July Already?

It is hard to believe that July is half-way over! Time is moving so quickly, but so harmoniously! Both Joey and I have been staying busy both in and out of our village. At home, we have been involved in local agricultural shows setting up display booths on everything from Conservation Farming to Peace Corps goals to community libraries. Joey has been collecting data on the recent maize harvest and interviewing farmers on their planting season. Currently he is preparing for a workshop coming up in Mkushi where he will help train new farmers on Conservation Farming techniques. I have been assisting in the new preschool (which has been a lot of fun) and helping our nearest Peace Corps neighbor set up a library at her school using some of the books that were donated. I am also preparing for new shelves to be installed in our own school library as well as working with the grade 8 and 9 students writing letters for their new American pen-pals. Outside of the village, Joey and I have been attending workshops in Serenje trying to build relationships with the Zambian Ministry of Education and Ministry of Forestry. Of course, with work there is also play. For the Fourth of July, we attended the same event from last year. Although this time, instead of being a bit overwhelmed, we jumped right in! Along with a few other PCVs and a few local teenagers, we formed a team and got to participate in the cricket tournament and squash tournament. It turns out that Joey is an excellent cricket player, especially at bowling! However, the best part of the day was watching fireworks and playing wiffle ball. It was an awesome piece of America here in Zambia. We also find time at least once a month to meet up with a few PC friends to play volleyball, kickball, and basketball. Joey is even working on a sports tournament to be held in September for all of PC Zambia!

We continue to take each day at a time here. Time is moving, but I think we are moving with it. We recognize this is a very special experience, and we intend to cherish each moment.

The Head Teacher (right of Joy) and his family, as well as the new preschool teacher (2nd from the left) came to visit over tea and groundnuts. It was the first time for them to see where we stay, and they were very impressed!

Joey bowling the cricket ball during one of our cricket games.

Joy learning how to bowl while trying to keep her arm straight!

Joey up to bat!

Last week, we took a hike to cell phone mountain to watch the sunset over our village. It was beautiful.

Joey made a kiln out of mud bricks and demonstrated how to turn maize cobs into charcoal to be crushed into to a carbon powder which helps keep nitrogen in the soil.

The finished product!



Joy's adult literacy class continues to go well.



Learning how to write a letter.

A Day in the Life

“Let us spend one day as deliberately as nature, and not get thrown off the track by every nutshell and mosquito’s wing that falls on the rails.” -Henry David Thoreau

I thought it might be interesting to chronicle the events of a day in our lives here. Obviously some things are excluded, like the times I sat down to write this blog, but the main events of the day are all here. This day may not be ‘typical’, as I am spending more time at home and not really visiting any farmers, but it’s pretty impossible to say how things will go today. Also, keep in mind that Joey is writing this, so there is a heavy bias towards the things that I did throughout the day. And, here it is, June 8th, 2011.

05:23 – I get up out of habit. I’ve been busy lately visiting farmers and collecting data, but today is a break from that. I put on my flannel and knit hat. Our thermometer says 60 inside, but it’s probably in the low-50s outside. The sun isn’t up yet, but the stars are beautiful. The Southern Cross hangs just above ‘Cell-phone Mountain’ and parts of the Big Dipper shine through the trees to the North. I sit on our porch to read, but it’s too cold and dark, so I climb back into bed and keep warm while doing a Sudoku and listen to the chickens call to each other in their tree roosts.

6:24 – It’s bright enough outside, so we get up, but the sun hasn’t fully revealed itself yet. I go to the neighbor’s to ask for some hot coals from their fire to start our brazier. They oblige and I give them some honey that we processed from raw comb the night before. I put water on the coals to heat for breakfast.

6:59 – We enjoy our breakfast of DD coffee (many thanks to Nate, Dana and Pam for the treat) and oatmeal while we stay warm on our veranda. Our neighbor’s dog, Danger, and cat, Leonard come over to say good morning. The village wakes up slowly in cold season, and we enjoy taking our time in the morning when we can afford it.

7:27 – Joy goes to school which starts an hour later during cold season so the kids don’t have to face the worst of the morning cold on their way to school. Normally, classes start at 7:00, but these days, 8:00.

I set to work re-lashing our shower structure which survived rainy season, but barely.

8:38 – Finished with the lashing, I set the solar panel out in the sun. The panel charges a battery in our hut that we use to charge our cellphone, computer, ipods, etc.

8:44 – I start a load of hand-wash laundry and leave it soaking in a plastic basin. While the laundry soaks, I take apart our two water filters and scrub the candles (the parts that filter the water) with an old toothbrush. Then I scrub the insides of our two 20 liter water jerrys with a stick to remove the algae and gunk clinging to the bottom. I make a water and chlorine mixture in each jerry and let them sit for a while.

