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.

Luapalooza!

September 19th, 2012

Samfya Beach

Second site visit is going great. We met some local fish farmers, staked a pond at a new pond site, and taught a group of fish farmers about fingerling transport in Bemba. We hung out, fetched water, and made some great American meals. But, since we were in Mansa and only an hour away from the beach...
Hired a taxi, stuffed ourselves into a tiny car with all our luggage, and all 6 of us, plus another passenger and the driver, headed off to Samfya Beach. Good thing it was only an hour. Most of the volunteers, when they have a beach craving, stay at a place called Kwacha Waterfront Lodge, where we camped on the beach for about $3 a night. The scenery is amazing, the water was clear and cool, and we stayed up late playing cards, drinking, and eating at the lodge. At night there were still fishermen on the water who had lit lanterns, so the horizon was filled with twinkling spots of light. The stars were spectacular as always. We had to get up early because we thought our driver was coming at 7 to pick us up, so we were able to catch the sunrise over Lake Bangweulu for the day we would be seeing our sites for the first time. We had to keep reminding ourselves we were still in Africa, and not some beach resort in the Caribbean.

Of course the driver didn't leave Mansa until 7am anyway, so we ate some breakfast sausage and got even more nervous
about what was in store for us for the rest of the day.

September 20th, 2012

Arrival

Out of the 4 RAPpers heading to Luapula in our intake, I was to be the first stop. The road from Samfya north to Lubwe is simply breathtaking. The road hugs the western shore of Lake Bangweulu, the water is blue and the enormous wetland fields of tall green grass spotted with families fishing in the shallow water on the other side of the road is too much for words. After passing Lubwe, we turned off onto a smaller bush path. Down, down, down a dusty dirt road with nothing but trees and cassava fields for miles. Suddenly the trees cleared a bit and a little tiny community of just over 100 people emerged. We were in Mabote village, my home. The cruiser turned off the "main" road just a bit and parked next to a tiny white hut with a grass roof. My counterpart, BaPatrick was close behind with a key to let me in.
I entered to see three tiny rooms: a sitting area, a bedroom taken up mostly by a bed, and a smaller kitchen area. I exited the hut to grab my luggage and things, hitting my head on the overhanging grass that is my roof, to see dozens of villagers crowding around the newcomers. They all were coming up to greet me in Bemba, and a group began to sing some sort of welcome song. It was simply incredible how they welcomed a complete stranger. After the initial greetings, and after some goodbyes to the other trainees, the driver, and our second site hosts who were along for the ride, I was on my own... but far from alone.
BaPatrick is a great host and invited me to my insaka (remember the gazebo thing?) to sit with what I suspect is the fish farming group I'll soon become very familiar with. It feels like I've been here for so long, but I'm writing this only 4 hours after arriving. We sat in the insaka for some time until an older man and woman brought some roasted ground nuts (locally grown peanuts!) and cassava root. Like I've said before, the ground nuts are amazing here. The cassava root? It was roasted and quite possibly the driest thing I've ever eaten. There isn't much taste, and has a strange but not bad texture. It's very soft. I think it would be great dipped in butter. (I'd think anything dipped in butter would be great, I haven't had any for um, how long has it been, 10 weeks?)

BaPatrick then took me to see the well pump for the village and natural spring (dug out of an old ant hill, so I guess not natural at all) just down from my house on the edge of a beautiful dambo area (wetland, it'll be more like a river in the rainy season). Across a field is the fenced in area where the farming group has 20 ponds, and are getting ready to start a breeding pond to supply the area with fingerlings (called utwaana twe sabi, in bemba – literally translates to "baby fish"). We came back to my hut where I spent some time hanging my mosquito net and lying on my bed, exhausted. Then from outside, "Odi" (knock knock), I had to be polite, "Calibu" (Welcome, come in), lunch was ready. Shima and fish. Not bad. The villagers are told they are supposed to feed me for these first few days. I brought a gift of saladi (cooking oil) for the cooks, but I have no idea who is making my food.

