back to Makasa village

It felt so different on everything after I was back to my post home from Mansa. 

For been out only four days??? Or that I will be out of Makasa in two weeks totally.......

 

No matter what we still have four breeding ponds and two production ponds to stock and four ponds to be harvested in the coming week.

 

I had collected the embroidery group to come thinking to divide what I have on needles, colored threats and rings to them all, but only four shown up....

Well, good for the four who had shown up, I just divided all materials into four for them.

This was my good girl.  she even finished her second project and cared to show it to me. 

Still monitoring some of the groups...... 

To and from the ponds there were kids carrying water for their homes.....

Schools here are off this month.

 

Cheng   4/22/2013

 



an unexpected trip to Chilenge and Utumbatushi Fall.........

During our Makasa farmers' field trip to Mwese and Yasakwa, I was invited to go on April 17th to 19th that PLARD and DOF will have survey meeting at Chilenge.

When I came back to PC house, I happened to know that PC vehicle is to pick up PCT - Matt from Chilenge on April 16th, so I called back to PLARD and DOF that I really don't have anything to offer at that meeting so will not be going with them on April 17th. 

Besides I have not many days left to be with my farmers in Makasa area. 

 

April 16th, Ba Manowa drove me along Luapula River northward, passed a dammed up hydro electricity generation plant.......

for the volume of water they have, there should be way more than just one tinny plant on the way up to Chilenge, or there are, just I had not seen them......Hope it is so. 

After Mwese, we passed a long distance of road construction that is contacting by Chinese company.

Another long distance after the construction area, there were these ancient machinery at the road side, don't know what they were there for.... 

Got to Matt's site, a photo of him with his counterpart and the family.....turned out that Ba Sebastien knows my counterpart Ba Maxim and they both has two wives...... 

Matt's neighbor just passing by, the baby saw us -the strangers and kind of stopped, about to cry, the mom has to give a little kick from behind to get her going......sloooowly...... 

Matt was happy to go after four days in his own house......

Ba Manowa - the driver was nice to take us for a little detour to this little beach in the front of the Dept of Forestry office building, at the Lake Mweru. 

Have to google the map for this one for I have not even heard yet.  

Matt was kind enough to offer me this photo with my camera.

We swing through town market to this "another beach / water front"......where people wash truck, clothes, dishes, pots and pans....taking water home......right next to each other........in peace.......!?!?! 

Further out, it seemed there was a fish port that fishermen had just got back??? or the local ferry port??? Very busy, it looked like.......

We had always been watched, now I can excuse myself of watching people.......

Don't know the one carries the baby was a mom or a sister...... 

Dancing??? Oh, no! 

The bucket of water on her head just been lifted up, it might not been settled enough yet.... 

We were not been there long, but these people had done what they came there for.....packed up every thing, everyone and going home......

 

Drove back on the tarmac, not too far, Ba Manowa said to Matt and I, "I hope you don't mind that I make another detour to see the Mtumbatushi Water Fall." We both said, "No, not at all.  We need to thank you for that instead."

So there we were. 

My second time since September 2010.

The lower fall was right next to the parking lot.....don't know how many falls it goes through out whole Zambia......need to see it closely on map someday......with the luxury of google search..... 

Water volume was heavy that I have to stand behind trees to keep my camera and me dry from the mist from the water fall.....

No one else was in the park besides the three of us. Same as the last time I was there.

Oh, not true. Three PCVs with a JICA volunteer left PC house the day before were camping there.

 

we followed the trail to another layer upper.......

 

and upper.......

 

and upper......

 

and upper........

 

and upper.......don't know how many layer higher we can go but we need to turn around to be back to Mansa before dark.

JICA volunteer - Kaido found a bunch of grass hoppers just being hutched...at least 30 or 40 of them in this not too big a the cactus plant.....their wings are still on the coming........ 

At the upper layer of the fall, the water is lesser in force and flowers every where.... 

another kind of grass hopper was enjoying its lunch......on this aloe folwer.

I am thankful that I have given this chance of seeing more of Luapula before I leave them.

Thanks to you all, Ba Manowa, Ba Siobhan, Ba Alfred.

 

Cheng 4/17/2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The arrival of the new PCT.....

April 13th, new PCT - Peace Corps Trainee, Chris arrived at my post home, 

had my farmers' warmest welcome.....

If this video can show a little of it, by double click at the center......

