Mwalileni Ichimishimishi Bonse Mukwai! (Merry Christmas everyone!) With Christmas only 2 weeks away, it couldn’t feel less like the holiday season here- steamy, tropical weather; no Christmas carols, trees full of ornaments, or Santa Clauses. It would be so wonderful to see some Christmas lights or to simply smell cookies baking in the oven! But, I am not complaining… A little naked boy walked up to me and offered me a mango a few days ago- That beats the traditional candy cane any day! J

 

In the past few weeks I’ve planted all sorts of flowers that have been sent to me from the States. None of them have sprouted yet, but I have the seed packets staked to the flower beds to mark where I’ve planted what… I’ve been amazed at how many villagers like to look at the bluebonnet packets. Several have commented that the bluebonnets are their favorites, and they hope they grow well. A little piece of Texas here in the village- If nothing else, at least that will be my legacy!

 

Also, I forgot to mention in my last letter that since moving to the village of Safwa, I’ve experienced a significant reduction in the number of pests in my house. At my last place, I was bombarded by termites (crawling up the walls, dropping from the ceiling and into my hair…). There was also a serious roach problem, not to mention wall spiders, ticks, wasps, and the occasional rat or bat. Here in Safwa, however, I have only seen a few ticks and some little caterpillar/worm things that I think are falling from the ceiling when it rains… Not a bad trade-off if you ask me!

 

I only have a few stories to pass along to you this time, but after the novella I wrote last month, I’m sure you’re all relieved. J Enjoy…

 

The King Cobra

 

One afternoon I was sitting in front of my house chatting with my neighbor Patrick when a villager approached, wielding a freshly killed King Cobra snake! The snake was pierced through the head with a spear, which the villager carried over his shoulder like a baseball bat. We asked him to come closer so I could look at the snake and take some photos… It was beautiful and majestic! It had deep black skin and a shiny silver belly. When the man held it up to show off the length, it was as tall as him- so, I’d say it was close to 6 feet long. At its mid-section the cobra was as thick as my arm!

 

Patrick held up the head to show me where the skin fans out when it is about to strike- I had been questioning whether it was actually a King Cobra because I didn’t know they could get so big… Yep, it was a cobra alright. J It’s really an amazing creature. I tried to imagine how it would feel to confront a living snake like this… I would probably hyperventilate, black out, or simply die directly on the spot. That’s how absolutely terrifying I think this cobra would be- and that’s coming from someone who doesn’t have a particular fear of snakes.

 

The villager said that he killed the snake while he was out in the bush. I tried to be funny: “Good! So you didn’t find him behind my bathing shelter?” I got a couple blank looks. Patrick at least smiled at me. J And that, my friends, was my first and hopefully my last close-up encounter with an African King Cobra.

 

Beware of Crocodiles

 

The same day as the cobra sighting, I was chatting with my other neighbor, Friday. He made a point to warn me that I should be extra-careful when going down to the river because a crocodile is there during the rainy season. Several villagers had apparently mentioned to him that I sit too close to the water for comfort and that he needed to warn me about the crocodile threat.

 

“Even the children are not allowed near the water during the rainy season… The croc has even eaten a goat that was at the river to drink water.” He always talks as if there is only one croc that comes to this area year after year looking for food. He estimated that to be safe, I should stay about 10 meters from the edge of the water at all times. “And do not put your feet in the water,” he added.

 

I asked about all of the women who go down to the river everyday to wash their clothes and dishes. What do they do? “They are just very careful. They know the croc is there.” So, although I really hope to see a croc at some point, I don’t want that to be the last thing I see, so I’m thankful for the warning. J

 

Lost

 

Although the series “Lost” is one of my favorite TV shows (I am one of many volunteers anxiously awaiting the arrival of the next season), actually becoming lost in the bush is one of my greatest fears here. Wandering through the wild, fighting off mosquitoes and the sun, eventually running out of water, energy, motivation to survive… Just to be discovered centuries later by archeologists, puzzled at how the Bemba tribe produced a white girl.

 

Well, the following is an excerpt from my journal, detailing how I recently found myself in unknown territory. From December 8, 2006:

 

“… A few days ago I was on my way to Nduta village, which I haven’t traveled to in about 2 months (possibly more), when I became temporarily lost. About 5K off the tarmac, the bush path forks in 2. I couldn’t remember if I was supposed to keep left or keep right… My gut feeling was to go right, so I did. I couldn’t tell if the path looked familiar because I had only come this way during the dry season, and now that the rains have begun, everything is full, lush, and green… Plants overflow the path in some areas- Everything looks different. Nduta village is just past some railway tracks, but when I arrived at the tracks, the path did not continue over and into the village. As I was turning around to go back to the fork in the road, I noticed a path to my left that followed the tracks. I’ll jut take this and I’m sure it connects me to where I’m supposed to be- I thought.

