A few students from Katibunga Secondary School, Fr. Francis
and I have begun work on the new farm field. The field will be very large when
complete, but we are far from that. There are so many trees to be cut. We have
begun creating a boundary from the trees we have cut and things are starting to
take shape. Some of the boys were cutting trees down from outside the area and
using them for the boundary which confused me. I told them they should be
cutting down the trees within the area of the field so they can complete two
jobs at one time. Thinking before acting!
Cutting down trees is tiresome work, though I enjoy it. I
like being out there and working alongside some of my students and helping them
develop something that will benefit them in the future. It is also fun to yell
“TIMBER!” whenever I cut down a tree. The others didn’t know that word, but now
yell it each time as well. My hands are aching from the blisters and developing
calluses, but that’s good for me. My hands need to be toughened up. The area is
large and amount of trees within it seems countless so I wouldn’t be surprised
if it took them a year to develop the land for farming. Yet, it will get done –
slowly, but surely.
I was walking the other day when I came across a chameleon.
I wasn’t aware chameleons lived in Zambia. I believe this was my first time
seeing one. They are pretty cool to watch because of their ability to change
color. I almost stepped on it because it was sitting on the dirt path and had
turned brown. It then walked into the grasses where it began to turn green.
Pretty neat.
Then, a little while later, I came across a bat. I have
heard bats are common here, but I hadn’t seen one around until now. On Tuesday
morning I saw a tarantula crawling about. It was interesting to see one up
close, but, I must say, I preferred seeing the chameleon. Finally, I saw a
snail the size of my hand creeping about. I have no idea how a snail gets that
big or gets inside the monastery, but it was there. The thing was massive. A
week filled with interesting creatures.
Now that it is Christmas week I have begun going to a new
house every day and delivering a bag of goodies to the kids. I have 5 bags
filled with markers, paper, pens, toothbrushes and cookies. So far the kids
have seemed to really enjoy them. It is nice being able to give something to
someone who has nothing. Receiving presents isn’t much of a tradition here, but
they understand the symbolism and how it relates to Christmas.
Furthermore, when I go into Mpika (like I have today) I make
sure to invite some kids to eat with me. I began this last week and will
continue it throughout my time in Africa. When in town I see many kids who are
alone and without anything. I have seen a man who was clothed in literal rags
and looked as if he hadn’t bathed in a few months. He was carrying all of his
possession in a small bag. Then, last week, I saw a boy with no shoes standing
in the mud digging through the garbage. I still am not very good at Bemba, but
I am able to greet them and ask a few questions. Some seem more responsive then
others. I always eat at the same restaurant (considering there are only two
small ones there isn’t much choice involved) so I invite them to eat with me.
The conversation is light, but the meal is good and they all seem to enjoy it.
While in any situation where you are buying something it is
always best to have the exact amount of money. It is extremely common to find
that the clerk won’t be able to give you exact change. This has been the way it
is everywhere I have been in Africa. In America it would be weird not to get
the correct amount of change back. Usually it’s around 1-5 kwacha I won’t get
back so either I am forced to buy something else or just lose the money.
I know of one shop in Mpika that has a TV so I sometimes go
there to watch. There was news about corruption in the government. Both South
Africa and Zambia’s presidents are under scrutiny. South African president
Jacob Zuma is a complete goofball. I just checked the synonyms for the word ‘goof’
and one of them is ‘mistake’ and that is exactly what I mean. He is a mistake
to have in office. When living in South Africa and even now I thought he was a
goof and now there are protests to end his term as president. He is very
corrupt and it can be seen by the way money is spent.
President Edgar Lungu of Zambia is failing to do much for
his country. Reports say that a new president is wanted, however what I have
seen is that many people in developing countries (and others as well) fear
change so usually the same person is reelected. Presidential elections in
Zambia will be held next October so hopefully something happens.
