Sometimes when you're tucked into your hut for the night, you'll get a craving for something sweet. Now, since you can't just run out to store and grab a tub of ice cream and you're back-up stash of chocolate is probably gone by this time (hey, it's difficult to ration things, even when you know you won't be in town for another 2 weeks), what do you do? I typically crave chocolate. Here are the various ways I cope in a mostly chocolate-less existence.
1) Fight the cravings (if you can't get something and don't have it, it's a lot easier to quit or control yourself since the physical item is unavailable).
2) Eat everything else you can get your hands on that doesn't need to be cooked.
3) Scoop out a few spoonfuls of Blueband margarine, add a few cups of icing sugar, beat and consume. Yum!
Peace Corps survival secrets.
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Sunday, July 20, 2014
TP, TP Anyone?
During training, all of the trainees are dependent on their host family for everything - food, toiletries, etc. There isn't much time or kwacha for shopping.
One day, I ran out of toilet paper. My host mom had given it to me periodically and on a regular basis before this. Too embarrassed to ask her for more and thinking she must not have any, I spent the afternoon walking around Yudah village. Bowel movements are taboo to mention in Zambia (even if it is a favorite topic of conversation for volunteers) so I was uneasy asking for such a thing as that used to wipe butts. Ducking into all of the tiny tuck shops, I shyly asked each one for toilet paper. To my dismay, there was none to be found.
I wandered over to my friend and neighbors house, Terri, and told her about my quest and the inconvenient result. We laughed and she gave me a few squares from her stash. Stuffing the precious pieces into my sports bra, I went home.
The next day I recounted the story to the other trainees, laughing and turning bright red. This is Zambia, what can you do but tell your friends and laugh at situations like that.
After dinner that night, my mother emerged from the kids room holding 2 rolls of toilet paper. Word must have gotten back to her that her white child had been desperately peeking into shops up and down the road asking for tissue!
One day, I ran out of toilet paper. My host mom had given it to me periodically and on a regular basis before this. Too embarrassed to ask her for more and thinking she must not have any, I spent the afternoon walking around Yudah village. Bowel movements are taboo to mention in Zambia (even if it is a favorite topic of conversation for volunteers) so I was uneasy asking for such a thing as that used to wipe butts. Ducking into all of the tiny tuck shops, I shyly asked each one for toilet paper. To my dismay, there was none to be found.
I wandered over to my friend and neighbors house, Terri, and told her about my quest and the inconvenient result. We laughed and she gave me a few squares from her stash. Stuffing the precious pieces into my sports bra, I went home.
The next day I recounted the story to the other trainees, laughing and turning bright red. This is Zambia, what can you do but tell your friends and laugh at situations like that.
After dinner that night, my mother emerged from the kids room holding 2 rolls of toilet paper. Word must have gotten back to her that her white child had been desperately peeking into shops up and down the road asking for tissue!
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Things That Worry Me While I'm Biking
The main mode of transportation for volunteers in Zambia is a mountain bike. Whenever I go to town, I cycle the 8 kilometers to the paved road then catch a ride. Biking 8 kilometers takes me about 45 minutes. Within these 45 minutes, there are a number of things that I'm focused on, mainly things that worry me while on my bike that could ruin a bike ride or day. These things are, in order of importance:
1) Cow patties - if you're unlucky, you'll roll right through a fresh one resulting in your legs and torso, and sometimes even your face, being splattered with cow feces. If you're having a really bad day, you may have even been biking with your mouth open and a few specks or chunks ended up in there. Cow patties are by far the thing that causes me to be on alert and dodge and weave.
2) Biking with your mouth open - anything can end up in there. Even if you don't hit a pile of cow manure, you might swallow a fly or gnat.
3) Snakes - there's not much you can do if you come upon a snake in the path. The best strategy, lift your legs and hope it moves and doesn't strike at you.
4) Sticks that look like snakes - see #3.
5) Ditches - I can't steer so there's always a possibility of me ending up head over handlebars in a ditch. Sometimes the path is a narrow little trail beside a ditch. These make me extra anxious.
6) Sand - riding through sand is the easiest time to wreck (minus being on a path alongside a ravine). The sand slows you down and makes you feel like you have no control. To combat this you have to go fast and attempt to keep your wheels straight but this makes it seem like you're even more likely to wreck. It's a delicate balance.
7) Low-hanging branches - self-explanatory.
