inefficiency is something i've learned to get used to in zambia. nothing usually gets done in a timely manner, and many times take multiple tries to get done correctly. for instance, last week our gardener, this 19 year old rasta boy, gift, (who is awesome), came to me asking about mowing the lawn. most of the time people here just use a slasher blade to cut the grass by hand. but, one of his friends had a lawn mower we could borrow, so he was wanting to use it. he had never used a lawn mower before and was super excited! so i went with him to pick it up so he could mow our lawn.
in my past experience, lawn mowing is a fairly simple process that might take a couple hours depending on how large your yard is (our yard is not large at all). but no, this process took a solid 3 days! insane.
first off, the lawn mower has to be plugged in to an outlet. so that makes it a little tough as you're moving throughout the yard. it was on a long cord which helped, but you still had to move it around to different outlets. then, since the lawn mower was fairly old, the single blade on the bottom obviously broke when it hit a small rock in the yard. so we piled it back into the car, took it to one of gift's friends, and he welded it back together for us. success.
so the next day he starts mowing the lawn again, but the new welded blade broke again bc it was so weak after having been welded back together so many times. sooo, we loaded the lawn mower back in the car, took it back to the same friend, and had him make a whole new blade to put on. success.
this new blade was much stronger and sturdier so we figured we were set. get back and gift starts the lawn mower, and it shakes like crazy. apparently the new blade was much heavier than the older one and has thrown off the balance of the lawn mower or something weird like that. so as gift continues to mow the lawn he has to take breaks every once in a while bc the machine shakes his entire body as he uses it and makes his forearms cramp up. haha
finally, 3 days later, the lawn was cut and looked much better!! i think im gonna make gift stick to slashing the grass with the blade from now on though....
Monday, March 21, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
sunday afternoon
i had a lovely sunday. slept in this morning then went out onto our porch during the afternoon. beautiful sunny day with a cool breeze. i sat on the porch reading my book and eating an avocado from the tree in our yard (right now we have avocado, guava, and lemons all growing in our yard. more avocados than you can imagine, which i'm pretty excited about). after a while, a short sunshower came. crazy though bc it was only raining on half the yard haha. interesting that i could walk across the yard and go from fully being rained on to dry, sunny weather. did some writing in my journal, which i think i've done twice since i've been in zambia. stared at the beautiful trees with bright red and yellow flowers with the blue sky in the background.
then i came inside for a bit to clean up my room. i accidentally made the mistake of leaving my journal outside, though, and when i went back out, kamba, our dog, had chewed it to pieces. guess no more journaling for me haha. not really my thing anyways. i should have known better bc she had chewed apart another notebook left outside the day before. i'm obviously not a quick learner. whoops.
then i came inside for a bit to clean up my room. i accidentally made the mistake of leaving my journal outside, though, and when i went back out, kamba, our dog, had chewed it to pieces. guess no more journaling for me haha. not really my thing anyways. i should have known better bc she had chewed apart another notebook left outside the day before. i'm obviously not a quick learner. whoops.
Monday, March 14, 2011
garbage soccer
this past saturday we had an event for work, and there was a futbol game as part of the event. it was some of our grassroot soccer coaches vs lusaka police. we decided to invite the police to play in the game so they could understand what grassroot soccer is about. with the election going on this year, the police put stops to lots of rallies going on, and we didn't want them thinking our events were rallies for the election. so more than anything, it was to get them on our good side.
however, the morning of the event there were torrential downpours, and the field where the game was being hosted was barely able to be called a field. it was basically a big dirt field with trash and sewage all over it. so, with the rains, it made it even better haha. there were standing puddles of mud 6 inches deep all over the field. one quarter of the field was covered in black sewage. i never fully ventured over there, but some of the guys who played said it was foul. one of our coaches, who grew up playing on garbage covered dirt fields, got tackled and went face first into the sludge. he sat there for a minute wiping the nastiness off his face until one of his teammates came over to see if he was ok. his only response was, "disgusting." if he says it's disgusting, then you know it must be pretty bad hah.
the game ended up a 1-1 tie, which was probably good we didn't beat the police to keep them in our good graces.
the rest of the event went on, even with the rains. we had a big tent set up, so whenever the rains started, everyone just huddled under the tents to stay dry. at times though it got pretty chaotic bc so many people were pushing and trying to escape the rain. i somehow got put in charge of "cloud control" (crowd control), and let me tell you, this cloud was out of control.
also, it was very difficult to control the cloud during the futbol match. the area we were set up in was limited, so the tent with the music was right on the sidelines of the futbol field. kids were constantly running onto the field to play and dance and i constantly had to keep pulling them back. it was funny, if i asked them to move back, they looked at me like i was speaking a foreign language. but if i drew a line in the dirt and told them not to cross it, they immediately got it. that made things a bit easier.
