So many changes since I last posted. I will bring everything up to date, but for now I just want to say that I am well and safe.
And…. I have been back in the USA for over a year now. No longer posting as part of the US Peace Corps, now I will post as just myself.
I still live in a shed, LOL!!!!! But a much nicer one.
Hope your day, month, year, life is fabulous!
Carolyn
So many transitions the past month!
First – COS. Those who have been in Eastern Province for two years had their Close of Service last month. A little bit crazy, full of anticipation and uncertainty, already missing their friends and villages! Listening to them talk about getting jobs, graduate degrees, apartments, etc. reminded me that the anticipation and uncertainty in coming to Zambia is repeated when it comes time to leave.
Next – new arrivals! The new intake arrived. A little bit crazy, full of anticipation and uncertainty, already missing their friends and the families they stayed with during training! Yup, apparently we have the same feelings whether we are about to start our service in Peace Corps or about to leave. The new intake for Eastern Province is full of energetic volunteers. Watching them with their lists of things they need to get reminded me of my shopping before I was posted. Furniture, mattress, food, pots and spoons…
Then there are the mid-point volunteers. Assembled in Lusaka for their medical check-ups and mid-point meetings. This was the only group I saw the past month who were not facing uncertainty and change. They knew where they lived [for now], and were not facing the challenges of changing cultures. I enjoyed spending time with them.
As for me, well, I am facing a transition as well. Due to some catchment area circumstances I am leaving Zambia with ‘Interrupted Service.’ That means that I am not quitting, but I can’t stay in my current placement. So off to the USA and waiting for a new placement somewhere in the world. I am experiencing the uncertainty of both the COS group and the new arrivals. Leaving the village I love, returning to the home I love, and waiting for …
Guess I just have to wait a bit to find out what it is I am waiting for! A new adventure, new culture, new friends and a new home. Somewhere… someday…
Until then, here are some African proverbs:
Use your tongue to count your teeth before you speak.
Fire and gunpowder do not sleep together.
If the hunter comes back with mushrooms, don’t ask him how his hunt was.
No matter how skilfully the chick dances, it will never please the hawk.
If you give bad food to your stomach, it drums for you to dance.
You cannot hide the smoke when a house is burning.
If you see a person in a gown eating with a person in rags, the food belongs to the latter.
Too many whistles confuse the dog.
When a leopard is chasing you, do not ask if it is male or female.
Africa, Africa, Africa. I am leaving you, but will carry you in my heart.
Last week was spent at GLOW – Girls Leading Our World. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFRAsfDJL2s#t=112) 21 girls from Eastern Province spent a week learning skills and dreaming about the future.
There were sixty-three or so of us there: the girls, the Peace Corps volunteers, and a school representative for each girl. While we taught and talked about a lot of serious things, we did it in a fun way.
Malaria and mosquito nets
Taking control of your body and keeping safe from disease
Education and choosing your own future. They glowed!!
I think the mosquito net lesson worked, because when I did a bed check one night I couldn’t find several girls – they had crawled in with other girls. But they were all under the mosquito nets!
Everyone had a great time and some of the girls were amazed and amazing. Amazed that they could do and be anyone and anything they chose, and amazing in what they want to do with their lives.
I can’t wait to see them grow into leaders.
The International Special Olympics was just held in Los Angeles. More than 6500 athletes from 165 countries competed. Three athletes from Zambia earned medals. Daisy Nguni came in 2nd for the 100M walk. Kennedy Phiri came in 3rd for the 50M run. Joshua Siankulu came in 1st in Standing Long Jump and also came in 1st for the 50M run.
The first lady of Zambia went around and said people should be nice to the disabled and they should not be hidden away. They do contribute to the community, sometimes with just a smile. Mrs Lungu said children with disabilities constitute one of the most marginalised and disadvantaged groups in society. (https://www.daily-mail.co.zm/?p=37779) 
In villages other than my own I’ve been told that the kids are left in the house and are not allowed to leave the house. It is illegal to leave the child in the bush to die, although I am told more rural areas [ie: NOT Zambia] do still practice that.