8) Loose rocks - I'll always hit the one loose rock in the road which jerks my wheels one way or another and makes me scramble to maintain control. Maybe this happens because I can't steer and we tend to veer towards the things we're focused on. I'm always focused on that rock trying not to hit it.
9) Large rocks - again, I always end up steering right for them. They're like magnets for me and my bike.
10) Flies and gnats - they end up in your mouth or continually try to land on your face. Annoying.
11) COW PATTIES.
1) Cow patties - if you're unlucky, you'll roll right through a fresh one resulting in your legs and torso, and sometimes even your face, being splattered with cow feces. If you're having a really bad day, you may have even been biking with your mouth open and a few specks or chunks ended up in there. Cow patties are by far the thing that causes me to be on alert and dodge and weave.
2) Biking with your mouth open - anything can end up in there. Even if you don't hit a pile of cow manure, you might swallow a fly or gnat.
3) Snakes - there's not much you can do if you come upon a snake in the path. The best strategy, lift your legs and hope it moves and doesn't strike at you.
4) Sticks that look like snakes - see #3.
5) Ditches - I can't steer so there's always a possibility of me ending up head over handlebars in a ditch. Sometimes the path is a narrow little trail beside a ditch. These make me extra anxious.
6) Sand - riding through sand is the easiest time to wreck (minus being on a path alongside a ravine). The sand slows you down and makes you feel like you have no control. To combat this you have to go fast and attempt to keep your wheels straight but this makes it seem like you're even more likely to wreck. It's a delicate balance.
7) Low-hanging branches - self-explanatory.
8) Loose rocks - I'll always hit the one loose rock in the road which jerks my wheels one way or another and makes me scramble to maintain control. Maybe this happens because I can't steer and we tend to veer towards the things we're focused on. I'm always focused on that rock trying not to hit it.
9) Large rocks - again, I always end up steering right for them. They're like magnets for me and my bike.
10) Flies and gnats - they end up in your mouth or continually try to land on your face. Annoying.
11) COW PATTIES.
Monday, May 5, 2014
Tales from the Bush: Part 1 - Dinner and a Murder
I'd been in my village only a handful of days when I had my first evening visitor. Typically you don't receive guests after dark in Zambia, but this guy didn't care about cultural customs. Unfortunately this got him killed.
When night falls I become much more wary and paranoid while at my house. This is a result of the possibility of meeting some of my more testy and unpleasant neighbors under the cover of darkness such as a variety of venomous snakes, camel spiders, feral dogs, etc.
So, as I was cooking dinner on one of my first nights in the village, I heard a chewing sound coming from the floor of my cikuta. The noise continued until a small hole began to appear. Neither the cat nor dog were disturbed by this. I, on the other hand, was.
Inching my way closer to the slowly expanding hole, I shined my flashlight into. Immediately I saw a round eye with a small, black pupil. Of course I thought snake since one of my biggest worries about living in the African bush is encountering one of these reptilian neighbors at night in my yard.
When under this assumption what is the first thing any sane person does? Well, my first reaction was to sprint to my house, grab a long stick, Leatherman, and some string and begin making a makeshift spear.
I marched outside, ready to face my "guest." I stretched out my arms, gripping the spear, and jabbed tentatively into the hole. After the first strike, the blade at the end of the stick came loose, wiggling back and forth, no longer firmly attached. A few more pokes and misses with the spear and I decided to be brave. Unlashing the Leatherman, I crept towards the hole. Making a last, mighty attack, Stabbing one more time, I began widening the hole to confront whatever creature awaited.
I spied my nemesis. Using the tip of the knife, I scooped my mangled guest from the hole. I had just defended myself, to the death, against a dung beetle. Feeling silly and a little sad, I gently laid out the beast that had caused me so much worry that evening. Now, instead of allowing my preconceived notions if Africa - that danger and vipers and warlords are lurking in every dark evening - I now patiently wait to determine what might be making that sound and even help those little dung beetles chewing through my floor to emerge.
When night falls I become much more wary and paranoid while at my house. This is a result of the possibility of meeting some of my more testy and unpleasant neighbors under the cover of darkness such as a variety of venomous snakes, camel spiders, feral dogs, etc.
So, as I was cooking dinner on one of my first nights in the village, I heard a chewing sound coming from the floor of my cikuta. The noise continued until a small hole began to appear. Neither the cat nor dog were disturbed by this. I, on the other hand, was.
