Caterpillars, Elephantiasis and Biopsych

I have been here alone for over a month now and I am getting by well. It is tough not having an English speaker around or someone that can relate to me on things, but I do enjoy my own space. I can have things the way I want them and being the organized person that I am this is nice.

For lunch on Wednesday we had something called polony (yes, with a p) that I think was sausage. I was skeptical at first, but it was actually quite good. I would put it up there with bean day which is saying something. However, my luck with food turned when dinner came around. The main dish was cow intestine again. Then, to go one step further, they unveiled something new. It was a bunch of fried caterpillar. Yum. (Can’t a man just get some beans up in here? Ha!)

I knew caterpillar was a popular meal in this part of the world but I didn’t plan on chomping down on any. However, I am one who has to experience everything once and Prior Nzota was joking about me not having any so to put an end to the comments and curiosity I threw one down the old pipe. I’ll be honest, it wasn’t as bad as I’d thought it would be, but that doesn’t mean I will be going out to search for some caterpillars to eat any time soon. I also couldn’t seem to compare it to anything else. It was a new taste.

Kids following me while on my walk.

When on my walks I noticed many of the kids climbing trees in search of caterpillars. Many of them will show me the biggest one they caught. I suppose you should eat what you have available to you.

Then, to make the nights far-from delectable meal a bit more interesting Br. Gardens (yes, Gardens) got up to make an announcement. Br. Gardens is a dentist in Chilonga which is about 250km away from here. He has returned home for a short visit. With him he brought some medication for the entire monastery. The government has issued medication to many of its citizens in order to vaccinate them from a new disease that is beginning to spread through Zambia. A mosquito or fly that usually lives in the jungle has now been spotted throughout Zambia. The disease it carries is called elephantiasis (elephantitis). If bitten, it can cause a limb to grow very large and permanently stay that way, hence the elephant part of the name. So, rather than take my chances with that fun-sounding disease I popped the Zambian administered pills along with the rest of the monastery.

They told me that this would vaccinate me for 6 years. I hope they are right. The Zambian government contacted France because they make the drug. France has sent aid to Zambia and now the drug is being administered at the border too. The drug is called diethylcarbamazine or Notezine for its shorter name. Along with these three pills that you swallowed was a pill you chewed. The one we chewed was for worms. I don’t believe I, or any of us, have worms but if we did this was supposed to help kill them. So, I said what the Hell and popped that one too.

The pills

Now, this stuff probably doesn’t sound fun and, well, it isn’t. However, this is a part of life here and you have to go along with it. Many of us are unaware of these things because we have become used to being taught through movies such as Disney’s Lion King and Tarzan. Now, there are parts of Africa that simulate these movies and, yes, there are lions here, but I have friends who literally think I am living out the Lion King movie. This is problematic because when movies are all we see it becomes all we know and think about (in some cases, I suppose ignorance is bliss). Africa is massive, beautiful, rich in culture, extremely diverse, and magical but it is also very real. I love learning and accumulating knowledge so this is why I am saying this. I want this blog to be as informative and educational as possible. So, yes, some things aren’t fun to deal with, but that is just how life is. You should be thankful for never having to worry about diseases such as these back in the U.S.

As for other food related stories, it seems to me that whatever I enjoy Prior Nzota dislikes and whatever he enjoys I dislike. This has been noted by us both and it’s actually quite funny because now we joke about it with one another which make meals more fun. For instance, he doesn’t like beans (I don’t know how this is possible), the polony/sausage stuff or cabbage and I do. Then he likes the cow intestine, caterpillars and a green vegetable that I am still unsure of what it is exactly. Ha! I am a man that loves vegetables. Honest. However, there is this certain one here that is dipped in a really gooey and slimy sauce that just throws my taste buds off. I think it’s the texture that I don’t like. Anyways, this is Prior Nzota’s favorite stuff so whenever it’s served at a meal he will jokingly offer some to me and we will both just laugh. It may not be funny to you, but it does make for a funny joke for us.