 

So I biked alongside the tracks for a kilometer or two, when the path suddenly ended and there was absolutely nowhere to go, unless I wanted to visit a random villager at his house. So, I backtracked all the way back to the fork in the road. It was hot and I was already a sweaty mess. I then took the left path, but almost immediately I knew this was the wrong way. I biked through a small clearing (I’d never seen a clearing like that before) and then found myself atop a small hill… As far as I could see there was thick bush full of bright green trees. The clouds were casting big shadows that were rolling across the landscape… It was stunning. Absolutely breath-taking. I knew I was lost at this point, but I didn’t care. It was worth it just to get a glimpse of what the world must have looked like before we took over. I dug through my bag to find my camera and take a few photos- They don’t do the experience any justice. I also found in my bag a note that said to keep right at the fork in the road. I knew it!

 

So, again, I turned around, went to the fork in the road and took the right path for the 2^nd time. When I came to the dead end at the railway, I this time noticed a small bush path leading to my right (I hadn’t even thought to look to the right earlier because it seemed that my only other option was in the other direction). I took the path to my right and not even 100 meters later, I was at the point of the railway tracks where you cross over and into the village. I had been so close!! From the tracks, I looked back and could see the path that I used to take in the past- completely covered with overgrowth. The new path was only an ever-so-slight deviation, but it was still enough to have me confused and traipsing around the bush for an hour!” J

 

…Looking back on that day, I am so thankful to have had the experience of losing my way. It was all more than worth it to have had just that moment of appreciating the view, creating, God, my time here in Africa- my time in the world, period. What a wonderfully satisfying experience!

 

A Lesson in History & Witchcraft

 

This past week was “Child Health Week” here in Zambia, meaning that local clinics throughout the country would visit the rural villages in their areas to perform Under 5 clinics and administer vaccinations, vitamin supplements, etc. The day that the CHW clinic came to Safwa, I assisted the nurse, and when it was all over I kept him company while he was waiting for his ride to arrive.

 

We walked down to the river, and at the sight of the rocks where I like to sit, he asked if I knew the history of this place… According to the nurse, the Nguni people used to occupy this land. Then the Bembas came and decided to drive them out. They kept pushing them south along the Chambeshi River until they came to Safwa. It was the dry season, and the Nguni people found that they could easily cross the river on foot at these rapids, where the rocks were highly exposed. I’m still not sure exactly what the word Safwa means (I had been told a while back that it has something to do with a spirit or spirits of some kind), but the “Safwa Rapids” where the Ngunis crossed to get out of Bembaland is a pretty major historical spot. That’s why this village took on the name of Safwa.

 

Now, when you cross the Chambeshi River you are still very much in Bembaland. So, I asked him where exactly the Ngunis went- I haven’t even heard of an Nguni language in Zambia anyway. He explained that they migrated all the way to Eastern Province and settled there… The Nyanja people (the current inhabitants of most of Eastern province) are actually descendents of the Ngunis. In fact, in deep Nyanjaland you might even be able to find some people who still speak Nguni the way it used to be spoken before it became modern-day Nyanja.

 

The nurse then asked if I’d seen any crocs… And this is where it got really interesting. He said that there was no reason for me to worry because the crocs that attack people aren’t actually crocs at all- They’re witchdoctors. The witchdoctors transform themselves into crocs so they can harm people… He was very serious, and even though I kept questioning how he could really believe in all that, he insisted it was true. “You can call it witchcraft, black magic, Satanism, juju, whatever you want… It is when people let the evil spirits take over.” He went on to say that witchcraft can have no effect on us- white people and health care workers- because we are here to help people. “Killing one of us would be like killing themselves, so it cannot work on us. You don’t need to worry,” he assured me. J

 

“But how do you know it’s black magic and not just a regular croc that was hungry?” I asked. He said that crocs have been killed that would be wearing a bracelet or a necklace- How else can you explain that? That croc must have been a witchdoctor… I let the matter rest at that.

 

Village Bling

 

A few weeks ago, Patrick’s young son Junior was running around in a pair of shorts that were so ripped up and misshapen that they would not stay up, and he was constantly pulling at them to stay around his waist. I went in the house and reappeared with 2 safety pins, which I gave to Patrick, explaining that they were for fixing Junior’s shorts.

 

Well, recently Patrick’s wife stopped by and I noticed that in her left ear was a big safety pin! She was wearing it like an earring!! It was the funniest thing I’ve seen in a long time… But I wonder why she stopped with just the left ear… I gave her a complete set. J

 

That’s all folks! I want to wish everyone a Happy Holidays… I will be relaxing with friends on the beaches of Zanzibar, enjoying a week of vacation days. But to be honest, I’d rather be with my family at Christmas than anywhere else in the world. So… count your blessings, hug your parents, peace on Earth, and all that jazz! Take care.

 

Shalenipo,

Erin

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