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| Some of the RAPpers at a fish pond. |
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| The dusty road I no longer take. The bushes shouldn't be red. |
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| Development is hard work. |
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| Chongwe Market, selling all sorts of fruits and vegetables. |
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| New path I take to class every day. |
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Pictures
Site Placement!
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.
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Pictures
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| Farmer we met on our first site visit in Central Province, and 5 of his 12 kids. Loving the little girl in the middle. |
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| My hut and bathing shelter on the right. Notice there is no door. |
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| Sitting outside my hut. A chicken strolls by. |
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| Peace Corps tan lines. |
Getting In The Groove
Just to note on the last entry, the bags that were lost were
found and returned.
For the
last few weeks I've been writing blog entries in a notebook here in my hut at
my homestay for training. These are now being put into my computer, but alas,
no internet. They will stay here until I find wifi. Sorry for the strain of
thought going, bare with me. The dates at the top are the date it was written.
Some will be updated later on when I learn more stuff or when new stuff gets
old, and most have a heading. The heading is to direct my focus, and I
challenge any readers to comment and list suggestions for new topics. Dig deep,
think hard, let me know what you want to know about the culture, the
traditions, how I get around, what I do everyday, what I'm thinking, etc.
I apologize for the length of this entry, but I'm sure you
can handle it. It might be quite a while till I get more internets.
July 28th 2012
Smells
My smell
has been pretty bad lately because of inconsistent bucket baths. At the hotel
we were staying at, oddly enough, sometimes only had boiling hot water (which I
accidentally poured over my head once). Now that I'm in my homestay, I'll be
getting regular warm bucket baths every evening and my odor will subside.
The smell
of the land is dusty and smokey. We joked that this was the best place to live
in the world because it kinda smells like a barbeque all the time. But, since
it is the dry season and a lot of fires get out of hand from unsustainable
slash and burn agriculture, smoke lingers in most areas and fires are very
common. Most days on our way to classes we'll pass fires burning with no one
watching them or trying to put them out.
Food
Shima (or
“ubwali” in Bemba) is the favorite food in Zambia. It is described as a
cornmeal porridge you eat with your hands. It is served with relish, which can
be anything from a delicious cabbage tomato mix (yes, I said delicious cabbage)
to baked beans. Overall meat is expensive and hard to come by. Chickens are
plentiful here, but they are sometimes only used like a bank savings account.
What we prescribe to help with protein consumption in place of actual meat is
things like peanut butter, beans, and soya (kinda like tofu with meat
flavoring, also delicious). Peanut butter here, even the cheap stuff, is the
best I've had in my whole life. But alas, there isn't really any milk to help
wash it down.
Funerals
The body of
the dead is almost always buried near their home. For the first few days
everyone is sad, but that all changes when the body is buried. Once buried, the
house of the deceased must be cleansed. To cleanse a house, friends and family
gather to sing and dance to make sure the ghost does not stay. To be even more
sure, a family member will sometimes take the name of the dead for a day, and everyone,
including children, will address him or her by the name of the dead. Before
HIV/AIDS, the brother of the deceased would take widow and family. Since it is
hard to tell who is infected in these areas, plus with the taboo of someone
knowing you're infected, today usually just a gift will be given.
(A quick note on cultural traditions – some of these
traditions could be widespread throughout southern Africa, or localized to one
tribe or region. For this case, I don't know how widespread these traditions
are, but I'll try to be specific when I can)
Greetings
Overall,
Zambians regard respect very highly. Things like how you dress shows how much
you respect the people around you. When first arriving at my homestay, the
children came into the living room area where we eat (generally Zambians eat
outdoors, my homestay is an exception), his children came in one by one, and
got on their knees to introduce themselves and meet me.
