By Cathy Miller

Lee Westpy (aka Lee West) is a talented, multi-faceted artist and a recent Peace Corps volunteer, having served two years in Zambia. Currently she’s living in Hackettstown, but as she states later in this interview, she’d like to explore new places.

At a recent Farmers’ Market in Washington, I was able to view an eclectic collection of Lee’s creations, from pottery, to masks, to photography, and more.

ART

Did you have an interest in art prior to your trip to Africa?

I’ve been interested in learning about Africa (animals, countries, cultures, etc.) since I was in elementary school and my art has drawn inspiration from that interest. I hesitate saying “Africa” because it’s like saying North American culture – it could mean so many different things. Warren county, NJ culture is so different from Toronto, or Puerto Rican culture, so is all the different countries in Africa. If you went from Cape Town, SA, to Kasama, Zambia you’d think you were in a completely different part of the world. My studies have evolved over time. When I was younger I was really into the wildlife in Eastern Africa (Tanzania, Kenya), and in high school and college I started learning all the countries and capitals. I traveled to Ghana twice in West Africa and fell in love with the culture and way of life there. While I was in the Peace Corps, I was in Zambia (Central/Southern Africa) and saw most of the countries in that region.

Let’s talk about some of your masks.

All of the clay and beaded masks I’ve made were inspired by a lot of the different African cultural groups I studied in high school and college. The beaded circular one in particular I took inspiration from the Bwa sun masks made in Burkina Faso. Those are typically pretty monochromatic so I also took influence from the brightly colored fabrics of west Africa and the beadwork of eastern Africa. For the other masks at the fair and on my website I incorporated aspects from masks in Angola, Benin, Zambia, DRC, and Mali. 


Tell me a little about the practically hypnotic wooden boards.

I work in a woodshop, and am a little bit of a hoarder, so I love collecting interesting pieces of scrap wood and turning them into something beautiful. I love that this piece really exaggerates the natural patterns in the wood. 

How did you create the beautiful blue pieces?

I am relatively new to working with resin. I am amazed at all the different ways you can use it. I feel I have barely scratched the surface with what I can do with the medium. I love learning new materials and processes. I feel I have learned just as much after art school as I did in school. I’ve recently found this beautiful community of female artists and woodworkers on Instagram and they are so positive, encouraging, and willing to share their tips and tricks with new artists. I think these pieces look like ocean waves to me. They’re made by mixing colors with paint and resin and pouring and blowing with a torch over a board. I definitely haven’t mastered it yet, the timing is very particular, but I get more excited with each piece I make.

TATTOOS

What’s the little critter on your arm?

It’s a cheetah’s face! Anyone that knows me knows that I have been absolutely obsessed with cheetahs since I was in elementary school. This is the only tattoo I haven’t gotten at First Place (in Hackettstown). There’s only one tattoo artist in Zambia that I have heard of and he was giving out $20 tattoos out of the hotel room we were staying at. It wasn’t nearly as sketchy as it sounds!

“Be the change”?

I’m sure most of you have heard of the quote, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” I believe Gandhi spoke about it. It goes along the lines of “treat others how you want to be treated” and it’s something I try to live by. If I’m not happy with how someone is treating me I try not to do the same to others. And if I don’t like something, I don’t just wait and wish for things to change, but to try to start, or be, the change.

PEACE CORPS

What prompted you to join the Peace Corps?

I learned about the Peace Corps in high school and immediately loved the idea of fully immersing yourself into another culture for an extended period of time. I learned that you needed a college degree to join so went to school for something that I loved, fine arts, and applied for Peace Corps as I was finishing my senior year. 

What kind of preparations were there prior to your departure?

The process for applying for Peace Corps has changed a lot since I applied. At the time you had to apply a full year before you wanted to leave. The process wasn’t too difficult, some paperwork and A LOT of doctors appointments to make sure you are physically and mentally sound to live abroad for 27 months. When I applied you didn’t get a choice in where they sent you. You could tell them preferences, so I said that I would like to be in rural Africa (pretty vague). Nowadays the application is a lot shorter and you get the choice of where you would like to serve. When you arrive in country you have three months of training. This mostly includes language training, cultural norm training, and project specific training. I was an education volunteer so we learned all about the Zambian education system and how it was different from America. 

