I only have 10 days left in Zim! I always expected this to end, but I am surprised nonetheless.
I had a great trip to Nyanga in the eastern highlands. We went primarily to see Daryll and Hazel Edwards, who are composting, vermiculture, and organic gardening gurus. Daryll did his thesis for graduate work on composting. Can you imagine? They are both sharp as a tacks, and have succeeded doing a lot of work that others would say is impossible.
The environment was very different from Doma. Cooler, wetter, and hillier (word?). Driving through I almost had my head completely out the window (from the hump seat) just drooling over all these rocks. There is so much undeveloped climbing in Zim!!
So, I learned more about composting from Daryll, and lots more about worms from Hazel. She is a fireball and goes scatty over worms. It was really really fun to meet them, hear their stories, and learn from them.
I could ramble on about what I learned, but I don’t know how interested you would be in hearing about microbes, worms, fungus, manure, etc. Two highlights: I learned how to recognize worm eggs, or capsules. Secondly, I learned just exactly what a pile worked by worms should look like. When I got back here to Doma I checked my worms and almost burst! They are doing so well! A small bunch that we started in the greenhouse has worked their whole pile and needed to be fed. Their feces are light and fluffy almost, and look identical to Daryll and Hazel’s! We now have compost ready, so the worms in the bins are getting compost, and not just manure. I dug through and found egg capsules in each bin! (They look like the white pussy part of a zit that needs to be popped.) Moreover the worms are big, fat, and red.
Nyanga was generally an encouraging time-- seeing things I’ve only heard about working beautifully.
The only down side to the whole trip was being sick. I’ve had a serious cough going on now for about 3 wks. I really need to get this cleared up and out before I get on a plane for 36 hours. Judy gave me a mandatory rest day today, and I supposedly was going to “sleep in.” But sleeping is when everything is the worst. I’ve tried to prop up a lot of pillows so I’m not so horizontal, but it only helps a little. I honestly can’t remember ever having infection in my lungs… I even had a dream that I had TB, haha.
I we also met Matt Mbanga who s working on starting an adventure type camp mainly for the underprivileged. Right now he’s still working on the facilities, and doing short trips for schools that can pay. He wants to establish a relationship with Eden, and do trips with these kids for free. He really has a heart for these kids. We also eventually met up with a girl from England who’s helping out getting an orphanage started near Nyanga. She’s brilliant and openly admits that she doesn’t really know what she’s doing, but God has put her there. It was fascinating to hear her story as well.
Welp, gotta run. Hope you are all well! This may be my last post?
Em
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010
There is peace.
We now sort of have internet here at Eden. Sort of being the operative word.
Things have been a bit more stressful for Eden lately. The kids are out of school on holiday. Some of them have traveled to see family, but there are lots around still that need to be kept busy and out of trouble. I've had three kids and two teachers working in permaculture, but man.... I have to watch them like hawks. They are very lazy. Now that they've been working for a week, though, I think they realise that they can't cut corners. Plus, they've realised that if they work hard, they may get to leave early. So... things are moving. T
The two teachers can be just as bad as the kids, which I found very depressing. Part of it is a status thing. They are teachers and earn a cash salary. In the Shona culutre this means that they are "above" the field workers. At first they acted like they were "above" doing certain tasks like weeding. But, again, they've realised now that they won't get away with being lazy or cutting corners...and that they will be treated just like every other worker in perma. This could potentially be a good lesson for them. (If Rory has problems with labour, this is one of the things he does... even if they are capable of more complex work.)
There's also been a series of difficult cases at the clinic. A one year so malnourished in weighs 4kg. A woman with Aids died of TB-- 23 yrs old. An 11 year old boy got cancer in his leg, got a portion of it removed at hospital (which is a lot of money for the family), and then the cancer came back. They can't afford to do anything else. (I feel like this is especially sad because the family clearly cares for this child. A lot of times children are seen as dispensable, and the money would have never been spent for the hopsital surgery.) Another woman dying of cancer (80+yrs old). Since I've been here there have been 4 or 5 children that have showed up at the clinic severely malnourished and died. They travel from great distances, but it's often too late.
There's also been more problems with Rudo (from the teenage girls house). There is suspicion that she may be pregnant. Its' a very difficult situation for Eden... How do you practice fairness and compassion? There must be consequences, but their must be love as well. Plus, whatever happens will also set an example for all the kids at Eden.
Next week I'll be renewing my visa again in Harare on the way to Nyanga. We're going to visit some worm experts, and I'll also get to see a very different part of the country. It should be interesting and fun. I just wish, again, that there were people my age around. Sometimes I really want to go have rambunctious fun-- dancing, wrestling, laughing my butt off, sliding on ice, mud wrestling, whatever...
The worms are doing well. We harvested something like 70kg of squash (a bit early so they dont' get stolen from the garden), which is not even close to what's planted.We've also been picking avos and bananas. The pawpaws are looking almost ready.. a week or so. We've also been harvesting rape/rugare regularly. I think tomorrow it will be mustard time. With help from the kids and teachers, we've managed to mulch a ton of stuff! It would have taken us sooo long without them. This is good, because the dry season is upon us. The irrigation pump is currently out of order, which will become a problem very quickly. The other day we spent half the day lugging water in 4-7 gallon buckets, which is really hard work. One last good soaking would be a major blessing.
After a particularly stressful day, everyone came down to Rory and Jude's for a joint meeting/venting session. It was Susan's b-day, and we managed to have strawberry cake and milo (this is sort of like a non-sweet version of Qwik). I munched on sweet potatoes as the stars came out and everyone eventually relaxed into laughter. There is peace here, I promise.
Things have been a bit more stressful for Eden lately. The kids are out of school on holiday. Some of them have traveled to see family, but there are lots around still that need to be kept busy and out of trouble. I've had three kids and two teachers working in permaculture, but man.... I have to watch them like hawks. They are very lazy. Now that they've been working for a week, though, I think they realise that they can't cut corners. Plus, they've realised that if they work hard, they may get to leave early. So... things are moving. T
The two teachers can be just as bad as the kids, which I found very depressing. Part of it is a status thing. They are teachers and earn a cash salary. In the Shona culutre this means that they are "above" the field workers. At first they acted like they were "above" doing certain tasks like weeding. But, again, they've realised now that they won't get away with being lazy or cutting corners...and that they will be treated just like every other worker in perma. This could potentially be a good lesson for them. (If Rory has problems with labour, this is one of the things he does... even if they are capable of more complex work.)
There's also been a series of difficult cases at the clinic. A one year so malnourished in weighs 4kg. A woman with Aids died of TB-- 23 yrs old. An 11 year old boy got cancer in his leg, got a portion of it removed at hospital (which is a lot of money for the family), and then the cancer came back. They can't afford to do anything else. (I feel like this is especially sad because the family clearly cares for this child. A lot of times children are seen as dispensable, and the money would have never been spent for the hopsital surgery.) Another woman dying of cancer (80+yrs old). Since I've been here there have been 4 or 5 children that have showed up at the clinic severely malnourished and died. They travel from great distances, but it's often too late.
There's also been more problems with Rudo (from the teenage girls house). There is suspicion that she may be pregnant. Its' a very difficult situation for Eden... How do you practice fairness and compassion? There must be consequences, but their must be love as well. Plus, whatever happens will also set an example for all the kids at Eden.
Next week I'll be renewing my visa again in Harare on the way to Nyanga. We're going to visit some worm experts, and I'll also get to see a very different part of the country. It should be interesting and fun. I just wish, again, that there were people my age around. Sometimes I really want to go have rambunctious fun-- dancing, wrestling, laughing my butt off, sliding on ice, mud wrestling, whatever...
The worms are doing well. We harvested something like 70kg of squash (a bit early so they dont' get stolen from the garden), which is not even close to what's planted.We've also been picking avos and bananas. The pawpaws are looking almost ready.. a week or so. We've also been harvesting rape/rugare regularly. I think tomorrow it will be mustard time. With help from the kids and teachers, we've managed to mulch a ton of stuff! It would have taken us sooo long without them. This is good, because the dry season is upon us. The irrigation pump is currently out of order, which will become a problem very quickly. The other day we spent half the day lugging water in 4-7 gallon buckets, which is really hard work. One last good soaking would be a major blessing.
After a particularly stressful day, everyone came down to Rory and Jude's for a joint meeting/venting session. It was Susan's b-day, and we managed to have strawberry cake and milo (this is sort of like a non-sweet version of Qwik). I munched on sweet potatoes as the stars came out and everyone eventually relaxed into laughter. There is peace here, I promise.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Holidays
I feel as if there are some things that haven't been said, but expression seems so difficult now. Maybe I’m thinking about coming home for the first time, and wondering, yet again, how WILL I share this with those that I love?
I only have one month left here, which is a very short time in African standards. I’m wondering if anything I’ve done here will have any lasting effect. Not that I know much about farming and agriculture, but I can totally envision Permaculture falling into disarray very quickly again. (It’s not perfect, but it’s better than it was…) I don’t think I am being cynical either, but that’s just the way things go here. How do I explain this? There are many many factors that we cannot completely understand. If someone does anything that departs from cultural norms, there is tremendous pressure to revert. People are expected to fail, to not be blessed by their ancestors, etc. In order to introduce anything different, it must be shown to succeed over many many years. Even then, there will likely be neighbors and relatives that scoff and scorn. [This is cultural change, which takes generations. The same way that racism in the American South has taken generations to change, and hopefully continues to heal over time.]
