Malawi Adventurez

IGA Training Camp

2009-08-15T06:30:00.000-07:00

CENTRAL LAKESHORE INCOME GENERATING ACTIVITY CAMP

Alinon leading a session, he works in forestry

Important words on wall

Me and six friends put on another camp to provide income generating activity(IGA) training for twenty individuals. We held it in my area at a small community facility with a basic conference room, kitchen, and sleeping quarters. We each selected members of our communities that have shown an interest and/or currently manage an income generating activity. Examples are having bee hives, to sell honey; creating and managing a fish pond to sell fish; and performing services like carpentry or barbering. Our funding came from a small camp grant that is available to all volunteers.

Example be hive, honey, and oil samples

Both participants from my village are my students. Yamikani was a student of mine last year and although he passed his national exam, he is struggling to find work. His family has a pineapple farm and so I was hoping he could learn more about marketing his pineapples and get ideas for expanding. Luckily there was a man there who makes fresh fruit juice in close proximity to my village and he had a chance to talk with him about potentially selling him pineapples in bulk.

Yamikani (far right) playing tag..he was bad at it

Fackson, my second participant, is a carpenter and I wanted him to learn more about customer service and give him book keeping skills. We had a fabulous week where things went very smoothly. One highlight was our ability to deliver most material via a computer and a projector. Students may have seen a laptop for the first time and for the entire week, they had handouts that coincided with the power point presentations. I think they were very impressed by our delivery. We even made our own peanut oil to show students how they can make nutritious, affordable oil and take home great profits. Many people grow ground nuts but few press their own oil.

Fackson posing with a name tag

Fackson is shy in a group

My main role was facilities manager, making sure we always had food and all logistical issues were sorted out.

Serving sweet potatoes for snack!

We had two "fun" activities, the first, a trip to Lake Malawi where students had amazing poses and the second, a "disco." A disco is a dance and now I am famous for making them happen. Imagine, I made two phone calls and booked and hired a DJ on the day of the event. He came on time and we attracted at least one hundred people that night with our loud, blasting music. Their faces were pressed against the outside windows as we danced away the night (about three hours).

Link tag..I learned from field hockey

Dancing..my favorite

Swimming with the locals!

Pretty..but these snails cause diseases!

More dancing!

Posing with flare

Just call us for advice and for business!

Another successful Peace Corps collaboration of dedicated volunteers and interested participants...nothing more fulfilling.

Our school's Netball Team

2009-06-07T01:28:00.000-07:00

Netball is a sport a bit like basketball but there is no rim on the hoop. I haven't taken to the sport but always support girls in sports!

Discovery on the lakeshore

2009-06-07T01:14:00.000-07:00

Discovered a new fishing village.

Young and old fishermen...they didn't know I snapped.

2009-05-16T23:09:00.000-07:00

This guy laughed at me because I was sick in 30minutes of being on the lake.

2009-05-16T23:07:00.000-07:00

Fishin Trip on Lake Malawi with Volunteer Krisy and her visiting brother Kevin.

2009-05-16T23:04:00.000-07:00

Me & the girls. Beatrice (left of me), Memory (right).

2009-05-16T23:01:00.000-07:00

Roasting up some fish for dinner! Also its the only way to preserve it!

Chisomo, the cutest boy in my village

2009-04-17T04:13:00.000-07:00

I've always loved this boy "Chisomo" (means "grace" in Chichewa). He followed me to my house on this day and we read books and I gave the kids old Valentine's Day candy....they loved it! Isn't he cute?

POLITICS IN MALAWI

2009-04-17T04:05:00.000-07:00

This truck caused quite a scene with its traveling band. The blue t-shirts indicate support for the current President's party. Elections to be held on the 19th of May and in the past, there has not been a lot of violence. We are all on alert and asked to "lay low."

"ChiCake"= Big Cake

2009-04-07T05:38:00.000-07:00

I have to blog about my favorite breakfast food and to show everyone the amount of work that goes into making a banana-bready-type-cake here. In order to "bake" something, at my house in Malawi, we create our own "oven" effect by placing coals on top of the pot and leave a small amount of fire on the bottom. Our Chicake recipe is the following:

DRY INGREDIENTS

1 cup of corn flour

1/2 cup of cake flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda (I always forget the one I really need and so we put both)

WET INGREDIENTS

8 small bananas mashed

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. cocoa powder

*When available: Peanut butter, coconut milk, and pumpkin*

For the girls, this was so much fun to learn. This cake is a spinoff from a village cornbread. People love to taste it but normally we are too selfish to share. We cook it at night over coals after we have cooked our dinner. It takes about 35-40 min. Although it is a basic banana bread recipe to Americans, my girls call it "Wedding Cake" and think its the best! Thinking about adding chocolate chips that Ericka is sending! That will rock their world! Anyway, we eat with tea (as pictured). We boil the water the night before and keep the water in a large Thermos (called Flask here). This way we save firewood and time in the morning! I love this stuff!

Nsima Exam

2009-04-05T01:28:00.000-07:00

So excited! My two daughters were taking exams for the past two weeks at school and I also had an exam at our home. For the month of March I made sure to cook "nsima," the staple food here in Malawi, or watch and take notes everyday so that I could finally master the mystery behind the magic. When first arriving in country, we hear nothing but "Nsima, nsima, nsima." We try it and like it a little bit. Most volunteers eat rice daily, not nsima but Malawians do not claim they have eaten until they have nsima. They could come to your home, eat an entire pizza, a dozen wings, and brownies and go home and tell their friends they didn't eat. Currently I eat nsima twice a day and love it! Nsima requires a lot of work to create the final product. First, planting maize "corn" and catering to the field for at least 5 months until it is time to harvest. Then after harvesting, removing the kernals from the cob and drying them in the sun. Then, pounding by hand...difficult, or transporting a 70lb bag to the maize mill (on a crappy bicycle) to have it ground by machine. Cooking is not easy either. I am pictured in the first and last stages of the cooking process, but the most challenging part, stirring, was left out. It is rigorous and dangerous because you are cooking over a hot fire and the first state of nsima is a liquid porride that must turn to a solid state by adding flour and rigorous stirring. Spattering is possible and on this day, I did burn my thumb leaving a blister for a few days. Many Malawians have nsima burns that are permanent! I sort of want a nsima burn before I go for a memory, like some other volunteers who branded the outline of Africa in their backs! A tribal, painful and macho way to remember...but I am not serious. So I was scored during this performance and received 19/20. I would have had a perfect score except that I was a bit hesistant with the amount of flour I added during the stirring stage and asked Beatrice for clarificiation (my youngest student/roommate) and she said, "Its find Madam." It turned out soft and she said, "Madam, you should receive a perfect score because I told you it was ok." I replied, "It was an exam and I shouldn't have been asking you for help. It is my fault." So now I am so thrilled because I know how to cook a "proper" nsima. I can't wait to cook it for someone else, i.e. my family back home when I make my authentic Malawian meal! Never tried it on a stove but it must be somehow easier!.

