Good things and bad things seem to come in waves here at Namumu. In an effort to avoid depressing all blog readers and to keep myself from posting various strings of expletives, I’ve actually been putting off writing for a few days due to a number of bad thing waves.
Just to get it out of the way, here’s a brief summary of the last two weeks:
The electric water pump on our bore hole broke down. Again. So, it was back to fetching water from the far away boreholes. Again. Our gardens took a big hit. Again. And for me, it was back to conserving water and cutting down on water usage in any way I could. Let’s just say I can count the number of times I bathed in the last two weeks on one hand…
The Toyota Surf, Namumu’s only working vehicle, broke down. Again. There were major engine problems. As we rely exclusively on the Surf to get to and from the bank daily and to transport our kapenta fishing materials this way and that we were really stuck. We had to keep hiring taxis and trucks to move us around, and man, it got expensive.
The problem generator on one of our kapenta rigs broke down. Again. We’ve had one rig fishing for the entire month, a month where, due to the weather, catches are always very, very high. So we’ve been missing out, danggit.
Things have really turned around in the last couple of days, though.
We installed a new electric water pump and our bore hole is back in action. Our gardens took a hit but will survive. And I’m bathing every day now! Hurray!
The Surf got repaired, so we’re saving on transport costs again. Hurray!
Our generator has been repaired and we’ll be fishing with two boats for the few remaining days in the fishing month. And, despite fishing with only one boat all month and incurring a number of repair and maintenance costs, it looks like we’re still going to turn a small profit this month. Hurray!
So, all that was nice.
In addition, the two younger girls that live next door that are always asking me if they can sweep my house are now always asking if they can wash my clothes. Boo ya!
Yes sir, things are looking up.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
A Tonga Anatomy Lesson and Eye Boogers
I was walking along the dirt road the other day and I ran into this older woman who lives in the village near Namumu. I don’t really know her well because she speaks zero English, but we at least greet each other and have basic Tonga conversations. My Tonga is getting better and so I struck up a little chat. Keep in mind this woman is probably around 60 or 70 years old.
I asked how she was. She said she was fine, but feeling a little sick. I told her that I was sorry and asked what exactly was wrong. I asked if it was her head or her stomach, pointing to each as I said them (most of my conversations like this include a fair amount of sign language).
No, neither one of those, she said. She then proceeded to say a word I’ve never heard and reach down, grabbing her you-know-what right in front of me, telling me how much it’s paining. Wow. TMI. I was nauseated for a good 20 minutes, but hey, at least I learned a new Tonga word.
On a less disgusting note, you know that part in Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” where Tom is whitewashing a fence and he dupes a bunch of kids from the neighborhood into doing it for him by pretending that whitewashing is really great and fun and something that he probably shouldn’t let them do? Well, I’ve pretty much done exactly that and have the two younger girls next door sweeping off my front and back porch every day or so. It’s awesome. It’s like I’m doing them a favor by letting them take the job from me. So, thank you for that insight into human nature, Mart Twain, thank you very much indeed.
Finally, I’m happy to report that the nicknames at Namumu are getting out of control. I’m proud to say I’ve contributed to the nicknames of no fewer than 15 Namumu children. As of right now, my two favorite nicknames for kids are “Mabisi” and “Mabboli”. Both are Tonga. “Mabisi” means spoiled milk. “Mabboli” means eye boogers. Yes, they have a word for eye boogers in Tonga. For those who have been to Namumu and have met some of the children, Lucky is “Mabisi” and Kabuba is “Mabboli”. Needless to say, Lucky and Kabuba are no longer speaking to me.
I asked how she was. She said she was fine, but feeling a little sick. I told her that I was sorry and asked what exactly was wrong. I asked if it was her head or her stomach, pointing to each as I said them (most of my conversations like this include a fair amount of sign language).
No, neither one of those, she said. She then proceeded to say a word I’ve never heard and reach down, grabbing her you-know-what right in front of me, telling me how much it’s paining. Wow. TMI. I was nauseated for a good 20 minutes, but hey, at least I learned a new Tonga word.
On a less disgusting note, you know that part in Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” where Tom is whitewashing a fence and he dupes a bunch of kids from the neighborhood into doing it for him by pretending that whitewashing is really great and fun and something that he probably shouldn’t let them do? Well, I’ve pretty much done exactly that and have the two younger girls next door sweeping off my front and back porch every day or so. It’s awesome. It’s like I’m doing them a favor by letting them take the job from me. So, thank you for that insight into human nature, Mart Twain, thank you very much indeed.
