The big 2-2

So my first birthday in Africa was pretty fun; we went to the disco last night, which was quite the experience. They played lots of Shakira, etc., so it wasn't too out of the ordinary. We had a big camp-out and had a bonfire and everything. It was a ton of fun, but I definitely got about 3 hours of sleep, and I woke up several times within that three hours (it was cold!!). But I think it will be okay, because I have been getting about 9 hours of sleep (at least) most nights. My actual birthday was a little bit weird though, because when we came back to our compound for lunch, there was wailing at our grandmother's place. So we assumed that there was a funeral going on, and we were convinced that we didn't have to do any more work that day. But our language trainer luckily came over and got the real scoop: apparently there was a visitor from Solwezi who was unable to make it to a funeral two months ago, so they still had to do the wailing process for a little bit when she came to make up for it. But it didn't last too long, and it was then a happy atmosphere because there was a visitor. There definitely are some cultural things that will take a bit to get used to yet. But it did lead to a good conversation, because we talked with our mothers about funerals in the US and other things. We also had a long conversation with our language trainer about various cultural differences. One thing that still seems very odd to me is that a lot women here when they are pregnant crave dirt (even if they have never eaten dirt before), so they sell dirt specifically for consumption in the market. But I have heard of some very odd cravings in the US too, so I guess it isn't that strange.

The Fourth of July was quite interesting too: we had a "cultural day," where we learned how to cook dishes from the various regions of Zambia (and then ate them). So I had my official first caterpillar (and second and third). They really weren't that bad, but still not my favorite thing to eat: they tasted meaty (so I am sure all of you carnivores would really like them). I also had my first kapenta, which was odd too: little fish(maybe an inch long) that you eat whole (eyeballs and all). I guess they are like sardines, but I have never had those before either, so I couldn't really say for sure. I didn't really like them, but I am not a big fan of fish here in general (or in general, generally). Once you get past the whole psychological aspect of various foods here, they actually don't taste that different from the stuff that people eat in the US. I am eating meat, but it isn't my favorite thing, but I at least will try anything that is offered. Rick: I will still go back to being vegetarian when I get back to the US. We also had volleyball and sack races that day, so it was a very good day just hanging out and being American. One girl kept saying that she thought/wished that the staff was keeping a big surprise and were going to give us like ice cream or something at the end of the day, but it never happened. So we got some beer and cookies, because we decided that was the most American thing we could get close by.

We also had a very amazing day of training last week, where guest speakers came and talked about the history and politics and general culture of Zambia. It was very interesting, but I felt bad that I didn't have a very good background of this information going into this whole experience. I am going to try to find some sort of history book of Zambia while I am here though, because it is very interesting. Interesting fact: the kwacha was more powerful than USD in the late 1970s, but now it is about 3400 kwacha to the dollar. It is crazy how quickly that stuff changes. It is also kind of a weird time here, because it is an election year (although the president has yet to announce the exact election day), so there is an interesting political climate here at the moment. I also think it is very interesting learning the language, and what it says about the culture (although it can get a bit frustrating at times!). For example, they have the same word for yesterday and tomorrow (because people really focus on the present moment and the present day). It is also a tonal language, so the way a sentence is said signifies whether what you are saying is question or comment, etc. So there aren't really question markers, which is kind of difficult when we are learning and really drawing out our words and sentences. I do think that English is a self-centered language though, because we capitolize "I" and put more focus on ourselves than I have ever come across in other languages. Man, the things you think about during class...

Another funny thing I realized today...I think there is literally one movie theater in all of Zambia. Craziness.