Keep on, keeping on...

So it has been far to long for an update, which I apologize a million times over. It has been an interesting time with every time I sit down to start writing either I run out of time or get called away so thankfully I have a nice free couple of hours to do as I please! So a quick run through...

Summary:
Rainy season, though short, was intense. Talking about 24 hours of rain and sometimes just ten inches of rain dropping in a couple hours, destroying dams, houses and anything else that was in the wrong place or wasn't designed for such an event. My closest neighbor and I organized flood relief with the government which was a good experience overall, though very sad at times. I was able to manage the construction of some flood control systems which worked out much better then expected so that felt good, there is more to the story with this whole situation but a public blog probably isn't the place to talk about so you can message me whenever you want a more detailed account.

No construction was done on the irrigation system during rainy season because that would of just been a disaster. The rain ended in March though and we had been hoping that the contractor would arrive to finish the system in April but they arrive just three weeks ago after we sent a letter to the Chinese Embassy that they would be fired if everything wasn't completed by the end of May. Lets just say that got their attention and things have moved more in the last three weeks then in the seven months at my site! It is exciting but still a little concerning how everything will work out in the end because planting the 555 hectares of sugarcane will take a good bit of time which we might not have. I am still feeling positively about it though, it should work out this year.

On the fish farming front I dug a pond and number of farmers have dug or began to dig their ponds in preparation for the system to be completed. My pond has been a pain though with constant leaks but I think that has been all solved with banana leaf's. One farmer is even digging four right now, got super motivated after seeing my pond which was a satisfying feeling. It was also determined that we could put fish cages in the irrigation reservoirs which will dramatically increase the fish production in the area and hopefully pain for all the electricity to pump water for irrigation, which will allow farmers to use as they please without a complicated pay structure, though that will still be needed as a fall back because the area will be built up dramatically agriculturally once water arrives. We are also setting up a commercial sunflower press in our area. I received a grant through Peace Corps Small Project Assistance Program and will be getting the press up and running next month. On Friday we bought all the parts and motors we needed to get it running, feels good to be moving forward with projects! If all goes well it should be a very profitable development for the area and allow for use to have access to fish and livestock feeds for much cheaper and closer.

Went to South Africa and that was a bit of a cultural shock because well, I had really gotten used to Zambia as my comfort zone. South Africa is basically as developed as the States infrastructure wise compared to Zambia so it is just a weird feeling to come into that again. It was a wonderful trip though and met some really lovely people. On the way back I was finally able to go and see Victoria Falls which was better then advertised, which is impressive since it is truly a natural wonder of the world. The amount of water that goes over those falls is ridiculous! Livingstone is a really nice town as well but still has a Zambian feel which I appreciate, though I think that is just because I was staying in a hostel and not the fancy hotels haha.

That pretty much sums up the highlights of the last few months but plenty more happened that just isn't coming to mind unfortunately. In two weeks I am heading over to Malawi for a few days with some friends, so looking forward to putting another country on my list of visited. Below I will just mention some things that make me laugh/smile about Zambia almost on a daily basis...

Tid Bits:
The names here are just amazing... Freezer, Parent, Lovelock, Nervous, and I could go on all day!

Watching four year old's ride a grown man's bike, I need to take a picture of it because I really didn't believe it was possible.

How dramatic Zambians are, everything is either the worst or the best.

Having little kids run after me yelling "BA MATEYO, BA MATEYO!!!", great improvement from mazungu over and over. Also though being famous is a pain in the butt, no one really likes taking pictures with random fans or being yelled or followed and stared at haha.

Waking up in a hut, I really do smile every morning I get to enjoy in my village, it is a true blessing that not everyone is fortunate enough to have.

How superficial the typical Zambain male is, wonderful entertainment whenever that surfaces.

How much people love having their picture take and how no one smiles in pictures, it is like everyone just puts blue steel on no matter the situation!

Hitch hiking... it is not safe for girls alone in this country which is sad but really some of the coolest and best contacts I have made in this country is through hitch hiking. It is awesome and really the greatest networking tool I have for my province I think.

Twalumba

So the past two weeks have been quite interesting in my area. The Chinese contractors that built the irrigation system for my area were out testing to receive a certificate of completion so they could receive their final payment. Unfortunately the system failed pretty much everywhere and I feel that whats most unfortunate is that I wasn't there biking and watching the whole thing they probably would of tried to just tell everyone it passed. Anyways since it failed so bad and it took them so many years to finish we have decided to fire them if the community agrees to do the corrections themselves. Should be interesting because apparently now I will be the manager of the work so we will see how that goes. I feel pretty good about, especially since it is work that I have basically done my whole life but I have never had to be one of the point people to decide what equipment should be bought with the basically half a million dollars that we are saving by not paying the contractors the last payment, should be very interesting. One aspect that will be less fun is I have to go to the capital far more then I would like to since the project managers will want updates, the city is just way to expensive for a volunteer that is all I know.

