Before I head to my specific
village in Southern province, I feel I must take a moment to honor and
recognize the family I have been staying with the past 11 weeks. Their individual
stories and life continue to astound me daily.
Bataata/father: Greenwell Mwanya
Greenwell
Mwanya grew up in Southern Province until he was about 18 years old. He only
received education through grade seven. He failed the test to make it to grade
8 and his family did not have the funds to pay for his enrollment. Mwanya has
spent the majority of his life in Chongwe as a police officer. He is almost 60
years old and now mainly supports the family through subsistence farming; growing
and selling maize, growing onions, tomatoes, cabbage, sweet potatoes, pumpkin,
melon and collects honey during certain times of the year. Although he grows
many vegetables, he often struggles financially and sometimes his family does
not eat a well-balanced dinner with protein, vitamins and carbs. This being
said, he prides himself on the many animals he has. He has many cows, dozens of
chickens, one pig, about five dogs and a cat. Cows are a large sign of
prosperity and wealth. He plans to give his sons a cow when they leave the home
if they have been respectful and are deserving of such a gift. Mwanya has a
total of 10 children. In his first marriage he had five children. With his
current wife (my host mother) he has had five children and one is one the way.
It is often difficult to understand where all of the children actually live.
Most of the children from his first wife are older and have their own compounds
farther away. Several children stay with my host mother’s sister and visit on
the weekend. There are a total of five children who live full time on the
compound with my host father and mother; three boys and two girls. Currently
the ones that are old enough attend school full time. When I have asked Mwanya
whether he wants his children to continue pursuing an education he states that
he has no doubt in his mind that he wants to find the funds for his children to
attend school through secondary school. He recognizes the value of education. Mwanya
is heavily involved with a local church and attends meetings on Saturdays as
well as service on Sundays. He often speaks of God during everyday
conversations, expressing his devotion and beliefs. This is very common in
Zambia. He speaks three languages; Tonga, Nyanja, and broken English. Mwanya is
an incredibly jolly, cheerful man who greets those he sees with a giant smile
and upbeat voice. He is well respected in the community and seen as a man that
can be trusted. He will be missed.
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| Greenwell Mwanya/Bataata lookin' good on his way to Lusaka |
Bamaama/mother: Sarah Mwanya
I have
grown to truly appreciate Sarah Mwanya. Bamaama is one of the most hard-working
women I have ever met. She provides for many children, cooking three meals and
multiple snacks each day, hauling water back and forth over 500m, cleaning
dishes, washing clothes, waking early each morning to sweep and prepare, and
all with a smile on her face and an incredible attitude. Bamaama has lived in
Chongwe her entire life. Mwanya is the only husband she has had and she
currently has five children and is pregnant with another. Although she is
clearly pregnant, I have not heard her speak of the pregnancy once. I think it
is rather taboo to discuss pregnancy in great length here. Bamaama received
education only through grade 7. Although she has not received much ‘formal’
education, she is very intelligent. She is very in tune with everything that is
happening in the community and seems to state her mind when she feels a need.
She speaks Nyanja and a little bit of Tonga and English. When we speak I know
that she understands what I am saying based on the brief responses and feedback
she gives me. She is very patient and has taught me the few Tonga words she
knows. When we first met I said to her, “we will learn together.” Since the
beginning, this is exactly what we have done. Her English and my Tonga has
improved immensely. She truly has become another mother of mine.
Each
night my Ba Taata teaches me Tonga songs. We typically belt them out as a
family while the children dance along excitedly. My host father calls me his
daughter. After returning from a long trip away he explained to me how he
thinks of me as a part of the family. He described this saying, “My daughter,
we have missed you. A family is like a hand, with each finger representing a
member of the family. When one is missing, we are not complete. We were missing
you.” These are the moments when I know I will truly miss them….
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| Ba Maama and I washing (BTW not an easy task) |
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| Naomie 4 yrs old and Matius 6 yrs old. Bundles of joy! |
Peace Corps Training Updates
The
weather is changing. “Winter”/cold season is ending and the hot season is
approaching. Many volunteers tell us that this is the time of year when they
often lay fully naked on the floor of their hut praying for the sun to go down
each day. Coming from a very mild and moderate climate of the Pacific
Northwest, I am a bit concerned. Ha!
In good
news, training is near the end! We; as in 30 other Community Health Volunteers,
have just about successfully completed 11 weeks of extensive training covering
topics in various health approaches, technical information, cross-cultural
lessons and language training. This coming week we will be having a large
cultural day, sharing one final meal with our current host families. We will be
cooking American style food, singing the American National Anthem, Zambian
National Anthem, and performing many traditional Zambian songs and dances.
After this we will be moved to a hotel in Lusaka where we will stay for several
days before heading to our specific provinces. Within this time frame we will
set up a Zambian bank account, buy the necessary items for our future homes and
finalize loose ends before being dropped by a Peace Corps cruiser to our
specific villages.
Additional photos...
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| Relaxing a bit after long training days ;) |
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| Presentation on water and sanitation |
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| My Tonga language class. Ba Given 2nd in the row had his hands full with us ladies |
