2013: Bring it On!

One year. 
  
It has been one hell of a roller-coaster ride since I stepped on that airplane at SEATAC to my unknown future in Zambia.  Oh how my life has changed since that day...

Since January 26^th, 2012 I have learned one Bantu language, moved to a village into a thatched roof hut with no electricity, running water, or any modern conveniences that we are all so accustomed to.  

I taught 8^th grade English for the first time in my life, and assembled a library with hundreds of books. I have learned how to cultivate fields using cattle and a plow, and plant maize. I have learned how to make food with nothing but charcoal and a brazier.  I am an expert on drawing water from a well and carrying said water (btw which has resulted in super buff arms).   

Leaving before dawn to Lake Kariba.

I have been riding a bike 6 kilometers every day to school.   I went on a massive bike ride with my Peace Corps buddies for 78 kilometers!  I thought I might pass out midway through that one.  

Throughout this year I have lost 50 pounds, killed 2 cobras and one green mamba, eaten caterpillars, termites, giant rats (R.O.U.S's), and many other things (not in this particular order).

I have seen children who have nothing wear the biggest smiles on their faces.  You see,  in my village, kids have to walk up to 15 kilometers (one way) to get to school in the morning.  That means, they have to wake up around 4am and begin jogging to school (sometimes barefoot) through small streams and mud.   They get to school around 6:45, clean the school grounds, go to class, clean, run home, work in their family’s fields, cook dinner, boil water for bathing, take a bath, and do it all over again the next day.

The road to school.  It is rainy season now, so I am definitely loving the green! 

Most of these kids in the lower grades do not have food to eat during lunch breaks.  Backpacks, pens, pencils, and even books to learn with are absolute luxuries.  They go home to huts without modern lighting to do homework at night.  And honestly, can you blame them for not doing homework?  I would be exhausted. 

But STILL, these kids come to school despite all of these obstacles and limitations.  And most TRY to better themselves. Zambian students in the village have such different lives from American kids.  Zambia is just so different.  I wish I could find a way to articulate the ways. 

 

All I can say for certain is, I am forever changed.

One thing that I have learned from this experience is that you really don’t need that much to be happy.  After this, no matter what, I will be fine.  You know that saying “The things you own end up owning you?”  Well, that applied to me so much before coming here.  I was constantly obsessed with getting the newest, fastest, and best technology, spending hours online, watching the newest hit TV shows and movies, and basically doing so many things that had no real meaning to me.  Sure, those things are great fun, but really, I was taking part in those things way too much.   I had succumbed to the worst aspects of the American lifestyle.   Here, my lifestyle has completely altered from what it once was.

Ah...Sunrise over a tobacco field. 

I have learned to sit in silence.  Not only by myself, but with other people as well.  During a funeral amongst the Tonga tribe, it is customary to sit with the closest family member to the deceased.  You don’t have to say anything, you just with them.  I will never forget going to a neighbor’s funeral, and sitting with the deceased’s sister.  I walked into this hut, and literally sat on the floor with this woman for an hour in silence.  And you know what? It was okay!  You don’t have to constantly fill the silence…

Instead of watching TV, I will read a book, jam out on the guitar, go fetch water, lay in my hammock, or work on my garden.  Sometimes, I will just go for a walk to the damn nearby and just watch the breathtaking sunsets.  I have learned to find peace and freedom in the silence, to just breathe.

Gotta love kids...

I taught term 3 by myself last year for grade eight. 
Now I have been given two completely new classes.  My new responsibility is one grade 6 English class, and one grade 8 English class.  I am starting with them from the very beginning, which is going to be amazing!  My grade 6 students have such a great attitude, and honestly seem to be learning so fast!  I am foreseeing some problems, because there are about 13 books for a class of 45.  It is going to get really tricky…  And grade 8 will be a little bit easier this time around, since I have already taught that grade before.  

I am introducing a new club to the school.  GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) camp was a huge success.  Thank you all for your donations to our grant!  The
7^th grade girl I brought to the camp (Catherine) is going to be an excellent role model for the girls in my GLOW club.  Unfortunately, the other girl I brought (Mildred) moved to a new village.  But I have high hopes for Catherine.  She is a bit more shy, but I am sure she will grow a lot over the course of this year, and her time with me.  She is in my grade 8A English class, and has been one of the only ones raising her hand so far.  So I see great potential with her.  I can’t wait to get started this week with GLOW club!!!!

My girls, counterpart, and myself at Camp GLOW learning about Zambia's Wildlife at the Lion Encounter

I hope to write soon! I have been very bad about writing blogs and writing in my journal.  My new year’s resolution is to write more down and to take more pictures!  

Until next time!  As we say in Zambia, BE FREE!  

Love,

Amanda

My baamama and I on the canter ride back from town to my village.