I also found out that one of the research stations about 25 km from my house was actually beginning to build rope pumps a couple years ago under a program that I was connected with last month run by Mr. Henk Holtslag. That got me very excited since I was planning to build them in my area and wasn't sure where to start but since they already have a lot of the materials and basic training it should be much easier to get it going again, especially since I about ten farmers that would buy the pumps right now in Manyonyo. Now I just need to build some EMAS drilling set ups and pumps and groundwater should be flowing very nicely soon in the Neganega river basin!

My garden is looking delicious, already getting some beans and zucchini. Tomatoes, peppers and water melons are not far behind. Even though food is extremely cheap in the village it is going to be nice to just walk to my backyard and get some veggies. Chickens will be coming after rainy season, probably April. Also I made a deal with my host father that for every fruit tree that he buys I will buy one too. He says he will be buy fifty, not sure if I believe him yet, but if he does that will be awesome because he will have an awesome orchard and maybe if we just plant fruit trees everywhere the trees will stay instead of be used for charcoal. I will be heading to Victoria Falls for the first time at the end of next month, pumped about that, and what is even better is I found work to do down there so I don't even think I will have to use vacation days or pay for a hotel because the man owns a hotel as well but needs help with his fish ponds. Should be a nice workcation. It is pretty funny that even here in Zambia I don't know how to go anywhere without trying to do work at the location, I guess that will just never change.

So anyways life, is lovely, almost getting to busy but haven't gotten there yet, still able to complete things when they are suppose to be done. I think that is also because it is Zambia and things are somehow always delayed a little bit so I have more time then I think. As always packages and letters are beautiful, if anyone wants to send me an espresso maker I would be very happy, just saying!

Just roll with it...

Over the course of the last four weeks my anticipated slow rainy season has gone from mildly busy to basically a 12 hour a day job. How is this possible in rural Zambia? I still don't really know how it all came about but I will try and summarize in this small blog post. First it was determined that since I would be in Manyonyo for the next two years I should also have space in the office of the new irrigation my settlement just started, helping with the maintenance of the canals and pumps when need to be and integrated agriculture practices. That sounded great and I think they will be installing internet, which is basically cheating for me since it will be so close. Second, I was introduced to Mr. Helk Holtslag, who it turns out is a huge deal for groundwater development in developing countries and is starting to work in my region of Zambia. Next I visited a farm near by that basically grows the best coffee I have ever tasted and turns out they are trying to restart an irrigation project for the whole area and asked if I wanted to help. Finally this past week I spent three days meeting with individuals from the Swedish government and the local Municipal Council on this project that is basically trying to help Mazabuka develop sustainably instead of trying to redo mistakes, it turns out I am now on the steering committee and the technical adviser for all of the civil and environmental engineering aspects of the project, which is basically half of it. It also turns out this project is the pilot project for what they hope is sustainable urban development for Africa, that seems a bit ambitious but not a bad goal.

So how all these situations have come about is a mystery to me but to say the least I am excited because even if all of them fall through I still have plenty of fish farming to do at my site once the irrigation system is completed. Naturally, I am expecting many delays and road blocks for most of the projects over the next few months but just to know I can be working on something everyday will be a very nice feeling. This whole experience has been interesting though to reflect on the situation that I am in. In all of the projects I am the only person that actually lives and works in the environment that the projects hope to some how help or improve. It dawned on me while I was in the board meetings or individual meetings that while these people might have good intentions, they have no real connection to the area and really don't understand what people go through on a day to day basis. What has been even more interesting is seeing the perspective of the government officials, while they have good intentions they are still part of what you could call the 1%, with most of them never living under a thatched roof. While that doesn't make a person more understand or considerate or caring it does usually help with perspective and to understand that these communities hear people tell them they are going to help every week, but usually nothing changes. I am curious how we are going to truly engage the users and beneficiaries of these projects. There are plenty of ideas on how to do this, but the follow through is all that matters.

This just on the work front, life has had plenty of other tid bits but that will have to wait for another post. I still haven't gone to bed without a smile on my face, which I really don't understand how is possible but wont be complaining about it. My garden is starting to do good work and I will post pictures when it looks good enough. Finally got some furniture and have some how read seven books since being posted. I got a new bike as well, which is basically the greatest gift ever and will finally be able to bike without fearing something will break every time. Now if anyone wants to send me anything the wish list is now just send cheese mix sauce, noodle are easy and cheap here, bbq sauces and hot sauces, Lawry's seasoned salt, cliff bars as usual, wine and Hendricks would still be amazing, pictures of yourself, things, me and you or anything (I need to make my house prettier), and world maps! So that is all for now, but should have another post much sooner and more detailed.

Is this real?