I hope to try and get support for the disabled kids in my village. But outside of my village I have seen no disabled persons as they are kept hidden for the most part I’m glad that someone before me said they should be taken care of and loved and not locked inside unless the weather is bad or there is a rabid dog running around. I’m told by my host that since the missionaries came to Zambia the abandoning of disabled in the bush was stopped. It is also illegal to abandon children in the bush and leave them to die. I’m told that the family will care for the disabled person for their entire life, so the siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, and/or parents will always be there for them as sending them off to an institution or to have a house and a nurse isn’t possible. So far I’ve only seen three disabled persons in my village and the one next to mine but I am almost positive that there are others in my catchment area that I haven’t seen.
Kids with disabilities in Zambia tend to be kept home inside or in the village. Some are trained to do chores or to farm, but that’s for mildly disabled persons like the teenager in my village who is deaf. A second child with disabilities in my village is severely retarded. He is kept in the house on bad days but allowed to wander the family compound or soccer field on good days.
My host sister, Lucy, is allowed to wander the family compound and to the soccer field as well. She has been taught to husk and de-kernal maize cobs. Other chores she is still being taught. Her left side is much weaker than her right. She does not attend school. The local teachers told me that disabled children do not go to school as the schools are unable to handle their needs. I talked to teachers and they said that they do not work with the disabled children as they are unable to handle it and don’t have the resources. Parents in my area save their money to send the other non-disabled children to school. School is not free here.
My older sister has disabilities, so I’ve been involved with disabilities my entire life. I’ve also volunteered with our local Special Olympics when my sister was doing rhythmic gymnastics or playing bocce. I would love to work in my village to start Special Olympics participation.
In the United States students with disabilities go to school and are taught in the public school. In Zambia, when I first got to my village, the children told me that Lucy couldn’t come color on my porch because she was “sick.” Her sickness is what we would call mild to moderate mental retardation and epilepsy. I told them it was okay and she loved being able to color. She would come over every day. Sometimes she got angry or impatient, once she had a seizure, but usually she was fine. Since the baby was born she has been told to wait a lot. One day she was visiting and asked for something and I told her to wait a minute. Lucy has not learned how to control her temper and will strike out if frustrated. She punched me in the face, damaging my glasses. She was sorry immediately, of course. But her family was upset and won’t let her come to my house alone anymore without a family member to supervise her.
I went to Lusaka for a two week training and while I was there I asked Peace Corps Medical to adjust my glasses. I just want them to fit right again, but now they are worried about my safety… They don’t understand disabled people and their difficulties expressing themselves. Lucy is not a danger to me. I know she feels frustration she can’t express. I don’t want to reject her. So safety and security is coming out to my site to assess the danger Lucy poses. I think that Lucy is essentially harmless. She is just prone to violence since she can’t express herself.
This week in Africa –
I bought a new phone. And could not find a case for it anywhere! So my Mom, in the United States, ordered online from aliexpress in China to have a case sent to me in Zambia. Crazy.
We have trouble with cell phone reception in the late afternoon and evening. At sunset you can see how high the dust is. Its like a dirt cloud illuminated at sunset
My Aunt Kate sent me some huge ziplock bags. I’m using the big bags to hold my peanut butter, my homemade pasta [a new skill I’ve learned here] and my dry panties and bras
The past 2 weeks I have been at a training in Lusaka. Lots of good info, and planning when who gets beekeeping training and so on.
Sadly, I just got a text from my Atati in the village. On Sunday my puppy, Bouncer, was poisoned and died. I am told that is often done in cases of jealousy. But no facts other than a dead puppy.
I am heartsick that anyone would kill an innocent pup. And I have nothing else to say right now.
Last week I wrote about the wild natural Zambia that is my backyard. This week I want to talk about my ‘Americanized’ backyard that I am creating here in Eastern Zambia. My little island of civilization.
I have had the plans for my gardens for a couple of months now. And I bought the chicken wire to fence in and protect my garden in Chipata. Atate had brought poles to my yard for fencing. And then I waited. This week my waiting ended.The day after the grass fire my yard had a lot of activity, as men and boys worked to put up my fence! It was very exciting, seeing the fence go up. I could not plant anything before the fencing as goats and cows would eat my plants. The fence meant I could plant my gardens.
