Readers -
Time, as it is wont, got away from me in the hectic pace of the last few weeks in both Senanga and Zambia; hence the lack of posts this past month.
I left Senanga on the 29th of October under less-than-ideal circumstances with regards to the state of my friends' health ... Mooto came up badly ill whilst I was in Lusaka presenting for the celebration of PC's 50th anniversary, something like a stomach flu similar to what I had experienced, though the symptoms were much harder on him. In a strange way, it was a blessing; if he had been well, he would have traveled way out to Sitanga-Manyanga on Food Reserve Agency (FRA) business with Munalula that day. As it turned out, that vehicle (one of the beastly Teutonic 4x4's that ply the deep sands) suffered a steering malfunction whilst returning from from the visit, less than 8km south of town. The vehicle, moving at a relatively high rate of speed, left the road and overturned; one man riding on the back was killed outright from the weight of the 50kg rice bags that buried him. The driver, though outwardly little-damaged, suffered from severe internal injuries and expired less than two days later. Only Munalula made it through, albeit awfully banged up: his head required a number of stitches, he lost most of the skin off his lower left arm, and his hip was wrenched something awful. Doubtless Mr. Munalula's composition of iron bones and leather skin, combined with his being the essence of toughness, allowed him to survive the wreak. To pile on all this, Timothy Malazhi, one of our most dedicated and friendly employees of the cooperative, lost one of his grandchildren on the 28th. For the first time in the year we've come to know each other, his smiling, cheerful mien collapsed; I last saw him staggering towards the clinic, shell-shocked by bereavement.
It was a sobering end to my tenure in Senanga. Other than giving money, and in the case of Munalula my spare cell phone, there was little time to seriously reflect on the events, as I was composing my last set of memos and reports for both SDACSS and Concern, preparing for a job interview with Concern the following week in Lusaka, packing to go, and of course, bidding a tentative farewell to the people I've come to know and befriend. I say "tentative" because should fortune warrant my placement with Concern, we'd be rejoined by Christmas; should it not, then it becomes more of an unknown. However, I was given small gifts from a variety of people; a handcarved pen-holder from the guys in the office, a cane from the employees, and numerous small gifts of food. I threw a quiet party for the SDACSS staff on Friday evening, ordering pizzas from a gifted local baker. The four of us knocked down six relatively tasty pies and talked the night away with stories and laughs. We hugged all around when they departed and I held back the tears as best I could; I really enjoyed working and sharing with each of them [Lingela, Mphonda, and Aka], and felt privileged to have worked with three highly-motivated young men.
There's little else to say for now, or maybe ever. I was in Lusaka for the closing days of October and he opening week of November doing my Close of Service (COS) activities, holding a series of exit interviews with Concern, and having a job interview with Concern for their Conservation Agriculture (CA) coordinator position (for Zambia). I rang out officially on the 4th of November; the next morning, I departed Lusaka for Monze to visit the family I stayed with while conducting my field research in 2009. Had a pleasant visit for two days, then departed for Choma on the 7th to see some PC friends, then the 8th to Livingstone to stay with another PC Response / Zambia RPCV, Bob Wilder. Despite the visceral heat (it reached 110F by 14:00 hrs. both days), we had a wonderful walking tour across the dry lip of Victoria [Mosi-O-Tunya] Falls and swam in the Devil's Pool on the very edge of the precipice. On the 10th, he and I took the big birds home.
And here I am, watching the sun rise over a chilly, clear sky in Gallatin, Tennessee. Some campers I knew from 10 years ago are getting married and I have been figuratively reclining in the company of good friends. There is less of a culture shock in coming home (?) these days; people who know me mostly know what I do, though the why escapes them (and to be perfectly honest me). I revel in being in the States for however long as a means of recharging my batteries, reflecting on what I've done, and looking forward to whatever the next step will be.
I pray that I get the CA job; it is, in a word, the perfect opportunity for me at this stage, a chance to finally put all the past seven years of on-the-ground experience into a role where I have the potential to positively impact thousands of small-scale Zambian farmers. However, if it falls through, I'll find something to do and will eventually return to Zambia. Though I lack the means to articulate my motivation for working in Zambia at the ground level, I know that somehow, it now occupies a central role in my existence. For better or worse, I am inexorably bound to Zambia.
And with that, dear reader, I bid you a fond adieu for now. I'm sorry this blog hasn't been a tad more relevant or frequent; as such, it became less of a means to show and to educate others [yourselves] relative to its value to me as a means of self-reflection.
Lukandalezi (we leave you with thankfulness),
Kelvin Limota
U.S. Peace Corps - Response, Concern Worldwide / SDACSS, Senanga Zambia, 2010-2011
