The grace of DAPP volunteers for my kids.......

 

The DAPP volunteers were so kindly to offer to play with my kids last Saturday, for I do not know how to paly with them.  They made dolls with kids with creative materials - cut up maize bags and stuffed with grass

or anything they've found under my carpenter's corner.....

Everyone had a doll of their own.....might be the first piece of toy, and only, they have ever had.....

Not yet done, they played outside of nsaka with lots of fun and NOISES.....when it got to be too loud, I just had to hide back in to my house.....

Aren't them guys great..........Thanks to Plamen, Marton and Andrew.

That night, Carmen and Mark called all of us for BBQ dinner for their friends from Southern province came visit them and with huge piece of meat.....and they shared.......How wonderful I have friends as these.....and here.....I was too excited for the good food on the table and forgot to turn the flash light on my camera when Carmen took this picture for me.....well, next time.......Marton said he is to make Hungarian dish next week...... 

I stayed over night again and missed watching sun raise in bed for the mist on the lake was high, and I waited for so long, finally went to shower and the sun went up so high.......Cheng 8/31/2012

Now we are really have fish ponds to work on....

A lady came to our work planning meeting that she had just inherited nine fish ponds from her father who had just passed away and need out help to manage or reconstruct, etc....so late August we went working with them.....two ponds are working on water feeding in order to received fingerling soon......one pond was full with water Lilly so this was how they drained the pond to remove the roots and all...... 

That day, a DAPP volunteer decided to come with us to see how fish pond works....he is from Eastern Europe.

For nine ponds to feed, they would need more than 270 chicken at all times........to have manure to feed fish pond water for the plankton.....

On the way home we stopped at more fish ponds that belongs to one son of my Counterpart's.....more work is on the coming.....that's good......Cheng  8/31/2012

My first three standard ponds.....

After coming back from Mansa, in the recovering from Malaria, villagers expressed highly that they are ready to work, so I accompanied them most of times.......I gave instructions for the clearing the land, do the measuring, leveling and tight the ropes for references and sit at the side to watch them dig the dirt....their hoes are incredibly wonderful with their precise shovel right on to the spot it needed to be......

 

Two, three days after you can really see the pond is coming up......

Ladies were supposed to step the dike smooth and packed, but they rather to dance on the soft wet mud....one got to have some fun somewhere, somehow, right?

Nala has one duckling.......I thought yellow colored was only for goose......I am learning every day.....

By the three standard ponds there was this bird net on the top of tall grass and the mama bird was trying to feed her babies and wished that I was not watching....hmm.......just thinking when we burnt the grass few days back........any bird nets in it???

A couple of days, there were dragon fly everywhere and than all gone.....

There was a "town meeting" that all villagers had to go so I tagged along.......only to know that the government was championing to have villagers to build latrines for every household....we have about a thousand people, about 250 families and don't know from where they told us that we have only 78 latrine in our area......hope the new ones will have a pipe to air out the pit and a screen on the top, to stop flies going anywhere.....

Once our close by villagers started working standard ponds, surrounding villagers wanted me to go see if they can work with us too......sure.....the more the better......these ponds are about 4KM east from my house 1KM west from Samfya....... Cheng 8/27/2012

 

 

 

yesterday afternoon..........

End of the third day, we've got the bottom pond done in the correct measurement but all announced that they will take one day break on Friday and be back Saturday morning.  More than just fine with me, I need a break too.....

Back to my post home I was to read for a little but sound of the wild fire came so close...... and it was that close from the corner of my house and neighbor's cloth line before me......they have two small children as I know....but none of them taking any action on the fire or the kids......

Only a few minutes later the fire came straight to my house.  My counterpart was there and kept on telling me, "Don't worry, Ba Cheng." But I had my lap top in backpack, on the chair and camera bag on my shoulder, once fire touch my roof I am out of there with these two items.......

