Time

It’s humorous really, the difference between village time and just about anywhere else. I have accomplished in 12 days in and around Lusaka what would take exponentially longer in the village. I’m pretty pumped actually, I’ve done some work for village projects, made initial headway into finding an extention project, did tons of required PC paperwork and reports, mid-service medical exams (woo! clean teeth!), facilitated various technical sessions with new agriculture PCVs, and still found time to do a composting demo with 300 people. I also spent some major kwacha buying goodies at the market to send home with the ‘rents. I got a gorgeous patchwork kitenge quilt and a custom wood-carving of Zambia which I’m really stoked about.
Also about time, my district has been newsworthy for a few weeks as politicians are campaining. Zambia retained parts of British-style government and has a sitting Parliament. A month ago the MP – member of parliament for my district died so a bi-election will be held at the end of the month. Readers with great retention will recall the parallel with a presidential bi-election Zambia held in 2008 after the president’s death. Watching the nominations, and general process of a bi-election has been interesting from a foreign development-worker perspective. In these situations, PC safety protocol is to have the 7 of us out of the district in case things get heated. I’ve been getting updates from my neighbor the clinic nurse. It’s in someways a messy situation, but I did score a legendary hitch. The following would mean more if you too were a PCV, but I was able to get from my district to Lusaka in one day and one vehicle. Unheard of- even on public buses it is a two day trip, but after 6 hours sitting by the roadside, I scored a ride with the MP from Solwezi, the provincial capital.
Around now is also the time for new PCVs to ‘swear-in’ and old to ‘ring out’ as we say. PCVs will complete their service tomorrow morning by ringing the special bell, and our new PCVs will say their oath Friday morning. That leaves my group of PCVs in the middle with a unique perspective; I can reflect on what I’ve done and accomplished since my own swearing-in and see too where I’d like to be when it’s time to ring my own bell. Time has gone fast and my fear is that year two will be faster. Plenty of food for thought. Speaking of food and time, it’s time to cook my dinner. Sweet potatoes and soya I think…
So ironically some time ahs passed since I wrote this but it didn’t get posted. Ha. Better late than never, eh? And I figure I have a salivating audience to appease. Ha. So the new PCVs swore in at a lovely ceremony, and are now in their new villages. I am not in my village today b/c of safety concerns surrounding the bi-elections, and today is the beginning of the Fam in Zam adventure. Stay tuned for excerpts from the craziness.