Looking around my hut I have my insaka, where I will, and am apparently currently hosting visitors (yeah, there's like 6 guys sitting our there right now as I sit on my bed and scribble this). I have a ulusasa (grass bathing shelter), a cimbusu (outhouse, where they said they will make me a door because of the goats. I was unaware that goats could be a problem for outhouses, but recently I have heard they like to go in there and stand around, so I guess I'll take a free door), and a drying rack for dishes (a stand made of branches like a grid). It looks like my house is at a "Y" in the paths, but I have yet to see much traffic (or kids for that matter, jackpot!) I also have several trees just across from my hut arranged in a sort of circle which will be perfect to hang my hammock. There are several fields around that may or may not be currently used which apparently I can use to start a garden/demonstration plot.
When I mentioned to BaPatrick I had a lot of seeds I wanted to plant I think he said something regarding that I could give them to him or someone else to plant for me. I'll just have to show him I can make a garden on my own. I've heard many

Zambians think Americans are delicate and incapable of doing things ourselves. When we were walking to the fenced in ponds, I noticed they were moving sticks out of the way so I wouldn't trip. I would have been upset and argue that I could in fact walk over sticks, but I almost tripped later on, so maybe they have a point.

Anyway, I'll end here because my hand hurts from writing and I think some anonymous village women have prepared my bath water.

Turns out they even laid fresh leaves on the ground for me so my feet wouldn't get dirty. I felt like a princess.

September 21st, 2012

Visit Continued

Last night BaPatrick took me on a walk to see the carpenter. We started out back the way the cruiser had come to drop me off, and turned off onto another bush path shortcut. Along the way he tried to teach me words of things he saw and things people said. I met Mabote's headman and I watched one of his younger daughters try to play with a duck that was not too happy about the situation.

Fun fact: Mabote comes from the word amabote which is a chopped boiled pot of cassava. Makes sense, these people love cassava. Some varieties take three years to grow, and they are everywhere up here.

After one crazy day, I slept like a baby and work up to a village already booming with life. BaPatrick met me just before breakfast arrived. Ground nuts and cassava again. We discussed of what to do today and decided to head out to see the surrounding villages. Turns out this was a 3 hour walk from about 10 – 1. It got a little hot in the sun. But, I did get to meet a lot of people who I think are still convinced I'm the older volunteer, John, who is also about my height and also has a beard, but most importantly is white which pretty much makes us twins out here in the African bush. After our walk we returned home to nice refreshing warm water and lunch of shima and fish, again. BaPatrick started to get on my nerves this time. Apparently they want me to be really fat, so when I don't stuff my face with bland cornmeal porridge 3 times a day, I'm considered starving. While I was eating he kept asking me if I ate shima. He would even tell me to continue eating while my mouth was full, and after I told him I was finished and full he said he did not believe me and picked up another fish and told me to eat. I understand he is my host for these days, and if I'm hungry he isn't doing his job, but keeping the situation humorous was beginning to come to an end. I'll just have to make sure he knows that when I move into the village, I make my own food.
The food wasn't all bad. Like I said, the ground nuts are amazing, and although the roasted cassava root is dry, is not bad. On our walk today, BaPatrick pointed out some fruit trees with small little-bit-bigger-than-a-grape-sized-peach-looking-bush-fruit called impundu. When we visited his house, his daughter was pounding the fruit into a pulp, later to be cooked down and thickened with dried ground (you guessed it) cassava root to make a porridge. She brought it over to my house later when she was done so I could try some. It was delicious. Kinda tasted like a mild jelly, but runny and in soup form. Apparently they do the same thing with mangoes. I ordered a pot when the mangoes are ready.

Later we walked around my house and discussed how to go about adding a big porch onto the front of my house, where to put a garden and chicken coop, and where best to stand to get a phone signal. I'm still not sure about any of these.

After dinner BaPatrick and I, as well as a few neighbors sat around while they spoke Bemba and kept asking me what I was thinking about while staring off in the distance at some trees. I don't think they believed me when I said, "nothing." My crank flashlight was a huge hit though, and they "cranking to charge the battery" doesn't translate into Bemba very well.

All in all, this visit has been a blast. The drive up here is incredible, and as I mentioned earlier, Lake Bangweulu is beautiful. My jaw dropped for the 45 minute journey north of Samfya, with the lake, the tall green grass, and villages with big trees. I can't believe I'm going to be living in a place this beautiful.
September 24th, 2012

Luapula Provincial House

So I'm just going to mention a few things about the Peace Corps provincial house in Mansa, Luapula. Each province has their own house since Zambia is so rural. It's rare for Peace Corps to have more than one office. So we're lucky. It has a guard 24/7 and barbed wire around a big wall. We are safe. It's a little overkill, but still a nice little American oasis. Inside is a few offices in one building where the driver works and some of the other staff, as well as living quarters for the volunteer who runs the house. The other building I can best describe if you imagine a bunch of hippies built and renovated a frat house. It has 4 or 5 rooms with bunk beds, a huge kitchen, a dining room that opens up to a TV room, a computer/office room (with wireless if there's power), and an outdoor porch area to also hang out in. There is also a ginormous collection of books and DVD's where you can take one leave one.

