To start, I finished training. I scored intermediate low on my language test, which I was ok with, because after 2nd site visit I lost all motivation to study and keep up. I knew I was already passing, so I just kinda let it ride... I also passed my technical exam, obviously. Swear in was a blast! My intake was invited by the newly elected president of Zambia, Michael Sata, to join him and a ton of other foreign dignitaries at the State House (their White House...). It was pretty cool, was broadcasted nationally here and on the radio. The actual swearing in took only 20 mins, but then moved outside to a huge banquet where they fed us some amazing food (not nshima!!! yay) and all of the other dignitaries and the president got a chance to make a speech. It was a huge deal, because it was Sata's first official State House function of his presidency, it was the first time in P.C. -Zambia's history of a swearing in ceremony hosted by the president, AND it was (I think, or I was told) only the 3rd time in P.C. history of such an event. PRETTY awesome.
Ok so the days after were spent shopping in Solwezi for my move in. I bought all sorts of things, but didn't have to worry about much, because the previous volunteer left me a bunch of stuff (I will explain my house later in the post). But some of the items I really am happy I got was a little bush hoe/axe (the blade can be knocked out and turned 90 degrees to change from hoe to axe whenever I want), a new mattress, lots of food, and my big ticket item: a flag pole! Welding in this country is done on the ground by metal workers that do not wear anything but sunglasses... it is crazy. but after 20 mins of my trying to explain to them what I want, it took another 45 mins to fabricate it, but finally when all was said and done, and 250,000 kwacha later ($50), I had myself a flag pole ready for pick up by the land cruiser. The pole is made up of two 3m lengths (18ft), that one pole slides into the other, and there are 2 sets of holes that go through both poles where I can secure them together with bolts. All I have to do is buy some paint, and wait for my American flag to get here.
I was suppose to post on a thursday, but instead last minute they asked if I would be cool with going on Wednesday a day early, and of course I complied with the request. My village is awesome, it is full of as many motivated and hardworking farmers as drunks. But I guess the mix is what makes it so homey. I am located in the middle of no where, but I am only a stones throw (literally) from the main tar-mac. I live right next door to my local headman (not a chief, but the guy that has to deal with all the local issues and disputes), and behind me is nothing but miles and miles of African bush until you hit the Congo. I have a huge avocado tree inside my fence in my front yard, as well as 2 clusters of banana trees and two single banana trees I transplanted recently outside my fence towards the bush. Here is a small layout I made on my computer just now with paint (took me forever, so enjoy!):
I had a full day to move in, and I spent the whole night putting up mealie meal sacs (they are pure white) on my ceiling to increase the brightness of inside. I also hung up a few shelves, decorated the walls with my map of Narragansett, and other things. I was pleasantly surprised to see that my co-op had finished the construction of my fence around my new home which we can call "Fortress America" for names sake. I also got to work immediately on staking out where I wanted to have my garden, and putting to work my army of little children, cutting down, carrying back, digging holes, and erecting all 50 of the support poles for the fence. as well as cutting down,...,...,... all of the bamboo to line the fence with to keep the goats out. Over the following week, my co-op cut grass and put up grass about 4 ft high, so the goats can't see what I am growing and be tempted to push through or down my fence...
I also had the chance to make myself a little mud brick oven out of soil from a termite mound (clay) and water. It took me a total of 5 or 6 days, but I successfully baked 3 loaves of bread when I fired it up for my trial run. It worked awesome and I am really happy I can now have fresh bread on a consistent basis, because it is really hard to get fresh bread in the village. RAIN RAIN RAIN, I haven't had too much of it really, BUT the times it rains, IT POURS! Literally these storms are so intense they almost scare me.
OH, and the best part of my day, going down and swimming in the river. Now instead of my regular bucket bath, I was shown the swimming hole by my closest PC neighbor, Joe. The top part and bottom part are slow moving (where crocodiles hangout), but in the middle is a 25-30 yard set of very fast rapids. Over the years Adam (the volunteer I am replacing) and Joe, have dammed off some sections here and there, so that the water is still rushing through, but there are little jacoozi pools where we can sit and relax, and recently where I take all of my baths and now wash all my clothes. I should have pictures of this place, and all the above soon on facebook, and I will be sure to share a link on the blog.
