Best vacation in my life/Zambia Safari experience

Safari Photo Album here

I just returned from Zambia! It was a vacation without my husband. It does not mean we were fighting. I missed him so much. My husband and I were planing Safari in Zambia with his son from CA. Zambia is the next country from Malawi. The border is just 90 minutes drive from Lilongwe.

BUT! My husband got a very important proposal letter due the end of this month, it was not good time to talk about hippos and elephants at all. We decided to go without him. Poor Jim, he kept working even weekend.

It was my most unforgettable vacation. Because I love animals and I excited every single moment in the bush. The destination was South Luangwa National Park. It took us 5 hours drive included border paper work and a picnic lunch. We stayed at bush camps for 4 nights and a lodge for 2 nights.

I am not a camping person. I was afraid of staying "Bush Camp." BUT! Bush camp tents that harmonize with nature made me so relaxed and healed. Over the hence which made of dried straw, there were elephants and monkeys! How could I stay calm?

We had 4 hours morning safari and 4 hours evening safari. We did walking safaris in the morning starting 6 am. We walked through the dried river which has plenty of water during rain season. August, there was not much water left in the river. It looked like beautiful sandy beach. I loved seeing elephants foot prints on the sand. They were round shape, big ones and small ones.

We were so spoiled. Food! They were unbelievable! They provided excellent food for us. The first night, they set up our dinner table in the dark dried river bank under the stars. That was so beautiful setting and heard animal foot sounds and death cries. Did a leopard kill an impala and a hyena steal it? Our imagination was endless.

Here is one video I taped from inside of my tent over the hence. We called this elephant "Stanley." It was 1m distance between us!

Hey, I am back form Zambia!

It was funny to realize when I came back home, we went to a restaurant for dinner. Driving back to home in the dark, I noticed how my town (Lilongwe) was bright! There were so many lights in the dark like Hong Kong night view like a juery. I was in a completely dark bush for a week. Even Lilongwe (my home) looked so bright for me.

Zambia is the animal kingdom and the only place we could walking safari. We did driving safari with a escort guy who has a rifle all the time and a guide. We stayed in 2 different bush camps for first 4 nights. I was little afraid to stay in "CAMP" but it was not camping camping type of accomodation. It was unbelivavly designed

A biggest paper bag ever

91 cm x 45 cm! Have you every seen this big paper bag?

A small child could be in it.

I bought a straw bag today. The store put it in this huge paper bag and a guy carried it to my car!

I was looking for a paper bag like this but I could not find any in this country. I want to use this paper as a wrapping paper for overseas package.

It will be perfect!

By the way, this is the first time I bought a personal staff like a bag, cloths, shoes, etc. in this country other than second hand.

Ah, shopping makes me happy!

もと隊員

マラウイで生活して８ヶ月目に入っている。　１日１４〜１５時間も働いてヘロヘロになっている主人に申し訳ないほどだが、ここ、マラウイ生活は結構楽しい！　日本人が多いこともその要因の１つに違いない。　月に１度のアジア婦人の会も半分は日本人だし、洋裁教室も日本人の先生だし、お買い物ツアー（地元のマーケット）なんかも日本人どうしてつるんで行く。　

でも日本人が多いから楽しいぞ！　というのは間違いなんだな。　５０年近くも生きてると、同じ日本人でもグループが見えてくる。　

1. 日本にいる日本人女性
2. アメリカに住んでる日本人女性
3. パリで出会った日本人女性
4. アフリカで出会った日本人女性　

私の中ではこうグループ分けできる。

＃４について述べたい事がある。　アフリカで出会った日本人女性−−−−−ここマラウイで出会った日本人女性、すっごく素敵な人が多いのです。　以前に青年海外協力隊のボランティアをしていた人たちが今は結婚してご主人の仕事で赴任している方が多いようだ。　以前に協力隊のメンバーだった人には『元隊員！』　という形容詞がつくことが多い。　この言葉を聞くたびに私の頭の中ではウルトラマンの中にでてきたかっこいい制服をきた『隊員』の姿が目に浮かんでしまうのだ。　

その元隊員の人たちというのは、皆、専門分野を持っている。　たとえば家庭科の先生だったり、体育の先生だったり、栄養士だったり、看護士だったり・・・・。　皆、プロフェッショナルなのだ！　皆さん今でこそ専業主婦のふりをしているけど、いざ何事か起こりでもしようものならパッとエプロンを投げ捨てて、隊員に早変わりするのではないかと想像してしまうような雰囲気があるのだ。