What I love
is how greetings with other adults are conducted. To shake hands you begin with
a normal shake, switch the angle of your thumbs so you clench palms by wrapping
your thumbs, then move back to a normal shake. It's kinda cool. The older the
person, the better. This includes slow clapping accompanied with bowing at the
knees, extending the handshake, as well as holding your right elbow with your
left hand. Kinda makes me feel like I'm 8,000 miles away from home. Not to
mention all this is done in the local language, in my case Bemba. I had the
opportunity to meet with a 78 year old man and the greetings and goodbyes were
all increased. He said that one of the other trainees looked like Muhammad Ali
(despite being caucasian), and was quite impressed to hear that I came from the
city Muhammad Ali lives.
July 29th 2012
Making a difference already
I know that
some people have problems with the intentions and ideas of the Peace Corps. I
will most likely return to this subject often as I learn more about the Peace
Corps, and experience first hand what it is like. In some ways it may look like
the US is just being arrogant and trying to force the American way on the lives
of poor and underdeveloped areas. I'm sure there have been volunteers that have
abused the power and opportunities they were given and taken their role too
far. However, for the majority of volunteers, at least in Zambia where we are
so removed from our American culture, I do not think this abuse of power takes
place. The culture of Zambia is incredibly rich, and although globalization is
taking place all over the world, I'm not concerned anymore that my presence is
going to make any difference than their radio or internet cafes scattered
across the country. Additionally, from day one we have been given classes
introducing us to the Zambian culture so that we can better integrate ourselves
into our communities later on. Without integration and respect from our
neighbors, which can only be done by following their cultural norms and
speaking their language, we cannot give advice and expect positive change. Our
safety and security will also be compromised unless we are viewed more equal.
We are not
here to force the American way of life on natives. Far from it. Every country
where Peace Corps has a presence has specifically requested volunteers and has
worked with the US government to attain skilled workers. Additionally, each
village where a volunteer lives has applied to host a volunteer and supplied
houses, often building new ones with American specifications like size,
proximity to a water source, safe area, accessible by land rover in case of
emergency, etc. However, Peace Corps volunteers live poor and are primarily a
resource of knowledge, not a cash machine.
For the
most part, any volunteer is simply hoping to help improve the lives of their
neighbors (unless they are in the education sector, I suppose). Things in the
US that we take for granted sometimes don't exist here or are not even known
about or practiced. There are things like methods of purifying water, sleeping
under mosquito nets, practicing safe sex and birth control, cleaning their
fruits and vegetables before eating, growing and eating a balanced diet, and
knowing the signs of different illnesses.
This is
where the Peace Corps is already making a difference, and we haven't even made
it to our posts. The families we are living with have applied to volunteer to
host an American (they are paid to feed us and house us, etc.), and are trained
before we get here. The training includes things like how to help us learn the
language and culture, but also how to help us with basic needs, like clean,
boiled water, showers, a balanced diet, place to hang our mosquito net and
sleep, etc.
After
hosting an American, many families report adopting some of these behaviors.
These behaviors directly effect their health and well being, allowing these
families to perhaps spend less money traveling to and from a clinic if one of
their children gets sick from malnourishment, and more money paying for their
children's education.
July 30th 2012
Water
The way in
which anyone here uses water depends on the source. Typically water is either
drawn from a stream/furrow or pumped or drawn from a well. Tap water pretty
much only exists in the cities. So far the water I have seen is relatively
clear. This does not mean it's clean and free of bacteria and viruses, but it
feels better to wash your face with clear water than muddy water.
In
emergencies, when you need clean water fast, iodine tablets have been provided.
However, long term use of iodine has led some volunteers to have thyroid
problems. For typical drinking water, it generally takes some planning ahead.
Here at the homestay, we get a bucket of boiled water that we pour through
ceramic candles which work like a fine filter. Just boiling the water is fine,
but once it goes through the filter it tastes fresh and clean. Before the
filter it kinda tastes like dirt (I know from experience). Once we are at our
post we will move to another method, or variations of it. We will pull our
water from whatever water source is nearest, filter it through the ceramic
candles we used before, but instead of boiling it, we will use chlorine drops.
A bottle of chlorine drops that will last several months costs 1,000 Zambian
kwatca = 20 US cents.
