Been awhile

So.

I haven't written anything in a while and haven't actually prepared anything.

Most recent developments:
My shed burnt down (see flickr) with my bike inside. The bike melted into puddles of aluminum. Peace Corps gave me a new bike but the shed is yet to be rebuilt. Getting it built the first time was such a headache. But I haven't lost hope.

My best friend in Peace Corps left due to security issues. This is ok in some ways and not in some ways. I won't go into the details. But pretty terrible for me. She was a pretty constant stream of support. She will be still but delayed and not daily. Fallen now into that group of people I love who I can not easily access.

The building has started and is now half way finished. This has happened with relatively few problems. My head teacher is on it. Now I have 6months to make sure all the systems are in place and people are very very sure about what they need to do to make this project work.
It can happen. This is the fun part.

I have been thinking a lot about the twilight hours of my service, especially with my friend leaving earlier than she expected and feeling like things were left undone. I feel really good about what I need to do in the coming months to feel like I can leave things and they won't fall apart. They may fall apart anyway. But being happy and comfortable and knowing what needs to be done is a nice feeling. I know who I should work with, I know what to expect of them, and I have learned something about how to be effective here. And I really love my community.

Also. President Levy Mwanawasa died. He had a stroke several months ago while in a meeting with Prez. Mbeki and Mugabe. I watched the burial on TV yesterday with the teachers. What will happen now? An election. Zambia is peaceful country and any Zambian will tell you that readily.

So there. That is how I am. How are you?

Women: Nyanja nyanja Nyanja
Keli: Come? Come where? Me?
Women: Nyanja blah blah blah
Keli: To your house? Why? I don't know.
Mr. Mulilo riding up on his bike: Keli, they say come to their house to get what you've been promised
Keli: What have I been promised?
Mr. Mulilo checks with Women: Nyanja blah blah
Mr. Mulilo: A monkey
Keli: A Monkey!? Ok. I will come. Wait is the monkey alive? Do I have to eat it?
Mr. Mulilo checks with women: Nyanja blah
Mr. Mulilo: No, a live monkey. Just to see.
Keli: Sure! I will come!

And indeed there was a monkey. Tied to a rope in a tree in my village. Illegal. He tried to sell it to me. for $50. Thought about buying it too just to let it go. But then they would just keep catching them and then I would keep buying them and letting them go...

I did not purchase the monkey.

The day before the above episode Chester had an animal in a trap at the borehole. It looked like a very large rat but I only saw the end and it's long rat tail. I asked a bunch of people what it was. I was convinced for a day that it was an African possum. But in fact I think it was just a very large kind of rat. Like the size of a cat... and apparently they are very nice to eat.