After swearing in as official volunteers, we moved into the village and started Community Entry, a two to three-month period dedicated to integrating into the community. During this period, leaving our site is prohibited other than going to the nearest town for food (about a 30km bike ride for us) and required Peace Corps business. … Continue reading First Month in the Village: Community Entry
During pre-service training, we learned about some important customs in Zambia such as funerals, marriage, headmen/chiefs, etc, to prepare us for life here. With 72 tribes living harmoniously in one nation, the customs vary wildly - not only between tribes, but within villages. So my limited experience attending two funerals in Northern Province cannot be … Continue reading A Bemba Funeral in Zambia
After the swear-in ceremony, Lusaka shopping, and late-night celebrations, 72 new PCVs parted ways for their respective provinces. Twenty three Northern and Muchinga volunteers squished into three cruisers for a 12-hour journey to the provincial house in Kasama. It wasn't the most comfortable journey, but we eventually made it. The provincial house is a resource … Continue reading Peace Corps Zambia – Moving into the Village
*I've tried several times to upload photos, but don't think it's going to be possible here in the village! On May 3, 2018, the Peace Corps family received 72 new volunteers. For the first 11 weeks in country, we technically were Peace Corps Trainees. It was not until we took an oath at the swear-in … Continue reading Officially Peace Corps Volunteers: Swear-in Ceremony
Eleven weeks of non-stop sessions, learning, practicals, tests, integration, travel... pre-service training is over! On the last day, the trainees and trainers put together a final celebration to conclude the three months of hard work (and sometimes not so hard work). We each were allowed to invite two members of our host family, so Adam … Continue reading Peace Corps Zambia: Culture Day & the Last Day of Training
Peace Corps volunteers are required to speak the local language of the community and conduct work in that language. Some posts have a language requirement, such as Spanish or French, but Zambia did not. Even though English is the official language of Zambia, over 70 local languages are spoken throughout the country. The 200-something Peace … Continue reading Learning a Zambian Local Language: Bemba
Hello from Zambia! Please excuse the formating as I'm posting from my phone. It's been over a month since we arrived in Philadelphia to meet our cohort and get situated before flying over to Zambia. A lot has happened and we haven't had much time to process it all. Here's a basic run down of … Continue reading Peace Corps Zambia: First Month of Pre-service Training