9:52 – I give the laundry another good scrub and rinse and hang each item out on the line to dry. This process takes a while and we only do it about once every two weeks. Today is windy and sunny, so drying won’t take long. I dump the remaining water on our two compost heaps.

10:33 – I give our hut a good thorough sweep and walk to our spring to collect water. The spring is 350 meters from our hut and the 40 liters that I carry usually lasts us a couple days, but a load of laundry uses about 20L of water, so we ran out quickly last time. The water carrying is the closest thing I get to a workout these days. I don’t mind it.

10:50 – I begin entering the data that I collected in the past week on the computer in a workable format. It’s another tedious process, but I look forward to the analysis and the end result.

11:34 – Joy arrives home from a busy morning at school where she taught 1st grade English, planned her girls’ club, opened the library and met with the Head Teacher about upcoming school events.

11:58 – We begin preparing lunch. Today it’s rice added to an instant soup packet with a side of sweet potato chips. Joy makes the rice and soup while I peel and slice the sweet potatoes. We both wolf down the soup and rice, and wait patiently for each round of the sweet potatoes to fry on the pan. The chips are delicious with a bit of salt, cinnamon and sugar.

12:13 – We relax a bit on our “couch” and cap off our meal with a cup of hot chocolate. By this time of day, it’s hot and sunny outside, but hot chocolate is a great treat in any weather. We enjoy a slow stretch and catch up on the events of the morning and discuss plans for the upcoming days.

13:02 – Joy leaves to teach her adult English class 6 km away. Today’s class is on pronouns and conjugating the verb “to have”.

13:16 – I take off to meet with the Camp Agricultural Officer 22km away. The roads are sandy this time of year, so cycling can be a bit tricky.

13:24 – I run into a one of my farmer friends on the road and arrange to check out his cabbage garden early tomorrow morning. It’s amazing how many of my meetings and field visits come from chance meetings on the road like this one. If I ever need work, I just go for a ride and put myself out in the community and I’m bound to find someone to work with.

14:22 – I arrive at the Ag Officer’s house and he’s not there. Not uncommon and I wasn’t surprised. Fortunately, there is cellphone network at his house, so I call him up. He’s in town, but is planning to attend my meeting tomorrow on Conservation Farming, which was my sole purpose for visiting him.

14:29 – I run into another one of my conservation farmers and arrange for a meeting next week.

14:32 – I begin the long cycle home. It’s a bit uphill, so it takes longer.

15:48:09.31 – I’m no more than 500 meters from home, when two small goats jump out of thick brush and into the road about 0.3 seconds in front of my bicycle.

15:48:09.59 – I avoid the first, but collide with the second. I hit it with my front tire which turns abruptly and I go over the handlebars and onto the hard dirt road.

15:48:12 – I pop up in time to see the goat scamper away unscathed. Seriously, this happened. I’m in disbelief. I have a couple good scrapes from the hard landing, but nothing major. A few of our neighbors heard the fall and rush to the scene. I assure them that I am ok and together we track down the goats to make sure they, too, were ok – which they are.

15:59 – I return home and dust myself off a bit.

16:04 – The ‘Dish-Master’ begins his work, or I start washing our dishes.

16:09 – Joy arrives home from her class and takes a victory lap around our dishwashing station on her bike.

16:32 – 4 school children come over to return books to our home library and Joy helps them select new books.

16:53 – Bath time. Our freshly fortified structure holds.

17:36 – Joy and I finish preparing our bags for the morning and sit on our porch briefly while the sun falls behind the trees. It’s beautiful here.

17:48 – We move into our hut, light candles, and settle down by reading/writing.

19:21 – Nshima is served. I devour my dinner of nshima and cabbage, brought over by our host mother.

19:56 – I read over this blog for the first time and realize how incredibly ironic it is that I ran into a goat and got thrown from my bike after I put the quotation from Henry David about not being “thrown off track by every nutshell or mosquito’s wing”.

20:39 – Lights out. We tuck in our mosquito net, blow out the candles and say good night.