This is where I began to notice the culture of the volunteers. I love it. Everyone is friendly and exited to be in a place where they can speak English, watch movies, make food, and live with electricity (when it's on). Each night everyone who is staying at the house makes dinner together, from scratch. One of the nights, when the power was off, we were working on making a Mexican dinner. We rolled dough, chopped salsa, and fried chips, etc. Everything went from raw form to delicious. The power even came back on so we didn't have to work entirely from charcoal. Everyone pitched in and helped, there were about 10 of us.
Just hanging out with these people is great. I've mentioned how impressed I am with everyone in our intake, and it has continued with every current volunteer I've met so far. Everyone is genuine, friendly, funny and lighthearted, and just laughs at crazy situations we get in (like cooking for 10 people without electricity). We sat around after dinner and told goofy stories of the other trainees and volunteers, like how the Northwest Province group had 4 flat tires on their way to their provincial house for site visit (they also have the longest drive, the roads are awful up there). It was just great hanging out and relaxing for a while in the middle of this crazy intense training we are in.

One highlight of the stay at the house is hanging out after getting back from our individual sites. It was incredibly hot that day and everyone had their feet kicking around in a kiddie pool. I sat in a hammock for a while and out of the corner of my eye I saw one of the coolest birds I've ever seen fly through the mango and lemon trees in the backyard. A pennant winged nightjar. Look it up.

September 27th 2012

Back in Kentucky, Peace Corps had a picnic for Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and those of us in the application/nomination process. I was able to meet with a fellow nominee that is scheduled for Sub-Saharan Africa, fisheries, leaving February 2013. That pretty much means Zambia. So, she's asked a few questions about training and life as a volunteer thus far. As training comes to a close, I'll try and knock these out before a whole new experience starts up... again.

What is your favorite part of the day?
Sleeping. I'm exhausted most of the time. I love to be able to lay down and pass right out. But that's not a very exiting answer. What I like most about these days, especially as they come to a close is hanging out with all the other trainees. We have come quite close over the last few months, and just being able to sit around and enjoy each others company gives us all a good feeling.


I'd also like to add the random times I get hit with a reminder that I'm actually in Africa. Like right now, I'm writing this on my computer with a rapidly draining battery at 11pm at night (wayyyy past my bedtime). Across the street this morning a neighbor of mine died. I didn't know him, but a funeral is currently taking place. I can hear a large group of what I'm guessing is men and women singing mourning songs. It's been going on for hours now, and although sad, is really beautiful. Zambians can sing. Other times it hits me when we're stuffed in the back of a land cruiser barreling down the tarmac while I look out the window at the picturesque landscape that is Africa. Another good one was when I was getting up for the first day in my new village of Mabote, just listening to the sounds of village life as the sun rose across the African sky.

Biggest disappointment so far?

I think I'm going to mention this in another blog post or so, but I guess I might consider the food as a disappointment. Some of the trainees and volunteers I have talked to like the Zambian foods. Although I do like some, I typically don't like eating meals unless they remind me in some way of food I used to eat back in the states. Plus, the way training is and the setup with the homestays, you can't really make your own food. My suggestion would be right away to tell your host family what you like and don't like. Perhaps tell them you like fresh fruits like apples and oranges for breakfast. It's better to set the ground rules early, than later. Also, keep in mind they get paid a decent amount per day to host you, they can afford to feed you really well and still pocket some of the cash. But then again, Peace Corps is all about integration. Buckle down and eat some shima! I can't wait to cook my own food again.

What do I wish I had brought that I didn't?

I'm making a master list of everything that I brought, why, and suggestions for things I should have brought. Should be updated soon soon.

Biggest challenge thus far?

Before I left I thought not having power was going to be a big challenge. It's not. I forget all the time. We came back to the provincial house in Luapula last week. It took me about 3 hours before I realized we didn't have power in the whole city (actually someone said something that brought it to my attention). Although, for the first few weeks I kept going for the light switch in my hut.