When did you leave NJ, and when did you return home?

I left in June 2015 and finished my service in August 2017 but decided to backpack around Africa a bit, so returned to America in late October 2017.


ZAMBIA

Where did you stay while in the Peace Corps?

I lived in Kasama District, Northern Province, Zambia. Kasama is the provincial capital and I stayed about 10km away in a village with no electricity and no running water. I lived in a mud brick hut with a grass thatch roof. I had a host family and lived on their compound, so while I had my own house there were always my host brothers and nieces and nephews around to keep me company. The community was extremely welcoming. I felt completely safe there. Everyone knew each other and my host brothers made sure no one unwelcome came to visit me. 

What was a typical day like for you?

I would wake up at about 5:30 every morning and start up my paraffin stove. I was a lucky volunteer to have one passed down to me from a previous volunteer. Most volunteers have to start their own fire with coals and grass. I’d make tea and eggs and do a little prep work for my classes. I would bike about 3 miles to my school. I would teach English and Computer Studies to grade 8. Each class had a little over 50 students in it. I loved my students. After class I would eat lunch with the other teachers, mark papers and plan for the next day. When the school day was done I would start after-school activities. Some days I would go with the grade 9’s across the river to the clinic. The clinic had electricity so we were able to set up 4–6 computers and give each student (about 100) 5–10 minutes to practice typing in Microsoft Word and Excel. In Zambia there is similar to a standardized test at the end of grade 9, which includes typing a paragraph in Microsoft Word, and making a table with equations in Microsoft Excel. Where I was in Zambia, most students have never physically seen a computer or touched a mouse until the beginning of the ninth year. Because of that we had A LOT of work to do teaching them how to type faster and get used to the interface. I would spend time in my eighth grade Computer Studies class having them practice the fingering on a broken, unattached keyboard, or on one I drew on a piece of paper for them to prepare. Other days I would run BRO (Boys Respecting Others) or GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) clubs after school. These consisted of seventh through ninth grade boys and girls. In BRO club we would discuss sexual education (condom demonstrations, STDs, HIV/AIDs, and puberty), respecting women, and malaria education. In GLOW club we would discuss topics like sexual education, malaria education, sugar daddies, self esteem lessons, and self defense lessons. Although my students were in grades 7–9 they were anywhere from 14–22 years old. Where I was staying in Zambia the prevalence of HIV was about 1 in 12, and sexual education is still a pretty taboo topic in rural villages so it was very important for me to create a space where students could feel comfortable asking questions they couldn’t ask anywhere else.

Did you have any free time?

At the end of the day, or on weekends I would hang out on my porch and read or draw. I spent a good amount of time making my home feel like home. I painted the walls and made chalkboards on my outside wall to teach with after school. I made a few windows out of old wine bottles and made a mosaic on the front of my house with old beer and soda bottle caps. I read a lot of books while I was over there. In the evenings I would have dinner with my host brothers and I’d help them with their homework and usually end the night with me playing some pop songs (they loved Justin Bieber, Twenty One Pilots and Avril Lavigne) and us having a dance party. Some days after school, I would bike across the river to my friend’s house. Remy was the local priest, shoemaker, basket weaver. I would visit him about once a week and he would teach me how to weave baskets, and we would discuss things like cultural differences, family, and art. One time he brought me with him hiking 5 miles into the bush to a river to harvest the palms and carry them back. On the weekends during hot season we’d take a short hike down to the river and all go for a swim. About twice a month I’d bike into town (about 10 miles) to buy food for the next couple weeks and to spend the night at the Peace Corps office and catch up with other volunteers. It’s truly amazing the bond between Peace Corps volunteers. We’re all going through such a unique experience. Peace Corps is described as “the toughest job you’ll ever love” and that is so true. I’ve never felt so alone, but also part of such a strong community at the same time. It’s not easy but you change as a person, and really get to know yourself. 


