Zambia

African Wildlife

As I fly off to Johannesburg, then Lusaka, I have become very obsessed with Africa's animal kingdom, and am so looking forward to going on my first safari to see some of the world's beasts in their natural habitat. Having done some reading and research, I have learned or reminded myself of certain facts which could prove educational to you:

• There are no tigers in Africa. Well, there used to be many years ago, but they went by way of the dodo bird and became extinct. You always hear the expression “lions and tigers”, suggesting they live together in habitat, but they only exist together in certain parts of Asia, a la India. 

• There are no deer in Africa. This is not completely true, but very close. There is what is known as a mouse deer that lives in the tropical areas, but some are arguing this animal is not really a deer. What is live and well in Africa in abundance are antelope and a main food source for the beasts. The main difference between deer and antelope is that the former grows antlers each year that usually branch off in different directions, whereas antelope grow horns, which never fall off and so do not have to be reproduced.

• There are at least 12 different species of Antelope in Africa. The antelope in Alberta are known as just antelope, nothing else, but each different species in Africa has its own name, such as the Impala and Puku. Cows, sheep, goats belong to the same animal group as antelope, whereas elk, moose, and caribou are different form of deer.

• You cannot outrun a hippo. I have no experience, but do not really want to find out. Such an odd animal, but when a hippo is charging you at full speed and you are too far away from a jeep or tree to climb, your best bet is to stand perfectly straight and still. Then when the animal is about one and a half meters from you going at 40 mph, you quickly sidestep the beast. He cannot see that well, and its momentum will take him past you. What you do after that, I have no idea.

• America's cats are no match to those living in Africa. We already knew this, but it has really hit home with me now. If a cougar pounced on you from behind, he will try to bite your neck so you will bleed to death. A leopard will do something similar, but he just breaks your neck and so you will have no time to bleed. Then there is the 350 pound lion.

• The lion and leopard do not get along. Matter of fact, they really hate each other. In a fight, the leopard is no match being smaller and the lion (king of beasts) will have his way, every time. There is a lot of argument though as to who is really the king of the canines: the tiger of the Bengal or Siberian variety, or the lion.

• There are no anteaters in Africa. The Aardvark is not an anteater. Even though they eat ants like crazy and have a long snout, they are not even close to being the same species. Anteaters only exist in Central and South America. Aardvark's are African. I have no idea what would happen if you put them on the same piece of land.

• There are horses in Africa. Well, this needs a little explanation. First of all, zebras are really part of the same species (duh), but do not look like a modern day domesticated horse. Modern day horses really came from North America, then migrated to South America and also crossed the ice bridge to Asia during the last ice age, and went as far as Europe. It was only because of mankind did the horse make it to Africa thousands of years ago as they became domesticated. Another name for a hippo is 'river horse', but no, forget it, not related.

• All house cats are descendants of the African Wildcat. They became domesticated in the Middle East thousands of years ago and evolved as they became pets throughout the world. The African Wildcat still exists in northeastern Africa and is of similar size. They are rather nasty now and can no longer be tamed. They must be the ones who did not want to cross over.

• A hyena is not a dog. Although hyenas are rather dog-like in many aspects of their appearance, they are more closely related to cats. 

• African Wild Dog, like the domesticated dog, are descendants of the wolf. The African Wild Dog, which compete for the same food as a hyena, leopard, and lion for starters are no match in a showdown and are now an endangered species.

• African Warthog is one of the ugliest creatures alive. It is part of the pig family. There is also the bush pig in Africa, which is a wild boar that was once a domesticated pig gone feral. They actually are more ferocious than the Warthog and have razor sharp teeth to cause a lot of damage. They are a big problem if you are in the agriculture business in Africa.

• The biggest crocodiles do not live in Africa. Sea water crocodiles, such as those that live around Florida are bigger. Now that my research has taken me to the crocodile, I never really associated Africa so much with crocodiles, but they are incredible beasts who have survived millions upon millions of years and lived on the earth with the dinosaurs at one point.

More on Crocodiles

Crocodiles have managed to survive for so long, the ancestors of those living in Africa used to be sea water and they rose with the land when it became a plateau. Even though smaller, the African crocodile (Nile Crocodile) is more aggressive and will run up and catch an animal or human being, drag them into water, twist them around so they drown. Now if a crocodile has you by the leg and is dragging you to water, your best bet is to go with him ; otherwise you might lose your leg. When the crocodile spins/twists you around under water, you also should not resist but go with each turn. 

Hopefully you have a sharp object to stab the croc in the eye, and grab his tongue in his mouth and lift it up so that he gets water in his lungs and therefore drowning too. With a little luck, the croc will release you in one piece. But don't take my word for it. If you happen not to be so lucky and you drown, the crocodile will leave you alone for a few days along the edge of the water since they cannot chew their food. Then once bacteria has set in, you have swollen up and fermented a bit, then they can pick away at your flesh as it is much easier to digest.

