Written by Jessica October 9, 2008

Hey everyone!
Thanks you so much for writing me. It's always the highlight of my day to get a letter from home. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading about what's going on in your lives-it makes me feel more connected! Now that I am through with training and have some time on my hands I can respond!
I try to write at least one letter a day but only have your address if you have written me.

Zambia has been wonderful. Never have I been somewhere where the people have been so hospitable and kind. Life here is very peaceful and has a much slower rhythm. Time in Zambia is a much different concept than what it is in the states. I have really enjoyed slowing down!

When I first arrived in Zambia there were a few aspects that seemed "different" at first but I have really grown to greatly appreciate, maybe even prefer them. One of these is greeting others. Not so much in a city like Lusaka, but in more rural areas it is suggested that when greeting almost anyone, especially adults, you don't just say "hey, whats up" and give a head nod. Rather, you greet them in a local language and if you are close enough in distance you shake hands.

Another aspect I found to be slightly unusual was that of transport. The most common way to travel any distance here is by hitchhiking. At first I was uncomfortable about just hopping into the car with just anyone, especially not really speaking a local language. (there are MANY!) My concerns were of personal safety and of getting lost. Then someone explained that hitching in Zambia is safer than riding the DC Metro with regards to harm from another person. It is important to make sure before you get in a vehicle that it looks somewhat reliable! On the issue of getting lost, that is not a concern at all now. Where I live, in the Eastern Province, there is only one main road and all of my main destinations are the same destinations as other people!

People are always more than willing to go out of their way to help. Last week, before being dropped off in the village where I will be living for the next 2 years, I was in Lundazi, the boma (town) near my village (only 27 kilometers away) with my friend. We didn't really know our way around yet but we wanted to go see if we had mail at the post office. We approached a small group of people chatting and asked them to point us in the direction of the post office. One man stood up and just started walking, telling us to follow. He introduced himself and we chatted as he walked us 10 minutes to our destination. We thanked him. He said he was pleased that we would be staying in Zambia and that he would see us again sometime. He then turned around and walked back the way he came.

I realize that this is getting somewhat long winded and I want to keep it somewhat short since my mother will (hopefully! ) be typing it for me! So I will just tell you about my village, briefly....

I got dropped off here one week ago. My home is a nice sized mud (sorry, no dung) hut. It is located in the small village of Dekhani, in Zumwanda, which is in the Lundazi District in Eastern Province. So now you know where to find me when you come to visit!! My village is one of the 2 smallest in Peace Corps Zambia. (numbers here in the village always fluctuate) My village is comprised of 3 men, their wives, one other mother and one grandmother. (so 6 households including mine) Of course there are many kids! Everyone is very kind and welcoming. Usually every PCV (Peace Corps Volunteer) has a host family at their site. I asked my PCV leader Kate, (who I am replacing in this village), which family is mine? She said "They're ALL your family!"

Each day the women make an effort to stop by my porch and greet me. Communicating with them is humbling! I'm still learning Tumbuka. It is primarily the men who speak English. I must say it's the children who have been the most welcoming and have given me the most entertaining company. They are always really great about teaching me Tumbuka words. Since most of them only speak a few words of English, communication between us is always a bit like charades! They always rush to help me if they see I am doing any tasks, even though I am fully capable and happy to do it myself. Drawing water, for instance has become somewhat of a game between me and the kids. (or "iwes", an informal way PCVs refer to them) The well is pretty close to my house so if I need water I first look to see if anyone is there. If it is vacant, I grab my H2O bucket and swiftly make my way over there. (If it is occupied, the person drawing the H2O always draws water for me before filling their buckets, which is a kind gesture, but makes me feel bad) So I make my way over to there, lower the bucket as quickly as possible and start to crank it up as fast as I can. By this time a kid has already run to help me. Only once have I been able to pull the bucket up and start pouring the water into my containers before a kid appeared. I try to tell them that I appreciate their help but want to do it on my own so "I can learn to be strong like you." But they always insist. Once we get the water, there is usually no hope for me to carry it back to my home. I always insist but am lucky if my helper (s) let me carry one of my two buckets.Speaking of which, it's already 11:30 AM and all I have done today is eat breakfast, play with the kids and write. (which I'm finding I actually enjoy!) It's about time I should go to get water so I can bathe and cook lunch before I attend a Neighborhood Health committee meeting at 14. Let's see how far I can go with getting my water on my own!

I miss you all so very much.
Call me if you can.
I have voice mail if my phone is off or if I am out of range. (My mom can tell you how to call)
And PLEASE continue to write and I will too!!

At home in Zumwanda!

