Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Hello Everybody,
I just wanted to wish everybody a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I am heading to Namibia on Friday with two other volunteers and will be there until Jan 9th. I can't wait and definitely need a break from Zambia. Christmas here is not much of a deal. I miss the cheesy American Christmas with all the lights, music, snow and the traffic and so hopefully Namibia will have some of that for me. I hope everybody enjoys this time with their family and friends and realize how lucky and blessed we all are.

Happy Independece Day Zambia

So every year volunteers go to another volunteer's site for Zambian Independence Day which is October 24th so we can all go swimming in his lake. For the first few days the weather was great, we swam, drank beer and cliff dived. Well, the very last night it started to down pour and none of us were prepared for the rain. We ran around grabbing all our stuff, putting up our rain flys and soon many of us found out that the rain flys were pretty useless. Some had to move into his house but the problem was that his roof was leaking EVERYWHERE!! The tent that I was in was okay but I had to fix the rain fly in the rain and before I knew it I was covered in red mud and was drenched...I was pretty terrible but that is what we get in Zambia. After the rain fly was up I had to get into my nice dry sleeping bag all wet and covered in mud. At that point I really wished I was at home in a nice warm comfy bed but oh well.

Hope all is well...lots of love!!

Camp GLOW

So this past month one of my biggest projects in Zambia finished up. I was in charge with 2 other guys to organize and run this years Camp GLOW. Camp GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) is an all girls camp that lasted for one week. 24 village girls within Serenje and Mkushi and the 12 volunteers came to the camp. The camp taught the girls about self esteem, assertiveness, sugar daddies, rape, how to say NO, boyfriends, the importance of education and how to prevent HIV/AIDS.
During the morning the girls had the educational sessions and in the afternoon they had fun events like climbing a rock wall, Jacob's ladder, pottery and canoeing. It was pretty amazing to see the girls complete these tasks since most of them have never seen such a thing. The canoeing was extra special to me since I was able to have a swimming lesson. Most villagers in Zambia are scared of the water and think all bodies of water are infested with crocodiles (most are). Watching the girls climb the rock wall was crazy. The wall is probably 90 feet high and the girls climb up it in less than 5 minutes when it took me like 20 :) but these village girls are a solid muscle. Then at night we did lots of dancing, singing and sewed sanitary pads. It was so nice to see these girls have fun and not worry about chores and such. By the end the girls are very attached to each other and us and several cried during the last night.
The camp was a great success and I'm very happy that I was apart of it.

Gottbreht Family Reunion

I can honestly say that I feel extremely lucky that my family was able to come out to see my life in Zambia. Before they arrived I was really nervous, stupid questions like Who do I hug first? What will they look like? and others ran through my head. It took quite awhile for them to get through immigration and the whole time I peered through the glass corridor like a little kid but before I knew it I was standing in front of all 4 of them and I don’t know who I hugged first and they looked the exact same as when I left. It was just a surreal feeling to have them in Zambia.

We took a shuttle back to the place we were staying at and throughout the ride my Dad and Jenny were falling asleep. We finally made it and unpacked all the bags, well except for one which was full of my stuff that was somewhere in-between California and Zambia. Before we went to dinner everybody decided to shower. I went into Mom and Dad’s room to check on them, well to make sure they did not fall asleep and Mom comes in and says, “Bill we have to leave, the shower has no hot water and is only a dribble,” I look at her and say, “Welcome to Africa!” We went to dinner which was nice and then came back and went to bed. In the middle of the night I hear William yelling something about his shoulder, I guess he got it stuck in the mosquito net and almost ripped it out of its socket…again. And the entire time Jenny is worried about all the bugs and thought they were going to crawl up into her bed through the net. I let her know that she needs to get ready for the bats at my place.

The next morning we went to one of the worst places on the face of the Earth, the Lusaka bus station. The good thing was that it was early so most of the sketchy guys were not around…thank God. We boarded the bus for Livingstone which is a good 6 hours from Lusaka. This was the second time I personally have taken a bus in Zambia and hated every minute. I normally hitch which is much easier but with 5 people it would be impossible. We finally made it in 1 piece and checked into the backpacker place. The next morning we headed to Victoria Falls, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. All I can say is that they are stunning and words really cannot explain them. After getting wet and walking around we headed to the market outside the gates to do souvenir shopping. That is one thing that I hate doing since they rip you off so bad. My Dad was a sucker and so was Jenny but oh well. We did get some beautiful things. That night we took a sunset cruise which is basically a booze cruise. By the end of the night, Dad was learning how to do the traditional Zambian dance with the bar tender in front of a large tourist group. It was quite possible one of the funniest things ever!! The next morning Jenny and I did this extreme sports thing were we climbed down a mountain, jumped off a cliff and did the gorge swing. The gorge swing was terrifying but amazing and Jenny and I did it together without killing each other. Mom, Dad and William did the helicopter ride which they said was also great.

The next morning we headed to Botswana for the safari. I think every person and family needs to experience a safari together. We saw pretty much everything and lots of them besides a male lion. We went on lots of game drives, boat drives, slept in tents and ate lots of good food. It was amazing and wished it would not end. After that we were heading to the village…oh geez, I was nervous!!