Garden 1 had been prepared with the ground and border ready for planting, so six of the kids and I planted seeds. These were all planted using seeds I had brought with me from home. The seeds I bought here in Zambia did not sprout sadly. One of the older women came to see my little garden. She was happy for me that I have begun planting. I am happy, too. Not only because I will have fresh vegetables and can harvest the seeds for more fresh vegetables in the future! I am happy because now I am making progress on modeling a home garden for improved nutrition. I hope the garden grows well. I am planting marigolds around it to keep insect pests away.
Back row from left: bush bean, cucumber, sweet pepper, and heirloom melon. Front row from left: carrots, lettuce (buttercrunch), rape, and basil.
The next day we made gates and installed them, so my garden is as secure as it is going to get for now. See how my fencing for the garden goes around 2 of the 4 sides of my house. It makes my porch one way and now the walk way on 2 sides of the house are in the garden and I can use them as a seating area for my classes and for me when I sit in my garden. The left fence is closer to the house due to cows who walk behind the house. I put a tippy tap hand washing station next to the front gate.
The gates and fence mean I can transplant some of my seedlings! So out of my recycled hanging planters came lemon grass, chives, onion, and a rose I bought. My sister Michelle loves roses and has planted many at home. This one is planted in honor of her here in Zambia. Michelle’s Zambian rose! I have no idea what kind of rose or color it is. A bit of a grab-bag, but it looks healthy. The bloom will be a surprise someday. It is the only rose I’ve seen for sale in Zambia and I bargained it down from 20 kwatcha to 5 kwatcha. I planted it in my garden to attract bees! I am planting flowers in that bed to attract bees and butterflies! (someday I still hope to have a bee hive for honey)
We planted the zinnias I had in my hanging garden then also violas, creeping thyme, marigold, 3 stevia seeds and chamomile. I wonder if any seeds will sprout in the 2 weeks I am in Lusaka for training. My host sister Flora will care for my flower garden while I am gone.
This is a zam tan all the tan bits are dirt
I plan to press and dry the first rose bloom and send it to my sister Michelle.
Its odd having my brains be treated like gold and my work considered worthless (besides the fact that everyone uses a hoe better than I do). I’m used to it being almost the other way around where work is appreciated more and is expected. Now I’m asked ‘why are you working?’, ‘let me do that for you,’ ‘just teach me what to do’. Its always “I want to learn, teach me but let me do it.” There is one boy who comes by everyday asking if he can get me manure and to tell him again why manure is good for dirt and gardens. I hope what I teach helps the village and my friends here.
Here are some photos of my host siblings, 
And Amai Anne making nshima 
And, of course, my furry companion Bouncer. He just crashed into puppy nap after we had a 14km walk.
Zambian Observation: grass fires sound like popcorn popping, or a car driving over gravel.
I want to thank some special people who have made my job and life a little easier and more pleasant.
Thank you Debbie Taylor, who read my blog and sent me a great letter! I shared the news of What I’ve Missed in America with the other LIFErs in Eastern Province. We all enjoyed it very much. Thank you also for the ideas on what to do with sunflower seeds and the gardening tips.
Thank you Aunt Kate, who sends me comments and lets me know someone reads my blog.
Thank you Grandpa, who sends me letters and stories about our family and fiction he’s written. Sometimes I wonder if the family stories are fiction, too!
Thank you Marsha Brodie, I love to hear from you. It means so much.
Thanks to my wonderful editor who spell checks and posts for me. She is my biggest fan, die hard supporter, and willing to let me talk her ear off when I’m freaking out, like when the massive bird came for the goat or I saw a tape worm crawl out of my cats butt. Love you Mom! You are the best! Mom uploads all my pictures and text from her phone to WordPress for me. Since my internet access is so poor, I appreciate you uploading and publishing this blog for me. None of this would be possible without you!
