Hello there Everybody,
Seems like its been a long time since the last post. Maybe 7 months?! So I suppose the rundown. Since training completed in October I have been living in the Northern Province of Zambia in Kaka Village with the Mambwe people. In the village I live on the Family compound of the headman. It's really pleasant out there, despite all the rain. My village is about 65 km outside of the nearest town and 63 of it is on dirt, sand and mud road. Once out in my village there are most of the things that I need for basic survival. It was fun to think that back in the states, back in college, that I need so little to get by. Some food, clothes and frineds to got out with. But here things get put into perspective for you. Back there we had power, cars, running water, heat on command, and a house that doesn't leak. Now living here one can see how little you really do need to get by. Daily life here ensues with waking ith the sun at about 5 hours. I watch the sun come up over the mountain and enjoy a book while looking out my mini window in the hut. I read for a few hours after that and start my fire to heat some tea/ bathing water. Round noon the family will call me over and we'll eat some lunch, shima, beans and some sort of other side, leaves, veg, meat, fish, insects and I'll eat with the men while the mom and kids eat outside in the kitchen. After that I'll head to the market, about 10 min walk from the hut, and sit with whoever is there practicing language and trying to get the word out on fish farming. I'll mozy over to the school and hang out with the kids for a while. They enjoy is beyond anything, as do I. I'll sit in a classroom and sit among the kids working on whatever they are working on and help the teacher however possible. We have built a basketball court out back so I am now teaching them how to play. They love it. It gives them a chance to practice english with somebody who is not their teacher. I'll come back home when the sun starts to fade away and I'll make some popcorns with my little brothers and their friends. I bring out the book and they teach me language. They are the best for that because the little one will repeat any word for me untill I get it with never getting frustrated like an adult. We get along great. We eat and at about 20 hours I'm back in the hut to read some more and fall asleep.
The program I'm with is developing fish farming in the area. Since being there I've seen that it isn't a high priority of the farmers. So half the battle is convincing them this is a good switch to make. Though the govt. will subsidize their maize so why would a farmer leave from that. Fish farming is more that what it sounds at face value. We, Peace Corps, promotes a system of Integrated Farming which incorporates fish ponds, gardens, agro-forestry, bees, animal husbandry and composting. Where each element in the system grows for the benefit of something else. It is a really great system with limitless possibilities for growth. It supports the families with fresh vegitables and a source of protein that they can give to the kids. Since malnutrition is a large problem among the young ones. Myself included. Slowly, some of the farmers are coming around and willing to give this a try. It is really nice to see these farmers trying something new when uncertainty and failure would lead to a detrimental loss for the family. If the farms don't turn out, and they didn't grow maize then they have no income for the year. Leading to no food and not being able to pay school fees for the small chaps. It is a bold change for the farmers but a good one in the long run.
The people of my village are amazing. There is a high number of English speaking people since the village is on the upswing of development. We have an Upper Basic School, market, clinic and World Vision office right in the center of town. This is nice because there are many pathways I can venture down to help the village. For when the farmers are busy in the field I can become active with the school to help teach english. Or I can go to World Vision and work to start an HIV/AIDS workshop. Recently I've started a group for school drop outs to teach them business. Since most of them will go on to own little, what they call, tuckshops. Essentially stands on the side of the road that sell Coke, cookies, pens and other randome thigns. I think this will help the ones who don't finish school to help them with other ventures. Besides, it's business, it's fun, it's what I studied.
That is a solid little overview of what I have got going on for myself out here.
I will be able to write more in the future, maybe tell some little anecdotes about the oddities of life out here. I promise, there are many.
Untill later friends
Cheers!
