It hardly seems that a year in country has already come and gone. If things weren't going as well, and I was struggling to find productive things to do with myself, I would be complaining about the way these two years have been dragging, but i'm not; time is flying by. Faster then any two year stint of my life.
To try and streamline my Blogs, I've decided to shorten things up a bit so they are more reader friendly. You don't have to comment, but I know some of my blogs have been a bit on the rambling side, and no one cares to read about a bunch of thoughts that digress in every which way (except for maybe you mom). That's why I've decided to give a 'quick and dirty' account of whats been going on the last few months as I have been without a blog update for some time.
Things have been busy- Solely because I have chosen to be proactive with my time. If you want to do nothing, there is no one to stop you from laying in bed all day and reading - however, I have chosen the latter because staying busy does a lot for my morale. Since this upcoming fish farming season will be my last full season that I will see all the way through, I've taken it upon myself to seek challenging goals. Ones that will make me proud to look back without any feelings of regret. I've decided to to work with 8 villages in fish farming this year, shattering my last years projection of 3. Instead of concentrating my efforts in near by villages, I wish to spread out. I've held about 5 meetings to date with 2 more to go. Meeting turn-out is pretty good, villagers show up most of the time and are courteous enough to hear me out to the end without retreating back to their huts. Occasionally a village will flake out, in which case I do well in not letting it frustrate me and move on.
Outside of fish farming I'm now engaged in a few particularly exciting programs that I hope to keep up until the end of service, one worth mentioning is 'Grass Roots soccer'. Its a program that teaches young mature adults HIV/AIDS prevention and healthy life skills/decisions through soccer. It has been a pleasure to teach this program. The kids show great enthusiasm, participate adequately and even myself look forward to the practices that occur twice a week. Its a program that really makes me feel like i'm making a difference in the lives of others. I plan on expanding the program to other schools at the start of next term. It has been the most effective means of teaching about HIV/AIDS I have come across. And it could possibly amount to an opportunity of extending my service.
Camp GLOW is also just around the corner which begins in August. Camp GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) is a sister program to camp Elite. Same concept yet the make up is all women. The aim is to teach about empowerment, early pregnancy prevention, assertiveness and encourage women's independence in their lives. The topics are much more serious then ELITE and it aims to make a greater impact on the participants after the camp concludes. If all goes to plan, they take what they learn from the camp and channel it back to the village by making a club to help teach the same concepts to others afterwards. These camps have been some of the best projects I've taken part in and I look forward to seeing how well the program does for the two candidates I select from my village.
The wildlife population in my life has also grown in recent months. Lily my village dog had 5 puppies. Two I was able to give away to other volunteers, but the other 3 remain in my care: Rocky, Jockmoe and Siley. I initially only wanted 2, but my lack of finding trustworthy, responsible owners and the growing attachment to them has now convinced me to keep the pack. Though they chew up everything in site, irritate the neighbors because of their tendency to bring their belonging into my yard and destroy, and general pain in the ass behavior does drive me up the wall from time to time, their cute faces and loving companionship is enough to make them my own. My cat Willie is still a greater problem. She is sneaky, insatiable and doesn't quite catch her share of mice to make up for all her unfavorable behavior, but the same feelings go for her as I have for the young pups. I fear that she too will have young just as Lily has, in which case, I may have to undergo therapy. My turkeys are still internally well, though recently the male had a skirmish with the female and damaged her right eye. It's practically gouged out and I haven't been successful in finding a local surgeon to repair and treat the wound. Her appearance is ghastly and pirate like. Any attractiveness that she may have had as a turkey has certainly been compromised. I hope it doesn't become infected.
Outside of work and village life, my girlfriend(Amanda) and I recently took a trip down to the Southern province of Zambia to see 'Victoria Falls'. One of the seven wonders of the world. It was a beautiful site. A massive canyon with an impressive line of waterfalls all flowing into the Zambezi river. Amanda took part in a full marathon around the falls on the Zimbabwe side. It was my first time encountering marathon atmosphere. It was inspiring to see so many people take on the challenge of trying to cover over 26 miles in a foot race. I was very proud of all the contestants performances, especially hers and it was fun to support the impressive feat. We had High tea at a charming and lavish resort where we ate tarts and cakes until we could take no more. We saw monkeys, zebras, impala, elephants and giraffes. We were even attacked by a baboon that I'll admit, I underestimated a bit. Some words of advice from a first had victim; that being my girlfriend and myself: Don't eat anywhere near a hungry baboon. He will smell it, and he wont stop until he has whatever you have. They are relentless. Never the less, no one was physically harmed or injured and it made for a humorous memory.
On a deeper level, aside from places I've been and things I've encountered, it seems that the year mark in country has also influenced others behaviors about being here. Some attitudes and motivation among some of my other volunteers have began to show changes. One year in a country that doesn't quite feel like home can do a lot. The original spunk and charisma that some held upon first coming has seemed to diminish. The thrill is gone among them and all that's left is the anxiousness of the next step in their future after Peace Corps. I hold no blame or judgement in light of these developing changes in attitude. Sometimes it takes a great deal of time to learn what is and isn't a true passion for oneself. Many volunteers speak of going to school or getting a job, they speak of the independence of driving and earning a paycheck, and we all share fantasies of foods that we will indulge in within the first few days of our arrival back home. Though my colleagues long of home and the life they once had, which is understandable, I can't help feeling a bit upset by their loss of drive in the work that they are doing. Instead of wanting to help, some are looking to finish, instead of living in the moment, they're eyes are toward whats ahead. In some ways, I feel a kind of a branching apart from some of these individuals in certain ways as I still feel charged and passionate about being here the same as I did the day I arrived.
Know that things are well and my spirits are high. I'm looking forward to being a trainer for upcoming intakes that will some day replace me. I wish to spread positive vibes and passion about what it is to be a motivated PCV. The next year holds a lot of assignments and projects for me that I look forward to carrying out. I still wish to see other neighboring countries in the region including: Malawi, Namibia, Tanzania and Uganda. There is much to do and much to see in the one year that remains that will no doubt pass by fast. I look forward to seeing you all, but wish to savor the little time here that remains. Nothing has changed in what I wish to accomplish since coming to country other then a clearer vision of how I can achieve my goals. I miss you all and can't wait to share my stories with you in person over a beer or good food. One year down, one to go.
