June 28, 2005
Legal issues... no Judge Judy here!
Well, the laws here are pretty strict. In fact, Zambia pushes itself as a "Christian Nation," so think Religious Right making the rules and you get a clue. Most things that are illegal in the US are illegal here as well, but the penalties can be much worse. Eventhough sodomy is illegal in the States, here it is actually enforced. People go to prison and they don't come out for years. The state of the prisons is not so great either. If you get locked-up, you better hope you have someone who loves you, otherwise you'll only get one meal a day. Visitors usually are in charge of giving the inmates food and blankets and such. They also have open prisons here. There is even one here in Choma. Basically it is something like home-arrest. The prisoners are free to come and go from the prison to go to work during the day and such. Of course this isn't always the safest thing... but I live far away from it, so all is well. Any more questions?
Posted by ringo at 12:21 PM | Comments (3)
June 23, 2005
Even More Forward. . .
What I do on a daily basis (besides my LTM/IRI work) is read and write. There have been times in the past when I have thought that my BA in English might have been a waste or a wrong fit. Now I realize that it was all a part of my nature and that I love writing and reading very much. So, this brings me to my future plans even more. I think that I might try to get into grad school for something relating to English. Okay, so why does this involve any of you, my faithful readers? Well, I have left an oversight in my collections of books that I have here in Zambia. I have no books of poetry. If any of you feel so motivated, I would love to get some chapbooks of poetry. They are usually realtively light-weight :) I just realized that it is a major part of what I love to read and what inspires me. I miss good poetry. Okay, I go the way of friends now... everyone is in town for our provincial meeting!
Posted by ringo at 12:42 PM | Comments (3)
June 20, 2005
Looking Forward
Part of surviving in Peace Corps (after you've been here for five months and you actually realize that you're not going home any time soon) is finding things to look forward to. I am really excited to say that Beverly is coming to visit me from Atlanta in less than two weeks! She'll be here for three weeks of fun and tourism in Zambia! Those of you who are planning to visit sometime in the next two years can thank her... we're going to be guinea pigs for all the great Zambian things. Of course you'll get updates while she's here. I CAN'T WAIT TO HAVE MY FIRST VISITOR!!!!! Then in August I get to go to a training with all the peeps that I was in training with in Mwekera. I have missed them more than I thought I would and it will be great to be together again near Kitwe. Hopefully at some time in August my friend Given will come to visit me as well. I'm just really loving life, but when it gets bored, the best thing to do is look at the calendar and plot the course.
Posted by ringo at 3:12 PM | Comments (2)
June 13, 2005
For Safety's Sake!
Stacey, you asked the one question I am sure that my mom wants answered the most! You're right, I don't "blend-in" really at all. The great thing about being in Zambia is that it is a really peaceful country and the people are really cheerful. Just walking home today from work I was greeted by about 5 people in 5 minutes. They will just greet me and ask how my day is going... usually calling me mommy. During the day I always feel VERY safe among Zambians and on the streets of Choma. There are other places in the country that might not be as safe, but they are just so because of being in Lusaka or Livingstone-- big cities. Then there is the situation at night. It is not safe, pretty much anywhere in Zambia, to be out and about at night. Zambians themselves are scared to be out late. When I'm out in the night I just make sure that I take a taxi.
That being said, my house is like Fort Knox. It has an electric fence on top of a 15ft wall. I have burglar bars on all the windows. Once I go in, I really never see anyone. I love my house, but I can't see out of my "compound" at all! That is the price I pay.
One thing that visitors to Zambia must know is that Zambians will always be very interested in meeting you and talking to you. A lot of people will ignore people wanting to talk to you on the street. Mostly, they just want to ask you about why you're here and where you're from... they want a cultural exchange. Sometimes they do want to ask for a cigarette or for you to marry them... but more often than not, they just want to talk. I try to stop and talk with most people who seemed interested. It gets old, but it is part of what Peace Corps is about!
Posted by ringo at 2:50 PM | Comments (3)
June 10, 2005
Amelika!
