Thursday, November 1, 2007

another one

Hello all

I’m still doing well. Got into town yesterday for Halloween. We have a couple meetings so I’ll be in Serenje for a couple of days. I don’t want to spend a long time on here so I’ll just give you the highlights from the past couple weeks:

Got a package from my sister containing Old Bay. Best gift EVER. It’s great to add to potatoes or rice or just eating straight up. Other great food news: the honey is ready and it’s incredible! I also ate my first fried caterpillar the other day. Much better than you’d expect.

Mostly, I’ve just been visiting farmers, having meetings, tons of fun. But on the 23rd I went into Mkushi to get a shot for my pup and ended up 130km into the bush with a few friends who happened to be in town so we went to a place called Wonder Gorge. It was wonderful and gorgeous, but the 10 hrs in a car wasn’t great. We took a 4x4 mitsubishi pajero jr. It’s like a Montero, but the size of a Miata. The next day was Independence day so I watched the “parade.” Pretty much the kids marched from the school to the soccer field, some kids randomly blasted bugles or banged drums. All good fun.

So I came up with a great income generating activity. One of the farmers is going to buy (with my money) a bottle of chicken vaccine for 30,000 kwacha ($7.50). The bottle treats 1000 chickens and he is going to charge 50k per chicken that people want vaccinated. 20,000K profit to him, hopefully, and everyone will have healthier chickens. They’re all really excited about that.

I’m also excited about making fuel efficient stoves. We’re going to make a practice one in my kitchen (which now has a door!) and then invite the women’s group to Ba Mayo’s kitchen to see how it’s made. But first, they need to organize the women’s club.

Rats ate my solar shower. I’m bummed about that, but get slightly happier with each rat I kill. I’m up to 8. My goal is 75.

I now have cell service at my site (260 97 829 0243 in case you were wondering). That’s the exciting news in Kapeshi village.

My new favorite activity is going to the hill with the little kids and throwing rocks. No matter where you are, how old you are, all males like to go to high places and throw rocks. It’s true. Any scientific study will prove that.

So last time, I proposed a contest to see who would send me the best package. Now, I realize that this is no way to judge friendships, and there’s stuff in life more important than snacks (like gushers, fruit by the foot, trail mixes with wasabi peas, combos, or Swedish fish) or even magazines (such as car and driver, Maxim, road and track, beckett baseball card price guides preferably with articles about how Bond’s “record” impacts the price of baseball cards, notably a 1972 Topps Hank Aaron card in very good to near mint condition). And that no self respecting person would stoop so low as to guilt trip the generous people that he cares about so much into sending him a package in the mail to make hard times a little more bearable, enticing them with a gift package of their own worth a nominal value (which I’ve decided to increase from 25 to 50grand). Yes, good friends are there for your going away parties and gatherings-even when you have 4 and they live many hours away. Good friends are always thinking of you or at least on every Sunday when they sit down to write you a letter letting you know you’re missed and that they’re proud of you. That’s what Becky does, but Becky-good friends also send Snickers. There ARE starving people in Africa who would appreciate those leftovers on your plate, SLOP for you Echo Hillians, so box that up and ship it out C/O Patrick Horley/PCV Peace Corps PO Box 850010, Serenje Zambia
That’s all for now.