Did you ever stay with any of the families you worked with?

I had a host family that I lived with which included a host mom, host dad (who wasn’t around very much), four host brothers (who were usually around), two host sisters, and their nine children. There were always children around. They were incredibly helpful with my adjustment to village life and feeling at home. My host brothers were in grade 4, and two in grade 8. They were with me everyday helping me fetch water, build a new outhouse, teaching me the language (Bemba), and to ward off killer ants and drunk neighbors. I would also go and eat a late lunch with another family every day after school. I consider them my second family. Florence (the mother) approached me in my first week and asked if I would teach her English. She had five kids and a husband who spoke fluent English. She wanted to learn because she wanted to go back and take the grade 9 exams that she never finished. I was moved by her determination to continue learning even though there was no real need for it. She cooked me amazing food everyday while I practiced English with her and her children. After I finished my service I went back to visit her one last time. Her husband gave me seeds to plant in America, we all drank village beer til it was dark, then the kids and I camped out in my tent under the stars. 


Was there much of a language barrier? 


Where I lived people spoke Bemba. The official language of Zambia is English (meaning they speak it in higher education and in government) but there are 72 local languages throughout the country. Bemba and Nyanja are the most common. I spent three months doing intensive training in Bemba at the beginning. I would say I am semi-fluent. We spoke English at school so I didn’t have to learn it as much as the agriculture or health volunteers. I think I speak it pretty well, but every time I call one of my brothers or friends in Zambia and attempt to speak in Bemba they always tell me how much worse I’ve gotten. 


What did you eat?

The food in Zambia was pretty plain. They ate nshima for every meal. It’s made with ground up maize mixed with boiling water – think playdough consistency, with a mashed potato taste (without the butter or garlic). They would dip the nshima in things called relishes. Relishes could range from fried veggies, to okra, caterpillars, or kapenta (dried small fish). Midday snacks would be fried maize, boiled pumpkin or sweet potato, fried flying termites, or sometimes…rats. Where I stayed, fried rats weren’t common but every once in a while, I’d see a child with a tail hanging out of their pocket. I enjoyed the food. I’m a pretty plain person when it comes to food so it was okay with me. Although the same thing everyday does get monotonous. I’d eat breakfast on my own, and then eat lunch with the teachers at school or with Florence, and dinner with my host brothers. The culture is very much about sharing. Even on my bike ride home I’d get people yelling out to me “Hey! Hey American! Come and eat nshima with us!” If I took them up on the offer they’d offer me their best pieces and keep feeding me until I was more than full. And it wouldn’t be just me. No matter how little food they had, they would share it with whoever came by at meal time. It’s really a beautiful tradition.


What was the weather like?

There were three seasons: hot season, cold season, and rain season. People always ask me if it was soooo hot over there, but in reality, it doesn’t get much hotter than Jersey in the summer, and there is no ocean nearby so it’s a lot less humid. I enjoyed the consistency. There was no guessing what I’d have to wear that day because it was the same every day. Hot season would be in the 90s (F). Rainy season would be in the 70s–80s and it would rain at least one hard pour a day. I loved rain season when I could just sit on my porch and listen to the rain and thunder with my host brothers. Biking or teaching was a nightmare though. My school had tin roofs so if it rained we were at a standstill because you couldn’t hear anything. If I was biking I better hope I didn’t have anything in my bag or pockets, because it’d get soaked. I had to pull over so many times and wait under a stranger’s roof until it stopped so my phone or laptop didn’t break. Cold season was rough. During the day it would be in the 50s or 60s but at night and in the morning it would drop to the low 40s. I know that doesn’t sound rough for Jersey, but we didn’t have any heat there besides a fire and blankets. I would bike to school in the morning shivering in gloves, a scarf and looking at the frost on the grass. 

Was there time to explore while there?

I got pretty good at traveling on my own. Hitchhiking is common and pretty easy there. So are busses and taxis. I went to seven out of the ten provinces. I saw the longest waterfall in the world (Victoria Falls) and went to safari (South Luangwa National Park) and went to a chimpanzee sanctuary (Chimfunshi). During my two and a half years, I also got to visit some of the neighboring countries like Malawi, Tanzania, Zanzibar, and Botswana. Africa is so large you’d need a lifetime to see every corner of it.