SO, everyone might be wondering what am I doing online when I am suppose to be in my village for community entry for 3 months... well, Adam (again, the previous volunteer in Kanzala), had started a project where he got a grant to purchase a hammer mill and supplies to build a Chigayo in Kanzala. So I was cleared to go to Solwezi with 3 members of my co-op to begin work with the project. It calls for me to have quotations for all items to be purchased, opening a bank account, ect. So, yesterday after unsuccessfully catching a bus to Solwezi, (another long story I will write about in a sec), we came to Solwezi this morning, and found prices, haggled, and quoted door frames, doors, nails, roofing sheets (metal), lumber, concrete, hammer mill and engine, jerry can's to hold diesel, diesel fuel itself, and other little extras. we came out under budget considerably, so we think we will get extra cement, roof sheets, nails, door frame, ect and build an office of business next door to the chigayo for the co-op to manage itself with. Should be good.
Before I go, a quick story about waiting for the bus yesterday (Tuesday). So I got up at 6:30 to get ready, we planned to begin waiting road side at 7:30, and the two big buses that come by usually arrive between 8-9. So 7:30 I am by the road side with my 3 counterparts in my co-op, and there are 10 people completely shitfaced, and another 10 villagers drunk, some are sober, but they are the ones opening up their shops and selling Jilli-jilli packets to these people.
---side note--- Jilli-jilli is really cheap booze that is 50% alcohol made from cane spirits. they come in little packets that are 3ounces (ish) and they are dirt cheap, and what most of these people drink, because it is affordable and packs a very heavy punch. there are many down sides; it's cheap enough that they drink all the time, it keeps people from being productive (obviously) even though some claim to be very functional even while drunk, and the worst part is that the ground around the tuck shops and the road are littered with not 100, 1000, but 10,000+ empty 2x3inch plastic packets... I meanthink about it my village drinks combined probably 50-100 packets a day, and the ground never gets cleaned up... ---- long side note, sorry----
So anyways, all morning long I am listening to drunk after drunk asking me to give them things, which every time the answer is always no. They will get upset every so often, because "I don't like them" because I don't give them tons of free shit, but they understand eventually after my counterpart and I begin trying to explain to them that I am a volunteer, not an ATM. well regardless "I want your glasses," "Give me just one pin" (for a packet), "give me this, give me that..." It gets old quick. Well anyways this one guy showed up during one of my quick visits to my house, and he looked horrible. Poor guy, had no shoes, pants and a shirt that were both at least 10 years old, no one would talk to him, he sat alone in the middle of the pull off staring at the dirt. He wasn't close to me, but close enough, and all of the drunks thought they were impressing me when they started making fun and saying jokes about this guy. Everyone but he was laughing... I got so mad, I think I scared a few of them, because immediately it was me yelling at them. I asked them all if they were Christian, and they all agreed. And I told them for about 5 minutes, what shitty Christians they are, and how they should feel ashamed of themselves. Also, and this is a trick for anyone who ever goes to Zambia or a Christian African country, tell them that God is watching and that he is judging them. It really freaks them out.
After my scolding, I returned to my house, got a nice button down shirt of mine, and filled a quart size zip lock with an oat trail mix like thing I had, and returned to give them to the poor man in the dirt. Well, I hope they learned a few things from my example, but the sick thing is that I could see in some of these drunk people's faces they were upset that I refused giving them stuff all morning, and gave the poor outcast a ton of stuff. My counterpart later explained that the guy has a mental issue (which I don't really believe), and that he roams from place to place staying with anyone who will take him in, but all I saw was a guy who needs friends and a job (HE was one of the ONLY people there NOT drinking... might be a hard worker if anyone gave him half a chance). Regardless I will be sure to follow up on this guy, and see if I can't get him tending to someone's gardens, or something.
OOOOKKKK, well I wish I had time to tell another 20 stories just like that one about all the other crazy stuff I see and do each day, but I got to go to sleep, because tomorrow is a very long day. OH, wait just one last thing. I saw my first snake yesterday. I was so tired and hot from waiting by the road for 4 hours, that I went and sat in the river for 3... on my return home I was walking my bike on the bush path, and out of no where a snake was all of the sudden in the grass running away from me. Scared the daylights out of me, but at the same time it was cool to finally see. It was pitch black, and all the villagers concurred that it was a cobra. of some sort. it was about 4 ft long, so big, and probably dangerous. It won't stop me from going to my watering hole every afternoon, but I will probably tread carefully, with my eyes peeled.
Love you all! hope that this will quench any of your thirsts for info, until I get back to the house in a few weeks for our provincial meetings and Thanksgiving. Shalenuhu!!! OH, please forgive any spelling mistakes, I don't have the time to read through this whole thing and spell check. If there are any questions that need clarification, please feel free. Love
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