There is a book that I read named 'Africa House' by Steward Gore-Browne, a true story from early nineteen hundred. The book is full of facts and certainly gives you a lot of insight in how to live and survive in the countryside of Zambia. He bought some land around a beautiful lake infested with crocodiles when the British were colonizing Africa. He tells a story of some 200 British explorers who were in the area in the 1800's at the time of Samuel Livingstone. This lake had quite the reputation for causing people to lose their life if they decided to take a canoe trip across. With some recent news being passed onto the explorers, they chose to take the law into their own hands and all go after the crocs with their rifles, axes, and whatever they had in order to kill them all off so that they never would have a problem again. Apparently only three made it back to shore and the crocs are there to this very day!

Before going on a safari, we have a very important job to do for the locals from Zambia and that is to build three homes for the needy.

Note: these log notes are based on emails sent to an audience and were done during each day.  The notes are often short and to the point with choppy sentences.  I have not taken the time to edit properly since they still report my observations.

Day 1 June, 2017

It was a looonnnggg trip here but I made it to Zambia!  I have a room all to myself which came as a surprise.  This will allow me to have some quiet time in the evenings.  It includes a shower that works.  This guest house is like a gated community with a tall stone wall all around the lot.

It is so nice to come back to this place after working on the construction site in the most deplorable conditions I have ever seen so far.  The town of Chilanga is an absolute disaster.   My Habitat buddy Micheline was crying when we drove in to the work site as she could not take it.  i do not want to take any pictures as it is quite depressing.

There is no organization to this town whatsoever, no sidewalks of any kind, no streets or avenues, just rocky, dusty, bumpy trails with their reddish brown soil that winds around the dwellings.  It is very dusty being dry season, the kids are all covered in dust and ragged clothes.  No family has a vehicle or bicycle.  Kids do have school uniforms generally, for those who go to school.

There is one school for grades one to nine and they all jam into about four different classrooms.  The classrooms have two park tables/ benches and a few dingy grimy plastic chairs along the side.  They have a painted black board and supposedly chalk.  We would like to give the school some soccer balls but have not seen a suitable playing field anywhere.  All roads are too rocky and uneven.  

Kids like to cling to any foreigner  as they have been told that we are like sainthood to them.  I had 10 little boys clinging to me at one point and I almost fell down as a result.

Some knowledge gained:

• All Zambians are extremely polite and formal and at least we feel really safe here.

• There is an area in Lusaka named Chudleigh.  i believe it was named after Chudleigh, Devon, England but cannot say for sure.  One of our Habitat guides lives in the area.  A school named Chudleigh can be googled and there are a lot of pictures and information about it on the website.  It generally has a good reputation.

• There are 73 languages spoken in Zambia with English being the uniform language.  Each language is for each tribe and there may only be subtle differences between languages if a tribe represents a breakaway group from the other.

• Since independence from Britain, Zambians have chosen to live as one tribe: no separation and so over time culture is merging.

• Current culture still allows polygamy as for marriages and such practice has helped contribute to the widespread epidemic of HIV/ Aids.

• A lot of the families in Chilanga have the grandparents taking care of the kids as the parents have passed away.  No one can afford any medication available for HIV.  Just as many people die from malaria.

• Chilanga is a new area for Habitat to be in and to focus on.  The community is really into our build and coming out to help, such a positive contribution we are making.  A woman, with a baby strapped to her back can be seen carrying a cinder block on her head coming to the job site!

• African culture now allows marriages across tribes, but the young man is still expected to pay a dowry to the bride's parents.  This can be a combination of money, cattle, clothing, and other.  What is given is negotiated and is the burden of the young man after marriage.  His parents could help him out at their option.  The more education she has (as an example) the more the payment.  Therefore Zambian parents are very happy if they have many daughters since they can make a lot of wealth as a result.  This is a lot different from traditional China since their culture wants to have a boy to take care of the parents and continue on the family name.

• Zambians are less likely to get a divorce due to the high investment made.  If two fellows both talk to one set of parents to marry their daughter, this gives the parents the luxury of coming up with the best deal.  The daughter could voice her preference as to choice but this could be overruled.

The building construction is quite different from Central America builds.  There is no rebar and so it does not take long to build the walls if the base is already in place.  We are building three homes all at one, including two inside walls, along with the Zambians.  The cinder blocks do not get filled with mortar or gravel either and so are hollow.  This weaker construction is still much better than what they have.  Also note there are no major earthquakes in Zambia and temperatures in the winter are still relatively moderate.  It must have been 25 Celsius this afternoon.

We have over 11 suitcases of donations to hand out before we leave and we are looking forward to that.

Day 2

Observations:

• Zambia acts like the young country that it is.  Civilization as we know it is something they are growing into.

• I noticed when driving through Chilanga going to our job site that the bus driver had to maneuver around camp fires that were smoldering in the middle of the road.  There really is no other place to have one.

• Some straw huts still exist here.

• Someone saw two zebras and antelope impalas when traveling by bus back from our job site!  Too bad I did not see anything!

• Cremation is not a practice yet in Zambia but the general opinion of locals is this will become a more acceptable thought, and the norm eventually.

• Homosexuality is illegal.  If two partners of the same sex want to live together, they could be punished.  Tribes expect their children to get married and have kids.

• Zambia was declared a Christian country at time of independence despite the presence of other religious sects such as Muslims.  I told a Habitat employee they need to become impartial and to promote one religion.  They already are promoting one tribe.

• Former President Kenneth Kuanda, who ruled Zambia for 37 years and led this country to independence, but under a one party system, is still alive and is the official head of Habitat Zambia.

