Going to Solwezi for the holidays, always a little excitement in my life!!
Zambia: 42 nabbed over Solwezi riots
POLICE in Solwezi have arrested 42 people after riots that ensued following a road traffic accident in which four people were injured.
North-Western Province police chief Fabian Katiba said those arrested have been charged with several offences including arson, assault of police officers and riotous behaviour.
An angry crowd on Sunday ran amok and set a car ablaze after its driver ploughed into a crowd near a church.
Police had to fire tear gas canisters to quell the riot, which also saw a police post being set ablaze.
Trouble started after a woman ran over four people after she lost control of the car she was driving.
Mr Katiba named the victims of the accident as Frank Kalaba, Patrick Mpande, Nelson Sanyiwangu and Jessy Mundengu.
An angry crowd on Sunday ran amok and set a car ablaze after its driver ploughed into a crowd near a church.
He said the driver, who fled the scene after the accident, will be charged with dangerous driving.
Mr Katiba said five police officers were injured, one seriously, while the owner of the car, Mwika Mulao, was badly beaten after he was dragged out of the car.
He said the angry mob turned its wrath on police officers who were trying to rescue the owner of the vehicle from being beaten.
Police fought running battles with rioters but failed to contain the situation and had to call for reinforcement from other security wings.
Close to 40 heavy duty trucks that transport copper concentrate from Lumwana in Solwezi to the Copperbelt for processing were marooned as the road between town and Kyawama township was blocked with logs and rocks.
Mr Katiba said police have a duty to protect everybody and that people should not look at them as enemies.
He said everybody seeks protection from police and that when officers rescue someone from injustice, people should not think that they are siding with the offender.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Zambia: Residents find naked ‘wizard’ in the compound
Zambia: Residents find naked ‘wizard’ in the compound
The Police discharged a man who was arrested on suspicion of witchcraft when he was found naked in a backyard at one of the houses in Livingstone’s Dambwa Central Compound last week. Eyewitnesses said the man who happened to be a stranger was discovered nude in the early hours of the morning at a certain House in the DB Section of the compound. Some Dambwa residents eventually started beating up the man while others demanded that he gets burnt with a tyre around his neck.
The residents claimed that the man was coming from Mulobezi using superstitious powers to fly all the way and consequently crash-landed. The uncompromising residents where positive that the man has been flying using a ‘juju’ Plane and eventually ran out of fuel commonly understood to be human blood. The elderly man, in his early sixties, was briefly manhandled by a multitude of residents before he was rushed to Dambwa Police Station.
A crew of scribes that rushed to the Police Post only found a crowd of people gathered outside the station mumbling among themselves as to why the Police released the man believed to be a wizard. Dambwa Central Police Officer-In-Charge, Gregory Sibajene could not comment whether the man was still in custody as his office was locked and his Phone was off but a source close to the Police Station confirmed that the man was detained for almost an hour and released later.
The source further disclosed that when questioned by Police, the man could not utter sensible words except that he stays in Mulobezi. The Police failed to figure out what his mission was in Livingstone as he said incoherent. Southern Province Commanding Officer, Lemmy Kajoba said the man was released on grounds of mental illness. Mr.Kajoba said many details could not be extracted from him since he was ill and had no case to answer.
The Police discharged a man who was arrested on suspicion of witchcraft when he was found naked in a backyard at one of the houses in Livingstone’s Dambwa Central Compound last week. Eyewitnesses said the man who happened to be a stranger was discovered nude in the early hours of the morning at a certain House in the DB Section of the compound. Some Dambwa residents eventually started beating up the man while others demanded that he gets burnt with a tyre around his neck.
The residents claimed that the man was coming from Mulobezi using superstitious powers to fly all the way and consequently crash-landed. The uncompromising residents where positive that the man has been flying using a ‘juju’ Plane and eventually ran out of fuel commonly understood to be human blood. The elderly man, in his early sixties, was briefly manhandled by a multitude of residents before he was rushed to Dambwa Police Station.
A crew of scribes that rushed to the Police Post only found a crowd of people gathered outside the station mumbling among themselves as to why the Police released the man believed to be a wizard. Dambwa Central Police Officer-In-Charge, Gregory Sibajene could not comment whether the man was still in custody as his office was locked and his Phone was off but a source close to the Police Station confirmed that the man was detained for almost an hour and released later.
The source further disclosed that when questioned by Police, the man could not utter sensible words except that he stays in Mulobezi. The Police failed to figure out what his mission was in Livingstone as he said incoherent. Southern Province Commanding Officer, Lemmy Kajoba said the man was released on grounds of mental illness. Mr.Kajoba said many details could not be extracted from him since he was ill and had no case to answer.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Happy Thanksgiving 2010!!!
Dear ALL,
I'm thinking of all my friends and family in North Amerika, taking the time to be thankful for everything we have!
Now off to get me a turkey or something like it!
Love, Garrett
PS: I've updated my letters, scroll on down.
I'm thinking of all my friends and family in North Amerika, taking the time to be thankful for everything we have!
Now off to get me a turkey or something like it!
Love, Garrett
PS: I've updated my letters, scroll on down.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Peace Corps Niger Mourns the Loss of Volunteer, Stephanie Chance
WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct. 8, 2010 – Peace Corps Director Aaron S. Williams is saddened to announce the death of Peace Corps volunteer Stephanie Chance in Niger. Stephanie was discovered in her home in Zinder. The exact cause of death remains unknown, but it appears at this time that it may have been from natural causes.
"This is a loss for our community. Peace Corps volunteers represent the best America has to offer – compassion, generosity of spirit and an enthusiasm for what is possible through cooperation. Stephanie’s sudden passing is terribly painful for the entire Peace Corps family," said Peace Corps Director Aaron S. Williams. "Our thoughts are with her family and friends."
Stephanie, 26, a native of Phoenix, Ariz., arrived in Niger for training in July 2010 and was sworn-in as a municipal development volunteer on Sept. 23, 2010. She had recently arrived at her site in Zinder and was busy getting to know the community to help the local officials better coordinate local government services and collaborative planning.
“My aspirations for my community are to assist them in identifying their needs, and helping them imagine the changes they would most benefit from,” Stephanie wrote in her July 2010 aspiration statement about her work with Peace Corps.
Before serving with Peace Corps, Stephanie was an experienced certified public accountant. Through Peace Corps service, Stephanie hoped to gain a more global perspective and a better understanding of other cultures. She held a B.S. in business administration and an M.A. in accounting from the University of Arizona.
In recent weeks, Stephanie had made significant progress in learning the local language of Hausa. In September, she completed nearly three months of intensive pre-service training in the village of Hamdallaye, Niger. She was fond of her host family and enjoyed talking with them in her newly acquired Hausa. Stephanie was an active leader among her training group. She organized basketball games and coached local youth in the sport. She was known by Peace Corps training staff for her smile and willingness to help others. She cared about the people of Niger and found ways to contribute, including participating in the annual tree planting to celebrate Nigerien Independence Day and promote conservation.
Currently, there are 75 Peace Corps volunteers in Niger. The first group of volunteers arrived in Niger in 1962. More than 3,000 Americans have worked as Peace Corps volunteers in Niger on a variety of projects focused on health, education, agriculture, natural resource management and community development.
More information at: http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.media.press.view&news_id=1621
"This is a loss for our community. Peace Corps volunteers represent the best America has to offer – compassion, generosity of spirit and an enthusiasm for what is possible through cooperation. Stephanie’s sudden passing is terribly painful for the entire Peace Corps family," said Peace Corps Director Aaron S. Williams. "Our thoughts are with her family and friends."
Stephanie, 26, a native of Phoenix, Ariz., arrived in Niger for training in July 2010 and was sworn-in as a municipal development volunteer on Sept. 23, 2010. She had recently arrived at her site in Zinder and was busy getting to know the community to help the local officials better coordinate local government services and collaborative planning.
“My aspirations for my community are to assist them in identifying their needs, and helping them imagine the changes they would most benefit from,” Stephanie wrote in her July 2010 aspiration statement about her work with Peace Corps.
Before serving with Peace Corps, Stephanie was an experienced certified public accountant. Through Peace Corps service, Stephanie hoped to gain a more global perspective and a better understanding of other cultures. She held a B.S. in business administration and an M.A. in accounting from the University of Arizona.
In recent weeks, Stephanie had made significant progress in learning the local language of Hausa. In September, she completed nearly three months of intensive pre-service training in the village of Hamdallaye, Niger. She was fond of her host family and enjoyed talking with them in her newly acquired Hausa. Stephanie was an active leader among her training group. She organized basketball games and coached local youth in the sport. She was known by Peace Corps training staff for her smile and willingness to help others. She cared about the people of Niger and found ways to contribute, including participating in the annual tree planting to celebrate Nigerien Independence Day and promote conservation.
Currently, there are 75 Peace Corps volunteers in Niger. The first group of volunteers arrived in Niger in 1962. More than 3,000 Americans have worked as Peace Corps volunteers in Niger on a variety of projects focused on health, education, agriculture, natural resource management and community development.
More information at: http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.media.press.view&news_id=1621
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Diary of "G" Letters, 1 2 3 4 5 6 and NOW 7
Letter #1
Mwapeleni Makwi Everyone from Zambia, Africa!
