July 4th long weekend....started on July 1st.....

I had this idea to have another 2 PCVs from Northern Province to come visit the Lake Bangweulu with me for some months, turned out neither could make it.....so I was to do this trip by my own for I know one DOF officer at Samfya from February's workshop and two priests from the hitch hiking back from Mansa to my home at Yasakwa and all had invited me to visit.....

Turned out we have new PCVs posting close to my home and one is about 100 KM from me but she wants to joint me (one pic was Maxie, Fr. Clement, Fr. Joricho and me) when I met the officer and the two priests in Samfya we form up the trip is to visit the three islands in this huge lake and with all helps we got a great deal.....plus one PCV was celebrating birthday with lots PCVs camping at the next beach from us, so Maxie called and told one of them about our boat trip and 7 of them came jointed us and shared the boat expenses....turned out Maxie's site was half way from Samfya to Tringi (where St Maria is) the farther east from my home 130 KM.

First night officer - Ba Nchinawe went with me to stay at St. Marie's parish. Now I have to depart from Kasama to Lake Tanganuka with Mary Ellen and Barbara Smith......later you all...... Cheng 7/15/2011

District Dept. of Fishery workshop in Mabumba....

The Mabumba village got lucky to have district dept of Fishery to come and gave them 2 days workshop on June 23, 24, on Fish Pond farming from site selection, construction, fingerling handling, fisn pond management, harvesting, marketing, etc.....

All had confirmed that past 9 months time my work with fish farmers were correct and my farmers were reconfirmed that they are practicing the learnings all along.....all was good.....and we - my catchment area farmers had built up a good relationship with these officials well......Cheng 7/15, 2011

My counterpart's fish ponds were selected, measured and constructed all by himself and shown to me the first time when it was almost done......just that he did not consider the water flow where to let in where to let out according to the slooping land his ponds are.......he just have to work as is and only hope the next ones he is to do it right way or have me around before anything has done.......

After attended PEPFAR workshop in May at Mansa, I have put the messages into almost every workshops and meetings I had with my villagers........Yes, fish pond farming is to help them to have more income, but we still have to face the real problem, those are the teenage parenthoods, and HIV positives. Before May I noticed the young girls drop out of school due to pregnancies or married (the lucky ones) and asked villagers to help them to go back to school all around, now I have to encourage the HIV negatives to have sincere heart and open minded to accept the HIV positives to stand out and get help on treatment and all possible assistances.

HIV positive is not deadly, just have to take medicine timely with proper diet, with both, one can still live full term of life...if the unknow status to affect and reaffect any others, the spreading rate is horrible, seemingly lots people have many sex partners besides husbands and wives, and the stigma is so deep in the caltual and in every villages.......

So one day, one village, one workshop on garden, etc......I kept myself busy........Cheng 7/15/2011

still late June 2011

Dr. & Mrs. Jonsson are so nice to invite me to stay in their home when I come into Mansa.

While staying at the Jonsson's home, the other PLARD officers took me to see the Agricaltural Show in Mansa......there I saw farmers from my area came to show their crops and energy saving wood burning stove......I am looking forward to show her the enregy stove for charcoal burning stove.......

Zambia is truly a rich country if all works on the right way for they have almost virgin land, planty of water, whatever they grow all are coming up great, I am really glad that PCVs come to connect farmers to the skill and knowledge, not the almost duty free aid......those proved to have grown their dependancy not moving forward for the last 60 years.......

Can you believe that these grassy looking plants are snake medicines?? Cheng 7/14/2011

Late June 2011

Mid June, weather is cold in the early morning and sometimes kept the cold wind till noon or so....but before the day end I can still felt hot under the sun shine......this day we worked at Village Shoti was one of it......Cheng July 14, 2011