So my first two weeks at site have been... interesting. All in very good ways but last night I was thinking "Am I really in Africa?". In my head nothing was what I was anticipating, so I started trying to compile everything that should feel foreign to me because I couldn't believe everything that has taken place. It was in this time reflecting that I realized I was mentally preparing myself for the worst, most incomprehensible situations, to not be to shocked if it came to fruition.  In my head before coming here I was preparing myself to see just the most extreme depressing poverty that exists, everyone has seen the pictures, its intense. So not seeing that everyday, having people show up on time (kind of), having access to electricity, email and internet on my phone, not to far from water, kids go to school and have shoes (barely shoes, but they are technically), educated community members that execute plans (in the general sense, nothing like the States) and seeing another white person (not that I really want to, it just is not typical haha) usually every other day has made the first two weeks seem easier then they should be.

This past Wednesday was Zambian Independence Day, while the country was celebrating, plenty of people were still working. In the meeting I attend during the morning part of the day I heard something that I will probably never forget. I asked "Why are you working today?", to which the secretary of the Water Association answered "You can't have independence without sweat." So I agree with that statement on a number of levels but it really is not what I expected to hear from anyone in my community, mostly because of preconceived notions that have pretty much all been shattered so far. The next event that surprised me is I found out yesterday that the director of my districts agriculture department just completed his Masters in Environmental Engineering at probably the best institute in the world for EE. Needless to say after meeting him we talked for the next three hours and will be having a busy time over the next two years. Then there was the day with my district commissioner, after I and another volunteer walked into his office to introduced ourselves I went on to spend the next six hours and got a free ride home in a new LandRover, while on the way home he took my blackberry, made a phone call and got me free internet, really?!

Then there are the farmers, who are suppose to be lazy and say they are going to do something and then never do it. So I have had about twenty meetings so far, every time I tell them wait till April to start building, it will be easier. What do they do? Well the ones that already have water decide to just build it because, well "We aren't working on anything right now so better to be busy then not". Really? There is also another farmer who had already dug a pond and said he was going to fill it in the next month. In my head I was like alright so in two months it will be filled. He filled it Friday. I have commercial farmers that are asking if the rural farmers need their equipment (just buy the gas), never had a meeting start more then 30 minutes late, the school is saying they need to improve hygiene and want to know how I can help and these are just the simplest easiest things for me to type. All these things I was suppose to try and work to establish. Is it really this easy?

Well it is, but then I realized everything is about perspective. When you come in expecting the worst possible results and get mediocre, in your mind that is basically shooting for the stars and reaching them. Last night I wanted to remind myself that not everything is good. Their is malnutrition in plenty of the young children (not enough protein), deforestation is a huge problem, there is very depressing alcoholism visible, the schools and clinics are understaffed, the roads are not great (though they are pretty good compared to others), there is air pollution from so much burning of cane, cooking and other materials, water pollution and depletion of fish stocks is a huge problem, and there is still a huge income disparity. I had to remind myself that I poop in a hole, my arms go numb carrying two 20 L cans from the borehole, I have a thatched roof, I cook on charcoal outside (will suck during rainy season), I bike at least 30 km a day to get anything done, I have no electricity (though I have access to it close by), every night I worry about snakes in my bed and have at least a couple bugs that some how get around the net, I wash everything by hand, it never cools down so I sweat about two gallons of water a day, and everything is always dirty.

It is nice that I had to remind myself of that though because I feel like that is how you become complacent when you just accept the way things are when really their is an appropriate and sustainable solution that can not only make your life healthier but more efficient and more in balance with the creation. Hopefully I keep reminding myself that their is always room for improvement, something I would do regular in the states but seems it could of slipped away when you don't have it at the fore front of your mind. No pictures in this post but many next. I have a direct address now... P.O. Box 670503, Mazabuka, Southern Province, Zambia. Trust me even though my site is better then expected, its not perfect and having anything that makes life more efficient or flavorful is awesome. Herb seeds are near the top of my list right now since I can't seem to find them anywhere! So in conclusion, I am still preparing myself to be let down or be disappointed because really it is nice coming home every night happy and impressed, hope it keeps going. Its not all roses, but marigolds are definitely about to bloom.

In the South!

So where to begin... training as expected was long and tedious but overall it did what it intended.
Learned a good bit of Tonga, some information about fish and slept through how to build ponds and dams because honestly who hasn't done that? Oh wait not everyone is a Civil Engineer. Training as  a whole was roller coaster of an experience. A trainee died two months into service, my grandfather passed away on the same day, missing family, not being able to communicate with people easily back home, getting sick, never actually being clean all compounded living in Zambia. It is crazy actually,  I never thought I would turn into a clean freak but I clean myself all the time now and it is the best feeling ever, especially my feet it is a little obsessive! I have also lost a ton of weight, about 22 pounds to be exact,  almost looking like Alex Cegelski now! I learned a great deal about myself, more then I thought I would during the first three months but I am happy that everything happened the way it has. Looking back there are a few things I would of done differently but overall life is about moving forward and  learning from the experiences put before you. I was told countless times I would go through these things and I always brushed them off but now living through them it is hard to put them into words because they are just unique feelings laying in your hut lonely and helpless but still calm and at peace with what is going on around you, its a weird feeling to say the least.

