AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!!!!! The internet here is so slow I want to scream, I'm STILL trying to get these photos up and have been for 3 weeks but it's just not happening. The people here are suggesting it could be the website or my camera but I know damn well it is their computers and slow internet!!! I'm probably going to just have to wait until I'm in Australia now.

On a different note things here are still alright, the weekend was a bit boring, I only went to two Masses in the end. The 7th Adventist one was mainly in Bemba so I didn't have a clue what they were talking about, although I liked the singing. It was three hours long and if St John's think they can't have Mass because of their roof, they should see this one! It had about 1/3 of it's tiles left and some hanging off and you could see the metal roof through it.

The second Mass was in English at the Catholic Church joint to the school I teach at, it was just a normal Mass and they sang some familiar hymns but with an African twist.

Other than that I have just watched A LOT of football, the African Cup Of Nations is well under way now, with Zambia winning their group and hopefully (depending on tonight's result) not playing Ivory Coast in the quarter finals. I have nearly watched every match, that's two a day for the last week and a half, don't think I've ever watched so much in my life.

I have learnt a few words so far in Bemba. I can say; Good Morning pronounced Marsha-ba-kenny, Fine/Ok pronounced Bwino, Good Afternoon (or some sort of greeting for the rest of the day) pronounced Mar-benny and white girl (I couldn't fail to learn this after having it shouted at me twenty times a day) pronounced Wha-shoong-goo.

Over here time and plans don't really mean much, people are late for everything and no-one bats an eyelid because most people are late. Things don't start on time or take as long as they say they will. Plans don't happen; twice this week we were suppose to visit Merci and I was told we couldn't for various reasons, no-one told Merci and she didn't ask where we were next time we saw her. Nothing happens that should or when it should over here,

No-one says 'Bless you' when they sneeze. The first time I said it, everyone looked at me and I was asked to explain. I guess because it comes from the days of the plague in England so there's no reason why Africans would say it. I have to just hold my tongue now when anyone sneezes.

People say 'Sorry' for things they don't even do, if I drop something or trip over (I do that a lot over here, big feet + stoney pavements is a bad combo!) they say sorry. I've tried explaining that you only apologies for yourself not for my lack of co-ordination but they say it's good manners.

I asked someone whether they ever get bored of eating nshima every day and they came out with a good answer. They said 'food's not made to entertain you, it's made to sustain you. You don't have to like it or enjoy it, it's just eaten to keep you alive'. I thought that was a really different way of looking at things.

They eat (what seems to me like) the oddest combination of food here. One day I had boiled eggs and spaghetti (pasta not the tinned variety), yesterday I had sausage with potatoes, rice, spaghetti and veg all on the same plate (I'm not looking forward to getting into a bikini after a month of a diet based mainly on carbs!). For breakfast one morning I was made an onion and tomato sandwich! Apart from liver (which I tried and didn't like the other day) everything has been nice and I am enjoying the food I just find the combinations so strange compared to what I am use to back home.

The shower/washing situation is fine, I'm use to it by now. One of the girls heats up some water for me in the morning and I only wash my hair every other day. The thing that is bad is the toilet situation, obviously with no running water there is no flush on the toilet. I really feel for the person who has to empty it, it gets emptied once a day so if you go at the end of the day everyone (all 15 people who share the house) have used it all day so you can imagine what it is like. I'm sure it would give any festival toilet a run for it's money!! It makes me gag but I just don't look. Over here if you find a toilet with toilet roll you are lucky, if you find one with a sink and running water it must be Christmas. (You have no idea how grateful I am for my antibacterial handwash Laura Hutchinson!!)

Men drink a lot here, they call us Binge Britain, these bars are open all day and night. People who finish night shifts at the Mines go straight to the pub so there are drunk men around constantly. This is why Ivor doesn't let me go anywhere without him or his sister. A few of them have said leary things (nothing I could understand), one said he wanted to marry me and another asked Ivor whether I could sweep and cook nshima like their women! That's how they decide if they're going to hit on you!!! I told Ivor to tell him where he could stick the broom!

It rains, thunders, lightenings and hails so much at night I honestly get scared the roof will come down on me, it's so noisy it takes forever to sleep and then I'm up at 6am again. I am enjoying myself here and I like teaching the children (although I found out today that my favourite Justin turns into a monster in the afternoon!! To be fair all the other children only stay at school half a day but he's there the whole day) but I am getting a bit restless now and am looking forward to being back in Livingstone this week and heading off for a new adventure in Australia next week.

I am missing home a lot this week, lots of free time gives me lots of time to think. Don't worry about me though I am enjoying every minute (except that first minute I enter the toilet!!). Love you all so much xxxxxxxxx