Letters from Zambia 5
Here is another letter I received from Nathan on 24 Mar 2006. Brian
Nathan wrote:
"I just got a letter off to you last week, so I'll start a new one to post when I get stamps. I'm trying to keep all my thoughts organized, remember them, and get them on paper before I lose them. It's early morning, sorry for the bad handwriting. 08:40 / Just heard on CVC.tv that Germany, Austria & Iran now confirm H5N1, BBC is still silent. Counted out and harvested more Castor Bean seeds for Keegan. She sent me a note asking if I had any to spare. 380 is all I have. I wrote back stressing the importance of seed multiplication, not just harvesting. Sprinkled off/on this morning. Meeting in Mafuta B at 12:00 hrs. I already know it won't go well. The hour long bushpath to get there will be a wet/muddy nightmare. 10:20 / H:82.3 L:64.2 0.09" Thunder // I didn't go to Mafuta yesterday, a relief actually. Ba Vice Chairman from Kantende didn't arrive to escort me, perhaps he received word not to come again - I wish communication wasn't such a huge problem. Rained from 02:00 - 04:00, thundered most of the night. Yesterday afternoon I created 3 more 2.5' x 2.5' planting beds in the back yard. I've started Cherry Tomato, Onion, and Phiri Phiri (cayenne pepper?) seeds. Also, yesterday I scored 16 tomatoes for K1000 as a man on a bicycle stopped through, now only if he had onions. Mulenga and I built an addition to the chicken coop last Sunday, we made 2 egg laying cloches. The chickens (all 7 usually) have come over to check it out, but it seems I will have to use more then just coaxing to get Tante to sit her butt down in them. The next plan calls for making a duck house on Saturday. As of yesterday, still 14. 08:00 / Did I tell you that Roost started crowing last week? Bastard chicken. 03:00, 08:00, 14:00, where did the myth come from that they crow at down? Well yes, dawn, but every other hour of the day too. Maybe they can't tell time like normal roosters can. / H: 82.2 L: 61.2 0.435" Thunder // 2-17: Had a very good meeting at St. M this morning. Five people for one hour about planting soyabeans. I had 2kg to give them to start. People seem to want large meetings that take hours, people love to have "meetings" here. I hope I can get them to think smaller and more realistic. Leaving St. M there was a huge tropical downpour, the road was almost dry by Kantende, only rained a little here. Today's meeting was the best one yet. I was in a good mood until I got home and found a note from a farming family waiting. It basically, in not-to-bad Zamglish, told me to come to their farm (6 km away) tomorrow at 10:00 hrs. The last five of these kms is muddy bushpath. I want to build a duck house tomorrow with Mulenga, so I wrote them a response saying I was busy, how about next week? But they seem receptive to Permaculture so I'll work with them on that and Manure Tea and composting. However, it was the tone of the letter that brought me down. / H: 80.7 L:63.4 0.15" Thunder // 2-18: I should be sleeping but can't, I wish I was asleep. It's just after 1AM and I'm not sure what to do. Termites have invaded my walls. I discovered a small termite patch on the bedroom wall yesterday. I scratched it off and sprayed it with DOOM (fun stuff in a bottle) and thought nothing of it. But hours ago I discovered that the patches have multiplied and I'm pretty much out of DOOM now. The termites are rebuilding as I speak. I'm freaked out enough to take a worry-break to write you and maybe collect my thoughts. I talked with Fr. Mobe at St. M today. He is going to town on Monday. Maybe I could hitch a ride with him, buy some cement and plaster the walls. That's the only way to stop their progress, at least I think so at this point. But geez, that's a huge project to do alone, esp. a fast emergency project. Maybe I'll try sending a note Bob's side declaring my emergency. I have no idea when he gets back. I'm not sure I can find motivated Z's to help me and I'm sure it would take me all week to do it alone. 01:30 / H: 80.3 L: 61.4 0.02" Thunder // 2-19: Yesterday we found some ant poison and used Grandfather's sprayer to spray the outside foundation of the house and inside. It seems to have slowed the termites down, but it's not enough. So this afternoon I'll head towards St. M. It rained all night, very lightly. 0.26" this morning. Strange weather yesterday, I'm almost suspecting something tropical came in from the ocean. I'm kicking myself for not bringing a barometer. Heard on BBC this morning of France and India finding H5N1. I swear I also heard Egypt but can't confirm that yet. Blasted news services. 