I lied, I'm back!

Just bought more time because I was able to load pictures onto this computer!!! here are some shots and I think one video of the village I visited during first site visit singing to us!

Me at the wedding with a random cling on

Paul my language teacher

sorry they take forever to load I will get back with more later!

I made it to Zambia!

Hey everyone I know it has been a long time since I have last posted but it is really hard to get onto the internet when you only have a really shitty phone and no service. I am in Lusaka today shopping and getting ready for my second site visit. I am going to Hunter's site for the visit but also have the advantage of getting to see my own site and where I will be living on the way. I know this has to be a very brief post because I have already spent 23 mins of my 30 minute allowance just trying to load this page.

Training is going great. At our first site visit we everyone I went with got food poisoning. It was very interesting, but I blame it on the vegetarian lifestyle... Zambia is really amazing. I have never met nicer people in my life. Everyone here believes that everyone is brothers and to be free.  I am training in a place called Chipembi it is north of Lusaka and I am pretty sure that you can find it on Google Earth. I am staying with a really nice host family in Suse village. Michael and I both live there. It is really hard getting used to all the biking we have to do all the time, but hopefully soon my legs will be conditioned.


My language is Lunda, so I will be posted up in the Northwest province of Zambia. I am headed to the village of Kanzala right on the Kabompo river between Solwezi and Mwinilunga. Since I have been in training I have build a chicken house with my host family, acquired a sling shot that I am becoming very good with, but have seen no real "african" wildlife. Many years ago there was a bad drought in Zambia and to feed themselves the Zambians killed just about every living thing they could find besides each other. But there are lots of game reserves around that you can visit to see elephants and the like.

Staging in Philadelphia went over pretty well without much problems. I was running on very little sleep, and to make matters worse we had to catch a bus to New York at 2:30a.m. on Wednesday. I volunteered to be one of 4 team leaders, but after a night out in Philly with all the new friends I became only one of 2 leaders that morning to get everyone to Africa. It as actually really funny, and we all still tease Sam about it now and again.

I got to go see a traditional wedding the other day which was very fun! There is a lot of dancing involved and it is custom that when dancing or seeing the bride and groom to shove money down her chest into her wedding dress. I think it is really funny how different it is between America and here, and I will post soon about only that! But for example little 14 year old girls in the states listen to taylor swift and constantly are glued to their ipods and phones. Here in Zambia and most of Africa they are carrying 5 gallon buckets of water filled to the top perfectly balanced on their heads! I will post pictures and videos of everything I am explaining. I have great pictures of my host family, some of the other trainees, and of life in general so far.

Hope all is well back home, and I will try to get back on soon! Love yall much!

Time to fly, because time flies.

So the adventure begins, here 30 mins before my cellphone number goes dead, after calling many friends, and an afternoon of last minute shopping and rearranging/repacking all of my luggage...

Well to sum up this last two weeks: Fun, relaxing, decompression, more fun rafting w/ Tom (really going to miss you bro), swimming, and Bandit. I also got a visit from Bri, Elise, and Ashton during which time I realized that I am just amazing at making dreams come true. I got a chance to do lots of four-wheeling, helping dad out here and there (a little), and reading my book. Mom (I love you and you are amazing) slaved over her sewing machine time and again to prepare me for my African adventure! She made me a pillow protector for my new camping pillow, as well as some pillow cases for it. But even better, was the truly remarkable hammock stuff sack she made for me! I don't have a picture of it now, but I will put one up soon! It is even better than the one that the hammock came in, and looks very spiffy. Thanks mom! It was very nice to escape to Maine, it truly is God's country and surely the way life should be.

I just want to say that I am not very nervous... everyone keeps asking me if I am. But I do feel very anxious to get started. The anxiety is dulled due to the severe lack of sleep from last night. Even tonight I might get just a few hours. I do find it weird that after all the months of counting down, it is finally the last night. Its a weird feeling knowing that in two days I will be falling asleep on a completely different continent!

