A call from my Angel......

September 19th and 20th besides checking on ponds a few times a day, sending thank you phone text notes to PLARD, DOF provincial and local on fingerling received and reporting the number of dead fishes continuing happened.....I can't bring myself to do anything else, but I cleaned up my house a little more, even the PCTs swept insaka and did the dishes before they went off. 

 

21st I had one town meeting at 09:30am that I was invited to attend, just the day before. My counterpart came to ask me to go see the closest ponds before we go for the meeting, that they had started a breeding pond next to old ponds just harvested, as PLARD encouraged him to work on it while picking up the fingerling on Tuesday, which he was trained by PLARD in February 2012 with three other farmers from near by Samfya area, and he told me that the local DOF told him to hold off, only one of the four been trained was to do the breeding pond at that time.

 

When I saw the new pond, it was done nicer than those three that I was closely escorted till the completion.  I told him, "It is a very nice fish pond, but not a breeding pond. I am not trained on this subject, so if you will bring your training materials, we can go over it after the meeting." And we went to the meeting......

 

From 09:30 till 11:30 all the hotshots in the meeting were yelling and screaming at those villagers already there for the others been late and not yet at the meeting........up to a point I had no more patient to offer, besides these few late night out at insaka with PCTs, I've gotten mosquito bits all over......and now all were acting up that I had to excuse myself to come home for some medicine.....

 

Got home, nothing looked right and nice.....couldn't sit or laid down on my new bench for a few minutes at a time.....phone rang, "Hello, Cheng.  I am coming back to Samfya will passing by your house in few minutes, thinking if you need to come to Samfya at all, that I can stop and pick you up." I jumped and yelled through the phone, "Carmen, come get me please, and can I stay over night at your home again?"  I tell you, such a call from "Angel" it was, what one can ever expect....... 

 

Even both Mark and Carmen said calmly, "We understand every once a while one just need to have a break.  Just come up anytime you want."  Don't mention how I have had appreciated.....

At their home Bethany and Jeremy with their 6 months old baby were visiting on their way to Lusaka for baby's vaccinations.

Another beautiful family in Luapula for a little longer while.....  

Nala's duckling has grown big in size, pretty soon it will loose its baby look.....now it is white not yellow any more..... 

Saturday morning, Bethany offered to take me and my bike home on their way to Lusaka, what a treat that I had had a full breakfast before get back to my "Kids' time table memorizing"......Kids had not been coming regularly in the school break, today there were 12 shown up at the end of the "insaka" time.....Even my teenager's cloth mending resumed too......

Mid afternoon, got a phone text, "Please come and help on the sloop construction."  This was my new group of farmers that we gave the pond sticking with Trainer and PCTs on Tuesday.....they did great job in past few days.....I can see two sides of sloops were done wonderfully nice and pounded hard that I have yet seen.......why they call for help......at the time I got there, they were really held up for what ever reason and could not get the third corner concurred......

I praised them and asked who was the one did the first two corners.......one stood up, I said calmly, "just show me how you did the first two corners......" and from there seemed all fall in together and moved on quickly......don't know what was in all their minds........it was a great fish pond to be if you ask me..... 

 

 

This group of farmers came prepared, they cooked lunch at the site and continue working after it too.

Sunday I was trying to figure out what I can do for the coming week, a phone text invited me over by the Ranger in town. His wife is working at the court house, both high officers in each of their own fields.  I have been very much like to know how a female high officer to balance her daily official and home life in Zambia, especially in Samfya.....but always too much other topics to talk with them and still not a clear view of my curiocities....... 

Okay, this is for today.....out of power in lap top now.....Cheng 9/30/2012

Fingerling had arrived......PCTs departed......

Not only PTCs came one person less, they took off one day earlier than scheduled too.

The trainer asked to move the planed pond sticking one day ahead so the PCTs would have chance to practice their learning.....I figured we can have it done in the morning, so when the farmers come back from collect the fingerling, the PCTs could a chance to experience it in the afternoon too......

we did it and back to my post home just to received my counter part's call that they had just leaving Ifyiongari......so in an hour time we can have PCTs see the fingerling receiving too......

Wrong calculations all together.......we waited and waited......14:00.....no show of fingerling and no answer from any calls I made out to those farmers went collect the fingerling...where could they be....83+/- kilometers from here, now more than two hours on the way....I am thinking in this heat of mid day how fingerling are to be survived.......

