finishing off

Another update before departure. 

I have been applying to jobs like mad. I really want to work in the youth development sector. I love teenagers and how annoying they are. Hopefully something comes out of all of this. I have remembered how much I hate applying to jobs but it is a necessary evil. 

Back in the village we have completed our youth empowerment camp! It was totally a ten out of ten. I got a little stressed at times but who wouldn't? 

Here is everything by numbers:

23 Boys

40 Girls

3 PCVs

2 Counterparts

1 RPCV

1 cone of shame dog

72 apples

60 kgs of mealie meal

408 ama buns

63 grandma made bags

48 hours of fun

1,800 kwacha

I couldn't have completed the project with the help of my friends and counterparts. Nor could I stop laughing when multiple parents told me the second their kids got home, maybe at 13:00, they went straight to bed and didn't wake up until school the next day. I felt the exact same way. I am so happy that it went so well. 

I have had to cancel the malaria camp because of the time crunch. That was a hard but wise choice I made. 

Summer's grant is going smoothly. I met with her village last week and we bought the first round of supplies to make the chicken coop. I am hoping they finish before Tuesday so I can buy the chickens for them and close out the grant! That would be awesome. 

I am going to be in Lusaka soon for COS medical. It will be my last doctor and dentist appointments before I head out. 

Time is ticking. Things are falling into place. I am grateful for the time I have left. I am trying to make it so my future ahead doesn't look so empty and full of nothing. If you hear of any good Youth Development like jobs in America or abroad, send the ideas this way. 

And that's that. 

time goes by

I have 2.5 months left in Zambia. My flight is already booked. The things in my house are slowly finding new owners. Life is getting really busy. My cat already has a new home. The people in my intake are slowly returning to their lives in America due to school and jobs. Everything is fizzling out. It is so weird. The end of an era is coming.

I can say Peace Corps is the hardest job I will ever love. I could cry if I continue talking about my experience. It means so much to me. I am not ready to come home and I am. It is confusing. I know that all good things come to an end but I am grateful for the time I have left and I have made peace with my service. I did my best.

Change subjects... I have a lot to do before service is finished. I still have a grant open.

Next weekend I am having a GLOW/ELITE Camp at my school for kids at my school. 50 kids have signed up and paid the 5 kwacha fee! I am excited about it. I will probably become a sleepless monster because of it but I know the kids will be SO happy. That is what counts.

In July I am hosting the first ever Central Malaria Boot Camp! It is also just a weekend camp. We will have a crash course in malaria using the Grassroots Soccer Malaria Edition.

To top it all off, I have taken on my friend's grant. They left due to health problems and now I helping them out finishing up making a chicken coop.

I am still teaching when I find time. I can't let my babies go. Teaching is really what makes me happy in the village. I love being surrounded by the kids. Thinking about saying goodbye to them... Yeah. No.

Zambia is where it is at. These next few months are going to fly. Make it stop. 

water water water

The mono-pumps were finished a long time ago but as life is... this is definitely an on going project. At the moment we have 5 broken pumps again and I can only be frustrated with myself and the Mkushi City Council. We will come to all this in a moment... 

Let me tell you the story. 

Words escape me as all the people of Mikunku area and I want to say thank you for your donations. I have never encountered such a grateful group of people. As I have told my mother, if God does bless me as much as the villagers tell me he will, I have a VIP ticket to heaven.

The project was finished just as soon as it started. I can explain... The project became fully funded while I was in America for Christmas. When I returned to Zambia, I immediately called a meeting with all the head men and chief advisers to plan the next step. They said that we should start the next week. I definitely was thinking I would still have some time to adjust back to things. Before I knew it, I was in town with some of the men from my village buying all the spare parts needed and securing tools. The spare parts were ordered and would be in the next week when training started.

Training was so successful. We hired a man from a neighboring village to come and teach. For 2 days over 40 men were taught in lecture form. After the 2 days, they were sent out into the field to fix the 7 broken pumps to get hands on experience. It took them less than a week to fix all the pumps and have them feeling like new. The next step was up to me.

Every project as a few hiccups. The hiccup I encountered was that the company I wanted to use was family run. In this family’s company someone was sick. The company did not want to do business at the moment. I was on a hot search for a new company who would work with the same low price as the previous company. After many phone calls and expressing this problem to my friends, Katie came to the rescue. My friend Katie met a guy on a bus once who owned a mono-pump company. Luckily, she exchanged numbers with him and stayed in contact. She expressed the problem to him and he was on board.

Two days after contacting Lotus Drilling Company, they were in the village looking at water sites to make sure water can be found. It was a success! There was water all the places we wanted to put new mono-pumps. The company came back just 2 days later with the full crew and huge trucks. Drilling started right away. We drilled hard and far the first day with no luck. Three times. No water. I was not feeling like this was going to go as smooth as I wanted. The next day I woke up with hope. We hit water every time we drilled following our bad spurt. That first time we hit water was incredible. The women danced, yodelated and there was a reverence in the air. The suffer was over.

The next few days continued in this fashion. We would drill and hit every time. It was awesome. It didn’t even take a full week and all the pumps were finished. In total the project took less than 1 month to finish. The villagers were so proactive. I have visited each of these sites multiple times now. People are still so grateful. They tell stories of fetching water in past times and how now it is so simple. They are grateful. I am grateful.

Thank you so much for your donations. I could have not done it without you. The weight of the dry season has been lifted off the shoulders of the villagers in Mikunku area.

I wrote that a long time ago. Here is the problem we have encountered now... The council promised that if I did my end of the bargain they would provide the tools. This week I have discovered that they had lied to my face for 6 months straight. I talked to someone higher up than the one who was making all these promises and he laid it out for me. I was so frustrated and disappointed. 