I ran into Kelvin, one of my students, the other day. He
didn’t show up for the biology final exam a few weeks back. He told me that he
had been injured and had to have surgery. By looking at his left eye I could
tell that this was true. He told me that he went to meet who he thought was his
girlfriend, but when he arrived she was with another man. Tisk
tisk…relationship troubles. Both men weren’t too pleased by this discovery and
so a fight broke out and the other man ended it by stabbing Kelvin in the eye.
Losing an eye for a cheating girlfriend isn’t something I would want. The
surgery saved his eye, but he told me he can’t see out of it. Needless to say,
I didn’t give him too much grief over missing the final exam.
My hair is getting long now. Long hair is definitely
something to get used to and some days I wonder how women handle it. It can
become annoying when it falls in your face. Overall, I don’t mind it much and I
will continue to grow it out. It will be very long by the time I get home. I
still don’t think it will be as long as I need it to be for the donation, but a
few more months should do the trick.
I was doing my usual Sunday ritual of laundry and cleaning.
I have come to enjoy doing my laundry by hand. It is actually rather peaceful
and calming - something about working with your hands. This is probably why
many people like to sew and work with clay.
As I was doing my laundry it began to rain. I was hoping it
would hold off, but, as usual, it seemed Mother Nature didn’t care what I
wanted. I gathered my clothes up and brought them inside even though they were
already soaking wet. Then, once the rain passed, I brought them back out. Unfortunately,
the rains came back and didn’t let up this time. I finally surrendered my
clothes to the rain and had to wait a day for them to fully dry out.
Doing laundry by hand makes me think about how often we wash
our clothes back home. It’s absurd how much we do it. Clean clothes are
necessary and needed, but washing every day or two is not necessary. I wash my
clothes once a week.
I know I mentioned last week that there wasn’t much rain,
but this week has been different. The rains have rolled in and tend to fall the
entire day. I was reading one day when I heard a drip-drip-drip coming from one
of the corners of my small room. I discovered a leak in my ceiling. Good thing
I have a large laundry bucket. It now is positioned to catch the falling water
from the roof. I guess it’s a good thing I only have a week and a half left in
this room otherwise I might get flooded out J my little home is
caving in on me ha!
Another thing I have noticed while living here are the words
people use. People are blunt and more direct with their words. For example, it
is common to call a person fat. I have been called fat a number of times.
However, even though they are blunt, words like ‘fat’ don’t carry the same
meaning as they do in America. Being called fat in America would most likely be
an insult. Here, it is simply a describing word. “Joseph is fat” is like saying
“Joseph is bigger than me” – referring to my height, muscle, fat and overall
build. Plus, when it comes to people in the village, it isn’t too difficult to be
the ‘fat’ one.
Prior Nzota has not returned yet. He was supposed to return
last week, but got held up. He will be returning next week. Fr. Nick will be
visiting next week and will travel with me to Hanga, Tanzania. Additionally, John Jeager, a BVC volunteer from last year, will be coming to visit and stay until Mid-February with me in Hanga. It will be nice to have some company.
Well, Christmas is finally upon us. No Christmas tree or
stocking here, but that isn’t stopping us from having a good time. A few of my
friends have invited me over after mass to celebrate the day with a meal and
some local beer. They have already picked the chicken they are going to cook up
for our meal ha. It will be fun to enjoy the day with them and to experience
Christmas in the village.
It is very normal for us to focus on what is in front of us
and neglect what is not. The phrase “out-of-sight, out-of-mind” is what comes
to my mind. Even though in many cases this can be helpful I challenge you all
to do the opposite and take a second to think about what is out-of-sight. I am
not saying you must do something, rather, just think. Think about the many
people who are constantly out-of-sight and, therefore, out-of-mind. Keep them
in your thoughts this Christmas season.
I hope everyone’s Christmas is great! I would write out Merry
Christmas in Bemba, but there is no way to say it so they just stick to the
English version. Merry Christmas to you all!
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