“Spend one day as peculiar as Zambia, and get thrown off your bike by free range goats running through your village.” – Joey Goeb

Family Time

Joey and I have been far beyond spoiled when it comes to having family and friends visit. For the past 2 weeks, my father, Dana, and step-mother, Pam, have been carted all over Zambia via plane, bus and rental car. It has been a busy trip, but an unforgettable one. We started by paying a visit to the glorious Victoria Falls. The water flow was at its highest, and between pockets of mist, we got fantastic photos. We also got soaked when walking through the park (rental ponchos don’t always come through), but it was worth it. Besides the view of the Falls, we got to cruise down the Zambezi River, feast on crocodile, bush meat (kudu), and chicken liver, and stroll the market. The men also managed to fit in 9 holes of golf and the Peace Corps Volunteers got their thrill dropping 550 feetinto a gorge strapped into to each other by harnesses and falling backwards hooked up to a bunge swing. While Livingstone was beautiful, we had a more important stop to make. We woke early and met up with our new friend, Simbayi, our car driver, and off we went to Mkushi. We visited the market where Pam and I bought a new blanket for our house for the up-coming cold season, and picked up some beans and onions for dinner from the vegetable market. On the drive home to the village, we stopped at the border of Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo and had a picture taken. It was a long day in the car, but totally worth it when we got there. Both Dana and Pam were thrilled when they first took in our home. Our host family greeted us with mile-long grins and joy-filled laughs. We showed our family the school, the field, our water hole, and of course, cell-phone mountain (the one spot where we receive full-service on our phone). Everyone enjoyed nshima for dinner, and the following morning it was already time to get back on the road. This time we headed for South Luangwa National Park for 3 nights. We experienced animal sightings that were unforgettable. The first night, we watched a leopard as he stalked a family of baboons before finally lunging up a tree and grabbing a young baboon for supper. It was incredible. We also witnessed a family of elephants taking a mud bath in the wet lagoon, while relaxing on our front porch at the lodge. At the end of the day, the vacation was wonderful, as well as the activities, but what was most special was the time together. We have said it before, but being with family is what’s important. 

                                              

                                                

                                               

A few months back, I visited the local community school in our area. This was my second time visiting the school, and I remember why I hadn’t visited more. The school is quite far into the bush, with almost nothing around it. I remembered the 2+ hour bike ride on bumpy dirt roads and then the sore bum I had the following week. However, I also remembered the warm welcome from the head teacher and the greeting songs presented by the pupils. The last time I visited, the school had only a handful of books for their school of 150+ pupils. I made it my mission to find textbooks for this school. Upon my arrival back to the government school, where I spend most days, I found boxes of unused textbooks stored away in old classrooms. Over the next few weeks, with the ZIC (zonal inset coordinator) teacher, we sorted out over 75 textbooks, in more than 8 subjects, for the school to use in their classes. I also added some dictionaries, atlases, and story books from the book donation from America to the pile. To make it more of a community event, the ZIC and I also organized 2 pupil football and 2 pupil netball games to be played between our government school and the community school. The event was supposed to take place while I was away in Lusaka training the new volunteers. I was sad I would miss the main event, but was satisfied the books would be delivered and put to good use. As it turned out, the program fell through while I was away. At first I was upset, but then I realized this was an opportunity to visit the school again and enjoy the celebration. The second day back home after 3 weeks of running an intensive pre-service training, Joey and I took off with the school flat-bed truck (full of 42 students and 2 teachers) to the community school. When we arrived after the 1.5 hr drive, the head teacher was thrilled to see us. The books were delivered, games were played, and speeches were made. The local community had even come together and cleared a brand new football pitch (soccer field) for the celebration. It was beautiful. Although, I have to say, the overall day was a little overwhelming because I felt I had little involvement in the actual celebration and just stood by and watched it pass by. But with a little bit of time and distance, I am realizing that is the best role I can play. I am not here to be the forefront of every project and program, I am here to be the one who plants the idea and then the one who tries to guide it through. It is not always the “American” way, and it can be frustrating. My instincts tell me to charge forward and take control, but after 14 months of being an American in Zambia, I have learned that just doesn’t work. Sometimes it is difficult to be different. I wish I could automatically join in the local song and dance after a basket is scored in netball or carry a baby wrapped on my back without people giving it a second thought, but I am always standing out. My role of simply visiting the community school months ago and putting old textbooks in a box is what created the whole day of celebration. It is not about me, it is about the subtle changes I can bring to help encourage a community. Maybe I will always be an outsider, but as long as I can spark the celebration I am okay with that.
Photos from the past 2 months:

Joey reading to some of the children in our village at our home

Our host mother and host brother reading togehter while preparing dinner

The community school we visited and delived books to

Joey and our host brother after Joy planned an April Fool's Day trick on him!