I can't really put my finger on one thing that has challenged me any more than any other one thing. I think it's challenging because I haven't experienced the types of things I deal with on a daily basis all together like I have here in training. Eating new foods, getting sick all the time, insane weight loss, homesickness, isolation, learning a new language, constant attention, confusion, frustration, etc. We've all experienced these things separately, but when have you crammed them all into 11 weeks? Don't let this discourage you. It's challenging, but already rewarding. Just keep thinking positively, find the things you enjoy, and enjoy life.

What's language training like? Are the teachers Zambian or American? What about group size?

Intense! So, after the first week they will divide everyone into language groups. 2-4 people is the typical size. You don't have much control over what language you speak, but you do have one time to voice your opinion after some volunteers talk about why their provinces are the best. They all have something cool to offer, and all have their challenges. I haven't met a volunteer yet who doesn't think their province is the best.
Anywho, Zambians teach the classes. We meet several times a week for 4 hours, depending on the crazy schedule they give us and what changes they make at the last minute. Bantu languages aren't developed the way the languages we're used to are, and are therefore much more of an oral language, so spelling doesn't matter as much. All the exams are oral, and a good part of each class is repeating back what you have learned. The earlier classes start with simple things like describing your family and what you ate for breakfast. Then you progress to more vocabulary so you can point out things like garden tools, kitchen supplies, etc. After that it becomes much more conversational, so you get to know the tenses and start describing what you like to do, what you did in the US, where you will be living, what you do each day of the week, etc. It's a tough schedule, but keep with it, and make sure to use the language as much as possible in your homestay. Sometimes you'll feel like you've hit a brick wall, but then something will click and you feel like you can talk again. For instance, learning the word "pantu" (because) added a lot more context to my sentences. Before, all I could say was, "I need to do my laundry tomorrow". But that quickly turned into, "I need to do my laundry tomorrow because I will be going to Luapula on saturday." Keep studying, don't fall back, and you'll do fine.

How long do you think it'll take for your community to trust and respect your suggestions?

Luckily for me I'm a second generation volunteer. There was a volunteer there for 2 years before me. He probably already dealt with a lot of the misconceptions about volunteers, so hopefully I won't have to. Nevertheless I'm sure I'll have to deal with a lot of hesitation from villagers as to how trusting they should be of me. That's why the first 3 months in the village we aren't allowed to leave our district. It's called Community Entry and we have a lot of work to do. Mainly this has nothing to do with fish farming or agriculture or anything like that. We are supposed to be gaining the respect and friendship of the community by integrating ourselves, meeting people, attending social gatherings, and becoming a villager. We are supposed to be making a seasonal calendar, a daily work schedule, maps, needs assessment, etc. to help us better understand what we can do for the community and how best to go about it. So, I can't really answer the question, other than I hope really soon.

Side effects of malaria meds?

Oh yeah! I'm on mefloquine. It's the easiest to take because you take it only once a week since the half life of the drug is like 10 days or something. The side effects effect people in different ways. Typically this manifests itself in crazy lucid dreams. Sometimes they are a bit disturbing, but my dreams rarely bother me too badly. Some people get paranoid and have problems sleeping. These effects also seem to go away after a while of taking the pills. And they are great for sharing stories. Unfortunately I haven't seen and difference in dreams for a while, they are pretty much back to normal after 10 weeks.

There are two other possible drugs you can take. One of them is doxycycline, which unfortunately you have to take once a day. It's side effect is sun sensitivity. My understanding is that they will put you on doxycycline if you have had any history of mental problems, even as simple as seeing a counselor or being on antidepressants or something like that. I don't know for sure really, but I'm guessing they don't want to give you a pill that will make you paranoid and give you insomnia if you've already had similar problems with that in the past. I'm sure there are lots of reasons, I'm just speculating.

There is one other pill that they can give you, I forget the name, only a few people take it because it costs something like $6 a pill and you also have to take it once a day. This one has no side effects.

Does it feel like I've been living in a fishbowl?

