Sunday, April 28, 2013

I ought to start this blog by saying 15 months ago, when I arrived in Zambia, I knew very little about Malaria.  Since then I have been trained by Peace Corps and had numerous life experiences with the infection. 

A little background info: 

In Zambia, as much of sub-Saharan Africa, Malaria is possibly the most significant health problem, affecting millions people and killing nearly half a million in the region.    Essentially it is a parasite that is carried by a certain female mosquito and transmitted to humans when bit by an infected mosquito.  Malaria cannot be spread from person to person but the same mosquito can infect more than one person.  Make sense? 

If you get Malaria, there is adequate medication to get rid of the infection and save your life…that is if you have access to a clinic or other health care.  There are many means to preventing malaria one of which is taking a prophylaxis on a regular basis.  Such medicines are available at a fairly high cost and with many undesirable side effects both short term and long term…and not 100% effective.  In addition, this medicine is typically quite pricey so unless you have a lot of money or access to good health care you can count that out as an option. That being said, I think it is reasonable to rule this out both as a prevention method for the majority of people living in sub-Saharan Africa as well as a long term solution to Malaria. 

Much of the world, including the US was able to eradicate Malaria by spraying a large amount of DDT which is effective in killing the mosquito that carries the Malaria parasite.  At this time long term effects of DDT on humans and nature were not known.  We now know the enormous consequences of DDT…cancer, birth defects, and negative effects on wildlife.  DDT is absorbed into soils acting as sink and creating a source of long-term exposure of the chemical.  If this is all new information to you, read Rachel Carlson’s Silent Spring, it will blow your mind!!  So, long story short, DDT is not recommended by many as a way to eradicate malaria, especially by the various aid organizations helping with Malaria outreach.

Due to this, much of the prevention efforts focus on keeping yourself from getting bit by mosquitoes.  Sleeping under an ITN (Insecticide Treated Net), wearing long clothes, cutting your grass, filling holes that might pool water during the rains, mosquito repellant…etc.  There have been much educational efforts as well…ranging from getting tested and treated in a timely manner if you suspect you have malaria to the difference between Malaria and other illnesses (people often don’t know how to distinguish one illness from the next).

So as many of you know, mosquito’s breed in clean still water, creating a storm of Malaria throughout rainy season.   It is astonishing how apparent the effect malaria has on my community throughout the whole year, but especially when rainy season hits.  Attendance to meetings, school, workshops, etc is so low sometime you just have to cancel.  Resources are exhausted at the clinics. People are making multiple trips many kilometers to the local clinic for testing and medication while suffering from this illness.  The impact this disease has on the well being and livelihood of these communities is just heartbreaking.  Keeping kids from school and receiving adequate education and adults from the fields were they are growing next year’s food.  (Of course these issues don’t stem from just one cause, but Malaria is defiantly keeping progress at bay).
As a Peace Corps Volunteer of course I want to help.  So, as this month is Malaria prevention month, I have done workshops galore:  how to use an ITN, how to make Neem cream for a mosquito repellant, etc.  I have taught the kids a malaria song, to wear long clothes, and to fill standing water with dirt.  It is so disheartening, because even with all of these efforts, even if they were all able to take a prophylaxis, the root of the problem is not solved.  Case in point: A few short weeks after said workshops I begin to get sick.  I am feeling exhausted and kind of feverish, but try to push on as it was a busy week.  Lo and behold, I have managed to get Malaria.  It wiped me out, fever, uncontrollable shakes, exhaustion like I have never felt.  Keep in mind…I take my malaria prophylaxis every week, I sleep under a mosquito net, use insect repellant, wear long clothes…I am very adamant about doing these things, and doing them well. I literally called in sick to going and recording the kids signing the malaria song because I had malaria!!! So if this is the case and I still get malaria, how can I begin to expect villagers with nowhere near the amount of resources I have, to keep them from getting malaria?  Children, people already sick, the elderly...how do we expect them to rise above and combat this illness? These efforts are most definitely reducing the number of malaria cases and the deaths caused from it, but we need to do better. 

Tough realizations….with heavy boots!!

