Monday, August 16, 2010

My host family















The host family, Mom - Lobena, 49, Dad - Enock, 65, daughter - Stella, 14, is big help at house work, does not like to go to school???
Lobena's brother was visiting and had dinner with us. Children were eat in the kitchen till I asked to have them eat with us togather.
When we got back from the site visit, we had group presentation of our site experiences, we also got our own mountain bike - it is lighter weight than my bike in Winthrop...see the road we bike everyday...very much like Third Creek Road in Winthrop only more car traffic.
We were all got placed into hosting families close to the training center at Chungwe, 40Km out skirt of Lusaka, in order to practice the language while learning it. My host family speaks English too well, so my Bemba language is very behind....You all have a wonderful week ahead.......Cheng Aug 16, 2010

Pix from the second day at the site























































Oop.....the first pic we cooked the fish from the harvest for dinner should have been with the last group of pix....

The rest of pix from the wild African walk....the second and the third was that the tree was debarked for the bee hieve.......the "me" was prepared for the long walk under the sun and with mosquitoes (in long sleeve, long pants and a big hat), but did not count walking in the 7-8 feet tall dry grassland, got some blades cut on face and neck...
Today I just know that villagers burn the grass in circle so large and small animals will die in it as their meat sourse.....I thought it was to keep animals out.....out to their tummy.....they need MORE meat sourse for sure......THE FISH PONDS.
Only if we were more equiped that walk would had been even more and better stories to tell.....See our dinner after the walk, none bothered to sit up proper......Cheng

Pix for site visit - 6 at a time






















First 6 pictures from fish pond harvest....now I know how this works, but for this one you have to read from the last one up to line up with my posted story...the pix from the second day at site will be up soon.....Cheng

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Pictures from the fish ponds harvests did not want to be posted......

Pictures from the fish ponds harvests did not want to be posted.....till next time.....Good night, Cheng Aug. 16, 2010

The rest of the site visit

The Fish Farmers had lots of helps from all sorts of government and non-government orgnizations as sign shown, as you see Peace Corps was not on it, because I just learned that we "the aquaculture extention volunteers" are to be there to connect the tools and materials they could have or already had with the "how to" knowledges and skills. I like this humble posititon already.


The pictures were taken on the first day at the Adam's three fish pond harvesting. The larger fishes were for the market and the smaller ones were for the families I would think. The children went after the harvest and still pick out some fishes from the mud and BBQing and sharing to us too. After the harvest was done Adam took us to see the fish pond water benefited the vegetabel farms.


The second day, Adam was to take us for a couple of hours walk to a water fall that he like to go for a deep sometimes, for there were more things he can show us, like the burnt grass land to keep large animals out, the tree barks been cut for bee heaves - that kills the tree in the short time, the insects, the river...than came with tales of all sorts - true or not, hard to tell.....but all were so much fun.....only if we were in the hiking boots and tons of water and food.....four hours later - or more we got back to Adam's home and all were ash black or dirty brown and hungrey, but all agreed that it was a TRUE AFRICAN EXPERIENCE to these new comers' eyes.


The Third day was to travel back to ISTT - In Service Training Trust, Adam and another site hostess - Renaee were coming out for a conferences or trainings so already full vehicle squeezed in another two people. They were all people's people so we had a joyful 14 hours ride back to out skirt Lusaka.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Take a step back to Site visit in late July 2010.










July 26 to 29, 2010 after we had three days training at Lusaka, the group of 58 divided to many 4 to 5 people team to stay 3 nights at our possible posting site; two teams in one vehicle with all food, clothing, sleeping bags & tants on the roof.


We went north from Lusaka, throught Copperbelt Province, took left to Northwestern Province, along the board line that shared with Congo to Sulwezi, the town at the center and about 50km south of the boarder line. The whole day's travel I did not see any mountain peaks but the gaint creaters from the minning from the past 150+/- years. By the map on this trip the further up to north it should have been up and down at 2,000M to 2,500M elevation, but none of any sign of mountain peaks the whole way so I did not felt that we were up in the high lands.


In my team there were Jim, Hunter and Kinney. I did not have a tant, Jim was kind enough to loan me his tant and will share tant with Hunter but it turned out that Hunter has singal person tant and Jim's was double's so I got to use Hunter's tant and two of them shared Jim's tant. Kinney's was singal snow tant; almost flate on the groud.



Site host Adam, who has the highest number of fish pounds - 58 and the most participating farmers amount all PCV sites and his number of fish farmers and fish ponds are still growing. He also had one Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) - Mark from 140km away visiting him therefore, we - the Peace Corps Volunteer Trainees (PCT) got the double shots from their stories that told us on the Dos and Don'ts and funs and unexpecteds.....all were really fun and fine leasons to have learned.

By the time loaded the first team's stuffs, we went on another 40km to Adam's site and it was totally dark no vallegers welcoming us. Adam and Mark helped to put up tants and made us tea and heat totella in pan to melt some cheese on it than pull heated can refried bean on it for our supper......all were so tired from the 14 hours trip so I went straight to tant to sleep.

Sunday, August 1, 2010


Hello, all.....7/21 departed from Atlanta, GA on Delta, (got to see the aquarium on Wheal shark from Taiwan) 7/22 arrived at Johannasburg 1-1/2 hrs late so whole group strained in airport hotel till next day, got divided in 3 groups to get to Lusaka, Zambia.....lot of luggage not come till 3 days later.......2 out of 3 of mine came one a day....


The training program got all massed up for the late arrivals so we had been working two weekends to catch up time loss.....more medicines and more shots.....but got a trip to most northwest fish ponds for 3 days, it was a real African experieance. Picgtures later.....


We got back to out side of Lusaka a PC tranining center for more training on pond fishing and language......asigned to live with host families for 2 nights now. I got my bike yesterday, it is way nicer then mine but the road is bumpy sandy and bikers have to use the road side drainage when cars coming or going, and hold the brathe and close your eyes....just kidding, but close to reality.....


One young girl quit after field trip and a few did not show up today......hope all be proud of the recognition of their own calls and be proud of their gut to stand up for it - to go home. I am still in so far, my friends......host Mom sent her daughter to escort me to town - Lusaka for the internet....got to go home now......till next time........Love you all, Cheng