Another note about transport. Sometimes it is amazingly redeeming. I have definitely ridden part way out of Lusaka on some strangers lap in an jammed packed minibus-grateful to be going. Getting any transport home when you think you won't is amazing. And riding in the back of a flatbed truck at dusk down my beautiful dirt road is one of my favorite things. The other day I had a really good conversation with my seatmate on the way to the village. We talked about black people and white people, HIV, development... I told him we don't have malaria in the US- which was a surprise. It was raining, the road was muddy and slippery and eventually I was the only passenger left. I asked the driver if he stayed in Lwimba or past and he said he stayed back at a past turnoff.

Keli: So I am the only one?
Driver: Yes. (fishtailing in the mud)
Keli: Oh sorry sorry.
Driver: But how would you manage in this? To walk? No.

So it doesn't ALWAYS steal my soul. It was nearly dark when we reached the market, my bag was wet, it was raining and the road was so muddy I lost my flip flop several times. But it was so nice to be home, walking past the taverns- the swarming laughter, chatter and reggae music competing with the pulsing cicadas.

Garbanzo was also happy that I was home. I could tell because if I was not in motion he was sitting somewhere on my person.
Garbanzo is often very muddy.
Now no place will ever feel like home unless there is a muddy cat sitting on my neck surreptitiously licking my face.

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The thing about haphazard gardening is that is doesn't actually work that well. I may have transplanted some weeds so that they may have more room to flourish...

The story of Zanzibar will be told via photos.
Merry Christmas.

I lost the month of December

I had two training meetings scheduled in December which were to be my two shining days of productivity this month. I have now missed them both. It took us 4 days to get home from Tanzania. Our 24 hour bus turned out to be lie. We left it in Tanzania and were not entirely lucky with our hitches home. I need to get home so I can recover from my vacation. As it turns out vacationing in Africa isn't much of a vacation because you are still in Africa. I was looking forward to going to Zanzibar with my sister- which was fun and wonderful - but certainly not a break from interactions loaded with history and socio-political context, or just plain old swindling. Zanzibar is in someways worse because of the tourism.

My sister asked if it ever got frustrating to have things not work - not having electricity, or toilets, systems not working etc. Peeing in a hole is perhaps the easiest part of my life. When things don't work because there isn't money, infrastructure, resources, etc. It is tiring but you can get use to it. When things don't work because someone is a crook or a jerk, or drunk-That is irritating.

Come January I am never leaving my village. Because as Jacob has discovered, my nsaka is the most relaxing place in all of Zambia. And because transport steals my soul.