What am I doing? Ask the people at the borehole ;)

I am really getting into the groove of things, I think ;) I have pretty much met everyone in my catchment (the 10 villages around my area). I have told them who I am and what I'm hoping to work on with them. I am also almost done helping the elections for all these villages new neighborhood health comittees (NHCs). These NHCs are groups of leaders in the communities who are interested in working to better their communities health. So once we are done doing all the elections my next task will be to compose a proposal with the health center committee chairman to coordinate a multiple day health education training for these new leaders. This training will encompass the 6 main health thrusts in the basic health care package here, which are; malaria, tb, hiv/aids, intergrated reproductive health, water and sanitation, and child health and nutrition. Hopefully, with my chairmen's help with the local language translation (he is an awesome translator for me when needed and such an asset to the community) we can create a training for these NHCs that will be interactive and educational. So, then they will better be able to provide accurate and fun health education within their villages as well as eventual some health intervention projects. I'm excited, things are coming along. Everyone has been really receptive and loves when I speak my garbled chinyanje ;) Other than writing talks in local language (which takes quite a bit of time for me ;), I have been biking alot to do talks, reading alot, and making some pumpkin cake (pumpkin is in season so people give us gifts of it alot--we are quite the basic bakers now ;). The heading of this post eludes to our housing situation. I really love our place and being right by the borehole is great because carrying water is heavy and I'm seemingly not as strong as most 10 years old here who carry water as well ;) But the borehole is also a social area, kinda like the mall for teenagers in the US ;) So when people get their water they also chat. They chat about alot of things including those 'musungos' (aka whitties--us). It's fine I know we are new and kind of interesting so people talk. I rather they come chat to us then about us but it will die down I'm sure. And I'm happy that my language skills are not perfect, because I probably don't want to know all of what they think of me ;) But waking up at 4am (that's when people start getting water cause the light is coming out;) to people chatting about you outside your window is rough sometimes. And sometimes it's just funny, really I am sure some people at the borehole now more about my life then I do ;) The other day we were eating nsima, the local dish, I have learned how to make it and we really do enjoy it. So we were having dinner outside and there was quite a stir around the borehole that the musongos were eating nsima ;) Rob and I kid about doing dramatizations in front of our place like after school specials about healthy relationships and things since we always have a pretty captive audience ;) Rob helped me carry water back the other day, people loved it ;) The lesson of the day sharing house work among couples, maybe ;) But really everyone has really welcomed us warmly and I feel excited about me next two years. Miss you all.