2 weeks in!

This is Scott on his first Blogpost ever.  Bare with me.
Gina and I are with her host family learning Lunda, another Bantu-derived language of Africa that is not spoken in many places except Mwinilunga in the Northwest province, so that is likely where we are going.  Turns out Gina visited Mwinilunga in 2006.  Coincidence?  We have both visited Peace Corps Volunteers at their villages out in the Bush, separately since our programs are different.  At my site visit I learned a lot about how to live comfortably in the Bush and got a taste of what it will be like to interact with the locals who are interested in fish farming.  We went to a Zambian school where we met a headmaster who speaks 7 of the 72 languages of Zambia.  I tried to explain how I respected him and other Zambians who know at least 2 languages fluently and can get by with 1 or 3 others, while Americans usually only know one.  He seemed to understand and was greatful but I think the effect I was trying to achieve was lost a little.  Most Zambians know that many languages because they have to, not because they want to.
Cultural Notes: 
* During site visit I slept in a tent and woke up to the sound of what sounded like crinkling paper.  Turns out I put my tent on top of a budding termite colony.  Luckily they aren't interested in eating nylon.
* Child care is blazingly different in the Bush.  4 and 6 year olds are in charge of minding the cows during the day.  Others who don't have a task run around villages with zero supervision.  Somehow this works.  The Zambian population is growing. 
* When I returned from the Bush I was able to take a real shower.  But the only water coming out was a trickle of scalding hot while there was zero cold water.  Imagine looking forward to a hot shower but being unable to take one because it's too hot! 
*I've had Zambian fish for lunch once.  A whole fish.  Gina's host family mother deboned it with her bare hands right there in front of me.  Hopefully she washed her hands.  The next day I went to a market where she got that fish.  Lined up nicely, stiff as a board and covered with flies, were the same kind of fish I ate yesterday.  I had more to worry about than unclean hands at that point, but luckily I have had no stomach or digestive issues since I've been here. 
* I went to the 82nd Agriculture Show in Lusaka earlier this week.  The lines to get in were 7 people wide and about 100 yards long.  It was like being in Times Square on New Year's Eve day.  Otherwise, the fish farming community and the Peace Corps had a nice exhibit.  It is nice to know that the program I'm here for has some support. 
* Sunglass are for sale everywhere.  Funny thing is that rarely do I see Zambians wearing sunglasses.  And the places I've seen them are not tourist places.  This is a weird spin on the phrase "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade".  It doesn't really work when you get lemons all the time.
* As I wait outside of a shop watching after our bicycles (Yes, we have brand new Trek bikes!) while Gina get's a few essentials, a Zambian man strolls up to me and says, "Hello, I would like to go to church with you".  Apparently religion is the topic of choice as opposed to the weather.

Gina and I are doing good.  She had a cold that slowed her down a little, but no major or minor health or safety issues so far!  I will leave for my host family on August 10th, so Gina and I will be apart for about 2 months with occasional visits.  We can verify that everything that people have said about how friendly people are in Zambia is true.  We are looking forward to more language and technical training and can't wait to start our assignments in October.  More later!