On July 16, 2012, I left home to start my Peace Corps journey. Now, three months later, I look back through my pictures and see all that has transpired and happened. It is an understatement to say that a lot has occurred! From Philly to New York to Lusaka to Choma to Chongwe and soon to Chikankata, I have been here, there and everywhere in between!
Everyday I am learning. Everyday is a new experience. Enjoy the photos as I take you from the U.S. to training to swearing in as an official Peace Corps Volunteer.
Julie and I at home just days before I flew away to brand new places.
And training has begun!
In Lusaka one of the first days in-country. Lots of paperwork, but luckily we are all still smiles!
A well deserved break!
Kenny, Mary and I took a Sunday afternoon one of our first weekends of training in the village to rest and relax.
Appropriate Technology!
One afternoon of training we all put our minds together and constructed some clay brick ovens. We used already fired bricks as well as any other metal scraps around the training center.
Laundry in the village!
The green and blue basins are what I used to wash all my clothes by hand and then hang them up to dry on the line between two trees! Oh, notice the outside dish drying rack on the left.
Fish Transport!
This training session we put fingerlings in yellow jerry cans and biked about 2 km to stock two ponds with new fish. Here we are waiting for the water in the cans to be the same temperature as the pond water in order that the fish will swim out.
Second Site Visit!
Matt, Jaime and I are having our Tonga lesson with Ba Fred.
And this is what Peace Corps is all about!
Here I am using as much Tonga as I can possibly remember to explain the importance of compost in ponds to the local villagers.
Saying Good-bye!
Second site visit is over and we are all off to visit our own sites which we will call home for the next two years. Ba Mary, Ba Nelson and Ba Fred are some of our Zambian trainers.
Bataata and Bamaama!
I had the greatest host family ever and it was super sad to say good-bye.
Tongas!
Most of our Tonga crew, as well as one of the best Zambian trainers, Ba Crispin!
Swearing-In Day!
Kenny and I after the ceremony and saying the oath to become Peace Corps Volunteers.
RAP 2012
One heck of a good looking crew! Us Rappers ready to go feed Zambia with Fish!
Tomorrow I will head to my village to officially start my two years of service. I will have three months of community entry in which I am to stay in my village and distict. This is our time to get to know our community and area and integrate as much as possible in order to prepare ourselves and villagers for working together the next 24 months. I'm taking each and every day at a time and maybe in three months I'll have another pile of photos to share!