I'm at home in my village in Zumwanda!! The people are happy.
The insects are overwhelming...HUGE crickets, scorpion, tons of spiders and the other night I had ants an inch long in my bed. I surrender! I'm adjusting to life here.
What's new in your life?
My address for the next two years is: PO Box 530376 Lundazi, Zambia, Africa. (Lundazi is the closest town to my village)

Birthday in Zambia!

September 25, 2008
Had a great birthday! Along with 29 other Peace Corp Trainees I cooked from early morning until afternoon preparing a meal to honor and thank our host families. I have never seen such a huge batch of chocolate chip cookies in my life!
Today we are saying goodbye to the families who have welcomed us into their homes and going back to Lusaka, the capital.
Friday we will be going to the US Ambassador's home and be sworn in as Peace Corps Volunteers.
Not sure when we leave for our respective villages. I'll keep you posted!

Yea-I passed!

After studying all week for my language test I was relieved to learn that I passed!

"Tizamuonana". (Farewell/We'll see each other later)
Jessica

New address for the next 2 years!

Wondering.... what is going on in your world??
Here is my new address. Hope to hear from you soon!
Love, Jessica

Jessica Petrone, Peace Corp Volunteer
PO Box 530376
Lundazi, Zambia (no zip)
Africa

FIrst email from Zambia!

Mon, 8 Sep 2008 17:43:51

Hi Everyone!

I am finally on the computer for the first time today! Don't have much time but wanted to say hi. We would have ha more time to spend in the internet cafe |(i am using that term loosely) but I decided to hang out at the dambo behind the castle (castle in Lundazi, Zambia...strange, huh?) We were climbing on rocks, watching kids play in the water, and most importantly...wandering out on a log in the water watching a HIPPO!!!! We must have only been 50 feet from the massive animal who came to surface for 8 seconds (at most) at a time to let out a groan and twitch its ears! I am still in amazement! Running out of time on the computer so I will have to wrap this up.

I miss you all so much. Zambia is amazing andI love it here. I am still in training (where I learn technical skills for service and also the language Tumbuka). Right now we are on out second site visit, staying with a volunteer who has been here for a year. We head back to Chalimbana (where my home stay family and the training center are) on friday. We swear in on September 26 and then durring the first week of october i will be dropped off in my village, Zumwanda! I will have a new address. I will try to get it tonight and pass it on asap. So any mail you wish to send please send to the new address. There is nothing I would love more than to recieve letters. I have not really had tome to write, but I will have great opportunity to do so once I am through with training. I would love to know how everyone is doing.

Love and miss you all!

Jessica

ps...i apologize for typos...no time to proof read!

New Address!

Jessica's new address:

Jessica Petrone PCV
PO Box 530126
Lundazi, Zambia

P.S. Jessica's birthday is Sept. 24th.
Postage for 1 0z., normal sized envelope is 94 cents.
Let's overwhelm her with cards!! (should be mailed ASAP!)

Zumwanda will soon be my home!

9/2/2008

I'm on the road traveling within the Eastern Province of Zambia with 4 other Peace Corps Volunteers. We've left our host families and the training site for a couple of weeks in order to travel to the villages that we'll call home.(once our training is complete and we know the dialect)
Each of us has been assigned to live in a different town or village.

I just visited the village Zumwanda where I soon will be living and working!
It is the second smallest town in Zambia. I love it!

The day I visited I saw about 20 people. It's hard to know how many others belong there and may have been traveling.
I was told that the head of the village died recently. There are 3 men left.....I don't know what happens next about that.
I saw about 10 children. Everyone was very friendly and greeted me.

This week we'll be moving on to visit the villages where the others will be assigned. I really like the 4 other PC Volunteers I'm with. We are staying with Michelle, an experienced PC Volunteer who was assigned to Zumwanda previously. This is great because she can tell me everything I need to know! She was the only one from the previous group of Volunteers that decided to stay on in Zambia with the Peace Corps. She is now like a coordinator for the small group of us serving in the Eastern Province.(as well as other duties)
The plan at the moment is for me to move to Zumwanda October 1, 2008!

If you are thinking about writing, it's probably best to mail it to my new address...or it could take even longer to reach me.
I should have my new address posted here in a day or two.
"It is ALL good!" .......love you, Jessica

(posted via her mom)- check out a satellite view of Zumwanda! - www.maplandia.com/zambia/eastern/chama/zumwanda

The Bulls!

A picture is worth a thousand words!

An Animal Encounter....

8/22/2008

It was the end of another day of training......gee the Tambuka language is hard to learn!