Thank God that we rented a car because we would have killed each other for sure if we hadn’t. It took several hours to get to Mkushi, which is my BOMA. On the way we stopped at this road side gas station to get this wrap thing. This is a highlight since they are so good and I can only get them when I go down to Lusaka but Mom would not touch it. Never knew my Mom was a picky eater! We stopped at a friend’s house in the commercial farm block and toured his property. We did a game drive to see the monkeys and sable. Sable is a kind of antelope and to kill one you must pay between $8000 to $12000 dollars, don’t ask me when it costs so much. Then we were off to the village. We stopped in this little place called Masansa to get vegetables and fish. It has an outdoor market where all the vegetables are sitting on the ground in bowls with the lady behind them trying to see them. It is what I would think of as a ‘typical African market.’ Masansa is 50 km south of Mkushi and I stay 30 km from Masansa. We were almost there!!! We finally arrived and all the kids came running to see these new white people. Mom decided that it was time for me to go through all the packages that she brought for me for others. Man oh man I got some great stuff!!! Thanks so much!! During this time Jenny is sitting on my porch reading some magazine and all the kids come over and sit in the dirt and just stare at her. She comes in and says something funny but I tell her to get used to it since it will happen for the next few days. After dinner, we played some cards and it was time to hit the sack. So Jenny and I are the ones who are going to sleep inside my house. I let Jenny go in first because of the bats, so she could scare them but she did not know this. All of a sudden it comes flying and I yell, “BAT!” and Jenny screams and ducks down with my dog saying, “The bats in my hair get it out get it out!” At this point I don’t see the bat so we hurry into bed with Dad looking out for it. The next morning my host day and mom walk over to us with a live chicken in their arms. My host dad starts talking in English about how thankful they are that my family is here and hands my Dad this live chicken. My Dad was not quite sure what to do with it but thank God the legs were tied. We gave it back to them and told them we could eat it all together tomorrow. We stayed in the village for the next few days, took a walk to the clinic and played lots of cards. It was nice for them to see how long simple things take like cooking. Jenny immediately said she would starve and would end up eating her arm. The last night we ate a really nice meal with my host family. They killed 2 chickens, ate authentic Zambian food and it was delicious.

The next morning we headed to Serenje, where we have a Peace Corps house. Lots of my friends came to the house to meet my family and have a BBQ. That night Jenny, William and Dad tried a beer called ‘shake shake,’ it is the main beer that my Zambian can afford and it’s disgusting! Jenny and William almost vomited. It tastes like chunky, sour cream of wheat but is drinkable. It was really nice for my friends to meet my family and vise versa. But the time was running low and they were almost leaving.

We headed back to Lusaka and stayed at this nice hotel. When I booked the room I asked for two beds, thinking they would be doubles oh no they were twins. Now how we were all going to sleep on 2 twin beds since most of the hotels were funny booked. The thing was that Zambia was hosting an African Summit so most rooms were booked, roads were cut off…it was basically a disaster. We had two presidents and their security men on our floor and most of the time could not take the elevator or go out the main entrance. It was still very nice. By the time we got home from souvenir shopping and dinner, the hotel had saved me another room…thank God. The next morning Jenny and William headed home. It was a lot harder to say good bye than I thought and of course I cried. It was really nice that Mom and Dad stayed with me for a few more days. We did more souvenir shopping, went to the movies and just hung out. Dad and Mom even tried fried crocodile meat. Now it was time to say good-bye. I cried some more…it sucked. The shuttle dropped me off at a grocery store where I was meeting some friends and Mom and Dad continued to the airport. I kept walking and did not look back. It’s a weird feeling to watch your whole family; the people you love go in one direction and you another.

I loved every minute of it…the frustrating times, the sad times and most importantly the times we laughed together. I realized how great my family really is and how lucky I am!!

New Starts

So I went to Malawi to visit the lake during Easter and had a wonderful time. I went with 8 friends and we stayed on the beach with a great view of the ocean. It was so much fun...just relaxing. We paid some guys on the beach to make us dinner a few times and it was unreal. Fish, beans, vegetables and rice....by far one of the best meals I have had in Africa.

So I am finally at my new site and am soooo happy. It was weird to start all over again but I did make the correct choice. My new family keeps on giving me food and does everything for me. I actually saw my first baby be born and it was unreal. The lady made NO noise. I can honestly say that I do not get how our bodies can do that.

I hope everybody is doing well. It is so weird to think that my family is going to be here in less than 3 months:)!!! Please keep your letters coming...I miss getting mail.

Love you all!

Tough Times

Well I got back to site finally and things have not been as I expected. It was great seeing my friends and hugging my Zambian family but work has been a problem again. When I returned I found out that the nurse at my clinic was transferred, leaving only one trained medical person, my EHT, for a population of around 15,000. The EHT (Environmental Health Technician) is the main person who I am supposed to work with. If we were ever to do out-reach clinics that should happen 3 times a week then nobody is working at the clinic. This causes a problem in itself. It has gotten to the point where I have decided to leave. I am tired to reading books in my hut, and tending to my garden. I did not come to Africa to do those things but rather educate. I am a valuable resource and want to be valued as one. So I am leaving Chikupili and moving to a new community that is 60 km away. This was a VERY hard choice for me since I have the BEST Zambian family. It will be hard to leave but I need to work. It has been a very rough few months but I know the next few will be better.

I am going to Malawi for Easter which will be a great time. I am sorry that I have not been writing letters lately, I promise to get better. (my address will stay the same) Thank you for all the support I have received from all of you so far in my service. See you in a YEAR!

I'm going home!!!

On Tuesday I finally get to go home and by home I mean Zambia. I am so excited!! I can't believe how much I really miss Zambia and especially my family and all the children.

