A Bug's Life (and other pictures)

Ants stealing Bagheera's kapenta.

Kids.

Dragonfly.

Friendly frog.

Grasshopper.

Lizard.

Millipede Bagheera and I played with.

Flower.

What a meal!

Very upset chameleon.

Double digging my garden.

Another Day in Paradise

I said it before, that this place is beautiful, but it just keeps getting better. Before, during the dry season it was clear blue skies everyday. Now that the rainy season is underway, enormous, puffy, billowing clouds scatter the horizon. Some days are even cooler with the addition of rains and clouds, making it more comfortable to work. Everything has started growing and Mabote is blanketed with a carpet of bright green grass. New birds and songs arise each week. Mangoes ripen and fall from the trees making a loud “thump” in the middle of the night. The large clouds make sunsets more colorful, and as it gets darker, lightning and thunder scatter the night sky. When the clouds clear, thousands of stars come out that make my jaw drop.

December 12, 2012

I've been wanting to put up a post of a typical day, like I did back in PST living with my host family during training. Whenever I do, I feel like not only would I be making up a day, but watering down all the unique parts of each day into a more boring version of them all. That is, until today. I feel like taking one day and explaining it in more detail will give you a better picture of what my days are like than some generalization I make up. So here goes.

I woke up a bit early, something like 5:15, not sure why. I wanted to get to Lubwe for fruits and veggies and go before it gets hot. So I got out of bed, slipped into my tropicals (flip flops) and headed outside to walk around my hut and take a look at my plants. All but one of my watermelons had sprouted so I was pleased with that, then I went to inspect my rows of pigeon pea I planted as a bit of a walkway to my cimbusu (outhouse). I went back inside for breakfast which ended up being peanut butter. I had forgotten I planned on having corn flakes.

I went back outside and planted some marigolds inside the two rows of pigeon pea. I feel like this may be a little extravagant for an outhouse. Then I went over to my mango tree to find what may have dropped overnight, adding those to my growing collection of mangos I have ripening on my drying rack (I've got about 25 right now). I ate a few of the good ones, then began setting up for my trip to Lubwe.

I headed for Lubwe on my new Peace Corps issued bike. These things are snazzy, except they weren't at all built for us. First, they have a new type of braking system we don't know how to repair, and second, cannot support the racks given to us by Peace Corps. So luckily our driver who also deals with the bikes in Luapula went to one of the welders in Mansa and rigged a new, stronger, bike rack which now holds a basket I bought in Chongwe to carry the cat I got in Mansa from another Volunteer to my hut.

So I get to Lubwe and buy my usual things – tomatoes, onions, lettuce, ground nuts (peanuts I roast and eat like candy), amabuns (rolls), and a frozen orange Fanta I couldn't pass up. I would have gotten an avocado, but already gotten one for free from a guy who also sells these neat hand carved knives I use for weeding in my garden. I saw his avocados one day and asked “Ni shinga?” (How Much?) “Oh oh, not for sale.” But a moment later he grabbed 2 of his 3 and gave them to me for free. I had met him once before when I was looking at the knives. I asked how much for the “umwele” (knife). He pleased to hear my speak Bemba and told me I was speaking “true Bemba from Northern Province.” I asked what they called them here. His reply, “Simply, knife.”

So I make it back to my hut and decide it's cool enough to do some work in my garden. The living fence of zazamina has been planted, and looks terrible because all the leaves have died and turned brown. I've been assured everything is okay and it will grow fast soon soon.

So I mark off two rows of 1 meter wide beds I will double dig – a method I learned from the LIFE volunteer manual handbook. Basically double digging is digging double the usual depth to help with drainage and lets the roots grow deep instead of wide, allowing for more plants per area. But it takes longer and is more work. Finally got it all done, just one row, before some heavy rain started up. I was glad it had missed me for the bike ride, as well as it being daylight so I could watch how the rainwater rushed past my hut so I could figure out where to dig furrows so my porch doesn't become soggy all the time.

So the rains stopped and I headed back out, planted two rows of sunflower, then started working on two furrows, hopefully that will help out a lot.

By that time I was starting to get hungry, and exited. I had been planning on this meal. I had ripe avocados, beans soaking from the night before, a tortilla recipe in the Peace Corps Zambia cookbook entitled “Where There is no Takeout”, fresh lettuce, onion, and tomato. Hmm.

