Caterpillars for Lunch and the Start of the Project

After being oriented nonstop for the past month, I feel fully prepared to take on... nothing. The set-up of the upcoming year is more or less a complete mystery, and I'm practically re-learning how to tie my shoes in Zambian. I've spent the past several weeks being given lectures on how to conduct international research, use online databases, act in culturally sensitive manners, stay safe abroad, and understand the structure of the research organization. With such excellent preparation, you wouldn't expect that within three days of my feet touching African soil, I have had something lost, something stolen, have put my enormous feet in my enormous mouth, gotten turned head-over-rear about how to use the Internet, and have failed entirely to understand the basics of research concepts. Yep, batting a big 0.0 right now.

Despite this, I"m actually enjoying myself immensely. My colleagues are very kind, and have been generous with their time and patience. I've tried some new foods, including nshima (the polenta-like staple of the diet), fried caterpillars, fish heads, trotters, anchovies, and what might have been either wart-hog or hippo (depending on who you ask). I haven't gotten sick (yet). I have a fantastic house and great housemates. I managed to track down a very, very long game of ultimate Frisbee (I'm blaming the altitude for my windedness). Doing alright, indeed.

Today, I'll be done orienting. It'll conclude the 3 weeks at the NIH in Washington, DC, 3 days in Birmingham, AL, and the 1.5 weeks here in Lusaka. I'll join my research project full time tomorrow. Here we go!