Ghani is the baas in perma, but he has had no formal training. The guy who was head man before Ghani was fired for stealing and being seriously lazy (despite the fact that he was otherwise qualified). This happened right after Kevin left for the States for 6 months to fundraise. Ghani’s grasp of agriculture comes from Shona culture and from what he picked up from a former employee (Mr. Pamire “Pom-erie”, whose specialty was trees, and was great teaching natural science to the kids.) He’s going out on a limb every day that he comes to perma, and he’s expected to lead the workers as if he knows what he’s doing. As he says, “If I’m doing something different, they don’t ask me. They think they already know what’s best, and they expect bad things [from perma].” I have a feeling that my presence, clearly respecting him and talking over decisions, has given greater weight to his authority. Although I am not an agricultural specialist by any means, I have received more education than most of these workers will in their entire life. They know this, respect me, and think I know things that I don’t. It’s a very strange position to be in. At least they get to laugh at my Shona! “Nasi weri jakanaka!”
Have I told you that I’ve been living with Rory and Judy for the past month or so? There were too many visitors, so I got the boot! Haha. It’s been great! When they came to Eden, they had no place to live. They wanted to build a pretty simple thatch roofed house with the traditional ‘stucko’ walls. Kevin, however, took their plans and ran with it. The house pushes the limits of what you can do with thatch roofing and stucko. The roof had to be done a couple of times before they really perfected the thatch job (so it doesn’t leak). Living with them is generally much more peaceful. There are less people running around, nice places to sit and escape, and generally Rory and Jude are more laid back. The conversation’s usually interesting because we come from different cultures.
This morning we talked about dysfunctional families, and generational patterns of abuse, hurt, and sin. Dave (you can look back in my blogs if you really want to know who he is) comes from a pretty crazy family, and can really see how his home life affects his siblings’ life as adults. It was interesting (and maybe a bit morose) to see how family problems are somewhat universal. Like I’ve said before, every culture has its positive and negative aspects.
Rory and Jude dug up an old booklet about Shona culture that was really informative. It was written by the Rhodesian government to help white employees understand the cultural differences with their Shona employees. It’s actually pretty dang respectful, and not racist at all. An example… in the Shona culture, the man who actually conceived you is only one of your fathers. All of his brothers are also responsible for your upbringing and are called your father. They showed how this can cause problems because a Shona man may ask for leave for the death of their ‘father’ more than once. As Europeans (or Americans for that matter) this would be considered very suspicious, and the employee may be fired.
Have I really ever described permaculture very well? It was started on a hectare of the worst land around. It slopes down to the dam (what they call the lake that is made from a dam), and the soil is mostly the product of eroded granite. Everything is planted perpendicular to the slope, and as you move down the hill there are rows of fruit trees that help control erosion and act as barriers to keep pests from easily moving through the garden. At the top of perma there are guavas, and a couple of lemon and lime trees. The rest of the lines are either banana or pawpaw. Beds are constructed perpendicular to the slope that are theoretically straight, level, and ~1.5m wide. (All of the beds now are currently a lot narrower than this. Each time the beds get reshaped they get narrower and narrower.) There are pathways between beds, and a ‘path’ that runs up the middle of perma from the bottom of the slope to the top. Theoretically one should never walk in the beds… haha. Most things get planted in beds like this, but some do not. The squash and cucumber get planted in small hills, and eventually get mulched heavily so you can’t see any hill that remains. Many of the beans get planted in plots that are not long rectangles, but large squares. As long as they are planted in rows perpendicular to the slope, they should be okay.
Updates from the gardening world: Our butternuts look fantastic, and we should harvest the first bunch in a couple of days. Almost all of the beans that we planted (which is a lot) look great. They were planted for several reasons—cover crop, soil improvement, and a source of protein for the kids. It was some legitimate work getting this planting accomplished: reminding, getting seed, reminding, getting the pipes (ie hose), reminding, etc, etc. Like I’ve said before, communication in Shona culture goes in circles, so you have to say something several times before anything happens. The only bean type that didn’t germinate as well were the cowpeas. Perhaps they needed more sunlight?
An entire section near the bottom of perma has been planted since I’ve been here: beans, rape, cabbage, cucumbers, squash, tomatoes, mustard… We’ve actually harvested rape 2 or 3 times already, and the whole section just looks so happy. It feels good to see something from beginning to ‘completion,’ even though we will be getting much more food from this section. We’ve also FINALLY succeeded in getting more manure from a nearby farm, and getting cut grass gathered from around Eden to use as mulch. It only took a month or more.
The three sisters project is slowly coming along. The maize is maybe a foot and a half tall, and the beans/peas are germinating or already three inches high. The project in general was slowed a bit due to water shortage. [When the power is off, the pump for the well doesn’t work. If the generator is being run for the sewing class or computer class, the pump should work but often gets tripped. Plus, there are now all kinds of labour running around putting together the irrigation system from the dam. Pipe and other pieces frequently go missing, so this all has to be set up and taken down every day…]
We have, in fact, started a vermiculture project. The four trashbins full of worms, compost, and manure are now sitting under the thatch roofing of their ‘shed.’ [I don’t know what you would call this building in America?] We don’t have any compost currently ready (which should NOT be the case, but you can only fight so many battles at once), so we’ve been feeding them mostly manure.
It’s a joint effort right now. Primarily Aaron, the greenhouse guy, will be tending them when I am gone. Sariwo, Rory and Jude’s gardener, will mostly act as worm security guard. [People will gladly take the worms for fishing in the dam.] Sariwo’s not as ‘with it’ as Aaron is, but he’s supposed to be learning as well. Right now Aaron, Rory, Sariwo, and I are all doing our bit. Dave is the resident worm expert and will stop by once a week to check up.
Dave, the local worm expert, came by the other day to check them. One of the bins was wetter than ideal, and he thinks it’d be good to diversify their food a bit. They’ve also been getting too much food, so we’re going to wait a couple of days before feeding them again. On the upside, the worms are breeding in one of the bins, and they are all growing, growing, growing. Until compost is ready I’m going to mix wet manure with the small compost remnant we do have. I also fed them a bit of rollo meal to them yesterday. This is the corn meal that is used to make sadza or porridge. [Porridge is pretty much the same as sadza, but cooked a bit differently so it’s not as thick. It reminds me of grits.] This will hopefully help the bins dry out a bit, especially the one, and it will give them something else to munch on other than manure.
I’ve found a piece of cardboard that I want to turn into a reminder sign for the worms. “Check moisture!” “Are there ants?” “Do they need food?” I’ve asked Jude to draw something funny on it, like a cow’s rear end or worms enjoying stacks of poo.
Right now the kids are on holiday from school for about a month. Some will travel to see family, but most stick around here. The older kids will work in various areas around Eden. Susan’s also continuing her sewing class, and many will still be practicing for Convention. Convention is a big gathering of students from southern Africa. They compete in a large variety of events: athletics, sewing, photography, music, dance, public speaking, etc. There’s also an international convention, but I think that you have to first qualify at the more local convention. We also won’t be having girls’ Bible study, which I will miss.
At the moment everyone’s on holiday for Easter Friday through Monday. It’s been nice. I’ve been sleeping more, reading a lot, and playing games with the Fortiscue’s. Over the past few weeks I’ve started going on bike rides with Rory and Dave, which has been super fun. Most of the time we have to ride after work, leaving at fifteen after five and returning in the dark. Riding in the dark is actually pretty exciting, and seeing the sunset is always nice. The roads are all dirt, some better than others. Usually we can only go on long rides on Sundays, but because of the holiday we got to go on a long ride yesterday.
It’s amazing that they actually get me out of my bed at 5:45am, but it happens. It’s honestly beautiful… seeing Zimbabwe as the sun is coming up and feeling the cool breeze billowing through your shirt. Of course, you also get covered in reddish dust and hopefully absorb some protein from the grit in your teeth. It’s super fun! and makes me feel more alive than most things here. Yesterday was a 46?k ride through some really beautiful country. Part of it was downhill on seriously overgrown road— grass whacking you in the face, never knowing where the path is going next. The path eventually spit us back out into a trench on the side of a larger road. I got to see the small town of Nangadza, where Rory and Judy used to live (and where Ozi was born). The town is now practically owned by Mugabe’s nephew. We also get to see many tiny villages comprised of only a few huts. Kids usually come running out yelling, “Bye-Bye” or “How are YOU?” Although there are trees, this part of Zimbabwe is a lot of grassland— rolling hills of TALL grass with trees interspersed. Until you look closely the landscape actually reminds me of Tennessee. Some places have more trees than others-- near rivers and low areas, as well as hills with steeper slopes (ie no farming there).
But speaking of holiday, I’m about to leave for a tea & rusk picnic. [Rusks are like biscotti.] We’re going to a rock outcropping that Rory and Jude visited frequently before they were kicked off their farm. They still visit the spot, but not as often. On holiday is the perfect time to go!
As a last note, I’ve been feeling a lot more cynical and pessimistic about life recently. Kind of like my thoughts about perma—will anything I’ve done make a difference? “Why should I learn any more Shona? I won’t be here much longer, and the chances of being able to come back are slim.” “These kids just see me as another white visitor that won’t stick around.” I can’t possibly invest in long-term friendship with these teen girls, because I won’t be here… etc, etc, etc. Please pray for me if you are the praying kind. I know that I should not “give up” on the rest of my time here, but sometimes I want to.
A somewhat updated list:
-Masked Weaver with nests hung oddly and amazingly from trees
-Pin-tailed Whydah (looong tail, very teeny bird)
-Two monitor lizards (One was closer to me, sprinting, and longer than I am tall)
-Purple-crested Lourie (Sounds like “Kok-kok-kok-kok” escalating in volume. There are two that live at least some of the time in a big fig tree in the yard. I’ve only seen one in flight very briefly, but it had AMAZING crimson parts on its wings.)
-Possibly a Blue Waxbill
-Cape Dwarf Chameleon
-Lots of insects including: Pyromorphid Grasshopper (Technicolor), Blister Beetle (which Does in fact give you a rash that itches like no other), and many different praying mantises.