Just updating you on the last week and a few days. Everything is well over here so I will start from the very beginning. I took off from Boston on the 19th to Atlanta and spent two days there getting to know my fellow PCT (trainees). Everyone in my group is really awesome, really cool people. We left Atlanta for Johannesburg, South Africa. We got to the airport late and missed our plane, the PC put us up in this really nice hotel right outside of the airport and PAID FOR IT! This meant we had a night to kill and so me and 8 other trainees went out into the city and went to the clubs with a guide watching over us. That was a lot of fun and later went back to the hotel for the night. The next morning we went to the airport where we waited until 4p. In all we waited 18 hours for a plane to Zambia.
We were met by PCVLs and Nancy who is the country director. We felt really welcome here. We moved into a college/hostel right outside of Lusaka, Zambia where we spent 3 days getting more briefings and medical meeting during this time. At night we went to the bar and had a really good time.
On our fourth day we made our way to our first site visit which means we went to a current volunteer's site. Our volunteer was Matt Hudson in the region of the Copper Belt which is where all the mining happens in Zambia. We arrived after 6 hours in the car on really bad roads. Most of the roads in Zambia are in bad condition with huge potholes that go as deep as the red dirt and then the rest roads are dirt with lots of bumps. I hit my head a few times on the roof of the car which shows you just how big the bumps are.
When we got to Matt's house is was awesome. He has a two room house with an outdoor covered cooking area, a pit latrine, a bucket bath room which was made out of elephant grass. Let me tell you, taking a bucket bath in Africa looking up at a million stars is really invigorating.
The first night we had spaghetti over a brazier on char coal with wine and whiskey which he asked us to bring. Soooo we had a good time! That night we sat by the umulito (fire) listening to Zambian top ten, talking to Ba Dan Matt's tata (Father) drinking shake shake (a nasty local drink). The boys were dancing while we were talking, let me tell you Zambians know how to DANCE! They put me to shame! The next morning we got up and went to visit one of Matt's neighbors named Benson. Matt has been working with him on fish ponds. He is one of his success stories. He has 7 fish ponds and a very prosperous garden. His farm is self sustaining, he never goes into town to sell his produce or fish. After looking at his farm we had our meal with his family. His wife had prepared us a full meal of chicken gizzard, rape (shima) which is maize ground up into powder and put into water to harden. Depending who makes it, it can be bland and gross or really good. Then we walked home on the bush trails and got lost for an hour but finally made our way home. We crashed early that night.
The next morning Matt and all the PCT's were guests of a party that they were hosting. But first we were challenged 6 Zambian boys in a game of soccer. They predicted a win of 24-0 Zambians. We gave them a run for their money but still lost 1-0. Oh well what are you going to do?!!! After we sat down in Matt's ensaca and had a meal fit for a KING, shima, rape, a fermented drink, chicken, Zambian bologna which was very interesting and dried mushrooms which were very strong.
The next day we went to another fish pond which was the best pond in the area and visited the local clinic and got a tour which was very cool. After we went to a local tuck tuck shop for a cold drink which is a rarity over here. What a treat! After we walked home and drank two big boxes of wine. That was a fun night. We woke early thinking that we were going to be picked up but we waited five hours. We took the long trek back to the college and packed another bag for the next day.
We went to Chungwe where we met our host family. I was greeted by Bamayo Dorothy and Batata Rabson and their 10 children. I attended school here every day by biking to and from 10 kilometers. This family has adopted me into theirs which is wonderful and are teaching me a lot of their Bemba language. My mayo is quizzing me on my Bemba which is really sweet of her. They keep telling me we are family, be free and they are treating me like one of their own. My sisters and brothers over here love to dance so I fit in just fine. I have been here for 3 days and I like it a lot. Learning a new language is no piece of cake but I am trying hard. The culture is something to get used too but it is interesting. Me and one of the other PCT families are coming over tonight for a dance party. It should be fun. If you guys have any questions, please post them on my blog and I will write back when I can. I miss you all and I am thinking of you. Love you from Zambia!
Letter #2
Let's start off at the end of my last letter. The dancing was great and Huy, AKA my family here in Zambia, my Ba Mayo Dorothy, Bondume (brother) Musu, my 2 Bonkoshi's (sisters) Comula and Morria, dedicated a song for me and another trainee. It was awesome.
The RAP program here is great too but it is very intensive and covers everything including health and HIV/AIDS, all kinds of diseases and this to avoid like the copious number of SNAKES! I will get to the fields trips that RAP has done so far but before I get to that I got tested last week for language and it was INTENSE. It covered 5 chapters and it was lists and lists of words to remember, which you know is my weak point, MEMORIZATION! It was a set up in stations and all verbal which isn't forte either! I tried my darnedest! I got my test score back and it was below average and I was really upset about it. Oh well, I will try and do better next time.
OK, now the fun stuff that makes my time here worth while! Field trips! We visited DOF headquarters (Department of Fisheries) and that is where we learned about healthy fish ponds and bloom and composting. If you visit me, I will explain in more detail. We gone to Lusaka a few times for their Mall, visited a local farm that was destroyed by the floods last rainy season, we also went to a farm under construction that needed some fixing, so we FIXED it! There is a lot to learn but I love it.
As RAP volunteers we are supposed to be doing a lot more than fish farming. Lots of education be it fish, HIV, regular education and more! So my plate is full. I am still getting used to Zamtime which is just attitude, I will get used to it when I get to it. But seriously I can not wait for training to be over. We are entering our 5th week, man time flies! I can not believe I have been here more than a month.
Last Wednesday we had a PACA day where you stay home and you learn about the roles of everyone in the house. When I got up that day and cooked breakfast with my Ba Mayo which was French Toast and Tea, then filled my water jug, washed my clothes by hand ( a lot harder than I ever thought), swept my room (oh how I miss a good vacuum) and cleaned it, made lunch which was rape with tomatoes, onions, ubwali (nshima) and meatballs. Nshima was one of the toughest things I have encountered here. I think you have to make it for yourself to see it. It is tasteless but really good with relish and all kinds of sauces.
We also had a party night last Saturday. OH MAN what a great night. A night of friends, great music, food and dancing featuring YOURS TRULY! There are not that many varieties of alcohol here but the local stuff is great. South African wine, Mosi beer and Castle beer is my favorite. I actually think I like wine now! Lets just say the next day I could not stand because I danced so much. My family laughed at me when I was penguin walking around my compound that day.
I have done a lot of public speaking and presentations here and I am no longer afraid of getting up in front of people and speaking. I am really excited to get started because I really love the people here. They are some of the nicest people you will ever meet. They get really excited when they meet a musungu because they love to practice their English on you. Zambians will also ask what tribe you are from and when you tell them ( I am Bemba) they get really excited and talk to you in the local language. Never fear, when you to visit, most people speak English but if they don't, I will teach you survival language skills. Everyone, well mostly everyone, greets you here and they love you are here to help their people. It is nice to be around people grateful for the little things that you do for them.
Oh yeah I forgot to tell that there was a snake on my bush trail, it was scary. Everyone said it was a Black Mamba. I think the most poisonous/feared snake here in Zambia. I also have a rat in my room and he keeps me company every night. There's also a lizard in my bag and he just chills out in there.
I still can't believe how cold it is here. I found out that Zambia is the coldest Sub-Saharan country in Africa. So, it's cold but it is getting warmer every day that passes. The cold season is coming to a close and the hot season is coming. September and October are the hottest months here. Then the rainy season comes which is a good and bad time for visiting. Bad because of the rain, good because I don't have as much to do because all the farmers are in their maize fields.
Oh a GOOD thing happened yesterday, I got my camera to charge, yay, the smallest things make me happy! One of the things that I had to get used to here was women breast feeding. Oh course they are right to view this as natural and a feeding source for their babies but show your thigh and you are being risque! Interesting.... I did get my every time I transition to a new living space, cold. I hope it doesn't last as long as they did in the states.
It is the dusty season here, so it is dry and windy. We get huge dust devils and it totally sucks when you are stuck in one. I am amazed at how strong they are. They make trees bend over and rips clothes and pull corn stalks out of the ground. I have a natural alarm clock in the morning, the dogs and the chickens! I have to ride my bike 12km to school almost every day. It's nice to get the exercise on a regular basis. Oh yeah I saw my first zebra and a Buck Buck 2 weeks ago, quite exciting. I think it was in a park
It is very dirty here and they burn everything, that is the only down side of being here, the car emissions adding are awful and add to the dirtiness. When you visit me we will not be taking public transportation, it is always late and unreliable, so we will hitch hike. Don't worry it's safe.
Music is awesome and you know how I love to dance!
Well I guess that's it, until I have some more time to write.
Garrett
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Letter #3
The last 2 weeks of training have been tough because this is the end of the journey but also another beginning. All the people (52 PCV's) that I have gotten to know over the last 9 weeks will be gone and you only see them occasionally after training. This last week has been a lot of fun, basically a lot of partying with plenty to celebrate. After being inducted into the Peace Corps on Friday we went to a restaurant that a former PC volunteer started, it was a Mexican restaurant! Imagine in Africa seeing a cactus neon light blinking at you! It was great fun plus your meal comes with a complimentary shot of tequila, heck yeah I was there. Later we went out to a club and partied more until 2 in the morning, we deserved it! It was just a lot of fun, that is until we had to be up at 5:30 and out by the road with all our stuff.
As soon as I could, I went back to bed and slept til 3p.
