Hey all,
Im in Lusaka for a bit of In Service Training. While here I got to use an internet connection faster than 28.8 K! It blew my mind. Anyways, I posted some pictures on Facebook so check them out. If you're not part of facebook, you can still check out the pictures by following the URL below:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2080110&l=77e04&id=20202223
All my Best
- Hos
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Vacation!
Hey there,
Hope everyone had a fantastic holiday season. Christmas went really well here. I went to another Volunteer's site with about 14 other Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) and just hung out, celebrated, and had some local beer. Things were really fun, we camped, ate, and played a lot of cards. We even did a secret santa and exchanged gifts, which had to be homemade. I recieved a painted rock, and gave a homemade banjo. The gifts were more or less useless haha, but it was a really cool experience to be with friends when I was otherwise so far from home on the holidays. Also, it was a great retreat from the often overly materialistic Xmas celebrations in the States. I think sometimes we loose site of whats really important - spending time with family and friends (thats why thanksgiving will always be the best holiday). But despite the aforementioned down-to-earth, Peace Corps sentiment, a HUGE thank you to those who sent presents for my birthday and Xmas - after all, I'm still American at heart and the gifts from home were really comforting.
After Xmas I traveled with some other PCVs to Malawi for the New Years. It was, I can safely say, the best New Year's Eve I've ever had. The trip was very exciting - we saw a 300 foot waterfall, some baboons in the bush, and even traveled through the beautiful Tanzanian city of Mbeya on our way to Malawi. Customs were relatively easy, and the people I was traveling with were enjoyable and laid back. It was a bit interesting traveling with only women (5 and me), and I learned a lot about the female perspective. However, I was a bit more "outgoing" than the rest of the group, and found myself doing my own thing a lot of the time while in Malawi. This worked out very well, as I met a bunch of travelers from Britain, South Africa, Canada, and elsewhere. It was very interesting talking to travelers from all over the world, and I made some good temporary friends. Its easy to get really excited hearing about what others are doing on their adventures, and they return the sentiment when I relay my stories about the Peace Corps. Several of them made comments about how is was good to see Americans traveling abroad - apparently we have a reputation for staying within the North American bubble (US, Canada, Mexico).
We stayed in a lodge with Electricity, AND running water - both of which were a bit shocking. The lodge was in the town of Nkata Bay, right on Lake Malawi, which is a massive lake that spans all of Malawi from the North to South (see a map). It was beautiful, peaceful, and relaxing. On New Years we partied in the town of Nhkata Bay and I ended up returning to our hotel and watching the sun rise over the lake with some friends I had made since arriving. It was truely a wonderful holiday. I even got to try some Fly Cake - if you have ever seen Planet Earth, there is an episode that shows massive flies hatching over Lake Malawi. I'll post pictures later, but it basically looks like a huge black cloud hanging over the water. Anyways, locals catch and eat these flies after pounding them into cake and frying them. It was an interesting treat - a bit like beef jerky.
While in Malawi, we even got to snorkel and kayak. My last night there I took a canoe challenge with a friend I met from Canada, where we had to ride a local canoe, with our legs inside the entire time, around a boyuo and back. The reward was a free meal and nights' stay. It is MUCH harder than it sounds - Only 6 couples have ever made the row successfully, so there is a place in Nkata Bay folklore if you are successful. It sounded easy to her and me, so at about 10 PM after a few beers, we decided to give it a shot. While we didn't succeed, I think we may have set a name for ourselves in the record book as the most unsuccessful group to ever try the event. Haha, we couldn't even get a stroke in before the canoe tipped. It was embarrasing, humiliating, and incredibly funny and enjoyable all at the same time.
I just arrived home yesterday evening, and am a bit exhausted (public transport isn't exactly reliable in southern Africa). However, its good to be home where people speak a language I can somewhat understand (Bemba), and I'm excited to get back to site to hang out with my family and play guitar. I hope everyones' holidays went as well as mine, and that you are all doing well in America.
- Justin
Hope everyone had a fantastic holiday season. Christmas went really well here. I went to another Volunteer's site with about 14 other Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) and just hung out, celebrated, and had some local beer. Things were really fun, we camped, ate, and played a lot of cards. We even did a secret santa and exchanged gifts, which had to be homemade. I recieved a painted rock, and gave a homemade banjo. The gifts were more or less useless haha, but it was a really cool experience to be with friends when I was otherwise so far from home on the holidays. Also, it was a great retreat from the often overly materialistic Xmas celebrations in the States. I think sometimes we loose site of whats really important - spending time with family and friends (thats why thanksgiving will always be the best holiday). But despite the aforementioned down-to-earth, Peace Corps sentiment, a HUGE thank you to those who sent presents for my birthday and Xmas - after all, I'm still American at heart and the gifts from home were really comforting.
After Xmas I traveled with some other PCVs to Malawi for the New Years. It was, I can safely say, the best New Year's Eve I've ever had. The trip was very exciting - we saw a 300 foot waterfall, some baboons in the bush, and even traveled through the beautiful Tanzanian city of Mbeya on our way to Malawi. Customs were relatively easy, and the people I was traveling with were enjoyable and laid back. It was a bit interesting traveling with only women (5 and me), and I learned a lot about the female perspective. However, I was a bit more "outgoing" than the rest of the group, and found myself doing my own thing a lot of the time while in Malawi. This worked out very well, as I met a bunch of travelers from Britain, South Africa, Canada, and elsewhere. It was very interesting talking to travelers from all over the world, and I made some good temporary friends. Its easy to get really excited hearing about what others are doing on their adventures, and they return the sentiment when I relay my stories about the Peace Corps. Several of them made comments about how is was good to see Americans traveling abroad - apparently we have a reputation for staying within the North American bubble (US, Canada, Mexico).
We stayed in a lodge with Electricity, AND running water - both of which were a bit shocking. The lodge was in the town of Nkata Bay, right on Lake Malawi, which is a massive lake that spans all of Malawi from the North to South (see a map). It was beautiful, peaceful, and relaxing. On New Years we partied in the town of Nhkata Bay and I ended up returning to our hotel and watching the sun rise over the lake with some friends I had made since arriving. It was truely a wonderful holiday. I even got to try some Fly Cake - if you have ever seen Planet Earth, there is an episode that shows massive flies hatching over Lake Malawi. I'll post pictures later, but it basically looks like a huge black cloud hanging over the water. Anyways, locals catch and eat these flies after pounding them into cake and frying them. It was an interesting treat - a bit like beef jerky.
While in Malawi, we even got to snorkel and kayak. My last night there I took a canoe challenge with a friend I met from Canada, where we had to ride a local canoe, with our legs inside the entire time, around a boyuo and back. The reward was a free meal and nights' stay. It is MUCH harder than it sounds - Only 6 couples have ever made the row successfully, so there is a place in Nkata Bay folklore if you are successful. It sounded easy to her and me, so at about 10 PM after a few beers, we decided to give it a shot. While we didn't succeed, I think we may have set a name for ourselves in the record book as the most unsuccessful group to ever try the event. Haha, we couldn't even get a stroke in before the canoe tipped. It was embarrasing, humiliating, and incredibly funny and enjoyable all at the same time.
I just arrived home yesterday evening, and am a bit exhausted (public transport isn't exactly reliable in southern Africa). However, its good to be home where people speak a language I can somewhat understand (Bemba), and I'm excited to get back to site to hang out with my family and play guitar. I hope everyones' holidays went as well as mine, and that you are all doing well in America.
- Justin
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