-Egret
-Guinea Fowl
-Golden Leaf-Folding Frog (teeny)
-Baby Cobra (We did NOT get close enough to know what kind)
- And some other kind of small frog that ranges from yellow to brown and has maroon on its feet/around the edges. Apparently if cows eat them they get really sick.
-Some kind of adder
-Lilac Breasted Roller (Coracias caudata) This bird is very beautiful.
-Barn Owl (Tyto alba) I haven’t gotten a very good look at these. I mostly see them flying around at night and very eerily screeching.
-Rose’s Toadlet (I think?)
MANA POOLS:
Elephant (Loxodonta africana), hippo (Hippoptamus amphibious), impala (Aepyceros melampus melampus), waterbuck (Kobus ellepsiprymnus), kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros), Chacma baboon (Papio cynocephalus), vervet monkeys (Cercopithecus aethiops), Burchell’s zebra (Equs burchelli), warthog (Phacochoerus aethiopicus), buffalo (Syncerus caffer), spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta),Nile crocodile, wattled crane (Grus carunculata), Crested Guineafowl, Ground Hornbill (Bucorvus leadbeateri), fish eagle and other birds. Heard lion (Panthera leo).
I only have one month left here, which is a very short time in African standards. I’m wondering if anything I’ve done here will have any lasting effect. Not that I know much about farming and agriculture, but I can totally envision Permaculture falling into disarray very quickly again. (It’s not perfect, but it’s better than it was…) I don’t think I am being cynical either, but that’s just the way things go here. How do I explain this? There are many many factors that we cannot completely understand. If someone does anything that departs from cultural norms, there is tremendous pressure to revert. People are expected to fail, to not be blessed by their ancestors, etc. In order to introduce anything different, it must be shown to succeed over many many years. Even then, there will likely be neighbors and relatives that scoff and scorn. [This is cultural change, which takes generations. The same way that racism in the American South has taken generations to change, and hopefully continues to heal over time.]
Ghani is the baas in perma, but he has had no formal training. The guy who was head man before Ghani was fired for stealing and being seriously lazy (despite the fact that he was otherwise qualified). This happened right after Kevin left for the States for 6 months to fundraise. Ghani’s grasp of agriculture comes from Shona culture and from what he picked up from a former employee (Mr. Pamire “Pom-erie”, whose specialty was trees, and was great teaching natural science to the kids.) He’s going out on a limb every day that he comes to perma, and he’s expected to lead the workers as if he knows what he’s doing. As he says, “If I’m doing something different, they don’t ask me. They think they already know what’s best, and they expect bad things [from perma].” I have a feeling that my presence, clearly respecting him and talking over decisions, has given greater weight to his authority. Although I am not an agricultural specialist by any means, I have received more education than most of these workers will in their entire life. They know this, respect me, and think I know things that I don’t. It’s a very strange position to be in. At least they get to laugh at my Shona! “Nasi weri jakanaka!”
Have I told you that I’ve been living with Rory and Judy for the past month or so? There were too many visitors, so I got the boot! Haha. It’s been great! When they came to Eden, they had no place to live. They wanted to build a pretty simple thatch roofed house with the traditional ‘stucko’ walls. Kevin, however, took their plans and ran with it. The house pushes the limits of what you can do with thatch roofing and stucko. The roof had to be done a couple of times before they really perfected the thatch job (so it doesn’t leak). Living with them is generally much more peaceful. There are less people running around, nice places to sit and escape, and generally Rory and Jude are more laid back. The conversation’s usually interesting because we come from different cultures.
This morning we talked about dysfunctional families, and generational patterns of abuse, hurt, and sin. Dave (you can look back in my blogs if you really want to know who he is) comes from a pretty crazy family, and can really see how his home life affects his siblings’ life as adults. It was interesting (and maybe a bit morose) to see how family problems are somewhat universal. Like I’ve said before, every culture has its positive and negative aspects.
Rory and Jude dug up an old booklet about Shona culture that was really informative. It was written by the Rhodesian government to help white employees understand the cultural differences with their Shona employees. It’s actually pretty dang respectful, and not racist at all. An example… in the Shona culture, the man who actually conceived you is only one of your fathers. All of his brothers are also responsible for your upbringing and are called your father. They showed how this can cause problems because a Shona man may ask for leave for the death of their ‘father’ more than once. As Europeans (or Americans for that matter) this would be considered very suspicious, and the employee may be fired.
Have I really ever described permaculture very well? It was started on a hectare of the worst land around. It slopes down to the dam (what they call the lake that is made from a dam), and the soil is mostly the product of eroded granite. Everything is planted perpendicular to the slope, and as you move down the hill there are rows of fruit trees that help control erosion and act as barriers to keep pests from easily moving through the garden. At the top of perma there are guavas, and a couple of lemon and lime trees. The rest of the lines are either banana or pawpaw. Beds are constructed perpendicular to the slope that are theoretically straight, level, and ~1.5m wide. (All of the beds now are currently a lot narrower than this. Each time the beds get reshaped they get narrower and narrower.) There are pathways between beds, and a ‘path’ that runs up the middle of perma from the bottom of the slope to the top. Theoretically one should never walk in the beds… haha. Most things get planted in beds like this, but some do not. The squash and cucumber get planted in small hills, and eventually get mulched heavily so you can’t see any hill that remains. Many of the beans get planted in plots that are not long rectangles, but large squares. As long as they are planted in rows perpendicular to the slope, they should be okay.
Updates from the gardening world: Our butternuts look fantastic, and we should harvest the first bunch in a couple of days. Almost all of the beans that we planted (which is a lot) look great. They were planted for several reasons—cover crop, soil improvement, and a source of protein for the kids. It was some legitimate work getting this planting accomplished: reminding, getting seed, reminding, getting the pipes (ie hose), reminding, etc, etc. Like I’ve said before, communication in Shona culture goes in circles, so you have to say something several times before anything happens. The only bean type that didn’t germinate as well were the cowpeas. Perhaps they needed more sunlight?
An entire section near the bottom of perma has been planted since I’ve been here: beans, rape, cabbage, cucumbers, squash, tomatoes, mustard… We’ve actually harvested rape 2 or 3 times already, and the whole section just looks so happy. It feels good to see something from beginning to ‘completion,’ even though we will be getting much more food from this section. We’ve also FINALLY succeeded in getting more manure from a nearby farm, and getting cut grass gathered from around Eden to use as mulch. It only took a month or more.
The three sisters project is slowly coming along. The maize is maybe a foot and a half tall, and the beans/peas are germinating or already three inches high. The project in general was slowed a bit due to water shortage. [When the power is off, the pump for the well doesn’t work. If the generator is being run for the sewing class or computer class, the pump should work but often gets tripped. Plus, there are now all kinds of labour running around putting together the irrigation system from the dam. Pipe and other pieces frequently go missing, so this all has to be set up and taken down every day…]
We have, in fact, started a vermiculture project. The four trashbins full of worms, compost, and manure are now sitting under the thatch roofing of their ‘shed.’ [I don’t know what you would call this building in America?] We don’t have any compost currently ready (which should NOT be the case, but you can only fight so many battles at once), so we’ve been feeding them mostly manure.
It’s a joint effort right now. Primarily Aaron, the greenhouse guy, will be tending them when I am gone. Sariwo, Rory and Jude’s gardener, will mostly act as worm security guard. [People will gladly take the worms for fishing in the dam.] Sariwo’s not as ‘with it’ as Aaron is, but he’s supposed to be learning as well. Right now Aaron, Rory, Sariwo, and I are all doing our bit. Dave is the resident worm expert and will stop by once a week to check up.
Dave, the local worm expert, came by the other day to check them. One of the bins was wetter than ideal, and he thinks it’d be good to diversify their food a bit. They’ve also been getting too much food, so we’re going to wait a couple of days before feeding them again. On the upside, the worms are breeding in one of the bins, and they are all growing, growing, growing. Until compost is ready I’m going to mix wet manure with the small compost remnant we do have. I also fed them a bit of rollo meal to them yesterday. This is the corn meal that is used to make sadza or porridge. [Porridge is pretty much the same as sadza, but cooked a bit differently so it’s not as thick. It reminds me of grits.] This will hopefully help the bins dry out a bit, especially the one, and it will give them something else to munch on other than manure.
I’ve found a piece of cardboard that I want to turn into a reminder sign for the worms. “Check moisture!” “Are there ants?” “Do they need food?” I’ve asked Jude to draw something funny on it, like a cow’s rear end or worms enjoying stacks of poo.
Right now the kids are on holiday from school for about a month. Some will travel to see family, but most stick around here. The older kids will work in various areas around Eden. Susan’s also continuing her sewing class, and many will still be practicing for Convention. Convention is a big gathering of students from southern Africa. They compete in a large variety of events: athletics, sewing, photography, music, dance, public speaking, etc. There’s also an international convention, but I think that you have to first qualify at the more local convention. We also won’t be having girls’ Bible study, which I will miss.
At the moment everyone’s on holiday for Easter Friday through Monday. It’s been nice. I’ve been sleeping more, reading a lot, and playing games with the Fortiscue’s. Over the past few weeks I’ve started going on bike rides with Rory and Dave, which has been super fun. Most of the time we have to ride after work, leaving at fifteen after five and returning in the dark. Riding in the dark is actually pretty exciting, and seeing the sunset is always nice. The roads are all dirt, some better than others. Usually we can only go on long rides on Sundays, but because of the holiday we got to go on a long ride yesterday.
