Letters from Zambia
The following is an update on Nathan gathered from the most recent letters to me, his parents and his sister. I apologize if this is a repeat for some. The most current, including a letter received yesterday, can be found near the bottom. Take care. Brian
09-03-2005
Apparently Z is said to have one of the lowest life expectancies in the world now. About 37 years? We've been told this during training. Also, Z's gov. claims an HIV rate of 14% but surrounding countries are up near 40% so we assume Z is too. One random sampling in Lusaka showed an infection rate of 55%. Most infected here are fast progressors who don't live more than 2-3 years before they die of other infections. However, there are people who have access to good enough food to live to 80. But, in a restaurant in Kitwe the other day (Kitwe pop. est. 800,000) we counted no one that we'd label as "fat." Genetics play a large role, but also IF they eat the calories, they will be burned off during the hunger/rainy season or through manual labor. Actually calling someone fat here is a compliment, you get enough to eat and have an easier life. People do get sick but there are clinics scattered throughout the bush. The nearest to me is at St. Mary's. I'm guessing you don't see many people that are anything more than mildy sick (i.e. a cold) otherwise it might kill them, esp. the immune-weak ones. That is part of the PC goal here, to increase nutrition to stay healthy to live longer, even if you are HIV+, that aspect is even in my LIFE project with dry-season gardening, hoping to have more food throughout the year, better grain storage, more efficient/productive farming techniques.
Yesterday I learned of the extent of the damage done by Hurricane Katrina, five days after it happened. I was in Kitwe the last 7 days and my shortwave was in Kantende, but VOA (Voice of America) is being very quiet about it. It's actually the U.S. news that I have the hardest time getting, near impossible save for internet time.
My nearest PCV neighbor is Bob at St. Mary's. He is RAP'03 (Rural Aqua-culture Promotion Program). He's extending for at least another year. He's been taking me out to see his projects of dam building, furrow digging and fish pond creating. The farmers do most of the work but he helps them plan, works beside them and keeps them motivated. Z's don't plan, they say, "what if I die tomorrow?" or don't worry about food because "God will provide." Most often those that say these things are very, very hungry Feb.-March. A lot of LIFE's goals of food sustainability is echoed in RAP, so we'll work together on compost piles, agroforestry, fuel efficient cook stoves, etc.
I've started to reach 90 degrees the past two weeks and the cool/dry season is morphing to the hot/dry. The second week of Oct. could be when sprinkles are starting to become possible with November bringing the rainy season. Bob tells me that the lightning displays once the sun goes down sometimes last all night. Sometimes it doesn't rain for a week, or it rain/drizzles for days on end. I'm very excited but the mosquitoes will be a problem and since all "roads" out here are dirt, many become impassable.
10-04-2005 to 10-05-2005
So much has happened since I last wrote, I don't know where to begin. Now, the first week of October the temps have been edging up to just under 95 degrees for highs and 55-60 degrees for lows. Clouds have been increasing, and some days are starting to feel a little more humid. There's usually a breeze during the day, but falling asleep at night is feeling warm & sticky. So Monday I got back to (my village), swept my house (twice) and got most everything back in its place. Tuesday I fetched water (running water is very high on the list of comforts that I miss) and played a few games of chess with a friend, and picked up some of my potted plants from her.
As I sit here in my insaka (shade in 94 degree heat) a goat was within 2 1/2 of entering my house?! They have goats & pigs & chickens, but they aren't fed. These animals aren't even penned up. They wander from yard to yard, field to field in search of food. No wonder I can't buy eggs, they'd have to feed the feather dusters first! Today I "cleaned" my side yard. The yard where my neighbor sweeps her yard. The bush hedge doesn't stop her. So in the U.S. you use lawn mowers. Since packed clay needs no trimming, here you take a bunch of twigs tied in a bunch, bend over and sweep the yard. Since my house was empty for a year or so, the yard was inches deep in leaf-litter, pig crap, branches, pages torn out of Bemba bibles, candy wrappers and chicken crap. The rest of my yard has been easy to clean and sweep, this side took several hours, and still looks bad. I'm thinking about making a double hedge, then she can sweep whatever she wants under her bushes. No, not bitter.
There is hope my avocado pit will be sprouting in the next few weeks. I also have a guava tree on the side of my house, in addition to the 3 mango trees, one orange tree and a clump of dwarf bananas. I also have a shade tree in back called Mukoso. Next to the bathing shelter is a Lunsonga and a Mubumbu (Lozi name) Kabumbu (in Bemba). Also a Matambula that someone removed a ring of bark from, I don't know why they'd want to kill it. I think I'll spare it some misery and take it out. I'm actually getting some books read, some from Bob, others from the Solwezi PCVL house. I biked from Mujimanzovu alone, spending one night at a guest house alone. A new experience, but my own pace killed me a lot less than Bob's.
10-21-2005
I had a huge meeting, the first one, with the Chief on Wednesday. It went immensely well. The meeting was an introduction to the Chief and my village's Village Resource Management Committee (VRMC). The other three VRMCs did not come, the Chief was not pleased. I finally understand why I am here, and the Chief really wants me there. It doesn't seem so hopeless now. I am in town today to pick up the new RAP volunteer that will be 40km west of St. Mary's to show them the area this week. We will head out on Sunday morning (Oct. 23) with fish to stock Ba Kapopwe's pond and be dropped off with our bikes. I am interested to see the stocking process. The fish are warm water fish, 30 degrees C is what they like. Very different here. From there we'll bike to Chipupushi, then back to Kambilombilo for a few days of meeting/greeting for the new volunteer, before biking back to St. Mary's.
