Visions of Zambia

So as I have mentioned to many of the people that I see during my daily routine, Zambia has started to consume most of my thoughts. I'm finding it harder and harder to concentrate at work, as is evident of a drawing I recently did during a morning before-school shift. Like most of my drawings and paintings, it started as just a picture in my mind; I really don't know what the Zambian landscape will look like, it could be completely flat, and therefore those rocky hills would be wrong. And I'm not sure how common wildebeests will be in Zambia (I heard that a lot of the wildlife has been pushed to the game reserves). But I'm excited to find out! Besides, it's underlying meaning is all that matters to me, so it doesn't really matter anyways, right?

p.s. I also did one of orcas, which has also been a reocurring theme with my YMCA morning crayon drawing series. If you have seen my earlier crayon drawings, you can tell that I've gotten used to crayons as an artistic medium. You know what? I'm gonna show this one off too.

Peace Corps Blog Page Update

So, apparently my blog page has been added to the Peace Corps list of blog links. Also, I have found out about more people that I'll apparently be going with, thanks to the latest Peace Corps blog links update and snooping around Eric Hastie's blog (a dude who is going with us that I have known about for a little while now). I'm just wondering if there are going to be any more people that will join us, and if yes, how many? February 20th is getting closer and closer, and I'm getting more and more impatient!

New Alpha Blondy Album!

Alpha Blondy, the international reggae star and arguably my favorite musician, released a new album last week. I bought it off iTunes; it was only $9.99 and it has 19 songs! Not every song is a gem but it's worth the price, because if you buy it by the individual songs you'd spend more, since 11 of them are definitely worth buying. Alpha Blondy, if you don't know, is from Ivory Coast, in west Africa, and mixes African influences with reggae music, resulting in a very unique sound. He speaks many languages, and most of his songs are in French or his native language (Dioula I think it is?) but that doesn't matter because his music sounds so good anyways! I'm going to try to bring my ipod with me to Zambia, with little portable speakers and a battery powered external power source, of course with plenty of rechargeable batteries and a solar battery charger. From what I have read, reggae and rap music are very popular there, and I'm sure if the Zambian people in the village where I will be living haven't heard of Alpha Blondy yet, they will like it. Of course, this may change because I don't want to seem like I'm showing off with my fancy technology stuff, but I don't plan on bringing anything else besides a digital camera, and bringing my music would help keep me sane in an unfamiliar environment.

My First Blog Posting Ever!

Well, as previously stated, this is my first posting on my new blog page. Soon after receiving my Peace Corps invitation to Zambia, I discovered (and my grandma discovered and told me about a few hours later) a page which had links to the blog pages of other Peace Corps volunteers in Africa. So anyways, I decided to start up my own blog page for three reasons: 1) in order to avoid falling behind and becoming a technological outcast amongst my Peace Corps peers, and 2) to provide an easy way for my family and friends to keep up with my experiences in Zambia, and 3) for any random people who happen to come across my blogs and have enough spare time to read my postings.

Since this is my first blog posting, I thought I'd give a brief overview of why I chose to join the Peace Corps and the events that have led up to this point. I first thought about the Peace Corps while attending Fresno State. I had known about it since I was young, but after taking several anthropology classes and religious studies classes, my interest in other cultures (which I've always had interest in) grew to the point that I started filling out the online application. However, with graduation looming, I felt pressure (self-imposed by the way) to get started on my career of choice: teaching. Thus, after graduating in May 2006, I moved back to Vista, my hometown. My original intent was to get my teaching credential from CSU San Marcos, and work for the Mottino YMCA's afterschool programs. However, I soon decided that I needed a break from school (c'mon, I spent 18 straight years of my life in school, and needed a break!) and decided to finally finish the application and join the Peace Corps. I continued working for the YMCA and also got a second job at a local Starbucks; I have gained some excellent work experience from the YMCA for the future, and have met some awesome people by working at Starbucks, but I feel that my departure with the Peace Corps to Zambia to work for the Rural Education Development (RED) project couldn't have come at a more perfect time in my life!

I am STOKED about moving to Zambia, and have been spending a lot of time looking at YouTube clips and pages with information on Zambian culture. I feel confident that one of my main concerns, their food, won't be as much of an issue as it would be in most other countries; nshima sounds like it'll be pretty good. As long as I don't have to eat any animal testicles, or dog meat, I should be just fine. What I really look forward to is the wildlife of Zambia. I had a membership to the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park from my infancy to about age 16, and the African animals have always been among my favorites. I look forward to pulling out a sketch pad and drawing the wildlife and the scenery. I also look forward to adapting to a new and very different culture from my own. This may seem crazy to some, and by no means do I think it will be an easy transition, but I think that learning the Zambian way of life might be the most rewarding and important aspect of my Peace Corps experience.