Fish Mania!!

2009-03-19T05:35:00.000-07:00

So the girls and I are still enjoying our living situation and are eating fabulous food together. Recently, we've been eating a lot of fish! Whenever I have visitors, they expect to eat fish and boy can we deliver! Here are some photos of Memory slicing and dicing as she does best! We all sit by and watch with wonder! The month of April I am dedicating to learning how to cut up fish. My dad gave us a great fishing knife which Memory loves! I've yet to put it to use but soon! Lake Malawi has many types of fish but the most coveted is "Chambo." Chambo is a tilapia fish and my favorite is "Kampango." After a quick Internet search, I have discovered that "Kampango" is a catfish only found in Lake Malawi! You'll have to come and dine with us!

Papa J Celebration

2009-02-14T01:22:00.000-08:00

I am blessed with the best friend in the world, Ali! When I heard the news that my grandfather had died on February 2nd, I sent her a text. She immediately phoned me back and offered her sympathies. Then on the following Saturday, she made the 5 hour journey to my home to surprise me and give me the gift of a celebration in honor of my beloved grandfather. She brought sweets, money to buy sodas, and materials to make a flag in his honor. I was at school with my girls in the library, a normal Saturday occurrence when she unexpectedly walked in! We made a special dinner and I brought out all my photos of my grandpa. Memory and Beatrice prepared fish in honor of the celebration and I prepared the flag. We shared lovely memories of all our deceased grandparents that night and I went to sleep "smiling underneath" (quoted from an Ani Difranco song). Here are the photos documenting the celebration. Love you Papa J!

Site Visit: KB

2009-02-14T01:09:00.000-08:00

I just returned from a site visit to a fellow volunteer's home. These visits are helpful in so many ways. First, you have a chance to speak REAL English for the first time in weeks. Second, and most importantly, you are able to see the projects happening in your friend's village. KB (short for Kathryn) has started a food program that is serving students food in the mornings, afternoons, and evenings. Some students are living at the school and take all three meals, while others take lunch only. She had a kitchen built through donations from home and the school has organized a fee for the students. A success! I took some photos of tobacco as it doesn't grow in my area. Most people in her village grow only maize (corn) and tobacco. Pictured here are her neighbors stringing up the tobacco to dry. The leaves are then bundled together for sales. Tobacco is a major cash crop in Malawi!

Health Club News

2009-02-14T00:53:00.000-08:00

My health club opened a new "Hand Washing Station" at our bathroom facilities to encourage proper sanitation. Cholera is spreading throughout Malawi and new fatalaties are announced daily. Cholera is a bacteria that causes horrific diahhrea and for many without medication, death. It is caused by injesting water or food contaminated with the bacteria. As a result, my health club decided that the first project we will take on this term is to create a "safe water station." The blue bucket was donated by an organization who works with safe water and the soap I brought from home. I brought all the free soaps I have gathered from hotels over the years. My soap should sustain us for a week more but the students are already talking about having a dance (disco) to raise money to buy more soap!! They are very motivated! Luckily during rainy season we are able to remove the lid and catch rainwater to use. Otherwise, we have a schedule for who fills the bucket each day. In the second picture you will see a group of students gathered in a semi circle. They were performing a song they wrote about "cholera" that they performed at the morning assembly for the entire school. The song was a big hit and included in the lyrics were messages about the importance of washing your hands, working as a team, and not stealing the soap!!!

My two daughters!

2009-01-31T04:13:00.000-08:00

Meet Beatrice and Memory, my two new housemates! They moved in on inauguration day, in the evening after we attempted to watch the speech. My Headmaster's (school principal) house has solar electricity and unfortunately, there was not enough sun to power more than 15 minutes of the broadcast. I only heard Barack get introduced and waited until weeks later to download the speech here in Lilongwe. Anyway, at 7pm we moved in ate dinner at 8:30. Already my lifestyle of bed at 6:30 with fruit for dinner was changed. We put up their mosquito nets and then they cooked a meal of nsima and eggs. I went to bed 2hours later than normal at 9:30.

Many Peace Corps volunteers have boarders, mostly women volunteers hosting girls, as a way to accomplish many things at once. First, it allows the girls a chance to speak English outside of school. Second, as teachers, we are there to support their studies. Third, the girls help out around the house a lot cooking all my food, getting my water, and everything else! They are so amazing! They are like robots! They woke up and went right to work without even a yawn or stretch, Memory started making a fire and Beatrice started sweeping! It is Malawian culture for the children to do these chores but I still help.

We've already had a lot of cross-cultural exchange. Day 2 I realized, "I'm going to have people to play Yatzee with!" They had the hang of it in a day and love to play on their own now. It's funny to hear them speaking in Chichewa and say, "Ndikufuna kupanga Yatzee"- I want to make a yatzee! I also have taught them Phase 10-the card and dice versions.