The host family that I have spent so much time with are so awesome. They love ME because I am the only male volunteer that they have hosted thus far. They love to dance, what a perfect match and they have taught me many MORE dance moves, look out Alicia! Just another great cross culture experience. Do they love to party, with 12 people there is never a lack of partcipants! I have 10 siblings which all live under one roof, lets just say that it was a little cramped in the house. Taking showers outside is great with all the stars as if they are my night lights. I do NOT take pleasure in using a hole in the ground for a toilet but I take that with a grain of salt too. Other than that I love it here and it feels like home.
I moved out of my host family's home on September 23 and I already miss them. It feels like another family has been ripped away again but I know there is always another family waiting to welcome me. You become a part of a family easily because in this culture they are always taking in another family member, especially children orphaned by HIV/AIDS. It is a communal life which is great for integration into the community. I LOVE IT HERE!
PS: Our bus we were riding in the other day, hit a person. One minute there was nobody there, the next we heard a thump. It's not uncommon for these pedestrian accidents and when it happens the Zambians get all up in your face, so the law says you can't stop for this accident and you are to go to the next Police check point. It's crazy! Well we broke the rule and Megan pushed 3 Zambians out of the way to so we could drag this guy into the bus. He didn't look too hurt but what do I know. I guess after they left us off, the driver took him to the hospital. Only in Africa! Oh and Megan was hit by a bicycle! Yeah sounds weird but she sported a black eye from it. The biker had a load of charcoal and that was what hit her. Time to walk in the bush I guess. :)
Letter 4
Dear Bontu Bonse (everyone together)
Sorry that it has been so long since I last wrote but I have been very busy. The last couple of weeks of training have taken its toll and at the end of the day I am just so exhausted and am always asleep by 20 hours. I knock off from training, go to the bar with a few trainees, go home eat and go to bed. Training is rigorous with 4 hours of language every day, lunch and then 3 hours of tech training.
The last week of training we had our cultural day where we invited our host families to come taste a little American cuisine. It was all the trainees cooking for over 300 people. We had American salad, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, rice and vegetables, fajitas’ and some other stuff that I can’t remember. It was a great ceremony with speeches by us in our local Zambian language. Bemba, Nyanja, Tambuka, Kayonde and two more that I can’t remember. There were drummers and dancers from each tribe and you better believe that I got up and dance but I am guessing that anyone who knows me would assume that! At the end all of the Ba Mayos from each tribe came up with a native song and gave all of us presents, after we took family photos. It was a great time both spending time together as a group of volunteers because it rarely happened during training as well as having all the Zambian families together.
As the day came to an end; we found out our results of our LPI (language proficiency interview), which changed the day from happy to upsetting. I failed mine which meant I had to stay an extra week in Lusaka while everyone else was posted. I soon found out that it was a blessing but more on that later.
The last week of training was great, relaxing and just going over things that we might not be clear on. Then came the day for our swearing in, well let’s start with the night before! It was crazy, we partied like we were rock stars because we had gotten through one of the most grueling experiences EVER! AKA training! But yeah, that night was NUTS, dancing with the volunteers of the week. Becka the one that was online with Mindy, Mindy, Dan, and Jocelyn, what a great night.
The day of the swearing in we were at the ambassador’s house. Man oh man, when you haven’t seen electricity or running water and have been going to the bathroom in a hole in the ground, it’s a treat to have a bowl to sit on! LOL. His home has a huge swimming pool and guest house. We had refreshments and filled out absentee ballots. We later took a trillion pictures of everything, volunteers, teachers, staff, tech trainers and the ambassador. The ceremony was awesome, we sang both the American and Zambian national anthems, had a panel of PC head people speak, the head of Chongwe, the ambassador and many more.
Our American ambassador is brand spanking new in the country, just two weeks! We received our certificates and then had to fill out more paper work; the PC is good with that! We then had refreshments and left to go shopping which was crazy because I was in my chitange. We shopped til we dropped and then had to figure out how to get all the stuff and ourselves in to the Land Cruiser. Later we had time to relax before our big night on the town.
Some of us started a little earlier than others, myself included. I shared some wine another PCV and then threw back a couple Castle beers. The excitement started at a Mexican restaurant the a former PCV had opened. Now getting to the restaurant was the really interesting part. We took public transport, but there were too many people for the bus so 8-10 of us got out. Then Becka found us a smaller bus and we were on our way. This bus was a piece of crap, first it broke down twice in the middle of a busy intersection, yes I thought we were going to die. We found out that driver neglected to check his fuel level, aka EMPTY! While he was filling up we all had to get off the bus so the tank could fill properly. This was when I found out that the bus had caught fire at some point, me and Silve both looked at each other and was like, “oh hell no!” When we got to the restaurant, the door of the bus fell off, that my friends is Zambian transport!We made it to the restaurant that what counted and it was nice with a huge lawn with fire pits, nsakas, a huge outdoor porch and the best part, complimentary shots of tequila! The food was excellent and the company was even better. Some of the older volunteers met up with us there which was even more fun. We stayed there for 3 hours, you can’t beat 3 dollar margaritas which I had two. By this time as you can imagine, I was feeling GOOD! Onward to the next club where we stayed til 2am, it was great. The next morning we all woke up early to be picked up and taken to our provinces.
Staying behind I thought was going to suck but it ended up not being that bad. I went to the Peace Corps office in Lusaka with the people that are posted in Lusaka Province, Jenny and Necharie. We went to an awesome market where we found things for their houses. I helped Necharie and later we went for Chinese food and then back to the office. Then they left to buy furniture and I stayed behind. The next day we to Game in the mall, Game is like BJs/Costco in the US. Again I helped Necharie and a couple hours later we got lunch at Golitos which is a chicken place. After, we went to another mall called Arkades; for a movie and another market. I bought things and bargained in the local language. Ba Simon came to pick me up and move me Chungwe.
Chungwe was fine even though I had four hours of Bemba a day because then I had the rest of the day off. Monday or Pali Cimo in Bemba after class I went to town to visit my host family. I found my Bun Koshi (sister) but away Bu mayo (no mother), she was at a funeral til Wednesday. In the evening I attempted to hitch back but all the cars were full, figures! At nights me and my teacher went down to the local bar because we both, indefwa Castle iytalala (I want Castle cold). I had a box of wine, just 3 small glasses and enjoyed a sausage na chips that were being made outside. Here is where I practiced more Bemba in a non classroom setting, the locals were impressed. Thursday I walked to town again, 11km, a long walk. It seemed short though because I was accompanied by 5 eways (children) who spoke nothing but Bemba, I practiced my skills with them. I made it to town and Ba mayo was very happy to see me. I bought us lunch. Ba mayo had inkoko na chips (chicken and fries) and I had 2 chicken pies and fries. I found out that the family had no money and could no longer send their 3rd born to school. Since I owed her a gift I pitched in 50 thousand kwatcha, the wife of the first born also in chipped in 50 thousand and girl was now able go to school on Monday.
Friday I had my LPI again and I passed! The next day I went to the office where I stayed the night and the next morning I was off to Luapula. They left me in Serenje Central Province where I would be picked up by Ba Manuwa (you remember him Mom) and driven to the provincial house 10 hours away.
Luapula is one amazing place and that’s all I need to say! I is the land of dambos and waterfalls. Anywho, I got to the PC house in Mansa and spent the night where I saw my hosts from my 2nd site visit, the Mautrins, Perry and Brittany. They are all in the same area around Kawambwa district which is northern Luapula. They were leaving in the morning for midterms. In the morning I did some crazy shopping with Jessica the PCVL for the week. Fresh had gone on home leave for a month. I went to the hardware store where I bought hammer, nails, icikaka (slasher) and screening for my windows. I also bought a mattress, buckets for food and washing pots, pans, soap, and candles, chopwa (done)! Now I am BROKE, don’t quite know how I will make ends meet on such a limited salary but I guess I will leave it up to fate.
First week in the village it has been good. I’m meeting the people and farmers; getting things done with my house and much, much, more . So far I’ve put plastic on the roof of the insaka so that it won’t leak in the rainy season which is just around the corner. My screens are in my windows and I have concrete to plaster the inside of the house to make it lighter because it will then allow me to paint. Im looking into getting furniture made, maybe a table and stool and some shelves for my clothes. I lost a few of my clothes to the hazard of charcoal! I have been eating some with my host family, almost every day lunch and dinner. They make me feel very welcome here which is really nice. My work doesn’t technically start until December but I have encouraged a boy who is really poor to start a garden and sell what he grows. I gave him the seeds which Mom sent, to get started. On Friday the 8th of October he went and slashed the area with me there to encourage him,. Today he is there preparing the garden with ridges and he will plant on Monday. He told me his plan for the garden and promised me he was really going to try hard to make it work. It made me feel good. I was little overwhelmed when my host gave me the minutes of the meeting that he had gone to. He had spoken about my coming to the village and all the help I am giving them. Over 50 farmers are interested as well as groups of both men and women. In addition, the head man wants to work with me so that is a little more nerve wracking.
Well I think that is all for now. I miss you all!
Love, Garrett
PS: I have started to look at fish farms and I’m letting them know what they need to fix. I have made a connection with an NGO, Plan International and they are great and will solve most of my problems that I have encountered. Oh and my crazy Zambian family has started my farm, I am now the proud owner of 1 chicken and her name is Betty. So far I have a dog, a cat and a chicken!
Letter #5
Hello Everyone!!!
