Talking

Maybe because we have less people to talk to, in english anyway, we
seem to talk to ourselves more lately. I overheard Trevor yesterday
saying, what's this in my pocket? It's just my wallet, don't worry
about it.

I will get worried when he starts to argue with himself.

Mail

On a good week, The mail truck comes twice a week. With fuel shortages
this has been disrupted such that the truck has not made it out to
Chadiza in more than a week. I tell myself this increases the chance
we will receive something when it finally comes. Sigh.

Fresh start

Saturday Elias came home with two puppies. At first he tied them up
with wire under the chicken house but luckily seems to have decided
It's better to let them romp around like the puppies they are. They
like pancakes. He says i can name them.

Calling all crocheters

I have met a lady who is a working with women with aids to sell
crochet items so they can support their families. They do beautiful
work but need yarn. I am hoping to get them making animals they can
sell for a good price at the game park near here.

You crafters, if you need to unburden yourself of yarn, patterns
especially animals, or hooks, you stand to gain karma, warm fuzzies
and storage space. Ask at your post office about international prepaid
boxes. They seem the best deal. My address is at left. Thanks in
advance from the ladies of mangwe village.

Bush note

For villagers without cell phones, communication is often by bush
note, delivered by kids. Tuesday i got one from the village where i
work with the literacy group.

Dear lisa, i hope you are fine. Back to me just okey. Sorry my friend
people here have gone to zingalume school for meeting with plan. So we
have received a letter that all members with bees should attend. So
come on thursday. Yours in deep love elizabeth.

Shopping

In the village, we buy oil and cookies at a tuck shop, bananas and
tomatoes at the market, and we wait for the guys to come around on
their bikes with the rest. That's how we bought our reed mat and last
week brooms. I saw a guy the other day with a bike loaded in bamboo
chairs.

Today i was on my way to a meeting when the basket guy rolled up.
After intense negotiating between him and host mom, i bought two big
flat maize baskets and one that would be perfect for a picnic. Grand
total, eight pin. Less than three bucks. Even better, mom says she
told the guy i want to learn to make them. Traditionally It's man work
but she thinks they will teach me since i am a foreigner.

Plastic or plastic

I always laughed at the warnings on plastic bags. Who lets their kid
play with plastic bags?

I think of this because i just saw our cattle boy walk by wearing a
tribal looking headdress fashioned of grocery sacks. Without plastic
bags most zambian kids would have no toys at all. Definitely no soccer
balls. Just now junior is testing a spinny push toy made from wire and
oil cans. Their creativity amazes me.

Puzzling

Trevor says he will never be bored enough for chess or solitare. I am
not bored but lately have gotten into crossword puzzles. I am terrible
at the but find those little boxes maddeningly addictive. Is it
possible that i miss filling in forms? Pseudo thoughtful busywork?
Standardized tests? ,

Boo

If i am turning into my grandmother, tre is boo radley. We fretted
about what to do with junk too good to burn but too junky to give
away. After he broke his childhood compass, he stashed the cracked
shell in the crook of a tree. Within the hour the treasure had
disappeared.

Mother

They say women turn in to their mothers as they age. I think i am
becoming my grandmother. I have her chin and hope to inherit her
longevity. She's 97.

Living in the country and back in time has me obsessing over beets and
yeast rolls. I wish i had learned to pickle and can while grandma was
still cooking. She would laugh about my attempts to learn from a book.

Sand

It is remarkable how much sand you can pick up, simply by dumping a
tub of freshly washed laundry in the sand.

Trevor thought it was funny. We'll see if he is still laughing when he
is shaking grit out of his underwear all week.

God, i miss my washing machine.

Sunday paper

We had the perfect sunday. Long run in the morning, way too much
coffee, trading sections of the new york times. So what if it was a
month old? It is such luxury to revel in that great writing, the
quirky stories. It felt like a vacation, at least in our minds.

First the bad news

The sweet dog we called twinkie got run over saturday. Yes, on a road
that sees maybe ten cars a day. The driver left her sprawled in the
road. It looked like she was sleeping.

Elias says we will get two new dogs. There are plenty to spare. This
time i will not get attached.

Dog

We seem to have no luck with dogs here. Yesterday the sweet girl we
called twinkie got run over. The guy who did it just left her sprawled
in the road. I thought she was sleeping.

Our host dad says we will get two more dogs. There are plenty around
here. Next time i will not get attached.

Right.

Twisted

Today was the most successful language class yet in musalila, a
village up in the hills near here. I held a baby born friday and
taught some ladies right and left, hand and foot by playing twister. I
laughed until i felt kind of queasy. In other news, tre gave up sugar
this morning. After lunch he decided he would feel better if he had a
cookie or three. Seemed to help his general outlook.

Busted

Small dried fishies cost more than big ones. As i established this,
the nearby lady who sells beans told another lady, she isn't going to
eat those. They are for her dog. The other lady asked me, is that
true? I had to admit it. Except It's the dog and cat both. This caused
a mild scandal in the market. I am proud that i can have this
conversation in a language i had never even heard of six months ago.

Gifts

Several people have sent things for our host family. I wish you could
be here to see the joy your gifts bring. But we are learning that gift
giving is complicated here. Anything we give directly to the kids,
aside from sweeties, evaporates into the sand. And jealousy causes
conflict. So we hand gifts over to mom and dad for distribution. I
gave mom a package intended for elizabeth. Mom and the big kids tried
out the jump rope. She folded away the dress for eliz. The sparkle
flip flops took a cinderella trip through the family before finding a
fit with junior, the middle son. He is thrilled to own shoes. Around
dinner he skipped over to ask me to read the label. Fittingly, it is
xhiliration.

Stuff

Our latest round of mail ran the spectrum of contents, from fancy
health food snacks to junk drawer flotsam and leftover holiday gifts.
While we love and admire the folks who shop carefully, the junk
senders are nearest my heart, since That's exactly what i would do.

My parents sent a much needed replacement headlamp. They have also
been sending our mail along with the food we dumped at their house
when we moved. Every box also contains random tea bags and candy from
distant holidays.

Tre's old roommate Kerrie sent a trove of vegetarian delight and
filled the box's air spaces with mini toothpaste tubes to counter the
candy, and take out ketchup packs. I am so impressed. And hoping she
fills up her purse with mild sauce next time she goes to taco bell.

Mail call

For the record, i am grateful i can email from a cell phone in rural
zambia. So what if there is the occasional glitch, like being unable
to access my address book or in any way find contact information, the
important thing is that we got a fat mail haul today and my parents,
john and gennie. Kerrie, and the ultimate mail goddess lea should
watch their mailboxes for love from zambia. I just posted a batch of
letters after the last blitz. We are getting to be pals with the post
guys. They love our old economists and newsweeks. I love their little
green package slips.

Small town

We may as well be in the midwest again. Our host dad bought a small
truck, so sunday afternoon every guy in town stopped by to help him
fix it. A dozen kids watched. When it was finally running, all the
kids piled in back for a ride. I spent many summer afternoons in the
back of a pickup truck. Trevor remembers hanging out with the guys,
listening to cardinals games on a transistor radio. All That's missing
here is budweiser.