Finally, I’m happy to report that the nicknames at Namumu are getting out of control. I’m proud to say I’ve contributed to the nicknames of no fewer than 15 Namumu children. As of right now, my two favorite nicknames for kids are “Mabisi” and “Mabboli”. Both are Tonga. “Mabisi” means spoiled milk. “Mabboli” means eye boogers. Yes, they have a word for eye boogers in Tonga. For those who have been to Namumu and have met some of the children, Lucky is “Mabisi” and Kabuba is “Mabboli”. Needless to say, Lucky and Kabuba are no longer speaking to me.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Farewell, Ted and Sue
This week Namumu said goodbye to Ted and Sue Wright, two big Namumu supporters, who will soon be flying back home (well, to their other home) in the US. Ted and Sue have been working in Zambia for some time now as Regional Liaisons for the Outreach Foundation. As many reading this blog already know, the Outreach Foundation, based in the US, is one of Namumu’s main supporters.
While it seems like Ted and Sue did about a bajillion things here in Zambia and much of southern Africa, I think their job could be summarized by saying that they facilitated partnerships between organizations and churches in the US and southern Africa.
Among other things, they were a big help in facilitating my stay out here. I don’t think I’d be able to be here doing what I’m doing had it not been for their help.
Ted and Sue, we love you and we’ll miss you.
Please pray that they will have a safe trip back to the US.
While it seems like Ted and Sue did about a bajillion things here in Zambia and much of southern Africa, I think their job could be summarized by saying that they facilitated partnerships between organizations and churches in the US and southern Africa.
Among other things, they were a big help in facilitating my stay out here. I don’t think I’d be able to be here doing what I’m doing had it not been for their help.
Ted and Sue, we love you and we’ll miss you.
Please pray that they will have a safe trip back to the US.
Future Me
Our damaged kapenta boat isn’t back on the water yet, but it will be soon, thanks largely to the help of one man, who I think deserves a blog shout out.
Andy is a nice older gentleman who runs a nearby kapenta fishing company, and nothing I could write in this blog could do justice to how cool this guy really is.
Andy is an old white guy who lives up the lake and has a lot going on. His company has eight kapenta rigs in operation. Like Namumu, he runs a small carpentry operation, too. He has farm land around Siavonga, where he grows maize and sorghum. He raises cows, pigs, goats, chickens, rabbits and pigeons (yes, apparently people buy and eat rabbits and pigeons here). I’m pretty sure that he has other businesses going on that he just hasn’t told me about yet.
Andy has lived in Zambia for most of his life, he says, though I think his family was from the UK. You can tell from his accent, which remains strong. He’s tall, tan and lanky, with a bushy white beard. He always wears really short shorts and a button down shirt with the top four or so buttons undone. Most of the time he’s just hanging around his dock on the lake, fiddling around with something or directing his workers. Basically, he’s what I aspire to be in about 30 or 40 years.
This guy has done unbelievable amounts of work for Namumu for free, including the current repair of our generator. His mechanics have helped us with major repairs no less than five times since I’ve been here. He’s loaned us equipment. He’s given me loads and loads of advice on how the kapenta business works. He’s really bent over backward for Namumu. And he never lets us pay him.
He’s just a nice old man who wants to help our Orphanage. Actually, I think he does this for other fishing camps besides us, too. I think he just likes helping people.
And that’s not all he does. Unemployment is a big problem in Zambia, and I’m pretty sure he’s employing way more people than he really needs just to get some of these local Zambians working.
After encountering more than a few people engaging in shady business practices here in Zambia, I’m glad I met Andy, a guy who, to some degree, has restored my faith in humanity.
If you’re praying today, ask that God will raise up more people like Andy in Siavonga.
Andy is a nice older gentleman who runs a nearby kapenta fishing company, and nothing I could write in this blog could do justice to how cool this guy really is.
Andy is an old white guy who lives up the lake and has a lot going on. His company has eight kapenta rigs in operation. Like Namumu, he runs a small carpentry operation, too. He has farm land around Siavonga, where he grows maize and sorghum. He raises cows, pigs, goats, chickens, rabbits and pigeons (yes, apparently people buy and eat rabbits and pigeons here). I’m pretty sure that he has other businesses going on that he just hasn’t told me about yet.
Andy has lived in Zambia for most of his life, he says, though I think his family was from the UK. You can tell from his accent, which remains strong. He’s tall, tan and lanky, with a bushy white beard. He always wears really short shorts and a button down shirt with the top four or so buttons undone. Most of the time he’s just hanging around his dock on the lake, fiddling around with something or directing his workers. Basically, he’s what I aspire to be in about 30 or 40 years.
This guy has done unbelievable amounts of work for Namumu for free, including the current repair of our generator. His mechanics have helped us with major repairs no less than five times since I’ve been here. He’s loaned us equipment. He’s given me loads and loads of advice on how the kapenta business works. He’s really bent over backward for Namumu. And he never lets us pay him.
