Ok so the photo's not quite fitting, people aren't actually dressed like that here but I STILL cannot get my photos on this damn site! I am starting to think it's STA's fault and not Zambia's internet or computers.

I have gotten use to life in the village without plumbing and am really enjoying it here. The family I am staying with are so lovely and very welcoming, I have a room to myself and the 6 of them share the other bedroom, I feel a bit guilty about this but they all assure me it is ok and that they are use to having a lot of people in a small space. The washing part is a bit awkward but I am coping with it now. This morning I went to the toilet and left my door ajar, when I got back to my room there was a chicken on my bed!! I spent a good few minutes chasing it out.

Things are going well at the School, I am teaching lots of different Grades and even went to the school across the road to teach for a day as everybody wants me to teach their children. I thought the novelty of seeing a white person would wear off after a day or so but no, I still get followed down the streets by children shouting 'white girl' and I even got 'you must wash a lot' shouted at me by two little boys the other day!! They think I am white because I wash and they are brown because they are dirty! Everyone wants to wave at me and it does get a bit tiresome when I'm just sitting in the house and children and trying to get in the window to look at me. I feel a bit like a monkey in a zoo sometimes but I take photos of things like their shops and women balancing things on their heads so I guess I am just as bad.

I did something bad....Patrick (the teacher from school) lost the piece of paper with my details on and asked me to right them down again, so I made them up (apologies in advance to [email protected] you will be getting some interesting messages!). Problem sorted!! He's not actually that bad now I've worked with him a few times, he usually just gives me a textbook and lets me get on with teaching while he wanders around the school. Tranniska teaches the little ones, Grade 1 &2, I have a favourite already he's called Justin and is in Grade 1, he's the only child in the school that wears shorts and he's so little they cover his knees, he wears them paired with knee high socks with ladybirds on them and a pokemon backpack that's bigger than him and he's very smart for a 5 year old. Although Grade 1 only go to school in the morning he stays all day as his Mother is a Widow who works all day and has no-one to look after him. Merci teaches the Grades 3,4 & 5 she's a lovely lady too. Patrick teaches the Grades 6 & 7, then the children go to High school from Grade 8.

The Malaria tablets are given me really crazy dreams but are keeping me safe and I have stopped getting bitten as I don't sit outside in the evenings. From staying in the last guest house I thought bugs everywhere was the norm but turns out it's just that place. I haven't seen a cockroach here yet, although there are a lot of flies.

This weekend I am being very religious (as everyone out here is) I am going to three different types of church. On Saturday I'm going to a 7th Adventist mass with most of the family I'm staying with, then Sunday morning I am going to Catholic mass at the church joined to the school I'm at and then in the evening I am going to a Pentecostal mass (the ones where they sing and clap and dance and shout out 'Praise the Lord' and stuff) with one of Ivor's sisters.

I am starting to miss home now and think of you lots. Send me messages and let me know what's going on with you lot so I still feel a part of it all. Lots of love xxxxx