Happy Halloween

Hey everyone,

Hope all is well in the states. I got an opportunity to drop another blog really quickly, as I had some business to take care of in Kasama. My host father (Bataata in Bemba) is arranging to have some fingerlings (baby fish) delivered to his ponds. I had to talk with the Department of Fisheries agents about the details. It looks like things will be moving next week. This week, we have been busy preparing the ponds for the new fish. This involved leveling dyke walls, cleaning grasses in and out of the ponds to ward off predators (frogs and lizards) and finally, harvesting the ponds.

My first harvest went very well. We just run huge nets through the ponds (the ones we harvested were only about 20m X 10m) and keep the big fish, while returning the smaller ones. This meant we got to sell some of the fish, and have a feast of fish for dinner the past couple of nights. Harvesting is quite fun, although is muddy, dirty work - as the ponds have been fertilized using manure for 6 months. But hey, I did come to Africa to "get my hands dirty" after all.

Other than that, things are progressing nicely. Its starting to thunderstorm everyday, as we are entering rainy season. This means it will probably rain every day for the next six months, which, like the rest of life in Zambia, will take a bit of getting used to. The Zambian elections were yesterday, and while we have yet to learn the winner, things here are normal: very calm without disturbances to daily life. I have been following the US elections as closely as I can. People here in Zambia are more informed about US politics than most Americans I know, and they are ALL rooting for Obama. After all, who can blame them?

Last week was spent working with fish farmers, my Bataata, and doing home improvements. One such improvement involved the construction of a fuel-efficient stove which is custom-fit to the pots I have at my house. This will save fuel, which means I can use less wood for cooking. This is great because Zambia is the most deforsted country in the world. Also, it helped me move my MacGyver status up another notch. Zambia is sure teaching me a lot.

I hope you are all doing well, and I keep you all in my thoughts often. Thanks to all those who have written emails or commented on the blog - its great to hear about how things are going on the opposite side of the world.

- Hos