American Icon Party

Just want to make sure that everyone knows I want them to be at my Welcome Home Party!!! Sorry if we didn't have your email to send you the evite but here are the details:
Where: 6030 Ashton Park Place, Colorado Springs, CO
When: Saturday, June 30, 11:30am
Questions? Andrea: 237-6530 or Ryan: 332-4007

"Come and welcome Caitlin home as she returns from the bush! Let's celebrate in style and remind Caitlin of her heritage by dressing as your favorite American icon.

Bring a side-dish or beverage to share and gather at the Clarkson's! All grilling meats and some beverages will be provided."

...23 Days...

While some days drag on forever, I still absolutely cannot believe that I have been in Zambia for over a year (My mom feels differently)! As I am wrapping things up to come home for three weeks, I am filled with so many mixed feelings. First and foremost I am thrilled at the thought of reuniting with my family and friends back in the United States. I can’t wait to hold my niece for the first time, slumber party it up with my sisters, talk with friends face to face and gasp for fresh Rocky Mountain air. It gives me goose bumps just thinking about it! For three weeks I will get to be surrounded by people that understand personal space, know what ‘Venti’ means, and have seen me clean on more than one occasion! Will I miss the men with AK47s walking down the sidewalk? No. What about hearing “Magua, Magua, Magua” (white person, white person, white person). Not even a little bit. And while getting my water from the well really hasn’t been bad, I think I will let the faucet run the whole time I am brushing my teeth. Sorry, Al Gore and company. : )

As I close out a year, I am struck by how little I feel I have accomplished how much I still want to do upon my return. Will one more year be enough? This first year has been so much of laying a foundation-networking, getting a sense of the culture, learning how things are done here. While I know my relationships with people have affected us both, there is still so much I want to teach, to give, to encourage. I am sure at this time next year I will still have a sense of leaving things unfinished, but I am committed to coming back and making the most of every opportunity that is given to me, even fighting for these opportunities if necessary. The last couple weeks in my village have been some of the most encouraging work-wise and relationally. Just this past weekend provided so much encouragement. Some friends from Choma came out to the village to share a film and talk with the people in my village-over 600 gathered together for the Friday night event. The next day Club Mweka doubled in size and we had about 60 kids out playing hot potato. I think God knew I needed that boost if He was going to get me back here to Zambia!

I have been privileged to live in deep community in the United States prior to coming to Africa. Even still, I have learned so much about interdependence from my time of independence on the ‘dark continent’. I love Krzyszt of Kieslowski’s insight into some fundamental differences between Africa and the West. He writes, “Suffering unites people, while affluence and riches divide people. In our time success is fashionable. Strength is fashionable. Weakness is not fashionable. Compassion is not fashionable. Yet these are the qualities that bring people together.” Now I have suffered on more than one occasion with friends and family back home, but that is an exception, not the norm. To have lived in this society where hunger, sickness, poverty, and death are staples of life, I have seen even more the beauty of solidarity. No doubt it has and will continue to shape they way I live my life. Long after my footprints have disappeared from the continent, the fingerprints of those I’ve lived with will remain on my heart.

Dear friends I will see you soon.

CLUB MWEKA

Come bathed. No bullying. Boys and girls get equal playing time. No insults. Come on time. No stealing. Listen when someone else is talking. These were just a few of the rules the kids voted into existence last Sunday. When choosing goals for the club, becoming better at futbol and learning topped the list. Of the 28 children that attended, nearly all are single or double orphans. All of them are seeking a place they can come and be just what they are-children.

Meet Club Mweka, a pilot program for orphans and vulnerable children in Simane Village, Zambia. Thanks to funding from the CCR Youth Group in Colorado Springs, the youth in this village will have the opportunity to get together to play games, learn vital life skills and be assisted with literacy. After lots of groundwork over the last months, we officially kicked off our club last Sunday afternoon and it was a hug success. I'm so excited to move forward with these kids and see what the future brings. While some of the children attend school, the majority are not currently going, so to get to be a part of the club is a great self-esteem boost for them!

Right now I am co-leading the club with Omsley, who was born and raised in Simane Village and has a passion for community development and youth. This next week he will be attending a 4-day HIV/AIDS workshop I am co-facilitating in Choma. Being able to provide him with more knowledge will even better equip him in this endeavor. He has great rapport with the kids and to partner with him is a pleasure.

As we look to the future our goal is to expand into the other 13 villages (and beyond!) in our area, training mentors and establishing clubs in each village. While being completely adorable is not a requirement for the club, I swear every child steals your heart. Pray that God would continue to bless this group of children and give us wisdom as we lead them!

