A week ago, having just recently returned from my time off for Christmas and New year's, I woke up in my village, bid a visiting friend farewell, and abruptly realized something: I was sick. Achy, sweaty, probably a fever, fatigued, and a dull but ever present headache. I rested all day and told myself I'd wait till tomorrow to start worrying seriously about my condition, specifically I'd wait until I used the m-word.
Tuesday morning I woke up feeling much the same, maybe a little worse. I had no proof, but at this point I was fairly sure I had malaria. This is common. Malaria is very much prevalent in the southern hemisphere, and it is a big problem in Zambia. We use malaria prophylaxis and sleep under mosquito nets, but even so the reality is a peace corps volunteer in Zambia will most likely contract malaria at some point during their service. The good thing is that, while a specific strain of malaria is fatal if untreated, malaria is very treatable, and peace corps makes sure we have the necessary resources to treat ourselves. Treatment is coartem, a three day, 24 pill treatment. On tuesday I started taking my coartem and planned to go to Lusaka the next day to test for malaria and get better.
I woke up Wednesday and walked to the road to hitch a ride into town. It was about 7:30 am, the market was quiet, it was cloudy, a rainstorm had just finished and it looked like another was coming. I stood on the road for about 15 minutes waiting for a car to come. Suddenly my stomach started to ache. My head felt light and I started feeling dizzy and seeing white spots. Then...
WHAM!!!!!!
Out cold. Faceplant in the asphalt. Not being of very sound mind, I stood up again, which brought about similar results. A villager saw what happened, came over to me and walked me to a nearby shop to sit down. I was brought some mangoes and a soft drink to give me some energy. I was a little freaked out, but not quite as much as the villagers who had just seen me pass out. Not wanting to travel to the two nearest Peace Corps offices in Lusaka (200 km away) or Chipata (500 km away), the nurse from my clinic called the nearby mission hospital (25 km away). They sent an ambulance to pick me up and I got to the hospital at about 11:00. The hospital is part of a catholic mission in Mpanshya, a town about 20 k away from Lukwipa. It's run by a mish mash of ex-pats, Zambians and a rotating cast of medical and otherwise volunteers, mostly from Europe. There I met Maggie, who I'm pretty sure is an angel from heaven disguised as a very devout Catholic from Poland who came to the hospital as a volunteer 5 years ago and decided to stay for the rest of her life. After getting some food in me and testing my blood she took me to her house where she was kind enough to let me stay until I could leave. She fed me, let me take a hot bath (!), and let me rest and relax. That night we had dinner with Tobias and Dominic, two german med students doing a 2 month stint at the hospital, and Sean, an Irish VSO volunteer doing some accounting work for the hospital. The next day there happened to be a vehicle leaving from the mission to go to Lusaka, so on Thurs. afternoon I left and came to the Peace Corps office to test for malaria again and rest and recover.
It's been quite a week. Forgetting how different America's perception of malaria is from our's in Zambia, I managed to scare the crap out a few people, namely my parents. Sorry about that. I appreciate everyone's concern and messages. Hopefully this is the last malaria I have.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Thursday, November 6, 2008
I'm going to do my best to tread lightly in this particular blog entry. Tis a dangerous subject, but I don't think I can let it go by without saying something.
On Tuesday I got up early and left Lusaka to hitch my way up to Mkushi, a town in Central Province where i was going to ATB Lodge to meet up with about 35 other volunteers to witness history, for better or worse. Peace Corps Volunteers tend to be current events/politics junkies, and if they're not when they leave the states they usually become one while they're here. As most of you already know Peace Corps tends to have a reputation of being a group of liberals, and while I can confirm that there are in fact conservative Republicans in Peace Corps Zambia, every one at the lodge was an Obama supporter. So as you can imagine, it was a fantastic night. Sleep was of course not an option, seeing as how the first polls closed at about 1 am here. Things first got interesting around 3, when Pennsylvania was called for Obama. As the next three hours rolled by and state after state turned blue it became clear that Obama was going to win, and not only win, but win easily. At 6 am, when thousands of Chicagoans in Grant Park erupted, a group of smelly, dirty, and above all tired 20-somethings in the middle of nowhere in Zambia had our own celebration, maybe lacking in quantity but certainly not in quality. Two things came to my mind at that point that I thought I would touch on. I know that everyone who reads this has widely varying political views, and many do not share the same views as me. And to you guys, I'm sorry. I think the American people invested themselves more in this election than any in a long time, certainly in my lifetime, and when you do that, only to feel you came up short, it's pretty devastating. I know I'd be pretty down this week if things had gone the other way. But, regardless of your views, I think there are two things all americans can get excited about.