• We went to a new shopping mall for groceries and currency exchange and it was like going to a different country, certainly a different economic zone.  Only those who 'have' go to the mall.  I am sure all of those little kids in Chilanga have never seen a shopping mall that includes groceries, clothing, furniture, and electronics store.  There would be no way for them to get there.  They live their life in a crude shanty town.

• A volunteer named Annie is a tall young lady in her early stages of university with long flowing light brown hair and white skin.  She is on the build with her brother and parents.  The little kids are in such awe of her beauty and mannerism.  She is making such a significant positive influence in their lives.  They just swarm her constantly and just want to touch her and hold hands.  Something similar could be said for others.  I do not get swarmed as much as others because I get swarmed enough as it is and I do not promote it as much.  They are starving for our attention though and will take with glee any time that we provide.

Good progress made today with the build for all three sites.  Tomorrow is for roof and window preparation as the walls are up to 12 rows high in some spots.

Day 3

Bert told a dignified government official what my name was, so that he could officially greet me.  He came over to give me the politest, humblest, Zambian official handshake with the most warmth and sincerity and to proceed to thank me for my work.  The only problem was that he thought my name was 'Oldman'.  So I had to tell him my real name and he looked a bit confused.  Thanks Bert!  Now was that a perfect joke on me or what?!

Local Zambians were digging a pit for a latrine.  According to Mike Chan, who is Chinese, they will not allow a 'white person' (really a foreigner) to help with the dig.  Two years ago, Mike wanted to help and so he said he was not white but Chinese and so they looked at one another, could not argue with that, and so he was allowed into the pit!  I reminded Mike about an expression that if you dig too deep, you will reach China.  So I told him I wanted to take a picture of him coming out of the hole with a Chinese hat on his head and a camera around his shoulder!  Then the story line would be that we must have dug too deep!  Fortunately he found my humor to be acceptable.

Katie and I were working together for most of one day.  I was teasing her pretty good and so she started to tease me back.  When the wall got to be high enough, I told others that Katie and I were getting along really well , now that there is a wall between us!  On the way home, Micheline piped up: "Oh look, Adrian, there is an elephant!"  "What, really?! Where?" I exclaimed.  And so I look outside and there is a concrete elephant statue by a store!  Oh Micheline!  Now I need to get her back some day!  I am so gullible!

Observations:

• Some Zambian money is so incredibly filthy/ grimy that you feel like washing your hands after touching.

• Please feel free to skip this point.  A Habitat made latrine has a small hole made out of ceramic at ground level.  You have to squat all the way down, carefully aim, and bombs away.  The taller you are, the more difficult it is to maneuver as the walls are so close that your knees rub the brick wall.  No flushing and bring your own paper.

• The Zambian masonry's have this odor about them and so I quickly become aware of their presence.  Enough comment on this subject!

• Chilanga is like a garbage dump.  Locals are not familiar with any form of garbage pickup, which is probably similar to most of Lusaka as a city.  If mankind only knew when plastic was invented as to what harm we are doing for the environment which is so evident here.

• There are some pretty young ladies in Zambia that any young man would be interested in, minus the dowry payment.

• Oh bother!  I am the first in the group who is a 'little loose'.  This caused me to not be as productive on the day when my physical services were most needed because of what we had to do: haul pails of concrete and wheel barrow a heavy volume of dirt into the three room house to act as the base for the concrete floor.  Fortunately Barb gave me some immodium and I have Pepto Bismal to take for starters.  I only had a few crackers for lunch, some electrolyte, two big bottles of water.  For supper I had two helpings of potato and a banana.  We will see what tomorrow brings.  I was able to keep going on sight but took on less physical activity.  Maybe the 'old man' name is appropriate.

The  window and door frames are now cemented into place. 

Day 4

It does not seem fair that we have to wash our hands after having an encounter with children who like to cling to you.  They have so much love to give.  Not doing so means you could get bacteria, or you could get it from the food or water or even from the dust from your working gloves.  When was that one time that I failed to wash my hands to cause my upset tummy?!  It does not help when you are not feeling right to then observe the dusty garbage dump you are working in.  After rounds of Pepto Bismal, immodium, and even Advil, as I had a bit of a fever last evening, I think I have my body under control again, but with cramps that come and go.

We only worked in the morning to give us a break and to have an official tour of the local community school, health clinic, and visit two habitat homes built in previous years.  We wanted to follow up status as to homes and see the final product that we are to achieve with three homes by next Tuesday.

School notes:

• Blessed Hope Community School has 14 teachers, 440 kids from grades 1 to 9, and they have 8 classrooms.  One computer is shared among school staff and is also used to teach all students about computer science.  This computer is a desktop and looks to be at least 20 years old and sits in the principal's office.  It is dusty and grimy.  I am sure it will be running DOS or an old version of Windows.

• The Zambian government sets teaching standards and expectations, yet does not provide the school with any funds to use for operations.  The school relies on financial support from the community instead who have little or no money either.

• The Zambian government donates one used book for a class of approx. 40 to use for each three month curriculum.  The kids go to school for three months, then take one month off throughout the year.

• Kids received uniforms as a donation/ hand me down, but they are not consistent as to color and design.  At least they have something appropriate to wear for school.