Tomorrow morning I head to the airport in Portland, Maine to catch a flight to Philadelphia. Tomorrow I will begin Peace Corps orientation at 2:30, and end at 7:30ish. No rest for the weary, we get to catch about 4-5 hours sleep (if I am not out catching a couple beers with my new friends) before we have to meet outside the hotel at 2:30am!!!!! We will then ride a bus to NYC and leave on a big jet around 11. I fly non-stop from NCY to Johannesburg, South Africa. It is a 15.5 hour flight and I intend to catch up on all this lost sleep then. I will first be stepping foot on African soil on Wednesday early in the morning, and pausing for a short layover. then TO ZAMBIA!!!!

I can't wait to tell yall about training, and what the people are like. I will most definitely be complaining about the heat, how hot it is, how much I'm sweating, and again about the heat... I apologize now in advance to all my family down south; complaining about the heat is nothing new, but I am sure that it falls upon sore ears. My only hope is that all my luggage makes it there in once piece theft and damage free.

I will surely miss not being just a text or phone call away from y'all, but I promise I will due my best to stay safe and have fun. I do not look forward to saying good-bye to mom and dad tomorrow, because I know deep down it hurts all of us a little or a lot. Tomorrow is a new day beginning a new chapter, I love you all! Please pray for me. Cheers!

p.s. I know I leave the country in times that are rocky and tough. There are many problems and issues that continue to arise and never find answers (or the answers we do find are lost in the battle for power and control). May God watch over, protect, and BLESS the United States of America!

Almost Home

So I am almost home but got an email with a bunch of information!

first for the official description of my position out of my welcome book:


Rural Aquaculture Promotion (RAP) Project :
Volunteers are helping the Department of Fisheries to develop fish-farming projects that will improve livelihoods in rural communities. After determining rural farmers’ needs and resources, Volunteers provide technical assistance in establishing dams, furrows, fishponds, and integrated agriculture. In addition
to providing an excellent source of nutrition for rural families, surplus fish and agricultural products are sold to provide substantial supplementary income. Volunteers provide training in small agribusiness skills to assist farmers in applying a business orientation toward their farming activities. Volunteers also help build the organizational development capacity of fish-farming associations.

Now for some contact information! My phone number as yall know it now will forever be discontinued. I will take my blackberry with me to Zambia and I will be getting a new number and local service over there, WHERE you can text me or facebook me pretty much all you want. no calls please, and the number will be posted as soon as I get the new phone plan.

ADDRESS: you can write to me for the first 3 months of service here:

Bryan Watkin, US Peace Corps/Zambia, PO Box 50707, Lusaka, Zambia


That is where I will be for a while. Tomorrow I go to Maine, and begin my final two weeks here in the US. It was a real treat to visit with so many friends and family members, but I know I couldn't visit with everyone. But, all will remain in my memory and prayers.

Mad love ~Bryan

"Deep" South Tour... & more (did I just rhyme?)

Hey yall, it is hard to believe that in just a matter of a few weeks I will be living on another continent. I finally received my staging materials, and I am booked on a flight to Philadelphia, at 7:07am on the 1st of August, where my staging event will take place. I report to staging at 12:30pm on the 1st and will begin my Peace Corps Orientation. I will sign paperwork, go over rules and regulations, receive shots, and most importantly begin getting to know all the other volunteers I will be working with over the next two years, and some of whom I am certain I will be friends with for a very long time. Everything is a GO for Africa in just a few weeks!!!!

North Carolina in all of it's Beauty

I have began my southern tour, but as usual not everything goes perfectly to plan (I know my plans are vague as is, but still). I left Greenville, SC at 5:01am very well under the influence after a night out at the bars in Brevard with Nick, Ashley, and Heather. I will miss North Carolina very much. I hope that when I come back I will get to see Harold and Theresa (saints on earth) still living next door to Oma.

