Malawi.....dives........

It was a new experience for me to hitch hike long distance, all the way from Lusaka to Chipata.  Some were nice to give us free ride with smiles, some we assumed for free ride but ended with arguments.....some even a little heated......if all by myself I would had been freak out.....

We over night at Chipata PC House, left early the next day to Nkahta Bay. We took more sections by buses.......it was a long, long trip up there still....

 

All worth it, for Nkhata Bay is a quiet place in term of being a tourist spot...... after two days on the road.

It is still a high plateau country, but I saw the hill tops, cliffs and rocks huge and small from the bus windows. 

 

The meat market on the road side, that I have never seen in Luapula. 

A tree full of birds......I was to take a close up shoot, but my camera said "Memory full"....how could it be......Bob had a 16GB chip in it for me......just remembered that before left Lusaka, I loaded all pictures to lap top and left lap top with Barbara that I didn't take the chip back to camera......

Oh, mine......how to could I be survived from a trip without pictures.....

The next day Ben and I went check out the dive shop and the dive master - Chris was so nice to loan me a 4GB chip so I can go diving........and he let me use it till the end of our trip.....Thanks, Chris.

Ben has five dives before this trip, but he is young and fit and a good diver for many years of diving to come his way yet......

We dove with a father with daughter and son......the Mom stayed behind for not feeling good that morning.  They were on the third time around the world trip and using the mileage tickets from the last two trips.....Mom is doing home education around the world......Lovely family.

As all the fresh water dives, not much to see, not talking about all African lakes are all overly harvested as info we have from the fisheries back at my post home. 

We did a night dive too, just to see what others were there..... 

The communal deck in the sun sit was beautiful and peaceful...

Off work and off school match with a ball that was made from collected plastic shopping bags...

Boat attendant was happily seeing us off, under the half-moon in the sky..... 

The three dauphin fishes followed dive light to hunt for their dinner the whole dive......They were about 3-4 feet long, looked more light sturgeon back home but no whiskers.....it was fun to chase after them for pictures......

The spot we dove had been filmed in the "Blue Planet" for some minutes, we had seen that part in the dive shope. I have to see it again when get back to Bob's home.

 

 

Cheng 3/16/2013

Trip to COS conference.......January 14 to 16, 2013

The Close of Service conference was held at a beautiful resort - Chaminuka, out side from Lusaka, run by the couple Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Sardanis and their son, as Mr. Sardanis said "This is my retirement home and I love to share with all friends." 

Just for the management and up keep, it got to be a serious business to stay up as a five star class resort.

Huge in door space with lots of art collections.....there was a room with mostly Vic Gohr's painting, that I recognized for I was reading the book Vic Gorh wrote with paintings in it that Dr. and Mrs. Jonnson gave to me when they were leaving Mansa - "The trouble of Africa". What a small world that I can even run into something real that I was just reading at hand..... 

Out door, there was a cattle farm and a huge game park.  The resort offered "cheese and wine" drive or "game" drive every morning and late afternoon.  Of course, I was on the all possible game drives....the drivers finally said to me, "You most love the animals a lot." They might just wondered that I didn't go for the "cheese and wine" dirves........People here do not ask questions directly.....

 

The three days workshop was actually preparing all COSers to face the home going caltural shock and the job or school hunting......also to have everyone to have a chance to see all other PCVs that they might not been seen since they got posted to their own villages. 

 

I was the only one RAPer attached to the LIFEers and CHIPers at this COS conference. When I came back to Zambia after the taxi accident, it was a chance specially for me alone.   I felt as an odd ball all over, but good to know new faces and new topics on LIFE and CHIP that I was not familiar with......

 

 

Cheng  03/16/2013

 

 

Whao.......I am back on BLOG to post pix and notes....

Don't ask me how I got it back.......or what I did to lost it almost three months back.....

The following was created before today whenever I have had time, power and internet connection, which was not often happened in 2013 so far, but I even tried on new label 2013 Cheng @ Zambia that did worked but can't be posted.  Now I copy and paste them here to save time before I could have lost the power, internet again or I need to get going....
This is March 15, 2013 today.

 

Happy New Year 2013 again to all.

My last posting with pictures were up to seeing off Mrs. Abila and children in Mansa on December 27, 2012.

December 29th, one JICA volunteer, who was working at Mansa college in 2010 to 2011 came back to visit Mansa and didn't have time to come to my post home, so I went to Musaila bus stop to see her for about 15 minutes.

Really appreciated Ms. Maki had taken effort to make a stop to see me. She also brought me one plastic wash board, I had asked for, I hope to have villagers here to make it in wood, so many women here can wash their clothes easier.

Thank you very much, Maki san.

 

Continuing on pond managements......