There must be a better solution!!!!

Monday, September 17, 2012

Carrying the Weight of the World Wearing Heavy Boots!


Carrying the weight of the world wearing heavy boots!                   Sept 5, 2012

 I remember being a little girl...contemplating the meaning of the world.   I would spend hours looking the magnificent pictures of national geographic, amazed at the wondrous world...daydreaming of all the different cultures, traditions, customs...so unknown to me in rural Wisconsin.  But as always, there was a flip side to this.   I couldn’t grasp how god could be so mean to let people go hungry, sick, without an education...I pondered the injustice of it all....what it meant and if there was a way to fix it.  In short...I was looking for a way to find world peace....and I didn't doubt that was possible at the time.

Things have changed, time has passed...I am weathered and a bit callused.  I like to think that world peace is still possible, but my capacity to dream it is heavy and overwhelmed.  It is a daily struggle trying to figure out if what I am doing is making a difference. 

Geographically, I have made it far from that little girl in small town Wisconsin.  I am now a 31 year old women writing from a hut in a village in southern Africa.  I see everyday what some of those national geographic stories portrayed. 

 Sustainable community development...in theory it is great...empowering individuals...communities that are so used to getting hand outs rather than education, that they don't even realize the power to change is in their hands and they have the ability to do so.  They visualize 'America' as this amazing world they want to be...but the assets and resources they still have...most Americans would save a lifetime for.  It angers me...sometimes...to hear them want a different life....this is a beautiful life and these are beautiful people.  I think..or at least like to think, that is just something else lost In translation.  They want an improved way of life...and I want that for them as well.  Their children are in rags, no shoes, sometimes nowhere to learn, hungry season is profound (more so than my last blog ignorantly protrays), and health care is far and inadequate.  The list could continue.  And yet...the children laugh and play...the adults dance and sing...celebrating what they do have and striving to make change in the community better.

My downfall here is the inability to say no.  Which leads to me being overwhelmed...the fear that I am going to disappoint this community is overwhelming every day.  I am exhausted and terrified...and I only and still have twenty months left of my service.  To be honest though...in one way or another, I think this has been a life long journey that won't end after twenty months.

Why is the worldy pendulum so off balance?  The 20 some years since I pondered this same question has left me with no concrete answer.  The only thing I can conclude is that we are faced with different challenges in life as a way to help complete our souls....maybe earth is just a university for our soul.  Possibly the world is off balance while the universe is swaying just right. 

May the beautiful universe guide you through your lessons.

Peace and love from Zambia

The Fringe of Western Civilization In the Bush of Africa



                                                                                                                          August 1, 2012
The Fringe of Western Civilization In the Bush of Africa

I should start by saying this is just my experience, and i know my closest neighbor does not face this reality.

It's not what I expected, village life, life in the bush of Africa surrounded by a culture and language completely foreign and unknown to me.  Possibly it is the village and location i was placed.  I am over twenty km from the tar mac but then only about five to the boma, or main town, which happens to big a huge transport hub, not just for Zambia but for copper and Tanzania which is the route most exports go.  The fringe of western civilization is where I ended up...in the bush of Africa.  Supposedly hungry season exists, but I can't imagine it...especially while most huts in my area have tin roofs (a sign of a wealthy farmer), some even with solar panels and converters.  The reality of the language is that most people speak better English than I do Bemba...so even though I struggle trying to remember verbs and how to attach one of the seven tenses...my community patiently waits until I finish when they kindly correct means answer usually in some form of broken English. 