• I saw no school supplies.  They have absolutely nothing, just appalling.  What chance do they have in life?!  Well, six kids apparently are to receive a scholarship for further education, but not the rest.

• The classrooms are dusty with little or no light.  The only bright spot is the warmth and enthusiasm shown by the kids, with their chocolate brown skin and sparkling white teeth.

• At least the kids going to school look cleaner than those on the street.  I am sure the school has a program to promote proper hygiene.

• Approx. 400 more kids do not go to school because they cannot afford it.  Fees are 1000 kwachas per year which is about $110 US.  Let me repeat that: 400 kids in Chilanga do not go to school.  This should not be happening.  This explains why there are so many kids hanging around the construction site  We live in an absolute insane world!

As per the clinic tour, there are many malnourished children who live in Chilanga.  The clinic performs a measurement of the thickness of the upper arm for a child up to five years in age.  If the child is diagnosed as being malnourished, the child is given high energy protein supplements to take.  These supplements are given for free by the clinic, the whole clinic of which is supported financially by an Irish support group.  We met on the tour an Irish doctor who was there for the week to follow up to make sure the clinic was functioning as previously directed.  We were able to donate in a suitcase certain clinic supplies, such as wound care and sterile gloves, for which they were graciously appreciative.  This will allow them to direct some of their limited funding for other purposes.

The children in the picture following with me are some of the construction kids who do not go to school and they will be the ones who will miss us the most when gone.

Day 5

My miraculous recovery in short order must be the result of consistent loving thoughts and maybe some prayer from my Habitat brothers and sisters, family and friends.  Even a Zambian official heard of my condition and came over to see how I was doing.  I feel re-energized and like I could get run over by a truck now and survive (well, almost).  Now I hear of one or two others who are not quite right, but nothing too serious.  They have proven to be a tough bunch.

We are probably making an even better contribution spiritually for accepting local family and children for who they are.  We can make a difference.  Observations:

• I am positive I heard a sparrow chirping last night!  What is he doing in Africa?!  How can he possibly get along with the other birds?!

• A dove used to hoot at me at 605 AM, but has pushed back his time until 625 since it has been cooler in the morning.

• The tomato is such a perfect vegetable/ fruit and the Zambians have this plant everywhere.  It grows in most soil conditions with garbage around each plant, produces an abundance of fruit, and has to be the most valuable source of nutrition.

• Never try to use a wood saw to take down a Mango tree as it will not work!  The saw just gets gummed up with a tar like substance until the saw gets stuck in the tree.

  • After lunch each day, Bert chases after hundreds of kids to squirt them with water, much to their squeal of delight.

  • For some strange reason they have a lot of barbed wire with sharp spikes all around the school outside to keep kids away from certain areas, but kids will  be kids and they get to be playing and running around.

  • Micheline and I had a bit of a mortar fight.  I got her good once when she was least expecting it and she left the site with some in her hair still at the end of the day.  It's only cement!

  • There is some rebar in these homes after all.  Rebar is used to hold cement above the window and door frames and for the latrine floor.  If the latrine floor breaks, you can image what would happen (yuck).

  • One good thing about the buildings we are making is that they are all virtually impossible to burn to the ground.  The only wood is creosote soaked timber used to nail the corrugated metal roof to.

  • It is important to plug all holes in the cinder blocks of the home to keep the mosquitoes out during rainy season.

  • Zambians are on the metric system for just about everything, including tape measures used by Habitat.

We worked quite hard today.  The roofs are on in all three units, the window and door frames are in and cemented into place.

A little Zambian girl asked me to take my cap off, probably to see if I was bald or if I had white /grey hair which is probably a bit of a novelty.  The texture of our hair is also a lot different from theirs.  I took my cap off to show my sweaty, messy  hair and she ran off!  What does that mean?

Day 6

Jim told me that the morning dove is saying "yoo hoo, now get to work, yoo hoo, now get to work" over and over again.  When you are coming home for the day, the dove then says "yoo hoo, now drink lager, yoo hoo, now drink lager".  You have to experience this here to appreciate their hoot.  Now I am adding more expressions that work, such as "yoo hoo hello there Mike, yoo hoo hello Adrian, yoo hoo how was your day, yoo hoo my day was fine,  yoo hoo what did you buy...these doves may just drive me crazy in about three days!!!

Miscellaneous notes:

• Our laundry is done daily by housekeeping and it all comes back cleaned and so perfectly folded.  They hand wash the clothes and so therefore during the day, my underwear is on display somewhere in Africa!

• Definitely no TV or radio or newspaper that I am aware of in the community of build.  Some cell phone exists, but a vast majority do not have.  So they cannot possibly stay in touch with the rest of the world and know what is going on.

• Such a contrast, but I need to express how I feel.  In Canada, we have dog pounds where you find puppies who will greet any passerby and offer their love in hope they become adopted.  Well, we are passerby's and although the kids are not seeking adoption from us, they certainly are looking for a chance to experience life to its fullest extent.  They are stuck in this community and are going no where.

• The odd automobile maneuvers though the community around rock boulders, campfires, pot holes, but they are not owned by local residents.  i am sure kids see autos motoring down the highway and wonder what it would be like to travel in.