10:40 / H:- L: 64.5 0.05" // 2-22: Got back to Kantende late last night. This morning I went to Mafuta with my double escort. A muddy bushpath that takes 1 hour to get there. Friday I will go to St. M for a brief "check-my-tomatoes" meeting, the drunk St. M PFAP Chairman asked me to. I also, now, have meetings scheduled for groups to come here from Mafuta to see my conservation farming demo plot. I really need to get back to Kambale. Still no DFO meeting. On a different topic, I should have called Mwekera while I was in town. I got a bushnote today that arrived at Kantende's tuk shop on Sunday, while I was in St. M. It's an EAP message from Ba Sikota, the training director at Mwekera. The EAP is a four step plan, step four being evacuation. The note put all PC/Z at step two, skipping one. Two is called Standfast, stay at site and prepare for Step three, consolidation. Step three would mean I either get myself, or someone comes to get me, to Mwekera. Now I'm being instructed to pack an emergency bag by the EAP. Someone is going to town on Saturday, I'll send my mandatory reply with them. There is a small chance that this is the annual test of the EAP. However, there is no mention of this being the annual, and it's dated the day after Egypt discovered H5N1. I hope to clarify if this is a test or not. Either way, I'm preparing my inventories this afternoon/tonight and will pack what I can tomorrow. / H: 80.3 L: 64.2 0.03" Thunder // 2-23: I've spent the morning packing and cleaning things to be put in the Emergency Pack. Sawdust everywhere & on everything, still, despite that I almost finished plastic-lining my roof. Termites and wood-borers, nothing is safe. I've devised two messages that can be taken to town, Fr. Mobe could call Mwekera for me if he goes in on Saturday, or Mr. Musouta (a teacher) could take a letter when he leaves for town on Saturday. Fr. Mobe gives me the opportunity to find out if this is only a test. / The day started off sunny but cumulocirrus have solidified into cirrostratus now. Bright out, but not enough sun to continue battery charging. Yesterday brought thunderstorms around Kantende, dark clouds with thunder and lightning, but only a sprinkle. I've slept well the past two nights, but my lower GI tract still tells me that I'm sick. / I've got too much stuff in the hut that I really don't feel like bringing home, nevermind carting it to Mwekera. I need to figure out what to do with that stuff today and make my inventory lists. 10:49 / 2-26: Yikes, so much has been happening. I want to finish this letter for you today and get it in the mail. The EAP was only a test. They want all PCV's to respond within 48 hours of the time the message was sent. Are you kidding me? It would take us here in Lufwanyama a week to reply. So, on Thursday at 15:10 a PC driver showed up with a message from Ba Sikota at Mwekera, asking if I got the message and why I failed to respond. I carefully explained communications problems to him in a 2-page letter. It was pouring rain when the driver arrived, he parked right in front of my gate. The path to the road turned into a stream, he got stuck. We waited for the rain to abate and locked his hubcaps to use 4x4 to get him out. He unstuck himself only to sink to his axle in grandfather's yard, trying to turn around. The maneuver was performed in the middle of a huge pond - a wonder it failed. The rain continued. 1.55" in an hour with lots of wind. Suddenly the storms the past week have been more strong, producing deeper thunder and winds, something new. Just heard on the BBC that the Winter Olympics close today. I always have watched at least the opening ceremony, strange to think it happened already. Anyway, we tried to get the Land Rover unstuck until dark, but it was still raining and solid ground didn't exist. The next morning 15 of the older boys from school arrived and after chopping branches from grandfather's mangoes and my fence posts being backed over, we got the LR out of the mud onto the main road. My bicycle was still at St. M so I hitched a ride to St. M Jct. and walked the last 3km. When school finished at 13:10, Mulenga & I walked to the St. M PFAP Chairman's (he's usually drunk) which was 6km there and back to St. M. It was late enough that we stayed the night at St. M. More windy storms around sunset. The next morning we left at 06:00, me on