Last Monday we got our site placements! I'll be living in
Mabote, Luapula Province. It is somewhere on the western shore of Lake
Bangweulu. Luapula and is one of the wetter parts of Zambia, known for many
waterfalls. Being a wetland, it is also known for it's birds, something like
400+ species. Needless to say, I'm very exited. It was pretty much exactly what
I was hoping for. I will say, however, that I was almost hoping to be placed in
Central Province where the Lala tribe lives, so I could say that I was living
in Lalaland for 2 years. I'm also pretty sure that everyone is happy with their
placement, and I haven't met a current volunteer yet that hasn't said their
Province and site is the best.
I will be second generation, which means I will be replacing
a current volunteer who was the first person to be located at the site. I have
spoken briefly with him and he says he has loved his site and there are many
good farmers eager to work with him. To find it on a map, try looking for
Lubwe, Luapula Province, Zambia. Apparently I'll be about 10 miles from there.
I hear Mansa, the provincial capital is roughly 9 hours from
Lusaka, not bad. Could be a lot worse. My site from Mansa shouldn't be more
than an hour from there, but I'm still not sure exactly where that is. We will
find out soon enough; our second site visit is in 2 weeks.
Basically we've all just gotten a boost of motivation. We
were super motivated after getting back from first site visit where we got to
see actual Zambia, not the fancy motel with outdoor bar and cheap beers we had
been staying at. We were craving to start speaking the local languages, and
exited to start training and living in our homestays. A month later we weren't
feeling the same. Many of us have gotten sick with diarrhea, slight fevers,
hunger, homesickness, etc. We bike everywhere which is starting to wear a lot
of us out. Plus we get a new shot every week. The latest was Hep A, which I
think made about half of us feel sick for a few days, then this week was the
flu shot. Then we had our first language exams, which were all oral and quite
stressful. I managed a 4.9/5, so I'm feeling competent, but it was still a lot
of work. Basically, Africa is starting to take its toll.
But now we have our site placement and can really start
daydreaming about what we want to do, what we are going to cook, how big our
gardens will be, who our closest volunteer neighbors will be, etc. It is
motivating to know we are half way done with training and progress is being
made. We are comfortable getting around, we know each other a lot better, we
can say some things in the local languages, and we don't feel so new and
confused.
It is funny how after 5 weeks there was a huge switch in the
conversations we have. Before, we would talk about ourselves, our backgrounds,
sports and olympics, science, rumors we've heard about Zambia and volunteers
(like the guy who burnt down his cimbusu (outhouse)), and just whatever. Now I
will have at least one serious conversation specifically about American food a
day. We're craving it now. It's bad.
Also for Luapula, there are 4 RAP volunteers heading there,
and 8 from the CHIP group. Overall there are about 40 total Volunteers in the
province.
August 14th
2012
Medkit!
Each volunteer gets a medkit, but what's inside?
Prenatal Vitamins (caused a lot of confusion with the guys.
There's no estrogen, it's just a vitamin)
Acetaminophen – pain reliever
Ibuprofen – more pain reliever
Antacid – for heartburn
Antihistamine
Nasal Decongestant
Upset Stomach /Antidiarrheal
Anti Ich Cream (maximum)
Thermometer
Gause
Tape
Scissors
Bandaids
Antibiotic cream
Whistle
Floss
Eye drops
Lip Balm
Emergency Water Purification Tablets
Sore Throat Lozenges
Condoms
Hydrocortisone Cream
Antiseptic Solution
Antifungal Cream
More Antidiarrheal pills
First Aid Booklet
Oral Rehydration Salts
Malaria Self Test
Malaria Prevention Pills
Malaria Treatment Pills
Antibiotics
Skin Infection Pills
Nausea Pills
Insect Repellent
Sunscreen
Tweezers
I've used 16 of these already. Hah. But I will admit the seriousness
and professionalism of the medical staff for Peace Corps is great. They are on
call 24/7 for us. Anyone who gets a fever gets a trip into Lusaka for a
checkup. If it's really bad they will even fly you to South Africa for more
treatment. Our safety is number one. Each week we get more training on how to
be healthy and what to do and look out for if we start feeling sick and getting
symptoms. At the end of our service we will be tested for pretty much any
possible thing you can catch here, and even treated for things we may or may
not have. An example of how they go out of their way? I was feeling pretty sick
today and called medical who asked about my symptoms and whatnot. They
prescribed a medication I did not have in my medkit and drove it to my homestay
to hand it to me personally. I'm feeling much better now.
