A Long Time Coming

Hey everybody,

Thanks to everyone who has been emailing me, pressuring me to get back to the blog... Things have been incredibly busy here, which is a great thing. However, the longer I stay here, the harder it becomes for me to describe life in the village and all of my everday activities. Its like the unique, outlandish things that happen here in Zambia have flip-flopped, and are now normal (for me), while everyday American things like HealthCare concerns seem more ridiculous and strange than ever. Guess I'm adjusted...

Things have been going exceptionally well, I really couldn't ask for a better project, site, host family, or PC Volunteer neighbors. The fish farming projects have been accelerating quickly, I now have 5 groups I meet with, and another prospective group which will hopefully start up soon. Today I taught a group their first fish farming lesson, all in Bemba. Its a pretty gratifying feeling, I hope they understood my 2nd-grade language skills. Good thing I'm not teaching rocket science (or 2nd grade math, for that matter)..

Last week I went to Lusaka for a week to help train the new fisheries (RAP) volunteers. It was pretty wild to think that I'm halfway through my service, and that I've been here for more than a year. Also, it was unusual to be the 'senior' volunteer in the situation. I did my best to answer all the questions tossed my way about practically applying the learning the trainees are receiving, and also tried to bring as much positive energy to the group as possible. Luckily, things are great here so that wasn't too difficult - saying things like "I can't believe we get paid to do this (Okay, not much, I know)" and being completely honest makes it really easy to bring a positive perspective as a trainer. Also, the work I've been doing is so rewarding that I didn't need to embellish in that area either. The new group was very enthusiastic and talented, and as I think about the influence that then-current volunteers had on me as a trainee, I hope that I stayed upbeat in my responses, while bringing some of the real-world village problems to the forefront. Really though, who wouldn't love this?! I get paid to mountain bike through lush forests in Africa, and then play in the mud all day (I know many of you are thinking, 'I wouldn't love it'. But hey, thats how I feel about deskjobs)

I promise to have pics posted as soon as I find an acceptable Internet connection, and also I have a blog entry about a community school in the area that is progressing nicely. All of this is time-dependant of course. I've been at site a lot, but also doing lots of traveling for PC work and other assignments. Next week, 4 trainees will come to my site to stay for a week and see what fish farming in the village is all about. I hope they have a good time, and I can help give them a quick view of what their life will be like in the next 2 years. At least we'll be busy, so they'll get an accurate depiction of what my life as a volunteer is like. The great thing about this experience really is that everyone makes it his/her own. If you want to sit in your hut and do nothing all day, you probably could. But then, what would be the point... I never have been one to sit around idly.

Brett comes the week after the trainees leave, so that will be incredible. I think this whole experience is really gonna blow his mind, just as it did mine. He will just have less time and a less suitable platform for adjustment. I probably won't post until after he leaves, but I will try my best to get some time for another post soon. Thanks again for reading, hope its proved interesting so far... after all, there's still another year left! Good thing, Im not ready to leave..

All my Best. I miss you all back home - thanks again for the emails and phone calls!

- Justin

New Phone

Hey all,

Hope things are well. Quick note: I got a new phone service which works all the time at my site. If you can part with a few bucks for a phone card, call me anytime (preferably not in the middle of the night here tho).

260-967-443671

All my best

- J

The Dynamic Duo

Admittedly we make a strange team...

I am the 6'2", young Misungu with ridiculously long, puffy hair and a multicolored beard. In stark contrast, my Bataata stands about 5'8", is 67-years-old, dark in complexion (even by Zambian standards), with a cleanly shaven head and face. I laugh just thinking of the impression we must present: I arrive in shorts, a T-shirt, Chacos, and the only bicycle helmet in the village (along with the only bicycle that has not only gears, but brakes as well!). Ba Kasonde arrives in his foam, black, Stetsson (No, i didn't type-o, haha) Cowboy hat and full-length, red and blue, cotton sweat suit (despite the weather being over 80 degrees every day)... all completed with the always fasionably sound neon pink, rubber bath flip-flops.