Personal Legends

“Everyone, when they are young, knows their personal legend. At that point in their lives everything is clear to them and all is possible. They aren’t afraid to dream, to yearn for everything they would like to see happen in their lives. But, as time passes, a mysterious force begins to convince them that it will be impossible for them to realize their personal legend.” – Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

I love the truth behind that quote. As children we have the ability to dream freely-regardless of culture, time, or place. Children in the United States dream of becoming doctors and nurses, firefighters and teachers. Children here in Zambia share those same dreams. You don’t often hear children say that they aren’t smart enough or they aren’t sure they’ll have the money for college. The sky is the limit, and nothing inhibits their dreaming.

For me, after serious consideration and the ruling out of becoming Kelly Kapowski’s little sister on “Saved by the Bell”, I dreamed of becoming a famous news anchor. My family can attest to my days of “Reporting live from the backyard”. I would set up the ironing board and use that as my news desk and then video tape my segments. My freshman year in college I even enrolled as a Broadcast Journalism major. Maybe it was fear, maybe it was God just redirecting where I was going, but after first semester I switched majors and now today I find myself here in Zambia. But I still love to tell stories and to seek out the unseen. I think the person we were in our early years before we become wounded by the world, is often the person of our “personal legend.” How awesome it is when people are able to chase after those dreams and capture the essence of who they want to become.

I love talking with children here in Zambia. It helps that they don’t laugh at my Chitonga (our local language) and somehow my ridiculous gestures and made up words connect the meaning for them. When asked what they want to become they just tell you-with no shame or embarrassment. Bertha (10) wants to be a doctor, not a nurse like all the other girls. Mulenga (12) wants to be an accountant-I think she read that in one of my Newsweeks. Majory (16) wants to teach English and Cholwe (17) wants to be able to take care of her little brother and sisters. I think my time here in Zambia is about instilling in them the power to believe that those things can happen. Instead of standing with the majority of people here and telling these girls that their education isn’t important, that they will most likely get pregnant and become another struggling woman, I can tell them to believe that all things are possible, that they can fulfill their personal legend.

Here in Zambia people actually believe that men are smarter than woman. This isn’t some vague cultural idea. Boys actually have to get higher passing grades on the grade 9 and grade 12 exams than the girls. When I’ve questioned the teachers on this practice, they will tell me that if the girls didn’t have a lower expectation than none of the girls would pass to the next grade. You can imagine my pride when one girl, Mercy, scored 100% on my history exam! I was bursting with joy for her. I ran to her house to tell her family how proud I was and how she was really setting the example for other girls in the school. Unfortunately, this last Monday as we started classes again Mercy was not found among my pupils. Her family decided that instead of continuing on with 8th grade, this 15 year old girl should get married. And so she won’t finish her education, she won’t get to live out her life the way she dreamed as a child.

I know my thoughts have been a bit all over the place today. I guess what I really want to say is just that wherever we are with kids, whether its in our living room or across oceans, we need to encourage them to dream big. And as we grow up and encounter other people we need to also encourage them to not look at all that stands in the way, but to see the possibilities. Heal from the wounds that this world and its people have inflicted on us and be the person we really want to be. Maybe we all need to remember that child inside of us and figure out how we can let them out to play. That is when we will be free to truly dream again.

Signing off from Zambia, I am Caitlin Clarkson.

Spring Break

As the official 8th grade History teacher at Chifusa Basic, I felt I need to act like a teacher and go on Spring Break! Schools here in Zambia are closed for the month of April so it provided a great window of opportunity! Granted, I had only taught African History for about a month, but the month on/month off schedule was working great with my tan! So the first week of April I headed out to Malawi, a little country on Zambia's eastern border. Ten other Peace Corps volunteers all met up for a week away from our villages. The fact that there was electricity would have been enough, but on top of that, we were staying at a "resort" right on the beach. Seven days of waking up to the sound of crashing waves, laying on the sand, swimming in warm water, exploring deserted islands, and watching satellite TV at night was heavenly. Our last day we went to a crocodile farm that was home to 14,000 crocodiles, some of which came from the lake in which we had been swimming. I was glad that was on our last day, as it was about as wise as watching Jaws before a dip in the Pacific! While vacation was awesome it was fun to come back to Zambia. You can take the girl out of the village, but you can't take the village out of the girl...or something like that! It was nice to come back to a country where I speak the language and understand the currency. I feel really blessed that I get to travel around and see more of this amazing continent.