Inching my way closer to the slowly expanding hole, I shined my flashlight into. Immediately I saw a round eye with a small, black pupil. Of course I thought snake since one of my biggest worries about living in the African bush is encountering one of these reptilian neighbors at night in my yard.
When under this assumption what is the first thing any sane person does? Well, my first reaction was to sprint to my house, grab a long stick, Leatherman, and some string and begin making a makeshift spear.
I marched outside, ready to face my "guest." I stretched out my arms, gripping the spear, and jabbed tentatively into the hole. After the first strike, the blade at the end of the stick came loose, wiggling back and forth, no longer firmly attached. A few more pokes and misses with the spear and I decided to be brave. Unlashing the Leatherman, I crept towards the hole. Making a last, mighty attack, Stabbing one more time, I began widening the hole to confront whatever creature awaited.
I spied my nemesis. Using the tip of the knife, I scooped my mangled guest from the hole. I had just defended myself, to the death, against a dung beetle. Feeling silly and a little sad, I gently laid out the beast that had caused me so much worry that evening. Now, instead of allowing my preconceived notions if Africa - that danger and vipers and warlords are lurking in every dark evening - I now patiently wait to determine what might be making that sound and even help those little dung beetles chewing through my floor to emerge.
Tales from the Bush
There are so many little things that happen here that I fail to write about because to me these events are just part of being in Zambia. In the course of writing letters though, I realized that maybe these silly stories might actually be entertaining to those of you in the states. So, I've decided to start a series of blogs titled "Tales from the Bush." I hope you enjoy them.
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Convenience
My church in the states is doing a Lenten study called A Place at the Table. Participants are challenged to address the issues of consumerism, consumption, and over indulgence and in the process to share what we have with those in the developing world. During the week, members are asked to eat a diet similar to what someone in the less developed areas of the world would eat on a daily basis. The money saved will then be used to fund projects in these areas with a focus on access to clean water.
I loved that my church family was doing this study and asked to be a part of it through doing the readings and providing what little insight I may have from Zambia. Today's lesson really hit home for me. It tackled convenience and boy oh boy have I learned what this word means since being in Zambia. It means having what you want when you want it in the fastest and easiest manner. In a way, it means being spoiled. I've also learned that I took convenience for granted when I was in the states. I now appreciate what this word truly means and I no longer take it for granted.
Zambia is a wonderful place. There is a cultural richness I haven't experienced anywhere else. The care and friendliness that people show one another is astounding. The joy that comes with merely sitting with someone and chatting is unmatched - it is people-focused and laughter filled. Everyone shares what they have and offers help where they can.
Zambia is also a country still in development. With that comes certain hindrances to convenience. Towns are typically small and filled with tiny, family run shops with a few chains present. And while grocery stores in Lusaka and Livingstone are fairly well stocked, that same store in my town and others like it probably aren't. It may be out of cheese, fruit and/or vegetables, spices, meat, coffee, or ice cream for months. I haven't seen granola (my favorite breakfast food in my grocery store for a year.) You never know what will be available when you make your monthly or bi-weekly trip to town. It can be rather frustrating, and inconvenient, when, on one of these rare trips, there are no apples or carrots or powdered milk. But even in this I am spoiled, a privileged shopper because I can afford to shop at a Spar or Shoprite (the local grocery store chains). So, even though I may be upset when Spar has no cheese, to put things in perspective, the majority of Zambians I know have never tasted cheese.
When I first arrived in my village, it was fun to duck into the little shops looking for what I needed or just to explore. With time and the unique sport of catching public transport to get to my nearest town though, sometimes I just wanted a one-stop shopping center. In America there are stores where you can buy everything you need from groceries to clothes to auto parts. Chances are you can even walk into a more specialized store, like Home Depot, and still find everything you need for your weekend construction project. I mention this because recently I co-facilitated an Appropriate Technology workshop and must have visited a dozen different shops tucked away all around town to find all of the materials that were needed.
There are do many other "convenient " things I could talk about that we take for granted in the states - paved roads, cell phone plans, hobbies - but I think the point is clear. We really do take convenience for granted.
Zambia has given me a new appreciation for what convenience is. Next time I walk into a Home Depot, Food Lion, or Target I will think how amazing it is that I don't have to visit 12 more stores before I'm finished with my shopping. Hopefully being here also makes me a more conscientious consumer and reminds me that for some families convenience means having to shell peanuts you harvested from your own field so you can eat dinner tonight.