He’s just a nice old man who wants to help our Orphanage. Actually, I think he does this for other fishing camps besides us, too. I think he just likes helping people.
And that’s not all he does. Unemployment is a big problem in Zambia, and I’m pretty sure he’s employing way more people than he really needs just to get some of these local Zambians working.
After encountering more than a few people engaging in shady business practices here in Zambia, I’m glad I met Andy, a guy who, to some degree, has restored my faith in humanity.
If you’re praying today, ask that God will raise up more people like Andy in Siavonga.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Fishing Woes x 2
We’ve had a rough go of it with our kapenta boats as of late.
It’s a real shame, too, because things were really looking up. We had a great month of July. Our guys pulled in more than 5,000 kgs of fresh kapenta, more than any of the other crews camped out at Chirundundike. We had total sales of more than K 21,000,000 (around $4,200) and a net profit of more than K 11,000,000 (around $2,200), very good numbers for a small company with only two rigs. Things were going quite well.
Then the winds came.
Over the full moon break, violent winds beat down upon our rig parked at the island, snapping the ropes and hurling the generator into the water. Then, the rig continued to rock. The pontoon smashed the generator, which was lying in the shallow water under the rig, to pieces, puncturing the pontoon in the process. What a bummer.
We jumped on things quickly, retrieving the generator and getting it to a friend of ours in a neighboring fishing camp to repair all he could. We purchased a few new generator parts and are hoping to get it fixed up in the next few days. We shipped Vincent, our welder, off to the island to repair the pontoon. Hopefully we’ll get the boat back in the water and fishing soon.
When I first arrived in Siavonga I was chatting with Gladice Peters, a kind woman who has run a nearby kapenta fishing company with her husband for around 40 years. One of the first pieces of advice she gave me about the kapenta business was to, “buy a lot of headache medicine”.
Now I can see why.
On a lighter note, I spent my entire Sunday afternoon out in the bush with Clivet and another Namumu boy, Stanley, wandering around and exploring the hills, trying to get my mind off our kapenta woes, if only temporarily.
It totally worked.
We managed to find a small stream down in between two giant rock faces, the perfect place to sit around and cool off after a long, hot trek over the hills. We sat around on the rocks beneath a miniature waterfall for some time. The water was about a meter deep in some places and, despite my misgivings, I dove right in. Let me tell you, Chris and JJ, it felt so good that even if amoebas found their way into my body I think it might have been worth it.
We even tried a little spear fishing in the stream. We were unsuccessful, but we made a few improvements to our spears upon returning to Namumu and I feel confident that our next outing will bring success.
Any spear fishing experts out there with any advice for us?
In summary, it was a rough week. Let’s hope we can get our act together here.
It’s a real shame, too, because things were really looking up. We had a great month of July. Our guys pulled in more than 5,000 kgs of fresh kapenta, more than any of the other crews camped out at Chirundundike. We had total sales of more than K 21,000,000 (around $4,200) and a net profit of more than K 11,000,000 (around $2,200), very good numbers for a small company with only two rigs. Things were going quite well.
Then the winds came.
Over the full moon break, violent winds beat down upon our rig parked at the island, snapping the ropes and hurling the generator into the water. Then, the rig continued to rock. The pontoon smashed the generator, which was lying in the shallow water under the rig, to pieces, puncturing the pontoon in the process. What a bummer.
We jumped on things quickly, retrieving the generator and getting it to a friend of ours in a neighboring fishing camp to repair all he could. We purchased a few new generator parts and are hoping to get it fixed up in the next few days. We shipped Vincent, our welder, off to the island to repair the pontoon. Hopefully we’ll get the boat back in the water and fishing soon.
When I first arrived in Siavonga I was chatting with Gladice Peters, a kind woman who has run a nearby kapenta fishing company with her husband for around 40 years. One of the first pieces of advice she gave me about the kapenta business was to, “buy a lot of headache medicine”.
Now I can see why.
On a lighter note, I spent my entire Sunday afternoon out in the bush with Clivet and another Namumu boy, Stanley, wandering around and exploring the hills, trying to get my mind off our kapenta woes, if only temporarily.
It totally worked.
We managed to find a small stream down in between two giant rock faces, the perfect place to sit around and cool off after a long, hot trek over the hills. We sat around on the rocks beneath a miniature waterfall for some time. The water was about a meter deep in some places and, despite my misgivings, I dove right in. Let me tell you, Chris and JJ, it felt so good that even if amoebas found their way into my body I think it might have been worth it.
We even tried a little spear fishing in the stream. We were unsuccessful, but we made a few improvements to our spears upon returning to Namumu and I feel confident that our next outing will bring success.
Any spear fishing experts out there with any advice for us?
In summary, it was a rough week. Let’s hope we can get our act together here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