as the game was going on, a little 3 year old girl ran onto the field and almost got bulldozed by one of the players. luckily, the player somewhat dodged her as i grabbed her arm and ripped her off the field. i seriously thought she was going to get run over though.
even with the rains and tough cloud control, the event went really well! we had drama groups come and perform, a couple really big zambian artists come perform, the futbol match, and hiv testing set up for the local community.
at the end of the event, when it was time to take down all the tents and dissemble everything, of course it started pouring down rain again. but, we were so ready to be done for the day, that a group of us just sucked it up and got soaked. it was kinda fun. in the end it turned into a big wrestling, mud fight. easy to do since the field now looked like a lake by this point....just with trash floating everywhere.
however, the morning of the event there were torrential downpours, and the field where the game was being hosted was barely able to be called a field. it was basically a big dirt field with trash and sewage all over it. so, with the rains, it made it even better haha. there were standing puddles of mud 6 inches deep all over the field. one quarter of the field was covered in black sewage. i never fully ventured over there, but some of the guys who played said it was foul. one of our coaches, who grew up playing on garbage covered dirt fields, got tackled and went face first into the sludge. he sat there for a minute wiping the nastiness off his face until one of his teammates came over to see if he was ok. his only response was, "disgusting." if he says it's disgusting, then you know it must be pretty bad hah.
the game ended up a 1-1 tie, which was probably good we didn't beat the police to keep them in our good graces.
the rest of the event went on, even with the rains. we had a big tent set up, so whenever the rains started, everyone just huddled under the tents to stay dry. at times though it got pretty chaotic bc so many people were pushing and trying to escape the rain. i somehow got put in charge of "cloud control" (crowd control), and let me tell you, this cloud was out of control.
also, it was very difficult to control the cloud during the futbol match. the area we were set up in was limited, so the tent with the music was right on the sidelines of the futbol field. kids were constantly running onto the field to play and dance and i constantly had to keep pulling them back. it was funny, if i asked them to move back, they looked at me like i was speaking a foreign language. but if i drew a line in the dirt and told them not to cross it, they immediately got it. that made things a bit easier.
as the game was going on, a little 3 year old girl ran onto the field and almost got bulldozed by one of the players. luckily, the player somewhat dodged her as i grabbed her arm and ripped her off the field. i seriously thought she was going to get run over though.
even with the rains and tough cloud control, the event went really well! we had drama groups come and perform, a couple really big zambian artists come perform, the futbol match, and hiv testing set up for the local community.
at the end of the event, when it was time to take down all the tents and dissemble everything, of course it started pouring down rain again. but, we were so ready to be done for the day, that a group of us just sucked it up and got soaked. it was kinda fun. in the end it turned into a big wrestling, mud fight. easy to do since the field now looked like a lake by this point....just with trash floating everywhere.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
erection year
some more fun zambian words where they switch the l's and r's.....
all of these are actual signs or quotes from people or the media...
cow manual for sale -- cow manure for sale
block suppriers -- block suppliers
"it's an erection year" -- it's an election year
"women need to be on top of this erection" -- women need to be on top of this election (hehe)
we are taking applications for new coaches right now. here are some misspellings from the application forms....
dairy life -- daily life
cloud control -- crowd control (gotta watch out for those clouds....they can be dangerous)
royal to all activities -- loyal to all activities
i can shit to be flexible-- i can shift to be flexible (hahha....both might work)
privirege -- privilege
all of these are actual signs or quotes from people or the media...
cow manual for sale -- cow manure for sale
block suppriers -- block suppliers
"it's an erection year" -- it's an election year
"women need to be on top of this erection" -- women need to be on top of this election (hehe)
we are taking applications for new coaches right now. here are some misspellings from the application forms....
dairy life -- daily life
cloud control -- crowd control (gotta watch out for those clouds....they can be dangerous)
royal to all activities -- loyal to all activities
i can shit to be flexible-- i can shift to be flexible (hahha....both might work)
privirege -- privilege
Monday, February 14, 2011
testing and stigma
i like to get tested at our events every couple months. i do it to be reminded of how the process feels, set an example for the kids and other staff/volunteers, and because it is a good life habit to get myself into.
so, i got tested this past saturday at our graduation event. in the past, i've always gotten tested by our main testing partner, tiny tim and friends. i know most of the testers and counselors for them, so they do it very informally. do my finger prick, and then we just sit chatting about random stuff while waiting for the results.
this past saturday, however, i got tested through another one of our testing partners, cidrz, which is more of a government run testing organization. they have different testing counselors come each time to our events, so i haven't gotten to know them and they don't know me. because of this, it was a very different testing experience than in the past because they treated me like any other random person getting tested.