So I have enough time now that I can write maybe once a week!. This last week wasn’t really all that eventful but I will write anyway. This week my house is being smeared with concrete because it is like a dungeon in this house. I will be painting it when I have money, not something that the PC includes in our set up check. This tiny paycheck is not going very far!!!!!!!!!!! We are also putting in a window to brighten things up even more. The great thing about Zambia is if you help people out then they think you are a god and do work for you FOR FREE! As with many cultures in Afrika, women are always working while it seems the men do minimal work but that could be because all the men around here are old and retired. Right now they are preparing their gardens and farms for the rainy season because it is right around the corner. I am also preparing my garden.
It seems like every week there are at least 2 funerals around me which is really sad but what is even more sad is that I am getting more accustom to death here because it happens so regularly. The last death was extremely sad because she was pregnant.
Well back to this past week. Oh on Sunday (pa malungu) the children found a very poisonous snake in my yard and the killed it with sticks…..well they paralyzed it, I KILLED IT! I had some fun and chased some girls with it in my hand. It was about a meter long and was silver/grey with some darker shades of grey. Then I dropped it down the toilet. The word for snake in Bemba is nsoka. What else, oh yeah I went into town on Tuesday to see about getting a phone but they were all over 500,000 kwacha and for me that is umutango wakosa (that is too much). I finally found the post office in town, it is a little hole in the ground between BP gas and some office building. Next week I will go to Zain and buy a phone as well as look for furniture for the house. I found 2 chairs and a loveseat for 500,000 which is 100.00 American. I thought that was good for being handmade. All the children love hanging out here with me so I have taught them some Camp Burgess songs. Dances like the banana song and the hokey pokey, the chicken song as well as a Pizza Hut and Kentucky Fried Chicken. They love it and every time they see me they flap their wings like chickens. The older kids like to hang out at my place, of course they always come asking for something. I think that over time they will understand that I am not giving them anything.
I have been in the village for a month and people are still calling me musungu but slowly they are changing into Mr. Lojek. Like I said before, I have over 50 farmers and groups, which is CRAZY. Note to Mom, the Mansa airport is just a landing strip and there are no car rentals or anything up here. I think it will be better that I meet you in Lusaka. Also, January is the wettest month, it rains every day so I think March or April will be more fun. It will be great to go to the Falls and on Safari, my house is small but we can squeeze or there could be some guest houses/cheap hotels in Mansa. Let me know when you make your reservations so I can ask for time off. It takes time to fill out the paperwork in order for me to go there. I am very excited for you to come and I can hardly wait.
It has been 3 months to the day (7/19) that I left for my Peace Corps Adventure. Life is good/relaxing and I have met a lot of people. In that respect, I am doing my job!
Miss you and love you lots!
Your Afrikan Son
Garrett
Letter #6
Hi,
This, I think, is my 6th week in my village and I think I am going to go insane, no WAIT I already AM going insane! It is so boring in village, I can't wait to start my programs. I went to Mwense district a few weeks ago for a weekend and I guess I didn't follow the appropriate protocol for signing out and ended up getting into trouble for it. Everyone else did too so I don't feel too bad about it. We all really needed it, trust me! I have gotten so bored that I have begun to read books! Who would have thought that? So the hot season is over THANK GOD, it was really bad. No wonder they call it suicide month! The first week in November was hot but now it is cooling down and it feels fantastic! The last few days it has been cool, just like our change from Summer to Fall. The rains have begun, only 5 times in my village but twice we had hail storms the size of quarters and some close to the size of golf balls with winds that took roofs and walls collapse. My house was relatively unscathed because I have trees around it. If you like thunder storms come on down, you are the next contestant on TIZ (This Is Zambia)! Anyway I have met some good people that I think I can rely on, only time will tell. Man living here give me a new respect for Africa and it's people. They are poor but so hard working and they always have a smile on their face. These people live for the day and that is totally respectable in my book. Although this country is very interesting, there are things that I have already grown used to that I wish I never had to. One being death, it is abundant here and tons of people die every day. Another is how Zambian men treat women, it would never fly in the US. Another is the HIV/AIDS rate in my area is higher than the average. I often have people coming up to me asking for information, you tell them what you know and go on to the next. It is like going to war, you get used to seeing the sick and death. But people just keep living life even as all of this is happening around them. On a positive note, I weighed in when I first arrived at 155 and now I am 138! The is gone people! My underwear and pants don't fit anymore. I have been eating lots of vegetables, fish and soya. I am almost a vegetarian, now who would have thought that I'd go from a Bacon Cheeseburger to Fish and Soya. It is hunger season here and I can noticeably see the portions getting smaller and smaller. Thank God people have started planting and it is almost mango and mushroom season, so excited! I have noticed that some of the things I hated to eat in the State, I eat here. You can't be picky or you go hungry. I planted the sweet corn that brought with me and it germinated but people got jealous and started asking for seed and even taking plants from my garden. I also planted tomatoes and squash, still waiting to plant bush beans, carrots, onions and radishes when the rains come more consistently.
As I was writing this letter my village mom came to my door.
Mom: Odi odi (may I come in)
Me: Mwashibukeni Mekwai (good morning mom)
Mom: Mwasha buka shani (how did you sleep)
Me: Nashabuka bwino ng'ayumwe (I slept fine and you?)
Mom: indifye bwino (I am fine)
Mom: meeting bonkoshi Kutown Bashitisha Ku Marketi (meet my sister from town selling at the market)
Me: ciisuma naisa (OK I am coming)
It is not out of the normal for men to come up to you and try and marry you to their sisters. I get that from the point of introduction, you have to say no 3 times or more here or they will asking. Just my average day in the village, oh wait, it is only 8:45a! HaHaHa! Zambia Provincials is coming up and so is Thanksgiving. Provincials is just meetings for all the PCVs in the province for 4 days. Some of the volunteers bought 3 huge turkeys, I think that should be enough for everyone. We are also making Drunk Chicken. I can't wait to be there when they kill the birds, meaning you will then be able to see our Thanksgiving feast. Afterwards we have a party called Drinking with the Stars where you dress up as someone famous. For Christmas I think I am going to Malawi but not totally sure yet. Either that or I will be at the house. I get my cat soon, I'm scared that it is going to run away. I think that it is a boy, I wanted a girl like ours but I took the one they wanted to give me. He is the cutest one out of all of them though! Can't wait to bring home an African cat, and watch Puddin and Nell react to him. Oh when the PC says be patient man they really mean it! They still haven't finished cementing my house and they haven't given me my shelving units. You know how I usually never follow up on things, well in order to get things done YOU HAVE TO! Small changes. I think that I am growing papaya in one of my nurseries. They call it popo here I just don't remember the English translation. They grow on trees, right? The papayas I mean. I can't believe it has been almost 4 months and only 20 more until I'm back home! Well this letter will continue when something happens here, very unlikely. Oh and another thing that I have been having is crazy methlaquin dreams which is the anti malarial medicine I am on. I had a dream that for Christmas Mom sent me beef jerky, Boston Baked Beans, refried beans and a #2 from the McDonald's menu! This wouldn't need to be for Christmas but at some point it would be GREAT! Oh yeah and another dream was that Mom brought me a South African blanket from the plane. I also have had dreams about construction on this house. Like adding indoor bathing shower and a patio with a metal roof. The day after this dream I went to my housing committee and said "this needs to happen" but hey, they have plenty of other projects they need to finish first like cementing the inside of my house, white washing the inside building, building a chicken and goat house, that's right, I am getting BOTH! Oh and landscaping! Hey if I am living here it needs to reflect me, don't ya think? Can't wait to see what other dreams come along. Italy here I come, count me in! Maybe some of the PCVs will come too. Note to Mom, random I know, bring warm clothes when you come because we will be entering the cooler season. I'm not sure how cold it gets here but in Lusaka it gets pretty chilly. Oh and the bugs are HUGE here so don't be alarmed.
Well I think that is it!
Love and Miss you!
Garrett (The Real Afrikan)
Letter #7
Hello Everyone!
Well it's a mile stone, I've been in the Republic of Zambia for 5 months now! I am in my community entry which is by far one of the most boring times of my life but hey look at it positively, it is only 3 months long and it ends December 18th and today is the 11th. Everyone is excited to be done and we are having a party in Samfya next week and it should be a lot of fun. Then from the 20th to the 3rd of January almost all of our intake are going to Malawi. I am not because it was too unorganized and I didn't want it to be a waste of money, which is scarce enough as it is. Besides I will go in April when Mom comes to visit. Soooo instead I am going to the Northwest Province for a party and I got all the logistics straight away, so I said Hell Yeah!. The great thing is that I don't feel left out because PCVs go to Malawi alot, it is the number one vacation destination in this part of Africa. So anyway, back to the update. We had provincials two weeks ago and that was so much fun. Of course there were meeting about our provincial house in Mansa and what changes are going to take place but there was also an auction for animals in the house. The PCVL asked what we wanted and needed for the house. We also went over what we had done in our villages so far. I know I've talked about the theme parties but the impersonation party was reeediculus!!! Favorite actors and singers like Lady Gaga, Baby Spice, Madonna and even Sarah Palin. After we went to Elli's which is a club and after once we go home we all passed out. Thanksgiving dinner was amazing. Amazing because to have American food was all we could think about. Potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole, turkey, drunk chicken, pumpkin and apple pies and MORE! Food glorious FOOD!