So I grabbed the matchbox and a chunk of firestarter, picked up the braser, and headed for my shed where I store charcoal under a sheet of plastic. I place the firestarter in the middle of the braser, light it with a match, then start carefully piling charcoal to make a volcano shape. Once the firestarter burns out, there is a tiny hot cavern of red glowing coals, just waiting to boil me some water. So I rinse off my beans, throw in some rice, and put the pot on the braser, then headed back inside to try and roll some tortillas out with my once lost Nalgene bottle that magically turned back up during the house cleaning when we were at the Provincial House during Thanksgiving. I had lost it for about 3 months.

Took the beans/rice off the coals and began frying up the tortillas while chopping up onions and tomato, scooping out avocado, and rinsing lettuce. When it was all done I took a picture, then devoured it all. It was glorious, well worth the effort. Patrick stopped by for a while during the tortilla frying and had a look around my garden and encouraged me to plant groundnuts. I think I will.
Cleanup was the usual. I brought out a basin with soap paste in a pile on the rim, a bucket of water with a pitcher to rinse cleaned dishes. They all go on the drying rack made out of sticks by my shed that is slowly being overtaken by the mango invasion.

Afterwards I took a bucket back to clean up a bit, and to make sure I got off the bits of avocado on my ankle. The leftover avocado that I didn't eat or drop on my legs went to Amos and two other small children who were passing by. I accidentally developed a relationship with some of the neighborhood kids when I paid them to bring more bricks over from the house that was being torn down. Now they bring me mangoes from time to time. I taped up one of the bills I had paid him with a few days ago and asked him what he was going to buy with it. “Soap”

So now I'm clean, my conscious is clean, the dishes are clean, the sun is setting, the cat is going crazy, so I sit down and read on my porch. Today, “Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist” by Michael J. Fox. Surprisingly good author. Interesting take of someone with Parkinson's.

So now I lie here on my bed again, wearing my hand out as I write this be candlelight. In a few minutes I'll roll out my yoga mat and work out a bit and try to stretch my back out. It's been getting sore on me from all the biking. I'll take a look at the rig I set up to hopefully grow a small avocado tree. I'd dunked a pit in an old peanut butter jar. Internet said it takes about 2-6 weeks to sprout. I've got about 80 weeks left so I should be good. I'll brush my teeth, fill up my water bottle, top off the water filter, kick off my tropicals, curl up, close my eyes and drift to sleep listening to insects and the rolling thunder off in the distance.

Sendamenipo Mukwai (Good Night)

First Rains, First Impressions, and First Reflections

November 11^th, 2012

It's weird reflecting on how I've changed over these past 4 months. I remember waiting in the airport in New York, but it feels like years ago. I was a different person back then. I was exited, nervous, alone, but surrounded by people like me. I had a limited understanding of the world, how things are, and what real problems really are. I hadn't fully understood how well I had it back in the States. Back then, I didn't know what language I would be speaking everyday, where I would be living, or who my friends would be.

Life here is difficult, but not in the ways I expected. Right now I lay in bed writing this by the light of a candle I bought in bulk in Mansa before being posted, aided by a solar lantern provided by Peace Corps upon our arrival to Zambia. I set the lantern out all day so I could write and read tonight. I just brushed my teeth and rinsed my mouth with filtered water I pumped from a well earlier today and carried it back about 100 yards so I could have water for dishes and bathing this evening. I made food from scratch that I bought and paid for speaking in Bemba in Samfya boma and Lubwe, a 2.5 hour and 30 minute bike ride, respectively. I cooked it over a brazer of lit coals I purchased from my counterpart to help pay for his son's examinations at school.

I never expected these things when preparing to live here. Sure, I knew I'd be biking everywhere and living without electricity, so I packed solar panels and multitools, but never imagined deeply enough about what it would be like to live this way. I especially didn't imagine what it would be like to be used to living this way. For the most part I have completely forgotten about the conveniences of electricity. Sure, I still joke that someone should fix the air conditioner when the temperature inside my hut tips over 90, but even this I'm getting used to. When it gets down to about 75, I'm COLD!

