06.07.07

Dear Diary,

Alexis is with me now. Sitting beside me picking at her nails with a metal filer. My goodness how indescribable it is to have her with me.

You know that she does not even bite her nails anymore?! Is a full-time veggie, well aside from the fish. …… {Alexis said I have to cut out the rest of this ( Read more... )

So what is it this time? May 4th. I think. 2007. It is Monday. Almost one week since I left Eric. Almost one week I was dropped in the village again, and so much has happened. I have written at least six letters so hopefully I will get some of those in return when I find myself in that states again and I will stick them in my journal. But incase ( Read more... )

“African Moments”

“African Moment # 1: Headaches and cooking Kids”

I arrive back into the village again, after a weekend at Eric’s site. It is June 2nd or 3rd… I think. Waiting for me, sitting quietly in front of my hut are three little kids in raggedy soiled clothes. So cute in all their pudginess. I notice however, that one of them has ( Read more... )

So I always seem to write about the personal thought process things first and then leave out the cultural stories of my day today life. And though I am tempted to do so again. I will not. Rather. I will give you a glimpse into (what lately has felt like a movie) the “happenings” of my Life.

It all started the day I got posted back into ( Read more... )

My mission… exactly. There are so many ways of answering that. But I think I know what you are looking for, my work.  -  In the late 90s Zambia underwent decentralization with regards to their healthcare system. Meaning that previously it worked as a top down approach: The Ministry of Health [MOH] would budget and assess needs, then pass on funding ( Read more... )

            It is 6:52 and if it were not for the ‘shoulds’ and ‘shouldn’ts’ of my life I would be happy to be awake. Quiet. as the world, or my side of it anyways, begins its dawn. I went to bed late last night and it wasn’t exactly a sound sleep, so I imagine that I ‘should’ be tired. Groggy. As the night’s sleep the day before was the same. ( Read more... )

BUDDHISM
DEFINITIONS [‘cause, ya-see, in different religions the same word means somthin’ different]

Buddha:         ‘awakened one’
Mahayana:     ‘greater vehicle.’ a school of Buddhism
                        aim: the liberation of allbeings
                        Bodhissattva: the ideal figure who, from compassion, postpones hir own
well-merited ( Read more... )

So here are some of my thoughts from my luxurious day here in Chipata, Zambia as I found a random book called “Awareness Beyond Mind:”

To be a writer. Communication.    Eric once wrote that ‘communication’ consists of sending AND receiving. And I think I see a way in which that also applies to writing. My writing anyways. Well, at least to my ( Read more... )

April 6, 2007

An afternoon alone. A luxury. A morning, an afternoon, in silence. No one looking. No one staring. No one knocking. No one to worry about. Walking around with nothing but a big t-shirt on. Cooking in my pajamas. Napping. Reading on the couch. A luxury. A luxury in Zambia. A luxury in Zambia I do not think many Peace Corps volunteers ( Read more... )

I woke up a bit better this morning. I had been a bit of a mess the past couple days if we are being honest. It is the whole attachment brings suffering scenario. - Me being attached to the idea of being posted on Thursday and Jeff telling me I was being posted on Wednesday. Today. When I heard that, I thought that time was taken away from me. When ( Read more... )