The rains are more constant now and my garden is growing pretty well except for the corn. It is now mango season thank God, I've been waiting for them to ripen since I arrived. It's also mushroom season but these mushroom are really bad! I am starting to think that I like caterpillars now.
Last week I went to Mansa and ate at my favorite restaurant. I ordered a T-Bone steak while the power was out. That was a BIG MISTAKE! The meat must have gone bad because of the lack of refrigeration and I got food poisoning. Threw up all night and into the next day and joined the "club" twice. Ask any PCV what joining the club means and they can tell you, TMI for my blog. I did go on to visit some of my fish farms the next day which was probably the best thing I could have done. Get on my bike and ride.
I still can't get used to how thankful people here are for the simplest things. I mean I told one farmer what to change to make his farm better, that's my job. He responded with giving me the tour and the he gave me 6 stalks of sugar cane, a dozen tomatoes and fed me, to show his appreciation.
They are almost done cementing the interior of my house, this will allow me to paint once it dries. I am also adding two more windows for light and then starting on a chicken house. I have three hens now but they are staying at other people's houses. One I name DOT because she is all black with white dots, then there is Bolt because she has two lightening bolts on either side of her as of right now. She is young so that could change and the other one I haven't seen her yet so I haven't come up with a name.
You know you live in Zambia when you get pleasure from picking ticks off your neighbors dog. You also know you live in Zambia if that same dog attacks and almost kills chickens because the owner doesn't feed him properly and you have to beat the dog to get the chicken out of his mouth.
So yeah because the rains have started the snakes are out. On my front porch one morning a very poisonous snake was just chillin there. I think they said it was a Puff Adder. One of my counter parts had to kill it for me. That is snake number 3 killed on my property!
Just for the books, language is very frustrating. No matter how hard you try, the natives always ask, "why don't you know Bemba yet"? I try and explain that when you grow up not learning several languages like Zambians do, it hard to learn one. Oh well you just have to keep plugging along I guess.
Well til next time!
Garrett
Mwapeleni Makwi Everyone from Zambia, Africa!
Just updating you on the last week and a few days. Everything is well over here so I will start from the very beginning. I took off from Boston on the 19th to Atlanta and spent two days there getting to know my fellow PCT (trainees). Everyone in my group is really awesome, really cool people. We left Atlanta for Johannesburg, South Africa. We got to the airport late and missed our plane, the PC put us up in this really nice hotel right outside of the airport and PAID FOR IT! This meant we had a night to kill and so me and 8 other trainees went out into the city and went to the clubs with a guide watching over us. That was a lot of fun and later went back to the hotel for the night. The next morning we went to the airport where we waited until 4p. In all we waited 18 hours for a plane to Zambia.
We were met by PCVLs and Nancy who is the country director. We felt really welcome here. We moved into a college/hostel right outside of Lusaka, Zambia where we spent 3 days getting more briefings and medical meeting during this time. At night we went to the bar and had a really good time.
On our fourth day we made our way to our first site visit which means we went to a current volunteer's site. Our volunteer was Matt Hudson in the region of the Copper Belt which is where all the mining happens in Zambia. We arrived after 6 hours in the car on really bad roads. Most of the roads in Zambia are in bad condition with huge potholes that go as deep as the red dirt and then the rest roads are dirt with lots of bumps. I hit my head a few times on the roof of the car which shows you just how big the bumps are.
When we got to Matt's house is was awesome. He has a two room house with an outdoor covered cooking area, a pit latrine, a bucket bath room which was made out of elephant grass. Let me tell you, taking a bucket bath in Africa looking up at a million stars is really invigorating.
The first night we had spaghetti over a brazier on char coal with wine and whiskey which he asked us to bring. Soooo we had a good time! That night we sat by the umulito (fire) listening to Zambian top ten, talking to Ba Dan Matt's tata (Father) drinking shake shake (a nasty local drink). The boys were dancing while we were talking, let me tell you Zambians know how to DANCE! They put me to shame! The next morning we got up and went to visit one of Matt's neighbors named Benson. Matt has been working with him on fish ponds. He is one of his success stories. He has 7 fish ponds and a very prosperous garden. His farm is self sustaining, he never goes into town to sell his produce or fish. After looking at his farm we had our meal with his family. His wife had prepared us a full meal of chicken gizzard, rape (shima) which is maize ground up into powder and put into water to harden. Depending who makes it, it can be bland and gross or really good. Then we walked home on the bush trails and got lost for an hour but finally made our way home. We crashed early that night.
The next morning Matt and all the PCT's were guests of a party that they were hosting. But first we were challenged 6 Zambian boys in a game of soccer. They predicted a win of 24-0 Zambians. We gave them a run for their money but still lost 1-0. Oh well what are you going to do?!!! After we sat down in Matt's ensaca and had a meal fit for a KING, shima, rape, a fermented drink, chicken, Zambian bologna which was very interesting and dried mushrooms which were very strong.
The next day we went to another fish pond which was the best pond in the area and visited the local clinic and got a tour which was very cool. After we went to a local tuck tuck shop for a cold drink which is a rarity over here. What a treat! After we walked home and drank two big boxes of wine. That was a fun night. We woke early thinking that we were going to be picked up but we waited five hours. We took the long trek back to the college and packed another bag for the next day.
We went to Chungwe where we met our host family. I was greeted by Bamayo Dorothy and Batata Rabson and their 10 children. I attended school here every day by biking to and from 10 kilometers. This family has adopted me into theirs which is wonderful and are teaching me a lot of their Bemba language. My mayo is quizzing me on my Bemba which is really sweet of her. They keep telling me we are family, be free and they are treating me like one of their own. My sisters and brothers over here love to dance so I fit in just fine. I have been here for 3 days and I like it a lot. Learning a new language is no piece of cake but I am trying hard. The culture is something to get used too but it is interesting. Me and one of the other PCT families are coming over tonight for a dance party. It should be fun. If you guys have any questions, please post them on my blog and I will write back when I can. I miss you all and I am thinking of you. Love you from Zambia!
Letter #2
Let's start off at the end of my last letter. The dancing was great and Huy, AKA my family here in Zambia, my Ba Mayo Dorothy, Bondume (brother) Musu, my 2 Bonkoshi's (sisters) Comula and Morria, dedicated a song for me and another trainee. It was awesome.
The RAP program here is great too but it is very intensive and covers everything including health and HIV/AIDS, all kinds of diseases and this to avoid like the copious number of SNAKES! I will get to the fields trips that RAP has done so far but before I get to that I got tested last week for language and it was INTENSE. It covered 5 chapters and it was lists and lists of words to remember, which you know is my weak point, MEMORIZATION! It was a set up in stations and all verbal which isn't forte either! I tried my darnedest! I got my test score back and it was below average and I was really upset about it. Oh well, I will try and do better next time.
OK, now the fun stuff that makes my time here worth while! Field trips! We visited DOF headquarters (Department of Fisheries) and that is where we learned about healthy fish ponds and bloom and composting. If you visit me, I will explain in more detail. We gone to Lusaka a few times for their Mall, visited a local farm that was destroyed by the floods last rainy season, we also went to a farm under construction that needed some fixing, so we FIXED it! There is a lot to learn but I love it.
As RAP volunteers we are supposed to be doing a lot more than fish farming. Lots of education be it fish, HIV, regular education and more! So my plate is full. I am still getting used to Zamtime which is just attitude, I will get used to it when I get to it. But seriously I can not wait for training to be over. We are entering our 5th week, man time flies! I can not believe I have been here more than a month.
Last Wednesday we had a PACA day where you stay home and you learn about the roles of everyone in the house. When I got up that day and cooked breakfast with my Ba Mayo which was French Toast and Tea, then filled my water jug, washed my clothes by hand ( a lot harder than I ever thought), swept my room (oh how I miss a good vacuum) and cleaned it, made lunch which was rape with tomatoes, onions, ubwali (nshima) and meatballs. Nshima was one of the toughest things I have encountered here. I think you have to make it for yourself to see it. It is tasteless but really good with relish and all kinds of sauces.
We also had a party night last Saturday. OH MAN what a great night. A night of friends, great music, food and dancing featuring YOURS TRULY! There are not that many varieties of alcohol here but the local stuff is great. South African wine, Mosi beer and Castle beer is my favorite. I actually think I like wine now! Lets just say the next day I could not stand because I danced so much. My family laughed at me when I was penguin walking around my compound that day.
I have done a lot of public speaking and presentations here and I am no longer afraid of getting up in front of people and speaking. I am really excited to get started because I really love the people here. They are some of the nicest people you will ever meet. They get really excited when they meet a musungu because they love to practice their English on you. Zambians will also ask what tribe you are from and when you tell them ( I am Bemba) they get really excited and talk to you in the local language. Never fear, when you to visit, most people speak English but if they don't, I will teach you survival language skills. Everyone, well mostly everyone, greets you here and they love you are here to help their people. It is nice to be around people grateful for the little things that you do for them.
Oh yeah I forgot to tell that there was a snake on my bush trail, it was scary. Everyone said it was a Black Mamba. I think the most poisonous/feared snake here in Zambia. I also have a rat in my room and he keeps me company every night. There's also a lizard in my bag and he just chills out in there.
I still can't believe how cold it is here. I found out that Zambia is the coldest Sub-Saharan country in Africa. So, it's cold but it is getting warmer every day that passes. The cold season is coming to a close and the hot season is coming. September and October are the hottest months here. Then the rainy season comes which is a good and bad time for visiting. Bad because of the rain, good because I don't have as much to do because all the farmers are in their maize fields.