Although I'm speaking Bemba better everyday, my English is suffering. Whenever we speak to Zambians, we have to use simple sentences and short words, just like they have to do for us when speaking Bemba. So many PCV's, myself included, have taken to repeating words instead of using better words. For instance, instead of saying “enormous” we just say “big big”. This expands itself into all different types of words. My vocabulary now includes “soon soon” “fast fast” “sure sure” (pronounced “shore”) “what what?” “far far” and “now now” (goose goose?)

But Bemba is coming along fairly well, though I long for the days I can have a meaningful conversation with my neighbors. Mabote is a relatively less educated village compared to some of the other Volunteer's villages I've visited. So, unlike Volunteers who live near big schools and many people speak English, only a few people in my village can push past “hello” “good” and “okay”. Bemba does come naturally to me sometimes, so I'm glad for that. I occasionally dream in Bemba too. Greetings are a big part of Zambian culture, you must greet everyone. For instance, if you walk up to someone selling vegetables by the road or in the market and ask how much they cost, usually you won't get a friendly response. But, when you ask them how they are, then the price, you get a much better response. My greetings are coming along well, and I can greet people in several different ways throughout the day, much to the excitement of my neighbors. I can tell they are glad to hear me say anything at all, and no one seems annoyed I can't speak better than I do.

My Hut

When I first arrived at my hut for second site visit about 6 weeks ago, my first impression was how small it was. I've got the smallest hut of anyone I know. Most have several rooms and even a hallway. My hut is about 4 x 4 meters. But, although it is small, I love the location, being on the edge of a small village, facing evening sunsets to the west, overlooking a dambo, and a lot of land for me to play with. So, in this past month I have added a porch that runs the length of the hut including a bench to sit on where I cut veggies, pet the cat, etc. The insaka normally used to cook and entertain guests has now been converted into a shed. I bought all the bricks to a hut they were tearing down across the street/bush path, paid some kids to bring them over to build up the walls, then got the carpenter's son to install a door. Now my hut is a bit more spacious and I don't have to back my bike into my hut every night. With the leftover bricks I plan to make an oven for breads and cookies, a grill for those rare occasions I find meat, and a carcoal burner to turn discarded corn cobs into charcoal. I'll probably also spruce up my compost area to organize it a bit and keep the goats and chickens out, as well as construct a hen house and roosting area. Perhaps I'll be ambitious enough to make a brick path to my cimbusu (outhouse) so I don't have to walk through mud when it rains.

I've dug a small nursery for a few crops and am currently removing stumps from an area where I will be making a 6 x 10 meter garden with a living fence of zazamina, soon to be planted when the next rains come. I've found a few banana trees that aren't growing much under a mango tree amongst some thorn bushes, so I hope to transplant them to a better location soon. Mangos are growing bigger in the trees, and some have started to ripen.

Rainy hot season started about a week and a half ago, turning everything into soup for a couple days. It's been dry since then, but each night the winds tease me with the feeling more rain is to come and drop the temperature just a little. Grass and small seedlings have popped up everywhere, making it difficult to tell what I planted in my nursery. Bugs give me a nice symphony at night while I go to sleep, and birds alert me when it's time to wake. Life is simple.

Me

I look a little different than I did 4 months ago. I'm tan, darker than I've ever been. I'm thin, lost about 40 pounds. The pants I brought fall right off me, so I wear elastic running shorts everyday. I'm fit, I bike everywhere, 2 marathons in one day sometimes, over gravel. I beard is long, haven't trimmed much since I came to Zambia. I'm bruised, cut, and scarred. I have blisters on my hands and permanent dirt under my fingernails.

November 15^th, 2012

Bagheera

Bagheera is my kitten. Not really a cat person, but here in Zambia they serve quite a few purposes, mainly in the form of pest control. Although he is still a kitten, I'm glad he is already earning his keep. It's been about 5 weeks here, so he is about 15 weeks old and has already gotten 2 confirmed mouse kills, about a half dozen lizards, many many crickets and wall spiders, one pathetic attempt at a rooster, and most of my toes. He has now been weened from his litter box, much to my relief, and enters and exits the hut through a window. I don't feed him as much anymore because most days he will kill something. In his spare time he sleeps, runs around my hut like a maniac, and climbs trees or stalks chickens/goats/kids. He is a little skinny, but I say he's scrappy and aerodynamic. He's quite a mongrel. But he also helps keep me company. Living in the vill for over a month now has shown me a new level of loneliness and homesickness. Having a cat that tries to sit on my hands while I'm reading, breaking my new Zambia mug the first day at site, or trying to eat the food off my plate does help pass the lonely times I encounter.