We pray at all of our meals, we walk to school together, we share recipes-they are so happy to add "spices" like pepper, garlic salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla! I'm loving every second and their prescence has made me feel more connected to the village and to my school. Recently my landlord's grandson became ill and all members, excluding him, were at the hospital. He was home alone and therefore, I knew he wasn't eating. No women to cook for him AND he has to maintain all of his gardens. So my girls cooked extra and we are feeding him until his wife returns. Normally, I would feel shy to do so because my nsima may not be up to Malawian standards yet. So having them there is so wonderful!

They must study 2 hours a day and I have already looked over different assignments. On Saturdays I open the library for 3 hours and they are there. So they have a lot more study time than they would normally. They walk only 3minutes to school as compared to 45 min or 20 as they would have had to.

I am paying for the food and school fees and they bring food when they can. This is the best thing I have done yet! They are referred to as "Madam's Daughter's" at school and I'm proud!

Back from America!

2009-01-30T06:33:00.000-08:00

Wow! Was I really in America? With cushy, bouncy carpet under my feet? A refrigerator full of food that you can have any time of day, as you please? Did I really drive a car? Was it really 1000 degrees colder with ice falling from the sky? I was a normal person who was not a spectacle. I It's very difficult to explain an ice storm to Malawians. In chichewa I say, "America anali yozizira kwabasi! Ndipo, pamene mvula inagwa, inali monga ice block."= America was really cold! When it rains, it rains like ice! They were all so confused! I didn't even try to explain an American Christmas because Santa Clause, Christmas Tree, and wrapping up presents in pretty paper with bows are words they have never heard in any language so why even try! I thoroughly enjoyed being home and thank everyone who spoiled me and made me feel so special. It was so wonderful to spend the holidays with my family, especially my grandfather! Love you all!

Visiting my Host Family

2008-12-06T04:09:00.000-08:00

After almost a year of living on my own, I decided to return to my roots, my host family. I was invited to be a "Peace Corps Volunteer of the week" in a place near my home stay village to offer support for the new Education Volunteers . I took one afternoon and made my way down the 3mile dirt road leading up to my quaint village bearing gifts of rice, sugar, and salt. My anticipation was building and before reaching my village it dawned on me that perhaps my family would not be there. Village life in Africa, at least in Malawi, is fairly predictable and people don't travel much beyond their gardens or the local markets. I could be 99% sure my family did not take a vacation to the Bahamas during the "pre-rainy" season time when everyone is planting seeds. I passed through my friends' village and said my greetings knowing that the villagers probably confused me with every white person they have ever seen, be it man or woman. Before approaching my village of "Zuze," I had to go down a hill to go up another while the village sits perched at the top of a small mountain. People can see for at least a mile so I watched as crowds started to gather with the thought, "Which Azungu (wealthy person) is this?" More accurately, "Is this my Azungu?" Zuze village hosted the health volunteers after my group so there were at least 15 of us that I could be. I noticed most village life stopped for a moment. The women at the wells stopped pumping water, people's hoes took a break from the gardens, and those walking cattle lingered behind. It is both flattering and unnerving to make this much of a stink. Comparable to the daily life of Angelina Jolie only toned down 200%. As I got closer I watched one of the women's mouth widen and revealed a beautiful set of white, gleaming teeth. I knew that was my host mother! She took off running and hugged me while everyone watched. Other people began leaving the scene, disappointed their Azungu had not returned. As always, Malawians never fail to be the most hospitable people on the planet. I was welcomed and brought 2 sodas and cookies. I shared everything with my host brother and sister (pictured). My brother, "Cliffe" was so grown up and had a different face altogether! My sister, "Kilala" was shy as ever; however, her mother told me that she talks about me all the time! All the mothers who hosted my friends came to greet me and I phoned them so they could at least say "hello." My host father was at the garden but I was able to meet him on my way back out to the main road! He was very happy laughing his nervous laugh and saying "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah" at every awkward silence. My entire family walked the 3 miles with me and sent me away with potatoes and beans. It was awesome!

Camp Sky Amazingness

2008-11-29T04:11:00.000-08:00

November 9th to November 22nd I spent at Camp Sky; a camp for Malawian students (junior year of high school) who exhibit superior behavior and academic potential in the schools where we work. There were roughly 100 students in total representing all districts in Malawi. We gathered in Zomba, located in the Southern part of the country. The purpose of the Camp Sky is to give opportunities for our brightest students to gather and be exposed to different experiences i.e. photography, ballroom dancing, and computers; while also dedicating a bulk of time to core academic classes that are crucial to their national exams. The camp is put on by the first year education volunteers each year, so this year was my group's turn. The theme of the camp was, "Find your path"-Pezani njira yanu. At the onset, our students were separated into one of the following career tracks: Business, Health, Environment, and Creative Arts. Students took core classes in English, Biology, Physical Science, and Math with time for independent reading and had afternoon sessions that focused in on their career areas. For example, business students explored journalism and economics, while environment learned about composting and tree planting. We had field trips for each track including visits to a hospital, newspaper, tree nursery, botanical gardens, artisans guild, and the stock exchange. We took a group trip to Liwonde National Park and saw my first elephants, hippos, and different species of antelopes. With that formal introduction and explanation, I must share on a more personal level that Camp Sky was a pure delight and inspiration to me. I have never seen such dedicated students! They were up at 5am in the dining hall doing homework or reading. They were so eager to learn and so grateful for the opportunity to gather with other top notch students and gain a leg up on their competitors. They had unlimited, pure, inspiring energy. We had little sleep as we started each day at breakfast: 6:30AM and ended our evening game sessions at 9:30. Then we had staff meetings up to 11PM each night. Although I had little sleep, each day I was motivated to wake and prepare for my classes. I taught English everyday to the Business students and in the afternoons I held a career seminar for all four career tracks touching upon resumes, interviews, applications, and goal setting. I was also crucial in arranging a dance on the last night that was a success! Enjoy the photos and Video.

Mphatso Recovers & Walks!

2008-10-25T03:40:00.000-07:00

Thanks again for all of those who assisted with Mphatso's surgery. After about 10 weeks of wearing the grafting device it was removed. He then had a small cast and walking shoe. Now he is free of everything and moving around better than ever in small doses. Here he is demonstrating that he can put all of his weight on his "bad" leg! He is overjoyed and expressed all of his gratitude!!

