let me break it down...

So a lot of people have been I think unclear really about what I am doing in Zambia so let me give you some more details about my job.  My program is called the Rural Education Project aka RED.  It has three mains goals: Volunteers will support teachers in basic and community schools in developing innovative teaching methodologies, Volunteers will support school improvement by providing opportunities for youth to participate in innovative learning opportunities that promote lifelong learning, Community members will benefit from non-formal educationgal activities that promote lifelong learning.  Under each goal there are multiple objectives and I will not bore you with those.   I will give you some ideas of the activities I can do to achieve the 3 above stated goals.  Co-plan/co-teach, assist teachers in implementing child-centered teaching methods, co-produce and use teaching and learning aides, engage in continuing professional development activities with teachers-this means TGMs which stands for teacher group meeting.  It is basically a meeting twice a month for one hour lead by the teachers to help implementing teaching methods.  The TGM I went to was discussing the tracking of literacy rates.  How to asses and how to keep track of the data of pupils in each reading level.  I can also start  clubs such as drama, debate, pen-pals, school gardens, girls club, literacy clubs or even a library.  I am also to work with HIV/AIDS.  this can be with a life skills club or collobrating with the local clinic to have programs about HIV/AIDS.
For the first three months at being at my house, I am not to do any of the above activities.  It is called Community Entry (CE).  I am to observe lessons, attend PTA meetings, TGMs, and visit the other schools in my zone.  I am also to meet the DEBS (which is basically the superindent of the district).  His office is about 28 km from my house.  I have yet to met him because he was not around when I went.  I am also to meet other NGO's in the area.  I met with CARE International and met with the Ministry of Health.  I have in my district CINDI (CHILDREN IN DISTRESS) world vision and africare.  I also met with the chief who lives in Kalomo.  I also have met with several Headmen in the area.  I have been to 4 of the 7 schools in my zone.  Most of my schools are at least 40-50 minutes by bike away.  Most likely I will not being doing much work with them because of the distance.  I can work with whatever school I want and however often I want.  For example, I want to co-plan/co-teach at my Zonal School, which is only 3 km away, 3 times a week and have a literacy club at  school 2 times a week to teach English.  It can change from term to term.  A term is 3 months and they have holiday in april, august and december.  I can work with different teachers each term and if I dont want to teach I can only co-plan or help create teaching and learning aides.  My zonal school is called Nazilongo Basic School.

