Settling In

Hey all,

So I have just come back to Kasama to renew my work permit after 3 weeks in my village. Things are going as well as I could have possibly expected. I am staying on a compound with a family consisting of a Grandmother and Grandfather (the grandfather is named Ba Kasonde, and he is my main counterpart), and their nine children (3 of whom have their own residences) and nine grandchildren. I have my own house which is set by itself on the compound. It has proved to be a perfect balance of family involvement and privacy.

While I am not supposed to do any real 'work' in the first three months of my service, I have found it hard not to get started. I hit the ground running in this village, as they have been waiting for the arrival of a volunteer for about 2 years. There is a huge interest in fish farming, and I have already met more than 30 farmers interested in modifying or starting fish ponds. Also, I have been visiting the local school with some frequency, and the head teacher has invited me to teach a fish farming class to his 8th grade students starting next week.

My days have been very busy, consisting of a lot of biking for farmer visits, and a lot of home improvement work (walkway from the house to the bathing shelter, fixing shutters, organizing, etc.). I have also been digging a garden for myself, which needs to be completed before the rains start (any day now, they will last for six months). The family has been taking great care of me, and I have become pretty close with Ba Kasonde, as he and I have been working a lot together - he is like my personal tour guide, taking me to all the fish farmers he knows. I think I have made a pretty good impression on him because I'm willing to pick up a hoe with the villagers and work hard in digging ponds, cultivating, etc.

The first few days were a bit hard, mostly because I was eating meals by myself and just trying to get settled in, while adapting to being woken up by Rats and Bats in my house every night. After the first three nights however, the family bought a goat to celebrate my arrival, and after killing it we had a huge dinner. This involved some interesting parts of goat anatomy which I previously thought unedible, but it was great to fit in with the family and feel like I was making some progress in my integration. Since then, I have eaten every meal with them, and Ba Kasonde and I discuss lots of things, from fish farming to politics (as you may or may not know, Zambia is having an election at the end of this month).

The most interesting thing to happen so far involved the family's not-so-reliable Datsun Pick-up truck. We headed to town, and the car broke down about 5 times on the way in. Luckily, Ba Kasonde's son John is a mechanic, and he was able to make quick fixes so that we reached our destination. After arriving, we dropped of some supplies and had a quick dinner (bread and butter). By now it was about 21 hours (9 PM), and we had to wait another half hour for a friend to run to the store to get some fuel for the ride home. We started home, and about 20 minutes in, the car broke down again. This time we weren't so lucky, and it took about 2.5 hours of repairs to get it running again. We made it another 10 KM, so that we were a long way from anywhere, before running out of our original fuel stock. Luckily, we had gotten the extra fuel, so we just had to refill. Unfortunately, the gentleman who got us fuel somehow managed to buy Diesel instead of Petrol. So, there we were, 5 miles from any/everything, at about midnight.

We didn't have much of a plan, since none of them had enough money to even buy petrol. Luckily, I had some cash, which I gave to Ba Kasonde. So, he and a companion hiked to the nearest town for fuel, while two of us waited with the truck. They returned about 01:30, and after a few more small breakdowns, we were nearing home about 3 aM. Unfortunately, the fuel ran out once again somewhere on the dirt road near the family's compound. At this point, they said the house was 'just around the corner' but they were very worried about my safety and patience (apparently they have some impression that Americans are soft - maybe this stereotype is justified). Anyways, they suggested Ba Kasonde sleep with the car, and we deal with it in the morning. However, knowing how hard it is to get sleep in the cab of a truck, I suggested we just push the car home. Well, with the flow of the night, I wasn't surprised when 'just around the corner' turned into about a mile. Anyways, we reached the compound with the truck at about 04:30 in the morning, all of us exhausted. While it seemed that everything which could have gone wrong did, it was still a positive experience because I got to bond with the family, and prove to them that not all Americans are easily frustrated and afraid to get their hands dirty.

Since then, I have been having a blast just getting lost on bike trails around the village, visiting farmers, and advising just a bit. My birthday went really well - thanks to all who remembered and call/wrote/emailed! I had three PC Volunteers from surrounding villages come visit, and I slaughtered my first chicken in celebration. Killing your meals definately makes you appreciate the food on your plate, and think twice about wasting leftovers. For now, I'll be headed back to the village for another three weeks. I'll return to Kasama on November 18th, when the re-run of the Buffalo Bills vs. Cleveland Browns MNF game will be shown at a local bar (with our advanced request and promise to purchase some beer from the bar, of course). I will try to write again then.

I think about you all often, and hope things are going as well as possible in America, considering the financial crisis and economic problems of late. Just keep in mind, as bad as things get, if people here can surive on less than $1 a day, you'll figure something out!

All my best,

- J