Things are pretty quite in my village with school out of session and many friends gone on holiday. So it has been me and my dog, Rocky (for the mountains, not the movie), hanging out together. This 9 week old puppy thinks he is so fierce and makes me laugh daily. He is a nice cover too because now when I am talking to myself and getting funny looks I just say I was "talking to my dog". Pet ownership seems to be agreeing with me for the most part-HUGE surprise.

In May I am going to be piloting a program for orphans and out of school youth in my community. I ask that you keep this in your prayers. It is a sports/literacy/life skills program that has the opportunity to be really effective. Please pray that God will use the program to reach a niche of you that is otherwise ignored.

Hope all of you had a great Easter holiday. Blessings!

The Interview

My friend here in Zambia "lent" me her favorite poem, I hope you enjoy it as well!

It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing. It doesn’t interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for your dreams, for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life’s betrayals, or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain. I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own; if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tops of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, be realistic, or to remember the limitations of being human…

It doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want to now if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself; if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul. I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand on the edge of a lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, “Yes!”
It doesn’t interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done for the children. It doesn’t interest me who you are, how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.

It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustained you from the inside when all else falls away. I want to know if you can be alone with yourself, and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.

-Oriah Mountain Dreamer

Negativity

In most cases being negative isn’t a positive thing, but for me it has brought about celebration! Eating a steak, sipping a martini, going to the movies kind of celebration! For those of you not yet following me, let me fill you in…

About three months ago, on December 10th, I had the most amazing experience. I was able to help in the delivery of a baby boy at our clinic in Chifusa. The doctor was busy with other patients, so it was just me and a traditional birth attendant in the room. Having gained most, if not all, of my medical expertise from ER and Dr McDreamy, and only wearing Chaco sandals, I wasn’t expecting to be given the responsibility of OBGYN for the morning. The fact that I was helping to deliver a child is terrifying if you know my disdain for bodily fluids and my Anatomy and Physiology grade. But none the less, this is Zambia where I have learned to buck up in just about any situation. So there I am at the end of the delivery bed, this young soon-to-be mother pushing away, and me encouraging the situation! She had been in labor for some time and I had just come into the room. Besides my own, I had never been in the room during a delivery. Now, where was the episode on Grey’s where the naïve, yet beautiful and bright, intern is soaked by a tidal wave of amniotic fluid and blood as the mother lays on her back with her legs spread for the delivery? Unfortunately for me, I missed that episode. Another unfortunate circumstance was that I had a large gash on my foot from cutting it on barbed wire the night before. So due to the tsunami force splash zone I had entered, I now had the blood and vaginal fluids of this woman soaking into my foot. She was not sure if she was HIV positive, and due to the rural location of our clinic, we don’t have testing available. So in an instant I’m thinking ‘I may just have contracted HIV,’ ‘This was my sister’s biggest fear for me in coming here,’ ‘I need to get on post exposure prophylaxis (PEP),’ ‘I am suing NBC for negligence.’ Those thoughts ran through my head in a second but then it was back to work, as I was able to help bring this magical sci-fi episode called a delivery to its conclusion. It was incredible to see this baby/alien come into the world. I highly recommend that you watch a birth sometime. Ideally in a “no-splash zone” covered from head to toe in impenetrable armor.

I called our Peace Corps Medical Officer that afternoon and was advised that I would need to come into Lusaka to get on PEP within 72 hours for it to be effective. PEP is a drug that those who have been exposed to HIV can take and it has been effective in stopping the virus. As I lay in bed that Saturday night I had a restless sleep. I kept thinking, “If I just contracted HIV today, was it worth it? Would I be willing to die for these people?” I wrote the following prayer in my journal the next morning. “Please calm me Lord. I know that all things work together for the good of those who love You. I know trials build endurance and this will add to the perfecting of my faith. I know You don’t promise us easiness or an exception of pain, so I just ask that in my soul you make it ok. Use it for the perfection of my faith. Thank you for allowing me to experience that birth. It truly was awesome.”

The delivery was on a Saturday and transport from my village doesn’t leave until Monday morning again, so I was a little nervous about the time crunch. Luckily I was able to hitch a ride on a vehicle transporting cattle to Choma on Sunday. I made it into Lusaka by Monday morning and the first HIV test came back negative. The HIV test is actually testing for antibodies that you produce in response to the infection, so it can take up to 3 months to be sure that you are in the clear. Because of that “window period” there was still the chance that I could test positive down the road. So the waiting game began. I chose to not tell my family back home as it is stressful enough for them that I am across the world living in a hut. When I finally told them the news last week it included the fact that my final test had come back negative and I am completely healthy. Praise God! I may never have been exposed to the virus, or God may have performed a miracle and protected me- I will never know. Of this I am confident; He did work out all things for the good and did strengthen my dependence on Him. May He do the same for you.

