MAGIC BLOG DECODER

I realize that I probably say a lot of stuff that doesn't make sense (and let me know if I've forgotten something that you've been scratching your head over), so here's a handy decoder:

Places

Arcades - Mall in Lusaka where I use the internet
Boma - The district capital city. In my case, I live in Serenje District, so the Boma is Serenje the town
Chachachas - A hostel in Lusaka
Chalilo - A village about thirty kilometers away from me where Kapria worked for awhile
Chongwe - Town near Lusaka where we had our training
Cikandakanda - Village near Mpelembe where Jameson Kunda lives and Chenga Community School is
GM - Store in Serenje
Kabulunga - Section of Lusaka where Peace Corps office is
Kabwe - The capital of Central Province
Kasanka - National Park about forty kilometers from me
Kuomboka - Hostel I usually stay at in Lusaka
Lusaka - The capital of Zambia about eight hours away where the Peace Corps main office is and the grocery stores
Manda Hill - Mall in Lusaka
Miseshi - Village where Kapiria's aunt lives
Mkushi - Another boma in Central Province about four hours away where there is internet
Mpelembe - The village where I live; Also the name of my school and my school zone
Peace Corps House - A hostel/office for Central Province volunteers to stay when they go to Serenje
Serenje - The town two hours away I go to for groceries or to stay at Peace Corps House
Shoprite - Big grocery store in Lusaka
Spar - Big grocery store in Lusaka
Tushenis - A store in Serenje where I often shop and where got Finnigan

People

Akafuna, Miss – Teacher
Amambuns – Lady who sells buns
Brenda Mwelwa – Justin’s wife
Bupe Mwelwa – Justin and Brenda’s young son
Bwalya, Mrs – Teacher
Cawrence / Collins Mwelelwa – The Headman
Chanda – Annoying teenager girl
Charles Mwelelwa – Adult Mwelelwa son
Chisenga Mrs. – The deputy head of my school
Chisupa, Mr – Teacher
Chitambo, Ms – Teacher
Christa Bell Kunda – Jameson’s wife
Christabelle Kunda – Wife of Jameson Kunda
Chulu Kaiyaya – Conganese Villager
Cispon Mwelelwa – Child Mwelelwa
Crisson Mwelelwa – Child Mwelelwa
Darius Chisenga – Head Teacher
Darius Chisenga – The headmaster and zonal head of my school; My main counterpart
Darius Kabwe – Teacher
Dorothy Sinkwaya - Hostmom during training
Elizabeth Kunda – Daughter of Jameson Kunda
Fergus, Mr – NHC
Goiter man – Creepy shopkeeper who we keep our bikes with
Goiterman – Shopkeeper
Hamabaza – Agricultural Ext Agent
Henry Mwelelwa – Adult Mwelelwa son
Iron Mumba – Father of the neighbors
J – Deaf old man
Jameson Kunda – Chenga Community School teacher
Jameson Kunda – Helpful guy and head teacher of Chenga School
Jane Mwelelwa – Headwoman
Joshua Mumba – Third oldest Mumba son
Judah – Creepy shopkeeper
Junior – Justin’s son
Justin Mwelwa – Helpful friend turned into drunk
Kalunga Mumba – Second oldest teenage Mumba son; Terrible guy
Kamulia Sinkwaya – Hostsister during training
Kapiria – Teenage boy who knows a little English
Kaseloki – The ZIC of my school; Also a counterpart
Kaseloki – ZIC
Kasolo – Old Clinical Officer at the clinic
Kasolo, Mr – Clinic
Kumwenda, Ms – Teacher
Maggie Chisenga – Deputy Head Teacher
Makumba / Odrick Mumba – Fifth oldest Mumba son
Martha Sinkwaya – Hostsister during training
Matson – Casual Daily Employee (aka janitor) at the clinic
Matson, Mr – Clinic
Moria Sinkwaya – Hostsister during training
Morise – Conganese carpenter
Mulenga – Environmental Health Technician at the clinic
Mulenga, Mr – Clinic
Muleya, Mr – Teacher
Musonda Sinkwaya / Bufiboy – Hostbrother during training
Mwansa, Mr – Teacher
Mwansa, Mrs – Teacher
Mwape – Justin’s daughter
Mwape – Nice shopkeeper
Mwape – Shopkeeper
Neighbor Lady / Mrs. Mumba – Mother of the neighbors
Ngosa / La Kantini / Beverly Mumba – Fourth oldest Mumba and the only daughter
Patty Mumba – Youngest Mumba son
Peg Mwelelwa – Only Mwelelwa teenage daughter
Peter – South African Farmer who lives 50 kilometers away
Robinson Sinkwaya – Hostdad during training
Triza – Fritter seller
Victor Mumba – Oldest Mumba teenage son; Terrible guy
Weston – Fumba Community School Teacher
Winet – Fumba Community School Teacher
Wizzy Mwelelwa – Teenage Mwelelwa son

