Final Week of Training!

First, I want to say thank you to Jenny-Jenny, Frank & Angie, Aurelia, Mom and Dad, Sis. Bass, and Cynthia for the packages!! They all came this week and it was fabulous! I felt so spoiled, and I shared the wealth with my training group yesterday. We were all starving for some American junk food and the packages came right on time. M&Ms and Pringles have never tasted so great. Also, I finally got some letters that had been delayed for a while and I’m going to have a lot of fun catching up on writing once I get posted. So if you are waiting for a response from me, I will be doing a ton of writing when I arrive in Mufumbwe, and will fill you in on the personal details then.

Yesterday we had our American culture day where we had the opportunity to honor our host families for taking care of us for the last eight weeks. Part of the program was to cook an American feast, which actually ended up being mostly Mexican food—burritos, guacamole, beans—and bbq chicken with garlic mashed potatoes. I was incredibly impressed with how the food prep came together since we started with very minimal amenities: one four burner stove top, a few braziers, a grill, some plates, no real knives. Since we were feeding 150 people, I thought we’d have to eventually just throw our hands up and serve raw veggies, but after spending hours with a Leatherman chopping bell peppers, onions, and garlic cloves into tiny pieces for the mashed potatoes, the feast came together. Our group just pitched in and got the work done with very little in the way of organization, a tremendous feat.

Our families also sang us songs and presented us with gifts. The Americans sang the national anthem (awful) and the Zambians sang us their national anthem (in harmony). I received two bowls from my family, which I intend to use as cereal bowls once I get posted. I also had to recite a thank you speech our language group wrote for our families. The speech went much better than expected; the Kaondes in our village were very excited to hear their language spoken even though I was stilted and slow. Our final language proficiency exam is on Tuesday and I’m quite nervous. We had a mock exam on Friday and I passed, but Tuesday will be the first time I’ll really be speaking in a continuous manner in the local language to someone other than my language teacher for thirty minutes. Agh! Wish me well. My tata made me feel a bit better this morning when he came by to tell me that he was very proud of my language accomplishment.

I called my sister yesterday at 3:00 a.m. Colorado time because I’ve been ridiculously homesick this week. I’m still very pleased with my decision to be here, but I miss hot showers, pop culture, clean couches, and access to technology. I miss my family and my close friends so much my heart is in my throat just writing the words. I had a minor meltdown on Tuesday night when my ba mama came into feed me nshima. I felt terrible to be crying over my meal, when I can’t explain to her why I’m crying and that it has nothing to do with her or how well they are taking care of me or really anything about Zambia. I needed the instant gratification of a telephone call, so I rang D up in the middle of the night to just say hello. (Thank you, Celtel!)

It’s difficult to be split between the half of myself that feels fulfilled and challenged by this experience and the longing for the people who mean so much to me at home.

I finish up training this week and I’m ready to move on to the next phase of my Peace Corps life. I’ll be writing again soon from my new home.

p.s. I have had no end of trouble trying to upload photos. Someday I’ll get the system figured out, so until then I’ll keep snapping away.