Farming with James, The Good Life and Reading

The rain typically falls at night which leaves the days hot and dry. Being that it is rainy season the villagers are counting on the rain to provide their crops with the water they need. Unfortunately, there has been a change in climate and a bit of a drought has spanned across Zambia and southern Africa. This is not to say it doesn’t rain at all. It just doesn’t rain as much as it should. Everyone is trying to plant their fields, but need water so their seed doesn’t dry up before it can sprout. The furrow irrigation systems that run through the farm land are dried up and aren’t usually used during this season considering there is generally a good amount of rain. Without irrigation systems (sprinklers) the farmers are struggling to time their planting and cannot wait much longer.

I have been helping out my friend James with his field. We harvested some potatoes and tomatoes while weeding around his maize this past week. I really enjoy being out in the field and working with the villagers. It’s a lot of fun and it’s always good to work up a sweat. We use hoes to till the soil rather than tractors or shovels which are common in the states. James has maize, tomatoes, potatoes, sugar cane and onion in his field. The crops we are harvesting now were planted back in October. The seed I’ll help him lay will be harvested after I have left for Tanzania.

The landscape surrounding the farm land is great. The flat plains build into rolling hills that run on for miles. It’s a beautiful sight to look at. James is going to take me out to the hills one of these days. I have come to enjoy the berries (infungo, musuko, etc.) that fall from the trees around the farmland and out in the bush. It is fun to be walking and be able to pick up and eat right off the trees. Along with berries, we eat maize and sometimes put the cob in the fire to cook it. The kernels blacken and become just like the ones you would find in a bag of popcorn, but softer. They are very good. James is going to help me prepare some seeds so I can bring them home for me and my Mom to plant! I am unsure if they will grow in Minnesota’s climate, but it’s worth a shot.

Farming with James

After we harvested potatoes we delivered them to his grandmother who then offered me a large portion of the harvest which was very kind but I couldn’t take them for myself, especially when there are 8 kids in the family. Instead we boiled the potatoes over an open fire near their hut and mixed in tomatoes and onion. It was very good. Another meal we had one day after farming was ugali (maize meal), caterpillar and eggplant. I must say, I prefer the potato dish, but if one doesn’t chomp down on some caterpillar and ugali then they haven’t spent time in the village.

James is a great friend. He’s very nice and is always showing me new things. I like to try lots of new things and he helps me do so. If we are cooking a meal he will allow me to help out, if I want to try a certain berry then he will show me where they are, if I want to learn how to harvest a certain crop then he will show me how, etc. James, Fr. Francis and I are trying to start a new field across the street from his house. The money made from anything grown will then go to a fund that will help students go to school. We will hopefully start cutting down trees to clear a plot of land later this week.

It may seem as if I am switching between lots of jobs right now (which I am), but with a few weeks left in Zambia and new projects starting up I am trying to help in any area I can. Like I said, I enjoy trying new things.

Since the way of life is so real and true here many villagers say this is “the real Africa”. In comparison to Cape Town, South Africa I would completely agree. Cape Town is amazing, but it is very developed whereas other parts of South Africa and surrounding countries are not. It is good to get a feel for multiple areas. I would say that the village I reside in now is the most accurate depiction of Africa and how most Africans live.

Living here has allowed me to enjoy the simple and little things in life. When living where everything is accessible and easy to obtain we tend to overlook things that are right in front of us, however, living where there are only the bare necessities things become much more apparent. You aren’t distracted by a text message and you can’t hop in your car and race off. Instead, you must work for your food and spend time with family and friends to complete tasks. I was speaking with James and he said that if you want meat you have to kill for it. If you want milk you have to find a cow or goat and milk it. If you want food you have to grow it. If you want to speak with someone you have to go and find them.

In America, we have distanced ourselves so much from the process of obtaining our food and basic necessities. All we must do is cross the street to the nearby Super Target to gather everything we have ever dreamed of. It sure is a different world.

Don’t get me wrong, electricity and technology have improved our way of life and just about anyone would rather live with it than without it. In fact, it becomes very hard to live in this world without electricity nowadays.

Another reason why life is difficult in this part of the world is the lack of electricity. I must go into Mpika to acquire an internet connection, however sometimes when I do I either cannot or must wait many hours because of the power outages. The electricity crisis is very real right now in Zambia. Load-shedding has increased and cities are without energy from hours to days. I went in to Mpika last Friday and had to wait four hours to get an internet connection. The power was shut off to the eastern part of Zambia the night before and came on around noon Friday. While waiting for the power I decided I would go and order a piece of chicken and rice (chicken and ugali or rice here is like a burger and fries back home- very common).

But, wait! No can do. I got to the counter to order when they had told me what I already knew – the power was shut off. This means no cell tower, no ATM’s, no internet, no restaurants, no nothing; everything that requires electricity to work just stops. Businesses cease to function without electricity which, in turn, takes a toll on the economy. It’s a nasty downward spiral that makes you appreciate electricity. Our lives require it nowadays.

Speaking of the economy, Zambia’s biggest export is copper. A major province in Zambia is named Copperbelt for the mines where copper can be extracted. Copper is a great mineral to be able to export, but with the global prices of copper dropping the Zambian economy is taking another hit. Hopefully somethings works out soon.