I am being posted in the Southern Province of Zambia, in the District of Mazabuka, in the Village of Manyonyo on the Kafue River. If you are curious enough you can find it on Google Earth. The site  is a bit crazy because well I would not consider it Zambia. They are finishing an irrigation system  for the whole area that probably cost millions of dollars and will be done in March. So I am not really  living in the most rural village, especially since my host family has solar panels and cars. I am excited though because its close to Lusaka and there are a number research opportunities. I will be posted to my village this coming Friday and am looking forward to actually beginning my service in the village and not being protected and coddled like a five year old, but we needed it really considering how over confident we can be as Americans in dangerous places.

The next two years will be an interesting experience to say the least. It is going to be frustrating to say the least but this country has so much potential it seems like its about to explode. I am looking forward  to trying to work with the project in Lusaka regarding water and sanitation, there seems to be a great deal of opportunity in developing the ground water in this country, transportation is good for urban areas, but rural areas def lack access to markets to get out of poverty and aquaculture is a sector that has pretty much endless growth in this country because everyone is obsessed with fish!

If anyone wants to meet me in South Africa in April I'll be happy to see you! If you want to meet in Ghanna in  September for the Feast, I hope you can make it! I have an idea of where I will be the following April and October  as well but we will hold off on that till a later date. I have a nice dream list including any sauces from America, mac and cheese, any unlocked sim card phones, any solar equipment that you have laying around, wine?, hendricks?, cliff bars, spices, seeds, any tools or kitchen utensils (they are mad expensive), girl scout cookies, real deoderant, good cue tips, soap (Dr. Bronners), and drink mixes. To conclude this experience is just now beginning but  so far it has been just about everything I was expecting, though I am not nearly as mentally and emotionally strong as I thought I was but that is what this is all about, should be an awesome two years!

Reservoir for site

Compound and hut to the left

Cooking hut and chimbuzi

In the beginning...

‘Are you ready?’, it’s usually a simple enough question but it seems like I have been asked that 183 times in the last two months and each time I give a different answer, I can’t blame them because I ask people it as well. It is such a weird question to me though because I am numb to the feeling of leaving. I feel like I should have left months ago, if not years ago. How could this be? Well I actually happened upon an interesting goal I wrote down about 8 years ago on August 15th, 2004, ‘work in Africa within the next 10 years’, it was placed in between the goals of dunking and having larger arms then my brother by the end of the year. It made me laugh but realize this endeavour has been at the forefront of my mind for almost as long as I can remember. The route that I have wished to get to these goals has changed many times though over the years.

As I have been preparing for this day of departure I have spent many hours reflecting on all the events and people that have been influential and integral to reaching this point. From family and friends, to coaches and professors who have all given me small tidbits of advice or life lessons that have shaped who I am and God willing will achieve in the future. It is weird to feel like I am just beginning what I have been focused on training for since I read Swiss Family Robinsons for the first time (I know that doesn’t seem to relate, but somehow that is when I first decided I was going to work in developing countries haha). At the same time there is the possibility that I won’t be able to handle it and the last decade or so will not have been as integral to my professional career as I had thought. Do I believe this will happen? No, but it is never good to not prepare for all possible situations.

I have always had an urge and desire to work in developing countries for many reasons but what it really all boils down to is that I feel like it is the only job that will truly challenge me everyday. There is nothing easy about working with extremely limited resources solving very complex and interlinked problems. There is no simple solution, no one size fits all solution. It is also necessary to solve problems simultaneously or no benefits will be sustainable. Health, income, access, mobility, and education, to name a few, all require interdisciplinary solutions and neither will stand unless they are all improved. While my work in Zambia will slightly be related to these issues through my official title as a Peace Corps Volunteer I am ecstatic about the opportunity to research and investigate these issues over the next two or three years. To be expected my goals are outlandishly high, but that is to be expected I would suppose, and I can’t say that I will reach them but all you can do is try.

So as I finish up my preparations for departure I look forward to sharing what I learn and many entertaining stories and events that are sure to come up over my time of service. For those who wish to write or send me anything while I am in Zambia my address for the first three months is below. I love letters so don’t be shy and I’ll be sure to write plenty myself! Oh an cover them in Bible verses, apparently that stops people from opening them up.

Matthew Gaston
US Peace Corps/Zambia,
PO Box 50707, Lusaka, Zambia

So in conclusion I can only say, yes, I am ready...