 Got to Mississippi a little behind schedule, but had an amazing visit with Bill & Rebekah, and got to see how tall and smart my little nephew has become. I have a few pictures of the little guy who is amazing at swimming!!! Bill and I got to go fishing often and then retreat out of the boiling hot sun for the day. In the afternoons Bill and I got to pick the garden and swim with Bear, and in the evenings Rebekah and I got lost in stimulating conversations as the old timer hit the hay. Thanks Bill and Rebekah for everything, I really will miss seeing yall and watching Bear grow for yet another 2 years!!!

Bear can jump in without holding his nose, and open his eyes and swim under water on his own!!!

AND he is only 2!!! but definitely takes after his uncle Bryan with his good looks (and blue eyes)... :)

Then I got a chance on the 5th to go visit my Mere & Pere on my mom's side, and had an awesome visit! It has been a long time and we got to talk all about Africa and history about the family for the night and all day on the 6th. We got a chance to go celebrate mass, and have lunch with Claire and Aunt Moo. I can hardly believe all my cousins who I try to always remember as young kids with me are growing up! Claire is a Senior in college!!! It was an awesome visit, but had to end too soon.

NOW I am in New Orleans. Got a great visit in with young Catie, who I again can't believe is about to be a sophomore in high school!!! I just don't know where the time goes I guess. Also got to see Owen which was great, but too short as Owen and Catie headed north today.

Amtrak Rail Pass.... I thought it would make my life easy, but obviously I should read all the fine print more often. Train out of New Orleans tomorrow has been sold out, so I bought a plane ticket to Rhode Island for saturday instead. I am actually really happy this happened, because now I have an extra day to hangout and catch up with Megan, uncle Michael, and aunt Mindy. Today (in just a few minutes) I will be going into town to walk around the French Quarter, and in the afternoon go out in uptown with Megan and friends (one of which just so happens to be moving to Lusaka, Zambia in August also!!!! but not with the PC). I hate how my visits have to be so short. I enjoy my late night chats with aunt Mindy til 2 in the morning, seeing my uncle, and chillin with Meg swapping all the stories we can fit into a day. But just like every stop along this trip my visit to new Orleans is limited. 

So I have been to MS for 3 nights and days, Mandeville for a night and day, and New Orleans for 3 nights and days...
Soon I will be in Rhode Island, then CT for fireworks, then Matunuck 2 nights, Gansett 1 night, train to Providence to stay at craig's for 1 night, train to Boston, and rail to Leominster, a day and night with my dear friend and mentor Wes,day and night with best friend Nick, rail to Boston to hang for a day and night with my cousin Will (and CHLOE!!!!), lunch with Erin Saturday and then train to Portland to be picked up and driven home to Maine. >breathe< I KNOW that is not interesting, but I just wanted to give yall an idea of my remaining travel

That said, I won't be blogging until a few days before departure and then in Zambia. I will be in Maine, home sweet home, with mom, dad, and Thomas for my last 2 weeks in the states. I have alot of shopping and packing to do. lots of letting my mother stare at my face and "soak me in." I also look forward to a quiet wood porch on the west side of Birch Island sipping on a whiskey and sharing a cigar with my old man as we watch a few sunsets go down over Holeb pond. It has been and will be a very busy month, and just really look forward to getting Oscar Mike ("on the move") to Africa. Til next time Au'revoir!

P.S. ANYONE that would like to talk with me in Zambia will need to friend me on Skype: bryan.watkin

So my time here in North Carolina is quickly coming to an end. I am at Quotations a local coffee shop sitting down and beginning to layout my last month's plans. I don't have all of the specifics worked out just yet, but I know that they include, but are not limited to, visiting my brother Bill, his wife Rebekah, and my Godson baby Bear. I am very excited to see the little one again, because it has been nearly two years! I also plan to stop in New Orleans to see my cousin Megan and the Barry family, as well as many other members of the Barry clan. I will also be making a trip north above the lake to Mandeville to visit with my grandparents on my mother's side of the family and the Richards. I am getting a US Rail Pass soon that will allow me to travel any 8 segments of the Amtrak rail system. I plan to head west to Dallas and visit Brian Velesbir, a college roommate and good friend. Then I will be making several segments up the east coast to end up in Rhode Island.

