The first full week in Zambia has been great. Zack and I
arrived late last Saturday after our long journey from the United States. Ever
since then we have been getting acquainted with the monastery, village, and
people of Katibunga.
Every day we wake around 6:45am to make it to 7:30am breakfast. We don’t really need time to get ready considering hygiene isn’t a main concern in the middle of Africa, but it’s nice to get up and read and discuss our crazy dreams (the malaria medication we take has a side-effect of giving you vivid dreams and it’s not lying) prior to eating and starting our day. Also, when you go to bed around 8:00pm every night you are ready to get up by 6:45am. By the time we wake the monks are already at Morning Prayer considering it begins at 5:30am.
From breakfast, Zack and I are able to do as we like which,
for the past week, has been exploring the local surroundings. We have found
that it is good to take strolls through the streets so we are seen and become
familiar faces. The first couple of days were tough because most people weren’t
aware of who we were or why we were there, however now that we have picked up
on the basic Bemba greetings (Mshani – How are you, and Mwashebukenye – Good morning)
and have been out and about quite a bit we are receiving a warmer welcome. Most
kids wave and smile big smiles when we pass by which is wonderful to see. I
also believe that speaking Bemba helps because it shows that we respect their
culture and way of life.
Now that we have mastered the most basic words such as: How
are you, good morning, thank you, you’re welcome, and bye we are eager to use
them. When we wake we think of it as our “go-time” because we know that we can
rattle off some Bemba words and impress the locals (even though they probably
aren’t too impressed we still think were special ha). So once noon rolls around
we resort to a lot of Mshani because Mwashebukenye won’t do anymore.
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| The refectory |
From noon, we meet the brothers for midday prayer at 12:40pm
and then walk to the refectory for lunch at 13:00 (1:00pm). At each meal a few
brothers wait on the others by serving the main dish, making sure everyone has what
they need, and by taking the empty plates away to be cleaned. The dishes are
all cleaned by hand and then reset for the next meal.
After lunch, Zack and I find some time to read and exercise.
We usually make our way up the hill that sits behind the monastery with our
books. We enjoy the hike up and we are able to read in peace up on top. There
is a cross that sits atop the hill which is beautiful and creates a nice place
to think and read. I brought a number of books with me to Africa and I will be
finishing the first today. It is called “A Clash of Kings” which is the second
book in the Game of Thrones series. I had read the first and always wanted to
read the rest. This year will give me the time to do so.
In addition to reading and exercising, Zack and I have met a
few people who work at the secondary school. No one is telling us what needs to
be done or what needs help so it is up to us to find out where help is needed
most. It has come to our knowledge that the school is where they need the most
help. There are hundreds of kids here and only a few teachers. Therefore, we
spoke with the head master and the only two science teachers in Katibunga and
found that they would like us to teach biology and physics. I will be teaching
11th grade biology starting in September and going into December
while Zack will be teaching 10th grade physics. The month of August
is a break month that allows the children to stay at home and help their family’s
work and harvest food from the farms.
Now, if you know me, you are probably thinking “Why in the
heck is Joseph teaching biology?” You’re right, I did not get a biology degree,
but in central Africa these things do not necessarily matter as much as they do
in the United States. They told me they would like me to teach the nervous system,
health and disease, and homeostasis. All three of these topics I am well
informed on due to my psychology degree and common knowledge. Also, there are
only three main topics to be covered because it takes much longer to teach and
learn material here. I will have to speak in very slow basic English for the
students to understand. That is why I will only be covering three topics in
three months.
Zack and I are excited to have found a job and to get to
work. In the meantime (August) Zack and I plan to help with the medical clinic
and tutor students so they are ready to go when September rolls around. We also
hope to visit Victoria Falls with the free time we have in August because we
here it is a must-see in Zambia. We are obviously not sure what kind of work we
will be doing in Tanzania, but we plan to switch things up when we get there.
As the day progresses, dinner comes into the picture around
18:45 (6:45pm). The monks come from evening prayer and meet us for dinner.
Dinner is a fun time because we are able to speak about our days and laugh at
the things we come across. The monks are great conversationalists and are fun
to talk with.