It’s amazing that they actually get me out of my bed at 5:45am, but it happens. It’s honestly beautiful… seeing Zimbabwe as the sun is coming up and feeling the cool breeze billowing through your shirt. Of course, you also get covered in reddish dust and hopefully absorb some protein from the grit in your teeth. It’s super fun! and makes me feel more alive than most things here. Yesterday was a 46?k ride through some really beautiful country. Part of it was downhill on seriously overgrown road— grass whacking you in the face, never knowing where the path is going next. The path eventually spit us back out into a trench on the side of a larger road. I got to see the small town of Nangadza, where Rory and Judy used to live (and where Ozi was born). The town is now practically owned by Mugabe’s nephew. We also get to see many tiny villages comprised of only a few huts. Kids usually come running out yelling, “Bye-Bye” or “How are YOU?” Although there are trees, this part of Zimbabwe is a lot of grassland— rolling hills of TALL grass with trees interspersed. Until you look closely the landscape actually reminds me of Tennessee. Some places have more trees than others-- near rivers and low areas, as well as hills with steeper slopes (ie no farming there).
But speaking of holiday, I’m about to leave for a tea & rusk picnic. [Rusks are like biscotti.] We’re going to a rock outcropping that Rory and Jude visited frequently before they were kicked off their farm. They still visit the spot, but not as often. On holiday is the perfect time to go!
As a last note, I’ve been feeling a lot more cynical and pessimistic about life recently. Kind of like my thoughts about perma—will anything I’ve done make a difference? “Why should I learn any more Shona? I won’t be here much longer, and the chances of being able to come back are slim.” “These kids just see me as another white visitor that won’t stick around.” I can’t possibly invest in long-term friendship with these teen girls, because I won’t be here… etc, etc, etc. Please pray for me if you are the praying kind. I know that I should not “give up” on the rest of my time here, but sometimes I want to.
A somewhat updated list:
-Masked Weaver with nests hung oddly and amazingly from trees
-Pin-tailed Whydah (looong tail, very teeny bird)
-Two monitor lizards (One was closer to me, sprinting, and longer than I am tall)
-Purple-crested Lourie (Sounds like “Kok-kok-kok-kok” escalating in volume. There are two that live at least some of the time in a big fig tree in the yard. I’ve only seen one in flight very briefly, but it had AMAZING crimson parts on its wings.)
-Possibly a Blue Waxbill
-Cape Dwarf Chameleon
-Lots of insects including: Pyromorphid Grasshopper (Technicolor), Blister Beetle (which Does in fact give you a rash that itches like no other), and many different praying mantises.
-Egret
-Guinea Fowl
-Golden Leaf-Folding Frog (teeny)
-Baby Cobra (We did NOT get close enough to know what kind)
- And some other kind of small frog that ranges from yellow to brown and has maroon on its feet/around the edges. Apparently if cows eat them they get really sick.
-Some kind of adder
-Lilac Breasted Roller (Coracias caudata) This bird is very beautiful.
-Barn Owl (Tyto alba) I haven’t gotten a very good look at these. I mostly see them flying around at night and very eerily screeching.
-Rose’s Toadlet (I think?)
MANA POOLS:
Elephant (Loxodonta africana), hippo (Hippoptamus amphibious), impala (Aepyceros melampus melampus), waterbuck (Kobus ellepsiprymnus), kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros), Chacma baboon (Papio cynocephalus), vervet monkeys (Cercopithecus aethiops), Burchell’s zebra (Equs burchelli), warthog (Phacochoerus aethiopicus), buffalo (Syncerus caffer), spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta),Nile crocodile, wattled crane (Grus carunculata), Crested Guineafowl, Ground Hornbill (Bucorvus leadbeateri), fish eagle and other birds. Heard lion (Panthera leo).
Saturday, March 27, 2010
worms
I know that it’s been awhile since I have written anything up here. It has been pretty busy lately.
I got my visa renewed again with no hassles. While in Harare I found out I am a ‘finalist’ for an internship with ECHO. They emailed me a set of interview questions, which took a couple of days to take care of—writing answers, travelling to Mhangura for internet, and then emailing back.
Almost immediately afterwards I went to Mana Pools with a family that visited Eden. Mana Pools is a national park, and the only one that still allows its visitors to walk around freely (meaning without a guide). I don’t know how big the park is, but the main attraction is an area along the Zambezi River. During the dry season the bush dies off and animals come to the Zambezi for water. We were there during the end of the rainy season, and everything was lush and green. It made it a bit harder to see wildlife. Nonetheless, I saw elephant, hippo, impala, waterbuck, kudu, baboon, vervet monkeys, zebra, warthog, buffalo, hyena, crocodile, and a handful of very interesting birds. I realized after a day that I was so focused on trying to get photos that I wasn’t really seeing the animals or appreciating them as much. They were magnificent!
I think we saw hippos more than anything, ridiculous blubbery creatures. The eight of us stayed in a house very close to the Zambezi, and many of us slept out on the porch (with railing and sturdy wiring to keep the baboons at bay). Hippos are very noisy, making sounds like loud farts or demented cows. To mark territory they poop while rotating their tails. This sends hippo feces 30 feet in every direction, and is really quite hilarious. This also makes a particular lapping sound on the water. It was hysterical to sleep next to these noises. We also heard hyena ("woo-oo" rising in pitch) and lions roaring. Mostly, though, once I was asleep I was asleep. I would hear about a lot of it in the morning.
We also saw hordes of impala—they are similar to a deer, but much more beautiful. They are almost dainty, and seem like a refined version of a Disney animal made feminine. The males have curved horns. Waterbuck have a white ring around their buttocks. Susan says it looks like the toilet seat got stuck. The zebra were simply unreal, as well as the elephant. It was like being in National Geographic.
I am now back in Doma, and it’s good to not be traveling. Ghani (the head guy in permaculture) is not here because his father-in-law died. Everything is more chaotic without him, and there’s still a TON to be done. It’s a bit frustrating. Moreover, I haven’t been feeling so well since coming back. Too much phlegm, a bit of a cough, and frequent nausea. It’s not even close to how I was sick in Madagascar, though.
I’ve provided the start-up money ($120US) to Eden to start a vermiculture project for real. We’re going to use black plastic trash bins, and we’re starting with 5kg of worms. In theory it’s simple. Put the worms in the bin, and feed them their body weight’s worth of compost or manure every day. Once the bucket is full you have worm feces to use as fertilizer. Scoop out the worms from the top, and start over again. If we feed them really well (manure), then they will reproduce rapidly and we’ll be able to expand the project or just put the worms in the lands. This all sounds very simple, but I won’t go into all the details and hoops I’ve had to go through to get this going. Like I’ve said before, everything moves slowly in Africa. You have to celebrate small victories, and try to not get too frustrated. I don’t know how I would handle the frustration long term.
A while ago I moved to live with Rory and Judy to make room for visitors. It’s been great living with them! Everything is a bit more relaxed, and I’ve enjoyed just spending more time with them. They both have a lot of experience and wisdom to share. They also have had plenty of adventures that are great to hear.
It’s hard to believe that I only have a month left. I feel torn between being very present here, and also thinking about the future—- filling out that interview, organizing plane tickets, organizing visits to friends, etc. It seems close, but very far away. I’ll be ready to leave, but a part of me feels like I will be abandoning permaculture, Ghani, Tikay, and other labor. What’s going to happen to all those lovely beans? What’s going to happen to the butternuts? Will they rot after all? What about the fruit tree air-layerings? Is the worm project going to succeed? What about the cantaloupes that I’ve tried to rescue? Are the carrots going to actually make something of themselves?
I got my visa renewed again with no hassles. While in Harare I found out I am a ‘finalist’ for an internship with ECHO. They emailed me a set of interview questions, which took a couple of days to take care of—writing answers, travelling to Mhangura for internet, and then emailing back.
Almost immediately afterwards I went to Mana Pools with a family that visited Eden. Mana Pools is a national park, and the only one that still allows its visitors to walk around freely (meaning without a guide). I don’t know how big the park is, but the main attraction is an area along the Zambezi River. During the dry season the bush dies off and animals come to the Zambezi for water. We were there during the end of the rainy season, and everything was lush and green. It made it a bit harder to see wildlife. Nonetheless, I saw elephant, hippo, impala, waterbuck, kudu, baboon, vervet monkeys, zebra, warthog, buffalo, hyena, crocodile, and a handful of very interesting birds. I realized after a day that I was so focused on trying to get photos that I wasn’t really seeing the animals or appreciating them as much. They were magnificent!
I think we saw hippos more than anything, ridiculous blubbery creatures. The eight of us stayed in a house very close to the Zambezi, and many of us slept out on the porch (with railing and sturdy wiring to keep the baboons at bay). Hippos are very noisy, making sounds like loud farts or demented cows. To mark territory they poop while rotating their tails. This sends hippo feces 30 feet in every direction, and is really quite hilarious. This also makes a particular lapping sound on the water. It was hysterical to sleep next to these noises. We also heard hyena ("woo-oo" rising in pitch) and lions roaring. Mostly, though, once I was asleep I was asleep. I would hear about a lot of it in the morning.
We also saw hordes of impala—they are similar to a deer, but much more beautiful. They are almost dainty, and seem like a refined version of a Disney animal made feminine. The males have curved horns. Waterbuck have a white ring around their buttocks. Susan says it looks like the toilet seat got stuck. The zebra were simply unreal, as well as the elephant. It was like being in National Geographic.
I am now back in Doma, and it’s good to not be traveling. Ghani (the head guy in permaculture) is not here because his father-in-law died. Everything is more chaotic without him, and there’s still a TON to be done. It’s a bit frustrating. Moreover, I haven’t been feeling so well since coming back. Too much phlegm, a bit of a cough, and frequent nausea. It’s not even close to how I was sick in Madagascar, though.
I’ve provided the start-up money ($120US) to Eden to start a vermiculture project for real. We’re going to use black plastic trash bins, and we’re starting with 5kg of worms. In theory it’s simple. Put the worms in the bin, and feed them their body weight’s worth of compost or manure every day. Once the bucket is full you have worm feces to use as fertilizer. Scoop out the worms from the top, and start over again. If we feed them really well (manure), then they will reproduce rapidly and we’ll be able to expand the project or just put the worms in the lands. This all sounds very simple, but I won’t go into all the details and hoops I’ve had to go through to get this going. Like I’ve said before, everything moves slowly in Africa. You have to celebrate small victories, and try to not get too frustrated. I don’t know how I would handle the frustration long term.