it was very insightful to go through the formal testing experience. the testing counselor sat me down, and before doing the testing, we had a 10 minute conversation/lecture about hiv and aids. she asked me basic questions about hiv and aids to see how much i knew. talked to me about how the test works, how to keep myself safe from contracting hiv, what happens if i test positive, how to get support, treatment, and live a healthy life if i test positive, etc. it was fairly thorough, and the testing counselor was very educated about the topic which was reassuring.
the receiving of the test results were a little weird. when the result appeared on the piece of paper, she threw it into the hazard bin without saying anything, wrote down my result on the piece of paper, folded it up, and handed it to me. she told me i had to read it out loud to make sure i accepted whatever my status may be. i can understand why it is important, especially if you test positive, to read the result aloud and fully understand its implications. but it seemed a bit odd as i was going through it.
i remember mentioning this in a blog post after the first time i got tested, but it is crazy how nervous i get when getting tested even though i really have no need to be worried. i can't imagine how scary of a process it has to be if i thought there was the possibility i was going to test positive. i can very easily understand why so many people are scared to get tested, which is something we are constantly struggling with at grassroot soccer. also, many zambians are not fully educated about hiv and aids, and they don't realize you can get treated through taking arv's and live a normal, healthy life even if you hiv positive. many think once you get infected, your life is over for the most part, so they would rather not know their status.
also, there is so much stigma in zambia associated with hiv and aids and getting tested, which is a main problem we struggle with. people are nervous even going into clinics to get tested because they are afraid people they know will see them going into the clinics; and when you are seen going into the clinic to get tested, it is many times assumed by others that you are hiv positive and/or you are sleeping around which is why you are needing to get tested. there is also a lot of stigma around hiv positive people: that they are sinners, sleep around, are being punished, that you can catch the virus just by hanging around them or touching them, etc.
this stigma is the reason so many zambians don't get tested. they would rather not know their status, so they can at least pretend to go on living a normal life and no one will judge them or treat them differently. they would rather die from aids than deal with the stigma and ridicule they would potentially face if they tested positive, even though they could get treatment to make them live a much longer life. it is such a crazy way of thinking and viewing life.
the main reasons for the spread of hiv in zambia are: 1) multiple concurrent partners. many zambian men aren't faithful in their relationships, sleep around, and infect other women 2) younger girls dating older men (sugar daddies). they date older men for the financial stability and because the men buy them presents, etc. however, it is a problem because these older men have many times had lots of sexual partners, and they infect the younger girls.
until these behaviors change, hiv and aids won't stop spreading in zambia. it is difficult, though, because it is part of their culture, which isn't something you can easily change. these are some of the main ideas we focus on through our grs skillz curriculum.
so, i got tested this past saturday at our graduation event. in the past, i've always gotten tested by our main testing partner, tiny tim and friends. i know most of the testers and counselors for them, so they do it very informally. do my finger prick, and then we just sit chatting about random stuff while waiting for the results.
this past saturday, however, i got tested through another one of our testing partners, cidrz, which is more of a government run testing organization. they have different testing counselors come each time to our events, so i haven't gotten to know them and they don't know me. because of this, it was a very different testing experience than in the past because they treated me like any other random person getting tested.
it was very insightful to go through the formal testing experience. the testing counselor sat me down, and before doing the testing, we had a 10 minute conversation/lecture about hiv and aids. she asked me basic questions about hiv and aids to see how much i knew. talked to me about how the test works, how to keep myself safe from contracting hiv, what happens if i test positive, how to get support, treatment, and live a healthy life if i test positive, etc. it was fairly thorough, and the testing counselor was very educated about the topic which was reassuring.
the receiving of the test results were a little weird. when the result appeared on the piece of paper, she threw it into the hazard bin without saying anything, wrote down my result on the piece of paper, folded it up, and handed it to me. she told me i had to read it out loud to make sure i accepted whatever my status may be. i can understand why it is important, especially if you test positive, to read the result aloud and fully understand its implications. but it seemed a bit odd as i was going through it.
i remember mentioning this in a blog post after the first time i got tested, but it is crazy how nervous i get when getting tested even though i really have no need to be worried. i can't imagine how scary of a process it has to be if i thought there was the possibility i was going to test positive. i can very easily understand why so many people are scared to get tested, which is something we are constantly struggling with at grassroot soccer. also, many zambians are not fully educated about hiv and aids, and they don't realize you can get treated through taking arv's and live a normal, healthy life even if you hiv positive. many think once you get infected, your life is over for the most part, so they would rather not know their status.
also, there is so much stigma in zambia associated with hiv and aids and getting tested, which is a main problem we struggle with. people are nervous even going into clinics to get tested because they are afraid people they know will see them going into the clinics; and when you are seen going into the clinic to get tested, it is many times assumed by others that you are hiv positive and/or you are sleeping around which is why you are needing to get tested. there is also a lot of stigma around hiv positive people: that they are sinners, sleep around, are being punished, that you can catch the virus just by hanging around them or touching them, etc.