I live in southern province in the district of Kalomo in the Village of Nazilongo.  Within each district they are broken into zones with a certain amount of schools in each zone.  each zone has a school called a zonal school with a zonal head teacher (what we would call a princepal).  Within my zone I have 7 basic schools which are grades 1-9 and 2 community schools.  The community schools are funded by the community and lack many many things that a basic school has. Most of the time the teachers, maybe 2-3, are pupils who did not pass the grade 7 exam and are now teaching the classes.  The teachers are more than likely paid for by the community and often times not even paid. 
Each schools has a head teacher (principal) a deputy head (Vice principal) and a senior teacher.  The teachers live in the area in houses that were built specifically for the teachers.  At my schools I have 13 teacher currently and 3 student teachers.  One teacher is getting married in sept. so she is moving to another province to be with her husband.  When you finish school, the ministry of education (MOE) places the teachers in a school they do not a say in where they are going. 
I hope this helps!!! Now I am going to give you a massive update about what I have been doing since I arrived at my house in April. 
Before getting posted we had to go shopping for everything:
plates, bowls, knives, brasier, silverware, tupperware, tubs to do laundry in, tubs to wash my dishes in, sheets, comforter, food, charcoal, reed mat, etc.  I did that shopping in Choma which is another boma (bigger village) that has a grocery store and internet cafes etc.  I bought cement for the villages to cement my house.  It is amazing.
28/4/11
picked up my head teacher at school to take her to my house to help unload the cruiser. was greeted by my neighbors. my host mom, mutinta, helped me get water from the pump. carried it on my head. put my tent up because my furniture was not ready yet.
rode the the tarmac (road) they have 3 shops that you can buy soya pieces (tofu basically) sugar, flour laundry soap etc
went to my boma, Kalomo, found the internet cafe, good food place, they even have a gym and a pool table
organize all my papers form the PC
tried making soya not great.  tried making chips (fries) with potatoes, apparently you have to soak the potatoe before you try and cook it. still cant get my fire to light so I started using methalated spirit in a tuna can and it works so much better than charcoal.  and ox cart pulled up to my house while I was reading.  It was jacob, a headman with 2 wives with sand for the cement job.
30/4/11
went to church with a teachers wife, pentacostal church.  It was good.  they start at 8 for bible study and then the service starts at 10-1230.  found a place to charge my phone on the tarmac and there is a farm also by the church that was power that I can charge stuff
ate with my family soya and nsima )a food they eat at least twice a day, it is finely ground corn kernels made into a paste). couldnt find my bike lock keys so we had to cut my bike lock off so i could ride home
my neighbor kid, amanda swept and did my dishes. sewed my citenge so it wont gray.  made some eggs and toast.  my neighbor kids came over we did some math with the flashcards I brought with me.
1/5/11
played ball with the kids.  they make a ball out of plastic bags they find around the area.  had okra and ramen noodles (thanks dad) they try to eat the spaghetti with their hands.  tried making bean burgers that was a bust
4/5/11
did laundry went to kalomo charged my spearks and phone.  took the mini bus to Kalomo for only 10,000 kwacha (the exhange rate is 1 usd =4650 kwacha) bought a crate for the back of my bike to put my groceries.  the men came to my house to cement.  one of my neighbors kennedy brought over pictures of the previous volunteers.  meet my host dads brother.  had a fresh killed chicken for lunch.  they keep asking my when I will be teaching them english, carried 20 liters of water on my head. my host dad plays football (soccer) a lot
6/5/11
gave okra to my host mom for her to cook for us to eat. my bed finally came.  got a hitch on the back of a truch to kalomo.  bought avacodos apples and bananas.  went shopping at the DAPP (its an NGO that does lots of projects but they also have a store basically a goodwill) got the name of a man who does locks so i can get mine done each month
8/5/11
went to macrons a resaurant about 18 kim from my house off the tarmac that has amazing chicken and chips and american music videos tried making fritters that was also a bust. dropped off my citenges for the tailor to sew the edges and picked up my fully charged phone and speakers. my friend drove me to kalomo to buy more cement for my house and my veranda.  my grade 4 neighbor amanda killed a chicken for lunch and dinner.  i drank sweet beer, which is not alcoholic at at but made from sweet potatoes and sugar.  not great.  went to school at 15 t meet with the head to discuss community entry calendar
10/5/11
organize my wardrobe closet, read some books from the PC found a store on the tarmac that sells fresh rolls for only 3000 kwacha for 6 rolls HEAVEN. burned the shit out of my hand trying to cook soya pieces. 