A while ago I moved to live with Rory and Judy to make room for visitors. It’s been great living with them! Everything is a bit more relaxed, and I’ve enjoyed just spending more time with them. They both have a lot of experience and wisdom to share. They also have had plenty of adventures that are great to hear.
It’s hard to believe that I only have a month left. I feel torn between being very present here, and also thinking about the future—- filling out that interview, organizing plane tickets, organizing visits to friends, etc. It seems close, but very far away. I’ll be ready to leave, but a part of me feels like I will be abandoning permaculture, Ghani, Tikay, and other labor. What’s going to happen to all those lovely beans? What’s going to happen to the butternuts? Will they rot after all? What about the fruit tree air-layerings? Is the worm project going to succeed? What about the cantaloupes that I’ve tried to rescue? Are the carrots going to actually make something of themselves?
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Chiedza is a small girl of two with badly scarred hands. She came to Eden from social services. Her father abused her by burning her. She cries all of the time, which is an improvement from her previously hollow eyes.
I met Michael because he is helping us with compost-- he has been to many Farming God's Way trainings. He has a large head and large features to match. He wears a worn grey suitcoat, and a different pair of destroyed sandals every day. He knows a lot about farming, compost, and raising worms, but his eyes and mouth carry a smirk that are not trustworthy.
Watson is five years old, but the height of a two year old. Although his parents were also very small, we suspect that he is also HIV positive. Unlike all the kids runnning after me and chasing me for attention, he stayed on the periphery for two days before first calling my name. He likes to push the net swing to and fro for the other kids. I've heard he can dance better than anybody in the Village, but he hasn't danced for me yet.
Rudo got into trouble for not listening to her house mom, so she spent a week working with me in permaculture. From the moment she began work until she stopped, she was singing worship songs. Not quietly to herself, but as if she were singing a solo for God her Father. She has several siblings, but only ever gets to see her twin sister. Most of them she has never met, and doesn't know if they are alive or dead. She did not want pity, but continued singing-- without skipping a beat. She invited me to a teen girls' Bible study, and now I have gone twice. Those girls belt out praise-- the glory!
Alice works in the fields for Eden, and sometimes is assigned to work in permaculture. She cannot be much over twenty. She is thinner than most of the Shona women, and sometimes her clothes can't help but fall off of her revealing a nearly perfectly flat chest. I know that she has had children, and I wonder if she is able to give them milk. I did not realise the magnitude of the weariness and sadness she carries until the day she smiled at me. Unlike the other women that work in permaculture sometimes, she does not really speak to me-- in Shona or English. We've only exchanged two or three words, but we both respect the work we share. A smile from her is a bigger gift than all the attention from laborers that drift through...
I met Normetta because she followed me. She followed me on my run from the farm to the village and back, barefoot and wearing her marroon chiffon dress. I used the few Shona phrases I know to learn her name and her age, 13. Since then I have seen her in sewing class and a few times at the girls' Bible study. As a younger girl in both of these places, she never speaks a word. All the kids in the sewing classes are making bags for their first project, with their names sewed on the front pocket. This is how I learned her name is actually No Matter. I wish I could just hand over love and confidence to her like a gift-wrapped package. I wish it were that easy.
Wallace works in the Agape center as Judy's right hand man, helping distribute food to the different village houses (the Village refers to the orphanage). My first impression of Wallace was hearing his distinctly deep and rough voice literally screaming at four or five kids coming up from the lake. This is one part of Wallace. There are many other parts. He used to be crazy, and everyone wrote him off as the village idiot. He would run around in different outfits with capes and the like, sneaking up on people, crouching, pouncing and rolling in the grass. Sometime in his past he was presumed crazy, put on serious medication, and then actually became a bit loony. Eventually Judy pieced things together and slowly took him off his meds. Probably because he acted the village idiot for so long, he's still a bit strange, but he is definitely not psychotic. He does his job very well, he uses English vocab words that no one knows, and he pulls the most ridiculous pranks. He is very serious about his responsibilities to his job, his wife, and his children. Moreover, he has accepted foster children from Eden because there is no more room in the orphanage. Foster children are very taboo in Shona culture, so this is really a big deal. Perhaps he was already so outsted from the culture before, he doesn't fear this stigma anymore. He's been saving up money for ages to buy a bicycle, which he finally recieved a couple weeks ago. Now I see him around, riding his bike with his pants tucked into Christmas patterned socks, his backpack almost falling off, and a neon yellow helmet. I haven't seen anyone wear a helmet but him. :>)
There are many more children (and adults) that deserve note-- baby Tinashe, Nyasha, Pauline, Angela, Proud, Yolanda, Hamu, Brian, baby Chiedza, Rumbi, Petina, Ionus, Agnus, Anyway, Calvin, Patterson, Rigorai, Mercy, Ruth, Lucina, Chipo…
So the good news about permaculture….
The squash look fabulous, and in a couple months we should have a tremendous harvest. The tomatoes have all been mulched, and onions are almost ready to go in with them. Marigolds have been planted in with about 1/3-1/2 of the squash, and more are on the way for planting anywhere and everywhere. We had a fabulous germination of ALL the beans we planted. I squealed when I saw the beautiful little guys. Weeds have been somewhat controlled, guavas have been harvested, bananas are looking almost ready, pawpaws have been successfully transplanted, and we have four large compost cubes going (and working!). THis is all just spilling out of me in no particular order, so I know there are things I am missing. Oh, the rape (or rugare I still can't tell the difference) has also all been mulched-- hallelujah. We're waiting on more thatching grass to come from the chicken house roof repairs to do even more mulching. The peppers are under control. The maize for our three sisters project has been in the ground for maybe five days now.
Worrisome things: are cabbage look very sad and we don't really know what to do. At least until the compost gets done. The carrots Ghani planted ages ago had very poor germintation. The rainy season is very swiftly coming to a close. A lot of our melons died somewhere in the hubbub. There is something "stinging" our baby squash, which eventually causes them to rot from the inside out. This is not a new thing, but I really wish it wouldn't happen. We will lose so much food. I've read that marigolds are the "work horse of pest deterrents" so I'm planting them in the squash. We'll see? If anything they look kind of nice, and may also help the soil. If anybody has any suggestions for protecting butternuts from some unknown insect??? I'm also planning on planting some more onion/rosemary/mint by our poor cabbages. But I've just began reading about companion planting, so this is all just going out on a limb. But Ghani is very open to trying to new things and experimenting. He may be more excited than me. haha.
We JUST began a starter trial for raising worms... and I am worried as heck about them. I don't know if I'm feeding them exactly the right kind of thing, I don't know how to keep the ants under control, I'm afraid they will get too hot in the greenhouse, and I'm worried the moisture won't be right. Who ever thought worms could cause so much worry?? I've only talked with a few people about this whole worm thing, and am going off of word of mouth. I haven't been able to find any kind of written materials... so we'll see! I guess that's why it's a trial... but I still feel bad because Michael gave us the worms. I don't want them to needlessly die.
I don't have time to coherently write anything else, but I wanted to share a short passage that I read from a book called Imperfect People. Anywho, the passage is about the word "peace." I wouldn't say the excerpt is brilliant, but it does share some of what I mean when I sign letters or emails with "Peace" or even including the word "peace." So here it is:
Peace (Hebrew, shalom; Greekm eirene) is one of the great Bible words in both Testaments. Its overtones are always of total well-being and happiness, so that peace in English is hardly forceful enough to express it. It means, to start with, peace with God, sin forgiven, guilt gone, your person accepted. It also means peace with yourself. If God has forgiven you the grisly things you've done, then you'd better start forgiving yourself; you must learn to be at peace with yourself now that you're at peace with God. It means peace with your circumstances too. If God, the Lord of circumstances, is at peace with you, you can be sure that henceforth he orders and controls circumstances for your good, as Romans 8:28 explicitly declares he does. So even though things may feel rough, just because you know they're for your good, you can live at peace with them and at peace under them.
"Peace be with you," said Jesus. "Peace be with God, peace with yourself, peace with your circumstances. I bring you peace." And when he said this, we're told, he showed them his hands and his side. He didn't do that to identify himself, for they already knew who he was. He did it so that they would see the wounds and the nail prints in his hands and the spear wound in his side and be reminded of what he'd suffered on the cross in order to make for them the peace that he was now bringing to them.
The disciples, we're told, were overjoyed when they saw the Lord among them. But then Jesus repeated his greeting: "Peace be with you." The very fact that he repeated it shows that it was more than a mere greeting. Repetition in Scripture, as in daily life, is for emphasis and to enforce significant meaning. It was supremely important to Jesus that the disciples should understand all that he meant when he said to them, "Peace be with you."
Peace and love to you all,
Emily :>)
I met Michael because he is helping us with compost-- he has been to many Farming God's Way trainings. He has a large head and large features to match. He wears a worn grey suitcoat, and a different pair of destroyed sandals every day. He knows a lot about farming, compost, and raising worms, but his eyes and mouth carry a smirk that are not trustworthy.
Watson is five years old, but the height of a two year old. Although his parents were also very small, we suspect that he is also HIV positive. Unlike all the kids runnning after me and chasing me for attention, he stayed on the periphery for two days before first calling my name. He likes to push the net swing to and fro for the other kids. I've heard he can dance better than anybody in the Village, but he hasn't danced for me yet.