1. We just elected an African-American head of state. And yes I know we all know how important this is and historic this is, but seriously folks, no other major world power has done something like this. It's a pretty amazing testament to how far our country has come concerning racial reconciliation. The highest job in the land is no longer out of reach for people who aren't white males. This was one of those events that everyone kind of figured would happen eventually, but it also seemed like it would never come (it's like a 16 seed beating a 1 seed in march madness). This is something that all Americans should be proud of, the fact that we live in a country where Obama's story is even possible.
2. Tomorrow I'm going to go back to my village and everyone, EVERYONE, is going to want to talk about Obama. I'm sure you all saw the clips of the celebrations in Kenya. All of Africa is excited. Obama hasn't just given hope to African-Americans but this entire continent. And I really think that this election will, for the first time in a while, remind the rest of the world of why they used to be on friendly terms with America. The last 8 years turned global politics into "us v. them", we became unilateral renegades who did whatever we wanted for the most part, regardless of what the rest of the world thought, a dangerous attitude if ever there was one. But now that we have a president elect who seems intent on fixing broken relationships instead of pushing our former allies farther away from us, maybe we can take our place again as the watermark for democracy and good governance and freedom and justice, not because we tell the world incessantly that we're a great country, but because we actually do great things. Imagine if the rest of the world decided by themselves that America was an ok place by themselves, without us having to constantly remind them. We can't afford to push the global community away anymore, and Tuesday night was a good start.
On Tuesday I got up early and left Lusaka to hitch my way up to Mkushi, a town in Central Province where i was going to ATB Lodge to meet up with about 35 other volunteers to witness history, for better or worse. Peace Corps Volunteers tend to be current events/politics junkies, and if they're not when they leave the states they usually become one while they're here. As most of you already know Peace Corps tends to have a reputation of being a group of liberals, and while I can confirm that there are in fact conservative Republicans in Peace Corps Zambia, every one at the lodge was an Obama supporter. So as you can imagine, it was a fantastic night. Sleep was of course not an option, seeing as how the first polls closed at about 1 am here. Things first got interesting around 3, when Pennsylvania was called for Obama. As the next three hours rolled by and state after state turned blue it became clear that Obama was going to win, and not only win, but win easily. At 6 am, when thousands of Chicagoans in Grant Park erupted, a group of smelly, dirty, and above all tired 20-somethings in the middle of nowhere in Zambia had our own celebration, maybe lacking in quantity but certainly not in quality. Two things came to my mind at that point that I thought I would touch on. I know that everyone who reads this has widely varying political views, and many do not share the same views as me. And to you guys, I'm sorry. I think the American people invested themselves more in this election than any in a long time, certainly in my lifetime, and when you do that, only to feel you came up short, it's pretty devastating. I know I'd be pretty down this week if things had gone the other way. But, regardless of your views, I think there are two things all americans can get excited about.
1. We just elected an African-American head of state. And yes I know we all know how important this is and historic this is, but seriously folks, no other major world power has done something like this. It's a pretty amazing testament to how far our country has come concerning racial reconciliation. The highest job in the land is no longer out of reach for people who aren't white males. This was one of those events that everyone kind of figured would happen eventually, but it also seemed like it would never come (it's like a 16 seed beating a 1 seed in march madness). This is something that all Americans should be proud of, the fact that we live in a country where Obama's story is even possible.