Needing to reach my host family's hut before dark I was pedaling pretty fast and stirring up clouds of dust. I thought I saw something. Then I heard a bunch of voices. When I got closer I saw a group of young boys. I got off my bike and greeted them.
I looked to the direction that they were turned toward. I saw 2 big bulls fighting with each other. The kids were getting really excited when I noticed 2 more bulls had joined in the fight. I knew I didn't have time to stay and see what happened.
As I took off on my bike and headed home I heard the boys yelling something. I guessed it had to do with the bull fight. But something made me turn around for a second.
Two bulls was charging in my direction. I didn't know what to do. I jumped off my bike and squatted as low as I could. In a few seconds they were gone-right past me- no more than 5 feet away!
...yeah, I guess I should ask someone what you are supposed to do in that situation. I've seen these bulls before. Not sure what they are. I've seen young kids herding them and keeping them together by throwing rocks at the bulls' legs. :(

I miss you all. I miss not being able to talk to you on the phone.
Call me when you can: 011 260 979 423 976 (my time is 6 hrs. ahead of East coast time)
LOVE........Jessica
(via her mom)

The death of the President

August 21, 2008


The president of Zambia has died. I think he had been sick for some time. He was loved by the people and very well respected for what he did for Zambia and Africa. It is a sad time for this country.
I was told that the people will be in a state of mourning for 21 days. I'm still not sure how that will affect our training or life here. We don't get much information about what is going on.
Today we were told that if someone asks us how we are, we are to reply - "fine, except for the death of our President." But we are not supposed to talk about it any further.
All the Peace Corps Volunteers in training were planning a party for tomorrow.....roasting a goat ....playing volley ball...celebrating after one month of transitioning and hard work. But that won't be happening because it would be disrespectful.

Don't know if this made the news over there?
"I want you all to know that I think of you as much as I did when I was home -maybe more- wish I could just pick up the phone and call. Love to everyone!" (posting via her mom)





(Jessica's account of the day and words via her mom)

News from Jessica (via her mom)

Disclaimer

The contents of this website are mine and do not reflect any position of the U.S. government or the Peace Corps.

8/8/2008

Jessica has new a cell phone!

Her number is: 011-260-979423976

I'm relating what Jessica shared with me about her experiences during her first 2 weeks in Zambia. She barely stopped to catch her breath, sounding excited as well as calm. When I asked her how she was, I heard a spirited: "I’m awesome!!”

“...wow, the biggest grasshopper I’ve ever seen - just jumped on my bed right now! Because it is the dry season the bugs are not as good as they will be when it's the rainy season-a lot more variety! ....I found 5 huge, ugly spiders in my hut this morning when I woke up. They look like huge ticks…but are harmless."

...Today I rode my bike from the Peace Corps training center to my host family's hut for the first time by myself. Before then I rode with a small group of Peace Corps Volunteers, following a supervisor, in order to learn the route to each of our host families. It's probably about a 20-30 minute bike from my hut to the training center but these past 2 weeks it has taken us much longer because there is one girl who (bless her heart) can’t ride a bike very well and ends up walking it up and down hills. It is pretty treacherous terrain, very rocky and dusty most of the way.

...I like my host family a lot. The hardest part for me so far are the cultural differences-but not the food or even language. It's the gender differences. For example, I am not a guest in this family's home. I am the guest of the man in the family. So at dinner I sit at a small table in their hut across from him. The mother and children do not eat with us. I feel uncomfortable having the woman serve the 2 of us. The first night I just couldn't chew the chicken enough to even swallow it. I felt bad but since then the the food has been OK. The woman in the home serves the man of the house and me bread, tea and coffee after every meal...sometimes she joins us.

The children in the family had not approached me for the first 2 weeks...maybe out of respect...or fear? I'm not really sure. But last night, I was so happy that they came close enough to me that I could show them a piece of paper. I drew on it and handed them the paper and pen. They giggled, chattered back and forth and had fun showing each other their drawings.

The man is the only one in the family who speaks any English- and very little. Last night, he walked me to my hut before dark. He made such an effort to talk English. What he said was quite touching: "You are safe in my family... free from problems. This is my country but I will never travel and see it. You will. I want you to tell me about my country."

(He has a cell phone-perhaps a benefit of being a host family?)

