I always remember to put on sunscreen and I never leave my
room without my hat. However, I forgot to apply the sunscreen to my legs. My
legs never get burned, but when out in the African sun for that long I suppose
I should have guessed that it would cause a problem. So now I have two red hot
tamales for legs. You should see the contrast between my pearly white thighs
and now red calves – it’s hilarious. Anyways, it will get better soon. I just
will have to walk in pants this week in order to let them heal.
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| This picture is a bit blurry on here, however if you look closely you can see huts of some of the villagers in the background. |
You may be wondering why I take so many walks and it would
be a valid question. I do so because of three reasons. 1) I enjoy being active,
2) the scenery and view are beautiful and 3) I am able to meet and see the
village and its people; the third reason being the most important. In the bush
of Africa there isn’t too much to do. I can’t hop in a car and go to the
grocery store, buy a coffee at Starbucks, go to a Vikings game or really
anything that is available to us in the modern world. So, instead of sitting in
my small room and wasting my time and experience I go for walks to take it all
in.
When I am not working at the school or clinic, walking is
the best way to spend my time. I meet people, speak Bemba, see animals, get
exercise and visit the homes/huts of the village. It’s nice and many people
know me because of my walks. It also allows me to help in small ways too. The
other day a car passed by and became stuck in the mud because of the recent
rain fall. I was able to assist the other men in getting it unstuck.
In fact, I walk for such long distances that the monks have
begun to comment on how far I go. They can’t believe I can walk so far and say
to me “Joseph, you are strong man” which I think is funny. Violet, the woman I
work with at the clinic, said that her baby Grace saw me running one morning
and started to cry because she thought I was running away or in danger ha so I
guess she likes me.
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| Baby Grace and I hanging out in the clinic. |
While in the clinic the other day Violet had to leave for a
bit so she just handed me baby Grace. I think it’s great because now it’s just
normal to hang out with Grace and hold her. When I first started at the clinic
Grace, like any baby, was a little scared or skeptical of me. However, now she
is totally fine with me holding her. She has warmed up to me.
When on a walk the other day two very nice German ladies
pulled up in a car. They were on vacation and travelling Zambia together. They
saw me (a white guy) and pulled over to offer a ride. I told them that I lived
in the village and was volunteering. They thought that was great and then were
on their way.
Br. Jerome who is studying medicine has come home for a
small vacation. He will be here until December. I have worked with him and
Violet in the clinic. He has brought his computer to the clinic and I noticed
Violet looking at it the other day. I began to teach her the basics because she
has never used one before. Just moving the cursor and clicking buttons on the
keypad made her laugh and smile. She laughed and said “Oh, the modern world!”
Small little things like this make you realize how different our countries are.
In America, you can find 3 and 4 year olds playing on iPhones. In Zambia, most
people don’t know how to use a laptop. It reminds me how advanced and, like
Violet said, modern our world is. Wow!
I tend to speak with a few of the younger monks because we
can relate on some topics. Many of them enjoy speaking about their experiences
with monastic life and the challenges they face. Some enjoy it and some are
considering other options. I think they speak with me because I am indifferent.
I am not a monk and I am of a similar age. It’s interesting to hear what they have
to say.
One is concerned about whether he should stay or leave. He
was explaining to me that by 25 years of age most people are married so he was
contemplating marriage life and monastic life. He told me that if you aren’t
married by 25 people will think you’re mad or crazy. That something is wrong
with you. I thought this was interesting because it’s very different in
America. This also explains why my students continue to ask me if I have a
wife, girlfriend or children.
Cultural norms are so curious, aren’t they? The way things
differ from one society and culture to another is intriguing. Psychologically,
violating cultural norms can be very hard on a person because of the emotional
toll they usually face. Embarrassment, shame, discomfort, and awkwardness are
feelings we all try to avoid. This is because we know them to be bad. Violating
our cultural norms can cause feelings like this which is why we are so amused or
annoyed when we see someone or something out of place.
Our cultural norms act as boundaries and some are so strong
or set in place that we cannot get ourselves to violate them. If you are
playing truth-or-dare, think of a cultural norm and dare the person to break
it. It most likely will be too much for them.
