returning from the sabbatical...

No, I didn't actually take a sabbatical, but I have been so long without posting that it sure seems like i have.

First, I want to say hi to all of my friends in Room 16 at Wilmington Montessori School. I was delighted to receive your letters a few days ago, and I will try to get my response letter in the mail within a week or so. I have also heard that you can view my blog from your classroom. Now that's just awesome, and i am really sorry that I haven't posted in so long if you have been checking up on me. It is a result of me spending a lot of time in my village of late and happening to come to town during a power outage or internet crash. It was rather frustrating, but i am glad i am able to post now!

A whole lot has happened in the last couple of months, and to be honest, i am not sure i remember all of it. But i will do my best.

Its raining. Yep. After 7 months of waking up everyday to beautiful weather (well, sometimes it was sunny and beautiful, others it was partly cloudy and beautiful, and for september and october it was "no human being should be subjected to this much heat on a daily basis" and beautiful) the rainy season has finally come upon me. I can't say i'm too upset about it. As much as i love beautiful weather, I also enjoy a periodic rainstorm. And the rain here is rather amazing. When I climb my mountain I have a fantastic view of the surrounding (mostly flat) landscape and these days I am able to watch the different weather fronts shooting across the land. Most of the rainstorms are small and quick, but some of them seem to stretch on endlessly. And from a distance, the falling rain looks like a tablecloth that is slipping over the edge of the cloud. It is a pretty amazing sight.

And lightning!!! I had my first real zambian thunderstorm last week and the lightening was just unbelievable. It wasn't like what I remember lightening at home to be, where you could see a bolt if you were looking in the right direction at the right time. This storm covered almost the entire southern horizon and a lightening bolt would either shoot towards the ground or jump between the clouds every 7 or 8 seconds. I stood transfixed in my front yard for about 45 minutes in the dark watching the approach of the storm. And then after I had gone to bed I was woken up by a crash of thunder so loud that i could feel it vibrating in my ribcage. It was around this time that I started to doubt the strength of my thatched roof when pitted against such a formidable foe. But it didn't let me down, even when i thought my entire hut was about to blow away. What a storm.

The rest of life is going reasonably well. I am almost finished writing a grant proposal for my school, and every time i think i am finished another little obstacle jumps out at me. I guess i shouldn't really be surprised by this, but at times my attention to detail can be less than exemplary, and i have repeatedly fallen into the erroneous belief that i was finished. nope. not yet. Meetings have also started to become a little more difficult due to the rain, both because people are hesitant to walk to bike to a meeting when they are afraid of being caught in the rain and also because this is the busiest time of the year for most of my village. They are in the fields nearly from dawn to dusk preparing, plowing, planting, and pontificating (ok, i made the last one up) and so they really don't have a lot of spare time.

Speaking of planting, i am about to plant my rainy season garden. It is going to be large (almost an acre!) and i am going to grow peppers, chili peppers, beans, potatoes, watermelons, and a few different kinds of greens. i am already nearly salivating at the thought of having options other than tomato and occasionally onion to cook with. Once my garden is ready, I'm going to be the next Betty Crocker.

My bemba has been hurting a bit, i haven't put the effort into it that i should be, but that should change soon due to a new K'Million (best zam-pop there is) album coming out and the fact that I found a book called "Africa: Twasebana" that i really want to read. It means: Africa: we are disgraced (or shamed) and it was written by the first vice president after independence. There are powerful people who are actively preventing it from being translated into english due to the inflammatory nature of this guys commentary about the colonial period in africa. (he also as a book entitled "Kuti Twalusa, lelo Teti twalabe" or "we can forgive but we will not forget") But I really want to read it, which would mean i have to read it in bemba, which i think would improve my skills more than a little.

Two of my puppies have been given away to loving homes of other peace corps volunteers, and one (named susie after the female protaganist in "Jude the Obscure" whom with I was utterly fascinated) remains with me. She is still adorable, except for when she sneaks into my house and tries to eat all my food. Fortunately, she will soon be big enough to not be able to fit under the door. :)

Ok, I must end here, so i can catch transport and make it back to my village before dark. I will try to be more regular with my posts in the future. and i hope you are all doing well.