Camp Sky Fundraising Dinner

2008-10-25T03:22:00.000-07:00

We had a very successful fundraising dinner for camp sky: http://campsky.blogspot.com/! I was in charge of receiving and preparing two former campers to speak at the dinner. It was my idea as a way to put faces and a lives to our fundraising efforts. I received "Raffik" and "Brandina" in the early afternoon, took them to lunch, and prepared them for their speeches. They were a hit and had a great time (as did I!). The other photo was part of my second effort and it was a fruit basket my friends and I put together as a raffle prize. As of now our fundraising efforts have put us close to our goal of $12,000. We raised about $1500 that night and this money will go to cover the cost of our field trips to a National Game Reserve and also to the Business District in Blantyre (second major city). Ericka, notice I am wearing one of your headbands!!! Thanks for all of you who helped to contribute!!!

Neighbor Builds Boat!

2008-10-25T03:14:00.000-07:00

My neighbor has been saving up to build a boat and I am really proud of him! I am definately going to go out on the lake with him! But, I thought it would be interesting for you to see what tools the people here use (look in the bottom of the boat) AND please note that this 20ft. boat will be carried to the lake by about 15 men as the distance is at least 3miles and the boat is huge!!! So much for strapping a trailor underneath and driving it down!!But you won't find Malawians complaining about the work...they are happy to have a boat!

Baby Elizabeth

2008-10-25T00:59:00.000-07:00

I was asked to name my first baby two weeks ago and learned that it is common for Peace Corps Volunteers to be presented with this honor. The honor comes with a responsibility to be in the child's life; specifically, there is an expectation to provide gifts on birthdays and major holidays. So...I arrived at the house to see the baby, not knowing I would be naming her and asked the family for an "extension" so I could think about the name. I had a few criteria I was working within, namely, 1) Not using usual names with "r's" or "l's" as Malawians can't tell the difference; 2) Considering that she is Christian and many names are religious here; 3) I also considered finding a Chichewa name for a principle that I thought would be honorable like "peace" or "harmony" but Malawians frowned on it. After gathering more ideas and info. from other PC volunteers, they said the Malawians want a more "European Name" to further connect the child to the "namer." Therefore, I decided it would be a great honor for me to name the baby after the one who delivered me to this life...MY MOM!! So Mom, her name is: Elizabeth Mary Chimoto. They switched the "Mary" and "Elizabeth" as I had originally presented it because someone else was named Mary. For a bit more background, Elizabeth Mary was born on 5th September and named on 13th of October. It is common for a baby to be named well after birth by whomever is feeling compelled to name him/her or as in my case, a special visitor. So I have said that baby Elizabeth will be an "Ambassador." The family seemed to approve. I presented the name inside of a card where I gave some money. The family received it well and fed me fabulous fish (too much!) and sent me home with more fish!!!

I know how to make friends and distributed it well amongst neighbors and fellow teachers! So please help me welcome Elizabeth Mary Chimoto into the world!

Justin Quasi-Look-A-Like!

2008-09-26T03:13:00.000-07:00

I took a picture with this gentleman because he reminded me of Justin. The facial hair, the olive skin, deep set eyes (although brown) and beautiful smile. He paints, loves music, and loves his friends. I was just happy to meet him and he gave me a good hug after I told him that was Justin's talent. What do you think? Maybe the "in person" impact was greater?

2008-09-25T04:38:00.000-07:00

Japan vs. America

We organized a basketball game with some Japanese volunteers to take place on the weekend in Lilongwe. All Peace Corps volunteers were pumped up and anxious to test our rusty skills! We showed up early and got in plenty of lay up and jump shot drills and did some strategizing. Clearly with our 6ft. 7" center we had an advantage; however, don't think the Japanese players came without their own schemes..clever guys. They wanted to play full court and run us into exhaustion..assuming we are over-weight, "super-size-me" Americans. To their disappointment, we were winded but it didn't deflate our ambition and desire to win! I held my own scoring mostly from inside (I guarded the small girl in the front with the ball who had excellent ball handling skills-solid!). We played a third game mixing teams that was much less stressful and more fun! I proposed the next gathering should be ping-pong and I am sure you can predict that outcome!!!

2008-09-25T04:18:00.000-07:00

Sample Dinners:

These are two dishes I made! The first, a salad with avocado, roasted peanuts, onions, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, with a lemon/oil garlic salad dressing...tasty!

The next..a curry rice with tomatoes, onions, garlic, roasted peanuts and hard boiled eggs!Thought you may think I'm starving but as you can see..eating well.

Night as the MC!

2008-08-17T05:56:00.000-07:00

Another successful Peace Corps event raising money for GAD (gender and development) was held last night, August 16th and I served as the MC. I took my role seriously an had a complete traditional dress made!

A FRESH COAT OF PAINT!

2008-08-14T23:25:00.000-07:00

I finally painted my house! I hope the next volunteer appreciates the purple/pink color!

Garden Party!

2008-07-22T23:50:00.000-07:00

Greetings! My latest and most exciting news is that my health club has started a garden as of two weeks ago. We received some free seeds: beans, turnip greens, tomatoes, onions, corn, and more beans from a few different sources and began planting on an early Saturday morning. 15 students showed up the first weekend and we have met for 3 consecutive Saturdays since. We are attempting to use "permaculture" in which many crops are grown together such that the soil is enriched and there is no need to use fertilizer. The theory is that if you have "digger crops" like potatoes, carrots, onions, etc, that dig into the soil and break it up, it improves water infiltration. Other crops are "ground cover" and they help shield sunlight from directly hitting the crops like sweet potatoe vines or greens. Other crops like peanuts bring nitrogen to the soil for enrichment. Anyway, I am learning a lot but my favorite element of the garden is that the kids are doing everything themselves. They are very proud of the garden and take their work seriously. We have a "Garden Chairman" responsible for the overall management of the garden including the watering schedule and organizing Saturday work days. It has been a real, positive experience for me. We bring a radio out to the garden and the students dance and dig!! I mostly take photos and provide moral support! Enjoy the photos!

