 |
|
Sometimes I still pinch myself in amazement that I'm actually here in Africa. I think that it took a good four to five weeks for me to feel settled -- to relax, breathe, get to know the local culture a bit, and to understand how things work around the hospital. It has also been a good experience being "on my own" these past weeks. I've been meeting lots of new people, gradually picking up some Chitumbuka, and learning to navigate my way around the villages. I've now settled into a bit of a routine with work and have enjoyed a few weekends away at the lake and on a safari. Working out in the villages is kind of surreal at times -- I head out in the morning in an old beat-up Land Rover ambulance with my translator. She is one of the local farmers taking part in the project -- she speaks excellent English and has a good rapport with the other women. Some of the villages we have been to are quite remote and consist of a few mud huts with thatched roofs surrounded by miles and miles of farming plots. We usually sit under a tree or on a wicker mat outside of the hut and chat for an hour or so with each woman. I'm learning so much from them about farming, nutrition, and childcare practices -- and am really looking forward to helping put together a nutrition education program using their stories and knowledge. For lunch I usually contribute a small bag of rice, some tomatoes, an onion, and some cooking oil. Someone in the village prepares the food, and then we sit together and try to chat some more over lunch.
Last weekend went up north to Vwasa Marsh to see some elephants and hippos. Vwasa was beautiful and well worth the four-hour journey. In the middle of the night the elephants came around our huts, and it sounded like they were nibbling on the walls! We went on two safari walks with a park warden, one in the late afternoon and one right at dawn when the sun was rising. We saw hippos, monkeys, elephants, all kinds of birds, and impalas. It was spectacular. I'm really grateful to CSIH for giving me the opportunity to work here - I'm learning so much. Tanya |
|
|
My Chitumbuka is coming along
pachoko pachoko (little by little) -- I'm recognizing a lot of words and can handle the greetings, but
still have no idea really when it comes to
grammar or sentence structure!!