the bike, Mulenga walking and got back to Kantende at 08:00. I prepped and we started off walking to Kapempe Farms, after 6km of bushpath we arrived at 10:30, 0.5 hour late. It was a good meeting. They want to start with a lima (50m x 50m) of Permaculture next planting season. We walked back and arranged with Mrs. Banda that I could use some sand from the school-building project for plastering. I hired the mason's at the school to plaster, K20,000. They're experienced, I'm sure it will be better and quicker then anything I could do. So, now at 09:16 on a Sunday morning I am out back writing this, they're inside working. I was up at 06:00 and moved all my crap to the insaka. I have too much by Z standards. I'm hoping they finish bwangu bwangu (fast, fast), so I can go to St. M this afternoon. I was talking to Fr. Mobe about starting some shade trees in front of the church at St. M. So I've started soaking some seeds, I want to get them to him to plant, also, check for any mail. I also have to be at St. M to set a date with the PFAP chairman for a possible next meeting date. Also a note is in the works to Kambale to maybe have a meeting. I'm ignoring Mafuta B right now, nope, doesn't bother me at all. Mulenga and I knocked another hole in my wall - I figure if the termites can, why can't I? And we put some bricks below my built-in shelves. Last night we forced the duck/ducklings to sleep there, we'll see where she goes tonight. I'm down to 11 ducklings. :( We built a mud ramp outside the hole to allow her access. Grandfather started building a 3 tier bamboo shelf for me. About a meter high, and half as wide. Smaller than I want, but it will help with clothes. I'll ask him to build a second. When APCD Robert came, he brought a pineapple. I stuck the top in the soil and now it's putting out roots. I've no idea what a pineapple tree looks like, but they grow fields of them up by Mwinilunga of NW/Province. Elizabeth should be coming Friday or Saturday for a visit. I hope she stays a few days. / 2-27: No mail here at St. M. However, one of the letters I sent you, the one I thought you'd get by now, came back to me, accusing me of using a used stamp. Bastards. I'm sorry. I'll be here on Friday, so I'll keep hoping to hear from you. N"
Nathan wrote:
"I just got a letter off to you last week, so I'll start a new one to post when I get stamps. I'm trying to keep all my thoughts organized, remember them, and get them on paper before I lose them. It's early morning, sorry for the bad handwriting. 08:40 / Just heard on CVC.tv that Germany, Austria & Iran now confirm H5N1, BBC is still silent. Counted out and harvested more Castor Bean seeds for Keegan. She sent me a note asking if I had any to spare. 380 is all I have. I wrote back stressing the importance of seed multiplication, not just harvesting. Sprinkled off/on this morning. Meeting in Mafuta B at 12:00 hrs. I already know it won't go well. The hour long bushpath to get there will be a wet/muddy nightmare. 10:20 / H:82.3 L:64.2 0.09" Thunder // I didn't go to Mafuta yesterday, a relief actually. Ba Vice Chairman from Kantende didn't arrive to escort me, perhaps he received word not to come again - I wish communication wasn't such a huge problem. Rained from 02:00 - 04:00, thundered most of the night. Yesterday afternoon I created 3 more 2.5' x 2.5' planting beds in the back yard. I've started Cherry Tomato, Onion, and Phiri Phiri (cayenne pepper?) seeds. Also, yesterday I scored 16 tomatoes for K1000 as a man on a bicycle stopped through, now only if he had onions. Mulenga and I built an addition to the chicken coop last Sunday, we made 2 egg laying cloches. The chickens (all 7 usually) have come over to check it out, but it seems I will have to use more then just coaxing to get Tante to sit her butt down in them. The next plan calls for making a duck house on Saturday. As of yesterday, still 14. 08:00 / Did I tell you that Roost started crowing last week? Bastard chicken. 