Sneak Peek into my Journal

October 31^st 2012

Today begins rainy season. I figured the first few rains would be light drizzles. I was wrong. This reminded me of a hurricane. It was incredible, everything got soaked/flooded. Luckily inside the hut stayed relatively dry except for what came in through the door. No leaks from the roof yet.

I moved inside and closed door because I was getting soaked, when I heard something outside. At first I thought it was goats going after my buckets again, but I looked out and it was a man moving the buckets I placed out in the rain to collect water, underneath my porch. Whatever.

Then he looks in the window and calls for me, then continues to preach to me about how god brought the rains and that this was holy water. I managed to say goodbye and closed the window, then the rest of the windows because he kept making his way around the hut. He kept talking to himself, this was when I was sure he wasn't just exited about the rain, but very drunk indeed.

After a while his ranting stopped, so I looked around to see where he went, only to discover my bike was also gone.

My first thoughts were that he was stealing it. I would have been more furious if I hadn't seen the man before, but he knew my name and looked somewhat familiar, plus the bike has my name on it and is much different from the Zambian bikes, so I was pretty sure I'd get it back. Nevertheless I needed to find it and get it back and make sure he and everyone else knew not to take my things.

I noticed some of my neighbors sitting outside and figured they must have seen someone ride away with my bike. So I walked there in the rain and tried to ask if they had seen it and where it was and who took it. I feel like I got my idea across, but didn't get much of an answer, so I went back home to wait out the rains.

When the rains stopped I could tell the villagers were talking about me. Pangela (one neighbor) ended up going to get my bike back while Peter (another neighbor) went to get Patrick (my counterpart). Other neighbors came to try and tell me what was going on with limited success.

After Pangela brought my bike back, the culprit came to apologize. Now I was drawing a crowd. He got on his knees and apologized, to which I thanked him for apologizing, but sternly said it was not okay to take any of my things.

Patrick came by soon after that and took control. I was actually pretty impressed with how strongly he defended me and attacked him.

He said that the man was drunk and next time to just call the police on him. He made it sound like they were taking him to be arrested, so I'm not sure how involved I'll have to be in that, but it also sounded like they wanted an excuse to get the village drunk in trouble, so maybe they found it. I also wanted to make a point that my belongings belong to me and no one can just take or borrow them. I think this has been accomplished. A win-win for everyone?

I was also very happy to see everyone get involved. I was under the impression that most people liked me being there and knew me and all, but they have only lived with me for 3 weeks and already went way out of their way to help a confused mostly helpless white guy. It makes me feel much more integrated in the community and that I now owe them something in return. I hope I can.

Two Journal Entries in One Blog Post?!?!

November 5^th, 2012

Some days you can just never predict what will happen. I went to see the carpenter to ask about my triangle table this morning. I was told he was in the bush and would return at 13. I went home, ate a huge peanut butter rice mix with onions and sugary cheeky chili sauce. Realized it was just after 13, so headed back out.

Got there, and of course he still wasn't back. Some Bamayos tried to help me by explaining what they didn't know about where the carpenter was. So I sat around and waited.

His little son, probably 10 was standing around holding a bush fruit about the size of a pool ball. I had tried to talk to him when he first came out but he was too shy to talk. I acted out us throwing the “ball” back and forth to each other, and a game soon began. Some little girls came by to watch, but ran away when I tried to get them in the game. Typically genders and age groups don't interact in games. The Bamayos couldn't help but laugh at us play. Another little boy came by, and we began switching from rolling to kicking the ball back and forth. When one of the Bamayos walked by, I invited her to roll it with us. Everyone got a kick out of that! Then the little girls returned, not having the confidence that if Bamayo could play, they could as well. Now we had a crowd. Kids coming from every direction, which turned into a soccer game of keep away until the carpenter finally arrived. I even got him to kick the ball once. It was funny to see the expression on his face returning home to see his front yard stocked full of crazed boys, giggling girls, embarrassed women, and a crazy white kid who started the mess.