Yet despite our aloof appearance, he and I are successfully encouraging fish farming in the communities surrounding Chibo. Lessons are held 4 days a week, each presented to a different village, with a different fish farming organization. Mostly, I sit to the side and try not to attract to much attention (harder than you might think, being the only white guy around)... Meanwhile, Ba Kasonde teaches in Bemba. While this description may make me sound lazy or uneager to do my job, its actually accomplishing one of the main goals of Peace Corps: I'm eliminating the need for my job, or another Volunteer in the area -hopefully. So, Ba Kasonde is teaching community fish farming groups about aquaculture while I add color commentary, in Bemba, to the lessons. Because of the language limitations, I'm probably about as effective as John Madden (ironic after all the bad-mouthing of him I've done) - "Mubike Amenshi mucishiba, elyo Mulefwaya ukubika isaabi mucishiba", which translated Madden-style equates to "You see, what we want to do here, is add fish INTO the fish pond... but only AFTER adding Water".

While I'm ridiculously lucky to have so much interest from the surrounding communities (keeping me busy teaching, demarcating, digging, harvesting, and paying farmer visits), I'm even more lucky to live with such a selfless family. Even my host mother/brothers are involved with voluntarily helping the community - following Ba Kasonde's lead.

In a way, so am I... While he calls me his 'boss', only somewhat sarcastically, he is helping people in a way only a true leader can - by example. In that regard, we've almost fully repaired his damaged pond, and have only been delayed because we are so busy helping others' Fish Farming interests. With Ba Kasonde's help, we'll be able to leave the community with self-sustaining Fish Farming groups with all the necessary knowledge to perpetuate themselves (hopefully).

According to Lao TzuA "a leader is best when people barely know he exists, not so good when people obey and acclaim him, worse when they despise him....But of a good leader who talks little when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say, "We did it ourselves".

Maybe these villagers will remember the Misungu who lived here, played guitar, and ate Nshima (a true test of Zambian integration). But hopefully, they will remember the man the sweatsuit and foam Cowboy hat for even longer, as they harvest fish and grow fat.

Safari

Hey Everyone,

So after my last two posts about work in Zambia, my Mom and Aunt Pan came to visit. So... We took 14 days of vacation, including lots of days of Safari and a visit to Victoria Falls. The Safaris were incredible - seeing lots of wildlife VERY close. We got to see Leopards feeding, Lions and cubs drinking, Elephants grazing, and many other scenes unique to African Gameparks including Wild Dogs. For pictures, talk to either Sherry or Pan - they have all the pictures I took as well as some of their own, and the internet speed to upload them. Maybe one of the technologically savy people reading this can even give phone instructions to my Mom about how to load the pictures onto Facebook or some other photo website for easy viewing.

The Safari days were very relaxing. Most involved waking before 6 am, a mid-day nap, and 4 meals a day. We were mostly in tented camps (not rustic as they sound, but quite luxurious). I never thought that "camping" would be an upgrade in lifestyle, but considering how I live in the village it was quite an improvement. Camps with flush toilets, spring-coiled beds, plusch pillows, and 3-course meals were the norm. We even got some free upgrades to Lodges in a few cases. While I really enjoyed the company of Mom and Pan, I struggled, especially at first, adjusting to the luxurious (and I hesitate to say, wasteful) lifestyle to which I am no longer accustomed. The pretentiousness of our fellow guests at some of the lodges was also difficult to handle at times, but after a few nights I was able to cope a bit and (hopefully) not let any exasperation show.

It was a wonderful experience, and one I'll never forget. Nor would I have been able to afford such luxuries without help, so thanks to Mom and Pan for being wonderful company and dragging me along. However, the trip also encouraged me to continue my future vacations in a more low-key, culturally integrated way. I encourage anyone who travels abroad, and can manage to live a lifestyle which is a bit uncomfortable and uncertain at times, to: Stay at motels run by locals, eat local food, learn local customs, and learn a bit of local language (you'd be shocked how your reception changes when you know how to say 'hello'). Anyways, I would never change the wonderful trip I've just experienced, however I will be traveling without an itinerary for the rest of my time here in Africa.