This raining season seemed different than the one I remembered while I was in Yasakwa....back than, after heavy rain, I remembered bright blue sky after every rain. But here it seemed the heavy rain more often following by Seattle kind of winter sky.......of course, not that gray,

I am missing the bright blue sky here.....

December 30th, many PCVs called that they were camping at our usual lake front camp group so I went after my fish pond routines.........all were having great fun, so I decided to joint them the next day, New Year Eve Day, to come with my bathing suit, etc.......

Before I got out from bed at my usual time of 05:30, there were couple text from PCVs at camp site and PC in Lusaka...."All PCVs be off Samfya beach, boma and guest houses......" for there had been a robbery case happened to two PCVs who stayed in guest house in Samfya, in the night....

not far from the camp site.....

 

Ben and Diana were there waiting for me at the beach camp site, therefore, the three of us went to stay at Carmen and Mark's home right on the hill top from the camp site for the day and night for the New Year's Eve.

We were treated with big lunch, resting afternoon, tea and dinner......on the top of they are already having a house full of guests. Mark's sister's whole family - Julie and husband Steve with their four gorgeous children are visiting from USA.

Three of us managed to sleep in the TV room, on air mattresses with mosquito nets.

I am grateful that my pot stickers were always been welcomed, anywhere, any time.

Creatively everyone made something to add to the dinner was planned.....we ate dinner while watching the full moon above the lake.......(that orange dot was it)

 

The happy event was clouded up with the sad news......

Thanks to Carmen and Mark always taking PCVs in for whatever reason.

After dinner all were playing cards, games before the mid-night fire work that Mark had prepared, I went to bed at my usual time 20:30....a little later, actually.

Cheng 3/2/2013

A great beginning for year 2013.

My neighbor, Ba Helen, who has two children, one is 3 and one is less than 1, she was so nice to give me a cup full of soya bean from her garden and I offered to show her how to make soya milk and soya cakes....at the end I bought most of the milk and cake and left some for her own family to enjoy.

Just hope she will remember that soya milk is not good for babies under 1 year old.

Continuing pond managements........
All ponds have heavy rain effecting water level issues, but all handling it fine.....

This 17 year old, 10th grader, Ba Dimus has being working hard for his fish pond, besides he had garden of veges for fishes, he went out to find the termites to feed them, and he continues going to school too.....Good Job and keep on going, Ba Dimus.

There were late coming Christmas graces from SCCP (Samfya Community Care Providers), that they have great many wonderful American ladies in Chicago that they had done these beautiful quilted blanckets that I gave the three I got from them to the three oldest persons around my post home.
They are all women. 

With the blankets, there were one box of clothes for a mom with six children, and.........

Three bundles of baby clothes, that I gave two bundles to two down syndrome teenage girls, both been rapped that one has two children.......

 One has one child......

All children looked normal to me, but they have to depend on Moms' parents to care for babies......

I talked to the parents to give these girls the "5 year birth control implantation" only the one parents with the two grandchildren agreed. I jumped ahead and asked SCCP Mark to drive them to hospital to have it done before they changed their minds.

The other parents said they will protact the girl better...Wish them the best luck from me........

The last bundle of baby clothes, I gave it to the girl I had pushed her back to school last July. She is 15 year old now and her son is 2.

Thanks to Carmen and Mark.
Thanks to SCCP
and thanks to all ladies in Chicago who did all these great things for my villagers.

First Thursday of January, I had the Camp officer, Ba Mawara, to give my farmers a gardening workshop and all went well. Thank You, Ba Mawara.

None of them were stage shy on presenting their groups' discussions.....

At the end of this workshop, one girl who is also in my embroidery group, shown me one of her project got completed..........

How wonderful to see this one been really happened.

Isn't this beautiful!!! Hope more ladies will come forward to joint our embroidery group.

Thanks to Bob that he brought more colored thread and the rings for my embroidery group.

Ben and Diana arrived after workshop was over and camped in insaka till Sunday morning that three of us went on the trip to Malawi together.

Saturday, Rachel and Joe came to lunch with us............

I show all of them to my close by fish ponds.....

 

Sunday morning, we left my post home before sun raised, at the day break Ben and Diana got a ride on the flat bed truck to Serenje to stay in PC house over night and going to Lusaka the next day.

They were to Lusaka for their IST (In Service Training) for the week.

I took the bus straight to Lusaka for my COS (Close of Service) conference and I will meet the two of them and Emily in Lusaka at the end of the week and go for Malawi.

As usual, I asked for the front seat and granted one behind the driver........

 

Out of Luapula on this swamp land, it might have been the largest in Africa.....I'm not sure......
In the swamp, there were termite peaks all over places.....

This is the Tuta Bridge on the swamp. It is the longest bridge in Africa that I know. 