• I have not played 'ring around the rosey' with a bunch of kids in about...hmmmm..61 years?  It's been awhile!  I don't recall doing this when my own kids were young.  They were more into Nintendo.

• We went to a craft market first thing this morning and I bought nine souvenir gifts for about $50 US.  Other than two high pressure salesmen, I found Zambians to be quite pleasant and laid back for negotiating with.  i am very happy with what I got for show and tell on Zambia/ Africa.

• I was led to believe throughout my life that from Alberta, Canada, if you dig too deep, you will  be in China, but as per Mike, in actual fact, you will hit the southern end of the Indian Ocean!  As for Zambia, well, you will end up in Hawaii.  The two countries that if you dig too deep you will hit China are (drums rolling please...) Chile and Argentina!  So we want Mike to put on a Polynesian costume dress and have a spear so we can take his picture coming out of a dugout!

Today we worked on the walls of the latrine, then prepared the floor of the house for cement for what was hard work, but on a shortened day.  We had to haul gravel by wheel barrow and tamp it down, then have a blanket of cement over top.  As an extra expense at our option (but for us was only nominal value), colorful dye is being used on the cement floor to make it easier to keep clean and thus help to waterproof the floor.  I noticed the red color to be quite dark, but any color used will be liked by the home owners as it will be something other than the color of dull grey cement.

As the school was closed, we had our lunch in one of our homes for the first time.  Although no place to sit yet, it was nice to make use of the place and study with satisfaction the fruits of our labor.

Just wait and see the pictures of what we have built!  All three homes should be completed when we leave next Wednesday with the families moved in!

Day 7

For Sunday on our day off from work, most of us traveled about 75 km north of Lusaka to go to a big farm operation.  Observations while traveling:

• There are no motorcycles, scooters, mopeds in Zambia, absolutely none!  Okay, so I saw one on the way back today.  Central America meanwhile has thousands if not millions and acts as a major means of transport.

• There are bicycles  but not as much as there could be because of road conditions and maybe cost.  Yes, cost is a factor when every kwacha counts to survive.

• Lusaka has a giant swanky soccer stadium built by the Chinese from a few years ago.  The stadium was given to Zambia and I am sure they get a break in tariffs as a result, such as for copper.  The roof used to be white but during dry season has turned to dusty red.  The stadium is surrounded by slum.

• The Chinese are now building a brand new airport in Lusaka.  They plan to keep all revenue generated from it for the first 10 years, then give it to Zambia.

• I saw a big semi with two stainless steel tankers full of sulfuric acid heading to the copper mines.  Hopefully they never have an accident.

• Zambians spend an incredible amount of money building cinder block wall/ fences around their property as opposed to upgrading their homes.

• From the road we saw the most beautiful living quarters for orphans in an internationally sponsored SOS Children's Village that Mike Holmes on TV endorses and promotes.  It just glistens with beauty with modern dwellings and playground among the slums.

• We saw a lot of the acacia tree that seem to be the most common for the savannah and is true African.

We arrived and were treated to tea/ coffee by an elderly Italian lady who is owner of the family farm since her husband passed away.  We went into a huuuge African home complete with African servants and gardeners, character African fancy furniture and decor, and big old dark beams up in the ceiling.  Some rooms reminded me of what Queen Elizabeth would have in her home, so fancy!  The main dining room seats 30 people comfortably!  The outside yard maintained by employees comes with very big and magnificent African trees of all kinds.  The owner is treated like royalty by her staff.  I found the big African home to have so much character.  

Our fearless leader, Peggy was originally from Zambia and lived near the northern Congo  border since her parents worked in the copper mines.  She is an artist and shows off her talent in her paintings at her house in Calgary.  Her mother was also an artist and sold a few of her paintings off at flea markets before they all moved to Canada.  Peggy has pictures of her mother's quality paintings and this inspired her to also express herself in her work.  When we took a visit to the farm, Peggy chose to stay behind and go to a leather craft sale in Lusaka instead.  Before the farm tour was taken, I stepped into other rooms and took a few pictures, one of a very fancy dining room, but not the main dining room.  I took note of a very colorful, bold African painting behind the table and I made sure I got it in the picture.  When I shared my pictures with others back in Canada, Peggy studied the painting and determined it to be from her mother's collection!  The farmhouse has an original painting from her mother!  Now what are the odds of this happening?!

Farm Tour

The farm grows wheat during the dry winter months, then switches to maize and soy beans for the wet season.  They also raise pigs, brahman cattle, and they use state of the art pivot sprinklers, the water of which come from 120 drilled water wells.  The farm employs 250 local Zambians who are treated extremely well.  They are paid about $1 US per hour, but are provided with free food, work clothing, living quarters, two medical clinics, and a school for children.  The employed Zambians are so loyal to the farm, knowing they have a much more lavish lifestyle than they would with option B (working somewhere else).  I will spare some of the farm details, but of which turned out to be a very interesting tour of this ultra modern operation.

As a bonus, certain wild animals feel safe living inside the fenced property, thanks to the protectionism approach adopted by management.  The owner even hires employees and equips them with rifles to protect the animals from poachers, not to protect them from the animals!  You also have to go through security and a gate when entering the farm.  It is much cheaper to pay employees to safeguard the farm equipment as well from being stolen since the equipment is worth millions of dollars.