Turns out the table that I ordered a month ago and was supposed to be done last Wednesday, delivered last Saturday, won't be done til this Thursday. Welcome to Africa.

(Later that day)

Bagheera took off across the yard, grabbed a lizard in his mouth, ran back in the house to play with it, and let it loose. Now I have a lizard of unknown injuries somewhere hiding amongst all my things. Ugh. Gotta hand it to the little bugger, yesterday he got stung twice by a wasp he finally ate.

First Month (In Pictures!)

Hammock Area

Insaka/Shed

My Hut

Cimbusu and Nursery

Happy Zambian Independence Day!

Wildfires

Introducing Bagheera (with pictures)

In this corner: Lightweight champion holding a win over a roll of toilet paper..

And in this corner: Had a few bites of my tomatoes

Finish Him!

Swearing in and Moving Pictures

I wanted to write an entry for how I have changed over these last 3 months. But, it's been a little crazy trying to move up to Luapula and deal with shopping, immigration, banks, packing, freaking out, etc. So, I haven't forgotten about it, and I'll be working on it while I sit in my hut trying to decide what I'm going to do for the day. In the meantime, here are some pictures of swearing in and moving up country. Enjoy, and I'll be back at Thanksgiving.

We still fit 2 more people in the back.

Forget anything?

Zambia 2012 RAP

12 Land Cruisers with trailers

Got a picture with the fanciest people
at swear in, BaSakota and BaCatherine.

I wanted to write an entry for how I have changed over these last 3 months. But, it's been a little crazy trying to move up to Luapula and deal with shopping, immigration, banks, packing, freaking out, etc. So, I haven't forgotten about it, and I'll be working on it while I sit in my hut trying to decide what I'm going to do for the day. In the meantime, here are some pictures of swearing in and moving up country.

The List

Peace Corps is not so great in giving suggestions for what to actually pack and what you actually need. Plus, whenever you hear from a current volunteer that you can buy pretty much anything here, it's hard to believe. For the most part, you can get a lot of stuff here, and mostly keep in mind while packing, to pack things you can't live without. If it's a certain type of snack, pack a lot. If you have to have books, stock up the kindle. If it's a hammock, make sure you leave room for it. Also think about sustainability, like solar battery chargers. Packing was probably one of the most stressful things for me besides saying  goodbye those last few days. I searched high and low for a good packing list but could never find a really good one. Here it is. This is literally everything I packed, and whether or not it was a good choice. Remember, this is for Zambia and may not work as well if you are heading to another country. Also remember I'm a guy, so the bathroom supplies and clothes might need to be adapted for women. I also stuffed some extra spaces with power bars and candy, mostly still waiting til I get to my actual site.

The List:

For Travel

compression straps - pack some, they are handy

2 – 32 oz nalgene water bottles - I almost always have one within a few feet of me

small dry bag - two words: Victoria Falls

inflatable neck pillow - made the 15 hour flight a lot better

earplugs - ditto, also helps drown out the roosters at 2:30 AM

sleepy eye mask thing - good to have for the flight

sunglasses - you'll need them, but I recommend cheap ones. You can't have nice things here

2 person tent - I plan on camping a lot, so it was necessary

fleece sleeping bag - lightweight and about the size of a football, very nice

sleeping pad - rocks bruise

2 – 20L dry bags - great for packing for the flight

1 – 40 L dry bag - seriously these things are great. Go to Walmart and get some cheap ones

2 compression bags - they will be used

poncho - for the 6 month rainy season, maybe?

TSA approved combination locks - get several, I suggest combination so you don't have to carry keys for 2 years

2 med size duffel bags - army surplus quality – durable and not at all flashy

1 large size duffel bag - REI type

1 shoulder bag - for carry on

VISA debit card - VISA works here, some others don't. Look into it.

About $200 in USD bills - Try to get bills from 2006 or later, it's complicated so if you can just bring new bills.

Camera Supplies

Pelican case - might have trouble with TSA, but useful and can be locked

good zoom camera - for safaris and whatnot

point and shoot camera - for everyday whatnot

full backup set of rechargeable batteries - not sure if I trust the battery brands here small battery tester might come in handy, but it's cheap and might not work as great as it should

Small Camera Bag - for everyday travel

Larger Camera Bag - for safaris and other travel

camera lens cleaner cloth - duh

lens cleaner fluid - duh

small tripod - it's very small

Solar stuff and gadgets

Goal Zero: - Goal Zero has great customer service, PC discount, and a lot of other volunteers have/use their products. It's also one of the only chargers that can charge 4 batteries at once, both AA and AAA.