Holy crap! was how the past week started. A huge bird flew down to grab a chicken and fly off. Turns out the Crowned Eagle is the strongest and most dangerous eagle in Africa. My village calls it ‘docoway’ and tells me it takes goats and small livestock. a few days later I saw one try to fly off with a baby goat. The mother goat head-butted the eagle until it let go. So no goat dinner for the Crowned Eagle that day!
It has a large wingspan, and sounds like a helicopter taking off. From below it looks almost like a leopard.And it reminded me that wild Africa is in my backyard. Actually, a lot of this past week has been about wild Africa!
Besides the docoway or Crowned Eagle, there is also the Mbulu lizard. When I saw the 5+ foot long lizard climb out onto the boulder I felt like I was back in the Florida Everglades! What looked like an ancestor to alligators is the Monitor lizard. Another ‘do not pet’ resident of Zambia.
And then, the next day, I headed to Chipata to get some chicken wire for my garden. In my yard the most common menaces are goats and pigs. Yet I was reminded of other common menaces on my walk to the main road.
I have large hands, so the paw print is not of a small lion.
My host wasn’t concerned about the lion paw print. He said they don’t come into the village. He was concerned about the bird, apparently its a big problem. He also said to not worry about the 5ft long swimming lizards and that they eat small things like ducks chickens and puppies but fear dogs.
I really want Bouncer to grow super fast now. Glad I splurged on his food today.
This week I found out that I had been misinterpreting my host’s inquiries about noise bothering me at night. I always thought he was asking about people walking past on the footpath. And when he instructed me to go into my house at sundown and not go any further than the bathroom at night I thought it was a cultural thing. “Young woman, unwed, alone outdoors at night” sort of thing. He said the path is long and has problems at night. I thought he meant navigating the path, but no. It is because of lions and hyenas and God knows what else.
It was really a ‘Africa IS your backyard’ kind of thing. Hyenas. Hyenas that are the reason the goats and cow like to be right on my porch at night. Hyenas that roam the village at night. I am never leaving my house after dark again.
It explains a lot of rules I’ve been told. Like come home before dark. Keep small children and animals at home. Stay in the village where the dogs keep problems away. Also, don’t go anywhere after dark. The chim is ok if it is close to house but don’t go further than that. And if you hear strange noises after sunset don’t leave my house, call host and he will fix the problem. I.E. Bring dog and let dog chase creature away and host deals with people.
I’ve seen tracks of snakes as thick as my arm. But I haven’t seen actual snakes that big, which is fine with me! Not sure what else lives in the forest preserve next to my village but so far the animals I’ve seen or heard of or seen traces of are not disappointing. Plan to carry a large walking stick when I walk through the forest from now on.
There are other things, of course, to watch out for here in the wilds of Africa. Scarier than a giant lizard or the print of a lion’s paw is an inanimate menace that I can’t scare off with a giant stick or hide from in my house at night. Fire.
It started in the daytime, a smudge on the horizon. Dry season, harvest time has just ended, so the ground is rich with vegetation and dry grass. We watched it all afternoon. At sunset it took on a more menacing appearance.
I was told to get ready to leave. Wow, what to pack in my dufflebag and backpack?! Electronics, medicines, things that are not easily replaced in Zambia. Pack things up and then try to sleep knowing I could be told any minute to run. Run? Run where? To the paved road that leads to Chipata, where Peace Corps will come fetch me from if I have to bug out. The men spent most of the night battling the fire. And they succeeded. The village did not get burnt! Morning came with ashes and soot on everything. A gray morning, and one of celebration! We were not burned out of house and home, the village is fine, the men victorious over the flames. Interestingly, the gray day silhouetted Mama dog and she was nearly identical to the Zambian Wild Dog, her grandparent.
I am grateful that the fire did not spread to my village. I am motivated to get a big walking stick and to plan a bug-out bag in case I ever DO have to evacuate on short notice.
And I am appreciative of some of the softer things in my backyard. Amai Sophia had her baby, a little boy. So sweet and soft. We joked that he is muzungu like me, because our fingers are the same color. Happy Birthday, baby Robert. Welcome to the village, we are so glad it is still here for you to grow and play in.