It is the animal's choice to stay on the farm and they seem to know what is best for them.  They are still wild regardless.  During our tour of the farm we got a free mini safari as a result.  I can now strike off my list of African animals to see: ostrich, impalas, zebras, and giraffes!  We got really close to one impala that was caught between fences on the road with us.  I saw him reverse direction, then wind up at full speed and gallop past us in order to get away from the truck.  Boy, was he dangling!  He must have done the 100 meter dash in about three seconds!  Awesome impressive acceleration when he turned on his after burners!!  I can imagine what it would have been like to see him getting chased by a cheetah!  The fencing will hold back cattle and generally not allow impalas to go over the top and so he must have found an opening somewhere or a lower fence line as he disappeared from us.  A white tailed deer back home could have hopped over the fence.  Apparently the giraffe can step right over the fence if he wants to.

There was something so incredibly interesting that I should pass on.  There are a lot of ticks in Africa and a wild animal can get so many that they end up dying.  The cattle share the land with the wild animals and the ticks gravitate to the cattle first.  These cattle are then put through a chemical bath periodically that they are happy to take for the relief they get.  The wild animals do not get nearly as many ticks as a result and another reason why they hang out with the cattle.

There were 11 of us all in a Ford Ranger for the tour with six piled in the truck box.  This worked fine and good for viewing, kind of windy, a little rough and dusty though with me as a volunteer for the back.  It just so happened that I sat lower down in the box on the journey back to the farm house and the red dust settled nicely into my hair.  Everyone kept looking at me afterwards because I no longer had white hair but had perfectly reddish brown hair and eye brows that made me look five years younger and it matched my shirt so well.  There was no grey left until I had a shower later!  Hmmmm, it looked good and so maybe when I get back home...nah.  I had a picture taken though.

Day 8

As had been mentioned, we came to Zambia with 11 suitcases of donated supplies such as medical, stationery, educational, sporting goods etc.  In addition, certain friends of Peggy wanted to donate cash, including some from the habitat team.  Since I had not really contributed much at all, I said "oh what the heck" and threw in $50 myself.  Once all tallied, we had 7300 kwachas or over $1,000 US available to be spent

We had approached the community school the previous week and asked what was most urgent for purchase.  They came up with a list of supplies needed which included some baby toys for three and four year olds.  On the list was the fact that certain teachers had not been paid for awhile.  We did not feel right to be paying the salary for teachers!

Off we went to a store recommended called the Book Club in downtown Lusaka, the owners who interestingly were Hindu.  It looked like they had quite the business going for them.  We took time off from the build since we were almost done and still had another day left to finish.

We were able to get all supplies the school needed within our budget except for some big ticket items such as furniture and photocopier.  Supplies bought included curriculum books by grade that the government does not provide but they expect schools to use, atlas's, dictionaries, cork board, plain white paper, and other.  We bought in quantity such as 500 exercise books.  Combine that with suitcases of other stuff that we brought over, the school will now have an inventory of supplies!

A decision was reached to not give all at once because we do not want them to expect that any group will give them anything they ask for.  Giving some supplies to Habitat first, then having Habitat give to the school later stating it came from an anonymous donator is the route chosen as it also promotes Habitat's image in the community.  One has to do things right using psychology if necessary.

On the job site, Mike dug up a black scorpion.  They are not very long, only about two inches at most, but very poisonous.  As per a Zambian, if you get bit by one, you need to go to the hospital.  If not, you die!  But you will have a day or two to reflect (in pain) first.  I do not recall ever sitting on the ground as it is so dusty.  This was a good thing!  Meanwhile locals sleep on the ground at night and therefore play a game of Russian roulette every night with the scorpion.  Also kids run around during the day with their bare feet!

Then there is the big black ugly African hornet who has a nest inside the school classroom where we eat.  He can readily buzz in and out as needed through the windows as there are glass panes missing.  He can really leave you in pain if you happen to get in his way and tick him off!  Your best approach is to leave the varmint alone and so do the teachers and students.  Just give him his space and he will leave you alone, but I kept looking to see where he was just in case!

After lunch we presented a portion of the donation to the school.  I thought one teacher was going to dance in jubilation after he got two of the curriculum books that he so desperately needed.  I noticed another teacher had to be educated by Tommy on how to use an air pump to blow up a soccer ball, as he had never had one before.  We all signed one soccer ball as a souvenir.

I selfishly wanted to provide them with everything we had bought to see the expressions on their face but knew that was not the best idea.  Other Habitat groups that came before us never made a donation probably because they were less experienced and were not prepared.  The readiness and approach of our group shows our maturity.

In the afternoon it was so nice to see some of the home owners wash their new cement floor with wet rags and a big bowl to show us that cleanliness will be forefront.  They also participated in painting their trim around windows and doors with a red dye obtained from a local weed.

I have had just about enough of the local kids for awhile as they really wear you out with their energy!  They know when you are outside the boundaries of the construction site and you are fair game after that!  What will they do for fun when we are not here?!

We drove to the finish line and are all but done with the build. We will be participating in a dedication ceremony in the morning and then we will have our windup supper tomorrow evening. 

