Nearly Done Training

Gina's training is close enough to taste, and mine is eagerly awaited, just 2 weeks after her swearing-in as an official Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV). 
Have you ever played "telephone" ?  The game where one person thinks of a short phrase, whispers it to the person next to them, and that person whispers it to the person next to them, and so on, until the last person is reached.  That last person then tells all what they heard.  Rarely does the last person's phrase equal the first person's phrase.  Now imagine doing that in a room full of native English speakers, and native Zambian speakers, of which there are about 5 languages represented.  It turns out the original phrase was "what makes oil boil?".  By the time it got to me, about 20 people into the crowd, I heard "no word is done".  By the time it got to the end, after about 70 people, who were an even mix of English and Zambian language speakers, the phrase was "How can I help you?"  A testament to how communication can be in our new environmnent. 
The latest highlights:
*At my village visit in which I was immersed in language and culture (Sept 12 - 15) I found that
1) Zambian kids can learn how to play Frisbee pretty fast.  They've got a good backhand throw after about 15 minutes and can start attempting a forehand throw after about 1/2 an hour after seeing a Frisbee for what seemed to be the first time.
2) a couple Peace Corps volunteers would have preferred to serve in Vietnam rather than the Peace Corps had they been given the chance when Peace Corps was starting in the 1960s. 
3) vaccinating 700 chickens from the New Castle virus can practically double the number of chickens in the village.
4) Zambians love theater.  I saw 2 theatrical skits performed by Zambians.  I guess when they don't have TV, theater is a natural for many young Zambians.
* while witnessing the slaughter and gutting of a hen at my host family's house, during one of Gina's visits to Chipembi, we saw developing eggs inside the chicken.  Cool.
* when sending packages to Zambia, writing in red ink and/or including random bible verses on the package can help shorten/insure the delivery.
* during a day when training was really getting old, I was saved by an impromptu jam session with plastic containers as drums, one of our trainers on guitar, and a couple of co-trainees on vocals. 
* election day in a little village in Zambia is pretty quite.  Meanwhile, we hear stories of riots in the big cities like Lusaka and Ndola.
* I ate a fish that reminded me of a rainbow trout or even a farm-raised salmon.  Memories of Washington State followed...
* 3 days after the election the villagers finally get the results.  Getting those results at 1 a.m. didn't stop them from celebrating with drumming and singing.  Not much sleep for me that night!
* my host family is having an addition put on their house.  As simple as this process appeared to be, the characters were the same:  contractor trying to do the work as fast and cheaply as possile while the home-owner watches, eagle-eyed, for any deviations from the plan, of which there are several, much to the contract-less builder.
* Ever had cow's feet for dinner?  It is practically a delicacy in Zambia.  Three textures exist on this one, none of which resemble meat, but most resemble some sort of degree of jello hardness. 
* playing pool in a little corner bar on a mini-pool table with intoxicated Zambians was much more fun than I thought it could be.  I won 4 games in a row, which is more a testament to how drunk my opponents were rather than my skill.
* On a site visit to a large-scale fish farm, we saw crocodiles up close.  More pictures later.  At the farm there is a nice cyclic approach- pig manure feeds fish, fish feed crocodiles, fish and crocodile meat pays for pig feed, repeat. 
* Zambians are really big on treating their guests to the meal before anyone else.  I have eaten alone more often than I'd like in Zambia.  On another site visit into my future village (October 1 to October 4) I had a Zambian sit in a dark corner just 7 ft away while I ate by myself.  When I offered food to him, he said he would eat later on.  I'm not sure if he was there for moral support or just to see how the white person would handle eating nshima.
* the cacophony of birds early in the morning is worth the early wake-up.  My favorite is the one that sounds like someone blowing across the top of a bottle.
* Caterpillars and termites are common foods out in the bush at certain times of the year.  Fried, they really aren't that bad.  Mom, don't worry, this is not my typical meal.
* At the site visit to my future Zambian village I made grilled cheese sandwiches for my host family.  It blew their minds on a couple of different levels, the most significiant of which was a guy cooking for the family.  Eating cheese was a close second.  I miss cheese!
* Zambians don't like to walk in the rain.  I spent 2 hours packed underneath a shelter with a family of 9 waiting for a downpour to pass.  I had a raincoat and hat, but my host insisted that we stay dry. 
* I saw the fish ponds where I will be living in Northwest Province of Zambia, and met some of the fish farmers.  I am eager to start working with them to improve their fish yields and fish size.  Some are very excited to be getting help.  I hope that they only expect knowledge from me, and not instant cure-alls for their fish farming problems!
* though Gina had planned to go to our site immediately following the end of her training, because our house was not finished she decided to wait until I ended training, so we will be together all the time starting October 7th or so.  I am looking forward to sharing Zambia with her on a daily basis.