Okay, enough rambling... Some quick trip highlights:
- Eating dinner when a 2000 Pound Bull Elephant strolled 10 meters away through camp
- Following a Lioness to her den, where we viewed her weeks old cubs playing and exploring the area outside the den
- Watching a Leopard climb a tree and munch on some Impala, teasing the Hyenas below
- Teaching our guide Jakes to play Spades (unfortunately the Women edged out in a closely-contested grudge match)
- The collusion of my Zambian and American Families

The last part of the journey involved 3 days in my village with Mom and Pan. My favorite part -the families really got along well. I think it enable the two of them to see Africa in a much different light than most who just safari and don't really experience the culture. Also, it will enable them to understand the work I'm doing and the perspective I'm gaining in a 1st-hand way thats just not possible without seeing this beautiful, troubled country. After some wonderful cultural exchange, including a puff-adder encounter, cooking chicken and pig, and making Nshima (see pictures) everyone involved was left with a better understanding of World cultures.

All in all, the trip was wonderful, and I'm excited to get back to the village and continue working. The fish pond has almost been repaired, and pictures will be coming when that is complete (the work has gone rapidly by Zambian standards). All my best to those at home, and for more about the trip talk with Pan or Mom.

- Justin

Bemba

“How are you! How are you!”

That’s about the limit of my English conversations with most women and children throughout my stay here in Zambia. In case you were wondering: no, I didn’t make a type error in the title. The exclamation points indicate the lack of inflection or questioning involved with the statement made by children as I pass by on my bike. It is more of a demand than a question, beckoning the ‘Misungu’ to respond. Since “I am fine, How are you?” (in that exact sequence) is the only understood response, the communication obviously leaves something to be desired. Thus, my quest to speak IciBemba (the local language) began.

Progressing marginally in my conversational Bemba, I’ve found it very rewarding but also extremely frustrating. As anyone who has learned another language will agree, speaking a foreign tongue gives incredible insight into a culture, and also allows one to connect on an entirely different level. However, the point of this blog entry is not to give an inspiring story about how my minimal progress in learning Bemba has helped me relate to local friends, or to teach fish farming (although it has done both). Instead, it’s to point out an interesting distinction between the culture of the Zambian people with whom I’ve shared the past 9 months, and the American culture of the family and friends who enriched my life prior to that.

During my journey into IciBemba, one of the first verbs I learned was ‘ukulefwaya’ which means ‘to want’. For instance, if I was seeking some water from a neighbor after a long bike ride, I would say ‘Ndefwaya amenshi yakunwa’ which means (translated directly, in sequence) ‘I am wanting water for drinking’. As you might imagine, the weather here gets extremely hot, and people travel extreme distances by foot or bicycle. Despite these hardships, I have learned in recent months that there is no way in Bemba to tell my neighbor ‘I need water for drinking’. That is: there is no verb distinction in this language for the difference between ‘to want’ and ‘to need’.

Maybe an important step to take now is to differentiate between a ‘want’ and a ‘need’ in our own language. This distinction is actually very difficult to make, but for the purposes of brevity we’ll say that a ‘need’ is something required by a person in order for survival, and a ‘want’ is anything else desired by a person which is not required for survival. In this regard, we could consider air a ‘need’, while a new car would be a ‘want’. This obviously leaves room for some gray areas – such as primary education. Also, it can be argued that the adaptation of some modern cultures has increased the number of ‘needs’ required for daily survival in comparison with more primitive cultures. However, these technicalities are beside the point.

The lack of differentiation between a ‘want’ and a ‘need’ in IciBemba hints at the incredible resiliency and optimism of this culture, an insight which could only be gained through learning the language. It is also hard to miss the irony that this ambiguity represents: A culture in which poverty presents an overwhelming amount of daily, physical need, whose language contains no word to express these needs. For instance – the need for clean drinking water, food with nutrients for starving and malnourished children, shelter from sweltering heat and relentless rains, medication for life-threatening diseases, and even the need for a basic education.

In stark contrast to this ambiguity of the IciBemba language is that of modern English, since our tongue has a clear distinction with the use of two separate words: ‘want’, and ‘need’ (although, as mentioned above, the connotations and even denotations of these words can be debated). The further irony is this: America is a place in which ‘need’ (by the definition established above) rears its ugly head less than in almost any human civilization – not just in the world today, but in any time in human history. Unfortunately, this lack of need has created complacency within our society, and today the word ‘need’ and the word ‘want’ are often used interchangeably. For instance – I found that while still living in America, after I broke my hockey stick while taking a slapshot, I complained to my teammates that I ‘needed’ a new hockey stick. I hope we can all agree that I misused this word, and that new sports equipment represented only a ‘want’ in my life.