I am in training every day but Sunday. I don’t have any free time right now. After dinner it is dark. With no electricity it is really dark!! Everything takes such a long time to do...eating, bathing, washing my hair in a bucket-I hope you will appreciate your toilet paper!!! (I have to count out 4 squares)

This Sunday my group will go into the closest town - Chongwe. That will be cool. It’s closer than the Lusaka, the capital, where we landed. (which is about a 40 minute jeep ride from my host family)

Peace Corps volunteers are guaranteed their own hut, bathing area and latrine. My hut is made of mud bricks. Part of it has a mattress with about 1 ½ feet of space on either side. The other area is for bathing. My hut is pretty dark even during daylight cause there are only little triangles of light that come through. After dark it is SO dark that you can’t see your hand in front of your face. The sky is so incredibly full of stars -there are no words to describe it..............

Well, that's as much as I can remember of our long conversation.

Before we hung up Jessica specifically asked me to pass along these words to you:

Please tell them I am doing well. Please tell them I don’t have anyone’s addresses so PLEASE write to me and I will write back as soon as I can”.

(your addresses are stored in the phone she took with her. It “died and is a real hassle to charge”- I'm helping her resolve the problem

I know she is hungry for news from friends and family.There is a huge lag time for her to receive letters. I sent her one the day she left and she hasn't received it yet- almost 2 weeks later. She will not have internet access. It’s really expensive for her to call the U.S. from Zambia but it doesn’t cost her anything if someone calls her..

Her address, again:

Jessica Petrone/PCT

Peace Corps

PO Box 50707

Lusaka, Zambia (no zip)

phone number: 011-260-979423976 (no need to dial 1 before #)

Goodbye to the USA

July 22, 2008

Hi,
I'm packing up all my stuff and getting ready to go! Tomorrow afternoon I will be going to the hotel in DC for staging, where I will be meeting up with the other Peace Corps Zambia Trainees We will be there until this Friday, at which point we fly to Zambia! I am very excited to finally be making this trip and will carry you all with me- in my heart (and in my new ipod, which has photos in it)!
Just wanted to give out my new address for the next few months:
Jessica Petrone/PCT
Peace Corps
P.O. Box 50707
Lusaka, Zambia

I would absolutely love to receive any letters...even just a quick hello! And I promise in return you will get an exciting letter from Zambia!
I have been told to advise family and friends to number their letters and to write "Air Mail" and "Par Avion" on the envelopes. You should also number the letters somewhere on the envelope!
I have also been told:
-Write "Religious Materials" and "Par Avion" on whatever you send me.
-Send items via regular mail-USPS. Express mail gets into country within 10 days. Non-express items take 4-6 weeks
-Rumor has it the customs people will be less likely to open it if they think it has to do with Jesus. A bible verse or two couldn't hurt either.
Please send me your address so I can write you!
I love you all!
Love,
Jessica

Peace Corps in Zambia

Dear Zambia Trainee: Please give this letter to your family and ask them to hold on to it for as long as you are in Zambia.

Dear Families,

Greetings from the Zambia Desk in Washington, D.C. It is with great pleasure that we welcome your family member to the Peace Corps/Zambia training program. During the past year we have received many questions from Volunteers and family members regarding communication, mail, and travel plans. As we are unable to involve ourselves in the personal arrangements of Volunteers, we would like to offer you advice and assistance in advance by providing specific examples of situations and how we suggest you handle them. Peace Corps service certainly impacts more than just the trainee and we hope that this information will help ease some of the uncertainty which affects the families of Volunteers.

The Peace Corps experience can be an exciting, intimidating, and amazing experience for both the Volunteer and family. The Volunteers will learn a lot about Zambia during their preparation for service and throughout their service of two years. This is also a great time for you to learn more about Zambia, which may alleviate some of your concerns.

Below are a few links to get you started in your discovery:

The World Factbook – Zambia: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/za.html

The Lonely Planet: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/africa/zambia/

The Post Zambia (National Newspaper): http://www.postzambia.com/

1. Irregular Communication. The mail service in Zambia is not as efficient as the U.S. Postal Service; thus, it is important to be patient and understanding. It can take three to four weeks for mail coming from Lusaka to arrive in the United States via the Zambia postal system. From a Volunteer's site, mail might take 1-2 months to reach the United States. Sometimes mail is hand carried to the United States by a traveler and mailed through the U.S. postal system (Volunteers should bring some US stamps). This leg of the trip can take another several weeks as it is also dependent on the frequency of travelers to the U.S. There is a truism that you may wish to embrace as uncomfortable as it is, “No news, is good news!”

On average, it takes approximately four weeks for letters mailed from the United States to reach Lusaka, and may take an additional six weeks to reach the Volunteer’s site. We suggest that in your first letters, you ask your Volunteer family member to give an estimate of how long it takes to receive your letters and then try to establish a predictable pattern of how often you will write to each other. Also, try numbering your letters so that the Volunteer knows if they have missed one. Postcards should be sent in envelopes – otherwise they may be found on the wall of the local post office! By the end of the Volunteer’s Pre-Service Training they will be able to send you their specific site address.