Guide 10 plus

Nomad 7

10 led lamp

Rockout speaker

mp3 player – 8G - load it up and bring it – plus we share a lot of music too

several flash drives to back up pics - easier than buying and packing an external drive

2 sets of headphones - you'll break or lose one

headphone splitter - haven't used it yet, but I can still see where it would be useful

US to UK plug converter - get one

Kindle - can be a little pricy, but the battery life is great and you'll read a lot of books here

battery charger - debatable if you have the Goal Zero charger

small binoculars - great for a birdwatcher in the African wetlands!

2 headlamps with AAA batteries - I don't use them all the time, but they are really helpful when traveling around without candles

Crank lantern - PC gave us solar lanterns that work really well, then I broke it

crank flashlight - I use it constantly, especially at night

netbook - most volunteers brought some sort of laptop. The provincial house only has a computer and a half

digital watch - good to have

Bath Supplies

one week's worth of toiletries - unless you want name brand stuff, you can get it here

toothbrush  w/ travel case - definitely get one

floss - unwaxed in medkit, but can find at big stores, pack a lot

toothpaste - you can get colgate and aquafresh here

small bottle listerine - not essential, but I like to use it from time to time

shampoo - there is a good variety here, but can get pricy

soap w/ travel case - very useful

pumice stone - you can get them here for a dollar

razor - they have a few name brands here

shaving cream - just bring enough for the first few weeks

comb - bring it

scissors - versatile, bring a pair

small tissue packet - I just use toilet paper...

advil - pain meds in medkit, not really useful unless you need on flight

lip balm - in medkit, unless you need some on the flight

deodorant - name brands are expensive here, but I've found decent ones

small container of hand sanitizer - I've heard you can get that relatively cheap around here

pre moistened toilet paper - just in case

sunscreen spf 70 - in medkit

OFF! Deep woods 25% deet - in medkit

camping mirror - broke on the flight, can buy here anyway

fingernail kit - duh

small sewing kit - used it the first week

couple dozen Q-tips - expensive here

Supplies

10 pack of bungee cords - at least bring a few

zip ties - haven't used them yet, but they are cheap, I'd bring some

hammock with straps and carabiners - made my hut a paradise, highly recommended

3.5inch pocket knife - I use this a lot

leatherman – one old and one new - I use these a lot

swiss army knife - I use this a lot

fire starter kit - matches are super cheap here, or bring a lighter

bike repair kit - they give you everything you need for a bike, except saddlebags, it's you're call. I plan on making a crate and strapping it down with bungee cords

duct tape - useful

small super absorbant camping rag - I can find a lot of uses for this

durable working gloves - haven't used them yet, but they are small and useful

cheap carabiners - bring a handful, you'll use them somewhere, somehow

Odds and Ends

2 photo books (one for me, one for show) - I'd recommend, but one is probably just fine

passport cover book - nice to have

2 travel books of Zambia - definitely bring, also get a good map of zambia, Peace Corps hasn't given us any yet

address book of family, etc. - and back it up everywhere

Frisbee - good to have, Zambians can't get them to work though

deck of cards - nice to have when you are bored

soccer ball - bring some needles to pump too, or buy here

spork – just in case - you can buy utensils here, and they're cheap

vegetable peeler - should have brought an orange peeler too

bike coily chain thing - I can see myself using it sometime

combination lock - haven't seen combination locks, just key locks

double size fitted sheet - typical size bed here, fitted sheets hard to find

double size sheets - PC supplies you with some, but I like having extras

journal - highly recommended

Sriracha hot sauce - Send me more!