August 2nd 2012
Homestays
All the RAP
trainees are now living in Chongwe District in the Province of Lusaka. While we
are here for the 11 weeks, we live with a host family who feeds us and lets us
stay in either a hut or room in their house. The family must be able to speak
the language the trainee is learning so they can more completely immerse
themselves in the language and culture, learning it faster. I am learning
Bemba, but we have trainees in RAP learning Tonga (Southern Province), Nyanja
(Eastern Province), Kaonde and Lunda (Northwestern Province) and Mambwe
(Northern Province). The Bemba speakers don't know what province we'll be sent
to since it is more widespread and is spoken in Central, Northern, and Luapula
provinces. It's also spoken in the Cobberbelt and Lusaka Provinces, but Peace
Corps isn't working in Copperbelt and new volunteers don't work in Lusaka. So,
overall, Bemba is the most useful language in Zambia besides English. (I've
heard we'll know our site placement in 2 weeks!)
My host
father, or Bataata, speaks English fairly well and has been a great help in
teaching me practical things around the compound. My host mother, or Bamaayo,
speaks only Bemba to my knowledge. Most days we get some sort of language
homework to take back and work on with our family. My host parents have 9 children
in all, but it is a mess to try and figure out who lives here and who doesn't.
I think about 3-4 have moved out. It gets confusing since Zambians believe in a
very extended family where our American labels of things like brother and
cousin are blurred. So, for instance, all male cousins may call all the uncles
Dad, or Bataata. Those cousins may call each other brother, or Bandume. Even
the name Bataata can be used to address any upstanding older male, which just
makes things more confusing. Same for Bamaayo. So, on any given day there could
be a dozen children running around making excuses to walk by my door and look
in at the muzungu (white person).
The
compound is made up of about 10 individual huts. There is no one hut everyone
lives in, and the living room is outside. Some huts store supplies or food, and
others have beds. I just found out the other day that 100 chickens live in one
of them, and there are 3 goofy looking big eared pigs too. Most huts have a
thatched roof that gets replaced about every other year depending on how bad
the rains were. My hut has a tin roof, which is pretty flashy for Zambians. It
is fine for the homestay, but at our posts we won't have tin roofs because we
don't want to give the impression of being wealthy. We don't get paid much to
live here, and our primary job is to be a resource, not give handouts. Plus,
having houses like everyone else helps us integrate into the community and
stand out less.
Back to the
homestay, my hosts have an indoor eating area for guests (again, fancy for
Zambians – not typical). Inside, they have a radio and TV powered by solar
panels that have charged a car battery. (Note, when I get to my village, there
will be no TV's) On special occasions my Bataata will turn on the TV and watch
music videos. Yesterday we watched (and by “we watched” I mean he turned on the
TV and put in the DVD without my input) some 90's boy band music videos. A few other volunteers have TV's in their
homestays. One in my language group has gotten into an Italian soap opera with
his host family and watches it every day. Another has been watching something
like Desperate Housewives and Zambia's Got Talent. I will also note that most
other trainees are incredibly jealous that we get to watch anything on a
television.
August 6th 2012
The Average Day
Typically
we have language training in the morning. I get up by 7am usually. I open the
door to my hut and kinda wait around for a while. I don't really know how to
ask for breakfast, or if it's culturally acceptable to demand food, so I just
wait around until they tell me to eat. Breakfast is usually bread with peanut
butter and, depending on they type of jam, jam. The tangelo jam has peel chunks
so I've learned to avoid it. Piping hot water for tea is always ready. By 7:45
I'm on my bike to language class, something like 1-2 km away (10 minutes).
Something like 12-12:30 I'm on my way back to the homestay for lunch.
Technical
training starts at 14:00 and is about 7km away down a dirt road. It takes about
a half hour to ride there. I still haven't decided what side of the road to
ride on. First of all, they drive on the wrong side of the road here, and
second of all, pedestrians do not have the right of way. So you have to decide
whether or not to play chicken with pickup trucks who refuse to scoot over into
the other lane even a little, or ride with your back to oncoming traffic. Also
along the way are about 100 kids who need to ask, “How are you?” because
apparently that's all they learn in English class here. I've started taking a
back way that is a lot more fun, less dusty, and you don't have to almost get
hit my cars.