Fundraising Request

2008-06-23T01:25:00.000-07:00

Greetings! I present you with a request to assist with a summer camp that education volunteers in Malawi put on each year. It has been a fantastic success in the past and we are hoping to carry on the tradition. I have included links here to the website and blog we have created to give you more information about the camp. Thank you in advance for your interest and consideration! Here is the link to the blog: http://campsky.blogspot.com/ and the link to the website where donations can be made: http://www.friendsofmalawi.org/ and click on the white link for "summer school."

Video!

2008-06-23T01:08:00.000-07:00

Please check out the video to the right that I just added of Mphatso saying, "thanks" to all those who helped make his surgery possible!! I am just getting hip to the blog so please bear with my scattered photos and posts. I plan on uping my game soon.

2008-06-22T23:36:00.000-07:00

More photos!!

2008-06-22T23:23:00.001-07:00

Check out my photos from a weekend at a private resort with my friend and her parents. I was so lucky to be invited to stay here! I basically relaxed and read at least 100 pages of "The Poisonwood Bible." It was exquisite!

A piece of heaven!!

2008-06-22T22:56:00.000-07:00

Paying for a bridge to clothing market..I think its funny!

2008-05-25T00:29:00.000-07:00

Surgery Complete!

2008-05-23T05:36:00.000-07:00

Thanks again to all of those who contributed to the "Mphatso Surgery Fund." I wanted to let everyone know that he has indeed received his surgery and is currently in the hospital recovering. He will be there for a week or more. I know he wants to thank everyone when he is well enough but I did want to share the gratitude I received from his mother. Mphatso lives with his mother only and she is a very strong, humble, and serene woman. I went over to his home a few days before his journey to Blantyre (The Cure International Hospital) and his mother bent down, as she always does, to greet me, "Moni Amayi, Mwaswera Bwanji" (Hello Madam, good afternoon/evening). She continued in Chichewa and I was grasping a few words here and there such as "Ndatokoza" (I am grateful), and when she finished, Mphatso told me in English: She said, "Thank you for what you have done. God will bless you and your relatives in America. I pray God replaces all the money that was given to help Mphatso." It was very moving and humbling to me to see this strong woman, so devout to her family feeling so grateful for this gift their family has received from strangers. Im not a mother but I felt connected to a space in her heart which is devouted to taking care of and protecting her son. I wish I could share this experience to all of you who sacrificed yourselves to help someone you don't know. I will continue to update you on his progress! When he left he said, "I'm going to get my cure."

2008-05-11T02:35:00.000-07:00

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2008-05-11T02:16:00.001-07:00

Health camp news!

I joined together with a fellow Peace Corps volunteer and a Norweigian volunteer living in my area and the 3 of us put on a 3 day Health Camp. Students from 6 different schools participated with a focus in "Health Careers." Students discussed health issues in their communities, toured the local government hospital, listened to a career panel consisting of an optician, a patient attendant, an HIV/AIDS coordinator, and a Clinical officer. Students also had a chance to practice writing job applications and resumes. We scheduled in time for fun with a balloon toss, camp fire with roasted marshmellows (most kids didn't like them), and other tag-like games. It was a great experience for me and it inspired the 4 students from my school to return back and start a Health Club. I will keep you posted on that!!Enjoy the photos!

Health Camp!

2008-05-10T04:56:00.001-07:00

2008-04-23T01:23:00.000-07:00

2008-04-23T01:13:00.000-07:00

2008-04-23T01:08:00.000-07:00

Mua Mission

2008-04-21T21:58:00.000-07:00

Here's some photos from a field trip our entire group took during a training week to Mua Mission. After sitting in sessions all week we needed to get out! We had a crazy drive up, over, and down around mountains. I laughed when I turned around in the car to see where we came from and when I looked out over the windshield to see where we were going. One of the vans was packed with at least 15 people and to think that our buses were able to make these ascends and descends was incredible to me! About Mua Mission: Mua Mission was established in 1976 by a Canadian Missionary. He dedicated his life to preserve the culture of the "Chewa People" through research and recordings. There is a museum that displays the history of the Mission as well as documents, through photos with blurbs under, the various traditional rites of passage of the "Chewa." It was incredible. There were two rooms in the museum where we could not take photos (unfortunately) that displayed 200 different tribal masks and replicas of various statues that are used to represent various concepts from the spirit world. The landscape was breath taking with so many different plants, flowers, and trees. There was a stream running down below the site that I tried to capture in photos. The mission is also a lodge with a beautiful restaurant overlooking a gorge-type swimming area. Hard to capture in photos but it is a place I would take visitors!

I speak "Chichewa" therefore, this museum was a great way for me to have more insight into the people that I live and work with. Although we learn about various cultural traditions and practices, the museum was very thorough and filled in some gaps I didn't know I had. They showed photos of what happens during adult initiation ceremonies where girls are taught how to take care of their husbands/families. There are many different activities that take place and different physical tasks to represent being "a woman." They had to put flour on their heads for something, shave their head for another reason, and lay on the ground to represent servitude. There is dancing and singing and when they emerge from the woods, where everything is done in private, they are now women. Oh yeah, they are made to have sex. Some of these practices are more traditional and may still happen in villages but in place like Lilongwe or other cities. Pretty intense none the less. The beauty of this place to me is that some people have dedicate their lives to preserving these small tribe of people and reassured them that their cultural practices do have meaning and that their history is important. Too often cultures are influenced by Western practices and as a result, lose pieces of their own traditions. It was great to see a place that was so beautiful aesthetically, but had a deeper, meaningful purpose. Anyway, enjoy the photos and if you want to read more about Mua Mission you can go to: http://www.kungoni.org.

Activities at IST

2008-04-13T00:17:00.000-07:00

I was blind folded then I had to listen to the voice of my partner to find an object hidden in the field.
Sitting in a session but clearly enjoying it!
Finding the stapler (in Malawi they say, "Staple Machine") by listening to the sound of my partner's voice only, she can not say my name! I have to distinguish her voice from the others.

