We're officially Peace Corps volunteers!

Chris and I swore in as Peace Corps volunteers along with the 33 other people in our training class this morning at the American ambassador's residence in Lusaka. Chris read his speech perfectly, and singing the American national anthem followed by the Zambian national anthem felt pretty amazing. We feel really proud to be two of the 170 volunteers working hand-in-hand with Zambia towards development, fulfilling John F. Kennedy's legacy, and making Obama proud.

On that note, Chris and I bought Obama citenges yesterday. They're pieces of fabric with Obama's picture printed on them and the map of Africa. I intend to have mine made into a skirt. Everytime we say we're from America, we inevitably get a Zambian shouting "Obama!"

The next big event is moving into our new house in just a few short days! Our first house as a married couple... a mud hut in Africa!

Imiti iikula, e mpanga

<--- Playing hopscotch with some of the kids who live around. Our house for the next two years is in the background. Muso is on the far right.

We are nine weeks into our pre-service training, with a little over a week until the Peace Corps Land Cruiser drops us at our mud brick hut in a small remote village in the Northern Province to fend for ourselves. As terrified as I may sound, it's the light at the end of the tunnel, the event Chris and I have been eagerly anticipating since we visited out home for the next two years about two weeks ago. Our village was very welcoming and people were excited to meet us. There was even a big party at the school, with dancing, speeches, and one goat and several chickens killed in our honor. And of course the afterparty - Zambian pop music, dancing, and ubwalwa (the local beer brewed with corn that tastes a bit like vomit) that flowed until dark fell. Our two-room hut (but with a real bed Dad, so now you have no excuse to not visit) is about 75 feet away from our host family's house. The father, Bashiamos (literally father of Amos, their firstborn that died) is fluent in English, but Banaamos and the seven children ranging in age from just under two years to 17 years old, know very little. Our favorite, one of the spunkiest children, is four-year old Muso, who always has a mischevious smile on her face. Our host father even has a car, although as we've learned, it's not very reliable. It broke down no less than four times on a 85 kilometer journey from our village to Kasama. A plastic jerry can (jug) serves as the gas tank and the engine is held together with twigs and bark fiber.

<-- The Dreaded Black Mamba

We had our first venomous snake sighting several weeks ago. Our host sister in Lusaka province knocked on our bedroom door and said "insoka." We went outside to where our family members had accumulated at the edge of the yard. Our brother, Ba Katonga, had killed a black mamba with a stick as it was eating a toad. The toad was still alive, and clearly suffering as the venom spread through out its body. Zambians, we've learned, will kill any snake they encounter, which seems somewhat heroic to me considering that Zambia does not have its own supply of anti-venom (the nearest country with any is South Africa- a 2.5 hour plane ride away). So I'm sorry to all of our Camp friends and especially Rick, but we now advocate the slaughtering of (venomous) snakes. It's different here, where they are more prevalent around where people live. We saw a dead flattened puff adder on the road the other day as well; cause of death unknown. Because of snakes, we're both afraid to go to the latrine at night, and instead have decided upon the use of a chamber pot at site.

Other creepy crawlers here are furry catapillars and blister beetles. We have wooly bear catapillars in the states, but these Zamcatapillars look like small mammals! They aren't so cuddly though, they cause skin to itch intensely for several days, similar to a reaction to poison ivy. Blister beetles, if molested, will secrete a chemical that causes a painful burn. I think being in Zambia is difficult for Chris, an entomologist at heart, because there are all these cool bugs, but you can't get to close to them. Even the giant centipedes bite.

On April 12 (on Easter Sunday because his birthday falls on a Monday), we celebrated Chris' birthday Zam style. Six of our friends came over for a feast of potato salad, chicken, rice, nshima, coleslaw, cooked potatoes, shake shake (local beer) and CHOCOLATE CAKE! Everyone was jealous because our family has a nice house. Most everyone else is staying in one room huts in their host family's compound.

Last week, after a well-hid pregnancy, one of our host family's dogs, Kimbo, had 7 adorable puppies. We hope to adopt one after our In-Service Training in three months, when we are in Lusaka again. The puppy from her last litter that our family kept, that Chris adores, is named Dirty, so we think we may name the puppy Filthy. Scandalously, the mother Kimbo's brother also happens to be the father to this litter, so our puppy may be a little... special, but TIA (This is Africa; the risks of neutering/spaying far outweigh the benefits).

At our swearing-in ceremony next week in Lusaka, when we officially become Peace Corps volunteers and not lowly trainees, one person (most proficient at language) was selected from each program and language group to present a speech in the local language. Out of the twelve LIFE Bembas, Chris will be presenting the speech which will be aired on Zambian national television. Chris Audette, international celebrity.

I don't excel at Bemba, but at least I got a nice write-up last week in the e-Tower Times, Hartwick's virtual newsletter: http://www.hartwick.edu/x26731.xml

Also, to see more pictures of our hijinks, go to

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=83025&id=713467480&l=b88c6e5b92

TWATOTELA MUKWAI
-I'm sorry that we have been too busy to write any letters to anyone, but we will post our new mailing address shortly and will write soon since once we get posted, we'll have a lot of time to kill.
-Thanks for the blog comments everyone, we like reading them.
-To the Staff at Bassett: it is so nice to know you guys are thinking about us. We loved the card, but sorry Chris, I don't think I'll be coming back to work anytime soon. I do miss everybody a lot. Please give my regards to the people & patients who still remember me on the floors.

<--- This is what rabies looks like.

Chris and Dirty, the before-mentioned elder pup.