The aftermath of the rainstorm

So, as I have mentioned before, rainy season is in full-swing. Let me tell you, when it rains - it rains. The past two days we have been drenched with downpours. It has made doing things outside a bit difficult. I have to hustle my way over to the school but thankfully I have my raincoat to help. Additionally, I was out for a walk the other day and when I started it couldn’t have been sunnier. Unfortunately, it must have been the calm before the storm because on my way home I was caught in a massive rainstorm and because it was sunny out when I started I was foolish enough not to bring my raincoat. By the time I got back I looked like I had taken a shower with my clothes on.

Lesson learned. Now, for walks I always pack my raincoat just in case. It came in handy yesterday. It’s much nicer having something to keep you dry.

The intense cloud coverage has made for some beautiful scenery. With all the rolling hills in Katibunga the clouds sit atop them like a tablecloth. It’s really cool. Another thing that is cool is the temperature. With all the clouds the sun hasn’t been able to breakthrough so the temperature has dropped into the 60’s. It feels like fall. However, the feeling will be short lived. It is supposed to be sunny and humid the next coming days.

Photo of some kids that I passed while
on my walk last week. I really like this photo.

Lately, there are a few things that I have noticed and forgot to mention. So, I will do so now.

When walking around the village many of the little kids will trail behind me. I can catch them trying to mimic me. If I cough they’ll cough, if I clear my throat they’ll clear their throat, and they enjoy trying to copy my posture when I walk. It’s funny.

Also, with all the walking I have developed some blisters on my feet. My sandals are great and I wouldn’t blame them. I think it’s just because I have been walking for such long distances. Good thing I have some hydrogen peroxide to help clean them out.

Something that is very common here is two men holding hands. If you walking with your friend and you two are men it is very common to hold each other’s hand. This isn’t unusual, just something that differs from our culture. Many times a man will come up to me as I am walking around and try to grab my hand while he speaks with me.

Also, shaking hands is different here. I may have mentioned this before, but I can’t remember. When you shake someone’s hand you do the traditional shake which is followed by moving your hand up and grabbing there hand in a different position (like you would see when two 22 year old males greet one another in America) and then moving your hand back into the traditional position. So, a three step process.

Now that I have begun teaching about the nervous system I have been able to introduce neurons and all the other cool biopsychology terms and parts of the body. Biopsych was my favorite psychology course in college so it’s fun to be able to intro some of the stuff to the kids. They are finding out how cool and important our neurons are and all the cool things they do. Our body is pretty amazing.

Considering a main dish at meals is rice I have begun to experiment a bit. After meals, if there are any extras they sometimes leave it out if anyone gets hungry. One day I grabbed a bowl and tossed some rice in it while adding some milk. Then, for some taste I added some sugar. Boom! Masterpiece and delicious combo all in one! (Shhhh…I am just figuring out that this is literally the rice crispy cereal just with actual rice, but just let me have this alright). I was a happy camper.

Lately, I have noticed some big bugs hanging around. The rain must have been the signal for the bug-party because dang these suckers are huge. I think I have quarantined my room well enough, but there is a big spider hanging out right outside my door. I told him if he stays where he is then I’ll stay where I am and we will both be happy. If not, I will be pushed to use lethal force. The bugs prior to these guys showing up were like McDonald’s happy meal toys…and they were still big. I’ll be watching my room closely.

There is a professional footballer (soccer player) that plays for Zambia whose name is Joseph Makonda (I think). So the villagers have begun to call me by this new last name. I think it’s funny, but in the end, I do prefer Kerber.

Finally to wrap things up, I was reading Pope Francis’s exhortation he wrote back in 2013 titled Joy of the Gospel. I found this quote in the first chapter and really liked it. I feel as if it fits well with what I am doing.

“Life grows by being given away, and it weakens in isolation and comfort. Indeed, those who enjoy life most are those who leave security on the shore and become excited by the mission of communicating life to others.”

Thanks for reading!