August 23rd 2012
Zambia History
For now I'm just going to focus on some interesting facts
I've learned over these last 5 weeks. One very impressive thing about Zambia in
the whole of Africa is how much it's not in the news. I'm willing to bet most
people who found out I was going to Zambia had to look it up. The main reason
Zambia isn't well known is because it has never been in a war. In fact, even
its presidents have been relatively peaceful for African standards. Also,
Zambia is quite poor, hence the presence of the Peace Corps, and has had some
economic issues in the past. For example, their money, the Zambian Kwacha used
to be equivalent to 1 USD. Now the exchange rate is about 5,000 Kwacha to 1
USD.
Nevertheless, although Zambia is poor in economics, it is
rich in culture. Very rich in culture. There are over 70 different recognized
ethnic groups, spanning roughly 13 different language groups. The government
has done a great job to unify Zambia because of its differences, rather than
fight because of them. For example, the Nyanjas of Eastern Province are tribal
cousins of the Bembas, and historically would fight all the time. Now it's the
biggest joke among Zambians. Anything goes. You can make fun of how Easterners
eat rats all the time and how bad they smell. All they can do is laugh and make
fun of Bembas for eating baboons. Some Easterners claim they are wise, because
the wise men came from the east. But Bembas retort that at least they were wise
enough to leave in the first place. In our language groups we were learning
words to describe the body, and we were instructed to draw an Easterner and
make them look as ugly as possible.
August 25th 2012
HIV/AIDS
As you probably already know, Africa is having a terrible
time with HIV and AIDS. Where I am, in Sub Saharan Africa, the percentage of
the population is the worst in the world, and Zambia is right in the middle of
the mess. Official numbers and statistics for how many people have it are all
over the place, and rightly so, just getting to some of the areas around here
are difficult to begin with. On top of that, there is such a taboo of who has
it, who will admit it and who will even get tested in the first place, the
numbers are approximations at best. In some areas, like in the cities and big
intersections, where there is a high population of people moving about and
looking for work, the percentage of those infected can reach the mid to upper
20's. So, imagine 4 people in a room. 1 has HIV. In the villages, where people
travel less, and just depending on the village and their behavior, this number
can drop down to about 10%. So, 1 in 10 would have it. Compare that to the
United States? Roughly 1 in 200 people have HIV.
Fortunately, countries like the United States are pumping
tons of money into countries like Zambia. Is it doing any good? Well, yes
actually. Tens of thousands of people in Zambia have free access to
anti-retroviral drugs which decrease the chance of transmitting the virus, as
well as prolonging the horrible effects HIV/AIDS has on the body. Recently,
there has been a decrease in the number of pregnant women in Zambia being
tested at clinics, something around 29% - 24%.
HIV gives Peace Corps a unique opportunity to do some
development work. Actually, something like 70 or 90% of Zambia's Peace Corps
budget comes from US funds specifically for teaching about and helping with HIV
awareness. So, regardless of if we are Community Health, Education,
Aquaculture, or Environment volunteers, we have to incorporate HIV/AIDS into
our work. Anywho, for those of us volunteers working with rural farms, working
towards helping families and communities get a more balanced diet is key. Many
of these farmers do not understand what a balanced diet means, and that
different foods have different nutrients. In a balanced diet in these areas,
many families lack protein. Especially the children. Ever see pictures of
African kids with a big swollen belly? That's a disease.
Getting protein in their diet, as well as working towards a
well balanced diet is most important for pregnant mothers, children, and those
suffering from HIV. Development work is hard, we've heard, and getting people
motivated can sometimes be the toughest part. “Positive Living” groups have
been forming around the country where those infected with HIV live or work
together and work as a support group for one another. We've heard these groups
are easy to get motivated into working towards producing a more balanced diet
with their farms. I am looking forward to not only help these people, but
perhaps shatter some myths about how taboo it is to be around those infected.
(In many cases, if someone is infected, they may be outcast from the
community.)
On a lighter note, 2 things that remind me I'm a very long
way from home:
First – Have you ever heard of Occam's Razor? It's the idea
or parsimony, that the simplest explanation is most likely correct. A good
example might be that it's easier to explain the motion of the planets in the
solar system if the sun is in the middle. Then, all the planets move around in
almost perfect circles. If the earth were in the middle, for instance, the sun
would have a circular orbit, but all the other planets wouldn't follow such a
simple pattern. Difficult for a physicist to explain. Again, the simplest
explanation is more likely correct.
The famous example is if you hear hoof beats, think horses.
It could be zebras, but what are the odds...
Except, if you're living in Africa.
Second – When you're growing up in the US, your mother
always gets on you to finish you plate at dinner. Why? Because there are
starving kids in Africa, right? Actually here, if you finish your plate, it's
almost like an insult to the cook, suggesting you are still hungry. Leaving a
little behind shows you are satisfied with the amount you were given and you
are in fact full.
Here’s a link to see where I currently live. Across from the
Agriculture Showgrounds.
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