Oh a GOOD thing happened yesterday, I got my camera to charge, yay, the smallest things make me happy! One of the things that I had to get used to here was women breast feeding. Oh course they are right to view this as natural and a feeding source for their babies but show your thigh and you are being risque! Interesting.... I did get my every time I transition to a new living space, cold. I hope it doesn't last as long as they did in the states.
It is the dusty season here, so it is dry and windy. We get huge dust devils and it totally sucks when you are stuck in one. I am amazed at how strong they are. They make trees bend over and rips clothes and pull corn stalks out of the ground. I have a natural alarm clock in the morning, the dogs and the chickens! I have to ride my bike 12km to school almost every day. It's nice to get the exercise on a regular basis. Oh yeah I saw my first zebra and a Buck Buck 2 weeks ago, quite exciting. I think it was in a park
It is very dirty here and they burn everything, that is the only down side of being here, the car emissions adding are awful and add to the dirtiness. When you visit me we will not be taking public transportation, it is always late and unreliable, so we will hitch hike. Don't worry it's safe.
Music is awesome and you know how I love to dance!
Well I guess that's it, until I have some more time to write.
Garrett
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Letter #3
The last 2 weeks of training have been tough because this is the end of the journey but also another beginning. All the people (52 PCV's) that I have gotten to know over the last 9 weeks will be gone and you only see them occasionally after training. This last week has been a lot of fun, basically a lot of partying with plenty to celebrate. After being inducted into the Peace Corps on Friday we went to a restaurant that a former PC volunteer started, it was a Mexican restaurant! Imagine in Africa seeing a cactus neon light blinking at you! It was great fun plus your meal comes with a complimentary shot of tequila, heck yeah I was there. Later we went out to a club and partied more until 2 in the morning, we deserved it! It was just a lot of fun, that is until we had to be up at 5:30 and out by the road with all our stuff.
As soon as I could, I went back to bed and slept til 3p.
The host family that I have spent so much time with are so awesome. They love ME because I am the only male volunteer that they have hosted thus far. They love to dance, what a perfect match and they have taught me many MORE dance moves, look out Alicia! Just another great cross culture experience. Do they love to party, with 12 people there is never a lack of partcipants! I have 10 siblings which all live under one roof, lets just say that it was a little cramped in the house. Taking showers outside is great with all the stars as if they are my night lights. I do NOT take pleasure in using a hole in the ground for a toilet but I take that with a grain of salt too. Other than that I love it here and it feels like home.
I moved out of my host family's home on September 23 and I already miss them. It feels like another family has been ripped away again but I know there is always another family waiting to welcome me. You become a part of a family easily because in this culture they are always taking in another family member, especially children orphaned by HIV/AIDS. It is a communal life which is great for integration into the community. I LOVE IT HERE!
PS: Our bus we were riding in the other day, hit a person. One minute there was nobody there, the next we heard a thump. It's not uncommon for these pedestrian accidents and when it happens the Zambians get all up in your face, so the law says you can't stop for this accident and you are to go to the next Police check point. It's crazy! Well we broke the rule and Megan pushed 3 Zambians out of the way to so we could drag this guy into the bus. He didn't look too hurt but what do I know. I guess after they left us off, the driver took him to the hospital. Only in Africa! Oh and Megan was hit by a bicycle! Yeah sounds weird but she sported a black eye from it. The biker had a load of charcoal and that was what hit her. Time to walk in the bush I guess. :)
Letter 4
Dear Bontu Bonse (everyone together)
Sorry that it has been so long since I last wrote but I have been very busy. The last couple of weeks of training have taken its toll and at the end of the day I am just so exhausted and am always asleep by 20 hours. I knock off from training, go to the bar with a few trainees, go home eat and go to bed. Training is rigorous with 4 hours of language every day, lunch and then 3 hours of tech training.
The last week of training we had our cultural day where we invited our host families to come taste a little American cuisine. It was all the trainees cooking for over 300 people. We had American salad, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, rice and vegetables, fajitas’ and some other stuff that I can’t remember. It was a great ceremony with speeches by us in our local Zambian language. Bemba, Nyanja, Tambuka, Kayonde and two more that I can’t remember. There were drummers and dancers from each tribe and you better believe that I got up and dance but I am guessing that anyone who knows me would assume that! At the end all of the Ba Mayos from each tribe came up with a native song and gave all of us presents, after we took family photos. It was a great time both spending time together as a group of volunteers because it rarely happened during training as well as having all the Zambian families together.
As the day came to an end; we found out our results of our LPI (language proficiency interview), which changed the day from happy to upsetting. I failed mine which meant I had to stay an extra week in Lusaka while everyone else was posted. I soon found out that it was a blessing but more on that later.
The last week of training was great, relaxing and just going over things that we might not be clear on. Then came the day for our swearing in, well let’s start with the night before! It was crazy, we partied like we were rock stars because we had gotten through one of the most grueling experiences EVER! AKA training! But yeah, that night was NUTS, dancing with the volunteers of the week. Becka the one that was online with Mindy, Mindy, Dan, and Jocelyn, what a great night.
The day of the swearing in we were at the ambassador’s house. Man oh man, when you haven’t seen electricity or running water and have been going to the bathroom in a hole in the ground, it’s a treat to have a bowl to sit on! LOL. His home has a huge swimming pool and guest house. We had refreshments and filled out absentee ballots. We later took a trillion pictures of everything, volunteers, teachers, staff, tech trainers and the ambassador. The ceremony was awesome, we sang both the American and Zambian national anthems, had a panel of PC head people speak, the head of Chongwe, the ambassador and many more.
Our American ambassador is brand spanking new in the country, just two weeks! We received our certificates and then had to fill out more paper work; the PC is good with that! We then had refreshments and left to go shopping which was crazy because I was in my chitange. We shopped til we dropped and then had to figure out how to get all the stuff and ourselves in to the Land Cruiser. Later we had time to relax before our big night on the town.
Some of us started a little earlier than others, myself included. I shared some wine another PCV and then threw back a couple Castle beers. The excitement started at a Mexican restaurant the a former PCV had opened. Now getting to the restaurant was the really interesting part. We took public transport, but there were too many people for the bus so 8-10 of us got out. Then Becka found us a smaller bus and we were on our way. This bus was a piece of crap, first it broke down twice in the middle of a busy intersection, yes I thought we were going to die. We found out that driver neglected to check his fuel level, aka EMPTY! While he was filling up we all had to get off the bus so the tank could fill properly. This was when I found out that the bus had caught fire at some point, me and Silve both looked at each other and was like, “oh hell no!” When we got to the restaurant, the door of the bus fell off, that my friends is Zambian transport!We made it to the restaurant that what counted and it was nice with a huge lawn with fire pits, nsakas, a huge outdoor porch and the best part, complimentary shots of tequila! The food was excellent and the company was even better. Some of the older volunteers met up with us there which was even more fun. We stayed there for 3 hours, you can’t beat 3 dollar margaritas which I had two. By this time as you can imagine, I was feeling GOOD! Onward to the next club where we stayed til 2am, it was great. The next morning we all woke up early to be picked up and taken to our provinces.
Staying behind I thought was going to suck but it ended up not being that bad. I went to the Peace Corps office in Lusaka with the people that are posted in Lusaka Province, Jenny and Necharie. We went to an awesome market where we found things for their houses. I helped Necharie and later we went for Chinese food and then back to the office. Then they left to buy furniture and I stayed behind. The next day we to Game in the mall, Game is like BJs/Costco in the US. Again I helped Necharie and a couple hours later we got lunch at Golitos which is a chicken place. After, we went to another mall called Arkades; for a movie and another market. I bought things and bargained in the local language. Ba Simon came to pick me up and move me Chungwe.
Chungwe was fine even though I had four hours of Bemba a day because then I had the rest of the day off. Monday or Pali Cimo in Bemba after class I went to town to visit my host family. I found my Bun Koshi (sister) but away Bu mayo (no mother), she was at a funeral til Wednesday. In the evening I attempted to hitch back but all the cars were full, figures! At nights me and my teacher went down to the local bar because we both, indefwa Castle iytalala (I want Castle cold). I had a box of wine, just 3 small glasses and enjoyed a sausage na chips that were being made outside. Here is where I practiced more Bemba in a non classroom setting, the locals were impressed. Thursday I walked to town again, 11km, a long walk. It seemed short though because I was accompanied by 5 eways (children) who spoke nothing but Bemba, I practiced my skills with them. I made it to town and Ba mayo was very happy to see me. I bought us lunch. Ba mayo had inkoko na chips (chicken and fries) and I had 2 chicken pies and fries. I found out that the family had no money and could no longer send their 3rd born to school. Since I owed her a gift I pitched in 50 thousand kwatcha, the wife of the first born also in chipped in 50 thousand and girl was now able go to school on Monday.
Friday I had my LPI again and I passed! The next day I went to the office where I stayed the night and the next morning I was off to Luapula. They left me in Serenje Central Province where I would be picked up by Ba Manuwa (you remember him Mom) and driven to the provincial house 10 hours away.
