Here and there and everywhere

Well life in the village in October and November has continued to be hot. But we've started to get some good thunderstorms. You know it's a good storm if the thunders loud enough to shake your entire hut. Means it should definitely be cooler the next day! Anywho. Figured I'd add in a new post about what I've been up to - mostly in the village - with a side trip down to Lusaka for our Training of Facilitators for our Girls Camp. That'll the next post - girls camp!!! Coming up in a  mere 4 weeks and much to do! Which is what I've primarly been up to when I'm not teaching at the school. Grade 9 exams begin monday and last two weeks so teaching and school is coming to a close for the year. So, enjoy the pictures and a little snapshot into the last couple of weeks. 

Hanging out at the school practice for Independence Day. Two of the teacher's daughters (different families)

Practicing traditional dances in one of the teacher's yards. 

Check it out! Yep I biked that grass several km to my hut to fill in some holes in my kinzanza and kimbusu roof. Rainy season I'm completely ready, please bring the cool weather.

Zambia's Independence Day!!! October 24th, 1964

They went all out for celebrations. Put up a tent at the school where vips got to sit, as the visiting American made it as a VIP and a judge of talent! 

Grade 5 and 6 girls performing traditional dances to celebrate independence! 

And my favorite part of the day - the eating contest. Take one was with bread and zam-cokes and take two featured above is with nshima and beans. The boys just couldn't figure out if they should roll their nshima into balls first or bite hunks out of it (not quite as amusing unless you have some background of nshima..)

Sun and Seafood

It's hot season here right now in Zambia. The perfect time to pack you bags and head to the ocean for cooler weather or at least hot weather with water to cool off in. Here are some photos and such from my trip to Mozambique. It was an Andge and Audge trip - my closest PC neighbor who has just finished up her service. We flew from Lusaka to Johannesburg and then took an overnight bus (really nice - comfy, reclining seats, toilet on board) to Maputo and then the following day another this time cramped rosa bus to Tofo and beach time. Here are some photos from the trip...

We took a running taxi to the Fish Market in Maputo. This is our attempt to capture the scene. Running taxi is basically a little car/cart thing that is placed over a motorcycle. 

Exploring Maputo. Audra posing at the Fort the Portuguese used to defend the city. Fort walls quite short, but seemed to have done the trick.

Carved stone Portuguese signs in the fort

Wandering the streets of Maputo we discovered a museum, solely devoted to coins. And what coin museum would be complete without a coin man.  

Laurentina Dark - My favorite beer in Mozambique. Only African country I've visited that has a dark beer as one of their standard offerings. 

Fish Market enjoying a cold beverage waiting for our food.

Fish Market. You go into the fish market part chose what you want to eat, purchase it and then bring it to one of the many table areas where they prepare the food for you. Delicious and a great price for seafood! And yes I did eat them, took off their heads and legs and everything.

Maputo from the waterfront. Water in the city has become too polluted to swim in, but still a nice view.

Sitting on the beach in Tofo. Absolutely beautiful beach. 

We went to Barra, a resort area, to camp for a night. We sat on the beach and had the most delicious bun, cheese, pepperoni sandwich I have ever tasted. Finally arriving after some crowded minibus rides, walking in the dead heat of the day and then catching a couple other rides, it was perfect to sit on the beach watching the sun, water, and eat our delicious sandwiches.

Beach at Barra 

Old carved out wooden canoe, complete with some giant snails living inside the water filled boat 

Just couldn't get enough of the fish market. Visited it again with the couple of hours we had between the tofo bus and the bus back to joburg

Lobster!!! My first one ever. And I must say my favorite seafood dish I had in Mozambique.

That's a little snapshot into our trip. To get a true perspective I should have taken way more pictures on the beach as that's where we spent most of our time. We also went out on an ocean safari in Tofo hoping to see some whale sharks or a migrating humpback whale, but to no avail. But did find some dolphin and got to jump in with them and swim with them - well mostly over them but still awesome. And had my first  experience with some jelly fish. got stung a couple of time but discovered its mostly just uncomfortable wouldn't say painful so must say the ocean is growing on me. Delicious food comes out of it, good swimming, great beaches, and even getting used to the sand crabs. 