So, even though I have to travel an hour and sometimes more to get into town I still am not guaranteed things will go smoothly. It’s just how it is. I am not complaining because…

1. I have become used to it and…

2. I don’t think I have the right to complain.

These difficulties I face are very frustrating and are not fun, but they teach me a lesson and it’s a great one to learn at my age. I have known for a while that life isn’t easy or fair, but when you take a step back and gaze out at the big picture…dang, the things we complain and worry about on a daily basis don’t seem too bad anymore.

My Dad will sometimes ask me “Jos, it’s a good life, isn’t it?” It may just be a rhetorical question or his way of stating that we do, in fact, have a good life to which I agree and always respond “Yes, Dad, it is a good life.” However, when you get a firsthand look at how many others live that good life my Dad speaks about quickly turns into a great life. If you are reading this I hope you know how awesome you have it. Dad, you’re right. Damn, we have it good.

With the limited connection I have to the outside world, when I am not working I tend to fill my free time with reading, writing and exercising. I would love to have a constant connection to everyone out there, but it sure does make these three things very enjoyable. It allows me to spend time in the present and focus on what is in front of me. Writing this blog has been a lot of fun, I have read more books in the past few months than I have in the past few years and exercising is always a good time.

I just finished the last of the Game of Thrones books. I have been reading a chapter or two a day. Book five was titled A Dance with Dragons which sounds really nerdy and weird when I write it out, but it was a very good book. The Game of Thrones series is a popular one which has been made into a TV show on HBO. However, the author, George R.R. Martin, is known for taking a long time to write his books. So far there are five books in the series. I believe he plans for there to be seven. The problem is good ol’ George is an older fellow who isn’t in the best shape of his life. Furthermore, it takes a long time to write 1,000+ page books. He published the fourth book in 2006 and the fifth in 2011. Hopefully the sixth is on its way out the door soon.

If I had to rank the books in order from best to worst I would say 3,2,1,5,4. The third book was phenomenal and the second was practically tied with the third, both very entertaining. However, book four was a bit bland. The author split book four and five up rather than making one massive book. If you ask me, it seems as if he placed some of the more boring characters in book four and some of the more fun and exciting ones in five.

Ha…well, anyways…now I will be starting Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. He also wrote The Screwtape Letters which I read back in August.

Exercising is not only great for your body, but for your mind as well. It keeps you fresh and sharp. Between walking a lot I enjoy running, jump roping, push-ups and sit-ups. Cardio helps keep you sane and focused which is good when alone in a foreign country.

The beginning of December marked two months on my own and things are going well. I am now getting excited to see what Tanzania has in store for me considering I depart Zambia in two and a half weeks. Fr. Nick will be traveling down to visit on the 28^th of December. I may have mentioned (but can’t remember) that Fr. Will is unable to make the trip anymore.

Recently, a monk who has become a good friend of mine has decided to leave the monastery. Br. Adrian will be heading home to Livingstone, Zambia to find a job next week. I am sure the decision was a hard one to make, but it is a good one if the monastic life isn’t what you want.

While playing Frisbee with some of my friends the other day they began to ask me about my brothers and sisters. I told them what they did and showed them pictures of my siblings on my phone. After the many comments on our hair colors and appearances they began to ask about Thomas and how he is able to fly airplanes. They could not believe it. Airplanes are uncommon around here and everyone I have spoken to has never flown in one. They said “He must be really smart to fly an airplane, is he smarter than you?” and “tell him to fly to Katibunga because we want to ride in one.” I told them that it would be difficult to fly a plane all the way down here. I think they are still hoping, though. Ha, Thomas figure out how to get that big bird off the ground and get down here!

I missed lunch the other day because I was traveling back from Mpika. When I arrived they told me to whip up some scrambled eggs for myself and Br. Cyprian. Good thing I mastered the scrambling of eggs when I was younger. I did so and I was very happy with how they turned out. Br. Cyprian was as well. I have proven my ability to cook (eggs, at least). J

Another food that is popular around here is mushrooms. Mushrooms are in-season so we have them every so often. Unfortunately, some are poisonous and we received news that one girl passed away from picking and eating the wrong one. She and two friends were going about picking some and came across a patch of poisonous ones. Two of them became sick and one passed away.Very sad.

I have noticed that malaria cases are on the rise while working at the clinic. We have received some positive test results. The usual medications we prescribe are Coartem and Quinine. Two drugs that help fight the blood-borne pathogen.

Christmas time is upon us and the season of Advent is in full swing. Another season that is upon us here in Africa is mango season. Booya! This just may be the most wonderful time of the year. Mangos are my favorite and having them at meals is great. Many people eat food with their hands (it’s very common to do so in Africa) and mangos are one of those foods. They can be quite messy, but that doesn’t stop me. It’s great to live where mangos are grown!

I believe that is all for this week. I have continued going to midday prayer which has been nice. Prior Nzota, who has been traveling for the past two weeks, plans to return tomorrow.

I will continue to post each Wednesday throughout December. Hopefully when I reach Tanzania I will be able to post on Wednesdays and Saturdays like usual.

I want to say hi to all my grandparents who have been reading my blog frequently. I am thinking of you and love you all very much! I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas! J

Thanks for reading!