As of Jan 26th I have been in Zambia for over one year. It is hard to belief it has already been one year and just 14 more months to go. Looking back on this year is pretty amazing. I feel really lucky to have gotten this opportunity and have enjoyed it so much. Some days are great while others are not but it is a wonderful feeling to wake up every morning and be in Africa. I wanted to share some of my favorite moments and least favorite moments with all of you from this past year.

Here are some of my favorite moments:
*Meeting my host family for the first time and seeing my 2 brothers playing outside with sticks while secretly looking at me.
*Passing my language test...I thought I was going to fail :)
*Moving to site for the first time and thinking "What did I get myself into"
*My Zambian family---they are so wonderful.
*Going to Victoria Falls in Aug with some friends. The falls are amazing.
*Being chased by a large monkey in the Victoria Fall park grounds--he wanted my Cliff bar.
*Hanging out with my little sisters and brothers. Teaching them fun American games.
*Getting my hair braided by Pretty (5 yrs old) whenever I get done taking a bath.
*Learning to cook authentic Zambian food from my Mom.
*The mountain in the back of my house. It has an amazing view and that is where I get cell phone service.
*My two dogs--Ena and Zoey
*Just hanging out with my friends.
*Getting mail and packages...always wonderful.
*Visiting other Peace Corps Volunteers' sites.
*Having my first training after being at site for 6 months.
*Going to Zanzibar and sleeping on the beach.
*Swimming with dolphins.
*All the fun questions that I am asked while on transport.
*Provincial Meetings
*Just random times in the village...seeing the way Zambians live.
*Learning to garden and raising chickens.
I know there are more but I cannot think of them.

My not so favorite moments:
*When my house from training was attacked by killer ants.
*Having work difficulties when I first got to site.
*Getting sick in Zanzibar...being Med Evaced to South Africa.
*Spending my 24th B-day hooked up to IVs in the hospital.
*Finding out my dog, Zoey died.


I think I have had a wonderful first year and I am excited to experience the next 14 months. Thank you everybody who has sent letters and packages...they really are a blessing. It is hard being so far from home but mail keeps volunteers going.

What is Chikungunya??

Hello everybody,
Well I am still in South Africa. At this point we think I have Chikungunya, which is a viral infection transmitted by mosquitoes. Since it is a virus there is not much the Doctors can do besides make me comfortable. The symptoms include body aches, hot flashes, fevers, nausea, and intense body pain may last for another 2 months. Life is not great right now but it is okay. I am seeing really good Doctors and no matter where I am in the world the treatment is the same..pain medicine and anti-inflammatory drugs.

So I have met a lot of Peace Corps South Africa Volunteers and man is there life different. They have ELECTRICITY and some live in nice apartments!!! It made me realize how bush and rural Zambia really is. I really miss Zambia and cannot wait to get back but I will be here for another 2 weeks. I am sorry for not writing letters right now...I will make it up to all of you. I hope everybody is doing alright. SMILE.

I am now in South Africa...

Hello everybody,
Geez has this month been a roller coaster ride or what. So, I am now in South Africa seeing doctors and getting medical help. The Doctors in Lusaka (Zambia) could not figure out what was going on and I was not getting any better so they flew me here. I have been going to the mall and seeing movies which is nice but I really can not wait to get back to site. I am seeing an Infectious Disease Doctor and an Internal Medicine Doc on Thursday so hopefully they can figure it all out. Overall, I am doing okay...being away and not knowing what is wrong is very mentally tolling but I am hanging in there. I hope everybody on that side of the world is okay and I will keep you all posted. Love you...and do not worry about me!

Still in Lusaka...

Hello everybody,
Well I am still stuck in Lusaka waiting for my medical tests to come back. I got sick in Zanzibar and we still have not figured out what is wrong. They first thought it was Malaria then typhoid and tick born fever but the test results came back negative so we are still trying to solve the puzzle. Just another fun thing about living in Africa. Well, at least I am learning all about African diseases...right. I will keep you all posted. My goal is to be back at site by this Friday...we'll see. I found out yesterday that my new dog, Zoey, died while I was gone. It has not been the best of times but I know it will get better.

Happy New Year!!!

Hello everybody...
I hope everybody had a good holiday season and a happy new year!! I just returned from Zanzibar and had a wonderful time. We got there on the 22nd after a 52 hour train ride. The ride was nice...well as nice as an African train could be.
We spent a few days in Stonetown which is the main city on the island. We went on a spice tour and saw how spices grow. It was not amazing but okay. One night for dinner we went to a fish market where there was tables of tables of fish laid out and you pick which one you want then they cook it. It was quite yummy but I think that is what made me so sick:(.
Then we headed to the eastern side of the island and stayed in little bungalows on the beach. The water was crystal blue with white sand beaches. The only problem was that the tide went far our during the day which limited swimming time. It was very relaxing few days which was greatly needed. Christmas was okay, there were no Christmas trees or Christmas music...two things that I love. It was hard being away from family and friends but I did get to talk to my family which was amazing!!!
One day, we went on a trip to swim with dolphins. So five of us are in this little boat and when we saw the dolphins the captain would yell "JUMP IN" so we all would jump in with our snorkel gear on. So guess what happens to me...So I jump in and I immediately get stung by a jelly fish on my right arm. It hurt pretty bad and soon my arm had hives all. It was okay :) it did not stop me from jumping in again. The closest I got to the dolphins was like 5 feet...pretty amazing. The last time we jumped in, there were some dolphins playing right beneath us. Well I thought they were playing but oh no they were mating!!! A honest mistake right ;.
After that we headed up North to the party side of the island for New Years. We hung out at the beach most days and played some football. For New Years we took a boat taxi to a different beach where Peace Corps Tanzania kids had gathered. The place had 2 main bars which were right on the ocean. It was a ton of fun!! The ride home was not a lot of fun and I got soaked!!
So on the first I woke up and felt pretty horrible. I caught some bug and still do not know what it was. It was a not so fun way to end the trip but I am better now. It was a great place to spend the holidays and am happy that I went.