Returned now from Mozambique and back into hot season. Headed to the village right about now-ish after I finish some Camp GLOW (girls leading our world) paperwork that we're putting on in December. Life in the village is going well although I'm in and out a lot this term so less productive with my programs. On the bright side most of my programs seem to be sustainable as they are still operating while I'm out of the village. It's crazy to think I'm the oldest intake in Zambia now and have just 6 months left. 

On that note over and out :) 

Alternative Technology Workshop

This week I've been attending an Alternative Technology Workshop in Solvwezi with a counterpart from my village. Total there were ten of us: five volunteers and five counterparts and our two facilitators. Check out the pictures below for a bit on the projects we built, learned about, and will bring ideas of back to the village.

We jump started our brains with a maize stacking challenge. Rules: two pieces of paper, stack as many corn cobs as possible. Our team won with 7 corn cobs. 

Teamwork 

Contemplating

 What is this machine you ask? Why a groundnut sheller. The metal one is from the capital - around 3 million - ie 600 USD. So we made a wooden one in my group - price likely around 20 USD. 

Close up of our groundnut sheller. How's it work? Add groundnuts and pull handle back and forth. The nails on the bottom break groundnuts and they fall through the slots between the wooden dowels. Final step separate shells from nuts. 

 Clay pot inside another clay pot. Sand inbetween you add water to. Damp cloth on top. Cassava or your choice of something kept cold. Yep that's right it's an evaporative cooler. The clay is porous and draws the moisture away from the veg or whatever you add to your pot therefore making it cooler. Store in the shade.

Northwest Province does not have a clay pot market. Instead take a large jerry can and small jerry can, add sand inbetween, dampen a cloth, and cement the inside of the small jerry can. The cement has similar qualities to the interior clay pot. Mission accomplished. 

Another group completed a drip irrigation project. Take two used bicycle tires, attach them together, and then attach that to a jerry can, make small holes at the correct spacing for your garden and then add lollypop sticks to the hole. Drip irrigation at its best. They did another project with bamboo and water bottles inverted in them that accomplished the same idea. 

Hard at work - building a solar dryer frame

You can use a zam-bike and the blue metal machine... creating a cycle powered maize shelling machine

The mesh top of a homemade smoker (used mainly for fish smoking)

And this project wins most creative. What do you think this is? 

(Wait for it... hah.. will tell you at the end of this post)

Everyone loves a bit of pyromania. 

Even better when it's saving the environment. That's right folks. Burning corn cobs in that metal drum. You then crush the carbonated corn cobs and then make them into brickettes using the corn cob ash and a mixture of cassava goo. And cutting down 0 trees in the process. Which is great because Zambia is one of the leading countries in deforestation.  

There were a couple other project we worked on that didn't make it in here - mostly no photos. Will keep you updated on which projects we decide to try in the village. And did you figure out the swinging jerry can contraption? That's right it's a honey press. We didn't have honey comb so couldn't test it's effectiveness - but at least makes a fun game.

August Family Adventures!!!

My chalkboard countdown started... mmm... probably 70 days out - slightly premature but heck excitement does that to a person. So finally the countdown dropped to the single digits and it was time to leave the village for solwezi, and then on down to Lusaka to pick up the parentals!!!

I made friends with a taxi driver, Wilfred, and so we arrive at the airport an hour early.. turns out to be WAY early - more like 3 hrs when you add in customs and baggage claim. Not an efficient process here in Zambia. Acquired my parents and then took them on an adventure right off the bat! Another volunteer had recommended Pioneer Lodge as a great place to stay... which it was; but a fair bit off the beaten track as well. So Wilfred in his two wheel drive vehicle takes us down this dirt track that just looks shady as all heck at midnight... and just when I was beginning to wonder if I was just leading them down a bad two way track leading to pure wilderness when we arrived.