Rudo got into trouble for not listening to her house mom, so she spent a week working with me in permaculture. From the moment she began work until she stopped, she was singing worship songs. Not quietly to herself, but as if she were singing a solo for God her Father. She has several siblings, but only ever gets to see her twin sister. Most of them she has never met, and doesn't know if they are alive or dead. She did not want pity, but continued singing-- without skipping a beat. She invited me to a teen girls' Bible study, and now I have gone twice. Those girls belt out praise-- the glory!
Alice works in the fields for Eden, and sometimes is assigned to work in permaculture. She cannot be much over twenty. She is thinner than most of the Shona women, and sometimes her clothes can't help but fall off of her revealing a nearly perfectly flat chest. I know that she has had children, and I wonder if she is able to give them milk. I did not realise the magnitude of the weariness and sadness she carries until the day she smiled at me. Unlike the other women that work in permaculture sometimes, she does not really speak to me-- in Shona or English. We've only exchanged two or three words, but we both respect the work we share. A smile from her is a bigger gift than all the attention from laborers that drift through...
I met Normetta because she followed me. She followed me on my run from the farm to the village and back, barefoot and wearing her marroon chiffon dress. I used the few Shona phrases I know to learn her name and her age, 13. Since then I have seen her in sewing class and a few times at the girls' Bible study. As a younger girl in both of these places, she never speaks a word. All the kids in the sewing classes are making bags for their first project, with their names sewed on the front pocket. This is how I learned her name is actually No Matter. I wish I could just hand over love and confidence to her like a gift-wrapped package. I wish it were that easy.
Wallace works in the Agape center as Judy's right hand man, helping distribute food to the different village houses (the Village refers to the orphanage). My first impression of Wallace was hearing his distinctly deep and rough voice literally screaming at four or five kids coming up from the lake. This is one part of Wallace. There are many other parts. He used to be crazy, and everyone wrote him off as the village idiot. He would run around in different outfits with capes and the like, sneaking up on people, crouching, pouncing and rolling in the grass. Sometime in his past he was presumed crazy, put on serious medication, and then actually became a bit loony. Eventually Judy pieced things together and slowly took him off his meds. Probably because he acted the village idiot for so long, he's still a bit strange, but he is definitely not psychotic. He does his job very well, he uses English vocab words that no one knows, and he pulls the most ridiculous pranks. He is very serious about his responsibilities to his job, his wife, and his children. Moreover, he has accepted foster children from Eden because there is no more room in the orphanage. Foster children are very taboo in Shona culture, so this is really a big deal. Perhaps he was already so outsted from the culture before, he doesn't fear this stigma anymore. He's been saving up money for ages to buy a bicycle, which he finally recieved a couple weeks ago. Now I see him around, riding his bike with his pants tucked into Christmas patterned socks, his backpack almost falling off, and a neon yellow helmet. I haven't seen anyone wear a helmet but him. :>)
There are many more children (and adults) that deserve note-- baby Tinashe, Nyasha, Pauline, Angela, Proud, Yolanda, Hamu, Brian, baby Chiedza, Rumbi, Petina, Ionus, Agnus, Anyway, Calvin, Patterson, Rigorai, Mercy, Ruth, Lucina, Chipo…
So the good news about permaculture….
The squash look fabulous, and in a couple months we should have a tremendous harvest. The tomatoes have all been mulched, and onions are almost ready to go in with them. Marigolds have been planted in with about 1/3-1/2 of the squash, and more are on the way for planting anywhere and everywhere. We had a fabulous germination of ALL the beans we planted. I squealed when I saw the beautiful little guys. Weeds have been somewhat controlled, guavas have been harvested, bananas are looking almost ready, pawpaws have been successfully transplanted, and we have four large compost cubes going (and working!). THis is all just spilling out of me in no particular order, so I know there are things I am missing. Oh, the rape (or rugare I still can't tell the difference) has also all been mulched-- hallelujah. We're waiting on more thatching grass to come from the chicken house roof repairs to do even more mulching. The peppers are under control. The maize for our three sisters project has been in the ground for maybe five days now.
Worrisome things: are cabbage look very sad and we don't really know what to do. At least until the compost gets done. The carrots Ghani planted ages ago had very poor germintation. The rainy season is very swiftly coming to a close. A lot of our melons died somewhere in the hubbub. There is something "stinging" our baby squash, which eventually causes them to rot from the inside out. This is not a new thing, but I really wish it wouldn't happen. We will lose so much food. I've read that marigolds are the "work horse of pest deterrents" so I'm planting them in the squash. We'll see? If anything they look kind of nice, and may also help the soil. If anybody has any suggestions for protecting butternuts from some unknown insect??? I'm also planning on planting some more onion/rosemary/mint by our poor cabbages. But I've just began reading about companion planting, so this is all just going out on a limb. But Ghani is very open to trying to new things and experimenting. He may be more excited than me. haha.
We JUST began a starter trial for raising worms... and I am worried as heck about them. I don't know if I'm feeding them exactly the right kind of thing, I don't know how to keep the ants under control, I'm afraid they will get too hot in the greenhouse, and I'm worried the moisture won't be right. Who ever thought worms could cause so much worry?? I've only talked with a few people about this whole worm thing, and am going off of word of mouth. I haven't been able to find any kind of written materials... so we'll see! I guess that's why it's a trial... but I still feel bad because Michael gave us the worms. I don't want them to needlessly die.
I don't have time to coherently write anything else, but I wanted to share a short passage that I read from a book called Imperfect People. Anywho, the passage is about the word "peace." I wouldn't say the excerpt is brilliant, but it does share some of what I mean when I sign letters or emails with "Peace" or even including the word "peace." So here it is:
Peace (Hebrew, shalom; Greekm eirene) is one of the great Bible words in both Testaments. Its overtones are always of total well-being and happiness, so that peace in English is hardly forceful enough to express it. It means, to start with, peace with God, sin forgiven, guilt gone, your person accepted. It also means peace with yourself. If God has forgiven you the grisly things you've done, then you'd better start forgiving yourself; you must learn to be at peace with yourself now that you're at peace with God. It means peace with your circumstances too. If God, the Lord of circumstances, is at peace with you, you can be sure that henceforth he orders and controls circumstances for your good, as Romans 8:28 explicitly declares he does. So even though things may feel rough, just because you know they're for your good, you can live at peace with them and at peace under them.
"Peace be with you," said Jesus. "Peace be with God, peace with yourself, peace with your circumstances. I bring you peace." And when he said this, we're told, he showed them his hands and his side. He didn't do that to identify himself, for they already knew who he was. He did it so that they would see the wounds and the nail prints in his hands and the spear wound in his side and be reminded of what he'd suffered on the cross in order to make for them the peace that he was now bringing to them.
The disciples, we're told, were overjoyed when they saw the Lord among them. But then Jesus repeated his greeting: "Peace be with you." The very fact that he repeated it shows that it was more than a mere greeting. Repetition in Scripture, as in daily life, is for emphasis and to enforce significant meaning. It was supremely important to Jesus that the disciples should understand all that he meant when he said to them, "Peace be with you."
Peace and love to you all,
Emily :>)
Sunday, February 28, 2010
learning
The weekend before last (Jan13ish) I went to Harare to renew my visa. Rory and Judy have three sons that play cricket professionally, and at the same time I was in town they had a 20/20 cricket tournament. Over the course of four days I progressed from cluelessly asking 25 questions per game to clenching my pants (or skirt) in anticipation and yelling and groaning with the rest of the crowd. It was really quite fun.
I also managed to get my visa renewed. In order to get anything done that involves governement in Zimbabwe, there is a certain amount of finagling and playing the system. How do I explain this? You have to be extremely patient. It's best to get them laughing if possible, or at least crack a smile. You can't necessarily answer questions honestly: there are some things that are a tip-off that you are "doing something" the gov doesn't like (even if you aren't). For example, I am coming in on a holiday visa, and will never ever mention the word 'work' to Zimbabwean officials.You also cannot let them make you scared: If they think you are scared, they will try to take advantage of you. This time getting my visa the guy behind the counter wanted to know how much US currency I brought into the country with me. (There is a space for this on the form I fill out, but before I've left it blank.) But the conversation was very round-about.
I said, "Do you mean on me right now, or how much total?"
"In the country total."
"I don't know off the top of my head." (Playing the clueless young female he presumes me to be.)
"Just give an estimate."
"Maybe a hundred US?" (This is a lie, but I don't want him to decide to "tax" me and put it in his pocket.)
"How much you have determines the length of the visa I give you, so I can only give you 30 days..." (This is also a lie. He definitely wants my money.)
"Oh. Okay. 30 days it is." (You can hardly EVER get more than 30 days, and I think they've made it illegal to ever give more than 30 days.)
Some folks have asked about food. I’ve been eating both fresh food from the gardens or animals and some purchased foods. We get eggs, chickens, milk, butter, and cream, and we’re currently eating Jasmine, an old dairy cow. We get a variety of veggies and fruits from the gardens, but never a lot of any one thing. Food is grown year round, but it’s not always the same food. (Ex: Pawpaws grow best in the hot, dry season.) So right now we have a little bit of a lot: lettuce (~5 different kinds), rape, carrots, cabbage, asian greens, pawpaw, bananas, pepperdews, tomatoes, butternut, arugula, collards, oregano, basil, ginger mint, lemon grass, other types of peppers, broccoli, winged beans, etc, etc. A lot of the fruit trees are almost in season, and I’m waiting not so patiently—avocado, oranges, grapefruit, lemon, lime, lichi (sp?) and guava. Despite all the home-grown food, the Frys also purchase a substantial amount as well: flour, mangos (ours are DYIING), yogurt, rice, some spices, crackers, cocoa powder, coffee, tea, cheese…
Shona food is pretty simple: sadza (thick corn meal mash) with onions, tomatoes, and rugare. Occaisonally there are beans or butternut, or they will kill a chicken and fry it. They eat the whole chicken, bones and all. Fruit is eaten ALL the time, especially pawpaw, bananas and mangos. Pumpkin was traditionally eaten almost constantly, but there are a lot of insect problems. I'm not sure of the details, but an insect (a wasp?) "stings" the pumpkin or butternut just before it's ready to be picked. The fruit quickly rots to the core.