this stigma is the reason so many zambians don't get tested. they would rather not know their status, so they can at least pretend to go on living a normal life and no one will judge them or treat them differently. they would rather die from aids than deal with the stigma and ridicule they would potentially face if they tested positive, even though they could get treatment to make them live a much longer life. it is such a crazy way of thinking and viewing life.
the main reasons for the spread of hiv in zambia are: 1) multiple concurrent partners. many zambian men aren't faithful in their relationships, sleep around, and infect other women 2) younger girls dating older men (sugar daddies). they date older men for the financial stability and because the men buy them presents, etc. however, it is a problem because these older men have many times had lots of sexual partners, and they infect the younger girls.
until these behaviors change, hiv and aids won't stop spreading in zambia. it is difficult, though, because it is part of their culture, which isn't something you can easily change. these are some of the main ideas we focus on through our grs skillz curriculum.
Friday, February 11, 2011
csv's
things have been a bit slower at work recently because it is the rainy season so we haven't been able to most events. but things are starting to pick up this weekend; we're having 2 graduations on saturday, each graduating around 300 kids.
i've been getting in the field more the past few weeks, which is always nice to get out of the office. we are doing csv's (coach support visits), where we go watch the coaches lead the interventions/practices and evaluate them. they are fun, though, because we get to participate in the activities and hang out with the coaches and kids.
we are also working in a bunch of new compounds (the densely populated residential areas), so it is nice to get to do some more exploring of lusaka. our poor cars are taking a serious beating driving so much through all the compounds with ridiculous potholes that have gotten worse from the rains. i think a couple of the cars might die soon.....that'll be a fun day. hopefully it happens when we're 45 min away from the office in a random compound haha.
also, other exciting news. not sure if anyone follows premier league soccer, but bacary sagna from arsenal just signed as an ambassador for grassroot soccer! really exciting! hoping he might come visit in march for one of our big events. fingers crossed. (http://www.grassrootsoccer.org/2011/01/31/bacary-sagna-inspires-millions-as-a-grassroot-soccer-ambassador/)
i've been getting in the field more the past few weeks, which is always nice to get out of the office. we are doing csv's (coach support visits), where we go watch the coaches lead the interventions/practices and evaluate them. they are fun, though, because we get to participate in the activities and hang out with the coaches and kids.
we are also working in a bunch of new compounds (the densely populated residential areas), so it is nice to get to do some more exploring of lusaka. our poor cars are taking a serious beating driving so much through all the compounds with ridiculous potholes that have gotten worse from the rains. i think a couple of the cars might die soon.....that'll be a fun day. hopefully it happens when we're 45 min away from the office in a random compound haha.
also, other exciting news. not sure if anyone follows premier league soccer, but bacary sagna from arsenal just signed as an ambassador for grassroot soccer! really exciting! hoping he might come visit in march for one of our big events. fingers crossed. (http://www.grassrootsoccer.org/2011/01/31/bacary-sagna-inspires-millions-as-a-grassroot-soccer-ambassador/)
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
and we're back....
i haven't written in a while due to being on holiday.
holiday was good....i climbed mt. kilimanjaro in tanzania (the highest mountain in africa) with my friend from home, laura henson. it was really hard (and kinda miserable haha), but we made it to the summit and got to see a beautiful sunrise come through the clouds with the mountains in the background. pretty surreal. and definitely a personal accomplishment for me to make it to the summit (i'm not so much of the "hiker" type....never really done any hiking in my life actually ha). laura had the pleasure of listening to me complain throughout the summit hike. lucky her. i won't go into detail on the whole trip, but if you want to hear more about it, feel free to email me (mbuckley@grassrootsoccer.org).
i also wanted to report on our end of the year numbers!
* from june-dec, we graduated just shy of 6,000 kids from our grs skillz curriculum
* from june-dec, we tested 8,212 people for hiv
these numbers are awesome for us, and shows that grs zambia is growing and heading in the right direction. pretty exciting!
holiday was good....i climbed mt. kilimanjaro in tanzania (the highest mountain in africa) with my friend from home, laura henson. it was really hard (and kinda miserable haha), but we made it to the summit and got to see a beautiful sunrise come through the clouds with the mountains in the background. pretty surreal. and definitely a personal accomplishment for me to make it to the summit (i'm not so much of the "hiker" type....never really done any hiking in my life actually ha). laura had the pleasure of listening to me complain throughout the summit hike. lucky her. i won't go into detail on the whole trip, but if you want to hear more about it, feel free to email me (mbuckley@grassrootsoccer.org).
i also wanted to report on our end of the year numbers!
* from june-dec, we graduated just shy of 6,000 kids from our grs skillz curriculum
* from june-dec, we tested 8,212 people for hiv
these numbers are awesome for us, and shows that grs zambia is growing and heading in the right direction. pretty exciting!
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