We spent the next day in Lusaka visiting the Sunday Market for souvenirs, enjoying a lovely lunch, and stocking up on groceries before heading to the village. Monday we drove village side with our great driver Choonya. It was also my birthday so we enjoyed some brunch on the road and when we got to solwezi introduced my mom to Indian food (which she was trying for the first time - crazy).

This first bit of the blog is picture-less because we recorded life on my mom's camera....

Highlights of the village
* Dad had great fun with the children. He was quite excited when he asked the kids if they knew four square and they responded yes. Little did he know, but quickly did he find out, that none of his question was understood because the little ones have very limited english.
* Girls Club: Mom brought a sewing box arts and craft project using mint boxes, fun foam flowers, magnets, and sewing supplies. The girls loved it. Reminded me of my girl scout days when my mom led our troop.
* Teacher Dinner: That evening we attended a traditional zambian dinner at the school. They hooked up the classroom with a couple light bulbs and sound system using a borrowed generator. Mom and Dad tasted nshima for the first time, enjoyed some fried chicken, and vegetables. At the end of the evening we were gifted a whole deep fried chicken and a nice chitenge (colorful fabric) for my parents to make their own Zambia outfits when they return to America.
* Village Party: The girls pretty much made the Zambian meal after I was deemed incompetent at mostly every task, even my cabbage cutting was critiqued. So thank you girls! We had nshima, chicken, beans, cabbage, and rape (green vegetable). The whole family came over from the compound I live on so we had at least 40 people. Following dinner I introduced the kids to s'mores and got them all on sugar highs followed by some zam-dancing. I even got my host grandmother to dance as well as my mom and dad. A definite yet exhausting success of a village party.
* We visited Mwinilunga, about 2 1/2 hrs from my village to the west. We stayed at a nice lodge right on the Lunga River. Dad made friends with some crocs at night with their noises and in the early morning hours when he attempted to become crocodile breakfast. On that trip we also visited some falls along the way, the Nyambwezu Falls by the proposed site for a hydroelectric dam. Although bit of a hitch that you have to walk over this village made bridge of small logs. Needless to say mom was not a fan and opted out after the bumpy ride of about an hour to get them. The rest of us carried on and enjoyed a picnic lunch by the falls. In Mwinilunga also brought the parents to the market. The market in a main town is full of different vegetables, fish, chitenge, clothes from the congo, maize, etc...

Post village James met up with us and we headed back to Solwezi for the evening before heading off early the next morning for Lusaka and REUNITED WITH THE SISTERS AND MATTHEW!! And then the whole family was back together. A bit tired but all in the same place. Heck who would have ever thought the whole Moehle family would be together in Africa? Not I said the fly.

Victoria Falls.
The next day we headed off early for Victoria Falls. James became our driver so we could all cram into a 7 person vehicle. It was tight but we had plenty of left over pizza, a stop at a tire store following a blown tire in the first couple of hours.

  Family REUNION + a wonder of the world

 Found a Dietitian!!!

And the next day hit up Botswana! And went on my first safari!!!! This is what we saw:

Herd of Elephants

       Somebody's hungry!

     Contagious Yawn... just worked

      splits time!

      LION KING

  The whole crew

And the adventures didn't stop there. Onto Kilimanjaro!!!

    There it is off in the distance, looks doable...

                                                     

We hiked and hiked, and barely got closer. Day 5?... 

 but the O2 started to disappear. 

The whole gang: sisters, matthew, james, me, and sam & jodie (geos from the camp)

 

  Sister Time & Michigan Representing 

Summit!!! Mission Accomplished. 

Although all I wanted to do was get back down to where I could breathe... and warm up my hands. 

 SO MUCH EXCITEMENT!!!! 

 Love being below cloud level where life is easy.

Sunrise at the Summit.

Top of the World... well Africa anyhow

Summarizes the trip. Sleep, Eat, Hike, Eat, Hike, Sleep...repeat

Popcorn, tea, tent party

We made it. From the village, to Vic Falls, Lion Encounters, and the Top of Africa. 