Day 9

It is so incredibly dusty in Lusaka.  There really are no city services evident such as parks department or garbage pickup and so the dust keeps getting stirred up from bare ground and building up on roads for cars to stir up again.  On some days the clouds roll in threatening to rain, but it magically does not!  I cannot get over this phenomenon as it really is the season for no rain, even with dark clouds.

Locals do not have that much of a mouse problem because they eat them!  An African mouse is larger and is high in protein and apparently a fairly clean animal.  I saw two scurrying around outside last evening.

Habitat provides the new home owners a mosquito net for their sleeping area, the cost of which is only about $5 US,  You would think they could afford a net to protect them, but they cannot.  Micheline tallied up the number of people who are going to be living in those three homes: 35!  18 in the first one, 11 in the one I worked on, and six in the third!

Tuberculosis is a problem in Zambia in the slums but no one really knows to what extent.  Those runny nose kids we saw in the community maybe in the early stages of TB.  We would not see those kids in a more advanced stage.  Micheline talked to a girl who was always drooling.  She apparently had a sroke/ seizure that was the result of a parasite.

Someone asked me about the state of the golf course near Chilanga.  I do not know but Jim mentioned someone golfed near the airport once.  He decided to go to the driving range at a cost and was surprised  he was only given three balls as opposed to a bucket.  When he hit his first ball into the trees, a Zambian ran after the ball to retrieve it.  Now he knows.

Zambia, like other third world countries, is a runaway freight train out of control with its people and population.  Habitat builds a home for a family of 14, then there are multiple other families that are recognized as needing a home.  Not all problems are solved by having a place to live, but at least we have helped three families as our contribution for now.

Life is here and now and eternity is in it - Helen Steiner Rice

Closing Ceremonies

I had been to closing ceremonies in Central America before, but never one in Africa.  As the build was different, I did not know for sure what to expect.  Katie warned me that we may need to get up and dance with the Africans since it was after all a celebration and the dance is an expression of happiness.  Okay I thought as we needed to go along with expectations.

I was also selected to represent Habitat for the presentation of the keys to the second home since I probably worked more on that house than anyone else and so was the logical choice.  i commented that I did not have a speech prepared, but Micheline said: "Oh Adrian, you just need to be yourself".  Well, that should be easy!  Annie who was 19 was presenting house one and Tommy who was 17 for house three.  It is nice they chose all three of us since 'we' are all so young!

We arrived in the community to the sound of bongo drums and native dancing and a huge crowd.  We were led around the crowd and building to conveniently placed chairs set aside for our comfort and for the dignitaries, while others stood.  It was fascinating to see a live African indigenous dance with colorful costumes and bare feet, and how well they managed when dancing on an uneven dusty surface and stepping on rocks.  They never winced once.

It did not take Katie long to want to get up, but her plan was not to be with others, just her and me and the Africans!  That was not my original understanding!  Being a little shy of the events, I naturally resisted.  She took charge and started to draaaag me though the black crowd until we were in the same arena as the dancers and the bongo drums!  I was seeing a more assertive side of Katie!  Now what did I get myself into?!

Well, great, two tall white foreigners surrounded by Africans with others looking on wondering what we are doing!  Katie and I tried to mimic the dancers for starters across from us, but we were not getting too far with their steps, but at least we seemed to be keeping in time with the drums (sort of)!  Then I remember what was told of me once before when I was at a wedding dance long ago.  I am supposed to express myself!

So Katie and I decided to do our own thing and jiggle and hop with our own expression and soon won the crowd's favor as they cheered us on.  When my hip bonked her behind, the crowd really whooped it up and so I continued on with that theme for awhile.

The dance kept going on and on and I was running out of ideas for what to do next.  I always revert to the jive when this happens regardless of rhythm, which was basically 'bonkity bonkity bonkity'.   Fortunately for me, Katie was a natural dancer and she went along for the ride as I twirled her around so effortlessly!  Now we got their attention!  I know they had never seen anyone dance like that before!  They clapped when we finished!

When the Africans are dancing, they seem so intense and they exert a lot of energy shaking and jiggling their body, then they wind up with movement of limbs while stepping and stomping.  For the next set of music, the local town drunk got up and started 'dancing'.  Everyone ignored her embarrassing moves.  Hopefully Katie and I looked better dancing than she did!  Peggy wanted me to get up later and do it again, but I figured I had done enough and I did not want to push my luck.

It was good to hear in one of the speeches following from Habitat to the home owners that they were 'on all fours begging they take care of their home'.  Habitat is wanting all owners to their homes to set a good example in the community when it comes to upkeep and maintenance and for cleanliness and hygiene.  We really need to educate and train them on how to do most things.  After Annie presented house number one, there were two others waiting for their keys.  I had about an 80 percent chance of presenting to the right one and fortunately I did.  I had been too busy building and keeping kids at bay to spend much time with the benefactors.  I tried to give her a hug after handing over the keys, but she kept putting her head down.  I was told later that she was just showing respect, offering a humble greeting.  What was evident on her forehead was this huge ugly scar from bygone days caused by domestic abuse.

The key presentation was followed by pictures of the homes and also handing out a big bag of corn flour so they could make their staple food 'sheen' of which I never did try as it is apparently quite bland.

Micheline and I came out of that celebration with sore throats and colds as we were in close contact with runny nose kids with dirty hands.  But this was a small sacrifice to make due to the importance of the event in closing off our time with them.

