Back in Mumbi Village
28 Dec 2008 11:56 am
My blogging is lagging a little and time is flying. I just don’t have the energy to move as fast as I am accustomed. I have just spent a few days in Mumbi Village with our facilitator Felix and his family. They are very good hosts and I get my own round mud hut that an old aunt has given up for me for my stay in the village. What a life! To lie on the floor on a mat in this little home and listen to the continuous drumming coming from the other side of the village.
Felix has just moved the nursery to a plot that is totally treeless in the village. It will not be long before you will see a crop of new trees. The rows and rows of used shake/shake beer containers inside the nursery are already showing signs of life.
We also started visited our community schools. The first one visited was Manga Community School and handed out over 250 new pencils to the students and other school supplies to the teachers and the PTA.
Tomorrow we will continue making arrangements for handing out pencils and sharpeners to the community schools in the area. These new pencils (almost 4,000) are a generous gift from the students and faculty of the Mercer County 9th Grade Academy in Harrodsburg, Kentucky.
The smiles on the student’s faces; the thumbs up from the teachers and the PTA members. For some of the students this is their first pencil that will not be shared with a sister or brother. They will now need paper. Will it ever end?
I Am Home!
10 Dec 2008 11:49 pm
I have been home in Victoria for some time now. Spending most of my time in bed. I am very exhausted and the Doctors are trying to figure out what is wrong. The boils that cover my body are taking their time to go. My ears are infected and are slow to improve.
I will spend my time trying to get to the bottom of this health problem before I decide what to do next.
Headed Home!
01 Dec 2008 11:57 am
Ethiopian Airlines was very good at getting me on the quickest flight home. The ticket agent seeing my state of health made arrangements for me to go to a hotel when I arrived in Addis Ababa to await the flight to London. Although it took a long wait in a lineup to get a transit visa, it was well worth it. Also it was compliments of the airlines along with supper and breakfast, unfortunately I could not eat the meals but the rest in a bed made the travel to London the next day much easier.
Health!
26 Nov 2008 11:55 am
I have finally decided that I can no longer keep this up! I am so tired and weak. I have boils all over my body and I am passing a lot of blood.
Most of what had to be done here in Petauke is done. Lots of work has been given to Felix to continue. All he asked for was a new bike; which he got. The compound has been very sadly closed and the housekeeper and her family will be relocated to Lusaka at her request.
I will go by bus to Lusaka and hopefully Ethiopian Air can get me on a flight home soon; very soon.
One Week
22 Nov 2008 11:54 am
I am now just over a week here in Zambia. Rains have come early this year. This could be a good thing or a very bad thing. If they continue the crops that are already in the ground will have a head start to a long growing season. However if they (the rains) stop for some reason the new maize that has already sprouted will wither and die. I have seen this happen before, although I have a good feeling about this year’s rainy season. Good luck to you substance farmers.
It seems that our truck always gets abused while I am not here. Broken springs, blown head gaskets, blown tires. The list is endless. Lost ignition keys; it now starts with a screwdriver jammed into the ignition. What can you do, just smile and try to explain to them preventive maintenance, costs, and no I am not rich!
Hopefully a few bags of tree seeds will get moved into the villages this coming week.
My breathing or should I say lack of breathing tires me out very quickly and I have no energy.