For example, when someone is talking on their cellphone
during a movie or mowing their lawn at 5:00 in the morning you would notice.
You would find it to be rude and annoying. That person would also probably feel
shame and discomfort. This is also why it rarely happens.
For a more extreme example, imagine a guy walking around
your neighborhood in just his underwear. Weird, right? Yes, because this isn’t
what we would consider to be normal. Rosa Parks stood up to the cultural norms
during the Civil Rights Movement and, as we know, it gathered much attention.
(Way to go, Rosa!)
The reason I mention cultural norms is because I constantly
break them here, but feel no shame. This is because psychologically the
cultural norms of Zambia do not apply to me. I walk around in shorts all day
every day which is something adults don’t do. Many people laugh and stare which
I could do without, but it doesn’t make me feel uncomfortable like violating a
cultural norm in America would. This is also why not being married by the age
of 25 isn’t concerning to me in the least.
As I said in an earlier post, I was going to visit my friend
Cheapo. I went last Friday, but found no one home. I was pretty bummed, but was
able to meet with him on Sunday instead. His wife and kids have gone to Lusaka
to visit some relatives. He accepted the cookies I brought and told me he would
give them to his kids when they returned. I also gave him some paper and a pen.
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| Inside of Cheapo's house. This is the entire house. 4 people live here. |
We spoke for a while about his housing situation considering
he is renting out his small home at the moment. He is building one nearby,
though. This got us talking about the economic situation of Zambia and he said
it is very poor. I could have guessed that, but he said that Zambia isn’t
considered much of a developing country like South Africa is. He also blamed
much of the economic problem on corruption within the government. This I
believe for two reasons. 1) I have lived in Africa before and this is very
evident, especially with countries like Zambia and 2) because every government
has corruption. Yes, even ours. If you don’t think so then I’d advise you to
schedule an appointment with the eye doctor. We have a very good government and
we are extremely developed, but, in the end, money talks. Are we a democracy or
a plutocracy?
Anyways, back to Cheapo…
I asked Cheapo to show me the home he is constructing and so
he did. It is located close to the monastery so it wasn’t too far of a walk. It
has two small bedrooms and a sitting room. He said that he hops to be moved in
by mid-December. Cheapo is a man that enjoys his liquor (like most of the
people here) and has asked me multiple times to drink with him. I have always
said no, but I told him if he was able to move in by mid-December that I would
buy him and me a beer or two to celebrate his new place. That made him happy
and I think he is actually more motivated now ha!
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| Outside Cheapo's new house that he is building. |
When people speak about drinking in Zambia they don’t say “Do
you drink?” Instead, they say “Do you take?” The word ‘take’ is used in place
of the word ‘drink’. So, in Cheapo’s and my case I said “I will take with you
in mid-December if you finish your house by then.” Additionally, instead of asking "What time is it?" they say "How do you make it?" - yeah that one is confusing.
I want to mention the small tribal village located east of
where I stay (I literally just used my iPhone compass for the first time ever
to figure that out). It is called Mukongole (pronounced: Moo-cone-go-lay). It
has been westernized a bit which isn’t much of a surprise considering its 2015,
but there is still a chief that is in charge. I thought this was interesting.
A student in my class named James also told me that his dad
is the headman for this area. He told me that a headman is like the vice-chief
or the second man. So, James will inherit some land because of this I believe.
Sister Agness whom arrived a week ago will be spending a
month with us in Katibunga. She is a very nice lady and is fun to talk with.
The other night at dinner she was speaking about how one of her sisters is 101
years old. She is an Irish woman who lived in Zambia for some time and during
it she came to enjoy caterpillars very much. Sister Agness said that she is
always happy when she can snack on some. Prior Nzota leaned over to me and said
“See, she eats caterpillars and is 101! They are very nutritious,” to which I
responded “See, she is Irish and is 101! I’ll take my chances with my Irish
heritage rather than the caterpillars.” We all had a good laugh J
Thanks for reading!
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