09-03-2005
Apparently Z is said to have one of the lowest life expectancies in the world now. About 37 years? We've been told this during training. Also, Z's gov. claims an HIV rate of 14% but surrounding countries are up near 40% so we assume Z is too. One random sampling in Lusaka showed an infection rate of 55%. Most infected here are fast progressors who don't live more than 2-3 years before they die of other infections. However, there are people who have access to good enough food to live to 80. But, in a restaurant in Kitwe the other day (Kitwe pop. est. 800,000) we counted no one that we'd label as "fat." Genetics play a large role, but also IF they eat the calories, they will be burned off during the hunger/rainy season or through manual labor. Actually calling someone fat here is a compliment, you get enough to eat and have an easier life. People do get sick but there are clinics scattered throughout the bush. The nearest to me is at St. Mary's. I'm guessing you don't see many people that are anything more than mildy sick (i.e. a cold) otherwise it might kill them, esp. the immune-weak ones. That is part of the PC goal here, to increase nutrition to stay healthy to live longer, even if you are HIV+, that aspect is even in my LIFE project with dry-season gardening, hoping to have more food throughout the year, better grain storage, more efficient/productive farming techniques.
Yesterday I learned of the extent of the damage done by Hurricane Katrina, five days after it happened. I was in Kitwe the last 7 days and my shortwave was in Kantende, but VOA (Voice of America) is being very quiet about it. It's actually the U.S. news that I have the hardest time getting, near impossible save for internet time.
My nearest PCV neighbor is Bob at St. Mary's. He is RAP'03 (Rural Aqua-culture Promotion Program). He's extending for at least another year. He's been taking me out to see his projects of dam building, furrow digging and fish pond creating. The farmers do most of the work but he helps them plan, works beside them and keeps them motivated. Z's don't plan, they say, "what if I die tomorrow?" or don't worry about food because "God will provide." Most often those that say these things are very, very hungry Feb.-March. A lot of LIFE's goals of food sustainability is echoed in RAP, so we'll work together on compost piles, agroforestry, fuel efficient cook stoves, etc.
I've started to reach 90 degrees the past two weeks and the cool/dry season is morphing to the hot/dry. The second week of Oct. could be when sprinkles are starting to become possible with November bringing the rainy season. Bob tells me that the lightning displays once the sun goes down sometimes last all night. Sometimes it doesn't rain for a week, or it rain/drizzles for days on end. I'm very excited but the mosquitoes will be a problem and since all "roads" out here are dirt, many become impassable.
10-04-2005 to 10-05-2005
So much has happened since I last wrote, I don't know where to begin. Now, the first week of October the temps have been edging up to just under 95 degrees for highs and 55-60 degrees for lows. Clouds have been increasing, and some days are starting to feel a little more humid. There's usually a breeze during the day, but falling asleep at night is feeling warm & sticky. So Monday I got back to (my village), swept my house (twice) and got most everything back in its place. Tuesday I fetched water (running water is very high on the list of comforts that I miss) and played a few games of chess with a friend, and picked up some of my potted plants from her.
As I sit here in my insaka (shade in 94 degree heat) a goat was within 2 1/2 of entering my house?! They have goats & pigs & chickens, but they aren't fed. These animals aren't even penned up. They wander from yard to yard, field to field in search of food. No wonder I can't buy eggs, they'd have to feed the feather dusters first! Today I "cleaned" my side yard. The yard where my neighbor sweeps her yard. The bush hedge doesn't stop her. So in the U.S. you use lawn mowers. Since packed clay needs no trimming, here you take a bunch of twigs tied in a bunch, bend over and sweep the yard. Since my house was empty for a year or so, the yard was inches deep in leaf-litter, pig crap, branches, pages torn out of Bemba bibles, candy wrappers and chicken crap. The rest of my yard has been easy to clean and sweep, this side took several hours, and still looks bad. I'm thinking about making a double hedge, then she can sweep whatever she wants under her bushes. No, not bitter.
There is hope my avocado pit will be sprouting in the next few weeks. I also have a guava tree on the side of my house, in addition to the 3 mango trees, one orange tree and a clump of dwarf bananas. I also have a shade tree in back called Mukoso. Next to the bathing shelter is a Lunsonga and a Mubumbu (Lozi name) Kabumbu (in Bemba). Also a Matambula that someone removed a ring of bark from, I don't know why they'd want to kill it. I think I'll spare it some misery and take it out. I'm actually getting some books read, some from Bob, others from the Solwezi PCVL house. I biked from Mujimanzovu alone, spending one night at a guest house alone. A new experience, but my own pace killed me a lot less than Bob's.
10-21-2005
I had a huge meeting, the first one, with the Chief on Wednesday. It went immensely well. The meeting was an introduction to the Chief and my village's Village Resource Management Committee (VRMC). The other three VRMCs did not come, the Chief was not pleased. I finally understand why I am here, and the Chief really wants me there. It doesn't seem so hopeless now. I am in town today to pick up the new RAP volunteer that will be 40km west of St. Mary's to show them the area this week. We will head out on Sunday morning (Oct. 23) with fish to stock Ba Kapopwe's pond and be dropped off with our bikes. I am interested to see the stocking process. The fish are warm water fish, 30 degrees C is what they like. Very different here. From there we'll bike to Chipupushi, then back to Kambilombilo for a few days of meeting/greeting for the new volunteer, before biking back to St. Mary's.
posted by nathan at 22:06
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