I hope everybody is doing well!! Thank you for the letters and please keep them coming!! I love you all and only one more year until I see you all.

Question: A bush bath is when you take some water into an enclosed area and dump cups of it over your body and bathe. Fun right!

Happy Days

Hello Everybody,
I hope everybody had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Many of us volunteers got together and cooked an amzing meal...a turkey, home-made stuffing, green beans, rolls, cranberry sauce, and lots of desserts. I am planning on heading to Zanzibar for Christmas and New Years with several of my friends. It will be hard being away from family and friends but Zanzibar will be great.
Work is going okay...I actually had a training:) I taught 30 people all about HIV, TB, Malaria, Water and Sanitation and Child Nutrition. I really enjoyed my time with the villagers and teaching them baisc ways to improve their lives.
Rainy season has started and the storms are crazy. The first time it rained, my roof leaked in like 10 places. My dad here said that the grass just needs to expand...we will see.
Well, everything is going well on this side and I hope you all are okay.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Miss you all

P.S. Please keep the letters coming..they are gold!!

Not so fun!!!

Well guys so I have been in Lusaka for a few days and I decided to go to the Zambia vs. Angola final football game. Whatever team won advanced to the World Cup in 2010. Zambia won 2 to 0. I went with a bunch of other Peace Corps kids that were down here for the game. The game was a great time, nothing bad happened until after the game. So, as Heidi and I were leaving, a man grabbed at her phone. Before we knew it we were surrounded by many Zambians and they were beating up the guy that tried to steal the phone. In the mess of all the Zambians somebody cut the strap of my bag and before I knew it, it as gone. They did it so quickly that I did not have a chance to respond. I went a little crazy, I was just so upset. My bag had my cell phone, probably a little over $100, little stuff but most importantly a rosary that my grandma gave me before she passed away. Then as I was walking around looking for my bag, some Zambians tried to rob the three guys that I was with. At this point we were all so shaken up that we just had to leave. We got in a minibus but as we were leaving people were reaching their hands in the windows trying to take more stuff. We closed the windows but then they started to shake the bus. We stopped at a gas station where I was able to call Peace Corps Security Officer who meant with me at my hotel. He was very nice and most things will be replaced. The worst part is that I have lost alot of trust in a country that I really enjoy. They can have the money, the bag and the cell phone but I will never get my Grandma's rosary back. The good thing is that none of us got physically hurt just shaken up quite a bit. Not a fun time in Zambia!

Package Ideas

Hello everybody,
Thank you so much for sending me packages. They are such a treat. Here are some great things to send.
1. Beef/Turkey Jerky
2. Dried Fruit
3. Pictures
4. Trail Mix
5. Raisens
6. Drink mix
7. Soups

Thank you for everything you guys...I feel soooo loved!!

Where does time go?

Hello Everybody,
September flew by and I did not really do much. I cannot believe it is already October and that means it is getting close to Christmas time. ;)
Well, not much is going on here in Zambia. It is now hot season and it is hot!! They don't lie when they say that. You know it is really hot when all the females are sitting under a tree not working. We had our quarterly meetings in September and my boss told me that I had the month of October to decide if I wanted to stay at site in Chikupili or be transferred to another village. Work in my community does not really exist and I am tired of reading books. So, I sat down my clinic staff and told them and things are improving. So, as of today I am not leaving.
Here are some fun stories for all of you.
1. Rats are the worst things in the world!! When I got home in August they had eaten my Camelbak and a large ball. I hate them soooo much. It doesn't matter how clean or dirty your house is, they still think they are welcome. I bought some posion and so far I have killed 2. I think they are disappearing because of snakes.
2. So I was reading one day outside (surprise surprise) and I head a hissing sounds. Sure enough a snake had entered my outdoor sitting area and was like 2 feet from me. I freaked out!! Yelled for my family and they all came running. They killed it with a stick and laughed at me the whole time. By the end of the day everybody knew that I had a snake in my insaka.
3. I climb the mountain everyday at 17:00 to check my phone and watch the sunset. This one night I got home later than usual was heading to the bathroom with my head lamp one. Good thing becuase there was a HUGE snake by my toilet. This was was like 4 feet long and was black. I yelled again, family came running with sticks but it got away. I was told not to worry even though it was posionous. I hate them.
4. Zambia had its presidental election last month. Nothing too exciting happened.
5. I went to another PCV's site last weekend with 2 of my buddies. It was alot of fun to see another area and hang out with friends. He lives 40 km off the road and I almost died on the cycle but I did it. :) Ww made yummy pancakes and had a Mexican feast.
6. Interesting fact-Females in Zambia have the lowest life expectancy of all females in the world. Isnt that soooo sad.
7. Zambian Independence Day is October 24th so I am heading to another PCV's site. We are going to have a BBQ and go swimming.
8. I am planning on going to Zanzibar, an island off Tanzania, for Christmas. Cannot wait to hang out at the beach, drink cold sodas and eat lots of seafood.

All I can say is that I am learning alot. Lots of things make me really fustrated but then I take a step back and put myself in there position. I really hope work improves this quarter. So much needs to be done but if the people do not want to learn or change there is no point in me pushing them.