11/5/11
the villages finished cementing my house today.  went to choma to pick up a package from Jbone. got my solar chargers.  got a letter from my head teacher to give to the DEBS to introduce myself.  came home to find my host dad sicker than shit laying in the yard in the hot sun.  he said his hands and feet feel like things are crawling in them.  his friend was praying that the demons come out soon.  found out that amanda is staying with not her family and doesnt even sleep at the house i see her at every night. 
15/5/11
got a hitch to the pentacstal church in Kalomo gave him a fritter and an apple instead of kwacha.  the church was good had a piano drums and singing.  also had people fainting at the end awkward.  went to macrons for lunch.  no shops are open in kalomo on sunday.  met the chief and some other important people and NGO in the area.  the HR person for the ministry of health asked if i drank and told me he would pick me up at my house and take me boozing with him.  had some visitors from safety and secruity from lesotho.  they wanted to see how we live in the real africa.  my host mom asked for candles, she has also asked to borrow my bike, sugar and oil.  amandas dad is an alcoholic that is why she does not stay with her family.  he also has two wives. 
16/5/11
went to school for staff meeting. introduced my self and what coplanning/teacing will look like. traveled to another school in my zone, tara basic school.  the head teacher at that school has solar panels and I was able to watch some news.  toured his school and came home.  he also has a car and dvd player in his office at school.  they have a school garden.  the teachers asked me to give them things like books, pens etc and one teacher asked to use my bike pump. told her no.  helped my host dad water his cabbage. helped my host sister, rabecca find sweet potatoes for her snack at school.
18/5/11 tried to go to another school got lost went to kalomo and day drink instead.  played some pool and listened to american music.  went to school sat in the staff room and helped a teacher with some homework for his distance education class.  the teachers have the same issues that american teachers do.  bought some chicken sausages and had it for dinner, my host mom mutinta cooked it for us. 
19/5/11
made some jungle oats (oatmel) my host dad goes to the tarmac to drink beer a lot.  went to moonde basic school. the head was not around so i met with the deputy head.  i had been to that school before on second site visit so I did not stay long.  i went to the clinic. found out some info everything the clinic has to offer is free. free condoms free family planning(birth control) free malaria meds FREE.  cleaned my insaka (gazebo) my neighbor lady, doreen had peanuts and fish drying on her tin roof and put a child on the roof to collect the food before it rained.  doreen went to choma and bought fresh fish for us to eat. 
20/5/11
it was open day at school.  at the end of every term the pupils take exams in grade 7 and 9 they determine whether the pupils passes on to the next grade.  school is also supposed to be free from grades 1-7 grades 8/9 cost about 40,000-100,000 kwacha depends on the school and the needs or projects they have going on that term.  open day is held, should be held every term to give the pupils their report cards to tell them the grades in the class.  they also rank the pupils and hand out notebooks, pencils and rubbers to the pupils who rank well and also most improved.  the program started late and went until about 13 hours.  i have about 400 pupils at my school and only 36 parents showed up.  if the parents who child ranked well the parents would go up and carry them back to their seat one parent gave the child money and another gave food.  it is really exciting i think i can make this is a big deal and hopefully will encourage the pupils to work hard if it is made into a big production. 

21/5/11
got a hitch from some local white zambians who own a farm and gave me a bag of oranges.
this is taken from my journal so it is not everything i did in a day as you can tell.  just trying to give you a run down of what i do.  i collect water about every 3 days i also have a water filter that i fill to purify my water to make it drinkable.  i did laundry this morning.  i have a solar shower that i set out at the beginning of the day and shower around 16ish.  i eat with my family for lunch and dinner and normally only have some fruit for breakfast. 


again it is very random but at least a glimpse of what i do.
below is a list of words zambian vs. american

revision-review/study
knock off-end time
snaps-photos
tropics-flip flops
tomatoe sauce-ketchup
takeaway-togo
softie-soda
complusory-mandatory
flat-apartment
lift-hitch hiking
trousers-pants
tarmac-road
pupil-student
tick-check mark
coke light-diet coke
filing station-gas station
petrol-gas
sketch-drama
rubber-eraser

I think that is all for now.  Thanks for reading hope this clears up any questions
Be Free.

update from the bush

so I moved into my new house about 3 weeks ago. My community cemented the inside of my house. and I got a place to put all my solar things.  I have been to one school to visit and see what their needs are.  I have just been living the bush life and getting a schedule.  Today I tried to go to a school but got lost and ripped my skirt and ran out of water so I went to my boma (aka town) and shopped.  I have a meeting at school today called a TGM aka teacher group meeting.  I have 7 schools in my area that I am able to work with but they are at least an hour away by bike if not further so I dont know how much I will be working with them.  I think I want to concentrate my time at one school and see what I can do for them.  I went to visit the ministry of health (aka deparement of health ) last week and was asked if I drank and the guy said he could pick me up from my hut and take me to the boma to drink with them.  awkward. not much too add because I do not have my journal in front of me to tell all that has happened.  It looks like I have my work cut out for me beacuse my 4th grade neighbor cannot even regognize the alphabet.  Everyone I have met wants to learn english.  Sorry this is so random but I don't have much to say
Love you guys
BE FREE.