And I and my puppy continue to grow into the wilds of Africa, one dawn at a time.
Today I have lots of photos and a little info on what goes on every day here in my village.
Note: Zambia uses military time, so there is no am or pm, just hours 1:00 – 23:59.
Every day besides Sunday follows the same schedule.
4:00 Zambian women wake up at 4 and start fetching water to heat for the children who go to morning school (block schedule by grade) and breakfast. Breakfast is usually bread with butter or reheated nshima. After breakfast they sweep the dirt yard (snakes don’t like crossing open ground and sweeping discourages grass and rocks since most of the time people are barefoot).
Our water is gotten from a borehole. Here dogs are licking moisture from the runoff drain.
And here London is fetching me some water from the borehole.
I am quite close to the borehole. Here is my house as seen from the borehole:
5:00 Men are up between 5 and 6.
6:00 breakfast! After breakfast the men go to fields to harvest till lunch. Men (boys mostly) tend the livestock – milking cows and taking them to graze and using ox carts to carry harvest.
7:00 the women eat breakfast as everyone else in the family is finished eating they then do dishes and cleaning of house and kitchen till 10.
8:00 sometimes after breakfast the women help harvest till time to cook lunch and also sometimes help before dinner to load and guide the ox carts home from fields
9:00 the students who attend school in the morning have classes from 9-12.
10:00 the women and girls fetch more water and either cook veggies as relish (relish is whatever food is being eaten with the nshima – which is kind of like corn mash porridge) or go to field to pick veggies as relish (usually rape or pumpkin leaves).
11:00 they start cooking lunch. nsima is always cooked last so it can be served hot to the men. If you want to know more, or to try cooking nshima yourself, here is a pretty good link: http://people.bridgewater.edu/~mtembo/menu/nshima/nshima.shtml
Nshima is both simple and difficult to make. It is simple because it only has a few ingredients. It is difficult because it must be stirred constantly and a pot of nshima for 10 people is a lot of thick dough to stir constantly!
The kids who were at home during the morning have bathed with water that was heated while the Amais were cooking. Cooking is done in the insaka, or kitchen. It is a separate building from the house. While many parts of Africa have open gazebo type insakas, my region of Zambia uses a closed building as the kitchen. It holds wood and is where the cooking takes place. No windows or openings! I imagine it is pretty miserable in the hot season. Some families also have children sleep in the insaka.
Here is an open style insaka:
Here are our insakas. This is my host-uncle building a storage building next to the insaka. The insaka is the thatched building on the right.:
12:00 The kids from morning school return home at 12. Men come home to eat and are then free for the rest of the day (this time of year). Yes, this time of year it is good to be a man. But the seasonal schedule for them is harder in rainy season. I’ll tell you what that’s like when I see it. The men are served first inside the house and the women and children eat outside or in the kitchen (since my host has 2 houses the women and kids have the option to eat in the second house. He has 2 houses because he has 2 wives. Each has her own house). Lunch is usually over before 14.
Here are my host’s two houses. He has solar panels and a satellite dish, very advanced.
My host-Aunt has a different style house compound. From left to right is her chicken coop, her bafa [bathing room], insaka [kitchen], and her house.
Almost every picture has a dog in it, but their dogs are not like our dogs! They are more wild and do not get petted or come when called. Actually, they do not even have names. Back to daily life now…
13:00 the kids who were home for the morning go to afternoon school at 13 these kids come back home at 16
From 13 till 16 is free time. women either clean dishes or do laundry, care for the infants or toddlers, or nap. Naps are popular for everyone. This is the quiet time in the village.
16:00 its time for the women to cook again
18:00 dinner time! Dinner is usually the same thing they had for lunch maybe more veggies cut up and cooked (tomatoes and onions are added to all veggies). Meat is eaten very rarely. I haven’t seen it here yet.