The Greatest of These

My kindred spirit of a cousin responded to my last blog with affirmation and encouragement regarding my time here in Zambia (check it out under comments). And in the last week her words really challenged me to get my focus off of what I can do and go back to believing Him for the results, both in me and in the villages I serve. When Jesus walked the earth, in a place much different than His home, where dusty feet, angry mobs, and harsh critics had replaced streets of gold and perfection, He told His followers the greatest commandments were to first love God, and second to love others. Let me share with you what that has looked like for me this week. I share not to bring glory to myself in anyway, but to let you know how Christ’s words are penetrating my heart and to encourage you to allow Him to work in you and use you in your corner of the world. Each morning this week I’ve prayed that God would allow me to see Him and to increase my faith in Him. It was seen in how He can take seeds in my garden and grow them into vegetables I can share with my villagers (Trust me, if you knew my brown thumb you would recognize this is verging on miraculous). Loving others was sharing cappuccino with a little girl after her last penicillin injection for chicken pox. It was sitting in a hot room next to the bed of a woman suffering from boils all over her body. It was asking forgiveness from a neighbor whom I had hurt. It was walking 10 miles to watch our school’s futbol team play and making a fool of myself by cheering like mad. I might never see tangible change while I am here in Zambia, but I might also never again have the opportunity to hold a little girl in church while her mother is at home slowly dying. I may never have another opportunity to carry 20 liters of water on my head and then offer a drink to a thirsty child. I may never again sit with a family and have them question how I could leave everyone I love to come to a foreign land, only to explain to them that I really felt God had a purpose for me here. I pray I never again have to deal with the amount of dirt, bugs, or snakes that I have so intimately lived with these last nine months, but even if I do, I am so confident that He alone will give me the strength to pull through. Sometimes after these blogs I get feedback about how wonderful I am, and how incredible it is that I am doing these things. While I appreciate your encouragement, It is not my desire to take credit for this experience. Trust me I am a mess of a person a lot of the time. Most of you back home can attest to that! It is truly thru my belief and faith in God that I can do any of this. It may take just as much courage for you to walk across the room to talk with someone in need, or bring a meal to a friend with cancer, or ask forgiveness from a loved one. Let me encourage you by saying that God would not tell us the second most important commandment is to love our neighbor if He could not make it possible. God can raise the dead! He can surely teach you to hold your tongue, hold hands with an enemy, hold fast to His promises. But if we don’t grasp the first commandment-to love God, than the second one is impossible. If you don’t know God-the one true God, that created and loves us, the God that would allow His Son to walk the dusty roads from Jerusalem to Sidon and die on a cross for sins we have committed, we are committing, we will commit, the God that brings freedom- not rules and regulations- the God that allows run-on sentences like this one, if you don’t know that God, well I pray that you would take the time to seek Him out. He is Faithful. Holy. Consistent. Love. Trust me, without my faith in Him, without an understanding of His character, this whole experience here in Zambia would be a bleak and hopeless experiment of viewing the depravity of mankind. But because of Him, I can have hope-that He’ll do more than I could ever ask or imagine. So, my dear friends, I’ll leave you with all that to chew on! Love God first and love others second and then write me a letter and tell me what that looks like for you! Thank you for the love that you have shown me.