What was the highlight of your trip?

One of my favorite moments of the trip was we hosted a GLOW camp in the provincial capital. That meant that around 15 volunteers chose two girls from their villages and brought them to town for a week long camp about women’s empowerment, and health education. For the majority of the girls it was their first time out of their village. The first night I remember doing rounds with the other volunteers and saw that all the girls were passed out on their beds, with full bellies, with the lights still on. They got large meals everyday, full of protein, that they didn’t have to prepare themselves (typically in the village the mothers and daughters cook all the meals), and most of them have never experienced a raised bed or electricity before. They got to meet other girls their age from all over the province. Throughout the week we held educational sessions, dance classes, arts and crafts, and they performed skits on what they were learning. I brought two eighth grade girls from my village that were pretty quiet in class, but good students. It was amazing to see them open up in a space they felt comfortable. At the end of the week we all performed and recorded a choreographed dance to “Who Run The World (Girls)” by Beyonce. It’s on Youtube if anyone wants to see. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ix20tAkXa8I

What do you miss most about Zambia?

I miss biking everywhere, knowing and yelling out to greet everyone on my route. I miss dancing on my porch at night with my host brothers and not caring how silly I looked. I miss sitting under the mango tree weaving baskets and talking about life with my friend Remy. I miss camping out by the river and looking at the stars. I miss sitting on my porch for hours having the little girls practice braiding on my hair. I miss how all the food was freshly prepared. I miss how I could go days without really looking at myself in the mirror and still feel confident in how I looked. I miss how people weren’t attached to their phones and time spent together wasn’t distracted. 

What did your mom and dad think when they visited you?

I took my parents to the touristy parts of Zambia like Victoria Falls (the longest waterfall in the world), and on a safari, which was also a nice vacation for me. Then we took the 12 hour bus ride and half hour taxi ride to my village. They were troopers. I think they enjoyed seeing where I was living. My mom taught a class to my GLOW club about being a woman and running her own business (Westpy Marketing Services) and my dad had a few deep conversations about God with some of my counterparts (Zambia is a Christian Nation). By the end of the stay though I think they were ready to get a hot shower and to charge their phones. 


Have you been able to stay in touch with any of the people you met?

Honestly, not as much as I’d like. I try to call my host brothers, my counterpart Remy, and Florence sometimes. But reaching them when there is a 6 or 7 hour time difference, and when they’re not in school or I’m not at work or when they have their phone charged has proven difficult. I have two American friends that were former peace corps volunteers that stayed in Zambia to run an NGO (non-governmental organization) called Bakashana. They live in the next village over from where I stayed. I talk to them occasionally and we stay connected on Facebook. I also stay in contact with a few other Peace Corps friends that are now in the states.

Did you come home with tons of photos?

So many photos, but still somehow I wish I took more. I had a blackberry from the 90s while I was there. I think if I had an iPhone I’d have a lot more from my day to day life. I didn’t like bringing out my fancy DSLR unless it was a special occasion. 

Do you think you’ll get back?

I want to go back to Zambia to visit my friends and family. I don’t think I would like to live there long term again. I could see myself living in another country like Tanzania or South Africa, but I’d mostly like to explore new places. 

BACK HOME

What have you been doing for work since returning home?


As much as I’d love making my own art to be my full time job, it just doesn’t pay the bills at the moment. I’ve been working in Randolph at a place called JM Lifestyles. I work in a woodshop building molds out of different material. The end product is fancy concrete furniture that looks like it was made out of wood. It’s like an optical illusion! It’s really exciting seeing the finished result and knowing I had a part in it. I feel lucky to work in a place where I can work with my hands and help make beautiful products, but also learn new tools and techniques for my own work.

Find Lee on the world-wide web at http://www.leewestartwork.com, her Instagram is @leewestartwork.

For this fascinating account of a life-changing experience by a dynamic and high-spirited woman  – thank you, Lee Westpy!