このプロフェッショナルの人たちは以前に発展途上国に派遣され、２年とか３年とか頑張った経験のある人たちである。国によっては電気や水もないような所に派遣されちゃったりすることもあるはずだ。　

そういう経験を経て、今は専業主婦になってる人たちなのである。　何が違うってフットワークがモタモタしてない！　自立してるのです。　ご主人を頼らない。　人間関係が気持ちいい程スッキリしてる。男っぽいとさえ思える程さっぱりしてる。が、皆、料理が上手だったり、洋裁が上手だったり、器用な人が多い。　

日本以外の場所で出会う日本人にいくつかタイプがあることに気づいた私だけど、アフリカにいる日本人とは良い友達になれそうな気がする。　　

Tomo's Business Card- Animal Series 3

This is the Hedgehog which I played with when I was in Abeche, Chad.

I found it at the yard.

I really like this animal. I know I can find them in Malawi but I have not seen them yet.

Understand visibly

Look at this picture. This is a package used for my prescription drug. As the illustration tells you, anybody can understand the directions for this medication like 4 times a day and 2 pills every time.

I bought another prescription drug and the package showed me the same idea. No words instruction but a simple illustration.

Now I am involved to make a teaching materials for HIV positive mothers. We want to teach them how to prevent HIV transmission from mother to child. It could be about 15 pages flip chart.

I drew a draft images and showed them to my boss (Jim). He was not happy ........because I put some numbers to indicate feeding time like 6 am, 10 am, noon.....etc. He is afraid that someone may not understand the concept of the clock.

He is right!

Here I made my image illustration. I am going to use this for one of the baby's feeding schedule pages.

Actually I really disappointed when he rejected my first draft but instead he gave me this idea like above. I drew his idea from scratch by my illustrator. Ended up turned out beautifully!

Thank you Boss!

49 years ago

I've found an interesting thing.

I was talking about my family.

I knew that my uncle, my mother's younger brother was an Olympic Ice Hockey player.

I knew it but nobody remember what year's Olympic and where it was. (My uncle passed away.)

I googled!

Oh, my god! I found his name on the web. <1960 Squaw Valley Winter Games > He was 24 years old, 166 cm 72 kg. That Olympic took place at California!

Wait! 1960, Jim and his family went to see this Olympic. They stayed at grandpa's lodge at Lake Tahoe.

Jim's dad was a semi- pro ice hockey player from Canada. I am sure he wanted to watch Canadian Ice Hockey games! Canada beat Japan.....(Jim says they could not get the tickets to see the game.)

Wait! Jim's father had a 8 mm video and he taped that winter Olympic. Jim copied that film onto DVD.

We watched that DVD again. Yeah! He taped ice skating and skiing scenes but no indoor sports.

I can see baby Jim, 3.5 years old with his family in this video. They were in the Olympic stadium.

Wow! My uncle and Jim's family were in a same place 49 years ago.

By the way, that time I was 2 months old baby in Tokyo.

The photo : 1960 Canada vs Japan

Are you hungry?

I could not make up my mind if I upload this photos on my blog.......

This is kind of creepy........

But I dare to share with you.

I took these photos from inside of our vehicle. When we pulled over the car and opened the window, boys who holding the mice sticks run up to us.

They just wanted to sell these dried mice. By the way, these are eatables!

There were asking money desparately, "Give me money! give me money!" I almost panicked because they pushed the sticks toward me.

"OK, OK! I pay you but I don't need the sticks." I just wanted to take picture. I could not focus my camera. That's OK!

I took several shots but I forgot to ask them how much one stick was. We got out of there quickly!

I showed these picture to my new housekeeper. She says her family don't eat this mice because they have enough food to eat.

(Glad to hear that!)

Some Malawian eat these mice.

I know Japanese eat jellyfish, seaweed, sea cucumber.......though.

Orphans

I had been lacked energy for a long time but now I am back! I could say that because I came through 4 nights 5 days business trip with Jim. We visited 12 orphanages around Blantyre area and dropped off tons of Vita Meal packages.