Icing

Who would have thought I could sip a cappuccino and nearly be mauled by baboons in the same day? Or that I can use my cell phone but still have to pump water from a well? Life here in Zambia is like that, a very distinct dichotomy between "civilization" and primitive conditions. In a country that only recently gained its Independence from the British, Zambia is making baby steps toward what they consider development. At times though, it seems they are adding "icing" to a cake that has not yet been bakes. Or even mixed or maybe the ingredients are hardly in the bowl yet. It is as thou the people of Zambia look West, see that we have cell phones and think that by owning one too they are somehow moving in the right direction. Currently there is not one single Zambian I know that recognizes the "vibrate" setting on their phone, so you'll be having an important meeting and all of the sudden Beyonce is singing "Answer your phone, your phone is ringing...". It talks in the Bible about building your house on a solid foundation, not on the sand where it will be washed away by the sea. This has been one of the biggest reality checks for me here in Zambia-realizing that in many ways I am just "icing". It is great that I can teach on HIV to the teachers at my school, but how effective is it when the same teachers are hardly in class teaching or that a number of them are having sexual relationships with the students? I love meeting with the girls and talking about the importance of staying in school and making goals for the future, but how possible is that when they are being impregnated by their teachers? I get so excited when I make strides at the clinic to provide testing for HIV, but how much hope do the people have that find out they are positive for the disease? The government of Zambia, because of outside donors, is able to provide "free" medical treatment and medications, but they are not accessible to the people in my village that are 40 miles from town. In the US we are so vocal about our qualms with life. We don't like George Bush, or the Democrats, we gripe about our economy or that taxes are too high-whatever it is that is causing us such strife. But the fact of the matter is that in the US the foundation is set, the cake is baked. So at least we can mess around with the icing, we can try different colors, flavors, sprinkles if we are feeling crazy. But here in Zambia, at least from my perspective, I see developed countries pouring literally billions of dollars into a country and we're drowning in frosting. Without the government and people of Zambia making a dramatic shift in the way this country is run the billions of dollars are being flushed down non-existent toilets. To me development is not cell phones, or Starbucks, or even GAP. But it is clean water, it is accessible and quality health care, it is a country that not only sees the value in education but supports it and makes it possible for their people. It is creating an economy that gives people the opportunity to provide for their family. My vision of what I am going to accomplish during my service here has dramatically shifted since I landed here in June. I will still continue to do all that I can to assist the people of Zambia and to encourage the values and truths that I believe will bring about true development in this country. Maybe one of the youth in my village will light that spark that causes the fire that bakes the cake. Or maybe we will just lick the frosting for the next 18 months. Some people like icing best.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

Sometimes a pictures is worth a thousand words...so I will let Moie, Bertha, and Benne do the talking this week! These three girls can be found at my house just about every day, swinging upside down in my chikuta and just being silly. Moie and Bertha are the niece and daughter of Mrs Mpongo, and Benne is the daughter of one of the teachers at my school. I wish you could all have them come play at your house one day - they are so much fun!

Zam Fashion

If you are anything like me, when you picture African fashion you imagine tribal attire with the sword or water jug as the perfect accessory. Not so my friend! Unbeknownst to most of the world, Zambian fashion is made up mostly of second hand clothes from other parts of the world – mainly the United States. Since my last blog was a bit heavy, this week I thought I would stick with a lighter subject-the majesty of the second hand t-shirt, and its impact on Zambia. Most of the Zambians wearing these t-shirts have no idea what the slogans or logos mean and so this makes for a really humorous situation. I highly doubt that Milimo really was one of the ‘Mission Viejo Softball Champions’ or that Nchimunya has been to Arizona. My friend Brad tells of the pastor at the church in his village preaching an entire sermon while wearing a t-shirt with the caption ‘Tequila Mornings’ under the picture of a donkey wearing a sombrero passed out on the floor. His only response was “Amen.” At the funeral this last week Mrs. Mpongo wore a ‘Las Vegas’ t-shirt with a glittery rose on the front. Not exactly your typical funeral attire in the US. A couple months ago I was teaching at the school when a student walked in wearing a ‘Drake Relays’ shirt. Drake is the university in Iowa my little sister Devon attends. Maybe they know each other? The rapper 50Cent has a clothing line that is also very popular here in Zambia, though most of the people here have never listened to his music. My favorite is the knock off ’50Cents’ line of clothing that has also become popular. I also love seeing little kids wearing ‘Nick and Jessica 4ever’ shirts – guess that one didn’t work out? One day I know I’ll see a Coronado High School or PRIDE soccer shirt…you just never know who will be wearing your clothes next! Granted, for a lot of the people in my village this is the nicest shirt they have, and so they wear these clothes proudly, but I can still smile to myself and think, “Where am I?”