Training Photos/VAC presentation

2008-04-13T00:02:00.000-07:00

I was elected as a representative of VAC (Volunteer Action

Committee) with Brian (pictured on the left). We attend monthly

meetings and report back to our group. We discussed the 4th of July Celebration that will take place on June 7th (confusing to talk about) and other issues related to safety & security and new developments. VAC awards up to $125 to each volunteer through a grant program. Proposals are reviewed at each meeting and most all approved. At my first meeting we looked at a proposal to host a debate/quiz tournament and also listened to someone report about money they used to start selling peanut butter in their community.

Training!

2008-04-12T23:51:00.000-07:00

We spent another week in Dedza in the mountains for our IST (In-service training) and we were all together again! I haven't seen many of my fellow volunteers for three months so it was a refreshing and comforting time for all. We ate well and for me, more than I would in a month! We try to pack on the pounds when away from site (our homes) because most of us lose while away. We were exposed to many different funding sources for projects and had a chance to vent and share our stories. (Check out the picture of the "funniest student names!") Peace Corps loves to have us "process" and we often joke about "processing the processing sessions." We had some games and a trip to Mua Mission. It was an amazing place and I will upload photos of it next week and add some info. For the most part, a great week besides a few verbose presentations that made us all want to jab ourselves. Malawians are very redundant in their speech culturally and when we are 45 minutes late for lunch as Americans, we start getting restless!

2008-04-12T23:13:00.000-07:00

Something New!

2008-04-12T22:55:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone. Hope I haven't lost your attention completely as I have failed to write a decent entry in a long time. This past two and a half weeks I have been "on holiday" as they say here a.k.a. "vacation." I spent most of my time in Lilongwe and was able to visit the sites of two of my fellow volunteers. The first, Jeannine, http://artisticvent.blogspot.com (her blogspot that is much better than mine!) an incredibly creative, talented, engineer who dazzled me with her roped contraptions, storage ideas, and homemade drop ceiling. People do drop ceilings to trap heat and I am thinking of copying the idea. One of the biggest draws to visiting other people's sites for me is that you get to see what people do with their homes and how they use their available resources to live as comfortably as possible. Jeannine had also done some painting as her original pale blue walls reminded her of a hospital room. She also painted her water filter "Starry Night" themed and I would have never thought to paint it nor be able to pull it off! I have to mention that to get to her house I had to ride a bike taxi. These are Malawian bikes (strong BUT no bells or whistles) with a padded seat added on the back. Jeannine's site was very mountainous and thus, I had to unsaddle and resaddle 3 different times because the taxi man couldn't take the incline. Everytime I got off I deducted money off his price (jokingly). I have seen other people stay on the bike while the bike taxi person pushes them up the hill...what service. The ride was about an hour as she is 6miles off the main road. Soon after I arrived Jeannine and I had a nice dinner: potato curry with couscous; not quite starving here in Malawi. We stayed up chatting for a bit and she offered me her bed to sleep in! Jeannine brought a duvet cover and I felt as I was a guest of the Comfort Inn! The next morning I went to watch her teach and was introduced by her Headmaster (principal) as his "second daughter," of course after Jeannine. She teaches Math and I brushed up on the 5 ways to solve quadratic equations; she was great! The next morning I was able to get a ride in the back of a truck all the way into town where I needed to be for next to nothing!

Mphatso Updates!

2008-04-04T04:34:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone! Sorry for the delay in writing but it's the nature of being purposefully isolated in a village in Malawi.

First I want to give a huge THANK YOU to everyone who donated to help Mphatso have surgery. I was able to raise $800 and the remaining $800 was matched by a former volunteer with her fundraising efforts. The money will be arriving to Malawi via another volunteer who was home for a month or so. I believe Mphatso should be having the surgery within two weeks. I will update you on his well being when I am able to. Thanks again for your donations and for taking an interest in this project! Many of you who gave went way above the $20 mark and it really is appreciated. On behalf of Mphatso and his family, "Zikomo Kwambiri (thank you very much)," "Tatokoza(we are grateful)."

Mphatso's Story

2008-02-22T03:52:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone. Thank you for checking out this story. Mphatso is a student of mine who has been unable to attend school because of his current medical difficulties. I met him a few months ago and have become very interested in helping him. Many people have asked me "if you help him, how can you not help everyone." I have struggled with this question, however; I have decided that helping him-who wants to walk so that he can eventually do Community Development Work in Malawi-means good things will continue to happen far beyond my stay here. I have made the conscious choice to help him and I have thought and prayed a great deal. Please do not feel obligated to help. It is only that I want you to know about someone who is in need of help. He is a friend of my as are you. Just thought I could pool my resources. I do not expect to make another request of this nature but this is a delicate matter and time is of the essence. Thanks again for reading! If you are interested in helping, I am thinking "50 people $20" and you can send the money to my mom. She is going to get the money together and get it to me. THANKS!! & GOD BLESS!

Here is Mphatso's story as he has written it. I will edit here and there to keep it brief ( I know your time is precious). Thank you in advance for reading!

Mphatso's Story.