Clothes

1 pair boots

1 pair cheap tennis shoes

1 pair good sandals - you'll wear these a lot

1 pair five finger shoes - Zambians love to ask about them

3 pairs shorts                                                  

1 pair jeans                                                     

1 pair dress pants

2 pair fishing zip off pants - I wear these all the time

2 long sleeve fishing shirts - will come in handy come cold season

1 pair swimming trunks - for swimming                                     

2 dress shirts (polo) - for pretending to look dressy

1 button up dress shirt - maybe should have brought 1 more, but not necessary

5 pairs socks - they were white

3 tshirts - used clothes are cheap here, so don't bring a 2 year supply of shirts

1 belt                                                              

1 long sleeve shirt - cold season gets cold

1 zip up hoodie - cold season mornings get even colder

towel - I use a chitenge (cloth used for everything here) to dry after bucket baths, but having a real towel is nice too. Also, real towels are super expensive here

underwear - I'd suggest packing some

6 bandanas - more useful than I imagined

knee brace - I got a bad knee, I kneed this.

Suggestions

orange peeler - the oranges here are delicious but hidden in the thickest peel we've ever fought

running shoes - you might just want to go for a run

luggage with wheels - my luggage only weighed about 80 lbs, but it was all on my hands and shoulders, one of those on wheels would have made the trip much easier

sharpie marker - meant to pack it and forgot. Label most of your things.

Tie - meant to pack one and forgot, doesn't take up space, might as well

favorite board game - settlers of catan is way popular here

Ziplock bag - I didn't bring many, but you can pack with some to use later on

bike odometer - to see how far you've gone/fast you ride

Phones:

Unless you have a specific phone you want to bring, and can get it unlocked, don't bring a phone. When you get here you will be taken to get phones. Talk to current volunteers about what phones they have, what features they like and use, and how much they cost. Bring about $100 USD for a phone. I use the Samsung Chat, which allows for basic internet stuff, and can hold 2 sim cards. I mostly use Gmail and Facebook, and search for random things on Google. It texts and calls and has a qwerty keyboard. Don't worry about service plans, there are 3 here to get, with different coverage areas. It is cheap to get a number and add talk time. When I was told not to worry about it, I did anyway. So I'll tell you again. Don't worry about it.

Clothes:

I didn't bring much dress clothes cause... It's Africa? I should have packed at least another dress shirt, probably short sleeve, as well as some more dress pants. My fishing pants have worked well for me, especially since they are thin and breeze helps cool me off. I haven't worn my shorts much because what they did not tell us before leaving was that we are supposed to dress nicely all throughout training. Right now I'm wearing my fishing pants, sandals, and a t-shirt, and I'm considered dressed nicely. However, if I was wearing shorts, I would not be dressed professionally.

For the women... wearing chitenges is standard. They wrap around your waist like a dress. As far as shirts go, you can wear tank tops and whatnot (I think they'd like you to stay away from spaghetti straps), but regular t-shirts are probably the easiest. Dresses are fine. Several of the girls here don't like wearing the chitenges, so they must wear long pants, capris, or dresses. Zambian culture does not allow showing knee or thigh. You'd be considered a prostitute. Those that don't mind wearing chitenges, typically wear leggings underneath so they can hike the chitenge up and still ride a bike.

You can also get clothes made here and they are quite inexpensive. I bought a chitenge for 6 bucks and had it custom made into a shirt for another 6. Keep that in mind for swearing in. It's a lot more fun when everyone is wearing African clothes.

Weight loss/gain:

The best explanation for weight gain or loss in Zambia, where guys tend to lose weight and women tend to gain weight, is because of the new diet we pretty much have no control over. Shima is corn and thus is high in carbs. So, when we're biking all day, men, with typically more muscle, use up all the carbs and lose weight. Women on the other hand, with less muscle mass, store more of the energy, and gain weight. Each person is different, some of the guys are gaining weight, while some of the girls are losing weight. It all depends. I will say if you're a bigger guy, pack some smaller clothes so you can fit into them later. I ended up losing a lot of weight right away, but I wouldn't have considered myself big to begin with. So, now my clothes swallow me, but it's manageable since I can just wear a belt or get cheap used clothes around town. Women, don't worry. Even the women here that have said they gained weigh, no one can tell. It's not drastic unless you're a bigger man. Just something to think about when packing.

Pictures

Path/Bridge across the dambo

Lake Bangweulu

Me, on a bridge in the Dambo near my hut.

One of the paths near my hut.

Bangweulu wetlands

Sunrise over Lake Bangweulu

The road to Mansa.

Tiger, at my homestay really knows how to relax.