Price of a Life

Chipego Caitlin Mpongo October 11, 2006-February 7, 2007. "If there was a price for life I would have paid it. If I could have bought it to save her I would have." Those were the words my friend, Mrs Mpongo, sobbed into my shoulder as I held her on the side of the road. She had called me minutes earlier to tell me her daughter had died. Let me start from the beginning...Mrs Mpongo is the head nurse at our clinic and her family has embraced me since I came to my village in August. We've worked, cooked, played, and gardened together for the last 8 months. When she gave birth to a baby girl last October she introduced her to me as my "namesake" and another Chipego Caitlin was welcomed into our village. Two Thursdays ago Chipego musyoonto (little Chipego) had a fever and trouble breathing and was rushed to the hospital here in Choma. Her parent's waited with her Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. On Monday tests were finally done to try and diagnose her condition. When I came to the hospital to visit on Tuesday the doctor had still not come to read the tests but she was showing signs of improvement. The x-rays showed pneumonia in her lungs, and Mrs Mpongo had advised the nurses to give Chipego medicine while they waited further information from the doctor. It was around 10am on Wednesday morning that Chipego looked her mother in the eyes and then took her last breath. Mrs Mpongo told me she only wished that Chipego could have talked so she would have been able to tell her what was going on inside of her. Over the last 8 months I have been so immersed in the poverty here that I have somehow become a bit numb to the situation. It is easy to forget that poverty truly is a matter of life and death. We take so much for granted living in the US. Health care at its very worst in the US is still far better than the health care system here in Zambia. As a child I too had pneumonia, had I been born here in Zambia, most likely I would have died. Through the funeral and burial process in my village I have heard people comfort the family by saying, "it was God's will." Though I am fully aware of God's presence through this situation, I honestly do not believe it is God's will for people to live in poverty, for children to die because of medical negligence. Had this same scenario played out in the United States we would be screaming about malpractice and fighting for justice. On Friday we buried Chipego on a farm in our village. The choir sang "It is well with my soul". She fought for her last breath here on earth, but I am sure Chipego was having no problem breathing in the sweet scents of heaven. A little girl's body lies beneath the soil now, but her memory will remain alive in my heart. Cherish the time you have and those you love.

Care Packages

Thank you to all of you who have sent me AWESOME letters and packages here! People are always asking what type of things I want/need out here, so here is my latest list! But most importantly I love getting letters and pictures from you all!

Canned tuna/chicken
Trail Mix
Beef Jerky
Raisins
Dried Fruit
Brown Sugar
Oatmeal
AA Batteries
Magazines
Books
Skittles/Starburst/Gummy Bears/Peachios/Any fruity candy
Paper/Pens for my village kids
Bubble Gum/Candy for kids in my village
Any kind of ball/game for kids in my village

Thanks! Send any mail to me at: PO BOX 630569 Choma, Zambia

Laugh With Me

The topic I really want to write about this week is "Top 10 Reasons Zambia Sucks", but in an effort to stay positive I'll choose another topic. How about we go with things that made me laugh these past couple weeks? When we came upon a couple of pythons, I was quickly advised by my counterpart that pythons, contrary to popular belief, are actually "Christians, they don't bite people." Now you know. Chuckle. Or what about the names some Zambian parent's give their children? When you first see you precious newborn child why wouldn't the name "Alien" pop into your mind? Or maybe you think, "Oh wow, she looks just like a 'Pharisee'!" Those of you currently expecting, I just want to encourage you to maybe steer towards other name options. You don't want someone to make note of them in a blog one day. I also laughed/rolled my eyes as we are on transport to town yesterday and the top of our truck hit this branch causing a flock (yeah, that is the technical term) of catepillars to rain down on us. So not only are we in the back of this truck with bags of maize, a few goats, and tons of people, but now we have bright green catepillar guts on us and these bright furry creatures crawling everywhere. For whatever reason Zambians don't fear snakes but they fear catepillars. I was a pillar of strength amongst the masses and brought the hysteria under control. Definetly made me laugh.

Just a little insight into me, when I am really homesick I mask things with humor! Besides that, the last two weeks in my village have been the most encouraging workwise. I was able to do a training with 6 community members on Home Based Care. They will be caring for those who are unable or unwilling to get to the clinic for treatment. The workshop went really well and people were very receptive. My girls' club at school is going well, this last week we made "girls" out of playdough and had a really good discussion about all of our similarities and differences. Each girl was asked to write down a goal for the year, and when I received them, each one had written she wanted to be able to complete her education. I am super excited about investing into these young women over the next couple years. Also, on Monday I was able to meet with a doctor at a neighboring mission clinic and have organized for them to come do mobile HIV counseling and testing in our area on a monthly basis. This is HUGE as people in our area have never has access to testing. The head nurse at our clinic will be back from maternity leave in the next couple days, so work with the clinic should also pick up and go a bit smoother as she is an amazing woman.

I will close with a message from my friend here, Cholwe (17). She wrote this in a letter to Brittany, my friend back home in Colorado:

"You must not be thinking that Chipego is in trouble-NO! She is fine and she is under God's care. Greet all who know Chipego, don't worry, my friend, about Chipego, I'm with her."

Miss you all!