03:00, 08:00, 14:00, where did the myth come from that they crow at down? Well yes, dawn, but every other hour of the day too. Maybe they can't tell time like normal roosters can. / H: 82.2 L: 61.2 0.435" Thunder // 2-17: Had a very good meeting at St. M this morning. Five people for one hour about planting soyabeans. I had 2kg to give them to start. People seem to want large meetings that take hours, people love to have "meetings" here. I hope I can get them to think smaller and more realistic. Leaving St. M there was a huge tropical downpour, the road was almost dry by Kantende, only rained a little here. Today's meeting was the best one yet. I was in a good mood until I got home and found a note from a farming family waiting. It basically, in not-to-bad Zamglish, told me to come to their farm (6 km away) tomorrow at 10:00 hrs. The last five of these kms is muddy bushpath. I want to build a duck house tomorrow with Mulenga, so I wrote them a response saying I was busy, how about next week? But they seem receptive to Permaculture so I'll work with them on that and Manure Tea and composting. However, it was the tone of the letter that brought me down. / H: 80.7 L:63.4 0.15" Thunder // 2-18: I should be sleeping but can't, I wish I was asleep. It's just after 1AM and I'm not sure what to do. Termites have invaded my walls. I discovered a small termite patch on the bedroom wall yesterday. I scratched it off and sprayed it with DOOM (fun stuff in a bottle) and thought nothing of it. But hours ago I discovered that the patches have multiplied and I'm pretty much out of DOOM now. The termites are rebuilding as I speak. I'm freaked out enough to take a worry-break to write you and maybe collect my thoughts. I talked with Fr. Mobe at St. M today. He is going to town on Monday. Maybe I could hitch a ride with him, buy some cement and plaster the walls. That's the only way to stop their progress, at least I think so at this point. But geez, that's a huge project to do alone, esp. a fast emergency project. Maybe I'll try sending a note Bob's side declaring my emergency. I have no idea when he gets back. I'm not sure I can find motivated Z's to help me and I'm sure it would take me all week to do it alone. 01:30 / H: 80.3 L: 61.4 0.02" Thunder // 2-19: Yesterday we found some ant poison and used Grandfather's sprayer to spray the outside foundation of the house and inside. It seems to have slowed the termites down, but it's not enough. So this afternoon I'll head towards St. M. It rained all night, very lightly. 0.26" this morning. Strange weather yesterday, I'm almost suspecting something tropical came in from the ocean. I'm kicking myself for not bringing a barometer. Heard on BBC this morning of France and India finding H5N1. I swear I also heard Egypt but can't confirm that yet. Blasted news services. 10:40 / H:- L: 64.5 0.05" // 2-22: Got back to Kantende late last night. This morning I went to Mafuta with my double escort. A muddy bushpath that takes 1 hour to get there. Friday I will go to St. M for a brief "check-my-tomatoes" meeting, the drunk St. M PFAP Chairman asked me to. I also, now, have meetings scheduled for groups to come here from Mafuta to see my conservation farming demo plot. I really need to get back to Kambale. Still no DFO meeting. On a different topic, I should have called Mwekera while I was in town. I got a bushnote today that arrived at Kantende's tuk shop on Sunday, while I was in St. M. It's an EAP message from Ba Sikota, the training director at Mwekera. The EAP is a four step plan, step four being evacuation. The note put all PC/Z at step two, skipping one. Two is called Standfast, stay at site and prepare for Step three, consolidation. Step three would mean I either get myself, or someone comes to get me, to Mwekera. Now I'm being instructed to pack an emergency bag by the EAP. Someone is going to town on Saturday, I'll send my mandatory reply with them. There is a small chance that this is the annual test of the EAP. However, there is no mention of this being the annual, and it's dated the day after Egypt discovered H5N1. I hope to clarify if this is a test or not. Either way, I'm preparing my inventories this afternoon/tonight and will pack what I can tomorrow. / H: 80.3 L: 64.2 0.03" Thunder // 2-23: I've spent the morning packing and cleaning things to be put in the Emergency Pack. Sawdust everywhere & on everything, still, despite that I almost finished plastic-lining my roof. Termites and wood-borers, nothing is safe. I've devised two messages that can be taken to town, Fr. Mobe could call Mwekera for me if he goes in on Saturday, or Mr. Musouta (a teacher) could take a letter when he leaves for town on Saturday. Fr. Mobe gives me the opportunity to find out if this is only a test. / The day started off sunny but cumulocirrus have solidified into cirrostratus now. Bright out, but not enough sun to continue battery charging. Yesterday brought thunderstorms around Kantende, dark clouds with thunder and lightning, but only a sprinkle. I've slept well the past two nights, but my lower GI tract still tells me that I'm sick. / I've got too much stuff in the hut that I really don't feel like bringing home, nevermind carting it to Mwekera. I need to figure out what to do with that stuff today and make my inventory lists. 