After dinner the time is usually 19:45 (7:45pm) and the sun
has gone down. The village is quiet and the monks pack off to their rooms and
head to bed. Zack and I retreat to our room and prepare our mosquito nets for
the night and either read or watch a show on his computer to help us fall
asleep. We are getting plenty of sleep because now that we have become use to
their way of life here it is normal for us to be sound asleep by 20:45-21:00
(8:45-9:00pm).
So that’s the typical day thus far, but once school starts
up our free time will be filled with class time.
A quick note on some
other matters:
Hygiene: So
hygiene isn’t a major concern here in Zambia. Of course we (at least Zack and
I) wash our hands and what not, but I am speaking more about showers and
bathing. Most people don’t have access to running water and the one’s that do
(the monks) don’t wash every day. In fact, you get so dusty and messy every day
it’s almost pointless. So, therefore, Zack and I have also resorted to
showering twice a week. I shower on Sunday and rinse off on Thursday. Yeah…yeah…gross.
Okay, but in our defense, us Americans actually clean way too often. In fact, it’s
very healthy for you to allow the natural oils in your hair to remain. Shampoo washes
them out. Also, we save the water the monastery has for when we truly need it
so cleaning once or twice a week fits with the lifestyle here. Additionally,
there are no water heaters in Katibunga so they use the sun to heat the water.
However, the best time to shower is at night so it’s usually cold water. It’s
one quick rinse. Turn the shower off so Joseph doesn’t get hypothermia. Lather.
And then another quick rinse.
Safari: A
visiting monk from Germany stayed here for two days and while he was here he
wanted to go to a game park. Father Richard was his name and he was a very nice
man. We quickly befriended him and so he invited us to go with. There is a game
park about 35 kilometers away from Katibunga so that is where we went. The
brush was thick so it was difficult to see many animals from where we were so I
would say the safaris in South Africa were much more fun, but it was a great
time nonetheless. We saw zebra, elephants, impala, and antelope. Father Richard
left yesterday for another monastery, but before leaving he invited Zack and I
to visit his monastery in Germany sometime. So, who knows, we might be stopping
in Germany on the way home next year.
Tutoring: Zack
and I helped a student named Isaac with his biology homework the other day. It
involved topics like ball-in-socket joints, hinge joints, reproduction, meiosis,
genetics, and DNA. It was fun and you could tell he was very happy to have us
help him. Considering we are teachers now, we will be called Mr. Zack and Mr.
Joseph. We don’t really care if they use Mr., but that’s what the other
teachers want us to be called. A lot of people call me Usefu (pronounced:
oosefoo) because that is my name in Bemba. I like it.
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| The weather is perfect. |
Bugs: Yes, there
are bugs here, but because it is winter I think there are less of them. They do
have massive spiders about the size of my palm and some the size of my hand,
but we have become use to seeing them around. They tend to stay near the ceiling
anyways. Also, Zack and I joke that the bugs are scared of our room because we inspect
and exterminate every living thing that makes the unfortunate decision to
enter. There are also snakes (cobras, black mambas, and just about every other
kind), but they are more common in the summer time so we will be keeping our
eyes peeled for them.
Church: There are
two masses, one with the monks and one with the villagers and last Sunday Zack
and I went to the one with the villagers. It was done in Bemba, but I was still
able to follow along fairly well because, well, it’s mass and the Catholic
Church only does mass one way. However, the homily was close to two hours long –
no joke. I guess there isn’t too much going on, on Sundays and mass is supposed
to be a celebration so I believe that is why Sunday mass is so long here. The
most interesting and fascinating part of the service was the bringing up of the
gifts. Each woman lined up with a pot of food or other offering on their head
and paraded in. They then gave the offering over to the priest. It was very
cool to see and definitely not like anything you’d see in America. At the end,
Father Francis introduced us to the congregation. Most of them came up and
shook our hands and welcomed us. That was nice to see.
Weather: For all
the things Zambia lacks in it makes up with weather. It is literally perfect
out every day. Sunny, blue skies and 78 degrees with a light breeze is the
typical forecast here. Every time we step outside we sarcastically say “Hmmm…weird,
it’s nice out!” J
Well, that’s all for now. I will try to post twice a week if
I can. Thanks for reading!
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