Once I've
made it to the Farmers Training Institute, we all gather in a ginormous insaka
(think giant gazebo with grass roof) for lectures on malaria, safety and
security, all aspects of culture, dirrhea, travelling, fish, ponds, fishponds,
etc. We break for a snack, then we're back at it again until 17:00 when we are
done for the day.
After
another half hour ride back home, my bath water is usually already warm for me.
Bathing is done outdoors in a grass fenced kind of spiral of sorts. There is no
door whatsoever. My bathroom has a similar design, no door – plus it has crotch
height little windows, go figure. My bathroom, or cimbusu, was built especially
for white people like me, so it has a seat. Normally there is no seat, and it's
just a hole.
After
bathing I sit around and write in notepads to be turned into a blog later on,
make flash cards and study Bemba, and/or read. By 18 it's almost completely dark
outside, so I have started getting used to studying by candlelight. Dinner is
almost always ready at 20:00 even though I don't think my host mom owns a
clock. I'm called for dinner inside my host parent's house where I eat with my
host dad and sometimes mom. I've wanted to eat with the host family, but I
don't think I know who that is, and it's dark so I can't make out faces. Plus,
I've heard the little ones have bad table manners, and since there are no
tables and everyone eats with their hands, I think I'll stick to eating inside
for now until I feel a little more comfortable speaking Bemba and knowing who
in the heck is sitting outside peeking at me.
Dinner has
consisted shima (which I now think might just be playdo), potatoes, cabbage
tomato mix, some form of meat (usually sausage or cold leftover hard as a rock
chicken), soya pieces, and sometimes rice instead of shima. Our host families
are paid to give us a balanced diet, this is not the typical Zambian diet.
After
dinner I try to stick around and talk to my host dad about something to feel
like I'm not just there for the food. The best conversation I've had so far was
describing snow. He would ask a question like, “So, when it snows, everything
is wet?!” then contemplates the answer and acts like he's satisfied for a while
until another question bothers him enough. “So what do all the animals do?
Die?”
After
saying my good nights from dinner I'm usually quite tired. Learning a language
and dealing with so much attention and biking takes quite a toll. Most of us
trainees get about 9-10 hours of sleep a night and are still cranky in the
mornings and yawning throughout the day. I'm usually in bed my 21:00 (9 pm)
debating if it's better to sleep or try to do a few more flashcards. Sleep
usually wins.
Most used lines so far – in Bemba! Try them out. I dare ya.
Nanaka, ndefwaya ukusendama. Tukamonana mialo.
I'm tired, I want to sleep. I'll see you tomorrow. (Note: in
Bemba, mialo means yesterday AND tomorrow)
Mwashibukeni mukwai!
Good morning (literally it means “You have woken!”)
Endita mukwai.
(Respectful reply to above – no real translation – basically
means “Yeah, duh, I know”)
Ifyakulya fyaciwama sana, natotela.
The food was very good, thank you.
Ndefwya amenshi ya kunwa.
I want water for drinking.
As far as what is going on now – August 8th 2012
– the CHIP (Community Health) group that we flew in with is now living in
Chipembe, whereas all the RAP trainees are here in Chongwe. Chongwe is a small
town outside of Lusaka. It has street vendors along the road selling fruits and
vegetables. There is a back alley that runs behind some buildings that sells
things like clothing, foods, shoes, and all sorts of random things. There are
also barbers and tailors and the like. It even has a guy that pretty much dared
me to eat a whole fish. Don't eat the fish. I survived, but it was rough.
Our first language exam is next Friday, they will ask us to
describe out host families and families back in the US (their names, what they
do for a living, and where they live). They will point to fruits and vegetables
and make us name them, as well as garden tools, body parts, and classroom
items. So far, I'm fairly comfortable with most of it. The grammar is the
toughest part to get a hold of, but is it coming along. Most words sound the
same, and most phrases are tongue twisters.
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