Zambia Arrival!

Hello Everyone!
I'm in Zambia! I can't believe I'm finally here. It's so weird because I have been anticipating it for so long, but with no idea what to expect. Everything is just so beautiful, the people, the land, the trees, it's so natural and it feels so great to be able to be walking these streets! This e-mail may be a little bit long - probably longer than the next just because these are my first impressions in this new place! feel free to read whatever you would like!

The plane ride went pretty well over - I only felt sick for a few hours- which I am very grateful for (because of how easily I get motion sickness usually!) I went with Katie - 26 - finished Public Health and Connor - 29- in his 3rd year in med school. There were 2 kind of unsettling things that happened on the way over - there was a boy that was semi-out-of-control on the plane - he was fighting with his brothers, they were probably about 10years old, 15 years old, and 20 years old. They kept fighting with eachother and the flight attendents were having trouble calming them down - the boy kept spitting and cursing at his brothers, then they were throwing juice at eachother, finally ending with a full out fist fight....not very fun when you are 2 million feet up in the air (I know the physics but I still kind of think planes work by magic...I don't fully "get"/believe how they can stay up there with all weight, so at this point I was surprised the whole thing wasn't just tipping over because of all the commotion. Then we got into the next plane and this guy was trying to fight the security guards to get on and they wouldn't let him on... if I wasn't so exhausted I probably would have been more concerned...but we got to our place finally!! Our driver was very nice who picked us up from the airport and the first major change...they drive on the left!...actually I should say they are supposed to drive on the left, From what I have seen Zambian drivers pretty much use any part of the street - if it's open, it's fair game haha. Also, all of the homes have fences and guards.

The first night I got here I couldn't sleep too much so I was starting to read Harry Potter. I had been a little bit worried that I wouldn't bond with my roomates, them being a little bit older and more experienced with travel - but about an hour later Katie knocked on my door and we ended up talking/laughing until about 4am. I was very relieved to hear she also felt a little uncomfortable with the silence in the house and the guards/bars on the windows/padlocks everywhere!

tues july 24
The next morning when I woke up I looked out my barred window and the first thing I saw was the guard, standing like 5 ft away ...yea little unsettling... It's going to take some getting used to! We have a maid, who is very nice, and the house is just lovely. The kitchen and living room are pretty well furnished and we have a tv! I've seen a ton of bugs since I've been here, which never fails to scare me everytime - the roaches are enormous and I've been shoving my pillow case under the crack of the door...which to me is far more useful as a bug block! My room is pretty bare, aside from the toiletries and clothes, there is not much else. I miss the comforts of home and things in my room, but I really have everything I need! We got picked up and I went to the lab where I will be working. On the way we stopped for about 40 minutes so someone in our car could drop something off. (My driver said it's common in Zambia to just do soemthing without worrying about the time) I really enjoyed not being on a schedule and WISH I had my camera with me. I loved seeing people of all different ages in all different types of dress walking the streets, all going their separate ways. Some dressed in school uniforms and some in traditional dress, some carrying baskets on their heads with bright fabrics wrapped around their waists. The people here just have such a natural way about them, and the kids are adorable! Also, on the radio there was this speaker who spoke about the importance of thinking of God, not based on how we feel at the moment (if we feel good, God is good, but if we feel upset, we think where is God?) but based on all of the amazing things He has created, and how is always working in our lives. I thought this was so appropriate as I was looking at the streets in front of me. It was really a sight to be seen and one that was more than I could have imagined. It was very "everyday" here, but it's that, which makes it incomparable to anything else.

We left and then got to the lab...it's in a place called Kalingalinga a few miles away from my house. The semi-paved roads quickly changed to dirt roads with fruit and veggie stands on either side. There were lots of stands, such as a single haircutter booth, many handmade signs for things, and tons of people on the roads. I met the people I will be working with and also my bosses. They are about 80% male and I'm having a little bit of trouble remembering names! Barry, one of the men I am working for was super nice and really took me under his wing, showing me eating places and making sure I had everything I needed, which was just so kind of him. They serve lunch there everyday, and for 70,000 kwachas (1USD = 4,000 kwacha) you can get lunch for a month!! The food they eat a lot here is called nshima, which is a plain mix of cornmeal and water...consistency of mashed potatos...pretty much my dream come true - I seriously can't get enough of it. I eat it with everything, even jelly mmmm! I am thrilled to be working in the lab, but I would also like to get out in the community on weekends and volunteer if possible. I told Barry of my inetrest in helping out in a school, possibly at a library, even just to help get things organized or help with whatever was needed. Barry told me of a foundation he has started - The Kalingalinga Foundation. He is having shirts made with hand-painted Kalingalinga pictures on it and is going to sell them for like 40 dollars to raise money for the school! He said I may be able to help set up a library at the school, which they do not already have (mom, i know you must be so happy right about now haha) Talking to him about what his goals are was extremely inspiring! I will be running DNA-HIV tests and viral loads in the lab. It's so exciting to be able to run a test that can give the patient's HIV status. The viral load test can be used to see if medication is working. Doctors look at the count, and if it's over 400, it usually means the patient is not responsive to the medication. I'm so so excited to be able to run tests that give the patient the HIV status, but I am also nervous in that I just hope to be as successful as possible and I hope I can contribute to the lab as much as possible.

My three other roomates arrived today! - ilana (23, graduated from McAllister and is an expert diver who has traveled to Lusaka quite a few times before) Laura (30, has an amazingly calm voice and has done all sorts of work in the peace corps) and Kim (also 30, done work in Peace Corps and is now applying to med school)