The Invitation

After over a year of the application and medical review process, we were all set to receive our Peace Corps invitation to Central or South America leaving in 2011.  Scott had been brushing up on his Spanish skills, and he and Gina even played an April Fool's joke on friends and family about being assigned to Africa and leaving at the end of April.  Little did we know that our words became a self-fulfilling prophecy as we recently received our official invitation while vacationing in Iceland:

Assignment: Rural Fish Culture Extension Agent (Scott) & Community Health Development Extension (Gina)

Region: Sub-Saharan

Departure: July 18

So . . . part of our prophecy came true in that we are indeed going to Africa and we're leaving much earlier than expected.  Although we are a little bummed about not using our Spanish skills, we are excited for the opportunity to work in Zambia for the next two years as Peace Corps is very well established in Zambia with various projects.  Gina had the opportunity to visit her friend Colleen who was a PC health volunteer in Zambia five years ago and had a small taste of life in the rural Zambian bush; lots of bicycle riding on dirt roads, friendly greetings from the locals, lots of ugali or nshima (corn or cassava porrige) and most likely fetching our own water from the well and possibly cooking by wood stove and reading by candlelight in a very rural area.  We will trade in our cute little house on a tree-lined street for a mud hut with a thatched roof.

Here is what one of the current Zambia fish volunteers describes in the info packet that we got: "The RAP program (Zambia fisheries) is one of the best.  You get results after being at site for just a few months and your villagers live you.  Fish is one of their favorite foods, and it is often hard to get or not very fresh.  You will live in a small village in either Northwestern, Northern, Central, or Luampula. . . You will have to learn about one of the local languages. . . You will come to Zambia in July and then will be sent quickly into the bush for a few days so that you get your feet wet.  It is normally a good time.  Then you will have 5 weeks of training in Chongwa (near Lusaka).  The trainers will pump you full of tech stuff and some language trainers will get your Bemba, Lunda, or Kaonde up to par.  Then you will be sent into the bush with your trainers again for two weeks and get some more hands on training.  .  .  You will be teaching small scale farmers to dig earthen ponds.  You will be biking to these houses and helping out with what you can."

Here's what one of the health volunteers says: "The health program is one of the most challenging and exciting programs in Zambia.  With one in five Zambians infected with HIV, some people having to walk or bike for over 30 km to reach the nearest clinic, and life expectancy in the thirties, it's difficult to overstate the importance of health education.  As a volunteer in a rural village where little, if any support is available, you will be on the front line in the fight against HIV, malaria, and malnutrition."

So . . . we are getting physically and mentally prepared for 11 weeks of training and then two years in the Zambian bush.  In the meantime, we have lots of things to do Yakima including renting out our house, selling many of our worldly possessions and putting the rest in storage, finishing our jobs, and saying goodbye to friends and family. 

You can see Gina and Scott's pictures of Tanzania and Zambia (traditional Zambian village life is featured on the last 40 or so pictures) from five years ago at: https://picasaweb.google.com/ginaord/0906bestofafrica?authkey=Gv1sRgCI2AjbmAjLCXPA&feat=directlink.