A bit, yes. We are definitely celebrities here, and we get a lot of unwanted attention. I have to come up with excuses when people ask for my phone number, refuse invitations to grab a beer in the morning, etc. Obviously you're going to stand out being white in Africa, so you just have to get used to the stares. It's strange, sometime it gets to me and stresses me out, other times it's fun and enjoyable. I guess it's all about what your outlook and attitude towards it is. I have to set boundaries. While I'm in Chongwe with tons of people and even more kids, I don't talk to kids. I don't want to be mean, but whenever I gave them any attention, they kept getting closer, to the point I couldn't walk in a straight line down the road. They also got to the point they would run out in front of my bike and I would almost run over them. In the village I'll probably be nicer to the kids, but here it is a real problem. As far as adults, it's difficult as well. I mean, everyone wants to talk to us. So, you can either talk to everyone, some, or none. In crowds I typically don't talk to people unless I need something. It's not that I'm trying to be rude to everyone, I just literally can't be polite to everyone. I've taken to having big sunglasses and headphones so maybe they think I can't hear them. If the road is deserted except for me and another person, I'll usually say hi.

What veggies do I plan to grow in my garden?

I plan on making a good garden. I'm thinking of trying to lead by example as much as possible. Many farmers use store bought fertilizers and pesticides as their only means of helping out their crops (other than watering). I'm going to try to show them how to use a compost and intercrop to save money and have a bigger harvest. So, I'll be growing some of the things they grow, to compare, as well as some stuff just for me. Tomatoes, peppers, chilies, sunflowers, corn, beans, peas, basil, pumpkin, more chilies, potatoes probably too. I'll also get some chickens for eggs.

How far is the nearest PCV to me?

I'm something like 12 kilometers from Lubwe, where my nearest PCV neighbor is. I'm hoping to meet up with her soon after arriving to get a tour of the town. Lubwe is a community set up by missionaries back in the early 1900's, I think, and is located right on the western shore of Lake Bangweulu. They have a school where I believe my language trainer attended, a decent sized hospital/clinic, where another staff member worked, a really old church, and some stores including an internet cafe type thing. It kinda has a Spanish feel to it, with the old architecture of the buildings, and being located near the water.

September 29th 2012Mail Me!

My new shipping address will be:
Ben Bowman
PO Box 710150
Mansa, Luapula, Zambia

Anything will be greatly appreciated; letters of encouragement, updates in your life, pictures, packages with chocolates and power bars, spice packets, SRIRACHA!, candy, etc.
A trick to sending things that might help it get here faster is to add "Brother" in front of my name to make it seem like religious materials and also put religious phrases on the sides. If people think it is for religious purposes, they are less likely to tamper with it. Use this address for the rest of my service. If you send to the older address I mentioned in an earlier post, it'll take even longer because it will sit in the Lusaka office until someone decides to bring it up to me.

Mabote Village!

Google Map View of Mabote Village - Check it out! I think the satellite picture is a bit outdated. I couldn't find a fish farming group's ponds or my actual hut on here, but I'm pretty sure this is Mabote.

My new home.

Check back in a few weeks. I'll be adding my journal entry from second site visit, as well as working on my post Pre Service Training (PST)/entry into village life/what's been going through my head for the past 3 months - blog post.

Also, I have gotten only one suggestion for what to talk about on here so far. Give me something to do, don't let me get bored. I've heard horror stories from previous and current volunteers that when they got bored their pets started talking back to them or they began to translate Shakespeare into Bemba, or Kaonde.

Paul

Peace Corps Mourns the Loss of Trainee Paul Blum

Above is the press release given out by the Peace Corps. Below is a link from a fellow trainee about the night of Paul's death.

Caitlin's Blog Post - Sometimes Things Happen

This came as an incredible shock to us all. We began hearing rumors the morning before we were supposed to leave for our second site visit. The night before, had been a joyful, wonderful time with all the RAPpers. We had an oven making competition and pizza contest, along with singing and games. We slept outside and enjoyed ourselves. It was the first night we had all been able to enjoy each others company since we came into this country. (we kinda have a curfew)

A memorial was planned by the CHIP group, the group who knew Paul the most. It was a touching and moving ceremony. I came to Zambia expecting to attend many funerals, but I never once thought I'd be attending an American's funeral. I only knew Paul briefly, but I feel the same for him as I do many people here. We are all close. We are family. From the sounds of it, although Paul was one of the oldest volunteers in the country, he was the youngest at heart.

I'm sure all of the trainees during the last week have reflected on why they are here. The sudden shock effected us all in different ways. I remembered back to the reasons why I joined. If anything, Paul's death serves as motivation to me, to carry on what he no longer can, to finish what he started. Everything can be taken from us at any time, so make it worth while.

