Today marks the second day of our “standfast”. It’s the night before elections and people across Zambia are excited. I’m forbidden from commenting on the elections, so without political connotations, I can say that Zambians get very excited and active when it comes to politics. In such a social and communal society tensions can spike, yet for the most part people discuss, argue, and respect their individual rights to vote. There’s a sense of tension. We’re prohibited from travel as we wait for the news of the election. I could not feel safer in my village with my host family to protect me, and my own wits. I’m not concerned, but that’s not to say there isn’t a healthy fear and precaution.
Still, tomorrow we’ll do some community assessment, some hands-on work with our host families about Wid/Gad (Women in Development and Gender and Development). Then a project identifying problems in the community and solutions … A problem tree and bubble diagram. Pretty fun for sure. I’m still rooting around for pioneering – backwoods engineering, and appropriate technology resources/manuals, but I’ve got plenty of time to figure all that out. In the meantime, lots of technical reading.
Diet is staying pretty much the same. Language is progressing well and I’m seeing improvement in my speaking and understanding. My reading and pronunciation are very good, but my listening and comprehension are lagging. That will come with time. I’m sure. Op. Time to eat! More later! Twalamonana
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