This is Africa.

I told someone the other day that I both love and hate Africa all in the same moment.  I don’t know that I can completely explain this sentiment but I know that I feel it.  I love running in the mornings and having a little girl smile shyly at me from behind her mother.  I love the sunsets here.  I love that you can see a community working together in small but substantial ways, trying to make things better.  But I hate finding laziness or corruption.  Or the fact that no one questions authority and that they can just accept things they way they are, even if they aren’t working.  And I know these things exist all over the world.  But I have found my way here.  To Africa.  And somehow every day I continue finding ways in which I both love and hate it here. 

The view from my window.

A Little Bit of This A Little Bit of That.

So I’m just going to post a few pictures of things that I have been doing while I’ve been out and about in Zambia these past couple of months. The first are photos from my travels up north during the training I went to in the Copperbelt – we visited this Chimpanzee orphanage camp called Chimfunshi (www.chimfunshi.org.za).

https://plus.google.com/photos/108740867339265842929/albums/5835568537264084849?authkey=CNSymq3W7ODJbQ

The next group is from a “kitchen party” I went to over the Christmas holiday in Mongu. A kitchen party is sort of like a bachelorette party for a woman who is preparing to get married here in Zambia. They have all kinds of traditional ceremonies which take place during a typical kitchen party but the overall theme is to prepare a woman for her wedding and share information (only women come to this party) about how to take care of her husband (and you also give gifts to the bride-to-be). I was invited to this particular kitchen party by a friend from Mongu sort of by chance (without knowing what I was getting into)…it was fun. There was a lot of dancing. Lots.

https://plus.google.com/photos/108740867339265842929/albums/5835563594026715169

The last photos are from my recent work retreat where we went to Siavonga which is located on Lake Kariba (which borders Zambia and Zimbabwe). It was quite beautiful. Hot and humid but beautiful. On the last afternoon we took a boat cruise and were hoping to see some hippos. We didn’t but we still had a good time.

https://plus.google.com/photos/108740867339265842929/albums/5835568537264084849

And you can now get to all of my photos anytime by clicking on the link which says My Photo Album on the right over there.  It should be working.

Enjoy!

 

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like...

2013.  You thought I was going somewhere else with that opening, didn’t you?!  J  Happy New Year!  I am pleased to report that I have successfully made it through another year.  I do have to admit that 2012 was probably not my most productive year.  Strangely, I sort of felt like 2012 was my “gap year.”  You know, that year between high school and college (not that I am at all in this age range but it’s the idea)?  Maybe I just needed some time to figure things out.  I wasn't really planning it this way.  I didn't have a map.  It just seemed to happen. 

Let’s see, I finished my Peace Corps service in South Africa at the beginning of 2012 (which has changed my life in so many ways).  Then I took a month long hiatus trip floating around South Africa after which I traveled back to the US of A…and lived with my parents for the next several months.  Well, actually, for about a month during that time I traveled here and there.  And the entire time I was searching to find my place in the world all the while letting go of old habits that weren't really helping me move forward.  And, now, here I am.  In Zambia.  Where I finished out the remainder of 2012. 

I don’t know that I have had some big revelation which is making me feel like it’s now going to be okay.  But I think it's going to be okay.  And I don’t have any regrets about 2012.  It was a good year.  One that I will never forget.  And, just for fun, I thought I would share a couple of songs that will forever remind me of New Year's 2013 in Zambia (hopefully the links work)!  

Fuse ODG featuring Wyclef Jean

DJ Vetkuk vs. Mahoota featuring Dr. Malinga

It's Christmas.

So I was prepared to be bitter and sad as I wrote about Christmas today. But I’m not. I feel lucky. I am experiencing new places, meeting new people and doing amazing work. Even though I don’t get to be with my family in the comforts of a traditional American Christmas, I am waking up in Africa. The rain is pouring down, I am drinking tea and I will get to spend the day here in Mongu with new friends as we pull together to create a day celebrating where we are. And I feel quite lucky to be here.

I hope that wherever you are, you enjoy this day. Merry Christmas! 

The amazing Patrick and Carl - my own Christmas miracles.





Our feast.  The squash at the top were for my benefit.





I had some trouble setting the automatic timer.



But we finally got a group photo before sitting down to eat.

Can Talk.