Luapula is one amazing place and that’s all I need to say! I is the land of dambos and waterfalls. Anywho, I got to the PC house in Mansa and spent the night where I saw my hosts from my 2nd site visit, the Mautrins, Perry and Brittany. They are all in the same area around Kawambwa district which is northern Luapula. They were leaving in the morning for midterms. In the morning I did some crazy shopping with Jessica the PCVL for the week. Fresh had gone on home leave for a month. I went to the hardware store where I bought hammer, nails, icikaka (slasher) and screening for my windows. I also bought a mattress, buckets for food and washing pots, pans, soap, and candles, chopwa (done)! Now I am BROKE, don’t quite know how I will make ends meet on such a limited salary but I guess I will leave it up to fate.
First week in the village it has been good. I’m meeting the people and farmers; getting things done with my house and much, much, more . So far I’ve put plastic on the roof of the insaka so that it won’t leak in the rainy season which is just around the corner. My screens are in my windows and I have concrete to plaster the inside of the house to make it lighter because it will then allow me to paint. Im looking into getting furniture made, maybe a table and stool and some shelves for my clothes. I lost a few of my clothes to the hazard of charcoal! I have been eating some with my host family, almost every day lunch and dinner. They make me feel very welcome here which is really nice. My work doesn’t technically start until December but I have encouraged a boy who is really poor to start a garden and sell what he grows. I gave him the seeds which Mom sent, to get started. On Friday the 8th of October he went and slashed the area with me there to encourage him,. Today he is there preparing the garden with ridges and he will plant on Monday. He told me his plan for the garden and promised me he was really going to try hard to make it work. It made me feel good. I was little overwhelmed when my host gave me the minutes of the meeting that he had gone to. He had spoken about my coming to the village and all the help I am giving them. Over 50 farmers are interested as well as groups of both men and women. In addition, the head man wants to work with me so that is a little more nerve wracking.
Well I think that is all for now. I miss you all!
Love, Garrett
PS: I have started to look at fish farms and I’m letting them know what they need to fix. I have made a connection with an NGO, Plan International and they are great and will solve most of my problems that I have encountered. Oh and my crazy Zambian family has started my farm, I am now the proud owner of 1 chicken and her name is Betty. So far I have a dog, a cat and a chicken!
Letter #5
Hello Everyone!!!
So I have enough time now that I can write maybe once a week!. This last week wasn’t really all that eventful but I will write anyway. This week my house is being smeared with concrete because it is like a dungeon in this house. I will be painting it when I have money, not something that the PC includes in our set up check. This tiny paycheck is not going very far!!!!!!!!!!! We are also putting in a window to brighten things up even more. The great thing about Zambia is if you help people out then they think you are a god and do work for you FOR FREE! As with many cultures in Afrika, women are always working while it seems the men do minimal work but that could be because all the men around here are old and retired. Right now they are preparing their gardens and farms for the rainy season because it is right around the corner. I am also preparing my garden.
It seems like every week there are at least 2 funerals around me which is really sad but what is even more sad is that I am getting more accustom to death here because it happens so regularly. The last death was extremely sad because she was pregnant.
Well back to this past week. Oh on Sunday (pa malungu) the children found a very poisonous snake in my yard and the killed it with sticks…..well they paralyzed it, I KILLED IT! I had some fun and chased some girls with it in my hand. It was about a meter long and was silver/grey with some darker shades of grey. Then I dropped it down the toilet. The word for snake in Bemba is nsoka. What else, oh yeah I went into town on Tuesday to see about getting a phone but they were all over 500,000 kwacha and for me that is umutango wakosa (that is too much). I finally found the post office in town, it is a little hole in the ground between BP gas and some office building. Next week I will go to Zain and buy a phone as well as look for furniture for the house. I found 2 chairs and a loveseat for 500,000 which is 100.00 American. I thought that was good for being handmade. All the children love hanging out here with me so I have taught them some Camp Burgess songs. Dances like the banana song and the hokey pokey, the chicken song as well as a Pizza Hut and Kentucky Fried Chicken. They love it and every time they see me they flap their wings like chickens. The older kids like to hang out at my place, of course they always come asking for something. I think that over time they will understand that I am not giving them anything.
I have been in the village for a month and people are still calling me musungu but slowly they are changing into Mr. Lojek. Like I said before, I have over 50 farmers and groups, which is CRAZY. Note to Mom, the Mansa airport is just a landing strip and there are no car rentals or anything up here. I think it will be better that I meet you in Lusaka. Also, January is the wettest month, it rains every day so I think March or April will be more fun. It will be great to go to the Falls and on Safari, my house is small but we can squeeze or there could be some guest houses/cheap hotels in Mansa. Let me know when you make your reservations so I can ask for time off. It takes time to fill out the paperwork in order for me to go there. I am very excited for you to come and I can hardly wait.
It has been 3 months to the day (7/19) that I left for my Peace Corps Adventure. Life is good/relaxing and I have met a lot of people. In that respect, I am doing my job!
Miss you and love you lots!
Your Afrikan Son
Garrett
Letter #6
Hi,
This, I think, is my 6th week in my village and I think I am going to go insane, no WAIT I already AM going insane! It is so boring in village, I can't wait to start my programs. I went to Mwense district a few weeks ago for a weekend and I guess I didn't follow the appropriate protocol for signing out and ended up getting into trouble for it. Everyone else did too so I don't feel too bad about it. We all really needed it, trust me! I have gotten so bored that I have begun to read books! Who would have thought that? So the hot season is over THANK GOD, it was really bad. No wonder they call it suicide month! The first week in November was hot but now it is cooling down and it feels fantastic! The last few days it has been cool, just like our change from Summer to Fall. The rains have begun, only 5 times in my village but twice we had hail storms the size of quarters and some close to the size of golf balls with winds that took roofs and walls collapse. My house was relatively unscathed because I have trees around it. If you like thunder storms come on down, you are the next contestant on TIZ (This Is Zambia)! Anyway I have met some good people that I think I can rely on, only time will tell. Man living here give me a new respect for Africa and it's people. They are poor but so hard working and they always have a smile on their face. These people live for the day and that is totally respectable in my book. Although this country is very interesting, there are things that I have already grown used to that I wish I never had to. One being death, it is abundant here and tons of people die every day. Another is how Zambian men treat women, it would never fly in the US. Another is the HIV/AIDS rate in my area is higher than the average. I often have people coming up to me asking for information, you tell them what you know and go on to the next. It is like going to war, you get used to seeing the sick and death. But people just keep living life even as all of this is happening around them. On a positive note, I weighed in when I first arrived at 155 and now I am 138! The is gone people! My underwear and pants don't fit anymore. I have been eating lots of vegetables, fish and soya. I am almost a vegetarian, now who would have thought that I'd go from a Bacon Cheeseburger to Fish and Soya. It is hunger season here and I can noticeably see the portions getting smaller and smaller. Thank God people have started planting and it is almost mango and mushroom season, so excited! I have noticed that some of the things I hated to eat in the State, I eat here. You can't be picky or you go hungry. I planted the sweet corn that brought with me and it germinated but people got jealous and started asking for seed and even taking plants from my garden. I also planted tomatoes and squash, still waiting to plant bush beans, carrots, onions and radishes when the rains come more consistently.
As I was writing this letter my village mom came to my door.
Mom: Odi odi (may I come in)
Me: Mwashibukeni Mekwai (good morning mom)
Mom: Mwasha buka shani (how did you sleep)
Me: Nashabuka bwino ng'ayumwe (I slept fine and you?)
Mom: indifye bwino (I am fine)
Mom: meeting bonkoshi Kutown Bashitisha Ku Marketi (meet my sister from town selling at the market)
Me: ciisuma naisa (OK I am coming)
It is not out of the normal for men to come up to you and try and marry you to their sisters. I get that from the point of introduction, you have to say no 3 times or more here or they will asking. Just my average day in the village, oh wait, it is only 8:45a! HaHaHa! Zambia Provincials is coming up and so is Thanksgiving. Provincials is just meetings for all the PCVs in the province for 4 days. Some of the volunteers bought 3 huge turkeys, I think that should be enough for everyone. We are also making Drunk Chicken. I can't wait to be there when they kill the birds, meaning you will then be able to see our Thanksgiving feast. Afterwards we have a party called Drinking with the Stars where you dress up as someone famous. For Christmas I think I am going to Malawi but not totally sure yet. Either that or I will be at the house. I get my cat soon, I'm scared that it is going to run away. I think that it is a boy, I wanted a girl like ours but I took the one they wanted to give me. He is the cutest one out of all of them though! Can't wait to bring home an African cat, and watch Puddin and Nell react to him. Oh when the PC says be patient man they really mean it! They still haven't finished cementing my house and they haven't given me my shelving units. You know how I usually never follow up on things, well in order to get things done YOU HAVE TO! Small changes. I think that I am growing papaya in one of my nurseries. They call it popo here I just don't remember the English translation. They grow on trees, right? The papayas I mean. I can't believe it has been almost 4 months and only 20 more until I'm back home! Well this letter will continue when something happens here, very unlikely. Oh and another thing that I have been having is crazy methlaquin dreams which is the anti malarial medicine I am on. I had a dream that for Christmas Mom sent me beef jerky, Boston Baked Beans, refried beans and a #2 from the McDonald's menu! This wouldn't need to be for Christmas but at some point it would be GREAT! Oh yeah and another dream was that Mom brought me a South African blanket from the plane. I also have had dreams about construction on this house. Like adding indoor bathing shower and a patio with a metal roof. The day after this dream I went to my housing committee and said "this needs to happen" but hey, they have plenty of other projects they need to finish first like cementing the inside of my house, white washing the inside building, building a chicken and goat house, that's right, I am getting BOTH! Oh and landscaping! Hey if I am living here it needs to reflect me, don't ya think? Can't wait to see what other dreams come along. Italy here I come, count me in! Maybe some of the PCVs will come too. Note to Mom, random I know, bring warm clothes when you come because we will be entering the cooler season. I'm not sure how cold it gets here but in Lusaka it gets pretty chilly. Oh and the bugs are HUGE here so don't be alarmed.