2. Tomorrow I'm going to go back to my village and everyone, EVERYONE, is going to want to talk about Obama. I'm sure you all saw the clips of the celebrations in Kenya. All of Africa is excited. Obama hasn't just given hope to African-Americans but this entire continent. And I really think that this election will, for the first time in a while, remind the rest of the world of why they used to be on friendly terms with America. The last 8 years turned global politics into "us v. them", we became unilateral renegades who did whatever we wanted for the most part, regardless of what the rest of the world thought, a dangerous attitude if ever there was one. But now that we have a president elect who seems intent on fixing broken relationships instead of pushing our former allies farther away from us, maybe we can take our place again as the watermark for democracy and good governance and freedom and justice, not because we tell the world incessantly that we're a great country, but because we actually do great things. Imagine if the rest of the world decided by themselves that America was an ok place by themselves, without us having to constantly remind them. We can't afford to push the global community away anymore, and Tuesday night was a good start.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
The other day I got online and received an email from my mom about how she had just been outside and it was "a perfect fall day" and then preceeded to read a facebook note from a friend about how she had walked outside that morning and the crisp air hit her face and she knew fall was on its way. A sharp pang of jealousy hit. As I was reading those it was about 8 am, I had just woken up and was lying in my bed in a puddle of sweat.
It's hot season.
Zambia has three seasons a year. When I arrived in February it was the middle of the rainy season, though by that point in time most of the rain was already done. Around May, about when I got posted, the cold season started. Cold season was pretty nice. In the afternoon it may get warm enough for you to wear a t-shirt and jeans, but in the morning and night you're in sweats, and sleeping can be chilly, but the kind of chilly where you bundle up with a couple of blankets and you're really cozy. It's comparable to the beginning of fall, or even some of summer in the northern U.S. Around the week before I headed to Lusaka for IST things started to warm up. I was gone for a couple of weeks and came back to discover that the cold season was gone. My site is in a valley, which makes things hotter. So I spend most days drenched in sweat, trying to find places to stay cool, like the stream behind my house where most boys tend to swim every day during hot season. I bathe and immediately start to sweat again, and I go to bed marginally sweaty. Once the sun goes down it cools off a little.
So please, all of you living in a temperate climate, enjoy the fall, the cool air, the leaves changing colors, being comfortable in a sweatshirt and jeans. Because in a few months I'm gonna get on chicagotribune.com and the temperature is going to be below zero, and then it'll be your turn to complain.
It's hot season.
Zambia has three seasons a year. When I arrived in February it was the middle of the rainy season, though by that point in time most of the rain was already done. Around May, about when I got posted, the cold season started. Cold season was pretty nice. In the afternoon it may get warm enough for you to wear a t-shirt and jeans, but in the morning and night you're in sweats, and sleeping can be chilly, but the kind of chilly where you bundle up with a couple of blankets and you're really cozy. It's comparable to the beginning of fall, or even some of summer in the northern U.S. Around the week before I headed to Lusaka for IST things started to warm up. I was gone for a couple of weeks and came back to discover that the cold season was gone. My site is in a valley, which makes things hotter. So I spend most days drenched in sweat, trying to find places to stay cool, like the stream behind my house where most boys tend to swim every day during hot season. I bathe and immediately start to sweat again, and I go to bed marginally sweaty. Once the sun goes down it cools off a little.
So please, all of you living in a temperate climate, enjoy the fall, the cool air, the leaves changing colors, being comfortable in a sweatshirt and jeans. Because in a few months I'm gonna get on chicagotribune.com and the temperature is going to be below zero, and then it'll be your turn to complain.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
I've mentioned on this blog before my disappointment at having to miss so many of my friends weddings while I'm here in Zambia. Matter of fact I believe there's one this weekend (hope it goes well Chris and Melissa, wish I could be there). Now of course it's not that I don't love these people enough to be at their wedding, it's just not feasible. But there's one wedding I will not miss.
Last Sunday I was hanging out in my hut, listening to the news on my shortwave radio about to go to bed at all of 8 pm when I get a phone call from the states. That's usually the time mom and dad call so I assumed it was them only to be surprised to pick up and find my brother on the line. Why? Because he wanted to inform me that he had just become engaged. It was a phone call I had been expecting for a while, but it's still a pretty significant occurrence when you find out your brother is getting married. They had not set a date yet when we spoke, and I believe they have by now, and I'm not sure what it is, but I think it's next summer, which means Derek is coming home for a while next summer.
I'm so excited. When I tell my friends here that my brother is engaged and they ask how old he is and I say 20, usually a look of surprise follows. For the average Peace Corps Volunteer (including myself) marriage is a long way off, and we're all at least 23 or 24, so a 20 year old getting married can sound slightly crazy. but talking to Brendan last week it was more than obvious that he's ready to get married, and I can't wait to be there for it.