Joy and the preschool teacher, Mwape, with the new preschool class

Field Day and Pictures

Good morning from Serenje. Joy recently started her 3 week gig training the new volunteers near Lusaka (I’ll join her soon) and I’m in the midst of an HIV/AIDS training workshop. I thought I would take the opportunity to use the good internets here to update our blog and post a few pictures.

A few weeks back I put on my first ‘field day’ where I invited as many people as I could through formal written invitations, face-to-face meetings, and posters placed all around the community to come and see my small demonstration plot and learn about conservation farming. Joy and I spent the better part of a week riding around our catchment area advertising. Come game day about 40 people showed up, which I considered to be a pretty solid turnout. We started with a brief discussion of conservation farming principles, which briefly are a) minimum tillage, 2) residue retention (not burning your field), iii) crop rotation, and, lastly, timely planting. Then we walked 600 meters to my field where I explained in light detail what I did and how they could do it. I demonstrated the tillage technique of digging basins at proper spacing, how to properly apply lime and basal fertilizer and how to plant. I fielded several good questions and the farmers showed moderate interest in my legume crops (peanuts and soybeans). But by far the most attention was given to my maize (Zambia is maize crazy). At about 40m x 100m, my demonstration plot isn’t large, but I tell farmers that it’s my first time farming this way (or any way) and I did everything here myself working less than half time and putting in about 20 hours of total work since December. I know that they are better at farming than I am and I think they know that, but I also know that their maize doesn’t look like my maize and they see that. I think the field day upped my bush-cred and convinced some hesitant adopters that conservation farming can work – particularly in a year with low rainfall like this season. The whole process, from digging the field to hosting the field day, has been a very educational and productive experience. For me, it has helped bridge the gap between academics and real life while at the same time being a wonderful teaching tool. And I feel it has been more productive for my Zambian counterparts.



A somewhat aerial view of my field. Maize on the left, peanuts on the right. Late maize demonstration towards the back and soybeans to the right of that. The small cleared portion on the far right is late planted velvet beans for soil improvement and fodder.




Joey explaining signs of nutrient deficiency in maize at the field day.



Our host father carefully examining my maize.



Joy enjoying a cup of coffee in our favorite spot on our ‘couch’ with her new best friends, M.J., Junior, and Mudzillo [fire], the neighbor’s kittens.

Me explaining soybeans and crop rotations during the CF field day.

Faidherbia Albida (aka ‘Musangu’ trees) planted directly in my field at 10 m by 10 m spacing. These trees grow slowly, but supply the equivalent of about 300 kg of complete fertilizer beneath the canopy of mature trees and they drop their leaves at the beginning of rainy season so there is no competition for sunlight.

Joy reading a book from our home library with one of our neighbors.

Welcoming New Volunteers

Last Monday, four squeaky-clean Americans pulled up to our home in a typical white Peace Corps Land Cruiser, full of brand new gear and fancy Lusaka groceries; the new intake of RED volunteers has arrived. Unlike last year where the RED volunteers and LIFE volunteers flew over together, the REDs have come a full two weeks ahead of the LIFEers in an attempt to have smaller training groups during their pre-service training. Prior to visiting us, they had only been in Zambia for 3 days. The previous week I had been preparing meetings, setting up interviews, and arranging classroom observations for the new Peace Corps Trainees. In order to start their visit off right, Joey and I decided to make grilled cheese sandwiches served with apple slices for lunch (a nice treat for them, but more so for us!). We continued their visit with an afternoon of “hut orientation.” We showed them the bathing shelter, the new kitchen, our main hut, the pit latrine, where we fetch water, etc. The new volunteers reminded me of kindergartners on their first start day of school; excited to be finally starting this new chapter, but nervous about leaving their comfort zone. A feeling I remember well just 12 months ago.  As the first day came to an end, we set up tent city in our side yard, and said goodnight. The next couple of days were full of walks around the community, grade 1 and grade 9 classroom observations, meetings with the school staff, washing dishes, cooking, and even attending a TGM (teacher group meeting) where I presented a short program on the importance and extent of the new library.  We also met with a village elder, who informed us he had been married to his wife for 58 years. Not bad. The new volunteers seem enthusiastic, motivated, and open-minded. Joey and I truly enjoyed their company, especially during a feisty game of spoons. Thinking back to exactly one year ago when we were visiting a currently serving volunteer, I had no idea what to expect when I got out there on my own. Trying to explain the different emotions and feelings that these new volunteers will go through was impossible. It is honestly a process you can only experience yourself. Even now, thinking about the next year to come, I can only imagine what successes and challenges lay ahead. My hope is that these new volunteers enjoyed their first taste of life in the bush and experienced a few typical days in the life of a Zambian Peace Corps Volunteer. The visit is designed for new volunteers to decide whether or not Zambia is right for them – we know that this crew has the right attitude and desires to thrive here. It is exciting to think that our family in Zambia is growing, and also exciting to know how far Joey and I have come since we were in their shoes.