I'm glad before his heart attack, Paul had the chance to see his new home and meet with the villagers he would call neighbors and friends for the next 2 years. In a few days I'll be doing the same thing. I'm so exited to see my house and think of all the fun I'll have making it my home, digging a garden, hosting friends and family, sitting around all day and enjoying sunsets. It is awful that he died, but I know he died happy. He was in Zambia, fulfilling a dream he had had for many years, doing exactly what he wanted to do.

RIP Paul. You will be missed.

Pictures

RAP trainees off on another wild adventure.

Great East Road

Aaron's Den. Look at all those white people!

This toy is like having the most expensive super soaker on the block.

Typical night - complete with Bemba dictionary with missing pages, broken pen, and toilet paper.

Weaver bird nests

Me, at Chongwe River

Ifyakufwala

August 31^st 2012

Laundry

Ndefwaya ukuwasha ifyakufwala fyandi.

I want to wash my clothes.

I've got enough clothes to last me about a week here. Technically our families are supposed to wash our clothes, and although I let them do my cooking and other cleaning things, I like to do my own laundry. In Zambia laundry is done by hand, in a basin. Add well water, BOOM! Detergent, and you're all set. Mostly what you see people do is hold two pieces of the same item in both hands, then “scrub” them together a few times moving along the whole item until it's finished. When finished, ring the item out and put it in a basin of clean water to rinse. Wash it out in the clean water, ring it out again, turn it inside out, and hang to dry on a metal wire. Why metal? Botflys. If you're squeamish, don't look up what botflys do to you. Once your clothes are completely dry, the job is done and you're ready to get dirty again. Why dry the clothes completely? Botfly larvae. So, ideally don't wear the clothes for 3 days and you'll be find.

For me, I'm still unclear how water moves around the homestay. There are two washing basins and several buckets. I can't tell which ones are being used or what the water in some are being used for, so I've given up. On top of that I'm still unclear who actually lives here and who is just visiting for several months, so I've given up on that too.

I've finally been able to express that “I want to wash MY laundry” but I've yet to do it all by myself. I've been putting off the topic of gender roles on the blog because it's incredibly complex here, but basically doing laundry and drawing water from a well is a woman's job. I've pretty much been laughed at while doing my laundry, and every time they send some kids to help me.

The biggest problem I've run into is washing my underwear. In Zambian culture, no one can see your underwear being washed or hung to dry. They can be hung indoors or outside in the ulusasa – bathing shelter. So far, I've managed to use leftover bathing water, or sneak them in at the end of washing my other clothes. Once I'm at my site, I'll be free to do whatever I want. I'll be the weird American who puts all his clothes out to dry in the sun. If you don't want to see them, don't look at them.

September 1^st 2012

Second Language Simulation

Yesterday we had our second language simulation. This one was much more difficult than the last, and encompassed quite a bit more. We had to prepare ourselves to what we were learning in Bemba, Zambian culture, and technical training. I practiced this one a lot. Want to hear?

Mu Zambia, ndesambilila cibemba, ntambi, elyo no bulimi bwe sabi. Mu cibemba, ndesambilila ukumfwa, ifya ukulanda, ukuleemba, elyo no ukubelenga. Pa ntambi, ndesambilila ifya ukulya ubwali na minwe, ukusamba mu imbeketi, elyo no ukubomfya cimbusu. Pa bulimi bwe sabi, ndesambilila ukulisha isabi, ukuwimba ifishiba, elyo no ukusombola isabi.

In English: In Zambia, I am learning Bemba, culture, and fish farming. In Bemba, I am learning to listen, how to speak, to write, and to read. For culture, I am learning how to eat shima with my hands, to bath in a bucket, and to use an outhouse. For fish farming, I am learning to feed fish, dig ponds, and harvest fish.

We also had to prepare to talk about what we were doing before we came to Zambia, what we plan on doing after we leave, how to ask for items in a restaurant, haggle for items in the market and ask for Mbasela (bonus, think bakers dozen), talk about the Peace Corps and it's 3 goals, talk about the ways you can get HIV/AIDS and how to prevent it, as well as talk about what we do everyday.

(I ended up getting a 4.8 out of 5. I must have been slacking off this time!)

The next exam will not be simulations like the last two. The last one is a recorded oral interview, all in Bemba, where the discussion could cover anything. Anything? Anything. Food, weather, jobs, what people look like, what problems I could run into at post, what books I like to read, what they are about, what do I do in my free time, how to cook things, etc. Anything.