I don't want to be too specific, but there’s pain and baggage here in unexpected places. I've been talking with Rory and Judy about a lot of this, and they have been helpful explaining situations a bit more. I also got to talk with Rory and Judy more about the different cultures, and how they clash and reconcile. There is a lot of historical pain between blacks (Shona) and whites (British, but anyone white really). It’s easy to theoretically understand that pain, but another thing to experience it and see how that pain manifests itself here in this place right now. Without going into details, God has done a great work in Judy! Sometimes reconciliation is frustratingly slow, but God is working here. When I was in Harare I got to go to a wonderful church service that filled me with hope as well. The worship was both in English and Shona, and the crowd was full of all kinds of different people. Shona, white Zimbabweans, South Africans, and a few Americans were all worshipping God together, bringing the goodness from each culture to the table. It was wonderful!
Some things I've learned about Shona culture:
- You never get straight to the point. You must go in circles.
- In takes only the smallest excuse to burst out in laughter and "Colgate smiles."
- A female widow with children frequently gets remarried. Her new husband may decide to starve her children because they are of another man.
- Polygamy is still common. (One husband, many wives.)
- Time is slow, and stress doesn't exist. - Every Shona person knows how to work miracles with their badza, or hoe. (They look different from our hoes, but the principle is the same.)
- You are not really a woman until you have a child. You are passed from father to husband so you always have someone taking care of you.
- Every Shona person has better rythm that you. Even the five year olds. Singing, dancing, and clapping are a part of life from very young.
- The man of the house always eats first. What he doesn't eat goes to the children and wife. Because of this kids and wives are much more likely to suffer from malnutrition.
- Knees are considered more sexual than breasts. Women always wear skirts past their knees. Traditionally they also never wear pants.
- Traditionally when twins were born, one was considered good and the other evil. The evil one (I don't know if it's the first or second born) was left in the forest to die. Nowadays I'm not sure how much that happens. Sometimes the "evil" child is allowed to live, but is given a curse name. (The worst I've heard is Molester.) Eden is lucky enough to have four or five sets of twins. A remnant of the tradtition still remains though... One set is named Emmanuel and Elvis-- God with us and the king of rock.
At the same time that I've been working in permaculture, I've had some interesting conversations with Ghani and a couple other guys that sometimes show up. (They get assigned different places to work at Eden depending on the day and time of year.) Possibly because I have been working down there for a while now, they are not afraid of me anymore and seem to treat me as an equal of sorts. Most of the women won't say much to me at all unless I do something worth laughing at. Anywho, it's fun to hear stories and laugh along with them-- one day they were laughing at a guy who wanted to check if a power line was good or not. He climbed up into a tree with a nail and apparently got quite a shock. He didn't die, but the story circulated quickly and I bet everybody for miles was laughing at him. Another day they were laughing and slightly making fun of a guy who saw a lion and passed out. Maybe this isn't the appropriate manly reaction?
It's also good to be able to laugh at yourself. I'm very glad I'm not more self-conscious! To make a longer story short, one day I was looking for mulching materials and accidentally used a little bit of sugar cane. Oops. They got a laugh out of that one. Another day I nicked my toe with a hatchet-- "You want to compost your toe?" I also tend to stay away from banana trees since the wasp incidents.
Projects recently have included: composting in perma (the one in the gardens failed-- we think there was not enough manure and too much rain), planting beans as cover crop, transplanting pawpaws, mulching tomatoes, planting rape and cabbage, etc, etc. Hopefully the next largish things to do will be 1) an experiment planting Native American style-- maize, beans, and pumpkins together and 2) starting a vermiculture project (raising worms) for both their feces as fertilizer and their bodies as chicken feed.
Shona language lesson: Mascati = good afternoon ; Onay akore manghani? How old are you ; Indini akore 23. = I am 23. ; Indini ndoda kuduga.= I want to eat. ; Enda= GO! ; Daga= dirt ; Myoko= hands ; moto=fire ; mvuora=water; makadini= greeting after not seeing someone for awhile ; nditsireo= help; ruraygurewo= sorry; tapedza= we're finished.
I also managed to get my visa renewed. In order to get anything done that involves governement in Zimbabwe, there is a certain amount of finagling and playing the system. How do I explain this? You have to be extremely patient. It's best to get them laughing if possible, or at least crack a smile. You can't necessarily answer questions honestly: there are some things that are a tip-off that you are "doing something" the gov doesn't like (even if you aren't). For example, I am coming in on a holiday visa, and will never ever mention the word 'work' to Zimbabwean officials.You also cannot let them make you scared: If they think you are scared, they will try to take advantage of you. This time getting my visa the guy behind the counter wanted to know how much US currency I brought into the country with me. (There is a space for this on the form I fill out, but before I've left it blank.) But the conversation was very round-about.
I said, "Do you mean on me right now, or how much total?"
"In the country total."
"I don't know off the top of my head." (Playing the clueless young female he presumes me to be.)
"Just give an estimate."
"Maybe a hundred US?" (This is a lie, but I don't want him to decide to "tax" me and put it in his pocket.)
"How much you have determines the length of the visa I give you, so I can only give you 30 days..." (This is also a lie. He definitely wants my money.)
"Oh. Okay. 30 days it is." (You can hardly EVER get more than 30 days, and I think they've made it illegal to ever give more than 30 days.)
Some folks have asked about food. I’ve been eating both fresh food from the gardens or animals and some purchased foods. We get eggs, chickens, milk, butter, and cream, and we’re currently eating Jasmine, an old dairy cow. We get a variety of veggies and fruits from the gardens, but never a lot of any one thing. Food is grown year round, but it’s not always the same food. (Ex: Pawpaws grow best in the hot, dry season.) So right now we have a little bit of a lot: lettuce (~5 different kinds), rape, carrots, cabbage, asian greens, pawpaw, bananas, pepperdews, tomatoes, butternut, arugula, collards, oregano, basil, ginger mint, lemon grass, other types of peppers, broccoli, winged beans, etc, etc. A lot of the fruit trees are almost in season, and I’m waiting not so patiently—avocado, oranges, grapefruit, lemon, lime, lichi (sp?) and guava. Despite all the home-grown food, the Frys also purchase a substantial amount as well: flour, mangos (ours are DYIING), yogurt, rice, some spices, crackers, cocoa powder, coffee, tea, cheese…
Shona food is pretty simple: sadza (thick corn meal mash) with onions, tomatoes, and rugare. Occaisonally there are beans or butternut, or they will kill a chicken and fry it. They eat the whole chicken, bones and all. Fruit is eaten ALL the time, especially pawpaw, bananas and mangos. Pumpkin was traditionally eaten almost constantly, but there are a lot of insect problems. I'm not sure of the details, but an insect (a wasp?) "stings" the pumpkin or butternut just before it's ready to be picked. The fruit quickly rots to the core.
I don't want to be too specific, but there’s pain and baggage here in unexpected places. I've been talking with Rory and Judy about a lot of this, and they have been helpful explaining situations a bit more. I also got to talk with Rory and Judy more about the different cultures, and how they clash and reconcile. There is a lot of historical pain between blacks (Shona) and whites (British, but anyone white really). It’s easy to theoretically understand that pain, but another thing to experience it and see how that pain manifests itself here in this place right now. Without going into details, God has done a great work in Judy! Sometimes reconciliation is frustratingly slow, but God is working here. When I was in Harare I got to go to a wonderful church service that filled me with hope as well. The worship was both in English and Shona, and the crowd was full of all kinds of different people. Shona, white Zimbabweans, South Africans, and a few Americans were all worshipping God together, bringing the goodness from each culture to the table. It was wonderful!
Some things I've learned about Shona culture:
- You never get straight to the point. You must go in circles.
- In takes only the smallest excuse to burst out in laughter and "Colgate smiles."
- A female widow with children frequently gets remarried. Her new husband may decide to starve her children because they are of another man.
- Polygamy is still common. (One husband, many wives.)
- Time is slow, and stress doesn't exist. - Every Shona person knows how to work miracles with their badza, or hoe. (They look different from our hoes, but the principle is the same.)
- You are not really a woman until you have a child. You are passed from father to husband so you always have someone taking care of you.
- Every Shona person has better rythm that you. Even the five year olds. Singing, dancing, and clapping are a part of life from very young.
- The man of the house always eats first. What he doesn't eat goes to the children and wife. Because of this kids and wives are much more likely to suffer from malnutrition.
- Knees are considered more sexual than breasts. Women always wear skirts past their knees. Traditionally they also never wear pants.
- Traditionally when twins were born, one was considered good and the other evil. The evil one (I don't know if it's the first or second born) was left in the forest to die. Nowadays I'm not sure how much that happens. Sometimes the "evil" child is allowed to live, but is given a curse name. (The worst I've heard is Molester.) Eden is lucky enough to have four or five sets of twins. A remnant of the tradtition still remains though... One set is named Emmanuel and Elvis-- God with us and the king of rock.
At the same time that I've been working in permaculture, I've had some interesting conversations with Ghani and a couple other guys that sometimes show up. (They get assigned different places to work at Eden depending on the day and time of year.) Possibly because I have been working down there for a while now, they are not afraid of me anymore and seem to treat me as an equal of sorts. Most of the women won't say much to me at all unless I do something worth laughing at. Anywho, it's fun to hear stories and laugh along with them-- one day they were laughing at a guy who wanted to check if a power line was good or not. He climbed up into a tree with a nail and apparently got quite a shock. He didn't die, but the story circulated quickly and I bet everybody for miles was laughing at him. Another day they were laughing and slightly making fun of a guy who saw a lion and passed out. Maybe this isn't the appropriate manly reaction?