I am Mphatso Sikwawa and I am coming from Kanyambo village in Nkhotakota district. I am 21 years of age and I would like to share my story with you. I have got this problem called, "Osteomyelitis" on my left leg close to my ankle. This problem started in December of 1997 and it started on its own. One day in the afternoon it was raining and cold so I went to sleep. When I woke up I was surprised because I failed to walk one step. I didn't tell anyone until my brother asked me to go somewhere and I couldn't walk. I felt so much pain that I started to cry. After 3 days the leg began swelling and pus was forming. After one week there was discoloration on my skin. Finally in January on 1998 I went to Nkhotakota District Hospital. The Doctor sent me for an xray. The doctor said that the problem was of the skin and not the bone. He gave me medicine and instructed me to dress the wound daily. One day as I was dressing it I felt pain and so I removed the bandage and saw a piece of bone marrow and I took it to show the doctor. I was so afraid to tell the doctor to think that he was going to remove my leg but he told me not to worry. He said he would help me but he didn't. The next day I removed more pieces of bone but still the doctor didn't help me. I was so concerned because I knew there was something wrong but I didn't know how I was going to get treatment. I went home disappointed. Many people told me to go to a traditional doctor to give me medicine like trees and roots. I went and some man cut tattoos on my body, more especially on my back and legs. He told me that my problem was coming from a witch. I used that medicine for two weeks but things didn't change. When I see that things wasn't working I decided to go back to the hospital in March 1998. He gave me medicine (cororophenice) and he told me to go to the hospital every two weeks to get treatment. I went from March of 1998-December of 2002. I could see that I was wasting my time because the would was still producing pus but it was very small so I took it like it wasn't a problem. I was walking and even running without a problem. I stayed 3 years without medicine. In January of 2006 the leg started swelling again so I went to another hospital in Lilongwe (capital city)and the Doctors discovered that I had "Osteomyelitis" and they said I needed surgery. I was afraid it was my death but my friends encouraged me to go (especially another Peace Corps volunteer that I am in contact with now). In February I went to surgery. To my surprise I woke the next morning however; the pain was so great and there was no one to help me. The guards didn't let my mother in the gate so I was there to comfort myself. After a few weeks I saw no improvement in the wound and I returned to the hospital. The Doctor told me I will always have this problem. I cried hearing this from a person who said that he would help me. In March of 2007 I went to another hospital but they only gave me antibiotics. So after this time I saw many doctors but no one has helped me. A friend recently told me about a hospital in Blantyre that has specialists who deal with bones. Recently I went and received and Xray. The doctor also confirmed that I have "Osteomyelitis" and I need surgery. He told me that the surgery would cost $1600 but he thinks it will work. He says that he will use "bone grafting" and take a piece of bone from another part of my body and connect it to my leg. Using a brace he is hoping that the bone will heal itself and grow together. It is my hope that I will receive this treatment. I fear that I will not finish school and therefore, become ignorant. I wish to finish school and work in Community Development. I want to teach people of Malawi how to help themselves through various farming and agricultural strategies.

Future Malawi Volunteers

2008-01-12T03:04:00.000-08:00

If you are reading my site here is what I suggest for your preparations:

Dark colored clothing as you will sweat and it will show under the arms (to put it nicely). Don't bring anything white!!!

Learn how to make a fire if you don't know.

Ask your camping friends what they love to bring camping. Peace Corps is 2 years of camping!

If you are bringing an IPOD get an adapter to plug it into a radio (a receiver of some sort), it is a genius thing! You can buy a radio to receive it and listen to your IPOD aloud!

Head Lamp!!!

Long skirts girls...you can't show your knees at all.

Fun clothes to wear for going out in the cities when we get the chance.

Think of how you are going to save all your pictures. Bring a huge capacity for saving photos either on your camera or on a zip drive.

Spices!!! Food is bland here..trust me.

Envelopes and some stamps from America. As peace corps members travel home they can bring your letters. Pens, markers, if you care to write a lot!

Wind up lighting devices.

A few good books...you can get great books here so don't bring them all as they are heavy!

A tent for a serious camper.

Take care of your student loan crap!!

Look into Malawi phone cards and something called Khoala call back service...its cool.

Seeds!! You can easily have a garden and seeds are small!!!

Good underwear! It must hold up rough laundering conditions.

Look into a blog spot or take care of your email. If you are going to do a mass email set up the to: because you get a limited time on computers. Also, unsubscribe to any junk emails you are getting as they will flood your box. You will go a few months without email access.

Bring adapters for plugs..they use british plugs here.

Bring UNO..or other card games...You will play with students or neighbors. They love BLINK and UNO!

this is a start...ask me anything!

Hitching

2007-12-21T03:15:00.001-08:00

My 3rd entry!

I want to fill you in on my latest hitching experience. "Hitching" is the same as "hitch-hiking" in America and is done often in Malawi. When the Director of the Peace Corps Organization came to Malawi he (name is unknown to me) approved Peace Corps volunteers to hitch versus taking public transportation in Malawi only. That gives us the green light to "hitch" but it also gives us dis-ease about using the mini-buses which is the Malawian citizen's way of travel. The mini-buses are not in the best condition. Many of them have cracked windshields (sorry mom) and doors held on by rope or barbed wire. It is amazing how many people fit in them (sorry mom) and the different things you find. For example, living near the lake, many people bring fresh fish on a chain into the mini-bus. Some hold it outside the window while others string it through the windshield wipers and it flaps in the breeze as we drive. Children are on laps and sometimes live chickens too (on laps that is).

So anyway, I must cut to the chase as I have limited time. I was heading from my friend Marybeth's house into Lilongwe (about 56K=30miles). We waved down a man in a Honda with tinted windows and my first reaction was "he will charge us" however, I was completely wrong. He asked (in a heavy British accent) if we needed help. We said we were looking for a ride to Lilongwe. He appologized and said that he was in fact going to Lilongwe but his car was already full with his sister and her children. We assured him it was no problem and that we would wave down another and he went on his way. Less than 10minutes later he returned, with his sister and children, and said "we can make it work." We squeezed in with one child on my lap and another on her mother's. We went about 50ft and some light came on in the car signalling a problem. He (later to be named, "Lester") pulled into the nearby gas station and an attendent began looking under the hood. It seems that a wire of some kind that connects to the battery needed to be replaced and at the time, was having difficulty holding a connection. As we were waiting I was thinking how funny it would be if we packed in the car like sardines only to find that the car couldn't take us 100ft let alone 30miles.