Last Sunday I was hanging out in my hut, listening to the news on my shortwave radio about to go to bed at all of 8 pm when I get a phone call from the states. That's usually the time mom and dad call so I assumed it was them only to be surprised to pick up and find my brother on the line. Why? Because he wanted to inform me that he had just become engaged. It was a phone call I had been expecting for a while, but it's still a pretty significant occurrence when you find out your brother is getting married. They had not set a date yet when we spoke, and I believe they have by now, and I'm not sure what it is, but I think it's next summer, which means Derek is coming home for a while next summer.
I'm so excited. When I tell my friends here that my brother is engaged and they ask how old he is and I say 20, usually a look of surprise follows. For the average Peace Corps Volunteer (including myself) marriage is a long way off, and we're all at least 23 or 24, so a 20 year old getting married can sound slightly crazy. but talking to Brendan last week it was more than obvious that he's ready to get married, and I can't wait to be there for it.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
The rest of the week in Malawi was pretty much the same, save for Thursday night which was so absurd it would be impossible to explain on this blog. Early yesterday morning we got a minibus out of Nkhata Bay and began a 12 hour journey back to Zambia, in conditions better than the way there, that ended at about 6 last night in Chipata, the capital of Zambia's eastern province. Which is where I am now. Every province in Zambia that has volunteers in it has a house where they can stay for a few nights a month for r&r and I'll probably be there until thursday. It'll be a good time to get myself back into gear for village life, but there are other reasons as well.
As you may or may not have heard, two weeks ago today Levy P. Mwanawasa, the president of Zambia, died at the age of 59. He had a history of health problems and had a stroke at the end of June that he was never able to recover from. Tomorrow is his burial, and it will be a Zambian national holiday. I really haven't been able to see what the country has been like in the wake of his death, with being in Lusaka at training and then in Malawi, but there has definitely been a somber mood throughout the country. Mwanawasa was by all accounts a good president who worked hard to fight the corruption entrenched in Zambia's government, due in large part to the less-than-moral presidents who preceeded him. A 60 day mourning period follows his death, at the end of which Zambia's political parties will announce their new presidential candidates. A 30 day campaign follows, culminating in a presidential election which will take place about 2 or 3 weeks after the American election. Zambia is a peaceful country and there are no expectations that the current state of things will lead to any unrest like what happened in Kenya, but please keep Zambia in your thoughts and prayers as they make a decision that will greatly affect the future of the country.
As you may or may not have heard, two weeks ago today Levy P. Mwanawasa, the president of Zambia, died at the age of 59. He had a history of health problems and had a stroke at the end of June that he was never able to recover from. Tomorrow is his burial, and it will be a Zambian national holiday. I really haven't been able to see what the country has been like in the wake of his death, with being in Lusaka at training and then in Malawi, but there has definitely been a somber mood throughout the country. Mwanawasa was by all accounts a good president who worked hard to fight the corruption entrenched in Zambia's government, due in large part to the less-than-moral presidents who preceeded him. A 60 day mourning period follows his death, at the end of which Zambia's political parties will announce their new presidential candidates. A 30 day campaign follows, culminating in a presidential election which will take place about 2 or 3 weeks after the American election. Zambia is a peaceful country and there are no expectations that the current state of things will lead to any unrest like what happened in Kenya, but please keep Zambia in your thoughts and prayers as they make a decision that will greatly affect the future of the country.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
OK let's see here. The four weeks from the last post I wrote were pretty uneventful. Mostly spent in the village. Last Sunday I went in to Lusaka for In-Service-Training. 5 incredibly long days of workshops. It was pretty good, but I was surprised by myself a few times. For the entire past three months I couldn't wait to go to IST and see my friends and eat good food and have hot showers, and those things were definitely nice, but there were several moments where I found myself missing my village. To be honest I never thought that would happen. It was just an overwhelming week. A lot of people around, a lot of information thrown our way. It's easy to get overwhelmed when you're used to the pace of village life.