I want to personally thank you all for going with me on this journey to Zambia and all of your positive encouragement and support that you gave me.  This build is done, our supplies to the needy have been delivered.  We are done and now its time for some fun.  A majority of the team is off to Livingston to spend a couple of nights near Victoria Falls, but Peggy, Micheline, and I are doing a safari in Kafue National Park.

Day 10 - 11

African Safari Adventure

I slept in a private cool chalet on the edge of the Kafue River in the middle of the world's second largest national park.  No mosquitoes and tsese fly where we stayed!  No civilization for miles!  As a result it was very quiet except for animal noises.  The night sky also brought on a panoramic star display in the cool African air.

At night we heard hippos grunt, lions roar, and a leopard hiss.  All the bird sounds were different.  I had a glass of wine on a rock island in the middle of the Kafue River surrounded by hippos.  We trekked up a big granite rock to see panoramic view of the park in all directions, then saw the sun setting over the savannah;.  The meals and service were excellent!

The National Park is full of wild animals with no fences!  Animals seen while here and at the farm include:

• Giraffe

• Zebra

• Ostrich

• Impala (antelope)

• Puku (antelope)

• Kudu (antelope)

• Hartibeest (antelope)

• Bushbuck (antelope)

• Grysbok (antelope)

• Elephant

• Egyptian goose

• Crocodile

• Mouse

• Tree squirrel

• Baboon

• Vervet monkey

• Tsetse fly

• Hippopotamus

• Lion 

• Warthog

• Gegen

• Jackal

• and approx. 30 other exotic African birds!

I have no idea how the animals survive living there with the tsese fly!  They are such a nuisance and bite constantly, but this fly stays away from the river fortunately as it is too humid for their liking.  We had to be careful after dark for stray animals wandering through the bush camp.  Although I never saw a leopard, I think he went right by my chalet last night!

We never did get to see animals up close, only at a distance, but we can always see them in a zoo this way.  What was more important for me is to spot them living in their natural habitat/ surroundings and Kafue National Park shows you the environment that they live in.

When we got up before sunrise for our five hour ride by jeep to Lusaka Airport to start our journey home, we only had one problem as we started going over a trail through the savannah.  There was a hippo ahead of us in the middle of the path staring at us!  What they do is head to the river once in the early morning to keep them cooler.  You never are to get between them and the river. and never are you to get too close by jeep; otherwise they will ram the vehicle and cause a lot of damage!  We needed to show respect, but the hippo was not going anywhere.  We finally decided that the jeep lights were causing the hippo to not be able to see his way through the forest to advance any further.  After shutting off the lights for five minutes, the hippo finally left the path to allow us to proceed after a 20 minute delay.  Fortunately we had a contingency of time built into our plan for getting to the airport.

Mosquito

A little story before I go.  As you probably know, Zambia has a rather deadly strain of malaria and so not something to be taken lightly.  it is in your best interest to take anti malaria pills and wear bug spray with deet.  Part of the solution also is to equip each guest room with a mosquito net to sleep in for added protection from getting bit.  

Another factor in our favor is that we came to Zambia in their dry season and also cooler since it is their winter.  So therefore mosquitoes are not the norm currently.  To offset the dryness there is some irrigation in this area and they sprinkle the yard to bring on certain mosquitoes, specially in the evening.  Once we had arrived at the guest house from a really long journey from Canada, our team leader for our mission stated that the mosquito that is more likely to come with malaria will not be as noticeable, will be smaller, and quieter, and so making use of the tent seems to be the most appropriate decision to make.

When it was time to retire to my cabin for the evening, it was turning darker outside and so I turned a light on.  Sure enough I noticed a small mosquito, just the kind that was described to me, on the wall of my closet!  Only one, but it only takes one to cause a problem.  So I decided to get it before it got me.

I decided you cannot get malaria swatting a mosquito but I thought it might be better to take it down with the aid of a tissue so as not to get any bug juice on my hands.  By the time I was prepared and came back, sure enough the mosquito saw the swat coming and took off!  How many times have I experienced this in Canada, eh!

Oh great!  So now the mosquito knows that I am out to get him and he will  be more determined now to get me later.  i really wanted my net in place for defence and so I took it down carefully, making sure there was no air gaps, leaving just a small opening to allow me to slip into the net before completing the seal to keep me protected.  No sign of the mosquito and so I did the last of my preparation for my sleep, slipped through the opening, quickly zipped it closed and there I was, feeling very good about myself for what I had accomplished.  Get me now mosquito (heh, heh)!

I felt so safe that no insect was going to bite me against my will!  Laying back in bed to relax, I stared in awe at the perfection of the elegant netting.  Then I looked up at the top and found that same mosquito inside the tent with me and waiting for his next move!  He really knew he needed to be inside in order to draw my blood!  These African mosquitoes are also smart!  Well great, now the mosquito is safe in the tent too and sure to get me later!

Hey, wait a minute, the mosquito cannot go far as we are in a "fighting arena!"  When I declared war the mosquito dodged and darted a few times but proved to be no match, and I got him!  I moved the carcass outside the tent, then drifted off into perfect slumber due to the cool breeze and jet lagged condition I was in...and I never got malaria.