This is a temporary fisherman's village for the raining season.....in the dry season they are all over in the swamp and the Lake Bangweulu.

Cheng 3/2/2013

Okay, now let's see if it will post now.....see you all on next posting for the trip to Malawi.

Cheng 3/15/2013

 

Hello, all.......please check on "Cheng @ Zambia 2013"

All my dear ones, since I can't post pictures on this blog "Cheng @ Zambia", I created another one "Cheng @ Zambia 2013" so I posted pix and notes..........now I have to attend other call.  Later, and on "Cheng @ Zambia 2013" please.  

 

Cheng 2/26/2013

Happy Holidays and Prosperious 2013.

To all my dear friends and families, I hope all of you are well and enjoying this New Year of 2013.

 

I have to apologize for not sending my usual end of year letter this time and not even sending emails to most of you all.......as you might had viewed my blog prior to this one and knew that while I tried as everyone adviced to slow down my village activities in the month of December, but it turned out been ever the busiest month since I came to Zambia this time.

 

Not only my physical movements the usual way as "busy bee" that one officer here called me so, but I have also been challenged with the possibilities to extend one year service here to work for PLARD and DOF Luapula Provincial offices. 

 

Which meant if my extension got granted, I will have one month home leave in May to see most of you all and come back to Luapula for another 12 months.  If so, it will be also good for me to see the school in Lukali Village be built as the wishes of all their villagers and myself.  I will let you all know once I hear anything from my superiors in Lusaka.

The case of building Lukali School I picked up in April 2011 and was closed while I was recoverying in Seattle.  I have picked it up again in October 2012.  On January 4th, 2013 I was told that this case has been approved by CDF government fund for 2013, but not knowing how big the scoop it is and when the action would be started.  I will keep you all posted when I know more about it.
 

Okay, go back to my blog routine from where I last posted.
  

Christmas Eve and Day, I was invited by Carmen and Mark, Rachel and Joe to be with all of them, with their usual local friends plus this time Mark's sister's whole family is visiting for four months..... but I stayed home instead and finished reading the book "Walking Home"......beautifully written of Alaska that I was familiar with.......

 

Toward the end of the year, my fourth time fingerling delivery to four ponds was on December 26th........I felt way better ever after.......

 

I went in to Mansa and made a Chinese farewell dinner for Mrs. Abila and children's return to Kenya and came back to one of Lake Bangweulu Beaches on December 30th be with PCVs camped there.  I came home late that afternoon for it is raining season, even I bought a tent and sleeping bag from one COSed PCV, I didn't even want try it just yet.

 

The New Year Eve day I was to joint them and spend whole day at the beach after my routine checking on my fish ponds, early morning, I got the text that all PCVs got pulled out from Samfya beaches and Boma (town center) back to Peace Corps house in Mansa.  Reason was that there was a case of robbery to two PCVs they stayed in guesthouse and got broke in to, etc......some told me that this has been in US TV news so I won't repeat it here.....

 

Carmen and Mark were so nice to extend their invitation to me and the two PCVs who's sites were long way to the other side from Mansa and stayed over night at their home also for the dinner and celebration of New Year's Eve.......togather everyone made dishes, deserts and all helped me on pot stickers, plus chacolates from Bob......it turned out to be a great event.........
right after the dinner, I excused myself to go to bed..........

 

New Year's Day we all got ride from Carmen and Mark to take me home and take Ben and Diana to Musila junction to take bush taxi back to each of their villages.

 

January 6th I went to Mansa again this time for saying good-bye to Dr. and Mrs. Jonnson's returning Finland for their second time retirement.  In the Peace Corps house, I saw PCVs started to plan the transport for going down to Lusaka for "Close of Service" conference, and I am one of them too.

 

Time flys, I know, but never remembered as this fast.....
I have being in Zambia for eight months now and four more months to go.

 

Now I am in Lusaka and yesterday we just finished three days' COS conference in a beautifual resort named "Chaminuka".  While I was there I'd met with the owner Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Sardanis.  Mr. Sardanis hambly said that "It is their retirement home and just to share with publics." He also wrote few books and gave one "Africa" to my room mate Emily for Peace Corps library.  I will be the second one to read it after Emily.  Besides conferences, in the early morning and late afternoon we have cheese/wine drive of game drive to choose and I did three times of game drive.

 

Well, I have tried to load pictures to show you all what my activities since last week of December but some how this blog lost its function of selecting pictures from "browse" to upload.....Could any program been changed???  Hmm.....anyone can help me on this?  If not I will need to find another blogger to show you all my activities.......I am signing off for now.......

 

Wish you all have all your beautiful dreams come true with prosperities and happiness. 

Love you all,  Cheng       1/18/2013