Game Time

It was such a joy to come back to Chifusa this past week. A new term at school has started, the rains have made everything more vibrant and my relationships with people in my village continue to grow. I have been getting up early in the morning to go for a run and it also gives me a chance to pray and think through my day. I absolutely love the way the sunlight and fog mix together to give everything a magical appeal. After my jog I get to enjoy French pressed (thanks Ry & Bren) coffee (thanks Tito) while listening to the BBC world news on my radio (thanks Hagood’s) and eating cinnamon roll oatmeal (thanks auntie Carol & mom). Life is so rough! While I am doing my morning routine tons of kids on their way to school wave and shout to me and I sing greetings back to them as well. This week it just really hit me how blessed I am to be in this situation; the pace of life is such that I can enjoy so many things that I would rush through back home in the states.

My friend Sam Lockhart and her work (thanks Adventure Club) sent out tons of toys and balls for the kids in my village. At lunch and after school I have groups of kids coming to my place to play. Other than a couple of rounds of out of control dodge ball, it has been awesome to watch these kids interact with one another. Leaders rise out of the group and they all work together to entertain themselves. Somewhere between each kick, throw, and catch the burden of poverty, of hunger, of sickness, all of it melts away and there is just a field of kids having a blast. I love that I get to watch and be a part of the fun. My competitive side (thanks Dad) also really enjoys being on the winning team.

When I am not playing, I actually work around here! This past week I was able to meet with the headmasters from three of the schools in my catchment area. All of them are going to work on action plans for how I can partner with them this next term. At Chifusa Basic I will be doing a one hour training each week with the teachers. We’ll be focusing on “Life Skills” that they can incorporate in their classrooms. The students have been given so much information on HIV and yet there is still a disconnect between that and changing their behavior. We are hoping that by giving them the tools for dealing with relationships, peer pressure, etc, we will see a move to behavior change. I am excited to see where the next term takes us.

Thank you again for your continued prayers. You have no idea how much each one of you, because of your influence in my life, is a part of this experience. I hope your days ahead are filled with simple joys!

All I Need to know I learned in a hut...

2007-Wow! I can't believe it is already here. The last 7ish months have flown by. Looking back on the past year I wanted to just share the top 10 things that I have learned! This is where I am supposed to be super witty and wise....

10. Coffee, ice cubes, air conditioning and Internet are priceless. I repeat priceless. Enjoy them.

9. Very rarely will you actually vomit from eating weird things. Caterpillars, goat intestine, termites, impala...all these things can live quite happily in your stomach. Not that they taste good, but whatever.

8. Snakes may seem scary, but when you hack them with a machete there is such a feeling of empowerment. Who is scared now?

7. Material possessions don't bring happiness. Have you seen the smiles that the Zambian kids have?

6. Never think that using the latrine at night by candlelight will be romantic. You can start a fire. Don't do this. Ever.

5. You can still make new friends and keep the old. One is silver and the other gold. Though I was never in "Brownies" I think they were really on to something with that song.

4. Prayer is awesome. Talk to your Creator. Listen.

3. When you think you can't do something and you are at the end of your rope, somehow God gives you the strength to pull through. These are some of the coolest moments in life.

2. Taking risks and following your passions is the most rewarding experience. Just get up and out there already!

1. Even when I am across the world, and don't see them every day, the people I love can still richly bless my life. Thank you!!!

I WANT TO HEAR WHAT YOU ALL ARE LEARNING TOO...Send me your comments!

Just Back From Safari

The adventure continues! This vacation is just unreal. Yesterday we had to stop the Land Cruiser to let some elephants cross the path. Earlier today I was inside a 8,000 kilometer crater watching a pride of lions frolic in a field. On the way out of the crater our 4-wheel drive went out and we had to avoid mud slides. Good thing the brakes still worked, because we needed those to avoid the 40 monkeys that were camped out on the tarmac on our way back home. And now I'm on the Internet. How is this my life?

I'll post pictures when the computer works-they will do more justice then my words! But basically, the 4 of us headed up to Ngorongoro Conservation Area yesterday, and toured around Lake Manyara and then Ngorongoro Crater today. It seriously felt like we were in Jurassic Park. This crater was formed when a volcano collapsed 2,000 years ago. The Massai people live alongside these animals within the crater and it was amazing to observe it all.

Tomorrow we celebrate New Years Eve at the Massai Camp. Ok, that is actually the name of the backpackers lodge where we are staying.. It'll be a wild time none the less! Enjoy New Years Eve wherever you are and have a great New Year! I'll post more details on what has been going on in my village and life once I am back from vacation. Love to all!

