Mwapoleni Mukwai!! (Greetings). I am in Lusaka on my way to Lake Kariba in Southern Province, home of the Tonga tribe. It is my first real vacation and I am really excited for a break. So much has happened since I last wrote. Things in the village are going really well. I am still really busy and trying to put all of my various projects into action. Work with my Neighborhood Health Committees is going well. I just trained my second group and have a third in December. Im also working on various other trainings and workshops including Soya cooking/Nutrition, Anti-Aids clubs & HIV education, and a preschool project. I've been able to attend some cultural events including the big Bemba festival last month. President Mwanawasa helicoptered in and gave a speech among the traditional dances and performances. Each tribe in Zambia has a traditional festival once a year and I was excited to be able to go. Zambia is so rich with song and dance. It is remarkable to see the little ones and the elders shake and twist to the drums.
As I experience more and more here I continually learn about the nuances of the Bemba culture. The Bembas are the largest tribe in Zambia and the language is the most widely spoken of the 74 here. They are known for their sense of humor, strange cuisine (monkeys, caterpillars, and termites among other things), and tribal unity. One interesting thing I just learned about is when a woman is menstruating she will place a red bead on the bed to let her husband know it's that time of the month. He will take it and put in on the table and when she is finished she will replace it with a white bead meaning she is pure again. The women here are something else. They are tough as nails and I often see them in the fields working, carrying 20 liter water jugs on their heads with a child on one hand and another on their backs. They never stop working. It often takes hours to prepare food considering they go collect it in the bush, pound and cut, gather firewood, fetch water, and then begin cooking. It has been such an enriching experience to witness, and take part in.
The rains are coming and my roof is a bit leaky. My villagers have been gathering grass to re-thatch my roof for months (they take really good care of me). The nightly lightning and thunder storms have been a refreshing change from the dry heat of October, however I'm nervous to see what the full power of the rain brings. My villagers have been warning me about the snakes because they tend to seek dry warm places during the rains. A few nights ago I arrived home after dark and opened my storage room (across from my hut) to put my bike in and I heard some rustling. I figured it was the mouse who has made a home there. I flashed my light in the back corner and next to my spare bike tube (which has startled me before with its long black shape) was a long black tail. I stood there in shock for a good 10 seconds before it registered what it was. "wait a second...this tube has a TAIL" It moved and I screamed, bolted out of the room, and stood hyperventilating for a few minutes before I ran to my neighbor who came with his 6 kids (all carrying sticks) to save the day. Turns out it was a 30 inch black cobra who was probably seeking shelter and following the mouse. I was hysterical for a few hours, but then I composed myself and was able to relax. I was pretty proud considering my paralyzing fear. I only had nightmares for the next 2 nights and vowed to get a cat which i'm working on. Ohh life in a mud hut!
I am looking forward for the land to turn green and for my farmers to start cultivating. Most of my village is having a rough start to planting season because the Government decided to cut way back on fertilizer subsidies this year and failed to tell anyone in advance. A lot of my villagers requested 10-12 bags and only received 2 . People are in quite a flurry about it considering the bags run about 120,000 kwacha and they usually get them at 50-60,000 through the gov. People didn't have time or the information to budget for the cut back so they will be suffering next year when harvest comes. Fertilizer is a make or break asset to a farmer here in Zambia.
I'm really happy here and loving Zambia and the village. I can't express how lucky I feel to be here and how much I appreciate your support, letters and packages...Ok I'll try to update again soon.
MUCH LOVE...lisa