It has been a wonderful 9 months (WOW) and hope it continues. Love you all...please keep the letters coming. They mean the world to me.

Cell Phone Number

Hello everybody--I finally got a cell phone number.
So from calling from the states the number is 011 26 099665916
the 26-is the country code
I don't get service from my site unless I climb a mountain so text messages are the best.
Hope to hear from you all soon!!

What a month

Hello everybody,
Aug has been quite a month. I have now been out of my site for over 3 weeks. It all started with a girls camp called Camp GLOW. Two girls from my village and fellow Peace Corps villages were able to attend so a total of 33 girls from all over central province were there. It was a chance for the girls to learn about life skills, how to boast their self esteem, to dance, sing and play games. It was a great week and one of my highlights of being here so far. They I went to Lusaka for a week long training. Everybody that came to Zambia in my group in Jan 2006 and the group that came in Jan 2005 were there. It was alot like training and it was great to see everybody again. The highlights were going to Subway, eating a hamburger, a real grocery store and seeing a few movies. Then I headed down south to Livingstone with 10 other people. We did a sunset cruise the first night and saw a HUGE elephant. God, did that make me happy. They the next day we went to the Victoria Falls and man are they beautiful!!! Then on Wed (aug 23rd) we went white water rafting down the Zambezi river. Oh, was that a day or what. We went down 23 rapids and a few of then were class 5 (the highest class is 6). We flipped several times but that is when it got really interesting! Today, I can't really walk and am full of bruises. I almost drown a few times but I am still here :) It was sooooo amazing and can't wait to do it again. Today I am planning on heading back up...12 hours of transport sounds fun right :) I am very excited to get back to site and see my family!!! I hope you all had a good month...:) Keep the letters flowing.

Love you all!!

Hello from this side!!

Hello everybody,
I can't believe I am actually using a computer right now...it has been 4 months!! Thank you to everybody for all the letters and packages...don't worry I am not starving :). So life in the bush is so different than anything I can ever explain correctly. I love it.
Here is a typical day in my life:
Wake up around 6:30 becuase of my chickens...(Yes MY chickens...I have 4 and soon to be 14)
Go to my garden to water my tomatoes, onions, rape and mustard spinach.
Read for a little while then put charcoal in my braiser and start a fire.
Go for a bike ride..come home and hang out with my family.
Go to the clinic
Read some more
Make dinner around 17:00
In bed by 19:30!!

That is how my days go normally. It is harvest time right now so everybody is busy in the fields.

So, I live 80 km from the nearest city which is called Mkushi. That is where I go for mail, get food and just hang out. I live with a great family that takes great care of me. I have a dog named Ina (which means fat in Bemba) and he is a very fat dog. I have great friends and we try to get together at least once a month. Work is difficult...Zambians have a different way of life and it has taken some time to get used it. They are very relaxed and are okay with doing nothing....all day long!! Zambia is a very safe country and have never felt scared which is a relief. Zambia is soooo beautiful...so green, trees and fields. Overall, I am very happy but do have some rough days. All I can say is thank you to everybody for the letters and packages. Letters are amazing here since communication does not really exist. They are like GOLD!!! I will be getting a cell phone in a month so I can text all of you and you can text me. I do have to climb a mountain to get service but it is worth it!!! I wake up many mornings and can't believe that I am in Africa!! I feel very lucky and love it. I do miss you all and think of you often. Keep in touch!!

One week until SWEAR IN!! :)

Hello everybody,
Well today is probably one of the last times I will sit at a computer for quite awhile. Internet is extremely limited where I am going but I will try to get to a computer at least once a month.
Well, the past 2 months have been crazy. I really cannot believe that it has already been 2 months...time is flying by. I swear in on March 31st and become a Peace Corps Volunteer..so exciting. Then I head off for my post!! It is going to be really sad to say good bye to my host family and all of the great friends that I have made here but the next chapter of this journey needs to begin.
I just want to say thank you to everybody for the letters, pictures and packets. It is such an amazing feeling to get letters from friends and family back at home. I want to share some of my favorite things from the past 2 months with all of you.
First of all, living in Zambia is great and very different than life in the states. It is really nice living without things that I used to thing were a necessity life power and running water. I am starting to love my bush baths and studying over candlelight. :) My host family has treated me so well and same with the tech staff for Peace Corps Zambia. I still cannot believe that I killed a chicken with my own hands and saw a goat being killed. Bemba is a hard language to speak but I am learning it slowly. I am getting more used to the food and am very excited to start cooking for myself but not doing my own laundry. Doing laundry is soooo hard!!

Oh, so one of my greatest nightmares occured last night. While I was writing a few letters and my hut was attacked by huge fire ants. The ants here are brutal and when they attack then really do. I yelled for my Ba Taata and Ba Mayo and they came running from there hut. There was probably like 500,000 ants...no joke. They started to pull straw from their roof and put it on fire. (Fire is one of the best ways to get rid of them) Basically, there was little bon fires all over the yard trying to get rid of these horrible things. Meanwhile, the ants are climbing up my pants and my Ba Taata's and they latch one when they bite...Gosh it really hurts. It took us over 2 hours to get rid of them all. I tried to go to sleep but that didn't really happen. I think the rats might be back so it is a good thing that I am leaving in a week. All of these fun things like sleeping with rats, crickets, being attacked from ants and sleeping with chicken fleas is all part of the experience and I would not trade it.