It is not easy to determine who are the most needy vulnerable people to get vita meal and how we could bring it to them continuously. So, this trip is a kind of assessment for a new distribution system. We rent a 10 ton truck with a driver and an assistant and Jim and I drove our Land Rover.

We saw the reality of orphanages. This country's government does not help orphanages at all because of too much cost. The orphanages are assisted by the oversees charities. Some of them are big which called "village" and they have homes, preschools, primary schools, secondary schools, clinics, farms, etc. etc. in the village. ( not all of them) Loving staffs taking care of children were highly impressive for me. The other hand, they told us several heartrending stories happened to vulnerable kids. The boy surrounded by a crowd of children, about 2 years old, was found crying near an airport 2 days ago. The police took him to this village home. He was not crying any more but still could not talk.

The other baby girl sleeping in a baby bed had rope marks on her neck. It told us the brutal days she got before.

One of the twin sisters I saw her this February, she was sitting on the grass. 　She was being well taken care of by the loving staffs and looked healthy. She went back to her own mother and was neglected. She could not get enough nutrition and died recently. The twin sister was taken back to the home again. (this mother had mental problem .......)

The Madonna’s adoption news is still fresh in our mind. Malawi Court rejected her offer in March but ended up they accepted. (It was just 10 days ago!) We visited the orphanage that took care of the girl. The girl? She had already flown to London by the Madonna's jet.

There are 405,000 kids who lost both parents, plus 600,000 lost one parent by AIDS. About 50 orphanages in this country. We visited just 12 orphanages and saw less than 1,000 orphans.

It means the orphans who are living in these facilities are only a few % and all others are living in villages or towns.

Here are the pictures.

1. The kids living in one of the orphanages.
2. Teenage boys who used be street kids, living in the facility helped unloading vita meals from the truck.
3. The boy left at near an airport 2 days ago. The police still looking for his family.

Socket and socket and socket.....

I can show you how I get power to my laptop. As I mentioned before we have so many power failures in this country. We had 3 times yesterday. If you plugged in your laptop, a blackout may damage the machine when the power comes back because the voltage is not stable. We do need high volt guards for computers.

Electrical sockets (outlets) in Malawi are the "Type G " kind a british style. Our machines don't match the shape of these sockets. We need travel plug adapters in order to plug in. Travel plug adapters simply change the shape but who expected these adapters to adapters situation.

It's kinda puzzle. Oh well.........look, I got 4 of them!

Living room set made of Cane (Rattan)

We finally got a living room set. These kind of cane furniture are very popular in this country. We bought this 3 pieces from a street vendor.

They just piled up the chairs, sofas, tables by the side of a road. I am sure they are covered with dust. Jim says they stay there for a couple of days for sale and move to the next spot. They sleep with those pile of furniture on the road. It is not easy......

We paid 31,000 KM ($220) for 3 pieces with dust! We need to put some burnishing on. We just carried them from the street.

They are generally stable and hard. I am excited to make some cushion for them!

Now I will be able to invite my friends to our flat.

Blackout is a part of African life

Blackout! We are not be surprised. It's a part of African life. It happens 2~4 times a week, normally in the evening around 5:40 pm or early morning sometimes. It takes 2~5 hours to recover.

We had 2 huge generators when we were in Chad because blackouts happened everyday. We had to get used to the generator's roar like subways. We appreciated the generator for our computers, printers, and fans. (Our office did not have AC and the room temperature was 39C plus. ) Sometimes the blackout lasted 24 hours and a week. We had to stop running the generator for avoiding the overheat. We had sweltering dinner in the dark and long hot nights. That was the life in Chad.

Here in Malawi, we don't have a generator in this flat. We have to live in this situation. My husband, Jim created simple movable lights with a long cable．These lights can be operated on electricity stored in a battery which he bought. When I cook dinner I bring it in the kitchen. When we eat dinner, we bring it in the dining room. Such a handy tool! When the power is out, candle lights blink on up and down in the neighbors' rooms but our light is the quickest and brightest! I am very proud of Jim.

Our cooking stove requires electricity. The first month we arrived in this town, we just ate salad for dinner because I could not cook. Now we got a propane tank for blackout cooking. It is just like an indoor BBQ.

I stat preparing dinner around 4 PM because of the unlucky 5:40 pm. I learned some tips. Cook when I can cook and defrost when I can defrost! This is the life in Africa!