I just got my yellow fever vaccination down in Greenville South Carolina. It is the only vaccination I need to take ahead of staging. BTW, I have found out that staging will take place on the 1st of August in Philadelphia!
At staging I will receive even more inoculations and sign my life away so that I can legally serve as a government agent.

I can hardly believe that in just over a month I will be in Africa half way around the world. But I have no reservations, and am getting more and more eager to go by each passing day. There is not much else to fill everyone in on, so until next time PeAcE.

Hey Yall, so I am sorry it has been a while since my last post but I haven't had much to say recently. But I have finally wrapped up all my business in Rhode Island, and began my Southern US rock tour of saying good bye to friends and family. It has been an awesome 6 years of my life, and very much intent to return to Narragansett for visits when I come back. Sold my truck, said good bye to friends, and went by Jerry's for the last time to say good bye my coworkers and bosses (Bob & Rob) who have been like family to me over the last 5 years. I also played my last night of cards over at Tara's. Good news is that I have been playing very well, and have a spot in the "money" so I trust that Tom will play well for me during the final night next week.

I say "rock-star" because when I showed up in Asheville yesterday Heather insists that I looked like a rock-star that just returned from a tour. pic to follow. It is a combination of my Bruins beard and Caitlin's aviators I borrowed for the trip south. Mind you I was sitting on a bus for 28 hours sweating and sleeping very little... the beard is a must, because I havn't shaved or trimmed it since the Bruins have entered the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs, and it is WILD.

"party like a rock-star"

I arrived in Asheville NC yesterday about 5 after sitting on a Greyhound bus for 28 hours!!!! It was a very interesting road trip, I met some very unique individuals, and got to see a whole different dynamic of class in America. It is blatantly obvious to me that flying is a luxury and those who can't afford high flight or train prices are forced to the buses. Seeing this was a little scary, but actually exciting because I have never seen more interesting, friendly, and lively people in an ariplane or train. There was one down fall, I did get stuck to this weird guy from England who would NOT for the love of God stop talking to me. It reminds me of a dog that you feed at the table... Once you start giving the dog food (aka attention/an ear that will listen), they never stop begging and coming back for more, soooo he would follow me around at the bus stops as I would get food and drinks, and always sat next to me. Even when I politely told him I was going to put on some head phones, listen to music, and sleep, I could still hear him rambling on in the background!!! Last but not least, he couldn't pronounce the word schedule to save his life! it always came out as "saidrule."

Lastly about the bus stop, in Winston-Salem I met a guy who, after learning about my near future with the PC in Zambia, honestly believes (and tried to convince me) that the US has planted AIDS/HIV in Africa to kill off all the local populations to free up space for us to expand...!!! Hahaha, lets just say we had a very interesting conversation after that...

OK, so I am in Asheville now staying at Heathers. We relaxed in the pool a minute, then went out to eat, and after much planning for a night out we ended up just falling asleep and not waking up to our alarms. We must have been tired because we didn't get up till 10 in the morning. I plan to go to Brevard next to visit with my grandmother on my father's side we call Oma. I will be staying with Oma for about a month, visiting and hanging out in the Brevard/Asheville area. Then I plan to head south to my brother Bill's place down in Mississippi starting on July 1st and through the 4th celebration. Then New Orleans for a couple days to see my cousins and relatives. Then after that I will head north above the pond to see my grandparents on my mother's side of the family we call Mere & Pere. Then Fly north back to RI (2days), MA (2days), and then MAINE, home sweet MAINE. For my final 2 weeks I will relax in Jackman. I look forward to canoeing and spending time in the woods with my brother Thomas and my dad. But most importantly than all, I want to spend time with my mother, and let her absorb enough "Bryan" to last her until our next visit. I know she will miss me most of all. I will spend alot of time organizing my things, formulating packing lists, packing, and preping myself for the trip. August 1st is coming quickly