Suppose you were given a random topic to talk about for 3 minutes in front of a group?  What would you say?   It doesn't sound that difficult until you are standing in front of the room trying to make something up.   Talk about your first love.  Explain a recipe.  Talk about the most boring meeting you have ever attended.  The idea is to use your creativity to make it interesting and engaging.  So I just finished a workshop where we had to successfully complete this exercise which was done as a way to get people comfortable talking in front of groups.  The training was done both to teach us about the essential medicines and medical supplies logistics system used here in Zambia and then we also learned how to teach others about this logistics system (a training of trainers).  Eventually, I will get the opportunity to teach health center, hospital and other ministry of health staff how to use the logistics systems that are essential in the process of ensuring that drugs are available for use here in Zambia.  So during the training we were being molded into trainers.  The training was actually quite good.  Long.  But good.  We stayed in a hotel which was in a town called Kitwe which is in the Northwestern part of Zambia (the Copperbelt) for a couple of weeks.  This is where they have all of the mines.  They mine mostly copper but also other minerals.  We passed one of the largest open pit mines during some of our travels there in the region (I will try to post pictures later).  The town itself wasn't much but it was quite big and more developed in comparison to Mongu (I’m learning most areas are more developed than Mongu in general).  So, I took advantage of shopping in the big grocery store, going to the market to buy material, enjoying some decent food, and hanging out with my fellow JSI friends.  One of the staff who was with me in Mongu mentioned that I didn’t have my “Mongu face on.”  When I questioned him as to what this meant he just said that I looked more lively and happy during the training...being out of Mongu.  I guess having a social life and friends around will do that?  Hmm…I have got to find some social networks in Mongu.  This is not going to be an easy task.  

Senanga.

I survived my first trip in the field.  Barely.  Okay, so it wasn’t quite that dramatic but it certainly was an adventure.  I wasn’t sure what to expect going into the week but, well, I don't even know if there are words.  On our first day after we met with staff from the District Health Office we set out to visit our first health center (and in case you are wondering the difference between a health center and a health post is simply the level of services offered).  After disembarking from the tar road maybe 20 or 30km from the town of Senanga on what didn’t even look like a path in the sand we started making our way to the health center.  I commented that I would have never been able to find this center again if my life depended on it (as we were bouncing through the bush on an incredibly sandy path – imagine driving along the ocean on beach type sand...except sandier).  There was a moment of silence and then everyone started laughing.  “This isn’t remote!"  was the comment from my peers. “We are barely in the bush.”  Little did I know how right they were…

The next several days were spent being thrown around in a Land Cruiser (thank goodness we were in a vehicle with 4 wheel drive) as we visited these rural health centers and posts.  One day we traveled over 10 hours and we only made it to 2 centers.  And, yet, when we would get to these centers there would be people lined up waiting to receive medical services or get their HIV drugs (most having walked for hours or sometimes days).  It was truly a humbling experience.  These centers provide a lifeline for the Zambians who live in these rural communities.  I am still contemplating what it would mean to live such a remote existence.  I don’t know that I can even begin to imagine even after having a very, very limited view into what life is like through my Peace Corps service in South Africa.  It doesn’t even compare to what I've seen so far.

I have a few pictures which I've put up if you'd like to take a look although they don't really do it justice.  The one of the man holding a lizard like creature is my favorite.  We just ran into him in the middle of the bush - he was herding some cows and had killed this creature and was planning on making a meal of it - yummy.

https://plus.google.com/photos/108740867339265842929/albums/5813573151092235217

(I'm having some trouble with my pictures link to the right...hopefully the link above will work!)

Speaking of meals, I hope everyone is enjoying a Thanksgiving meal surrounded by friends and family today.  While I am not officially celebrating I am thinking of you all (and I must admit I wish I was eating some tofurkey and pie).  Alas, I will have to settle for nshima and veggies.  

Happy Thanksgiving! 

New Job.

It’s really just like any other new job.  For the most part, I am feeling a bit lost and unsure of myself but terribly overeager.  I want to make a good impression but am not really sure how to impress anyone yet other than to show up on time (on my trusty bike wearing my fabulously trendy bike helmet which causes me to stand out even more than I already do as the only white person in town because no one wears a helmet but the kids seem to like me in any form really so I suppose it doesn’t matter), read countless reports and documents, ask many annoying questions and help out in any small way I can.  But, I can’t tell you how good it feels to just be working again!  I’m in an office with other people who are all quite good at what they do?!  How can I not love my job and feel very lucky even if I am mostly just trying to figure out the difference between a health post and a health center.  

Anyway, I’ll be leaving Mongu this weekend to participate in my first M&E (monitoring and evaluation) trip with my fellow PPHLO (this is my newly appointed title which stands for Provincial Public Health Logistics Officer).  We are going to be visiting Senanga District which is to the South of Mongu.  There are 7 Districts in Mongu (soon to be 8) and I am learning that some of them are quite remote and challenging to travel to (we have to use a pontoon boat to cross over into some of the more remote areas!) but I believe Senanga isn’t too far removed – we’ll see.  We will be visiting the District Health Office and then throughout the week we will be going to rural health centers (and health posts, I presume) to check the supply of HIV drugs and other health commodities at each center.  I am looking forward to learning more about my new role as well as getting to see additional parts of the Western Province.

These are the 7 Districts in the Western Province (they will soon be dividing Sesheke District into two separate Districts).

And, dare I say, congratulations America!  Welcome back, Obama.