Well I think that is it!
Love and Miss you!
Garrett (The Real Afrikan)
Letter #7
Hello Everyone!
Well it's a mile stone, I've been in the Republic of Zambia for 5 months now! I am in my community entry which is by far one of the most boring times of my life but hey look at it positively, it is only 3 months long and it ends December 18th and today is the 11th. Everyone is excited to be done and we are having a party in Samfya next week and it should be a lot of fun. Then from the 20th to the 3rd of January almost all of our intake are going to Malawi. I am not because it was too unorganized and I didn't want it to be a waste of money, which is scarce enough as it is. Besides I will go in April when Mom comes to visit. Soooo instead I am going to the Northwest Province for a party and I got all the logistics straight away, so I said Hell Yeah!. The great thing is that I don't feel left out because PCVs go to Malawi alot, it is the number one vacation destination in this part of Africa. So anyway, back to the update. We had provincials two weeks ago and that was so much fun. Of course there were meeting about our provincial house in Mansa and what changes are going to take place but there was also an auction for animals in the house. The PCVL asked what we wanted and needed for the house. We also went over what we had done in our villages so far. I know I've talked about the theme parties but the impersonation party was reeediculus!!! Favorite actors and singers like Lady Gaga, Baby Spice, Madonna and even Sarah Palin. After we went to Elli's which is a club and after once we go home we all passed out. Thanksgiving dinner was amazing. Amazing because to have American food was all we could think about. Potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole, turkey, drunk chicken, pumpkin and apple pies and MORE! Food glorious FOOD!
The rains are more constant now and my garden is growing pretty well except for the corn. It is now mango season thank God, I've been waiting for them to ripen since I arrived. It's also mushroom season but these mushroom are really bad! I am starting to think that I like caterpillars now.
Last week I went to Mansa and ate at my favorite restaurant. I ordered a T-Bone steak while the power was out. That was a BIG MISTAKE! The meat must have gone bad because of the lack of refrigeration and I got food poisoning. Threw up all night and into the next day and joined the "club" twice. Ask any PCV what joining the club means and they can tell you, TMI for my blog. I did go on to visit some of my fish farms the next day which was probably the best thing I could have done. Get on my bike and ride.
I still can't get used to how thankful people here are for the simplest things. I mean I told one farmer what to change to make his farm better, that's my job. He responded with giving me the tour and the he gave me 6 stalks of sugar cane, a dozen tomatoes and fed me, to show his appreciation.
They are almost done cementing the interior of my house, this will allow me to paint once it dries. I am also adding two more windows for light and then starting on a chicken house. I have three hens now but they are staying at other people's houses. One I name DOT because she is all black with white dots, then there is Bolt because she has two lightening bolts on either side of her as of right now. She is young so that could change and the other one I haven't seen her yet so I haven't come up with a name.
You know you live in Zambia when you get pleasure from picking ticks off your neighbors dog. You also know you live in Zambia if that same dog attacks and almost kills chickens because the owner doesn't feed him properly and you have to beat the dog to get the chicken out of his mouth.
So yeah because the rains have started the snakes are out. On my front porch one morning a very poisonous snake was just chillin there. I think they said it was a Puff Adder. One of my counter parts had to kill it for me. That is snake number 3 killed on my property!
Just for the books, language is very frustrating. No matter how hard you try, the natives always ask, "why don't you know Bemba yet"? I try and explain that when you grow up not learning several languages like Zambians do, it hard to learn one. Oh well you just have to keep plugging along I guess.
Well til next time!
Garrett
Thursday, August 26, 2010
My Bad
My bad, I had the blog set to delete comments automatically, sorry, it's fixed now!
Today's the day, nervous and excited to find out where I will be working. I will be living there for the next ten days starting this Sunday, guess I better do the food shopping before. It's a good thing my care package arrived yesterday, jerkey and dried fruits and nuts should help alot! One of things that the PC told us last weekend during our interview was that we will have to find our own way back at the end of ten days, but they don't recommend hitching. How the heck is that going to work? Guess I will figure that out when I get there.
I have a new baby in my family, well not exactly new he's 7 months. My brother's girlfriend had been living with her family but now she's moved in with ours. He's SO cute!
Wish me luck!
Luapula is where I'm going to be! There will be many PCVs close by. More later!!!!! 294 miles from Lusaka to Luapula
OK, Here we have it. Ntoposhi Town 15km from city of Mansa which is the capital of Luapula. 3 neighbors with 2 Lifer PCVs and 5 from my intake group, will be nearby. Alot of fish ponds but no construction know how. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mansa,_Zambia for more details. First Generation Placement! YAY!
Today's the day, nervous and excited to find out where I will be working. I will be living there for the next ten days starting this Sunday, guess I better do the food shopping before. It's a good thing my care package arrived yesterday, jerkey and dried fruits and nuts should help alot! One of things that the PC told us last weekend during our interview was that we will have to find our own way back at the end of ten days, but they don't recommend hitching. How the heck is that going to work? Guess I will figure that out when I get there.
I have a new baby in my family, well not exactly new he's 7 months. My brother's girlfriend had been living with her family but now she's moved in with ours. He's SO cute!
Wish me luck!
Luapula is where I'm going to be! There will be many PCVs close by. More later!!!!! 294 miles from Lusaka to Luapula
OK, Here we have it. Ntoposhi Town 15km from city of Mansa which is the capital of Luapula. 3 neighbors with 2 Lifer PCVs and 5 from my intake group, will be nearby. Alot of fish ponds but no construction know how. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mansa,_Zambia for more details. First Generation Placement! YAY!
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Wish List
Care Package Wish List
I am NOT asking you to send, but if you need some ideas..............
Addressed to Fr. Garrett Lojek, (God won't mind, I promise. It's more likely to reach me without theft), Or you could put on the outside , "live snakes" since they are afraid of them JK . When I pick up my packages from the post office, I am taxed on the content value, so please under value when mailing and list things as "used".
Garrett F Lojek PCV
P.O. Box 710150
Mansa, Luapula
Zambia AFRICA (write Africa and Air Mail in really big letters)
-Saddle Bags for my Bike MUST BE WATERPROOF
-Odometer (New Request)
-Quality Toothpaste,
-Anti-perspirant "Old Spice Aqua Fresh"
-Sweet America Snacks, (You know, CANDY)
-Dry Rubs for cooking meats
-Compass,
-Map of America,
-Mach 3 Razor with blades,
-Trail Mix
-Teas and Sugar Packets
-Packages of Tuna or Salmon, actually the type that include the crackers and mayo sound perfect.
-Packets of Condiments from Fast Food Restaurants, they won't need refrigeration
-Magazines, OK well not really my favorite but something that I would be interested leafing through! Environmental Magazines would be PERFECT. Time or USA Today
-Hand sanitizer
-Toilet paper YES, TP and if you are coming to visit, bring your own! A toilet seat, what a novel idea and how cool if I had my very own.
-Anything light weight that would make my life easier! ESPECIALL air tight storage containers that keeps my unwanted friends from eating my stuff (ie bugs, snakes, lizards and rats)
Letters Letters Letters Letters Letters Letters Letters Letters Letters Letters Letters Letters Letters Letters Letters
and more Letters
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I am NOT asking you to send, but if you need some ideas..............
Addressed to Fr. Garrett Lojek, (God won't mind, I promise. It's more likely to reach me without theft), Or you could put on the outside , "live snakes" since they are afraid of them JK . When I pick up my packages from the post office, I am taxed on the content value, so please under value when mailing and list things as "used".
Garrett F Lojek PCV
P.O. Box 710150
Mansa, Luapula
Zambia AFRICA (write Africa and Air Mail in really big letters)
-Saddle Bags for my Bike MUST BE WATERPROOF
-Odometer (New Request)
-Quality Toothpaste,
-Anti-perspirant "Old Spice Aqua Fresh"
-Sweet America Snacks, (You know, CANDY)
-Dry Rubs for cooking meats
-Compass,
-Map of America,
-Mach 3 Razor with blades,
-Trail Mix
-Teas and Sugar Packets
-Packages of Tuna or Salmon, actually the type that include the crackers and mayo sound perfect.
-Packets of Condiments from Fast Food Restaurants, they won't need refrigeration
-Magazines, OK well not really my favorite but something that I would be interested leafing through! Environmental Magazines would be PERFECT. Time or USA Today
-Hand sanitizer
-Toilet paper YES, TP and if you are coming to visit, bring your own! A toilet seat, what a novel idea and how cool if I had my very own.
-Anything light weight that would make my life easier! ESPECIALL air tight storage containers that keeps my unwanted friends from eating my stuff (ie bugs, snakes, lizards and rats)
Letters Letters Letters Letters Letters Letters Letters Letters Letters Letters Letters Letters Letters Letters Letters
and more Letters
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