The point of all of this (my apologies if it was long-winded) is to suggest that every one of us, in our daily lives, takes for granted the ‘needs’ which we no longer consider, since for most or all of our lives, they have been all but guaranteed. After living in a society where daily food consumption, the availability of medicine, etc. are daily problems, I have become painfully aware of how I, and most of those who are closest to me (including those reading this blog), use the words for ‘want’ and ‘need’ interchangeably. While this may seem like a very small issue, it gives insight into our culture – just as IciBemba’s lack of differentiation gives insight into theirs. So, next time you are watching a commercial on television, and the relentless media pressure of our culture convinces you that you ‘need’ to purchase some new technology, or the next time you find yourself thinking that you ‘need’ to purchase an item while shopping – please think twice. Despite the outstanding education which our great Country has helped to provide, we still often confuse our “Ws” and “Ns”.

Accomplishments and Setbacks

Mwaipoleni Mwakwi (Hello),

Hope all is well for everyone in the states. I’ve had about a solid month of the village life, and I’ve really started making some headway in the community. Fish Farming is going well, and I’ve gotten 3 Fish Farming groups together, each of whom I am teaching once per week. I am also teaching Fish Farming at a local Government School one day per week – which puts me at 4 days each week of teaching. I am very lucky to have such interest in the community – most volunteers struggle to keep busy and find work, so I am definitely blessed. The remaining days in the week are kept full by making pond site visits to individual farmers within the groups, and the secondary projects I’ll describe below. Also, my relationship with my Bemba family is very good, so I’m grateful for that as well.

I’m also trying to set up a school correspondence program between a school in the states and the school in Musa at which I’m teaching. Basically it will involve letters sent back and forth between students describing their lives, educations, etc. I am even going to try to get some pictures sent from America, and take some pictures of the school here with my digital camera. The juxtaposition of these two cultures is definitely hard to grasp even through letters, but with the pictures this correspondence should at least raise awareness among the American students about how lucky they are to have quality educators and facilities. The schools here lack power, running water, and often proper educators.

The other project I’ve been working with was inherited from another Volunteer. She just left for America, and she had been doing some great work with the Basic School in my community (Chibo). Basically, as a community school they receive no funding except what comes from the parents of the community – which is often nothing. Also, the teachers aren’t even getting paid currently. In order to solve this, Sarah (the outgoing volunteer) created a chicken coupe project, in which the school rears chicks and then sells them for meat. It is actually quite profitable as long as chick mortality rates remain low. For my part, being business oriented, I have been focusing on finding a sustainable market for the chickens. We had a major breakthrough this weekend with a philanthropic entrepreneur in Kasama who is willing to help finance an expansion of the chicken coupe project and be a consistent customer. We will basically be contracted by him to sell 200 chickens each month. This is a promising development, and while I was the one to meet this gentleman and line up the business transactions, the Chairman of the project (also my host brother) has established a relationship with the entrepreneur, so that they can continue their association after I depart, and hopefully soon without any correspondence from myself (Sustainability).

We have recently had a major setback in the fish farming project however. My host father and model farmer, one who is helping spread fish farming in the area, had a serious problem on Wednesday. He has 7 ponds, but one of them consists of about half of his fish – its basically a lake, 50 meters by 50 meters. I was working on the chicken coupe project when we got word from a worker on the farm that the biggest pond had ‘broken’. We hustled down to find a huge chasm on the southwest corner – a river of water rushing through. Dumbfounded, I just stood in shock for about 10 seconds. As I gathered myself I ordered the worker to get the fish net, to stop the fish from escaping into the dambo (field) beyond the fishpond. Once the net was in place, all we could really do was watch mother nature’s destructive forces at work. The pond was over my head in many places, which means that millions of gallons of water were pouring into the dambo. It took more than 2 hours for all the water to finish emptying, and we stood helplessly watching.

We rescued what fish we could – the ones swept by the current into the Dambo. We were lucky on 2 points: the crack in the pond (about 2 meters wide) forced the water into another pond, and then the overflow rushed into the dambo – the fish are afraid of running water and therefore most remained in the second pond; and no one was at the pond when the wall burst – the force of the water would have meant almost certain death.