I am very lucky and grateful to be here. Some mornings I wake up and cannot believe that I am here in Zambia. Zambia is amazing and I hope some of you can come out and see it first hand.

Well, that is it for now...love you all..check out my new address...stay safe and healthy...Oh, I think I might be getting a cell phone so check back later for my number.

LOVE YOU ALL AND THANK YOU AGAIN!!

One week until SWEAR IN!! :)

Hello everybody,
Well today is probably one of the last times I will sit at a computer for quite awhile. Internet is extremely limited where I am going but I will try to get to a computer at least once a month.
Well, the past 2 months have been crazy. I really cannot believe that it has already been 2 months...time is flying by. I swear in on March 31st and become a Peace Corps Volunteer..so exciting. Then I head off for my post!! It is going to be really sad to say good bye to my host family and all of the great friends that I have made here but the next chapter of this journey needs to begin.
I just want to say thank you to everybody for the letters, pictures and packets. It is such an amazing feeling to get letters from friends and family back at home. I want to share some of my favorite things from the past 2 months with all of you.
First of all, living in Zambia is great and very different than life in the states. It is really nice living without things that I used to thing were a necessity life power and running water. I am starting to love my bush baths and studying over candlelight. :) My host family has treated me so well and same with the tech staff for Peace Corps Zambia. I still cannot believe that I killed a chicken with my own hands and saw a goat being killed. Bemba is a hard language to speak but I am learning it slowly. I am getting more used to the food and am very excited to start cooking for myself but not doing my own laundry. Doing laundry is soooo hard!!

Oh, so one of my greatest nightmares occured last night. While I was writing a few letters and my hut was attacked by huge fire ants. The ants here are brutal and when they attack then really do. I yelled for my Ba Taata and Ba Mayo and they came running from there hut. There was probably like 500,000 ants...no joke. They started to pull straw from their roof and put it on fire. (Fire is one of the best ways to get rid of them) Basically, there was little bon fires all over the yard trying to get rid of these horrible things. Meanwhile, the ants are climbing up my pants and my Ba Taata's and they latch one when they bite...Gosh it really hurts. It took us over 2 hours to get rid of them all. I tried to go to sleep but that didn't really happen. I think the rats might be back so it is a good thing that I am leaving in a week. All of these fun things like sleeping with rats, crickets, being attacked from ants and sleeping with chicken fleas is all part of the experience and I would not trade it.

I am very lucky and grateful to be here. Some mornings I wake up and cannot believe that I am here in Zambia. Zambia is amazing and I hope some of you can come out and see it first hand.

Well, that is it for now...love you all..check out my new address...stay safe and healthy...Oh, I think I might be getting a cell phone so check back later for my number.

LOVE YOU ALL AND THANK YOU AGAIN!!

NEW ADDRESS

My new address in Central Province is:

Katie Gottbreht--PCV
PO BOX 840038
Mkushi Zambia
Central Province

Here are some good things to send me: soup mixes where water is the only thing that needs to be added, crystal light or gatorade, ranch powder packets, any seasonings, chocolate, spagetti sause dry mix, snacks..etc.

Thanks everybody!!

So I am going to....CENTRAL!~~

Hello guys...So this last week was pretty unbelieveable. I found out where I am going last Thursday and on Saturday 4 of us headed there. I will be in Chikupili in Cental Providence. I am 80 km from Mkushi which is the biggest city close to me. I am definitely living in the bush which is going to be great. I met my new family which consists of 10 new bro and sisters and they have over 30 kids. There are kids everywhere of all ages...LOVE IT!!! My house is pretty big...about the size of my kitchen at home. One of the best parts is that I get a dog. My dogs name is Ena and he is great. God I am soooo happy. Also, there is a large mountain in my backyard which I can hike whenever I want. The area is beautiful...lots of trees and everything is green. It really is one of the most beautiful places I have been to. There is another volunteer names Rich who is 3 km from me and Matt who is 30 km. I am going to have to cycle alot in my area which is also a plus. Basically I got the site I wanted and could not be much happier. On Wed. we had a huge party at Rich's site where we killed a goat drank lots of tea wine and other village brew. Everybody is very welcoming and I cant wait to get back there. The clinic where I will spend most of my time is 8 km from my house which is around a 45 minute bike ride. One Sunday we went to a Catholic church which I will start to go to once I am posted. Everything is in Bemba so I cannot understand any of it but the singing is beautiful.
5 of us took transport back from Mkushi to Kitwe on Saturday. It took us 5 hours and the majority of it we were in the back of a pick up truck and of course it rained so we all got pretty wet. It was a fun adventure and will have to get used to it. It was really nice coming back to my host family. When I got home they came up yelling Ba Katie and all gave me a huge hug. This morning I found a HUGE spider in my house....no joke it was like the size of a deck of cards. I yelled and my mom came to kill it:). What else...the rats in my hut are gone, we killed them with some poison.
Oh, letters take like 10 days to reach me and packages take around 3 weeks. They may take longer once I move since Mkushi isn't that big of a town. Also, interent is not really available in central providence which sucks but I am in Africa and can't really complain.
So I am back in Kitwe for the last 2 weeks of training. I know these last 2 weeks are going to be hard since I know where I am going but I will just have to deal with it the best I can. The rain is starting to slow down...it isnt raining everyday anymore. Life is great and am so happy. I hope all of you are doing well and keep me posted.

Here are some things I need: Snacks, chocolate, lolly pops, games for kids and cookies.

Love you all!!!

