Thlalak

Here are some of the latest photos available in my file. I am happy to share with you, in case you might be able to form an idea of how life in rural Chikankata is like, and of course, how grown up are our two beautiful kids now.

One of the administrative buildings of the Biomedical College is situated in an idyllic slope surrounded by hills

I should not say gardening is my hobby. But I like to lend a hand or two to our gardener during weekends and holidays. My wife is actually better at managing our backyard garden where we grow leafy vegetables, onions, garlic, chillies, green pepper, brinjals, cauliflower, cabbage, tomatoes, pumpkins, cucumber and strawberry. At Chikankata, besides being having enriched my medical knowledge and clinical skills, I also learned a few of agriculture science

Surrounding areas of Chikankata provide good grazing grounds for cattles. For this reason, commercial farming as well as subsistence farming is quite a common activity

Joshua (son of Kennedy and Rachael) who is now in the UK will also surely miss his time with our children and the animals

My boy always considers watering the garden as his duty, and he used to do it with perfection

Having an afternoon walk around the Mission is a popular routine activity. The children especially like the dusty Chikankata street

Turkey! Christmas is approaching again. It's a popular domesticated bird around Chikankata. And it can fetch the owner a good price during the season

The Seminar Centre which is a place of many activities and hosts people of all nations for many years now. It is equipped with two conference rooms, private accomodations, kitchen, dining room, pool table, and a squash court with arena. It earns the Mission a good income

One of the species of flower in front of the Seminar Centre kitchen. And God is its maker too!

The newly constructed Biomedical College gents' hostel. It accomodates no less than 30 students

This is Chikankata Dam. It is called a 'dam' because it is a man-made lake meant to serve the Mission's many institutions and households with a steady supply of water. Mizote dil lian ber Rih Dil aiin a lian fe mai. It is just 200 metres away from our house

That's why even our children frequented the place, and often pose on the banks for a photo shot like this one

Our daughter Melissa has her hair plated like anyone of her friends here. This, I think, helps her to gain better acceptance from her peers

She likes immitating professionals! She is intelligent and smart. That's why I think she has more brains than beauty, and I expect her to remain and grow up that way

Poly-[gamous]-humour

Tun tum chu a changtunu leh changtupate chanchin phek lehlam sawi tur kan nih avangin Mizo tawngin ziak daih ang! An hnam dana nupui pakhat aia tam neih a thiang tlat pek hi thil a buaithlak zawh vek chang a tam, Kristian inti thenkhat lah bang bik lo.

Bias Study
Kan University-in assignment ti tura min phut angin theihtawpin ka bei a. A tawp a tawpah, “Ka puitlin ta e, khawnge Mr. B-a hi HIV/AIDS programme-a Field Manager senior leh experience ngah a ni bawk a, ka thehluh hmain ka chhiar tir ang a, thurawnte pawh min pe thei mahna”, tiin, ka assignment chu min en chhuah sak ngei a, thurawn pawh min pe ta ngei a. “Doctor, i hnathawh chu a tha nangiang e, thil pakhat chiah sawisel tur ka nei, HIV/AIDS darhna chhan pakhat anga polygamous marriage & relationship i sawi tel hi a dikhlel deuhin ka hria, debatable tak a ni e”, a ti ta tlat pek a. Ani berin hetianga a sawi hi a va mak ve aw ka ti ka ti a. A hnu feah thian pakhat hian, “A chhan chu maw, a ni pawhin a nei ve duah alawm, a sawisel loh ten”, a’n ti mai chu min barakhaih ngei mai. Rawn loh tur tur ka lo rawn palh chu niin!

Just Curious
Nula kum la naupang tak pakhat hian pasal a nei dawn a. A pasal tur chu nupui kawplai pathum ngawt nei tawh a ni tih a thianten an hriat chuan an thiannu chu engvanga chutiang mi kher neih tum nge tih an zawt a. Ani chuan awlsam takin, “Aw! thiante u, in hrethiam mai lawm ni. Hmeichhe pathum ngawtin pasal atana inneih tawm an hnial loh nachhan tak saw keimah ngeiin ka hre duh alawm, amahah sawn thil danglam bik a awm a niang”, zu han ti daih a. A thiante hi an dang chiang asin aw!

Super Selfish
Nikhat chu outpatient department-a damlo ka en hi, ni dang ang bawkin case chi hrang hrang ena ka inchin fel dawn hnaih lamah nupa tuak khat hi an rawn inzui lut hnak hnak a. Anni standard atana tam lutuk ni pha lo fa 10 nei tawh, fa nei tawh lo tura insiam (zai) duh hi an ni a. Anni zingah hi chuan fa nei tawh lo tura insiam tih hian hmeichhe tih turah an dah deuh zel, mipa insiam kan la nei lo. Chutichuan dan pangngai angin inruahman dan tur te sawiin zawhnate kan inzawt chho zel a. Zai tur an tam avangin chawlhkar hnih khat chho maia kan zai hman dawn loh thu leh nau an pai leh lohna turin chumi hun chhung tal chu condom lo hmang rih tura ka ngen chuan a nupui zawk chu a nui mai a. A pasal chuan, “A, ka pu, a ngai lo ang” a ti ta tlat mai pek a. A hmelah lah chuan a ‘confi’ em em tih a la hmuh theih zui. A ngaihna ka hre thiam ta hauh lo mai. A bul atangin ka han tan tha leh a, “Chuti chu, mipa zawk i ni a (dik tak chuan Tonga-‘man’ ani tih pawh ka hai lo), hemi hun chhung hian i insum thei i tihna em ni?” tiin ka zawt ta sak mai a. Ani pawh chuan a ruh lang rawtin, “Ka pu, hemi hun chhung hi chuan ka nupui dang pakhat hnenah ka kal mai ang,” tiin a ‘confi’ em emna chhan a rawn tichiang ve ta a ni. Kan chiang tlang ta vek bakah kan nui tlang ta vek mai a. Mahni hma a sial lu deuh erawh chu ka ti, a bula a nupui awm ve reng khan engtin ngai ang maw?

