Well, it's been a week. And if I have any hope of actually blogging, I suppose I shoud start a good habit.  I did figure out how to around to get my photos to show up, so this should work. 

Njinga.  It means bicycle in Nyanja, the language I'm learning.

But don't be mislead- I'm not on a bike bike trip this time. I'm here in Lusaka for two weeks to prepare for my year ahead, in Chipata.  That's the provincial capital of the Eastern Province where I have been assigned. I won't be living in a hut; I'll  be living in a house in the boma - an old acronym from the old colonialism.  British Overseas Management Administration. So I'm not really a Peace Corps volunteer. I'm a BOMA volunteer. That means I'm provided with a home that has electricity and running water, and am issued a laptop and a printer, in addition to my njinga. More on that next time.
The map on the right shows where I'll be living

(Chipata is one of the two red dots,) and where the 15 million other people speak this Bantu language: Malawi,Mozambique, Swaziland, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia (not pictured) Zimbabwe and Tanzania.
Nyanja.  (Did you like how I snuck in that little geography lesson!)

Chimodzimodzi=Same, same

I really like learning the language. I like learning the customs. I am enjoying all of our training. How to negotiate the crawlingly slow public transport system. How to find the food products I'd want to eat. (Seems palm oil is to Africa is as crude oil is to Alaska.) Learning how to dance Zambia style.  There was a private birthday party held on the guest house grounds yesterday. Crashing it was a great idea: new moves, new friends. Someone asked me if I felt like I was in my 20s again. I said it felt like 33.

There are five of us, all women, preparing for our roles in three different regions. Yesterday, we went to the market for kitenges.  Beautiful yards of fabric that we will be bring to tailors to custom design our local professional wardrobe.  Come, join our shopping trip...

Here are a few shots of domestic life: lunch, laundry. 

I apologize for my inability to post full-size photos.  I don't do HTML and this technological marriage (iPad and Google blogger) is headed for a quick divorce.  Next try will be from my GI HP, running Windows

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In an hour I'll be waiting for the bus just down the street from my friend's house in Goettingen. Germany. We met 17 years ago in Mongolia and have only seen each other once since then, 15 years ago. He and his wife were very welcoming, showing me the best of Germany: swimming, Boules, cheese, bike paths, parks, forest, Berlin, ruins, quaint villages, old churches and so much more. Who knew it was such a great place to visit?
  My friend was born here, and has lived his whole life in this town. Granted, it is charming. The right size. Great food. No need to own a car. University town.  For sure, he has traveled ( I told you we met in Mongolia.) But he has had one hometown his whole life, and he's still here. What is it with me that I feel driven to move, to go, to see, to experience, and find myself unsatisfied to just relax at home and take it easy? The 6 weeks I enjoyed in Anchorage between New Zealand, and Boston-Europe-Boston-Europe were delightful. I was content to be gardening, biking, fishing, visiting my long time friends and napping on the sunny couch with my dear Arabicat. Yet here I am again, about to begin the biggest journey yet.
  I know I made a good choice to embark from Germany to Zambia. I'm already in the correct time zone. And I have only two reasonable-length flights (via Dubai) to reach Lusaka. The other four people who have also signed on to this project are just now arriving in NYC and will endure a 16 hour non-stop to Johanesburg before changing for another 2 hour flight north.
   I don't yet know these others, but for sure what we have in common is the desire to use our skills to do something helpful for others. For me, it's not enough just to recreate in the mountains or cultivate in the garden. Of course for all my altruism, in the end, this experience is for me. Seeking satisfaction and contributing to justice.
  I know I made a good choice in signing on to this project. As one friend said, it's one thing to have something on your list but another thing to do it. Alaska will still be there when I get back.