After integrating and immersing into village life for the past 3 months, my Community Entry portion of my service is finally complete! It seems like yesterday that the Peace Corps Cruiser just dropped me off at my site and left me to “embrace the suffering,” as my friend Fresh here says. My first two weeks in my village was really just a learning lesson on how to survive in the simplest, yet most difficult living conditions. Going from straight out of college to village life has been quite the adjustment. My Friday nights spent in San Francisco were dancing on tables to Lady Gaga with my closest friends and here a typical Friday night is getting into bed at 8pm and reading by candle light to fall asleep. Don’t worry people, I’m still blasting Gaga and dancing up a storm in my village, just not til the wee hours of the morning.
Even cooking here has been quite the adjusment, compared to what I was making back in the States. I can’t just flick the stove and boil water or pop in a quesadilla in the microwave for a quick snack. My typical morning routine is to fetch water at the borehole with my friend Ba Eva at 8am, light up the brazier, boil water for coffee and Jungle Oats (Oatmeal) and sit on my make shift “steps” in front of my hut and watch and listen to the kids in my village speak Bemba.
It definitely took blood, sweat, and tears to adjust into village life but I can successfully say it was a wonderful learning experience and important part of my service here. I met so many people that I can potentially work with, got to know my neighbors, made “village friends” and even improved my Bemba speaking skills by learning and practicing with the children. Its been a wonderful sight to bike around the African Bush, run along bush paths and try to find my way back by tracking my nike foot steps, or just talking to my Headwoman about my day, usually doing charade motions to communicate. Or on the weekends I lay out my bamboo mat and play “Injuka” (crazy eights) with the village kids.
Now as I embark on my first vacation since being in country, I’m excited to go on a hitch hiking adventure to Malawi, but there won’t be a day that goes by that I won’t think about my new family and friends in Kawama Village. These next two years is going to be a challenge on all levels but one of the most rewarding expereinces in my life.
Merry Christmas and happy New Year to all my new friends in Zambia as well as my friends and family back in the States!
Tiff's Peace Corps Journey in Zambia 
