Grassrooted in Zambia: January 2013

2012: A Year in Review

Muji Bwanji!

First off, I would like to apologize for the incredibly long time between blog posts, i'm not the best with the whole updating posts thing...but hey I guess that's what new year's resolutions are for!

I am writing to you from what has now become a new home to me in Lusaka over the past 3.5 months. My departure in August 2012 was filled with excitement, mystery, and a bit of nervousness as to what lie ahead for this next year with Grassroot Soccer. The first few weeks after landing back on that beautiful African soil flew by as they were filled with orientations, meetings, getting to know my roommates and fellow interns, lots of new information, getting accustomed to my surroundings and office culture, and lots of kisses on the cheek(the typical Zambian greeting)! Not to mention learning to drive on the left side of the road while inadvertently turning on the windshield wipers instead of a turn signal(their on opposite sides as well)...From the moment I arrived in Lusaka the Grassroot team has been nothing but welcoming and kind with their time and knowledge of all things GRS. They have laughed at me as I have tried, and many times failed, to speak Nyanja the local language. I love to describe our office as one big, wonderful dysfunctional family.

Coming into my internship I planned on working heavily in the programs section of GRS Zambia, but as with many nonprofits and life in general, things don't always go exactly as planned. As an intern though I came in also expecting to do any and everything that is thrown my way to the best of my ability. One thing I have noticed and love about the GRS culture is that almost everyone is willing to do whatever they have to to get things done, because at the end of the day it comes back down to the mission this organization was founded on and not about each of us as individuals.So, throughout the past few months I have been splitting my time between helping our programs staff with planning and implementation of our GRS programs throughout Lusaka and assisting with Monitoring & Evaluation of our programs. On the more programmatic side, I have been participating and assisting in Coach Development sessions that occur each week, helping plan and run Voluntary Counseling and Testing tournaments, assist with graduations for participants, and take part in planning of our 2013 intervention schedule at schools throughout Lusaka. Being able to work experience both the programmatic and more research data focused side of the organization has provided with already with a great amount of knowledge and skills that I know will be great assets in the future. I am also very excited about the opportunity to be a part of our research study on a new curriculum that was just created and piloted last year called Skillz Plus. Skillz Plus works with HIV positive youth, along with having all the coaches HIV positive themselves, to provide support and guidance on living a healthy and productive life regardless of their positive status, and also aims to keep them adhering to their ART medicine.

A few major highlights from the past few months include: travelling to Malawi to help assist in an intensive week long Training of Coaches(our training's that allow coaches to become familiar with our GRS curriculum and be ready to implement in their communities) with Peace Corps Volunteers and a counterpart from their communities, helping plan and attend VCT tournaments throughout Lusaka, playing in a tournament with other NGO's, American Embassy staff, and the Zambian Police squad for a World AIDS day event, going to GRS headquarters in Cape Town to have a reunion with the 21 other interns and meet with the CEO/HQ staff to learn from our intern experiences so far, getting to know our AMAZING 112 local Zambian coaches who deliver the GRS curriculum in Lusaka, watching the Chipolopolo(Zambian national team and reigning Africa Cup of Nations champions) defeat Uganda in a packed stadium, travelling around Lesotho, Mozambique, and Swaziland for Christmas/New Year's, and lastly learning that I have so much yet to learn.

Although I have learned so much already in the past few months and have had many highs, there have also been lull's. Some days I feel like there is simply not enough time in the day to get everything done, while other days I am almost begging for more tasks to come my way. Some days I feel like I was perfectly made for this role and that my many years of education are finally paying off, while other days I am terrified by the fact that I have no idea how to complete the tasks put in front of me. Some days I am absolutely in love with Zambian culture, the people, and "African time", while other days I let the frustrations build and it seems like nothing is getting done on time or correctly. Through all the high's and lows in the past few months I take great confidence in the fact that each and every step of the way is just another opportunity for growth and learning, both in the realm of work and on a personal level.

I cannot wait to see what the Lord has in store for me throughout the next 8 months and I want to say thank you so much again for your donation as I would not be able to have this life-changing experience and pursue my passions without your help.

All the best, tizoanana(see you soon),

Casey