 

Here came my comp officer with two other ladies and she introduced to me as "this one is boss of so and so, she is in charge of all loans...." I cut in, "Any of my farmers are taking loans? With problems?" "No, not that......" "You want me to promote the loans?" no answer, "You work with women's group, right? And this other lady is in charge of all registration of women group's registering." "Any of my women farmers had problem?" "No." "Then what is the reason for them to visit me here?" "Nothing much, it is that you should have visited their offices first before you work within their comps......." I lost it......."Look, ladies, here I am worrying about all fingerling that three groups, 10 ponds are to received are more than two hours late to show up.....and you just come to tell me that I did not make all of you my bosses before I am helping any of my farmers???" I continued,  "Everyone knows I was looking for fingerling this couple of weeks, where were you to help me???" and concluded with, "From here and on I will send whoever come ask me to work with to your offices first and come see me again with your approvals. Otherwise, I will just sit in my home and read my books. That's fine with me too.

" 

The PCT Skill Trainer, in the front of five PCTs, assured me that it was not these ladies' purposes to come make me mad, but it was procedures they work.......I snipped at him,"If so, was all in the training documents somewhere I missed?" Poor him, he is DOA employee and taking vacation time to work as Trainer, he had to carry both weight from either side.......lucky that he had big shoulders.....My Comp office told me, "Ba Kalvin is my senior in DOA from me, so he is my boss. Now my boss is talking and you have to listen." I turned to her, "He is your boss, not my boss." 

Bob, I lost on it ever the biggest this time, haven't I???

 

The three ladies disappeared from my insaka without announcing.....another hour gone by fingerling finally show up.....and of course.......fishes dead even before opened the bags.......

 

The next morning, also the PCTs' departure date, I put tea and oatmeal on charcoal fire then went out to check my closest fish ponds......what not to expect......dead fishes everywhere.....sad, sad beginning of the day..... 

 

 

Off they all went and the sudden quietness brought birds large and small all over my front yard.......Wondered what could have been left at this camp site, at my front door....

The baby stayed in the shade at my door steps waiting for parents to bring food......

Cheng  9/28/2012

The PCTs.........

 

I was to host six new Peace Corps trainees from September 15th to 20th, they came only five for one got injoryed somewhat and stayed in Lusaka.  They arrived way after dark and some did not got up next day till language teacher had came......I went on to work with my farmers on the tao issues.....

 

Some finished lessons earlier and got time to play with my neighboring kids.....that I am greatly appreciated...... 

In the afternoons, I took them and their Skill trainer to visit my farmers and ponds and gardens... 

 

 

 

Hope they have seen my flowers everywhere too...... 

One fish farmers we visited was close to Samfya so I suggested to take them into town after, just to  say "Hi" to some DOF officers then go the beaches of Lake Bangweulu.... 

There I might had made mistake, for we could not possible to say "Hi" to every officers.....only got told that the next day that my farmers were to collect fingerlings from Ifyinogari that they can't go because DOF has students to attend the skill training on heavesting the fingerling.....

 

Just at the beginning of the week, they had me collect the transport money from my farmers, now my farmers were only to pay the transports for these students??? Not at my approval......I called to Provincial officer and got it sittled that I can't go but my farmers will. That's more like it.

Back at my home, I told the traineers that if they will to play with my nieighboring kids, I would not mind to cook dinner myself....and they did......thanks to their good hearts......

Two even went fitch water the local way home........the neck must been hurting......even just looking at the picture now......

 

Cheng 9/28/2012

 

First harvest in Makasa from the old ponds....

Early morning of September 15th, as farmers told me that they will drain the pond from 4am and on but I waited till 6am no one came get me so I went check old and new ponds......New ponds have lots of baby frag - taoes(spilling???).....need it be scooped out before we are receiving fingerling on Tuesday, September 18th.

 

These taoes sure will eat up fish food before fishes really got to eat it.......

 

6:30am farmers came and break the dike, 8am people came with buckets for fishes.....

DAPP volunteer friends came for the fun too.....besides the officials.....

Farmers frisst use the net from DOF but the holes were too large so they changed to their old way - useed mosquitoe net...... 

All hands on......it was a happy time for all....... 

Andrew went in and used his hand to help on the harvest like some farmers did at the side.... 

He got one after many trys...... 

My counterpart - Ba Maxim, show me one largest fish they got.....if not for the total harvest, I would tell him to put it back to water to produce more healthier and larger fingerlings......

Besides they sold the larger fish at the spot, they gave 250 fingerlings to one pond that was in the Do-Op plan when they received these fingerling back in January 2012, and they sold fingerlings to other ponds worth of 250,000 Kwacha.

Afterward, they told me they had total 70.3 kilogram harvested from the four old ponds, that they had 18 kilogram harvested in December 2011.  They credited me for the new pond management.  Thank them very much, but I told them, even I had show them the way, it was them who did the work. Therefore, they should thanks to those who worked hard in the last two months.

