June 2011; Serenje to Chaminuka

Peace Corps turned fifty years old this year. To mark the occasion, volunteers in Central province organized a country-wide celebration for volunteers and representatives from the organizations that we work with. Administration had concerns about having the event in Lusaka so we decided to invite them to Serenje instead. We set up exhibits to display several aspects of volunteer work and life in Zambia as well as a volunteer art exhibit and Peace Corps trivia game. I helped set up the Appropriate Technology booth and performed a little music with my friend Max (who coincidentally is also from right outside Charlottesville, Virginia). The event was such a success that Peace Corps staff decided that they did want a celebration for volunteers in Lusaka after all as well as small provincial celebrations. A few volunteers in our province got this table built and detailed as a 50th birthday present to Peace Corps.

I had my Close of Service (COS) conference this month. Peace Corps Zambia holds this meeting at a wonderful resort right outside of Lusaka called Chaminuka. All members of my original intake group were called together one last time to talk about our time in Zambia and begin to prepare for the next step. Our number had dwindled since July 2009 and emotions were high for those of us left standing. It was great to be able to see everyone and enjoy good food and drink after we had each had such vivid experiences. Peace Corps sprung for the full package with all meals, game drives, and activities accounted for. We all enjoyed the cheese cave (not an actual cave made of cheese, what a misnomer) after being deprived of artisan cheeses for so long. We also proved that "bottomless wine" does not apply to twenty some thirsty volunteers. The proprietors claimed that they had run out but I still have doubts that this was true.

B and I took advantage of a morning game drive to check out the small private park managed by Chaminuka. We saw wildebeest, hartebeest, hyenas, lions, and giraffes. We spotted a giraffe family getting breakfast at a nearby acacia tree and they were amicable enough to allow us to pose. We kept our distance given the presence of the calf and our desire to not piss off the tallest of all extant land mammals. It was strange to realize how fast the past two years have gone. The feeling of attained momentum in the programs and projects had finally come to us all and now we were being asked to apply the brakes. Accomplishment, sorrow, pride, and fond sentiment cannot begin to sum up what we felt those three days at Chaminuka. Heading back to our villages for the last time struck a chord with us all, it was time to move on and the time had come all too early.

This lion was behind a chain link fence. This was a good thing as he did not take kindly to Bosco's taunts regarding the NBA playoff games. We were concerned about the structural integrity of the fence and decided not to further press the lion on favored basketball teams.