Ok Shannah, here goes:
Most black Zambians see me and immediately shout Makuwa or Muzungu. From what I have noticed, Muzungu is an Africa-wide word for white, while Makuwa is the Tonga one. It does not mean exclusively white, however, as it can mean rich person or bwana in the same breath. Anyway. Once they find out I am American, the whole gammit comes out. Here are some popular questions:
*Is there poverty in America? (and if you answer yes, no one believes you anyway.)
*When is your country going to stop this war (meaning Iraq)?
*Have you met 50 cent?
*Can you give me money?
*How do you find Zambia?
*Can you eat the food here?
*What is Los Angeles like?
The general feeling I get from most people is that America is great. Basically, it isn't Britain and it isn't South Africa. Both of those places have had a lot more white people here... white people that a lot of Zambians love to hate. Americans are rare (I think there might be under 10 living in my district), so they are a novelty. Plus, US AID is huge. Don't underestimate the power of such things. There is a lot of confusion about why I would want to be here, but people are always really happy that I am. They love it when someone tries to speak their language (even if they only know greetings), and encourage you to bring people here to visit from home. And of course I have at least 4 marriage proposals a day. They all tell me they love me, but I think that there might be more to it :)
Peace
ARV
BY THE WAY, MY ADDRESS IS:
Annie Ringo Vine
PO BOX 630109
Choma
Zambia
Posted by ringo at 11:01 AM | Comments (1)
June 6, 2005
Disappointing Dolly...
Okay, okay, okay. I've dodged the question long enough. Here's the truth about what in the H I am doing over here as far as work is concerned. "The toughest job you'll ever love" doesn't really apply, maybe because I already did that: two years in Atlanta with the students I miss so much. I am an education volunteer in Zambia. Although most education volunteers around the world either teach or train teachers, the program here in Zambia is one-of-a-kind in all of Peace Corps. Because so many of rural Zambians live too far from a basic (public) school, getting education to those in the villages is a problem. The trend has been to start community schools (opperating somewhat like charter schools in the US). Five years ago, Educational Broadcast Services started a program called Learning at Toanga Market. It is Interactive Radio Instruction at its finest. Now Peace Corps enters the picture to help start IRI centers in the villages, AND TO HELP BUILD CAPACITY WITHIN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION TO START, MONITOR, EVALUATE, AND SUPPORT those centers. I do the stuff in bold letters. I'll report more later on this all, but right now I am still trying to figure out exactly what that means. PC is new to the program, having only had volunteers at work on LTM in the field for a year now. Of course I'm "on duty" all the time just being an American and having cultural exchanges with the people around me. That part is full time, but in terms of my actual "job", let me just say, that it ain't no 9 to 5!
Posted by ringo at 1:46 PM | Comments (6)
June 2, 2005
Go Team Zambia. . .
Ok Stacey, pastimes. Um, well, like the rest of the world, Zambians love their football (soccer). There aren't many things on the local TV channels, but you can count on at least one soccer game a day on the Zambian NBC. Another sport that seems popular amongst all is volleyball. I got to whitness a completely African-specific game that has been around since colonial times. It is called polo-cross. Instead of polo (for which each player needs an outlandish number of horses... not easy to transport for a match on these wonderful roads), they've created a mix of polo and lacrosse. People ride around and pass the ball and such with lacrosse nets. It is a totally white colonial thing, however, and it was a total step back in time when I went the the tournament. It was fun though and very interesting. I would like to try it... too bad Bart isn't up to a transatlantic flight!
As far as what might be indigenous to Zambia... I really haven't seen too much. There is a lot of homebrew made in the villages and that seems to be a pastime that won't lose followship anytime soon. Rural Zambians work very hard long days in the fields. They are governed by the rules of daylight and usually go to bed at dark. Rewind to before the US had electricity and people probably didn't worry too much about "free time," seeing as they didn't have much of it! Of course in Lusaka they have all the modern things such as movie theaters and clubs. Here in Choma we have some clubs, but people are content with their DSTV and VCRs at home. Party on!
ARV
Posted by ringo at 1:24 PM | Comments (3)