Veins Full of Africa

As my previous post from 2 and 1/2 years ago talks about (hard to believe it has been that long), Africa can sometimes get into people's blood.  Like Malaria, Ebola, and all those other wonderful ailments, Africa gets into some people's system and there it stays.  Sure enough, Raine was right, and I'm heading back to Africa.  This time to a little, landlocked country called Zambia...

Located in Southern Africa this little gem will be my "home" and work site for the next 27 months - beginning in February.  I was accepted into the Peace Corps in October 2011 year and now I am on my way to more Southern latitudes.  While in the Peace Corps I'll be working on different agroforestry projects.  Most of the focus will be working with a community to improve their food security, generate more income, and helping to conserve and improve biodiversity.


A bit about Zambia.  Located in Southern Africa, this country is landlocked and surrounded by seven nations (Namibia, Malawi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Botswana, Tanzania, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Angola).  The capital is a city called Lusaka, which is home to around 1.75 million people.  Broken up into nine provinces, the country is roughly the size of Texas, without the ego.  ("Everything is bigger in Texas."  Nope, the brains are just smaller.)  Only joking.


Back to Zambia.  Once a British colony, called Northern Rhodesia, it is home to some really amazing sights, like Victoria Falls, the Zambezi River, and many world-class National Parks.  The country gained its independence from the British in 1964 and since then it has been on its own.  There are two main seasons in Zambia - rainy and dry.  The rainy season is from November to April, while the dry season is May to October, roughly.


As this is my first post and I don't want to run out of things to type about before I even leave I will call that good for now.