19:00 after dinner is over the women clean the dishes and bathe the infants one last time and at
20:00 or 22:00 the women get to go to bed. (Depends on how fast they clean up)
My day is shorter. I wake at 6, get up at 7 and by 8 have finished all the house chores and breakfast and dishes. They are up at 4 and done with these chores by 10. I also today finished all my laundry before 9. So I work faster but they have to cook and serve in 2 locations (and for my host family feed over 10 people) it is interesting to compare our work ethics. I get chores done quickly so I’m free where as they socialize while working and are teaching kids their gender roles so that takes much longer. My role and activities cross typical gender roles, so I do not ‘fit’ into any of the stereotypical categories for the village.
My village headman said he is planning to build a fence around my compound to keep animals and people out. My host father, or Atate, has already started getting several men and boys together to build a fence around my house for my demonstration garden. They are very supportive of my plans and work.
Here are the poles for my fence. In the background you can see my chicken wire.
I already have a fence around my Mexican Apple tree!
This sapling is one I used in the tree planting demo earlier. We planted or gave away 313 trees!
My host-aunt grows bananas to sell, and her trees are also kept in fences. The fences are necessary as otherwise the goats and pigs will eat the trees. It is a battle to grow things here.
Meanwhile, my chairs were finally delivered! I set up a quiet corner with one chair so I can read or write, or just sit if I do not feel well. Luckily I usually feel fine. Only one bout of food poisoning!
And Bouncer-dog, of course, continues to grow and entertain me. He is doing very well. Some men came by and wanted to by him from my host the other day, and he explained that it was my dog. Not bad for the runt of the litter! He is now the biggest of all his littermates. Here he is at 8 weeks old.
He is now bigger than Diablo-cat. And is such a good example that my host father is now feeding his dogs different foods and feeding them every day. I may not make a big difference here in Zambia with my wee small projects, but I made a difference for those dogs. Also, nobody in my compound is beating their dogs anymore! That is the typical way to treat dogs here in Zambia. Dogs are beaten with sticks. But Bouncer’s behavior and growth when treated kindly have shown this compound a different way to interact with their dogs. They are impressed that Bouncer comes when called (actually, the whole litter comes when I call. Silly pups). They are also impressed that he is not nippy or trying to bite. He is safe. People can pet him. Their dogs cannot be pet. They snap and bite. So Bouncer is my ‘American’ Zam dog.
I have a self-imposed goal to not spend a night outside of my village if it is not necessary. Strange goal? Well, 90% of my work for Peace Corps involves relationships and availability. I can’t build relationships and work with people if I am not here! I will be gone from my village soon enough – a week long training in Lusaka starting July 11th. And there are many many days I will not be here. Trainings, meetings, activities that are out of district. For example – yesterday [Happy 4th of July, America!] I went to Chipata to work with Elizabeth, a former Peace Corps volunteer. She is now a liaison between Zambia’s forestry department and the American embassy. We worked for 8 hours, then back home I came. Elizabeth is very nice and offered my a bed for the night, but it is only 22km from Chipata to my village. And, of course, I had a warm puppy and a fluffy cat waiting for me. My Zambian dependants!
Hope you all had a wonderful holiday.
Zambian Proverb: We only appreciate the advice of the elderly when we are already in trouble.
Yesterday was my birthday! I was officially given my roly poly puppy. But that was at the end of the week of adventures.
I went to a Harvest Festival. That was great. I got 5 tiny fruit trees and 3 marriage proposals. I also talked to some deaf men, felt grateful I knew the alphabet in sign language. It was funny, people will tell me ANYTHING. Two of the deaf men are in a relationship, and homosexuality is illegal, but they could tell a stranger who understood sign language!
Then I got blisters on my thumb from helping Amai Anne remove kernels from maize. I put on bandaids. of course. But my supply of bandaids is running down quickly! So I ate my last 6 jelly beans from my box of Easter treats mailed by my family. Jelly beans cure anything. Well, not really. But they do taste good. With my limited diet choices the little sweet treats are savored and eaten slowly over a long time. I wish there were vegetables besides onions and tomatoes. I wish there was more variety to my diet. Rice, lentils, tomatoes, onions…. I am grateful for the spices I brought with me.