 

and a big lunch that I was included.

 

After lunch, I went with PC vehicle came to Mansa and stay in PC house for four days, in order to have this new PCT has a chance to know the villages, the farmers and his new home to be for the next two years, in these four days, all by his own.  Of course, with the counterpart's escorts.

 

When we were passing by Mabumba, we stopped at my old counterpart - Ba Martin's home and saw his little pig pan with a little piglet......It is such a cute little thing....... 

Hope this little one will have lot more his own kind of companions and in a larger house soon....

 

Cheng  4/15/2013

The field trip for Makasa farmers to Mwese and Yasakwa.......

The promised field trip since October 2012, it was finally happened on April 11th. 

My farmers were so grateful to have this trip to Mwese, for some of them might not even been to Mansa often times, or none. 

Mwese is at northeast about 120 kilometer from Mansa. Plus we were from close of Samfya area, which is about 80 kilometer east from Mansa, that made this trip a good 200 kilometer one way long trip.

This little creek was only a little stream last October at my first time here...... 

Now water was fuller but milky, still good enough to wash dishes and pots happily..... 

Water was way fuller in the fish ponds than in October, same issues as where we are in Makasa area...... 

These farms were actually has the furrows to have water zigzaging throught fields of vege garden, banana and pineapple farms and to the fish ponds......Very good planning. 

vege nursary got it own mosqueto net..... 

more farmers and ponds we had visited.....and all were in good planning for the water running to all areas not to depend on pumps.......

This hosting farmer has on his shirt printed "Obama"........In general, all Zambians are so proud of themselves for US President, Mr. Obama's father was from Kenya, "It is just next door from Zambia." they said.... 

DOF officers one from Samfya and one from Mwese, I knew them both since I was in Yasakwa.... 

My farmers were doing what they were told to do, "bring your own pencil and note book to take notes......"  Good job done from all........I am so proud of them all..... 

yet, another pond.....and another.....

At the end we passed this spot that there were a bunch of butterflies......I remembered in October there were a bunch in larger sizes butterflies than these ones, at this same spot too..... 

On the way out of those villages, the bus went off the road and into the soft spot of mud.

Hmm......digging and shaveling....and adding twigs under the wheels......

 and pushed frontward and backward..... 

More than an hour after, we finally got out of it.......

Reason of been off the road??? "The driver was trying to avoiding run over a large snake and kill it......"

We were at this small country trail road, no other traffic, could we just stop to let the snake pass the road first???  Or the info I've got was not a real one......

 

Dr. Abila jokingly said, "Cheng, this is the second time running for your project and the vehicle got stocked."  Not my fault, was it.....

 

We were still in the good time to have a stop at Yasakwa on our way back to Samfya......

But we stopped at Mwese for quite sometimes......and in Mansa, the bus had to refuel.......waited for more officers who I don't know that they wanted to see Yasakwa's function too.......

 

We left Mansa at about 17:00......

Picked up my old counterpart - Ba Martin Kasumpe at Mabumba.......he was still wearing the SJJ's hat that I gave to him way back...... 

My old counterpart - Ba Martin and current counterpart - Ba Maxim....

The pig pan's building material was provided by PLARD after my taxi accident..... 

The piggy papa and mama...... 

The piglets..... 

When we went through the gardens to the ponds, it was starting to get dark......

Plus somewhere near by there was grass burning already.....it is too early to burn those wet grasses....the smoke made the sky even darker........

The hosting farmer - Ba Bardnar was happy to show how he feed the fish and he was happy to see me again too...... 

 

Only time is getting late and sky is getting darker and darker........

 

We need to go.....for the driver had to take us another 70 kilometer to Makasa and Samfya than he has to take Mansa officers back to Mansa after........

At least, my Makasa farmers got to see how and what was the differences on the integration fish pond farming in Mwese, in Yasakwa and in our own Makasa area...

And all those fishes were way moe active than ours in Makasa, for sure... 

A huge thanks to PLARD, to DOF Samfya, to Dr. Abila, to the driver, for making this trip happened.  Truly appreciated, deeply and totally.

 

We all know that there will be a five day workshop for Makasa fish pond farmers plus fish pond farmers around Samfya is all ready to happen, but it just couldn't be happened in the month of April before I leave Makasa............ 

 

Well, the new PCV will enjoying it, the same as fruit trees around my post home.

 

My best wishes to all.

 

Cheng  4/15/2013