What a week

Hello All,
So this was an interesting week. I TALKED WITH MY SISTER, MOM AND DAD...SO AMAZING. That fact made my week and was very thankful that the cell phone service here is fianlly some what working. I still have chicken fleas eventhough they sprayed my room. It is okay...I like to be itchy constantly. I had my first presentation to a group of Zambians. We asked them what were major health concerns and problems within their community. They said malaria, coughing, TB, diarrhea and lastly AIDS. Then we asked them to compare those health concerns to one another...they said coughing in worse than AIDS. It was a huge eye opener to me and showed me how hard my job here really is going to be to educate about a disease that they have little knowledge on. People in Zambia are more concerned with diseases that you can cure then AIDS. Also, people don't get tested here so they will die or a cough but it really is AIDS.
We had homestay day on Tuesday. After class I came home and did homestay things like cooked vegies and learned how to wash my clothes. Man, washing clothes is not a easy task. I hope you all think of me next time you start your washing machine back at home. You guys get to turn a knob while I scrub and scrub...gosh it sucks. Good thing I wear things numerous time before they need to be washed :)
On Saturday we all went to a dam. We could not swim in the dam because it is full or crocodiles but they did have a pool that we could all swim in. We Bbqed up some hamburgers...they were sooo good but left me feeling ill for quite some time afterwards.
Whenever I come home my little brothers come running up to me yelling Ba Katie Ba Katie. (you say Ba in front of somebodys name as a sign of respect). The one that is 2 normally has wet himself and all he wants to do is climb all over me. It is not my favorite part of the day but it is okay...i guess. I do the helicopeter with them a few times and they we play in the dirt. I really love my family and it is going to be hard to leave them in a few weeks.
The other night after I had completed my bush bath and was entering into my hut...I saw something climbing on my bike. So...not only do I have fleas but now I have RATS!! I thought I had for some time now but it sucks. All night I hear them in my room walking around in the roof...gross. Again thank God I have am ipod. Oh and 2 people in my group have Malaria eventhough we are on meds.
This Thursday I get my site....I am sooo exicted. Then on Saturday I head to the site and stay there for a week. It should be a great time...finally I am going to find out where I will be for the next 2 years.
Zambia is beautiful and wonderful but I am ready for the rain to stop. It normally rains at least once a day and sometimes we have crazy thunder and lightning storms. I don't like them all that much but am getting used to those too. Hope all is well...I will talk to you later. Love ya..oh stop mailing things to my Kitwe address since I am leaving here soon and getting a new one soon. I will post it once I get it.

Thank you JEHDA for the 2 letters, MOM for the People magazine and DAD for the letter!

STOP MAILING TO MY ADDRESS

Hello Everybody,
I just wanted to let you all know to STOP mailing things to my Kitwe address. I am finding out my site this Thursday so in the next few weeks I will post my new address. On Saturday I am actually going to my site and staying there for a week so after that I will post it (if I get the address). If you have mailed things in the past few days to a week, I will still get them, it will just take alot longer. Thank you for all the cards and letters...I am saving them all.

Love you all..Katie

Disco Night and Cultural Day

Hello guys,
I hope you are all doing well. I decided that my last post wasn't all that informative about my life and so here we go...
I wake up every morning around 645 by my mom. She does not understand that I have an alarm clock and if afraid of me sleeping in. I take a bath most mornings which consists of me walking like 30 feet to a little bushed in area. It is private except for all the lizards that bath with me. I dump water over my head and go from there. Then I eat breakfast which is a half of a hard boiled egg and some bread of some sort. Then I ride my bike throught corn fields to my language class. Class is from 8 to 12. Then I come home and have lunch which is some sort of leaves with rice or corn meal with something else. Then I ride my bike to tech class which is from 2-5. Tech class is where I learn about what my job is going to be when I get posted. Then I come home have dinner, play games with my family and go to bed.
Life is good except that I have chicken fleas which sucks big time. We had cultural day yesterday where all of our moms cooked food...anything from rice to chicken feet to termites and catapillars. I tired it all but did not like most of it. Then we all went to disco night which was sooooo fun!!!
Most of us get together on Sundays to come into town. I just ate a pizza which was soooo yummy. Most to all of the stores are closed on Sundays which is a bummer but at least internet is open.
Communication here is very hard. It is hard to get stamps..paper..enveloped and stuff. I am excited to get to my site so I can have more free time to communicate.
Oh I forgot to say this earlier but I killed a chicken a few weeks ago during my site visit. It was pretty gross and blood went all over my legs and shoes. They gave me a very dull knife to cut its head off then I had to stand on its wings while it died. Something that I won't do again but it is part of life here in Zambia.
What else...I will find out my site in 10 days....so exciting!!! Everybody is my group is great and it will be hard to say good bye to them when we all depart.
Please keep me posted on everything...I love you guys and miss ya

Life in Zambia

Hello everybody,
Geez I have not sat at a computer in so long. Life is so great. Zambia is a great country. I just had my first language test in Bemba... I passed:) My host family consists of my Dad Kelvin, mom Mary and two brothers who are Thomas (who is 2) and Simon (who is 4). My family is pretty amazing. My mom gives me a bath every morning which means I take a bush bath. I get a bucket of hot water and shower in an encloser which is made from grass. I have mastered the task of going to the bathroom in a hole but haven't been brave enough to go at night. I have class 6 days a week, language in the morning for 4 hours then tech for 3 hours. Language is hard but it is fun. The food is interesting. I eat corn meal everyday with some relish what is mainly leaves of some sort. I have had chicken twice and fish twice. I am getting used to eating with my fingers and making a mess. Oh, I live in the middle of corn fields. Think of field of dreams...that is me. I sleep with crickets and lizards every night and wake up with even more mosquito bites. Zambia is sooo beautiful and the people are so nice. Peace Corps has told me that Zambia is one of the most if not the most rural country that volunteers go to which is interesting. I had my fist site visit awhile ago and the volunteer I stayed with was in the BUSH!!! Basically there wasnt a market or store for a good 100 km. You grow what you eat. It was a great experience but I dont think I want to live in such a rural site but we will see. I will find out soon.