Some fun things this past week – my first visitor and my first event. Amy Shuman, another LIFE volunteer, came to stay for a few days. Her blog is at The Traveling Shu and is a fun read. Thank goodness she came to visit. My first event was coordinated with the forestry agent and we taught about planting seeds and then gave away 300 baby trees! I could not have done it on my own. People really wanted to plant trees. Getting the trees was an adventure, too. I rode in an ox cart to get the trees. Then got them back to my house and organized them by type of tree. Shu arrived an hour before the event, and the three of us worked like crazy. Fedelis, the forestry agent, taught about tree planting, Shu took names of all who attended and what they wanted, and I handed out the seeds and tools. After learning how to plant their seeds, those who had signed up were called to get their saplings. Wow, just wow. Afterwards we had some saplings left and told the villagers that whoever wanted another tree could come get one. That is when it got crazy! The women had all signed up for seeds and saplings and got them. But after we announced the extras the men surged up in a mob! Overwhelming. And a clear example of the different behaviors of men and women here.
It was fun having Shu visit for a few days. We had the tree planting activity, and we watched movies and ate oreos. [yum. another favorite treat I had saved.] We went to the market, we went back to the forestry agent and got more fruit trees, we talked, and we stayed up later than 7pm. Such rebels. On the fourth day Shu left to go back home, biking 60+ km to her village. And then I was lonely.
It was strange how lonely I felt when Shu left. Usually I am fine, happy, interacting with everyone, keeping busy, playing with Bouncer dog, planning and working. Shu came and <boom!> talking English, watching movies, hanging out with someone who understood my and my culture. I think I felt a bit homesick when she left. As if I was in a strange land all over again, instead of in my village home with neighbors and friends I’ve met over the past 7 weeks.
Maybe I wasn’t paying as much attention as usual that evening. It was late and I was cleaning my cast iron pot and the cloth slipped. Oops. Instant second degree burns on 4 fingers. Ouch. I sent a photo to the medical office. And then I was grateful to my doctor back home. He knows me, and knowing me he had written me a prescription for Silvadene just because we all knew I would eventually get burnt cooking over a wood fire every day! All 4 fingers on left hand have burns and one on the right. Blisters and oozing.
Sadly, it is impossible to protect burns when everything has to be done by hand! Laundry – peels those blisters right off. Dishes – yup, more skin sloughes off. Washing hair – ouch ouch. So in pain and depressed and lonely. Atate said I should not do laundry. My mother said I should wear bandaids at all times and just change them when they get wet or dirty. I have a lot of parents between here and America and they all are very good at telling me what to do.
Finally my birthday. Burns had started to heal a bit, which is good. No infection, which is very good. So I helped the kids collect peanut plants. After the plants are pulled up and the peanuts [ground nuts here] harvested the farmers just throw the plants out or burn them. The plants have everything needed to improve soil, so I wanted to collect the ones thrown out. Kids are wonderful helpers. They know I reward work with coloring time. So we were collecting plants when a thorn stabbed into one of my burns. Ouch. I pulled out the thorn and blood was dripping. The kids just stared like they were watching a horror movie. I tried to break the spell. I pointed at the blood and asked “what do you call this?” And one little boy said, “You have a big problem.” So I still don’t know the word for blood in Nyanja. But I do know that bleeding is seen as a problem. The kids would not let me work anymore, and would not let me go near any of the plants. They love using the wheelbarrow, so it was a win-win. I didn’t get any more boo boos, and they got to steer the wheelbarrow! Amai Anne washed my laundry and comforter. I hauled the water. Scrubbing clothes by hand with blisters is really really painful! I was grateful for her help and fixed her some tea, a couple of my cherished oreo cookies, and a moringa tree I had sprouted.
Day 5 after getting burned, the burns still weep but Silvadene and band aids are visibly helping me heal. Bouncer gave me his worried look – I know it is just how his head wrinkles when he perks his ears up, but he looks so darned concerned!
Stinking Adorable!!!!!!!