For the first 9 weeks in country, your family member will be participating in an intensive, immersion style training program where they will begin to learn language, cultural and technical skills necessary to be a safe and productive Peace Corps Volunteer. During this time, they will NOT have access to email/Internet but can certainly receive and send letters. Receiving mail during this intense period is most welcome and appreciated. Once they are sworn-in as Volunteers, they will have access to the Peace Corps computers in the office and can reestablish email communication. However, you must remember that NO Peace Corps Volunteer in Zambia has daily or even weekly access to email so you should have limited expectations as to immediate replies to any emails you will be sending.

Volunteers often enjoy telling their “war” stories when they write home. Letters might describe recent illnesses, lack of good food, isolation, etc. While the subject matter is good reading material, it is often misinterpreted on the home front. Further, given the lag time in communication by the time you receive certain news, weeks if not months have passed and the Volunteer has moved past a particularly sad moment when they miss you, or that specific illness, and don’t understand why it is that you are so concerned anymore! There are competent Peace Corps medical doctors at the Peace Corps office in Lusaka. In the event of a serious illness, the Volunteer is sent to Lusaka and cared for by our medical staff. If the Volunteer requires medical care that is not available in Zambia s/he will be medically evacuated to Pretoria, South Africa or the United States. Fortunately, these are rare circumstances.

If for some reason your normal communication pattern is broken and you do not hear from your family member for an abnormal amount of time, you may want to contact the Office of Special Services (OSS) at Peace Corps Washington at 1-800-424-8580, extension 1470. The Office of Special Services will then contact the Peace Corps Director in Lusaka and ask her to check up on the Volunteer. Also, in the case of an emergency at home (death in the family, critical illness, etc.), please do not hesitate to call OSS immediately, so that we can inform the Volunteer. Use the above number during regular business hours (9:00 am to 5:00 pm Eastern time, Monday through Friday). After hours, or during weekends, the Peace Corps Duty Officer may be reached at the same number (1-800-424-8580 ext.1470) and the call will be transferred to an answering service. Tell the operator your name, telephone number, and the nature of the emergency, and the Duty Officer will call you back.

2. Telephone Calls. The telephone system in Zambia is relatively unreliable. Outside of the capital, where all of the Volunteers are located, there are fewer phones and service is even more sporadic. Your Volunteer family member will most likely buy a cell phone once they arrive in Zambia. Volunteers will mostly use text messaging in country, and you may be able to send and receive messages with them.

Please be aware that the Peace Corps staff in Lusaka and Washington are not able to assist in arranging calls. Your family member will be able to inform you of the actual telephone numbers once they arrive in-country and to their site. The Zambia Desk is in regular communication with the Peace Corps office in Lusaka. However, this communication is reserved for business only and we cannot relay personal messages. All communication between family members and the Volunteer should be done via international mail, e-mail, or phone calls.

3. Sending packages. Family members and Volunteers like to send and receive care packages through the mail. Please be advised that packages can often take 1-2 months, but sometimes as long as 4-6 months. Unfortunately, sending packages can be a frustrating experience for all involved due to theft and customs taxes. You may want to try sending inexpensive items through the mail, though there is no guarantee that these items will arrive. We do not recommend sending costly items through the mail. It is recommended that packages be sent in padded envelopes if possible, as boxes tend to be taxed more heavily. Even though many Volunteers choose to get local post office boxes, you may always use the following address to send letters and/or packages to your family member:
For lightweight, but important or time sensitive items (e.g. airline tickets), we would recommend using an express mail service. DHL is one possibility and other courier services may operate in Lilongwe. For more information about DHL, please call their toll free number, 1-800-CALL-DHL, or visit their web site at www.dhl.com. We advise you to shop around to find the best prices and service options..

We hope this information is helpful to you during the time your family member is serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Zambia. We understand how frustrating it can be to communicate with your family member overseas and we appreciate your using this information as a guideline. Please feel free to contact us at the Zambia Desk in Washington, D.C. if you have any further questions. You may reach us at 1-800-424-8580, ext. 2333 or 2334, or locally, 202-692-2333 (2334).

Sincerely,

Heather Lee, Country Desk Officer

Seana Lammers, Country Desk Assistant

Peace Corps

Zambia Country Desk

1111 20th Street, NW

Washington, DC 20526

Phone: (800) 424-8580 ext. 2333 (2334) or (202) 692-2333 (2334)

Fax (202) 692-2301

E-mail: zambia@peacecorps.gov