Animals

Abraham – Rooster we bought to try to keep away Old Ugly, but ended up giving to the neighbors; Father of our chicks
Artic – “My” chick; Was taken by chickenhawk
Changa - My baby bushbaby
Chipmunk – “Doug’s” chick who was stolen
Cibukishu - The Mumba goat named "Rememberance" after Doug
Corncob – Multicolored chicken on the bottom of the pecking chain
Eggy - One of my chicks
Finnigan / Finny / Fins / Small Fins / Small Kitz / Finnycakes – Younger cat we love very much
Fireball – Reddish chicken
Headless Chicken – Any chicken who doesn’t have feathers on its neck and head
New Chicken – Black and white chicken who hatched chicks (but they were mostly Fireball’s chicks)
Old Ugly – Terrible headless rooster that crowed all the times; Paid the neighbors to eat him
Peeps – Chick we thought was a girl but ended up being a boy, so we gave her away
Pegasus - My female baby goatsie
Piddles - Kitten that immidiately died
Pochohantas / Poco – Golden chicken
Potato - My beast of a goat
Professor / Fessors – Tabbycat that Peter gave us that was killed by villagers or ran away
Puddles - Newest kitten
Spud - My male baby goatsie
Stingsworth - One of my bee swarms
Vulture - One of my chicks
Wee Wee Wee - One of my chicks

Peace Corps Terms

Adminsep – Administrative Seperation (aka being fired)
APCD – Head of the various Peace Corps projects
CAHP – Community Action Health Project
COS – Close of Service (aka finishing your two years)
ET – Early Termination (aka to quit)
HAP – HIV and AIDS Project
IST – In Service Training
LIFE – Linking Income Food and the Environment
Medsep – Medical Seperation (aka being sent home/fired for medical reasons)
PCMO – Peace Corps Medical Officer
PCV – Peace Corps Volunteer
PCVL – Peace Corps Volunteer Leader; Coordinating extension volunteer who lives at the Peace Corps House
RAP – Rural Aquaculture Project
RED – Rural Education Development; My project

School Terms

Chenga – One of my Community Schools
Community School – Village run school out in the bush
Fumba – One of my Community Schools
Government School – School funded by the Ministry of Education
GRACE - Teaching training
IRI – Interactive Radio Instruction; aka LTM; Radio program for teachers to follow
Life Skills - The class I teach to 8th and 9th grade (HIV, setting goals, gender, etc)
LTM – Learning at Taonga Market; aka IRI; Radio program for teachers to follow
Monitoring - Visiting community schools to see how they're doing
Mpelembe – My school; The Zonal Head School
Zonal Head School – Central school in a given area; My school is one
Zonal Resource Center - Building where the future library will be

Bemba and Zamlish Terms

Amaguy – Drunk guy
Ba - Sir/Madam
Babula – Brazier; Cooking thing
Bamaayo - Mother
Banakashi - Sister
Bandume - Brother
Bataata - Father
Bemba – The Bantu language spoken in Central, Northern, and Luala Pula Provinces
Bwana – Rich Person
Bwino - Positive repsonse to "Muli shani?" greeting
Citimene - Slash and burn agriculture method; aka burning down Zambia once a year
Icikanda – “African bologna” – Meat tasting jello made from a root and peanuts
Icimbusu – Pit Latrine
Ifisash – Cooking vegetables with peanut powder
Impashi – Flesh eating ants
Insaka – Outdoor cooking shelter
Kwacha – Zambian currency
Juju - Witchcraft
Lala – Language similar to Bemba spoken in Mpelembe
Muli shani? - Typical greeting meaning "How are you?"
Muzungu - White Person
Nshima – Staple food made of corn or cassava
Nsolo - Game like mangala
Pacibulia - Game like mangala
Pin – Zambian currency
Relish – Vegetables or meat eaten with nshima
Tute – Cassava
Ubwali – Staple food made of corn or cassava
Ulushishi - Strips of bark used as rope
Umulilo - Fire

Other Terms

ABC - Abstinence, Be Faithful, Condoms - How to prevent HIV
Brazier – Cooking thing
Bushbaby - Small nocturnal monkey
Bushnote - Throwing a note somewhere and seeing if it will make it to its destination
Catapult - Slingshot
IGA – Income Generating Activity
Minibus – Terrible van busses things
Natural Fiber - See "ulushishi"
Road – The intersection of the Mansa road and the dirt path to Mpelembe where there are shops and bars
Soya Pieces - Fake meat made of soybeans - delicious!
Tap - Draw water
Tarmac – Paved road
Thatch - Grass roof
Tropical – Flipflop
Under 5 - Weighing babies at the clinic