And thus endeth June, month 2 in the vil, and my birthday. Another year older and definitely wiser about burns. And grateful that my Mom figured out how to order me new medical supplies and has requested more band aids. I love my support systems! Mom on her computer taking care of email and forms, Atate moving heavy stuff and generally looking out for me, Amai Anne doing my laundry, Maureen doing dog and house sitting when I go to trainings or meetings, kids moving and digging and fetching, Elizabeth walking with me to market so I won’t get charged muzungu prices, friends and family back home who write me letters and mail me things I can’t get here, and my Peace Corps friends and family. I may not have electricity or running water, but I am a very lucky person. Thank you.
Zambian Proverb: You learn a lot about a man by his behavior when hungry.
June 17, 2015 [posting late due to burns on hands]
One of my main goals is to build a model home garden to teach sustainable food gardening to improve nutrition. And without a hoe, in my first few months in Chundama, I have not been able to do anything on my official projects list other than plan plan plan. So frustrating! All I have done is feed a dog and plant some seeds.
But apparently I was teaching the importance of nutrition without even saying a word.
My host’s dog had puppies on May 5th. They are now 6 weeks old. Another dog in the village had puppies at the same time. both mama dogs look awful. Very malnourished. they both had the same number of pups – 5. I was told I can have one from my host’s litter if they lived.
Mama dog after pups were born
When I saw mama dog I was scared that all the puppies would die because she was so thin I could count her vertebrae! I had brought some dog food with me to Chundama because I knew I would be getting a dog sometime. So I put some food out for mama dog. She didn’t know what it was and the goats ate it all up. So then I fed her my leftovers and gradually taught her that dog food is edible. And mama dog gradually came to see my porch as a place to eat. And she made plenty of milk.
Mama dog is still skinny, but the puppy looks okay.
Over the last 6 weeks the puppies grew and started coming out of their den. They followed mama dog to my porch. Where they nursed, ate, and slept in a pile of pups.
The puppies grew fat and active, running around and chasing chickens, being scared by goat sneeze-fart sounds, and sitting to nurse from a standing mama dog. After 6 weeks they are half of mama’s height!
The other litter died. Mama dog wasn’t fed. Even though my mama dog was skinny, she was eating regularly and able to nurse and care for her pups. The other litter the mama dog didn’t have the energy or resources to feed and care for her pups. When I saw the last puppy it was so small and skinny, with an infected eye, listless and waiting for her turn to die. It was awful!
But the pups in my compound, with a mama dog being fed, all lived. My host was able to sell them for a higher price than usual because they were fat and healthy. They are so big and healthy that he is going to sell two of his adult male dogs and keep two of the puppies for himself!
And the only difference between the two litters, and a better price when selling, was that mama dog was fed.
I couldn’t have planned a better lesson for teaching the importance of nutrition! And now I have my own little Bouncer puppy. Well, kind of. I have to share with Diablo, my cat. Diablo thinks that Bouncer is HIS dog.
Diablo loves his puppy and grooms him every day.
The other thing I have done is plant seeds in my many recycled planters. Once people saw how well the dogs grew, they seemed to generalize that to my gardening as good for people. Every day women come to look at my hanging planters, seeing what has grown, and to be amazed that the seeds sprout and grow so quickly. They have only seen flowers or elephant ear plants in pots. Turning old containers into planters is a new idea to them. They also never planted gardens near their houses. Since the goats roam freely all plants nearby are doomed. For generations they have planted their food crops about 3 km away, planting crops to sell and also some dimba, or crops to keep. Even then the animals eat an enormous part of the produce! So they need to plant more to get any to sell or eat.
While they are familiar with fences, they rarely build one. The termites eat the wooden posts and so fences must constantly be rebuilt. Three women stopped by this morning and asked where I am going to plant my garden. I showed them my place to plant, outlined by stones, and they were disbelieving. Plant so close to the house?! What about goats and cows?! So I told them my plans for a living fence. New idea. But then again, I have things growing in old bottles, so perhaps it will work…. And the kids love my lemon grass and ask for pieces to eat.
My words are not really important. What counts is the evidence they see. Healthy strong large puppies, and the entire litter survived. Amazing! Healthy growing plants, not being eaten by livestock. Amazing!
So I am really really hoping that living fence grows before the termites eat my temporary posts [which have not yet appeared, of course, but someday…].
Carolyn in America Land!! 