Some women paint their nails and wear wigs...everyone belongs to a Christian church of some kind.  There is evidence of traditional culture.  The women wear incitenges (wrappers like a sarong)...though its not a complete shock to see a woman in trousers.  Showing bare leg is still unheard of.  The funerals is where I have noticed the most Zambian culture.  The bamayos (women) in their traditional icitambalas and incitenges... an icitambala or head wrap is worn as a sign of respect to the deceased.  The deep wailing  by the women fills the air with sorrow as they rotate their way in and out the house of the deceased, while the men sit in their separate area near silent.  The wailing from the women reverberates in every inch of your body and soul...even if you have never met the person that died, the grief is unavoidable.  Occasionally a beautifully sorrowful hymn cuts through moments of the wailing.  I don't want this to sound morbid, but I now almost look forward to these moments, as they are as near what I expected from traditional Zambian culture.  I am realizing that I long for that and can't help but to feel somewhat disappointed that it is not what I am finding.  The fact is, western civilization is creepy like a vine you don't know exists.
Don't get me wrong, i love my community and their culture.  They are hard workers....from laughter from the children fills the air as the red African sun sets on the field in which we are harvesting this year’s maize crop...to the ride on the OX cart as we transport the maize from the field, to the ubwali for every meal, water from the well, and letters by candle light...I am still in the village...just not in the fairy tale aspect I expected. 
 
There is a lot of work to be done here too.  My area is cutting the forest at an alarming rate for various reasons, but primarily to produce charcoal mainly to sell to people in the towns where they make a substantial profit.  I understand it.  It is quick money, and what they know how to do. 

 So project one...try to teach sustainable forest harvest, how much they will alter their environment (and there for livelihood as they live off and are so dependent on the land) if they continue to cut, teach alternatives to income generation, and try to find those that really care that will help to regenerate the forest, even though they won't see a paycheck from it.  For anyone that knows me, it’s obvious this will be close to my heart through the next two years.  Not too far behind it would land the sustainable agriculture, food security projects, community schools, the abundant impact of AIDS/HIV, and orphans.  Which each are there own can of worms...for a later date. 
So here I am...I have made it through community entry and the beautiful people of Zambia have welcomed me with open arms and a list of hopeful projects.  The reality is, I already care deeply for my community and I wouldn't change my posting for any other!

Oh, did I mention I have tried caterpillar, whole fish (i mean it all), and.....wait for it.....field mice!  AHHHHHH....mentally couldnt get over it, but it tasted sooo good.  Lol, when in Africa :)

 
Until next time...Peace and Love from Zambia!

 


**warning** please keep in mind that I write them very similar to what I would a journal entry, they are not meant to be a professional publication...just my thoughts and feelings. Some days are good, some are bad, and some fluctuate from moment to moment.  My life here and the reality that is presented to me (or at least my interpretation of it) fluctuate moment to moment, day to day.  I have nothing but love for the people of Zambia, but as Peace Corps claims, "it's the hardest job you will ever love".   I am finding myself at home here in Zambia, none the less, difficult moments exist.  I am trusting, as my friends reading this, you will enter this blog with an open mind and heart.  I miss you all more than words can say and hope you enjoy this occasional snap shot into this experience.  Oh, and they reflect my personal views, not those of US Peace Corps or the US Government J

 

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Yep....I'm still forgetful,hehe

840038 is the po box

The end of the beginning

Where to begin...in the end I suppose. The end of my peace corps training has passed and I swore in as a Peace Corps Volunteer last Friday. training itself has been very educational being trained in conservation farming, bee keeping, Argo forestry, and many other things to help with food security and replenishing the woodlands... though learning the bantu language Bemba (the one of Zambians 75 dialects) has proven to be challenging for me..slowly but surely..panono panono.

My homestay family, the Makuka's, have been very kind and accommodating. From teaching me to carry water on my head the 2 k it is to the well to patiently teaching as I destroyed nshima pot after nshima pot...my bamayo's patients especially has been plentiful. I have grown attached to them and feel more and more a part of there family.

I have biked 20k of fairly intense dirt roads almost everyday, tried caterpillar, carried water on my head, hitched to get from point a to point b, and the list continues. Funny enough, the lifestyle has been the easiest for me to adjust to...I really like it actually. From bucket baths, to candle light letter writing, farming in the day, making all food from scratch...it is a veery peaceful way to live...the latrine isn't even that bad, nor is the palm sized spider that has made its home in the grass thatch of my roof.