Thank you BAILEY for all the letters
Thank you AUNTIE SHARRON, MOM, MAGGIE AND JENNY. You guys are great.

Communication is hard here. WE get one day off and all the stores are closed in the main city Kitwe. I was hoping to get some air grames which is the cheapest way to send letters but we were just told that ZAmbia isnt making then anymore. Everybody please stick with me!!

If you guys can please send snacks, soccer balls, crystal light and fun games for kids.

Miss you all and love ya.

Good Bye USA

Hello everybody,
Well, I am heading out in like 5 hours. So strange!!!! I just got back from the government medical facility and got a few shots. Staging is finally over, it was a long few days. Everybody in my group seems great...only 3 Cali kids, which surprised me. A few of us went out in full force last night for my birthday and our last night in the states. I love you all and miss you already. Stay safe and keep in touch.

My Mom (Jean) and Dad (Bill)..Love you guys :)

My dog..Duke..I miss him

We went to the Happiest Place of Earth. What a great day with my sister (Jenny) and brother (William).

At the JFK library in Boston...he started the Peace Corps :)

My family...William, me, Dad, Mom and Jenny

Please leave your messages to me here!!!

Traveling schedule

~I leave on Sat Jan 21st from John Wayne Airport at 9:47 and arrive in Philly at 7:46 after a lay-over in Texas.
~Jan 22nd: We register and begin training.
~Jan 23rd (which is my 23rd birthday): The training program lasts all day. (8:30 am til 6pm)
~Jan 24th: Depart to the medical clinic to get shots and head to the airport for the long flight to South Africa. We leave JFK airport at 5:55 pm and arrive in Johannesburg, South Africa at 5:50 pm on Jan 25th after a lay-over in Dakar.
~Jan 26th: We leave Johannesburg at 11:40 am and finally arrive in Lusaka, Zambia at 1:40 pm.

Then we all head to Kitwe which will be my new home for the next 3 months.

Facts about Zambia

I thought I would share some informative and fun facts about Zambia with all of you:
*Zambia is slightly larger than Texas
*The countries that Zambia borders are Angola, Congo, Zambabwe, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique and Namibia.
*Victoria Falls (which is a national wonder of the world) is located in Southern Zambia.
*The terrain is mostly high plateau with some hills and mountains
*Half the population is under the age of 15 years old.
*The life expectancy at birth is 37 years old.
*It is published that 16.5 % of the population has AIDS (but it is actually closer to 30%)
*Christianity is the main religion followed by Muslim and Hindu.
*The languages that people speak are Bemba, Kaonda, Lozi, Lunda, Luvale, Nyanja, Tonga, and about 70 other indigenous languages and I will have to learn one of them!
*Zambis is split into 9 different provinces and the Peace Corps works in 6 of them.
*86% of the population lives below the poverty line.
*The unemployment rate is 50%.
*The averge family lives off 75 dollars. I will be given $200...I will be rich.
*There are 91,440 km of highways and 71,323 km are unpaved.
*There are 10 airports with paved runways and 99 are unpaved.
*One of the best countries for safaris!!
Well guys...this is the country that I will be living in for 27 months...CRAZY!!

Address during training

Hello everybody,
I just wanted to let everybody know what my address will be during the first 3 months while I am in training. Make sure you write "Air Mail" or "Par Avion" on all letters and please number them. On average it will take around 2-4 weeks for a letter and more for a package but I will be so excited when I get them. On packages write "Religious Material" and never say the value is more than $10. It is important to write "Religious Material" because the country is very religious and the package should arrive in the condition that it was sent. Never say the value is more than $10 so they do not open it!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. Everything you send will be greatly appreciated!

Katie Gottbreht/PCT
PEACE CORPS
P.O. Box 21527
Kitwe, Zambia

After training is completed and I pass my tests, I will be moved out of Kitwe and will get a new address.

My assignment

I will be leaving the United States on 1-22-2006 for ZAMBIA. Zambia is south of Tanzania and north of Zimbabwe. It is one of the safest countries in Africa but it is undeveloped. I will be working with a program called Community Action for Health Project (CAHP) and my job will be Community Health Development Extensionist. My project aims to support the health reform program. I will work with the Ministry of Health, rural health centers, district, provincial and national levels to help maintain and develop sustainable community based health committees. My direct project hopes to improve the overall health and well being of the rural population. I will also educate them on 6 basic principles which are: HIV/AIDS, STDS, Water and Sanitation, Child Health and Nutrition, Reproductive Health and Family Planning and Malaria. I will be living in a typical Zambian house which consists of a small clay brick house with a thatched roof, a pit latrine and a bath shelter outside. I will not have electricity of running water for the length of my stay there. I will receive a bike which will be my main form of transportation. It sounds quite intense but I am really excited for the next chapter in my life.
For the first 3 months, I will be living in Kitwe which is north of Lusaka for my training. I will learn one of four African languages and live with a host family. After the 3 months is up and I pass my tests then I will move to one of 6 provinces in Zambia and my work will start.