At War……
Hetianga nupui pahnih, paruk thleng te pawh aniang chu, neite hi chuan ‘management’ subject hi an master hle a ngai ta ve ang. A nih loh chuan pa tam tak an tal buai fo reng a ni. Tum khat leh pawh zan rei tawhah hian nu pakhat hi a beng dinglam thi leh uai hna chungin emergency room-ah a rawn trap lut a. Ka silfai saka ka thui sak mawlh mawlh lai chuan kan nurse-in a inhliam dan ‘history’ a lo la ve bawk a. Hetiang hi thil awm dan chu a ni: An pasal intawm hi ‘routine’ ang chuan hemi zan hian he nu Ina a lawi hun a ni a. He pa vai kal cham rei deuh lo haw, thim thet theta khaw rawn lut hian hun leh ni a hai nge a tum reng vang zawk, he a nupui hliam tuar ta hnena haw ta lo chuan a nupui pahnihna kiangah a haw ‘palh’ ta mai a. A senior leh lungfing zawk, thil lo chhut dim diam tawh tu ngaihdan a pel ta a. A chanvo dikna hre ranin a nihpui hnen atang chuan an mi intawm chu va pawh hran a tum a. A pakhat zawk lah a lo theuneu bik lo, an inkek ta chawt chawt a ni awm e. Chutichuan he hliam na tak tuar hian hospital a rawn pan ta a ni. Police hnenah FIR a la thehlut ta deuh deuh a, buai khua a sei duh thin ngei mai!

………and Peace
Thenkhat erawh an inngeih dial dial thung. Hei hi chu keima thil tawn ni lovin midang sawi a ni a, ka han sawi chhawng ang e. An tia lawm, mipa thenkhatin nupui an neih deuh treuh duhna chhan pakhat chu ‘cheap labour’ an duh vang a ni an ti. Nupui ngah chu an thlawhhma pawh a zau nge nge. Tum khat chu, an thlawhhma zau tak leh hna truah tak thlir hian nupui pakhatna leh pahnihna hi an ti ti dun a. Thlawhhma a zauin hna a tam si, an huphurh ngang a ni ang. “Hawh teh thiani, hna a tam e mai, kan pasal hi nupui dang neih belh turin i kar ngawt mai teh ang”, tiin thu an tithlu ta alawm, an tih chu! An thikthu a chhe vek bik lo ni awm a ni.

Whether or not to marry an HIV positive person - the students debate

I enjoy reading the works of the students, whom my wife teaches here at Chikankata Higher Secondary School. Here are compositions by two of the Class XI students when they are asked to write a letter encouraging or discouraging their brother who has decided to marry an HIV positive woman. One can learn about the awareness level of the students on HIV/AIDS, and their attitudes towards the disease. These works of the students clearly depict the extent of impact HIV/AIDS on the household economy and the community life. Thanks to the effective community coping strategy the Zambians developed, the disease, however, fails to disrupt the strong social cohesion pattern of the Zambian society.

This letter discourages marrying an HIV positive person:

Dear brother,

First of all, I would like to greet, hope you are fine that side. As for me I am just okay and the family here is just okay.

Coming to the main point of writing this letter to you is that, I heard that you are marrying next year. It’s good to hear that, but the woman you want to marry is HIV positive. I just want to tell you that you can’t marry a woman who is HIV positive because, you won’t even stay with her for a long time. She may die or yourself may die soon. And another thing is that you will also get the virus which causes AIDS. That will make you die fast, as you know men die faster than woman if they have the virus. When you die, you may leave your children; those children may suffer financial problems. As you know that in our family we are not rich enough to help your children to let them go to school, they will just end up loitering in the streets and may become thieves and prostitutes. The other thing is that when you die it will be a great loss for the family. You know that you are the only one who can help us in financial problems for you are the only one who is educated.

In conclusion, I would like to advise you not to marry that woman, because she will just bring us problems. Actually she is not the only girl in this world. If you don’t mind I will help you to look for someone else and not that one. So if you want to die fast, go ahead. But just know that your marriage will not be blessed because our parents are not happy about your idea. So stop it before it is too late for you.

Tusela Kooma

I personally like the following letter more for it is full of hope and life.
Dear Martin,

How are you and the family there in Chooma? Chikankata is just fine, only the coldness.

My main purpose of writing is to congratulate you on the issue I heard. I heard that you want to marry and that the woman you want to marry is HIV positive. But I would encourage you that if you really love the woman from deep down your heart and she really loves you, go ahead and marry her. Even if people talk and talk just go ahead, at last they will get tired of talking.

But when you get married there are some conditions which are: you should be faithful to each other; you or she should not have other partners. Whenever you have sex please use a condom. When she becomes pregnant by chance please advise her to go to the hospital or nearby clinic for more information on how she can prevent the baby from HIV/AIDS. Please when she is sick, care for her. Show her love because when people who are positive are not taken care of or shown love, they feel underrated. Please before you get married go to the hospital and get more information on how you are to live your marriage life. Remember that there are also some sexually transmitted infections which can be easily transmitted, so be careful brother! I also wanted to attend your wedding but it’s just that I am preparing for my mock exam. Send my regards to Aunt Rose, Sister Linda, grandma, grandpa and the rest of the family. See you when I come. All the best in life.

With lots of love.

Mwangala Liswaniso

Of course, whatever is our HIV status, positive or negative, we all deserve to have the best in life. These three things will abide with us forever: faith, hope and love!