I'll go ahead and mention that Bemba has 18 different noun classes. As far as I know, Spanish has 2 and English has 1. Also, there are something like 10 tenses, but I seem to run into another one every day, some only referring to things that have happened in the past, but only since you have woken, some only referring to things that will happen in the future, of today. Of those, there are 4 different tenses for the present. One is continuous, one that is habitual, one that is happening now but originated in the past, and one just plain, regular, present tense. Come to think of it, there might be 5 present tenses. And that's all before we get into irregular verbs.

A little R&R

Us trainees, we try and find some times to enjoy ourselves between technical training, language classes, and commuting between. At least once a week we try to set up a time to play soccer. Usually this happens with the locals, who, despite being several years younger than us and barefoot, proceed to make us look silly. For the most part it's still fun. Usually on weekends we will find time to meet up at a bar called Aaron's Den (you can see it on the map just east of where I set the link in one of my earlier posts) for 6,000 Kwacha beers, about $1.20, or Fanta for about $0.60. It's a nice little hangout, secluded from people staring at us where we can kick back, relax, and be loud Americans and play music.

I'm still impressed with the people who our in our group, as well as every volunteer I've met so far. I'm sure it has to do with the type of people who will actually decide to be a Peace Corps volunteer, as well as accept an invitation to go work in the African bush for 2 years. We represent small towns and big cities from all over the US. Off the top of my head I can recall Hawaii, Illinois, Nebraska, Idaho, Colorado, California, Texas, New York, Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Washington, Oregon, New Jersey, Arizona, Wisconsin, Maryland, Massachusetts, Ohio, and of course Kentucky. What surprises me most about our group is I can walk into any group in any conversation and feel completely comfortable and accepted. I would not have guessed 6 weeks ago that I would be good friends with 32 people from the most diverse backgrounds I've probably ever been in contact with.

I can only imagine community entry, the first 3 months we live at our site and aren't allowed out of our district, will be quite a lonely time. We are used to hanging out with over 30 friends everyday, and this will all end very abruptly. We will be cast into a village we hardly know, speaking a language we barely grasp, and thrown into a culture we don't fully understand.

Chongwe River Excursion

Diana and I took an excursion to find Chongwe River. Diana will be my nearest neighbor in Samfya District for our intake once we move up to Luapula. I knew the river crossed the Great East Road east of Chongwe, however, I did not know exactly how far that might be. I was preparing to give up after an hour, turns out it only took 15 minutes. The river itself isn't all that impressive. However, it was water, which there isn't much of here in the dry season, and there were tallish trees, which are rare around these parts.

We saw a lodge that we hoped might supply us with cold beverages, so we headed down a path and were immediately called to and told to come down and that we were welcome. So far, in my experience, overfriendly Zambians are drunk and tough to escape from. So, I figured we were in for an adventure. There were about 6 or 8 guys working on something with a few sitting around in the shade. One of the bosses, we assumed, got up and offered to give us a tour. Alright. Turns out this guy used to be an ambassador for Zambia in the DRC, back when they had political troubles, he said. He was in the process of building the lodge that would have gardens, a bar, fish ponds, and cabins for travelers. Nothing was finished, so, no cold drinks. Otherwise the place was very nice. We talked to the ambassador for a while and then sat by the water for a while sipping on warm water. All in all it was a nice day, except when you realize that you biked to a river and the trip home is all uphill. At least where we're going in Luapula, it's flat.

September 4^th, 2012

Meeting the Counterpart

So, every PCV (Peace Corps Volunteer) has a counterpart who works as a link between the PCV and the community they serve in. Counterparts are chosen by either the previous volunteer or a group in the community who finds an upstanding citizen who knows a lot of people and is well respected. At first the counterpart shows the volunteer around the community to meet important people like the headman (who controls the traditional land and settles conflicts), fish pond farmer groups, women's groups, teachers, etc. They may also work closely to help translate meetings and whatnot. Sometimes they can also be a tutor, where we can get some money reimbursed to us to pay them for teaching us.

We met them yesterday and today in a meeting hall at a lodge here in Chongwe. All 33 volunteers have a counterpart, so there were over 66 of us crammed in a tiny room with a struggling air conditioner. Patrick, or BaPatrick (you put “Ba” in front of someone's name to show respect, so, you put it on everyone's name) is a very gentle looking man, very skinny, with a big smile. He was very patient but communication was slow going. Turns out my village of Mabote speaks a dialect of Bemba called Ng'umbo. Still struggling to pronounce that one.