No matter what, this two months close watch of their feeding fishes had given them the idea of the more they feed the fish, the more they will have it back at the harvest.

Cheng 9/28/2012

On the top of fingerling receiving excitments.....

As fingerling promised from PLARD, it is a program of government to government aides, so it will have local DOF to process documents. I went to town first time to tell DOF how my villagers committed themselves on the half of price for each fingerling they will taking.  Came the second time transport fuel need villagers to pay......I will have it done.....The third time I thought we can have "this" paper surfaced and be completed.......but the driver needs lunch......"Why don't you tell me the last time?".....sorry for been loud....but what else is still need to be done by the villagers....."Oh, that's fine than, the DOF will pay for the driver's lunch."...."and this person will give you the template that you can follow." He was there too at my first visit for this document!!!......I went borrowed General Admin of DC's office (Thanks to Ba Mulenga) so I can plug in my lap top while working on it......"Oh, local DOF need to be present while completing it.".......Okay, I have them all with me now so let's get it done with......subjective: I said "promoting fish ponds farming", objective: "fingerling acquisition", target beneficiary: "all villagers near by the ponds"....."Oh, you need to do like......." "Okay, do it." "No, no, you have to agree with it" "If do it, don't meant agreed, so I agree you do what you think.  Just get this paper done so my villagers wouldn't loss their fingerling."......number of fingerling: they put down half of the number villagers needed......I said, "I have the heads or the tails??? It was the price PLARD promised to cover half not the fingerling in HAVES." By this time I was getting enough of it.....at the end......complied by......"Oh, these ponds are in this officer's area so she has to sign."......fine, "What's the next?" "Nothing, you can go now." THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I was there since 08:00 and than 14:00. My tummy was grouching louder myself.

 

While having all these fun in DOF offices, PC head office in Lusaka called me that they had schedule changed for new trainees for Central Province to come to Luapula Province so they need me to host 6 PCTs from September 15 to 20 (arrive late afternoon on 15th and leave early morning on 20th) with three trainers.  The PCTs will camp around my house and trainers will stay at the Comp officer's arrangement. Thank for the Comp office was there with me at the time, saved my explanation and asking......

 

I came home to tell my counterpart this news and asked if he can do my request of renovate my house since I came in May. He did say it was an easy job to be done from the beginning, just four months gone by still not done. So he really did it with his always assistant, Ba Pama.......thanks to the PCTs visit, or I might never have my home my way......Bob, what do you think on this one???

Basically, I want the end of the hall way wall to cut open so my bike can go in and out easier, plus the room will become more useful for the door way is not in the center of it...... 

we used the dirt bricks from the wall to seal the door way and left upper part open so light and air can go through and I can put one candle in the night to lite up hallway and the room at the same time.....energy conservation.......hmm, good.......

Went to Carmen and Mark's again, I cooked Chinese food - "Kon-Bau Chicken" "Stir fry Mung bean noodle"......at the table, Carmen said, "Tell Bob, keep on sending the mung bean noodle......." It was not an easy thing to do here, for you do not have boneless chicken to buy anywhere.......Rose Mary had to "dress" the chicken than I cut it to what I need......imaging, I cook these dishes in ZAMBIA....Carmen said, "No, not only in Zambia, it is in Samfya." I will do it again when the DAPP volunteers come back from their job of building a play ground far out of Samfya.

How blessed I am, to have these good people around and good food they always shared to me......

Cheng 9/21/2012

Three ponds were done.......

The three standard ponds had finally completed and the fingerling at half the price had promised by PLARD and DOF provincials, I felt a lot relaxed, so I went into Mansa for the 2010 PCVs COS party on the 7th of September.  I made lunch at PC Provincial House (Tsung-Yiu-Pin and Egg Drop Soup) for all PCVs in the house at the time for I know I am not a party person and will not be with them that evening. I was staying at Dr. Jonnson's home that both Dr. and Mrs. are traveling on the way back from their home visit in Europe. I will come again to see them, when they are in their house soon.

 

Before I was back to my post home in Makasa I visited my Chinese friend - the manager, Sam, of Budget Store in Mansa and happened to know that Sam was to take his employees to the beaches at Lake Bangweulu and offered to take me home in the small bus they rented for the day.  Sam will be leaving Mansa in December when his term is up.

They were at "Kwacha Lodge" beach for all their fun things to do.....

I took Sam to see we - PCVs' camping ground next to where they were.......

They had lots of fun on the water, but no one can really swim.....they hired the boat for a little rounds  near by too.....when they took me home on my usual biking route and it was so different in view from up high in the bus I missed my turn and had to bike back a quarter of Kilometer so they missed out to see where I stay in Makasa. The road was not able for the bus to turn around......

Cheng 9/21/2012