Happy Holidays

Hey everyone,

Hope things are going well across the way. Here in Zambia, things are progressing nicely, albeit slowly- as they have a tendency to do. My host family's cat had kittens about a month ago, so soon I'll be able to keep one as a pet, and a more efficient rat assassin than myself - much to the chagrin of the rats, who are still laughing at me (really, they make laughing sounds, taunting me). Anyways, the kitten is really small now but I've been playing with it - it’s mostly black with gray stripes and a white nose and feet. Its name is Mbwili (leopard in Bemba).

It is now all-out rainy season, meaning thunderstorms hit us at least once per day. It is kinda nice, because its cooler now and the storms are really beautiful. Unfortunately, my roof leaks in about 5 different places, and so it can be a hassle to keep my things dry. However, I consider myself lucky because there are enough dry spots to keep my things, and there are no leaks over my bed.

My work in fish farming has been really rewarding lately, which is nice because it had slowed due to the rains. Last Wednesday and Thursday I taught lessons about fish management to 6 and 14 people, respectively. It was very encouraging, especially because I could tell that most of the farmers were legitimately interested in learning. Also, they complimented my teaching, which sounds insignificant, but it’s the first recognition I've gotten from the community for my work, so it was a satisfying event (its all about the little things). Unfortunately, my Bemba has not progressed as well as hoped, but luckily most people speak English, and my host father is an awesome translator and also helps me facilitate. The goal is to get him teaching the classes within the next year - that way when I'm gone, the community will still be able to learn. For now, I've adjusted to being called an 'expert' at something I learned in a 9-week crash course, and am finding the experience really rewarding. I even managed to teach the farmers a bit about nutrition by comparing fish to humans, explaining that we both need balanced diets, etc.

Interesting story... I was having a scrumptious lunch of fried caterpillars and Nshima (google it if you don't know what it is), just enjoying the sunshine. Suddenly, my host brother started frantically screaming and pointing. I first assumed it was a Chicken Hawk swooping to take a chick, which causes daily or weekly commotion. Instead, I see a snake slithering across the sand about 100 yards away. Instead of doing what I expect and would have done myself (run away), the family picked up hoes, and 4 of them surrounded this snake. It was like a scene from the Crocodile Hunter, except instead of trying to catch and torment this snake; they just assaulted it with their hoes. Man, my rat killing was amateur enough without this synchronized, efficient slaughtering for comparison, haha. So, after killing this snake, they bring it over (well, let me clarify - its not dead, just almost severed to the point it can wriggle and jerk, but not really slide) and set it like 10 feet from me. So, this snake (maybe 4 feet long, but only the width of a dollar coin) is trying its hardest to wiggle towards me, and it looks pissed. It is failing, but its disconcerting all the same, and my appetite was already a bit shy because of the Caterpillars. Then I come to find out that this snake is a Green Mamba (again, google it). Anyways, the realization that this thing was extremely poisonous and right next to me was unsettling, to say the least. That was the end of that lunch - another meal in Zambia...

But despite a few snake sightings and a leaky roof, life here is going well. I am adjusting, getting into the groove of teaching people something I know only a little about, and really enjoying the company of my host family. I will be taking a vacation to Malawi at the end of the month, so my next blog will involve the details of that adventure. Till then, my best from the Dark Continent...

- Hos