It's been a while since I wrote last. I think it was just after the death of President Mwanawasa. Zambian elections were held on 30 October. As Peace Corps volunteers, we're forbidden to express opinions on politics. I don't think we're forbidden to express opinion on our forbiddance to express opinions so I'll say I don't like it. One goal of PC is cultural exchange, for Zambians to see what Americans are like, and most Americans have opinions on politics. Instead we just appear apathetic, which I am not. Anyway, Rupiah Banda won. Upon hearing the news, I was overtaken by a wave of extreme indifference!.........
Work is coming along nicely. My field is ready for rain and seeds. I'll be planting the same stuff as last year, just more of it. It was considerably easier work this year because I'd maintained the land and weeded it. Well, half of it…the other half hadn't been maintained and had stumps, weeds and lava flows to deal with.
My farmers are doing well. They're helping each other with surveying, measuring, even building their ponds which makes my job easier but now I'm getting overwhelmed with too many farmers. I like it though, it keeps me busy.
My best farmer out here, George, harvested a couple weeks ago. He got about 10kg which isn't great, isn't horrible. I bought 2kg from him but instead of money, he asked me to buy him baby clothes next time I went to town. Well, I'm a smart man and three days later concluded that his wife is expecting. So the last time I was in town, one of the other volunteers helped me pick out baby clothes. But she thinks there's going to be a little half white baby in Kapeshi village. No idea how she came to that conclusion…ok, I do know how, but after knowing me for 16 months, no idea why she'd believe that.
Mwenso is doing well. He's a dad now too. He disappeared one night around 6 and never returned. I looked for him, called him, he didn't show. A man was selling bush meat and I started to worry, but a passerby said he was at Mr. Beselo's house. Mr. Beselo has a female dog. An ugly bitch with an underbite (I can say that, she's a female dog!). I think Mwenso could do better but maybe she has a nice personality (which I don't think so because she always growls at me). So I went to get him and he was lying down right beside his little pup. Mom was maybe 12 feet away. I called Mwenso and he came running but turned around about halfway because his pup started whimpering. It was really cute. Mwenso was torn between me and his new family. I won because I feed him. Yet another deadbeat dad…Oh! He also does a new trick. I put food on his nose and he balances it until I say ok and he flicks is up and catches it. A few days ago he held it for 45 seconds!
Emily Richardson came to visit me all the way from the states. Well, she came to visit her sister Julia who is a volunteer in the next province north, but they came to visit me at my site which was great fun.
I went to Lusaka in late September for my medical checkup. My liver's still there so that's cool. After that I helped the newest batch of volunteers do their shopping for the next 2 years, but none of them took my advise and bought 2 years' worth of fresh veggies. They'll be sorry…Since I was leaving 2 days later for a fishing trip it was decided I needed a mullet. I'd been training for this moment for the past 7 months or so and I was ready. It went well with my mustache I'd worked on and the cut-off jean shorts. I met my fishing buddies for dinner and afterward we crashed a party with a Miami Vice theme. Three of the four of us had cutoff shorts though I don't think it was ever discussed, just a natural thing to do. We looked ridiculous and put the party host to shame with our awesomeness.
The next morning we hitched south for our attack on the Zambezi. The last few km of the trip a crazy drunk lady offered us a ride. I ended up driving which was a good idea. We set up camp, cooked a delicious dinner of steak in a mushroom and garlic cream sauce and baked potatoes. We spent the next morning holding fishing poles beside the river. We decided it was better to take baby steps. Once we got the appearance of fishermen down, we decided to start catching things. That was the evening's plans. So we caught some baitfish- 4 small catfish. The plan for the next morning was to cast our lines with baitfish on the end. We understood the importance of crawling before walking. You don't just show up on the 'Bezi and say "I'ma catch me some tigerfish!" But just after we decided to start catching them, one of my group got a call from the bosslady…Busted for being AWOL. So we packed up, hitched back to Lusaka. He had his meeting while I had a pizza. His punishment? Not allowed to leave his district until forever…Foreverrr…FOORRRRREEEVVVVVEEEERRRR…
We had our yearly (sometimes) Lala tribal festival here in Lala land. Being some of the laziest people ever (the name lala means to sleep) last year the festival never happened. This year wasn't great. Just a lot of drunks trying to buy my white female friends from me to take as wives. I have SO many goats now!
As always, I had to say goodbye to some friends since the last email. At least 7 PCVs have left—either finished service, were medically separated or quit to go home and find out that the grass isn't really that much greener. I'm still considering extending my time here, but there are times I've decided that no way am I going to extend. My grandfather died in October and I really would have liked to have been there with him and the family. I've heard of several friends getting married, buying houses or starting real life, though I hate to say it, I'm a little jealous. But I consider the problems with our economy, port job market and our ridiculous dependency on well…everything- convenience, oil, electricity and suddenly my hut is more of a home.
I'm planning a nice little vacation to Lake Malawi for Christmas. Then down to the coast of Mozambique (where I hear its very nice to spend a week or two, according to Mr. Bob Dylan) for New Year's and to meet Lou and Astra and we'll travel through Swaziland into South Africa.......
It's an interesting time to be in Africa. Political changes in South Africa after their president resigned..... And then there's Kenya celebrating the US elections and of course we had our Zambian elections.
I'd have loved to be in Kenya for our elections. They took a great deal of interest in the outcome, just as I and many other volunteers did. We had a big party in Mkushi to watch the updates. Good times.
Well, I'm bored with this as you probably are too. But in closing I'm going to list my ideas for post PC life that I'd like your input on. Should I 1) Build a raft and raft the Mississippi Huck Finn style? 2) join a band of Somali pirates? (They're having a decent year, unlike the Pittsburgh Pirates last season) 3) Wonder aimlessly around the world until I find something to keep my attention? 4) NGO work (maybe in Ethiopia if that guy ever responds to my email)? 5) Find a real job stateside? 6) Teach English in Asia? 7) Spend another year in Zambia? Please say #2!