My host father was in shock. He was asking his lord how such destruction could happen, and was speaking very bleakly and sounded extremely downtrodden – almost hopeless. I tried to keep a positive attitude and make productive actions – hiding (or attempting to) my own similar feelings. Once the pond had angrily thrown itself into the Dambo, he calmed in the aftermath. Still, his reaction was appropriate considering this pond holds about half of his fish stock. The best analogy I can make to America is this: imagine if you owned a business, and it lost half of its value overnight! Fish farming is his business and livelihood, so this was just short of catastrophic for him - almost for me also. If he had given up hope on fish farming, all of the momentum we’ve been gaining in the community and basically my entire Peace Corps program would have been in jeopardy.

Luckily, the positive and resilient attitude that first impressed me about this culture held true again. My host father is now back at work, and his attitude is incredibly optimistic. The next day we headed to the government offices to get what help we could, and we started repairing the ponds yesterday. His positive attitude and relentlessness is a blessing in a country in which many are just looking for handouts.

There is a lot of work ahead – this is my first real challenge in Peace Corps service (other than adjustment). More than for myself of the community, I hope I can come through for my host father. It was like watching his dreams, plans, and aspirations flood over the dambo and disappear. I find myself eager to help my best friend in Zambia - a 67-year-old Fish Farmer whom I’ve known less than 6 months. Only PC could have given me such an opportunity to challenge my life perspective. We have no choice but to complete this work and keep moving. In the words of my host father, “This has happened and there is nothing we can do besides keep trying”.

All my best, and I promise pictures as soon as possible.

- Hos

Tanzanian Vacation

Hey Everybody,

Hope all is well in the States. Things here have been really exciting lately. I just returned from a 10 day trip to Tanzania, which included visits to Dar es Salaam and the Island of Zanzibar. We took the train from Kasama, which took about 2 days of being jostled and crammed. However, the train runs through some very scenic parts of Zambia and Tanzania, and even a game park towards the end of the ride. It was very interesting to see other parts of Sub-Saharan Africa outside of Zambia. The development and standard of living (including houses, roads, transport, etc.) were considerably improved as we moved away from Zambia and into mainland Tanzania. After traveling a bit it has become evident that Zambia is probably the most ‘bush’ (least developed) country that Peace Corps sends volunteers. This is exactly what I signed on for, and I wouldn’t change it. However, it was interesting to gain some perspective about the development neighboring countries and see how much easier life for PC Volunteers elsewhere is in comparison to Zambian volunteers.

After arriving in Dar, we traveled to the beach for a few days, and then went to the Island of Zanzibar for a music festival. The festival was incredible – lots of local African music with a really cool vibe and an interesting scene. The city of Stonetown (where the festival is held) is very beautiful. It is an incredible mix of Muslim and Indigenous Tanzania culture, which blend peacefully – resulting in a very interesting atmosphere with some outstanding architecture (I’ll post pictures later). Some of my favorite moments in the trip were just wandering around the city, getting lost and just observing people.

After the festival we headed to the secluded beaches of Northern Zanzibar – one of the most picturesque places I have ever seen. I was told the clear, blue-green waters with white, sandy beaches were similar to those of the Caribbean. Regardless, it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. The scene there was much more relaxed, but we still managed to party a little.

On the train home, we saw Elephants, Zebras, Monkeys, and lots of Gazelles while traveling through the game park. We even saw a herd of Wildebeests attacked by 3 Lions! It was a very exciting thing to see, and also extremely unlikely, since the train was moving about 40 MPH throughout the whole park. It was a great end to a perfect trip.

Now that I’m back in Kasama, I’m really looking forward to getting back in the Village for a few months of solid work. The rains are about to subside, and that means that the cold season is about to start. This is an ideal time to dig fish ponds and motivate the community of Chibo.

The adjustment back to village life is always a little bit difficult – mostly because of the lack of satisfying social interaction. Traveling and meeting lots and lots of new people is something I really enjoy. It will take a few days of decompression before I am once again used to the slow pace of the village life. However, I’m looking forward to spending time with my Zambian family, and really getting some headway on my Peace Corps objectives.

I hope everyone is coping with the Recession in America. If things get too bad – you all have a place to stay in Zambia, where you can live for about $.50 a day! Haha.
My best to everyone, and please write/email if you get a chance. I love hearing from everyone since you are all in my thoughts.

- Hos