I loved that my church family was doing this study and asked to be a part of it through doing the readings and providing what little insight I may have from Zambia. Today's lesson really hit home for me. It tackled convenience and boy oh boy have I learned what this word means since being in Zambia. It means having what you want when you want it in the fastest and easiest manner. In a way, it means being spoiled. I've also learned that I took convenience for granted when I was in the states. I now appreciate what this word truly means and I no longer take it for granted.
Zambia is a wonderful place. There is a cultural richness I haven't experienced anywhere else. The care and friendliness that people show one another is astounding. The joy that comes with merely sitting with someone and chatting is unmatched - it is people-focused and laughter filled. Everyone shares what they have and offers help where they can.
Zambia is also a country still in development. With that comes certain hindrances to convenience. Towns are typically small and filled with tiny, family run shops with a few chains present. And while grocery stores in Lusaka and Livingstone are fairly well stocked, that same store in my town and others like it probably aren't. It may be out of cheese, fruit and/or vegetables, spices, meat, coffee, or ice cream for months. I haven't seen granola (my favorite breakfast food in my grocery store for a year.) You never know what will be available when you make your monthly or bi-weekly trip to town. It can be rather frustrating, and inconvenient, when, on one of these rare trips, there are no apples or carrots or powdered milk. But even in this I am spoiled, a privileged shopper because I can afford to shop at a Spar or Shoprite (the local grocery store chains). So, even though I may be upset when Spar has no cheese, to put things in perspective, the majority of Zambians I know have never tasted cheese.
When I first arrived in my village, it was fun to duck into the little shops looking for what I needed or just to explore. With time and the unique sport of catching public transport to get to my nearest town though, sometimes I just wanted a one-stop shopping center. In America there are stores where you can buy everything you need from groceries to clothes to auto parts. Chances are you can even walk into a more specialized store, like Home Depot, and still find everything you need for your weekend construction project. I mention this because recently I co-facilitated an Appropriate Technology workshop and must have visited a dozen different shops tucked away all around town to find all of the materials that were needed.
There are do many other "convenient " things I could talk about that we take for granted in the states - paved roads, cell phone plans, hobbies - but I think the point is clear. We really do take convenience for granted.
Zambia has given me a new appreciation for what convenience is. Next time I walk into a Home Depot, Food Lion, or Target I will think how amazing it is that I don't have to visit 12 more stores before I'm finished with my shopping. Hopefully being here also makes me a more conscientious consumer and reminds me that for some families convenience means having to shell peanuts you harvested from your own field so you can eat dinner tonight.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Fields of Gold
I
don’t normally do this but I was so impressed by the size of these fields and
the amount of labor involved in maintaining them that I’m posting a picture.
It’s not that I’m against pictures or anything but they always throw off the
text by ruining the alignment and it also takes a lot of time to upload a
picture.
This
is one of my host Mom’s groundnut (nyemu in Tonga) fields (and this is my Mom!). She has multiple
fields, larger than the one depicted, about a 30-45 minute walk from the house.
She proudly gave me a tour of this field a few weeks ago and I can’t even
describe how much respect I have for Zambians.
This
field may not look huge. Coming from Indiana, where the fields stretch as far
as the eye can see. But, when you begin to think about how the fields are
prepared, planted and maintained, who wouldn’t be impressed and astonished?
Preparation and the first weeding is done (in Southern) using oxen to plow and
cultivate. This process typically takes a few weeks. After that, it’s all
manpower. Everyday from now until April, farmers will spend in their fields, hoeing row after row
of weeds. They’ll also continue planting things like sweet potatoes until
mid-March
.
Now,
take another look at the photo. Imagine having about 5 more fields this size or
larger that you manage and maintain using only your hoe and the strength of
your back and arms. It’s incredible.
I
was also impressed by the diversity in my Mom’s field. Interspersed with the
groundnuts are a few rows of sweet potatoes, sprinkled here and there are
squash plants and okra. My Mom has a
right to be proud. She’s dedicated a lot of time and energy to her fields. The
process of planting a field doesn’t begin and end merely with the planting of a
few seeds. It is a process that takes an entire year and many, many steps. From
harvesting to drying to storing seeds to preparing fields, planting and weeding
it is something that can be seen in daily life throughout the year. I’m
starting to realize that I can learn a lot from my community. Things like
dedication and hard work, about building your life on the land. I thought I was
placed here to teach people improved methods of agriculture. What I’ve
experienced and learned is that instead, I am the one learning techniques that
I hope to bring back to America and improve my home garden and fields.
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