There have been challenges galore throughout this time...none of which I expected. I am surrounded by some of the efficient most hard working people i have ever met...especially the woman! It is heartbreaking though...seeing kids with clothes that have more holes than not, bellies that are puffed from malnutrition, foot infections because there is not enough money for shoes...seeing how disparity...happiness...alcohol...both fuels a society and holds them down. I am realizing the next two years will most likely harbor some veery lonely times as I attempt to understand this new reality, the complexity of it, and trying to become a part of it....when I am just all out homesick.

I will be dropped at my site on thursday by a cruiser with all of my things. My community host/counterpart seems to be very ambitious so that is exciting. I am 20 k off the tarmac and another 17 k to the nearest volunteer...for sure a day trip. To be honest...I haven't quite figured out what my role will be within my community when I get there. With all my heart and soul, I pray that whatever my role materializes to be, it will truley make a difference in the lives of my village Mubila, Kapiri, Zambia. I don't know how often I will get online once I am posted...but feel free to send me messages. They are nice to get when I manage an Internet connection. My address will now be my name, us peace corps, po box , Mkushi, Zambia. I love you all and miss you more than words can say!

Peace and Love from Zambia!

Ps, I lost my camera so I am hoping it surfaces...I have some rad pic to share when it does!

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Life's Big Five: Beginning My Journey to Zambia

Okay, so bare with me through the first few blogs as one, i don't know how to blog per say, and two, the content is bound to get increasingly interesting as my journey in Zambia progresses.

I recently read a book that talked about Africa in the spiritual sense. How Africa has a rhythm, a beat...and few are blessed to truly tap into this beat....its a balance of the mind body and spirit....the "beginning"of life as we experience it, the interconnectedness of everyone and everything.

This same book spoke of how each of us have a Big Five For Live. The Five things in life that if you experience or accomplish you would consider your life to be a success as you have defined success. When these moments occur (however big or small), you know because it is so important and profound to you, that it is one of the five most important things you need to do see or experience before you die.

Tangent: It is important to realize that people (and situations they bring) are meant to guide you to your Big Five. I have been blessed with so many beautiful people that have guided me, helped me, and encouraged me through the good and the bad...you know who you are...and there is no 'thank you' big enough for people that help you realize your big five.

My Big Five: For me, these five things aren't yet fully defined, but i feel them pull from my heart to get me on the path of my Big Five For Life. I also think this pull could be how i may help with others Big Five.

I have accomplished one of my big five as of yet and am forever on the path to discovering the others.
The one that I have experienced was to love like no other, to be in love, to feel the compassion that comes with it. To find my "soul mate" and love him with everything that i was given. I know what this love is, i lived every moment of it....that is one of my big five that I deem as a success the way that i have defined success, spiritually, mentally, and physically.

The rest are yet to be fully realized. Two seeds were planted in the depths of my soul and reality when i was just a girl. The first was when i learned of global warming and the other various harmful ways we are destroying our planet and mother nature. The second is tapping into the beat of life...the way its meant to be drummed and danced to...the way our people did before we lost touch. I  am sure these two aspects are in some way a part of my big five.

Unknown to me, My most recent job led me on the path to reveal another aspect of my Big Five For Life's: working with children. I don't know how this will play out yet, but the look in a kids eye's when they discover a new sense of awe over something you taught them, or some way you have inspired them, or a path you encouraged them on, or even the look when you know, even if you never see them again, they will remember you as a mentor, as a way to overcome whatever that may be happening in there life, good and bad....that moment is irreplaceable. Even more replaceable, the hope that each kid will do amazingly brilliant and good things with their experiences.

Possibly these last three will come together soon, or maybe they will materialize into other things. One thing I can be confident of, even though a part of me is terrified (mainly of the snakes...eeeppppp), sad for the loneliness that will probably engulf me at many points over the next 27 months, the increasing number of moments I am missing in my nephews, niece, and future kiddos lives etc...my heart tells me that this is my path and I am so thrilled to be embarking on this adventure. I will either accomplish or be on my way to accomplishing more of my and others Big Five for Life. I hope that you all can follow me on my journey, as you are all so much such a huge part of it.

Zambia, here I come...open arms with love in my heart, peace in my mind, and ambition in my soul :)