Trains, Chinese, and Buffets

No candlelight Christmas Eve service here, but the way the Christmas lights inside the Chinese/Indian Cuisine restaurant glowed, there was a bit of that peaceful feeling. No egg nog, but I cut open a coconut with my pocketknife and drank. No snow, but my clothes are still drying from the downpour of rain. No turkey was carved, but we carved a pineapple for dinner last night. No pine trees, but palm trees are plentiful. No Pikes Peak, but I did get up this morning and watch the sun rise over Mt Kilimanjaro.

So Christmas in Africa-it has been an experience! I took a 48 hour train ride with three Peace Corps friends up to Tanzania. It was beautiful! An awesome (but rather long) way to see most of Zambia and a lot of Tanzania. We got off the train in Dar es Salem. The name of the city means "Haven of Peace" and is on the Indian Ocean. We ate Christmas Eve dinner at the Chinese/Indian Cuisine place, which reminded us all of The Christmas Story movie. The waitress however, did not sing us carols. The food was actually awesome and we ended up at a hotel that served a dessert buffet. Christmas morning we went out for breakfast in our pajamas just to carry on the lifelong tradition of staying in your pajamas until at least 11:30 on Christmas morning. Everyone does that right? The afternoon was spent at the ocean, eating, shopping and just enjoying a great day. I was able to talk with my family back home which was so nice, but bittersweet. That night we went to the nicest hotel (we weren't actually staying there) and had a 5 course Christmas dinner. Then Tuesday we hopped on a bus that dropped us here in Moshi, which is a little town nestled in the foothills of Africa's tallest mountain. We watched the sun rise this morning and will be hiking and playing this afternoon. So far the trip has been really relaxing and fun. I'll send pictures as soon as possible.

I sincerely hope that all of you had a Merry Christmas and that the New Year will be full of adventure. I wish you all were here with me! Blessings!

I AM

Just wanted to share an excerpt from Louie Giglio's book, I am not but I know I AM. I read this yesterday and it brought me a lot of peace.

"And in the days to come, when you're questioning, needing, searching, wondering, asking, and struggling you will find His sufficiency at the end of every desperate prayer. When you cry out all the things that you are not, you'll know His answer is, "I AM." For every cry there is one answer:
I need hope. I AM.
Who could possibly be smart enough to figure this out? I AM.
What lasts? I AM.
I need a bigger story. I AM.
Nobody's listening to me. I AM.
Nothings real anymore. I AM.
I'm pouring into others, who's pouring into me? I AM.
I'm not sure why I'm here. I AM.
Somebody just hold me. I AM. "

Thanks to all of you who have spent time in prayer for me these last days. Just to give you an update, I have decided to move from my current hut and into a room at one of the teacher's homes near the school. It is for now a temporary solution, but seems a really great option. I'll be close to the school and the clinic which should be great workwise and influence wise. I will be about 2 miles from my old village, so I can still visit and be involved there. Please pray for this adjustment and also that my "old" village would not feel abandoned or hurt that I have moved. Specifically for my relationship with Cholwe, that it would continue to be strong and grow even with the distance. I love and miss you all!

Thanksgiving

Rain is falling here in Choma, the turkey has been killed, and friends will be gathering in two hours to celebrate all the blessings we have. There was not a turkey bowl, football here is soccer, and all of you are halfway around the world...BUT I still have so much to be thankful for in my life. Above all, that I serve a God who was willing to sacrifice everything to have a relationship with me, a God that allows us to partner with Him in ministry, no matter how much we mess things up! A God that walks beside us, holds us up, and gives us rest when we are weary. Be thankful today and enjoy this awesome holiday.

Just a quick update on life over here. I have been in Lusaka for the week doing some follow up training with Peace Corps. Learned a lot from other volunteers and also PC staff. Had fun in the big city and ate food I did not have to prepare-it was awesome. Right now my biggest prayer request is with my living situation here. After 2 cobras in my hut and another near my bathing shelter Peace Corps medical staff got a little nervous. I went out to my site with our safety and security coordinator yesterday to check things out, only to find a black mamba in my yard. SO, I have a couple options and I'm just not sure the best way to handle the situation. PC is leaving it up to me at this point, I can stay in my hut, move within my village to another place, or move altogether to another village. Ideally I would like to stay in my hut, but at this point it appears there must be a nest or something nearby because it is very unusual to have so many snakes in such a short period of time. Please pray that God would give me direction on what to do and also protect me physically and emotionally.

Love you all-enjoy Thanksgiving!