Came closer still, only about 10 yards from my house.....Ba Maxim broke a branch of cassava and swept the fire down around him, and GENTLY......

And the fire was off, and he stood in peace with his wife next to him again......

Good that I have today's day off to catch up with all these excitments, whao.....

Until next time, you all have a wonderful weekend to come.

Cheng  8/17/2012

back to work in the fields, even right after malaria......

Wednesday, the meeting to work got canceled another time, so I went in to Samfya to check PO, charge phone, etc......I walked behind PO building to the market, where Carmen's office is just in between and there were these maize all over the street waiting to be collected by government......they told me that if they are lucky they can have the money by January......

Sincerely, I wished them all a great luck.

On my way back home, sky darken quickly and seemed to be rain at any time.....my counterpart came burn the tall grasses behind my ichinbusu (outhouse) that the fire was so close to its thatch roof....he told me "That is fine, do not worry." I asked him, will it be raining soon?  He said, "No, no rain in August." 

But it did, after sun went down......I did not see it for I do not go out in dark if I could help......there were lightlings and thunders before I fallen a sleep......my head had full of the pictures I took this morning, all those bags of maize were all over the street, with their owners close by and in this terrible rain....I slept sadly........

Thursday I woke up with all symptom of malaria and called PCMO in Lusaka, took malaria self test and it turned out normal......because I am taking Mefloquen for malaria prevention and it often shown normal on the test..... As day went on and my temperature went up, body ached all over, ever I can remember that way.....by 4pm, Dr. Toni and Ba Shebo called back and said "Take Coartem now and take the second dose in eight hours. We are calling Mansa for a taxi to take you to the provincial house now."

The taxi did not come until 19:30 and by than I have soiled two trousers....I just can't run to outhouse quick enough.......lucky that taxi did not come quick, so I've got time to burn them before I had to leave the house.......sorry for too much details........

It took an hour time to get to the provincial house and I went straight to shower and bed.....So sorry for Dr. Toni, who had to call me every step I had to take and made sure that I take my second dose of Coartem on time - at mid night, etc......the next two day I took medicine as told......when medicine was gone the symptoms were gone also.....except weak and tired......what a deal.....

The PC Co-ordinator had business to Samfya that he took me home as well, also brought me a loaner bike so he can take my broken bike to repair for the third time.  On the way out of Mansa, we stopped by his house so I got to met with his young and sweet wife and shy and playful son.

Look at me, right after malaria........Have I aged to hundred and four now or not?

 I took the advantage of my farmers wanted to work, even I was still weak and tired I went on with them.....that made them felt that they were in control of whole situation.....While I was in the field,  Carmen called from the front of my post home to check on me and surprised to found me out working already.

Of course, the farmers did not do what they said be done on prepare the land for measuring and sticking the new ponds......so I had to sit on a bucket to wait for them to bring fire from home to burn the grass, while waiting I had them clear off grass around the old fish ponds......you just had to be there to tell them one step at a time.......

When the fire goes, it goes all directions......none seemed minded.....and the fire die down in a couple of hours......

Right after the burning of the grass, those roots became sharpe as nails, and most of themwalked on it bare footed.........

I was sitting not far from them, to make sure all meassurements done correctly and so on....they were quickly got the hint of how it should be done.  At the third pond I kept quiet for a long time and turned out they had done it correctly at the re-check and re-meassure and re-level......they were so proud of themselves too......besides I was so happy to see it all.

These roots can go down more than 20 inches deep or more.....but all I can ask for was to move about 10 inches deep clearly out side of dike line that I left it on each pond for them....it is wet land area, you can think how heavy each shavel is to be......

The third day, only two of them shown up on time....still a lot to go.....for even just the first pond...

On the way to and from the ponds, there were two of these trees, about 30 feet tall, with all flowers no leaves....and bees were busying with loud noises.....I just can't help to zoom in for a photo or two....and I've got the first one good too.....haven't I.......Cheng   8/17/2012