On Saturday morning 12 of us caught a bus or hitched a ride that began our 2 day journey to Malawi. Two solid days of transport across southern Africa in situations that at times could only be described as hellish, including at one point a man having a seizure right in front of me on a bus. But on Sunday night, very exhausted, we arrived at Nkhata Bay on the northwest side of Lake Malawi and realized immediately it was worth it. We're staying at Njaya Lodge, a guest house right on the water. We have a large stone beach house for the 12 of us. The water is pristine and just the right temperature. The pace of life here is slow, and the hardest decisions to make are what to have for dinner and whether to stay on the beach or jump in the water. Last night some guy we met on the beach cooked us freshly caught fish and chips over an open fire, which was delicious. After that two guys named chicken pizza and happy coconut (no joke. i couldn't make stuff like this up) brought over a couple of djimbes and played for a while. they let me try and i managed not to make a total idiot of myself. this morning I came to the internet cafe and met a guy from the states who has been in Nkhata Bay for 4 months. He didn't plan to, he just didn't wanna leave. I can understand why.
On Saturday morning 12 of us caught a bus or hitched a ride that began our 2 day journey to Malawi. Two solid days of transport across southern Africa in situations that at times could only be described as hellish, including at one point a man having a seizure right in front of me on a bus. But on Sunday night, very exhausted, we arrived at Nkhata Bay on the northwest side of Lake Malawi and realized immediately it was worth it. We're staying at Njaya Lodge, a guest house right on the water. We have a large stone beach house for the 12 of us. The water is pristine and just the right temperature. The pace of life here is slow, and the hardest decisions to make are what to have for dinner and whether to stay on the beach or jump in the water. Last night some guy we met on the beach cooked us freshly caught fish and chips over an open fire, which was delicious. After that two guys named chicken pizza and happy coconut (no joke. i couldn't make stuff like this up) brought over a couple of djimbes and played for a while. they let me try and i managed not to make a total idiot of myself. this morning I came to the internet cafe and met a guy from the states who has been in Nkhata Bay for 4 months. He didn't plan to, he just didn't wanna leave. I can understand why.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
It's been a really long time. I haven't seen a computer in a while. Looking back my last post was kind of depressing. This one shouldn't be. As expected life in the village has gotten better and much more comfortable. I finally moved into my house two weeks ago, which alleviated the stress level significantly. I'm getting to know the people in my village, the clinic staff, the teachers, the people at the market I buy bread, fruits and veggies from everyday, the boys at the taverns who want to play the white man in pool. I'm meeting with a teacher from the school who is teaching me nyanja, the language most commonly spoken in my area, and we're becoming pretty good friends. I've amassed a fan club of little kids who seem to instinctively migrate to my front yard when the guitar comes out. I'm slowly getting less hygenic as the cold season makes it increasingly difficult to bathe outside. Lot's of strange things still happen. I had a kid bring me a bag with a dead rat in it a couple of weeks ago. Not sure why.
I'm still in community entry, which still means I'm not really working. I help out at the clinic on busy days, go to meetings and clinic outreaches when they have them. In Mid-August I go into Lusaka for In-Service-Training, which will be a week-long workshop that ends our community entry period.
After that, we can travel. The travel bug is killing me right now. There are so many places to go in southern Africa and I can't wait to see them. At the end of IST I'm going with a group of friends to Malawi, Zambia's eastern neighbor. The entire eastern border of Malawi is Lake Malawi, a beautiful freshwater lake with warm water and some of the best snorkeling in Africa. And it's really cheap. I'm also planning to go to Zanzibar, off the coast of Tanzania, around christmas time.
I think that's about it. love and miss all of you.
I'm still in community entry, which still means I'm not really working. I help out at the clinic on busy days, go to meetings and clinic outreaches when they have them. In Mid-August I go into Lusaka for In-Service-Training, which will be a week-long workshop that ends our community entry period.
After that, we can travel. The travel bug is killing me right now. There are so many places to go in southern Africa and I can't wait to see them. At the end of IST I'm going with a group of friends to Malawi, Zambia's eastern neighbor. The entire eastern border of Malawi is Lake Malawi, a beautiful freshwater lake with warm water and some of the best snorkeling in Africa. And it's really cheap. I'm also planning to go to Zanzibar, off the coast of Tanzania, around christmas time.
I think that's about it. love and miss all of you.
Some pics of my village and down along the Zambezi River:
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