October started way nicer.......

 

 

I might still had the hang up from month of September, I did not remember to take pictures lots of times.....actually I have one new group of fish farmers everyday to begin with.......this time around I took them all to see the officials before I do any work with them.....in turn I did not work as hard, but I was exhausted by Thursday.......in the afternoon I went into Mansa and stayed at Dr. & Mrs. Jonnson's home thinking of four days' weekend get away.....

Since I was in town at least I need to go see officers in PLARD and DOF provincial......it turned out to be that there was a field trip to see district of Mwense's fish farmers, they insisted that I go and see.....Of course, I want to do just that......two hours drive in the A/C vihecle and so on....

 

 

 

 

 

 

At one corner of the irrigation turnings, there were tons of butterflys....were they hutching at there??? a few had bright colors on them, most were silver white., but same size, etc......

Over all, all were very nice intergraded fish farming.....on our way between groups of ponds, DOF and PLARD pointed to me that one building there was a PCV stayed.........but he took over my old site after my taxi accident for no fishery activities there???? These ponds all looked more than three year old.....

After the conclusion meeting, farmers provided us a lunch with chicken and goat meat and all treamings......

Back to Mansa, Shopped supplies for my post home, went out for dinner with Dr. & Mrs......

Saturday Eva made delicious tomato soup for lunch and I made Chinese dishes to have DOF and PLARD officers for dinner together at Dr. & Mrs.'s home......it was so wonderful to have this large group of good friends to social with and I forget picture taking business all together.....

 

Sunday morning, Ba Chiti insisted that I should see the IFyongori's new additions and came all the way to get me early in the morning..... 

Came back to my post home, three groups of farmers came finish up their four years agenda to forward to DOF in Samfya to seek government help on any of their good wishes.......

Hope all of you are having a wonderful October and there after too......

Cheng 10/08/2012

 

 

Concluded month of September......

At my sad time the whole last two weeks, I was so surpriced that my farmers were working hard on new fish ponds with only a little of my assistant.......birds are still around my house....

this one had a mouth full.....don't know how she is to feed her baby with that huge thing...... 

This new group of farmers got held up while constructing the third corner, did come out great with perfect sloop and all hard pounded all around.......I am really proud of them...... 

A week plus after received fingerling, the survived ones have grown twice larger in sizes....that's meant farmers are feeding them good. 

Thursday, September 28, officers from PLARD and DOF provincil, even local, they had a three days workshop in Samfya.  End of the workshop PLARD and DOF provincial came to see my farmers, ponds on their way back to Mansa.....I was to show them my post home but time was running out for I still have biking home in the day light.....(their truck carried my bike while visiting around.)

but all have seen my four group of farmers, 18 old and new ponds....... 

The ones closer to my home, the road not able to drive in all the way, so all to walk some distance.... 

These were my first three ponds.......not as prefect as the other group had done, my fourth pond.....

At my last group in Musaila....sun was already shinning side way........

This is a total women's group and they've got promised for all support from PLARD and DOF provincial for their 2013's planning and asked to present their agenda ASAP...... 

With all the conversation with farmers and knowing the heavy lost of fingerling, PLARD and DOF are promised to replace all to them, when they deliver the fingerlings for the 2 new ponds and 1 breeding pond on October 12th. 

The next day I went in early to DOF in Samfya in seeking the paper work for the up coming fingerling on October 12th that had promised by PLARD and DOF provincial....There were lots people on my bike route to the market to buy or sale stuffs.......

 

I was told no paper work needed just bring the collected half price money and they will forward to Provincial office in the early next week......Okay!?!?......

After that I went to Carmen and Mark's for the night again........ 

 

For my cooking of Chinese food again.......Kon-Bau Chicken, etc.....this time I added Mark's favorite - pot sticker, for they will be leaving to Zanzibar in few days....This time I have additional help from a couple of new missionary volunteers from Chicago, Rachel and John, if I've got their name right..... they will be here for a year.......we used up the filling too soon, so we had half of pot stickers filled with chopped up apples and rubarb jam.....Mark squeezed maple syrup over it when done cooked, as for desert.  It was great.....thanks to Rachel's quick thinking.......how fun it was on all new creations....

 

Back to my home the next morning, my insaka kids came only one girl and one boy.....after it I was called to a Child protection meeting......Again, villagers were late to show up and this time there were drums for the calling.......still not working much, so I went home and read my book......

Relaxed for the first time in this month....may be......... 

What a month of September......I thought I did great to begin with them crushed down under.......no good deeds without punishments......

 

Thanks for all who emailed me on the concern of my being after they read my blog for the last few weeks......Truly appreciated to all, if not you all there supporting me, I have no power of my own to go forward.....Sometimes.  Really.

 

This morning, I told my counterpart before we went meeting with a new group in Musaila that we will do thing in the local's ways, that I have learned in the hard way, just these weeks....that we will bring these farmers to their Comp officer, than DOF in Samfya so these farmers will have smoother time to deal with their fingerling when their time has come.......

 

By the trip biking west than east this morning, I had faced the most strong east wind even since I came in May.......not only wind, it came with fine sand that get your eyes and nose watering....

 

We mended relationship with DOF, I believe, and also visited D O Forestry. There we've got other promises of resumming "Beekeeping workshop on Octover 18 & 19", "a trip to see my Lukali school on October 11th" "possible 1 lima tree farm for one of my neighbor, who drunk most of time (making noises, but had not bothered me yet, the headman is to kick him out of village but I suggest give him work so he doesn't have to drink to kill time.  Will see how this one goes.....), "2 lima tree farm for my Makasa fishery group".......visited Ranger Station too, and got one half day "Goat Rialing workshop" on October 26th.

 

Am I jumping ahead of the gun again???.......It is hard to train the old dog new tricks!!!...... 

You all have a wonderful week ahead.  Thanks again for being with me the whole time.

Cheng 10/01/2012

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