Code-switching

Code-switching- (n) modification of behaviour to adjust to cultural norms


Benefits of village life:
You can always hear children laughing (and okay, sometimes crying)
No electricity, water, gas, or cable bills
You never have to scrub your toilet, bathtub, or kitchen counters
You never have to vacuum (but sweeping is a necessity, especially outside)
You never have to worry about a dishwasher, refrigerator, washing machine, dryer, oven, or television needing repair
You don't have to have misplaced paranoia about microwaves giving you radiation poisoning
Because there's no WiFi, you can text/call/facebook from anywhere
You never have to call a plumber
You are never stuck in traffic
You don't have to worry about buying gas, car insurance, registration fees, or oil changes
Sleeping under your mosquito feels like camping out in a fort every night
You get to bathe under the stars or while watching the sunrise
You can control the temperature of your bath water absolutely perfectly
There's always time to rest, to read, to play, to just be

This list is partly in jest but is meant to show some of the pleasures of living in a different way than we're used to in the U.S.

I wanted to take the opportunity to list some of the major differences between Zambian and American life that I have noticed so far, from a perspective of being here only a month or so (time is speeding along!)

Zambian definition of nakedness is from the belly button to the knees, for women. Women wear long skirts made from fabric called chitenge (or chikwembi in Lunda). While chitenge come in many colours and are a way to express fashion, they are also conservative and multi-purposed, as baby carriers, pot holders, head wraps (chitambala), picnic blankets, etc. Wearing close-fitting pants that show the shape of the thighs is inappropriate, which has been a struggle for me who loves wearing leggings to run or do yoga in. That being said, I love wearing chitenge. The folds at your waist make perfect little pockets for your phone, money, or emergency t.p.

Children are given a high degree of independence, allowed to self-soothe when they cry and roam freely to play with each other. Compared to Zambians, modern American parenting patterns look like intense coddling.

That being said, family is integral to the culture and is broadly extended, so cousins are more like brothers and sisters. My little host sister calls all her aunts 'Mommy' or sometimes 'Momiwe,' an adorable portmanteau of mommy and the Bemba word for 'you' (iwe), often shouted at misbehaving children. She even calls me Momiwe (or Jacqueliney), usually when I'm tickling her.

Picking your nose in public is totally okay.

Talking about the bathroom, however, is socially unacceptable. One does not announce they are going to the bathroom, just politely excuses themselves. There are a number of endearing euphemisms, including "I think I need to pick some mushrooms." One does not show they are carrying toilet paper, nor ever expose their underwear. The clothing that touches one's personal areas is considered to be also highly personal. After underpants are washed, they must be hung to dry inside the house, where no one will see them.

Direct eye contact is seen as aggressive; it is most polite to look a little away from someone's eyes when greeting them. I keep forgetting, however, and have been spared social censure so far.

Personal space is not a thing- relating to the family, people are extensions of one another, part of a collectivist whole. If we are all one, bubbles of personal space doesn't compute.

Relatedly, greetings are very important. One wants to know where you are coming from, what is happening behind you to create your motivation for the day. Greeting also acknowledges and cherishes each other's existence, as well as shows respect. Lunda uses situational greetings, so instead of just saying 'Hello' or 'Good morning' you might say the equivalent of 'Good visiting,' 'Good sitting,' 'Good returning,' or even 'Good church-going.'

There is a whole phenomenon about time in Zambian culture, but I'll save that for another blog post.

I hope to continue building this list as I integrate into Zambian society, especially in my village in Ikelenge! Code-switching has been interesting so far- there is a huge pull to revert to American culture when around the other trainees, then return to greeting my host family appropriately when I'm returning home. What a pleasure, to be simultaneously a member of two different cultures!

Xenophile

Xenophile - (n) a person who is attracted to foreign cultures, peoples, and ideas.

I'm sitting on the stoop of my hut at my homestay, in the Chongwe district of Lusaka Province, Zambia. It's unfathomable how much I've experienced and thought in the time I've been here. I can already tell Peace Corps is going to expand my mind immeasurably. Upon arriving in the pouring rain, my host mother and host sister greeted me warmly and helped me set up my hut. It's a one room affair with a tin roof and a lovely little porch. After I settled in a little bit and managed to hang my mosquito net, I went to sit and chat with more of the family. One approximate flood of Lunda words later, I sat with my host sister while she braided aMaama's hair. It was amazing how comfortable it felt, even though I was entirely out of my element. Family is family, I suppose. Some of the younger children taught me some songs and dances from their school, including ones featuring phrases such as "God is great and god knows best," and "We can beat HIV, just use responsibility," as well as "Abstinence is the best." How much comprehension was there I can't say, as the children here learn Nyanja in school- no English until later. Eventually we were called inside to eat and I enjoyed a delicious dinner of nshima (part of Zambian identity, as far as I can tell), stewed cabbage, soya pieces with tomato and onion, rice, and tomato soup (which Americans might just call tomato sauce). We wash out hands before and after eating, as nshima is used almost as a utensil to eat everything else. I heard stories about my host sister's daughter, who is two years old but has a personality three times her size. After saying goodnight (and using the Chimbushi for the first time), I relaxed in bed, marveling at how much had been seen and done.

Humans are said to be creatures of habit, rarely breaking from our hammered-in routines. Indeed, the reason Peace Corps Zambia seems so drastic is not the idea of living without comfortable amenities like electricity and running water, as millions of people around the world do this just fine, but the idea of living in a way that is different from what we are used to. It is not uncomfortable to sit on a mud stoop, to cook over a fire, to shower outside in a grass bathing hut using a bucket, or even to squat over a pit latrine. I'm personally amazed at how easy it is to change- without Google, without a common language even. It made me think- what other kinds of things would be easy for people to change, if we just put ourselves in a different frame?
Already I'm appreciating people differently- how hard everyone around me is working just to help their family survive. I hope I never forget the feeling I had falling asleep the first night in homestay: a comforting amalgamation of wonder, surprised contentment, and optimism about my next three months, if not the whole two years here in Zambia.