It's also good to be able to laugh at yourself. I'm very glad I'm not more self-conscious! To make a longer story short, one day I was looking for mulching materials and accidentally used a little bit of sugar cane. Oops. They got a laugh out of that one. Another day I nicked my toe with a hatchet-- "You want to compost your toe?" I also tend to stay away from banana trees since the wasp incidents.
Projects recently have included: composting in perma (the one in the gardens failed-- we think there was not enough manure and too much rain), planting beans as cover crop, transplanting pawpaws, mulching tomatoes, planting rape and cabbage, etc, etc. Hopefully the next largish things to do will be 1) an experiment planting Native American style-- maize, beans, and pumpkins together and 2) starting a vermiculture project (raising worms) for both their feces as fertilizer and their bodies as chicken feed.
Shona language lesson: Mascati = good afternoon ; Onay akore manghani? How old are you ; Indini akore 23. = I am 23. ; Indini ndoda kuduga.= I want to eat. ; Enda= GO! ; Daga= dirt ; Myoko= hands ; moto=fire ; mvuora=water; makadini= greeting after not seeing someone for awhile ; nditsireo= help; ruraygurewo= sorry; tapedza= we're finished.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Life continues
I went to a Shona church service the other day, and it was wonderful. It lasted over 3 hours and the music was fantastic. People were crammed everywhere, and came and went as needed. The service alternated between singing (and dancing), prayer, and speaking. There seemed to be two official sermons, one of which they translated into English. At one point there was an open discussion about the roles of men and women in the church, which was surprising to me. Gender roles in Shona society are very defined, so I was surprised that this was even discussed. I have no idea what the conclusion was, but it was cool to at least see that conversation happening.
The best part of the service by far was the worship—it was so full of joy. Absolutely everyone was dancing and clapping. Some younger guys even were on the ‘stage’ with more choreographed moves. At one point more wooden benches were taken up front carried overhead through the crowd. Boy howdy was it great.
I’ve been working pretty constantly now in the permaculture section of ECV, which is rather a mess right now. There has been a shortage of labor, so one guy (Ghani) has been trying to take care of about a hectare of land. But the same guy also has other responsibilities... I’ve been working with Ghani a lot doing all kinds of things: preparing beds, watering, weeding, planting, propping up tomatoes, etc. I made up several batches of Cornell Spray (homemade pesticide: vegetable oil, dishwashing liquid, baking soda, and water) to battle the aphids and red mites. There’s too much to do and not enough time. But Shona people don’t know how to be stressed, so that’s nice.
Ghani’s English is decently okay, so I’ve also been learning some Shona. It’s really difficult, though, and it all blurs together. I can repeat words and phrases back to him a million times, but then 15min later it’s all gone. My excuse is that I have no ‘alphabet’ of sounds to catalog in my brain what is happening. BUT, small successes include “Mununzi ani = what’s your name,” “banga= knife/machete,” “mamacassa= How are you?” “Zavakanaka= well/really good,” and “To onan-na= See you/We’ll see eachother.” I’m sort of making up the spelling because I’m learning by ear (which makes it harder for me as I’m a big visual processor). Tone is also really important-- the same word said in a different tone can mean very different things. I think also it depends on the context. Like “Mangwana ni” means ‘good morning,’ but “mangwana” means ‘tomorrow.’
I learned an interesting tip about propping up tomatoes. We just use sticks and branches as stakes, but tie them up with a specific layer of bark from the masasa tree. You take down a branch, whack it over and over against the trunk, and then peel apart the layers. It’s a lot harder than it sounds. Ghani said, “Maybe you’re bad because you not do it before.” Anyways, despite my lacking ability, I did get my hands stained orange-ish brown from the effort. Then you have to either very quickly use them before they dry, or keep them in water. Apparently Shona people use this same method when building their homes.
Another ongoing project is thinning the banana trees. They grow very easily here, but don’t always produce good fruit if they are too thick. I found out the hard way, though, that it’s best to work on this in the morning. I was 2/3-3/4 the way through a row one day when I was stung by something? Through discussion I’ve figured that it was a wasp of some kind. Ghani told me it’s best to fell bananas in the morning when the wasps “can’t fly.” I don’t know if this means they are less likely to fly (inactive) or if they are literally not capable of flight. Either way, I haven’t been stung like that since I was young. I could feel it shooting from my elbow to my collar bone. Don’t worry Mom I’m perfectly okay now. (ps- after typing this, but before posting, I was stung again! I was in the same area that really needs to be cut, but this time at around 8am. Apparently I was too late. We need to strategize at this point...)
Speaking of wildlife, I’ve been keeping a list of sightings & trying to identify things with a book the Frys have. If you are really curious you’ll have to look them up.
-Masked Weaver with nests hung oddly and amazingly from trees
-Pin-tailed Whydah (looong tail, very teeny bird)
-Two monitor lizards (One was closer to me, sprinting, and longer than I am tall)
-Purple-crested Lourie (Sounds like “Kok-kok-kok-kok” escalating in volume. There are two that live at least some of the time in a big fig tree in the yard. I’ve only seen one in flight very briefly, but it had AMAZING crimson parts on its wings.)
-Possibly a Blue Waxbill
-Cape Dwarf Chameleon
-Lots of insects including: Pyromorphid Grasshopper (Technicolor), Blister Beetle (which Does in fact give you a rash that itches like no other), and many different praying mantises.
-Egret, Guinea Fowl
-Golden Leaf-Folding Frog (teeny)
-Baby Cobra (We did NOT get close enough to know what kind)
- And some other kind of small frog that ranges from yellow to brown and has maroon on its feet/around the edges. Apparently if cows eat them they get really sick.
-Schlegel's Blind Snake
-Maybe a small Purple-Glossed Snake
That’s it for now. Sending much love, Em
The best part of the service by far was the worship—it was so full of joy. Absolutely everyone was dancing and clapping. Some younger guys even were on the ‘stage’ with more choreographed moves. At one point more wooden benches were taken up front carried overhead through the crowd. Boy howdy was it great.
I’ve been working pretty constantly now in the permaculture section of ECV, which is rather a mess right now. There has been a shortage of labor, so one guy (Ghani) has been trying to take care of about a hectare of land. But the same guy also has other responsibilities... I’ve been working with Ghani a lot doing all kinds of things: preparing beds, watering, weeding, planting, propping up tomatoes, etc. I made up several batches of Cornell Spray (homemade pesticide: vegetable oil, dishwashing liquid, baking soda, and water) to battle the aphids and red mites. There’s too much to do and not enough time. But Shona people don’t know how to be stressed, so that’s nice.
Ghani’s English is decently okay, so I’ve also been learning some Shona. It’s really difficult, though, and it all blurs together. I can repeat words and phrases back to him a million times, but then 15min later it’s all gone. My excuse is that I have no ‘alphabet’ of sounds to catalog in my brain what is happening. BUT, small successes include “Mununzi ani = what’s your name,” “banga= knife/machete,” “mamacassa= How are you?” “Zavakanaka= well/really good,” and “To onan-na= See you/We’ll see eachother.” I’m sort of making up the spelling because I’m learning by ear (which makes it harder for me as I’m a big visual processor). Tone is also really important-- the same word said in a different tone can mean very different things. I think also it depends on the context. Like “Mangwana ni” means ‘good morning,’ but “mangwana” means ‘tomorrow.’
I learned an interesting tip about propping up tomatoes. We just use sticks and branches as stakes, but tie them up with a specific layer of bark from the masasa tree. You take down a branch, whack it over and over against the trunk, and then peel apart the layers. It’s a lot harder than it sounds. Ghani said, “Maybe you’re bad because you not do it before.” Anyways, despite my lacking ability, I did get my hands stained orange-ish brown from the effort. Then you have to either very quickly use them before they dry, or keep them in water. Apparently Shona people use this same method when building their homes.
Another ongoing project is thinning the banana trees. They grow very easily here, but don’t always produce good fruit if they are too thick. I found out the hard way, though, that it’s best to work on this in the morning. I was 2/3-3/4 the way through a row one day when I was stung by something? Through discussion I’ve figured that it was a wasp of some kind. Ghani told me it’s best to fell bananas in the morning when the wasps “can’t fly.” I don’t know if this means they are less likely to fly (inactive) or if they are literally not capable of flight. Either way, I haven’t been stung like that since I was young. I could feel it shooting from my elbow to my collar bone. Don’t worry Mom I’m perfectly okay now. (ps- after typing this, but before posting, I was stung again! I was in the same area that really needs to be cut, but this time at around 8am. Apparently I was too late. We need to strategize at this point...)
Speaking of wildlife, I’ve been keeping a list of sightings & trying to identify things with a book the Frys have. If you are really curious you’ll have to look them up.
-Masked Weaver with nests hung oddly and amazingly from trees
-Pin-tailed Whydah (looong tail, very teeny bird)
-Two monitor lizards (One was closer to me, sprinting, and longer than I am tall)
-Purple-crested Lourie (Sounds like “Kok-kok-kok-kok” escalating in volume. There are two that live at least some of the time in a big fig tree in the yard. I’ve only seen one in flight very briefly, but it had AMAZING crimson parts on its wings.)
-Possibly a Blue Waxbill
-Cape Dwarf Chameleon
-Lots of insects including: Pyromorphid Grasshopper (Technicolor), Blister Beetle (which Does in fact give you a rash that itches like no other), and many different praying mantises.
-Egret, Guinea Fowl
-Golden Leaf-Folding Frog (teeny)
-Baby Cobra (We did NOT get close enough to know what kind)
- And some other kind of small frog that ranges from yellow to brown and has maroon on its feet/around the edges. Apparently if cows eat them they get really sick.
-Schlegel's Blind Snake
-Maybe a small Purple-Glossed Snake
That’s it for now. Sending much love, Em
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