This is my language group. We spent about 4 hours each day together learning Tonga. The fellow with the small child is our language and cross-culture liaison/teacher. We also did site visits together, meaning that we visited villages as a group. We all basically get along well and have gotten to know each other pretty well. This photo is Me, Renee, Natalie, Ryvin, Cryvin, and Spring taken when we were sworn in as volunteers.




This is some friends in the HIV and AIDS project group. We took a walk to a dam and posed for shots. Me, Matt, Fraser (blonde) and Katie. Fun group, we have fun and like to laugh.











This is Ethan, obviously an adorable 3-month old child that I was fortunate enough to stay with while here in training. Cute, eh?













This is Leon. I actually have a short video of him dancing that is hilarious. He is totally cute and often stared at me with his big eyes. He is one happy fella.






That is some pics for you all. Things are good and will try to update again in a month or so.

best. niko.

about to post

This is my host family with whom I stayed during training. Pictured are my host mother and father (Mr and Mrs Milimo Miyoba, back) along with Busiku (front young girl), Viola and her 1 year old son Leon. Mrs. Miyoba has their 3 month old son strapped to her back.

I will try and post more pics.

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Hi All,
I am about to get taken to the village where I will be living for the next two years.

I do not really feel so nervous and am really looking forward to staying in one place for a while as training has been hectic with me sleeping all over the place. I think I might feel differently if I had not lived in other places “alone” before. I don’t know how alone I will actually be as I will be in a village surrounded by very curious Zambians.

I am staying right now at a PCVL (Peace Corps Volunteer Leader) house in Choma that houses the provincial leader for Southern Province.

Computer access here is pretty good, but this place is about 3-4 hours from my village and I don’t see making regular trips here for e-mail purposes. I will probably wait and head up to Lusaka and visit friends there rather than come here.

Language is going well, I passed a proficiency exam, and look forward to actually speaking regularly while here in Southern Province. I am learning quite a bit as I practice with locals here on a regular basis.

I have purchased a cell phone for ease of my work here and for people in–country and out of country to get a hold of me. Number is 097-410-730.

We are currently awaiting petrol so that we can be transported to our sites. Apparently it is affecting the posting of PC volunteers all over Zambia as most of us are just waiting at the provincial houses in each of the seven provinces that we are being posted to. So we are hanging out in a house together and reading and eating and trying not to spend our PC stipend (Four HIV volunteers are still here as there was enough petrol to post three of the seven of us. There are three LIFE (Linking Income to Food and the Environment) volunteers coming to southern province as well).

The petrol situation is unclear and I have heard varying reports of what is going on.

Anyway, that is news from Zambia for now. I may try and update in the next few days when near a computer or will leave it until I come into Choma again (about a month to celebrate the birthday of one of the HIV volunteers).

Take care and best to all.
Love, Niko.