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.
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