My mac and me

I am still struggling with my sore throat which started the end of April. I can't believe it but it comes back again and again. I had been feeling good last 3 days then went to the local market yesterday. My sore throat came back the afternoon now I am really sick again.

Another bad news is that my Macbook is sick too. I am updating this page with my Mac actually but sooner later will stop working. I re-installed the system last week because my Mac could not start up. I tried everything I could do then I re-formatted. BUT! Now my disk utility says "a fatal hardware error....."

It means I can't fix it any more. I have to replace the hard drive. I am shocked.

Good news is that I found a repair shop which my husband brought in his laptop today because of a virus problem. I did not expect but just in case I asked if they work for Mac. "Yes!"

I am going to bring in my Macbook to replace the HD.

I don't know how long does it take because they have to order it for me.

Me sick, and my Mac sick. I will not be able to update my blog for a while..............pray for me guys.

Too bad......

By the way, I will be able to check my e-mail from Jim's laptop. I can even read Japanese !

Finally finally my sore throat has gone!     I feel like lost a lot of my muscle because I almost did not go out for a month.  Now I have plenty of energy to go out.

Now what?   My MacBook got sick.   It stopped working since I had tried to open a PDF file from Japan.   I don't know why but it happened.   I was thinking to take my data back up a couple days ago but I DID NOT.   I have not made it since last October.   Outch!

Fortunately Jim has 2 laptops right now, I borrowed one of them and I did reserch to solve the problem.   I could see the desktop for  5 seconds then the screen went back to the sign in page.    I panicked. 

Day 2, I tried everything I could do following to the Apple web page.   Try this, this, this, then this.   I did a safe boot then I could reach the desk top.    THANK YOU!   I was just flustered to make back up as much as possible.  

Now I need to solve the problem but the problem seemed getting worse and worse.   

I had decided to make re-install the system.   I did it!    

Oh, my god, it stooped at the 2nd disc.   It could not go forward nor go back.   I could not do any thing.  I was at a loss.  

Day 3,  I was just stressed too much and woke up 5 am.  I was at a panic stage.  I forgot to eat breakfast but I started to work on my mac.   I was just afraid I could not use my laptop until December?   I resrched a closest Apple store.  Hmmm, I was pretty sure there was no Apple store in this country.   Kenia? or South Africa?    Did I have to bring in my mac?

I almost gave up to try the troubleshooting actions but I inserted the first disc one more time.   WOW!   It went through!!!!

I could see the choice for the re-installation.   I immediately chose the erase and install option so that I could get plenty of space on my hard drive.    I did same thing hundred times before but  it did not allow me but now I made it!   I did not know why.

Thank you thank you thank you!   I succesfully re- install the system.   I know I probably lost some files photos, musics but 

Reversible Aprons

I bought local pattern fabric and made aprons. These are reversible! I can find very interesting fabric at market. 2 m = 400 Kwacha ($2.8) I am thinking to make more!

A Frog

I found this guy at our balcony.   

Tomo  : "Hey, how did you get here?   You look so white, actually yellow!"

Frog    : "You, too!"

Hamburger or Hamburger Steak?

I have been sick for a month.   I got this sore throat since the end of April.   I went to a clinic 2 times but  anti-biotic medication did not work for my throat.   Desperate Tomo........

My house keeper was drafted by my husband for his work.   I totally agree to his idea because she is very smart!    She is deserved to have a promotion.   Congratulations!

Now, I can see the pile of laundry.   I had tried a couple of times but I got a strained back (gikkuri goshi in Japanese) and made my cough worse.   Because we don't have a washing machine!   We don't have a bathtub either.   We have to do it in the shower room with 2 plastic  washtubs.   This activity makes my body cold and drenched.   I miss American washing machines and dryers.   

My husband took good care of me.  I was too sick to prepare meals sometimes.  

He cooked for me.   Here are the weekend lunch and dinner he made for us.

 "A hamburger for dinner?"  I don't blame you for being surprised if you are a Japanese.  

I thought exactly same feeling when I got married.   I mean 8 years ago.   Japanese people eat hamburger steak (hamburg!)  with steam rice for dinner.  They like to eat  hamburgers (with bun) for lunch, not dinner.   NEVER!  

There is really not much difference between hamburger steak and hamburger.  Only one thing I found that Japanese hamburgers contain onion but American hamburgers are 100% beef almost always!

Me?   I cook hamburger steak for dinner (with steam rice) and I enjoy Jim's burger for lunch or dinner!   "Give me another one, darling!"   Feel like that.

Even I had a bad sore throat, I did not lose my appetite at all.     

I enjoyed Jim's burger and thinking about this topic on the bed.

 I think I am getting better!

The day I lost my voice

I had been struggling to make 6 tapestries for Jim’s new office.  When I finished 4 of them, I got sick. I completely lost my voice.  It was the worst sore throat ever.   I had to stop my project because of fever.
I drove our Land Rover by myself to see a doctor.    It was a first experience to go to a clinic in this country.    Dr. John Jones, I was referred to see him by one of our American friends.

What puzzled me most was that I did not have voice at all.  I barely communicated with the receptionist.  She understood that I wanted to see Dr. Jones.

I was told to wait in the waiting room near the reception.  I was a good patient! Sitting QUIETLY there for a long time. Patients were c

alled one by one in order and disappeared to the next room.

Something wrong? I waited for 90 minutes then the person who came after me called.  ???????? 

Was I skipped?

Ended up I went to the reception but I had no voice.  How could I explain my frustration.I just used my body language and desperately complained that persons after me were called but me, I was waiting too long!  I realized that my intention was so clear to me but people listening to me could hear just air sound from my mouth.

Crazy asian women was complaining badly (m

e!).  She frowned at me but she started checking something.

She found my file!  It was sent t

o the next room without me.  She said that I should have waited in the second waiting room.  Thank you!  My desperate action made little progress.

Finally a doctor called me!  She was obviously not Dr. John Jones but I did not mind.  She looked very nice and understood that I did not have voice and that was why I was there.
She looked at my file and immediately said, “ Hmmm, you have high blood pressure!”    “????????”    I lost my voice.   NO! I had already lost my voice.  HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE?

I looked into my file on her desk. It was my name on it and .......I found that 88KG wight and 180/120 blood pressure on my file.  ????????????
I was upset but I could not explain.   I tried to tell her 

that this was not my records and nobody checked my wight and blood pressure that day.  She double checked with me that it was my file but not my data.

She checked my wight and blood pressure by herself.  Well, my wight was ??Kg and 100/70 blood pressure. Now I got happy face! ; >

But she was wondering who was the 180 high blood pressure woman?  The doctor called all her assistants who were checking pe

rsonal data but nobody knew who was treated under Tomo Campbell’s name.

Well, it was frustrating experience and I learned how hard to communicate without my voice.  I don’t understand my husband English time to time but at least I can say something.

I was quiet for a while. Now I need to catch up.
Are you ready to hear my complaining again, darling? ( just joking. I am always quiet! )  Actually I miss what was my sexy voice though.

Here are the last 2 tapestries I've just finished. 

Feed the Children Inc. Opening Ceremony!

We had a "Feed the Children Inc." official office opening ceremony on May 11.

It took us 4.5 months to start a new NGO from scratch.

 The Feed the Children Vice President for International Program joined us from Oklahoma.   

This office locates 10 minutes from our home and in a 3 stories building containing other NGO offices.   Jim bought a lots of second hand desks and tables for this office and fixed them.   The room looks little dark and depressing.    Jim asked me to make 6 tapestries and curtains which were enough to make me keep busy last 2 weeks.     

More than 10 guests joined us.   They work for ministry or other NGOs.  They are very nice people and we will work together.    

Jim and his boss cut the ribbon.   One of my friends KAORU san, she is a nutritionist and helping Jim's project as a volunteiar  and her busband who works for JAICA joined us, too.  

The beautiful bouquet they brought for us added an extra touch to the ceremony !   

 Jim starts working in this office officially as a country director.  Several people have already stopped by for applying positions.   

Now he needs good staff to work with and make a good team.  

I pray that  "Team Campbell" is getting off the ground and expand in this country!

Me?   I just devote myself as Jim's Cheer Leader and a graphic designer!

Acrylic Paint

Jim and I went to Blantyre again.  

I bought an Acrylic  paint from a street vendor.   The price negotiation started from 5,000 MK ($35.7) and went down to the half ($17.8).

This is a big size paint on a canvas, 124cm x 64 cm size.

This black flame is an image which I made it with my illustrator.  I want to make a tapestry like this since I bought a sewing machine!!!!!!

I want to hung it in my living room.