busy, busy, busy!

It has been a crazy week. My two bosses from canada arrived last saturday morning and we spent all week facilitating a workshop for thirty people. I arrived for work by 7am every day and the earliest I got home was 6pm. It was a great week - alot of learning, good ideas and fellowship, but it was also a very stressful busy week! We didn't even have a venue until the friday before and then we had to switch to a new place for our second day. But it was nice to have Philip and Peter around and we straigtend up some things with my supervisor here as far as what my role will be in January. So hopefully I'll get out of the office more often and actually do some community development work! Very excited about that.

Aside from the craziness of the workshop I had the craziness of moving. I am finally living in my new house! It is nice, but I haven't really had time to enjoy it since I have been so busy. It is quiet and I miss the kamaris but having my own space is really nice too. I leave for Zambia on thursday for my christmas holidays and when I get home the house will be filled with my roommate's family. Pip's parents and grandfather are coming for a visit so that will be great fun.

I'm looking forward to Zambia, especially since I recieved my credit card in the mail today - I am no longer poor! I will spend one day in Kenya on my way there and another on my way back since the flights are silly. I arrive in Lusaka, the Zambian capital on friday and my friend Miriam, another WV intern working in DRC, will meet me there on saturday. We head out to Livingstone on the 24th and we'll spend Christmas at victoria falls. We have a couple of adventures planned including canoeing on the Zambezi river and a night game drive. It will be good to just be a tourist for a bit!

It is weird to think that it is christmas though. At home there is a lot of snow, and here it is hot and sunny. Well, hot and sunny when it isn't cold and raining. :) The traffic circles are decorated for christmas and some of the big hotels are as well. If it weren't for these garlands and lights standing out and catching my attention I might forget that christmas is so close! But I have been listening to Christmas music trying to get into the spirit.

I don't know what my internet access in Zambia will be like, so just in case, Merry christmas to everyone! And a happy new year.