Problem Solved

Last November, while I was working for the Bureau of Land Management in Yuma, Arizona, I was driving through the Sonoran Desert with two co-workers, John Hall and Mike Pittman, and we discussed what my living situation in Zambia would be like.  We hit all the topics: food, electricity, showering, transportation, and, of course, the bathroom.


It was this latter issue that caused me to really consider what I was getting myself into and what possible, terrible experiences may arise.  (Don't read anymore if you can't handle real-world situations.  This post is about to elevate to Mike Rowe and Dirty Jobs status)...


Here is the worst situation that we could come up with, and truth be told it is very possible and even likely that it will happen to me.  It is that I get to Zambia and the food disagrees terribly with me.  I have already resided myself to knowing that this will happen.  Of course it will.  It happens every time I go abroad, but here is the kicker.  There isn't an American-style toilet anywhere to be found.  No American Standard.  No Kohler.  Nothing.  Instead... a pit with some artifacts of patrons past.  


Now, if you haven't had the luxury to experience a pit toilet first hand you can create one at home relatively easily.  Put something wet on the toilet seat (this is to avoid sitting on the seat) and hover over it while humming BTO's Taking Care of Business, while taking care of your business, and that's pretty much what you're dealing with.  But don't forget that aim is half the battle, leg strength is the other.  Add in a dash of traveler's diarrhea and you've got a real interesting memory.  Just remember you don't have the bowl of the toilet to catch what you put in motion (if you know what I mean).  The real issue here is exposed legs.  


Luckily, I worked with some intrepid inventors and the three of us resolved this problem.  The solution: a squatting crate that will serve as the bowl and splash guard.  Gross, I know, but it is a necessary piece of equipment.  I thought that was it... problem solved.  But oh no!  My dear friend John and his fiance, Ashley, took it a step further and at my going away party gave me a gift that is worth its weight in gold.  A brand new, light-weight toilet seat for this crate.  I couldn't be happier.  It will be one of the few "luxury" items that I take with me to Zambia.  Again, thanks so much John and Ashley.  It'll be just like home. 

John Hall, Ashley Shepherd, and the Very Useful Toilet Seat

It's All In A Title

When I went to Kenya a little over two years ago I just had a blog.  No title, pretty plain colors, and just some thoughts from me to whoever happened upon the blog.  There wasn't much to it.  But not now.  It is a new year and a new journey to the "Country of Africa" (you would be surprised at how many people think Africa is a country, not a continent made up of 56 sovereign nations).

With that in mind I decided to spruce up the old blog, and I came up with a title that I liked quite a bit - "Tracking Elephants."  It isn't a metaphor.  It isn't even something that I'll probably do.  It just sounded cool to me and here's why:

When I first went to Africa, in 2008, I was on a night safari when we drove up near some elephants, and our guide Mariana had the driver turn off the lights and kill the engine.  Usually this would be as scary as lighting up a cigarette in a meth lab, due to the fact that an elephant is a pretty large animal, and easily capable of crunching one Michigan State undergrad after another under its feet.  But, it was one of the coolest experiences of my life.  There we sat - watching some elephants eating their umpteenth meal of the day, with a clear night sky, a big bright moon lighting these pachyderms, and the Southern Cross looming overhead.  The elephants never even seemed to notice us.  They just ate and when they were done they rambled away.  That was it.  


Maybe we could have followed, but that would have been asking for trouble.  It was just perfect.  It was this memory that I thought of when I came up with the title of "Tracking Elephants."  Maybe if I keep looking around I'll bump into some more elephants.  Though I am sure it wouldn't be the same.  But maybe...

Picture taken in 2008 near Kruger National Park, South Africa

Veins Full of Africa

As my previous post from 2 and 1/2 years ago talks about (hard to believe it has been that long), Africa can sometimes get into people's blood.  Like Malaria, Ebola, and all those other wonderful ailments, Africa gets into some people's system and there it stays.  Sure enough, Raine was right, and I'm heading back to Africa.  This time to a little, landlocked country called Zambia...

Located in Southern Africa this little gem will be my "home" and work site for the next 27 months - beginning in February.  I was accepted into the Peace Corps in October 2011 year and now I am on my way to more Southern latitudes.  While in the Peace Corps I'll be working on different agroforestry projects.  Most of the focus will be working with a community to improve their food security, generate more income, and helping to conserve and improve biodiversity.


A bit about Zambia.  Located in Southern Africa, this country is landlocked and surrounded by seven nations (Namibia, Malawi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Botswana, Tanzania, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Angola).  The capital is a city called Lusaka, which is home to around 1.75 million people.  Broken up into nine provinces, the country is roughly the size of Texas, without the ego.  ("Everything is bigger in Texas."  Nope, the brains are just smaller.)  Only joking.


Back to Zambia.  Once a British colony, called Northern Rhodesia, it is home to some really amazing sights, like Victoria Falls, the Zambezi River, and many world-class National Parks.  The country gained its independence from the British in 1964 and since then it has been on its own.  There are two main seasons in Zambia - rainy and dry.  The rainy season is from November to April, while the dry season is May to October, roughly.


As this is my first post and I don't want to run out of things to type about before I even leave I will call that good for now.