Welcome back dear readers, and my apologies for the delay. I left the pleasant, sun-soaked environs of Zambia for the brutal cold of Upper Michigan, leaving Lusaka on the 10th and arriving as the world turned in Kinross by the afternoon of the 11th. Since then, I drove from the Eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan through Wisconsin, seeing friends, giving a seminar on Zambia to admittedly bamboozled Soil Science grad students, then through Chicago nearly killing myself and others when a brake line gave out on US-12, then off to my sister and bro-in-law's place in South Bend, Indiana. By the 22nd of last month, I turned the Ranger east and drove 622 miles to ... Washington, D.C. Yes; the center of the world, as Mongu once was, Lusaka, etc. Specifically, to Takoma Park where my partner found us what is known as an "English Basement". After our run of cold weather and a light dusting of snow, I was curious as to whether that moniker referred to either the heating system or utter lack of insulation, but I'll let that one go ... imagine this place will be an oasis when Washington's infamous muggy summer gets going.
Being here is something of a trip; there are no Faidherbia albida, no Julbernardia, no Brachystegia; relatively few off-shaped decurrent trees whatsoever, more of the Acer, Querus, Pinus, varieties. Far more cars, though better-organized traffic than Lusaka. More Mexican restaurants (yay, but expected) and quite a number of Ethiopian (yay, unexpected). Convenience and 'right now' seem to be the order of the day; it's hard for me to hear people complain about Washington's light rail system, the Metro; to me it is a shining example of organization and efficiency. I am blown away that I can get on the red line (a five minute walk from my doorstep) and in less than an hour get anywhere in the city (and relative to Chicago's El[evated] train, without the pitching and yawing I would expect). I am learning that the District is spatially very much a small city, albeit one with both the visible trappings of power (the Romanesque buildings, the politicians, the relative cleanliness). With a bike, one might circumnavigate the District in a half-day or so; though with a car this same activity could be a lesson in frustration, as the surrounding suburbs of the greater "DC Metropolitan area" in Maryland and northern Virginia contribute a staggering amount of traffic to the region; we were on 495 on Sunday, typically considered an easy day for driving, and there was still stupendous traffic.
I'll contribute more later, but except for a bout with a nasty head cold, I've been trying to stay busy with meetings (e.g., USAID F2F discussions, ICT4D, Africa Restoration Project, etc., etc.), applying for jobs (both part-time and full-time), and volunteering with Casey Trees. Trying to stay out in with people, meet new people, and stay fresh with agriculture, both the local urban scene and with stuff back in Africa.
And making cornbread:
And photographing magnolia trees:
