Ringo Goes to Africa

Change of Blog...

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 16:41:11 +0000

I'm not in Africa anymore so the blog is different. Go to: www.crotchfester.blogspot.com

SUPRISE!!!

Mon, 05 Mar 2007 15:34:10 +0000

I'm back in the USA!!! I wanted to shock the hell out of my mom and dad, so I tried to keep it a secret as long as possible. If anyone wants to call me, I'm all hooked up and back in the scene... 507-206-1366

Of course you can always email me and I'll let you know what's up aringovine@yahoo.com

Weird to be back, but I missed a lot of people, so I'm happy. :)

Vic Falls & Friends

Wed, 14 Feb 2007 06:59:30 +0000

Hey... I'm in Livingstone with Mathew. We are having our last trip to Zambia's tourism capital just to say goodbye. I had to say goodbye to some good friends. And the Falls. I'll post some pictures soon...

Last Village Visit!!!

Thu, 08 Feb 2007 18:19:50 +0000

Well, tomorrow I am off to visit Mathew for my last time in a Zambian village. I'll try to take lots of pictures and set them up on this thing. Then again, that will require batteries. I'm out.

Some pics...

Mon, 29 Jan 2007 08:23:20 +0000

Well, this one is of me, Olga, and Natalie at Natalie's village in Choma District. She has a realy nice hut, believe it or not!

And this is one of me I took this morning... the latest look. Wow, I look the same as I did after I got over malaria in September. Wow. Anyway, miss you all!

Good books...

Sun, 28 Jan 2007 19:11:44 +0000

Well, almost all of my work here is wrapped-up. I'm getting ready to leave at the beginning of April. I've only got two months left to read every book on the planet. And you know, I think that I might actually be able to do it! Kidding. But I did just read two pretty ok books this week... _The Devil Wears Prada_ and _The Prince of Tides_. Try them out...

Choma... more of the same.

Fri, 19 Jan 2007 10:24:05 +0000

Well, I haven't been to good at this whole blog thing lately. I think it is mostly to do with the fact that my life isn't very interesting! Africa is great right now, rainy season, everything is green and lovely, going away brai tomorrow. Oh, a brai is the Afrikaner term for a barbecue. John, the Peace Corps leader in Choma is leaving to go back to the States. He's been here for almost three years and wants to get on with it.
Amazingly, my two closest friends, Mathew and Erica, are both staying here for a third year. Mathew will be in the capital and Erica will be in the tourism capital, Livingstone. I love Zambia, but I'm on the first plane home as soon as I do my Close of Service.
I'll try to put a couple more photos on the site before I leave. My friend Olga and I went to Natalie's village and spent the night... we did it Zam-style... three to a bed. Horrible sleep and cranky for two days afterward!
I miss you all...

Swakopmund and HAPPY 2007!

Mon, 01 Jan 2007 10:46:35 +0000

I spent New Year's Eve on the beach. The wind was cold and there was a huge bonfire. I had a great time! So far I've just been hanging out in Swakop, but I plan on trying to get on that camel or maybe take a flight over Skeleton Coast if I can afford it. Regardless, swimming in these icy waters is fun and I'm about as sunburned as one can get. All good... I already feel it in my heart that 2007 is going to be my best year ever... I hope you all feel the same way!

Namibia!

Thu, 28 Dec 2006 10:19:14 +0000

Well, my friend Bo and I rolled into Windhoek yesterdat after two days on the road (and on the side of it). We hitch hiked all the way from Choma to Windhoek... across the Namibian border at Katima Mulilo and throught the Caprivi strip. It was awesome. Most of the trip was with Vali, a Namibian truck driver. We went through the tribal lands of the bushmen and saw elephants, jackles, and lots of beautiful birds. So far Namibia is awesome. Windhoek is the cleanest city in Africa (that I've seen anyway). The German influence is strong and interesting. Tomorrow we are off to the coast... hopefully I'll ride a camel.
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!! GET READY FOR A FABULOUS 2007... and those of you in MN will see me in about 3 months!!!

rain and stuff and stuff and there's really not much to report...

Mon, 18 Dec 2006 12:40:44 +0000

It is rainy season. Yesterday was Matimba's birthday party (my goddaughter) and she turned three today. She's cute. Too cute. Wish I had pictures, but it seems that my camera is busted up. I'll have to buy a quick snap SLR for the rest of the time here... every camera I have is busted up. pooh. Things are no longer new and exciting. Oh, I did learn something new about taboo sexual practices in the culture here... but I can't post that on the internet... too too taboo.

rain and stuff and stuff and there's really not much to report...

Mon, 18 Dec 2006 12:39:18 +0000

Comments and other stuff all breaking down...

Wed, 29 Nov 2006 10:54:26 +0000

My favorite jeans finally got consigned to the trash heap. I'm out of Q-tips. I'm sure that my Reef flip flops are on their last legs. All my underwear have holes in them. And the comments on this blog won't show-up anymore. These are but a few of the many things that seem to be going the wrong way or just not my way lately. Of course a lot of things have been going wonderfully and everything is A-O-K here in Choma! Muks and Vena seem to be happy. None of my friends have left PC lately. Next week I go to Lusaka to have a couple nice nights in a safari lodge on PC's dime; we're having our close of service conference. It is the season of rain and termites (yum, seriously). Kids are getting out of school, taking exams, and moving up in the world. Thanksgiving was great. But I'm ready... 22 months and counting down to March.

Given!

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 07:19:56 +0000

Well, it was a great trip up and a great trip there... the only glitch was getting back to Choma. I started out last week making my way up to see Given in Mansa, Luapula Province. I went to the village, tried to help in the field (got blisters after 15 minutes), ate casava meal, and just visited with GIven after a long time. I need it too... my patience for all things PC has been running thin and I needed to be reminded of why I came here and why I've stayed. Given (and my other great friends/experiences) drown out all the bad stuff. It is a good thing that the visit went so well, or me being stuck in Lusaka after a 13 hour bus ride that was supposed to take 8 would have sent me packing. The only big lament I have is that I was trying to make it back to Choma so that I could watch the Vikings beat the Patriots on Monday Night Football (showing at 3:30am here). Don't tell me who won... they rebroadcast at 4pm today!

Insert synonym for hot here...

Wed, 25 Oct 2006 10:46:20 +0000

Yo. I guess because of the rains last year (that's what people say in the villages) or because of global warming or because we're in the Kalahari Arc... I dunno... but it is just so damn hot here! My skin is going to fall off. I spent most of yesterday afternoon in the back of a truck getting to Lusaka. Zambia's football (think like a European here) team won the Castle Cup! Awesome. Should be on their way to something big in SA in 4 years... we hope. Anyway, it is clear to me that you all have forgotten me. Not a comment in months, no letters, no emails, etc. Messed.

Old Guard

Wed, 04 Oct 2006 11:59:06 +0000

Well, the votes are counted, the inaguration was yesterday... the President will remain the same for the next 5 years as it was for the last. The biggest margin of another candidate winning an area was in Choma... they love their cadidate down here. Thankfully Zambia is a peaceful nation, so there has been little unrest. Nothing else is really new other than it seems that rainy season has started about 2 months early. I'm not sure if this is a good or bad thing.