Hello! It is still hard to believe that I've been here going on seven weeks. In contrast to my last post, time has begun to feel like it is flying by. The group is in Lusaka to buy supplies before we leave on our second site visit during PST (pre-service training [I need to make an acronym key. For myself as much you people not even in PC {Peace Corps}]). This visit we will be staying in the village where we will spend the next two years of our lives.We will get to visit the school we will teach at, meet our host family, and get to know the village we will be living in. It seems surreal. Earlier this week, we had the opportunity to meet our teacher counterparts and participate in a workshop with them. Near the workshop's end, each trainee had to sign a community agreement, saying that we consent to spending the next two years in that community. The fact that I will be living here for two full years has never felt so real. The village I will be living in is called Kashima East, in the Mufumbwe district of Northwest Province. While it's kind of far away from a lot of people and a lot of things, it is close to a National Park (so I expect visitors). But the closest volunteers are 20km away from me, and the closest volunteer from my intake (Katie) is about 50km away. So in Zambia terms, extremely close. But I am extremely excited to spend the coming week there, and will surely have plenty to say about it when I get back!
Well, unfortunately that's all I have time to say for now, sorry for the short update. The internet cafe I'm sitting in isn't very reliable, and we've already lost power once. I'm hoping to upload some pictures tomorrow while I'm at the Northwest Provincial House, where the internet is a bit more stable. Until then, kyawama shalaipo!
Oh, P.S., since I will soon be moving to Northwest Province, I will also have a new mailing address. Send letters to:
Courtney Gandy
Peace Corps
P.O. Box 130050
Mufumbwe, Northwest Province, Zambia
I'll update an address for packages when I know what that is.
-Court