And now I am in a pickle but I will figure all these things out. I always do. 

This water literally has been such a blessing. Words can't express. 

Day eleven.

I had booked the 06:00 bus home. Oscar needed to be at the airport by 07:00. We all woke up early. Adam came with us so we could borrow some money due to the flight change. We stopped at the ATM, got money, Adam got out and Oscar and I went to the bus station. I arrived at the bus station with minutes to spare but it wasn't a problem. I found Jahtay and friend already seated. I joined them.

 We were on our way home and Oscar was on his way to the airport again. I was just 90 kilometers from my hut when Oscar called with confirmation that they put him on the next flight home. Everyone was safe. Thankfully the big bus is used to me and knows my small village. They let me off right at Mikunku. As I was walking down the bush path home, Mr. Phiri found me and gave me a ride to my place.

 I was tired and hungry. As soon as I reached home, I started making mac & cheese. I promised I would visit Casey. It was her last day in the village. After lunch was finished, I did just that. I biked over to Chankomo with Indie in tow to say goodbye. Little did I know that I would get roped into stay until after 23 hours. The village had a lovely party for her. I was happy to be the photographer. 

After it was all said and done and tears were she, they drove me home. Indie threw up in the car right before we reached. Luckily there were no hurt feelings. I said see you later to Ba Casey and slept until 09:00 the next day. I have never slept that late in the village. It was awesome.

Day ten.

We grab breakfast. The boys clean out the car. Mom and I clean out the hotel rooms. We checked in all our luggage at the desk and head to the mall. As we are waking down the mall we stop to get Oscar new specks. Mom and dad check out the shoe and book stores. I run into the car guy trying to find mom and dad. We all meet up in the glasses store. Dad and Oscar clear up the car stuff while mom and I clear up the glasses business. 

We meet them outside. The car man is so shady. I did not like him at all. We pay. He dropped us at the hotel. Mom and dad got a taxi and headed to the airport. Just like that. Hug. Kiss. They were gone. Oscar and I remained. We also got a taxi and went to the mall to watch a movie. His flight wasn't until 19. We watched Batman VS Superman. It was so long. In the middle, I took a break to pick up his glasses. 

As soon as the movie was over, he got in one taxi and I got in another. Again. Just like that. He was gone. I was alone going towards Adam's house. I reach Adam's house in time for Oscar to call and say he missed his flight. I read it wrong. At 19 he was leaving from his layover in Rwanda not Lusaka. He came to join us at Adam's place. We went and got Indian food with Jahtay and his friend. We came back home. Adam and I made banana bread while Oscar made a few phone calls. I got tired and needed to sleep. We all fell asleep. 

Day nine.

We woke up in time for breakfast. Knowing the condition of the car, the boys took it to the gas station to tune it up with everything needed. Mom and I stayed behind to organize the last few things. The boys returned. We peed one last time and were off. We were making great time until just past Kalamo when the tire decided to crap out on us. We had to drive back the 17 kilometers and get the wheel replaced. 

They took less than an hour and we were back on the road. Jokes on us. The tire again went flat. Luckily I am good at being tourist and accidentally got a picture of the phone numbers of the place. We called and an hour later they were roadside helping us. They put on a doughnut but to our dismay we had to return to Kalamo to get the wheel replaced. After hours and three wheels later, we were back on the road. I made sure I got a direct number for the guy who was helping us in case we have another problem again. 

We were not going to make it into Lusaka until after dark but we made it. Dad and Oscar both didn't feel good. The car guy was using my number very freely and had declared his love before we reached the hotel. Oscar was eating it up. We ate right at the hotel. Dad looked like death. We sent him to bed. We finished up and all crashed. Tomorrow they were all going to leave me. 

Day eight.

Our first adventure started at 6:20. We were up and ready. The bus came and got us. We arrived at Mukuni Big 5. The first order of business after waivers were signed was to watch the cheetahs run. They walked us to an area where they have a machine. This machine rotates this object around a course. The cheetahs like to chase the object. One by one they brought out the cheetahs and they chased the object until the jumped on it. It was amazing to see how fast they got.

After we finished there, we were off to see the lions. They took us down a bush path and there was two lions just laying on the ground. We were allowed to pet them and touch them. After a lot of pictures, we took them on a walk. To walk lions, you hold their tails. Oscar was terrified of the lions. Dad grabbed life by the balls and was the first one to go to touch them. After the lions, we went back to visit the cheetahs. This time they were laying down. Just like the lions, we got to touch them, take pictures and walk them. Oscar was obsessed this time. I think a cheetah is his spirit animal. We picked the sexist cheetah that only likes males. Mom and I were definitely not loved by this feline like she loved Oscar and Dad.

 After the cheetahs we were done. We were supposed to go on an elephant ride but due to wild elephants in the area, we couldn't go. I was most excited about the elephants. From here we went back to the hotel and got lunch. We were able to rest a little and get in a little tourist shopping before we headed out on our safari. We shared the safari vehicle with a cute family with 2 boys. The safari was nice. We saw lots of animals. Now mom, Oscar and dad can say they have been on a safari. The coolest thing that we saw were the white rhinos. Because of poachers, the rhinos are guarded 24-7. It makes it very easy for the safari people to find them. 

After the safari, it was time to eat. Leah and Cara had arrived in Livingstone that day. It was the perfect opportunity to met up with them for dinner. We agreed on Indian. We walked there just to find it is closed. We continued walking to Zambezi Cafe again. It was just as good the second time. We enjoyed conversation and being together. Snaps were taken and we departed our ways.