The Final Post

This is my final post for this blog. I am creating a new blog that correlates to my new life. What do I mean by my new life? I'll explain...

Since completing my Peace Corps service in May 2016, I took some time to learn which direction I wanted to take my life. 

I went to graduate school and earned a master's degree in environmental studies and am building a career in arboriculture. I am an ISA-certified and Connecticut-licensed arborist. My life's work will revolve around trees; hence my new blog title, TREE ME!!. It will contain posts about relationships between trees and other living organisms, from blights to birds to humans. My aim is to offer a learning platform for a broad audience to help break down the complexities of forest ecology into engaging and fun-to-read fact-based story formats. I will announce when my new blog is live here in a couple of weeks. 

I have to add that I am grateful to have experienced living in another country. Joining Peace Corps and living with an indigenous community was one of my life ambitions. I am thankful for the friends I made during my service. They were patient with me as I navigated the intricacies of living in a country full of culture and tradition. I am proud of myself for consistently documenting my experiences in this blog while challenged with an undependable electricity source.

Second Visit to Zambia, January 2022

River Rapids and Impala

I booked my stay at Mutanda Nature Lodge, situated between Solwezi town and my village. I rented a car and planned a visit to my village at the end of my stay. I visited one-on-one with some of my close friends I had worked with during my service. I wanted to get a feel for coming back in the future. My visitors and I sat on the porch of my roomy, one-bedroom lodge accompanied by the sound of the river rapids that border the property. Impala grazed in the tall grass down the hill from my lodge. They are residents, not wild. A fence keeps them within the compound. 

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A much-needed reunion with my host family and counterpart,
Eliack, Brenda, and their children, and Harrison.

Driving to my village.

Mushrooms for sale!

My first stop was Harrison's new carpentry workshop.

 

Woodworking machinery waiting for electricity hook-up to the shop.
All wood products are solely made with hand tools like the door below.

Obligatory visit with Chief Mumena. 

The hut I lived in during my service now has electricity!

Kids!!!

Mumena Women's Ministries

Before my trip to Zambia, I asked for a donation from the Somers Rotary Club for Mumena Women's Ministries. Mumena Women's Ministries is a group of women who pool resources, such as cooking oil, flour, toiletries, and food, to donate to people in need in the village. Orphans, the elderly, and people suffering from illness are the recipients. There is no safety net in Zambia, no food stamps, or social programs. My host mother, Brenda, founded this group. The next step for the group is to register as an NGO. Below is a film clip of me presenting Somers Rotary Club's donation. Thank you, Brenda, for filming. #Zambia #womenNGO