we were still in Zambia. My first afternoon, as I sat having a chocolate milkshake with friends, we all couldn't stop staring. Everything was so bright and people were so well dressed, we definately looked terrible in comparsion. Its amazing to me that there are people in the village will never see Lusaka and those in Lusaka who will never see the village. Its almost like there are two seperate Zambias. Of course there would be very classic Zambian moments like the taxis never having fuel and the power going out, I was even proposed to in the parking lot at the mall, that reminded me that some things are just plain Zambian.

The best part was of course the food, I have never wanted Chinese and Indian food more in my life. Plus a new ice-cream place opened that has real ice cream not just spft serve! My stomach did not always approve of all that diary and I think we all gained about 10 pounds. I think my body was more then happy to get back to my village diet.

Since getting back to the village I've been assisting with malaria testing and other tasks at my clinic. Luckily we finally have a new clinic incharage in place and things are getting a little less hectic. Its still the height of malaria season and I'm seeing a lot more cases. Fighting malaria is a difficult task since so much of it is about behavior change. Behavior change, as anyone on a diet or trying to quit smoking, is not easy and often takes a long time for results which is hard when so many kids are sick with malaria.

The last few days I, along with two other PCVs, have been meeting with NGOs in Chipata to partner with us on a girl's empowerment camp. Luckily the YWCA was very excited to work with us and they have some great resources. We also found a space to hold the camp, but now its time to figure out the budget. Nsima gets expensive for 70 people. We still have a lot to do but I think that we made a good dent.

Well that is all for now. I hope that is all well and everyone is keeping warm!

Love,
Allie