Recent Pictures

Group Picture from Camp GLOW back in December

Goeb Family Photo at Victoria Falls over Christmas



Joey and Joy standing near Kundalila Falls in Serenje



Joey's friend, Joshua, spraying his field



Home sweet home (this view is 2k from our hut)

 

Visiting our friend Missy at her site near Mkushi

Joey and our friend Segeal checking out the new books in Mkushi

The new volunteers on cell phone mountain!

Sustainability (or something like it)

If I had a nickel for every time I heard someone associated with Peace Corps Zambia say 'sustainability' in the past year I would have at least $1.75 (but that's about 5,750 Zambian Kwacha and I could buy like 57 candies with that kind of cash). It's a big word in the U.S. of A. and in most other developed countries and in Peace Corps we throw it around like a Frisbee - and let me tell you that we Peace Corps Volunteers love us some Frisbee. But if I had 100 Kwacha for every time I heard someone not associated with PC use that word I would have exactly zero kwacha. The word doesn't even exist in our village. This discrepancy between Zambia and America has a lot to do with the fact that environmental quality is a 'luxury good'. Meaning that demand for things like tree conservation and clean air increase as incomes rise and only after they cross a certain threshold or tipping point. Zambia, obviously, has not reached that tipping point.

The dictionaries that we keep in our school library define 'sustainable' as "capable of being maintained at a steady level without exhausting natural resources or causing ecological damage E.G. sustainable forestry." It's not the most complete definition of the word, but it's not totally inadequate. PC emphasizes the concept of sustainability in everything we do. And well they should. Sustainability is a big part of successful development projects. And NGOs and aid agencies that are more committed to sustainability in word than in deed and drive into the bush in their Land Cruisers, give handouts to villagers that say, "I'm interested" and then drive out don't do a whole lot other than make our job harder and feed what I call the "What about Bob?" syndrome ("Gimme, gimme, gimme. I want, I want. I need, I need.") - not all aid projects are like that, but more than you think are. So, sustainability is important. But let me ask you, based on the above definition (and acknowledging that there are better ones), what is more sustainable than absolute poverty? Many families here and in other parts of the world live on less than $2/person/day. It's difficult, but it's nothing new. Some portion of every generation of man has lived in similar poverty conditions. So, what could be more sustainable than something that has existed forever and can exist indefinitely into the future? My point is simply this, sustainability is not enough -- and especially when it comes to farming. I know, I know, it's not exactly an earth-shattering revelation. Many of my colleagues in PC agree with me on that point. However, where we tend to disagree is on the relative weights of progress (i.e., yield and profitability increases) and sustainability (i.e., organic farming practices). I have always put more weight on progress, but after a year of working with smallholder farmers I put even more weight on it than I did before: the reason being that the farmers care more about growing more maize than about using composted manure in place of fertilizer. Yet in training we got to make compost on several occasions and we never once discussed proper fertilizer application. Organic farming is great in America where farmers earn a price premium for their additional care and effort; but there's no price premium if you eat it yourself, and for smallholders in Zambia organic farming is not better. That being said, I teach what I consider to be sustainable use of modern farming techniques. I am technically a part of the 'Environmental' Peace Corps program yet I teach and promote the use of chemical fertilizers, hybrid seeds, and herbicides. And I can say whole-heartedly that I am fulfilling my duties as an environmental volunteer. Zambia is not in the top ten countries in the world for much of anything, but it is (or was) one of the world's leaders in deforestation per capita. The conversion of forests into agriculturally productive land is a main culprit. A big part of the solution is intensification (growing more food on less land). So, to "save" the forests we need to get farmers to grow increasing volumes of food on the land they have so they don't have to cut down trees each year to expand/shift their farms. And the best way to do that is through the proper and, I would argue, sustainable use of fertilizer, hybrid seeds, and herbicides. Additional benefits of these technologies include the fact that they are profitable and labor-saving if done correctly; and many farmers here already use these three things, so we don't have to get them to do or use something that they never have, we just have to teach them to properly use things they already are.

While I could go on for days about on these topics, this blog is already too long and opinionated so I'll wrap it up. Sustainability is not enough. And if we really care about the people in Zambia and developing countries everywhere we should leave our biases against agricultural chemicals at the door and teach farmers how to use them properly rather than teaching ideas and concepts that people are not yet ready to value.