BaPatrick speaks English, but not quite as well as most the Zambians I encounter at school and training. In Bemba, there is no sound for the letter “R” so it's quite funny to try and get our trainer to say “or” correctly because “R” comes out as an “L”. BaPatrick started asking me about my parents, and if they had arrived. I assumed he thought my parents might be coming to Zambia soon. Turns out he was asking if my parents were alive.

Arrive – Alive

I assured him my parents were happy and healthy.

Another thing I find entertaining about the language is the word “cabipa” pronounced cha-bee-pah. It means “too bad” but is typically used sincerely as sympathy, instead of sarcastically like in English. It was  funny when my Bamaayo said “cabipa” after hearing about how I bashed and bruised my forehead across a bamboo pole in front of my doorway.

September 5^th, 2012

In one month, I will be a Peace Corps Volunteer, for life.

September 6^th, 2012

Chicken Coop

Today we took a field trip to a local fish farmer we had previously helped rearrange their fish ponds. Now, we helped integrate their fish farming and other agriculture practices. Integrating agriculture is the method of using the output or waste of one system as input to another. So, instead of buying fertilizer, you can use manure from your chickens, goats, pigs, rabbits, cows, etc. to fertilize your garden naturally (and sustainably). In fish ponds, we typically do not stock the ponds with carnivorous fish, we stick with plant eaters. But what do they eat? 70% of the diet of the fish we use comes from a “algae bloom.” To get a good bloom you throw all kinds of organic waste into the pond that will decompose from bacteria into nitrates and phosphates. In this nitrate rich water, zooplankton and phytoplankton use sunlight to grow through photosynthesis and create a rich green water color. That's how you grow big fish. The other 30% of the diet can be other leftovers, finely chopped and eaten right away, before decomposition takes place.

But since fish are animals too, don't they have manure? Well yes, sort of. When you are harvesting your fish typically you drain all the water from the pond to make sure you get all the fish, as well as check to make sure you don't have any invasive species living in the pond. With good planning, you can drain the nitrogen/phosphate rich pond water over your maize field. When the maize grows and is ready for harvest, put the husks in the compost crib of the pond and you're feeding fish with their own waste, sort of. Anyway, this is the idea behind integrated farm management. Zambia is a perfect place to work towards communities and individual farmers becoming more self sufficient and environmentally sustainable. Plus, if done right it saves a lot of money. In the example above a farmer would no longer have to buy fish food or fertilizer in addition to making money if they decide to sell some fish.

Oh yeah, I was talking about a chicken coop. We took a field trip and broke into teams to build a chicken coop over a fish pond. This helps a farmer in several ways. Typically farmers don't want to build houses for their chickens or ducks because they believe someone will steal them in the middle of the night. Putting the house over a pond wards off unmotivated thieves, as well as saves time for the farmer collecting chicken manure and moving it to the pond. The chickens already did that. So, we got muddy, dug holes, tied sticks and bamboo together with soaked bark, and fabricated a decent looking grass/stick chicken coop for a bunch of amateurs. We also had sword fights with long pieces of bamboo, a spear throwing competition, and war painted our faces with fish pond mud.

September 7^th, 2012

Logistical Nightmare

So, we are heading on our second site visit on Sunday morning. All 33 of us are heading all different directions to our provincial capitals, where we will live with a current volunteer host for 6 days, similar to what we did at first site visit. This time, however, we are going much further away for a much longer time. So, more supplies need to be bought, more people are coming with us (language trainers and technical trainers), and more land rovers need to be taken.

So, tomorrow morning they are coming to pick up our bags to be kept at the training center, then they will come back to pick us up and take us to the training center. Later, we will go shopping with lists for the groups we will be going with to our host sites. In the afternoon we will head back to the training site to set up tents and camp overnight to get an early, very early, start Sunday morning for anywhere between a 6 and 18 hour drive. After staying at our host's site for the 6 days, we will be taken to our actual posted site to stay for a few days and meet important people and get a feel for what we are in for, for the next two years. Afterward we will board more land rovers and make our way back to Lusaka to be picked up by a bus to take us back home. I was wondering why we had one specific staff member who's job is Logistics. He's been a busy man lately.