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.