Fences, Ovens, and other Endeavours...

One thing I've learned to appreciate greatly since I've been in Zambia is PROGRESS!! Things here (and I assume in other developing countries) just take longer then you could ever imagine. Even simple things are a process, involving continued persistence and effort... instead of getting frustrated (which is easy to do) I have been trying to bask in every small success, because even though they are small they add up to Progress...

In the past few weeks I have...

...Gotten an Deaf 11yr old boy back into school
...Applied to have said 11yr old be put on bursary through Social Welfare
...Conducted Fine-Motor skills lessons on my own (in sign language!!)
...Attended 3 Bemba Tutoring Lessons
...Climbed a mountain (and climbed down barefoot-OW!)
...Got half a fence built
...Attended 2 Agriculture shows (they are alot cooler then you'd think I got awesome recipes for sweetpotato pie, cassava cake and guava jam-yum!)
...Got an oven built! Today!! Yay Baking in the village!
...Started planning several workshops for my Zone and my village (Bamboo Furniture Building...First Aid/CPR Trainging and other fun stuff!)

I am trying to get as much done as possible before the end of the month as I will be out of site almost all of August!I have one week of "Pepfar" - an HIV/AIDS Counterpart workshop in Kasama, then 2 weeks of "In-Service Training" with the rest of my intake in Lusaka (which will mark the end of my community entry period- so we will be going to visit Victoria Falls!! Yay Vaca!)

So its crunch time. I need to go to Africare and see if I can apply to get one of my schools a "Play Pump" (Kids play on a structure while simultaneously pumping water from a water source-COOL!) and go buy a baking pan for my new oven!! Tomorrow's forecast is gate-building and maybe some bread baking? Thursday the Assistant Coordinator of the RED program (Silvester) is coming to visit my site so I will be showing them my place, and the Special Ed school, and going to a meeting at the DEBS (District Education Board Secretary) office with him and Ted. Busy Busy... Can't wait until the weekend!

QUOTE of the WEEK:
Random man passing on a bike: "Madam do you have a husband?"
Me: "No"
Random man passing on a bike: "I want to marry you!"
Me: "But, you don't even know me!"
Random man passing on a bike: "I know you, and I see you, I want to marry you."
Me: "You don't even know my name!" (I'm laughing)
Random man passing on a bike: "Madam, I am serious!"
Me: "No, you are funny!"