10:49 / 2-26: Yikes, so much has been happening. I want to finish this letter for you today and get it in the mail. The EAP was only a test. They want all PCV's to respond within 48 hours of the time the message was sent. Are you kidding me? It would take us here in Lufwanyama a week to reply. So, on Thursday at 15:10 a PC driver showed up with a message from Ba Sikota at Mwekera, asking if I got the message and why I failed to respond. I carefully explained communications problems to him in a 2-page letter. It was pouring rain when the driver arrived, he parked right in front of my gate. The path to the road turned into a stream, he got stuck. We waited for the rain to abate and locked his hubcaps to use 4x4 to get him out. He unstuck himself only to sink to his axle in grandfather's yard, trying to turn around. The maneuver was performed in the middle of a huge pond - a wonder it failed. The rain continued. 1.55" in an hour with lots of wind. Suddenly the storms the past week have been more strong, producing deeper thunder and winds, something new. Just heard on the BBC that the Winter Olympics close today. I always have watched at least the opening ceremony, strange to think it happened already. Anyway, we tried to get the Land Rover unstuck until dark, but it was still raining and solid ground didn't exist. The next morning 15 of the older boys from school arrived and after chopping branches from grandfather's mangoes and my fence posts being backed over, we got the LR out of the mud onto the main road. My bicycle was still at St. M so I hitched a ride to St. M Jct. and walked the last 3km. When school finished at 13:10, Mulenga & I walked to the St. M PFAP Chairman's (he's usually drunk) which was 6km there and back to St. M. It was late enough that we stayed the night at St. M. More windy storms around sunset. The next morning we left at 06:00, me on the bike, Mulenga walking and got back to Kantende at 08:00. I prepped and we started off walking to Kapempe Farms, after 6km of bushpath we arrived at 10:30, 0.5 hour late. It was a good meeting. They want to start with a lima (50m x 50m) of Permaculture next planting season. We walked back and arranged with Mrs. Banda that I could use some sand from the school-building project for plastering. I hired the mason's at the school to plaster, K20,000. They're experienced, I'm sure it will be better and quicker then anything I could do. So, now at 09:16 on a Sunday morning I am out back writing this, they're inside working. I was up at 06:00 and moved all my crap to the insaka. I have too much by Z standards. I'm hoping they finish bwangu bwangu (fast, fast), so I can go to St. M this afternoon. I was talking to Fr. Mobe about starting some shade trees in front of the church at St. M. So I've started soaking some seeds, I want to get them to him to plant, also, check for any mail. I also have to be at St. M to set a date with the PFAP chairman for a possible next meeting date. Also a note is in the works to Kambale to maybe have a meeting. I'm ignoring Mafuta B right now, nope, doesn't bother me at all. Mulenga and I knocked another hole in my wall - I figure if the termites can, why can't I? And we put some bricks below my built-in shelves. Last night we forced the duck/ducklings to sleep there, we'll see where she goes tonight. I'm down to 11 ducklings. :( We built a mud ramp outside the hole to allow her access. Grandfather started building a 3 tier bamboo shelf for me. About a meter high, and half as wide. Smaller than I want, but it will help with clothes. I'll ask him to build a second. When APCD Robert came, he brought a pineapple. I stuck the top in the soil and now it's putting out roots. I've no idea what a pineapple tree looks like, but they grow fields of them up by Mwinilunga of NW/Province. Elizabeth should be coming Friday or Saturday for a visit. I hope she stays a few days. / 2-27: No mail here at St. M. However, one of the letters I sent you, the one I thought you'd get by now, came back to me, accusing me of using a used stamp. Bastards. I'm sorry. I'll be here on Friday, so I'll keep hoping to hear from you. N"
posted by nathan at 17:11
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