Over and Out

     "How do you get HIV?" An important question when you live in a country with one of the highest HIV rates in the world. It's one of the basic questions I ask when teaching about HIV/AIDS. This particular time I was teaching a one day Girls Workshop at my farthest school, Nyansowe. We covered the basics: how you can get HIV, what HIV does to your immune system complete with a lions and elephants game demonstrating how HIV makes your immune system weaker and then the lions can get the baby elephant), and ended with some common myths and misconceptions about HIV. At the end we opened for questions. I thought I had heard most the misconceptions. Here are a couple examples: you can get HIV by sleeping in the same bed, sharing a toothbrush, holding hangs, kissing, etc... But one of the young girls raised her hand and asked "Is it true you can get HIV from eating fritters?". I have learned not to be shocked by the things I experience in this country but this question still dug through that layer. I looked around the classroom and realized so many of them were waiting for the verdict - fritters safe or infected with HIV. Someone previously had passed through their village and passed along the wrong information telling them fritters could have HIV if the person making them had HIV. But dang. I find it hard to understand having such a lack to information that you cannot even figure out how to keep yourself from deadly diseases like HIV or malaria. At times I have "what the heck am I doing here" moments. Now when I get to that point it's often the fritter question girl that I think about.
         "Could you ever live here?" Put yourself standing in the main room in my hut surrounded by children from the Mine International School. Children from all over the world - Australia, New Zealand, England, Zimbabwe, and Botswana. One of the teachers had just asked this question to the kids standing in my hut. I got one very enthusiastic yes, one yes maybe and the rest no's, especially when they realized I had no lights meaning no electricity and therefore no television. But really can't blame them not sure what my response would have been at their age back in my under 10 years. My adventurous side probably would have jumped at the opportunity but do think at that age I was still quite rooted at home. The International School children were  visiting my hut on the way to Nyansowe, the school I mentioned in my first story up there). In a previous blog post I talked about the reading program that I do out at that school in conjunction with the Mine Women's Charity Tedekala (spelling). So last Tuesday the International School kids and their teachers ran the show.
        They read a story out of one of those giant books we used to have in elementary school during story time that are blown up it must be 5 to 10 times their regular size. The book was perfect "We Are All Alike, We Are All Different". I already mentioned the nationalities of the children from the International School but during class they introduced themselves and where they were from. Then the book reading began read by one of the mine teachers and then translated into Kaonde for the village kids. We were teaching grade 3 and grade 4s this morning. General book summary we are all people and similar in many ways but we all have different backgrounds, interests, and lifestyles. Then the International children taught them Chinese ropes, Hokey Dokey (apparently not Hokey Pokey in New Zealand), and some games with tennis balls. It brought cultural exchange to a new level from my previous pen-paling experiences. It also brought me to the realization that Zambia has to a large degree become my 'norm'. I'm used the the quiet classroom where children listen when you tell them 'voices out', used to children sitting and listening and copying from the board, and used to them never asking questions even when you really try to pry them out of them. The affluent International kids were full of questions, way more energy, shorter attention spans, and understood my English. Culture shock t-minus 9 months here I come!
        I wrote up this blog post in my hut and now typing it up a couple days later. I PICK UP MY PARENTS TONIGHT!!!!!!!!! I've had a countdown going since well way too long ago. That's right my chalkboard countdown is now down to 0 DAYS!!! for the parents. 8 days for Heather, Laura, and Matthew, and 14 for Kilimanjaro!!!! Oh and 2 days and I turn quarter of a century!! Getting old. Well it's an exciting month!!! On that note. Over and Out.

Chipolopolo TIME!!!

The Zambian Futball team played Ghana last week in a World Cup Qualifying Match. We WON 1-0! The game also marked the opening of the new stadium in Ndola. It was built by the Chinese. Being inside the stadium felt just like watching a game anywhere in the world. Brought me back to my Michigan college days. Stadium was sold out with the capacity of 40,000 people. A bunch of peace corps came out for the big day. 

Outside the stadium before the game dressed in our Chipolopolo garb and facepaint

Me and Audge

Inside the stadium! 

Katie, Kinzie, and Deanna

And on that note tired and off to relax pre-bed.

Catch-ya later!