I was traveling with Marybeth and another volunteer named Danny. Danny took the role of the man and sat in the driver's seat revving the engine to see if we would be able to start the car. We did start and headed off. We were asked the list of routine questions like, "How long will you be here?" and "How are you finding Malawi compared to the United States?"We talked the entire time and we were sneaking giggles as he was dropping many British phrases like, "You can have proper fun over there." When we arrived to Lilongwe he dropped his sister off to get her hair done and the children at a relatives house and proceeded to give us a driving tour of Malawi. We saw the city center with the few large buildings and then to the area of nice homes. I asked him how expensive it would be to own a mansion here in Malawi. We were coverting Malawian Kwacha to the British pound to the dollar and came up with $30,000 to live like a king or queen. I am not sure if we are off by a zero but I don't think so. I must mention that at three other instances Danny hoped in the driver seat to restart the car before the ride was complete. He ended up dropping us right where we needed to go and requested no payment. He was very kind and it is rides like this that make you tempted to wait for hours for a ride because they are direct routes (they can save you hours of traveling) and good stories.

After our time in Lilongwe we were able to score two more rides that brought us to my home. The first was on a huge truck (again, Danny was asserting himself and flagging down every car while we women sat back and let him do it) that was carrying huge trees and men in orange jump suits. My first thought was, "prison workers" but that is a uniform in Malawi. The truck turned out to be an electrice company and the trees were soon-to-be-telephone poles and the men, professionals. Danny and Marybeth hoisted themselves into the truck while I hesitated and a seat in the front opened up. I periodically turned around to look in the window to see if Marybeth and Danny were engrossed in conversation as I was holding my own in the front speaking (mostly) Chichewa. Answering the same questions I mentioned earlier and asking each worker about his family. I smiled seeing Marybeth's hair blowing in the breeze and the veins in Danny's throat bulging. They got off the truck with little voice as they had to scream to be heard. I told the men in the front that everyone in America has electricity and they were shocked. We then got a ride after waiting for an hour or so turning down various trucks and minibuses and hoping we weren't being foolish. We gave ourselves a deadline so that we would arrive home before dark and ended up scoring another ride with an older white man (turned out to be from Austria but now living his retirement in Malawi) and his driver. He told us to get in and he drove us all the way to my village turnoff. The older man was difficult to hear and because I was sitting in the middle, I had the easiest time hearing him by leaning forward and turning my ear towards him. He dropped a lot of historical knowledge that I pretended to understand and spoke of his 50 years spent in various african countries. We spoke of Nigeria as I was able to drop some knowledge of myself thanks to Silver. But that was our hitching experience that day; almost a completely free trip versus the 700 Kwacha it could have cost us.

Since then I have had two more successful hitches. Tomorrow is another adventure with so many unknowns but I always enventually get there.

Thanks for reading! If you see a hitcher perhaps you will be inspired to pick them up! I know in our country it is different but hitching is so much more exciting than just driving to your destination. Maybe some of you could practice hitching somewhere and share you experiences with me, a pipe dream I know!

Be well and Happy New Year to all!

Take 2...

2007-12-18T22:28:00.000-08:00

Greetings from Malawi!
I prepared my second entry ahead of time working from my Head Master’s computer. I wanted to write about my last few days in Lilongwe as well as fill you in on the Swearing-in ceremony and my first day moving to my village.
We arrived in Lilongwe on Sunday, December 9th a day before my birthday. We were crammed into vehicles while our stuff went in separate vehicles. Imagine all the belongings for a two-year stay for 24 people!! Also, add to it all of the goodies we have received from home which has multiplied our things as well. Peace Corps makes a manual for each and every training session we have and had I known, I would have packed a separate bag to accommodate all of these papers. Some are very useful such as a Malawian cookbook and tips on gardening and building a mud stove. Those that do not prove useful for the long-run I will use to help start my fire!
We all settled into the Lilongwe transit house located in a very nice neighbourhood in the capital city. It is a beautiful house from the exterior with plush landscaping and a wrap around gate. We have two gate men at the compound; a common security feature for wealthy people in Malawi. I was told that I could have a watch man if I wanted for my home but I decided to wait until I arrive to see how safe I feel. I have close neighbors. One older man, “Mr.Billy” and my landlords are also close-by. They have a son named “Sunday” who waters my flowers and is always working on a new house they are building next door. I feel safe. The transit house held all 24 of us and up to 15 others that were in the city either relaxing or taking advantage of a free nights stay before flying home for the holidays or moving on to other destinations. A group of Peace Corps volunteers from Namibia came on the night of my birthday and were too tired from their long journey to go out dancing with us. Nearly every square inch of the floor space was occupied by a body. We all had the pleasure of sharing a kitchen and I tried hard to figure out what the off-hours of cooking were because 10 people in a small kitchen is not very peaceful, even with kind, sharing, Peace Corps volunteers.
As I have seen so far, Peace Corps volunteers are not always “clean,” in their physical appearance or with in their living quarters. Environment volunteers are the ones that you normally see with huge beards, dirt under their fingernails, and shoeless. That isn’t always true as volunteers from all sectors are known amongst their peers are “grungy” or “overly clean.” There is a joke in our group about my friend Ali who has impeccably clean feet. She keeps them well manicured and painted in an iridescent blue color. She looks like she just stepped out of a nail salon and in these conditions it is quite remarkable. The rest of us do the best we can to clean them but dirt under your nails is common and as I have found, a constant condition. I feel that as soon as I clean my nails I find dirt under them again; it’s baffling, yet not really.
We spent a few days in Lilongwe attending sessions about administrative issues and touring the office. The cool thing about the Peace Corps is that they employ Malawians to hold 85% of the positions in the organization. Our drivers, our language teachers, our technical trainers (that help us integrate into Malawian schools), our office staff, and our program directors are all Malawians. The administrative officer and Peace Corps country director are Americans but that is it. The Environment program director is American but our Education director is a woman who has studied in America and formally worked with the Malawian Education Ministry.
While in Lilongwe we did have some time to shop which was both fun and overwhelming. They gave us hefty amounts of money-which none of us want to carry around-and an extensive list of suggests items to buy for our homes. I splurged on a nice frying pan and pot with a lid. I bought some food like: powdered milk, spices, sugar, salt, and tea as well as fresh goods from the market like: tomatoes, green peppers, carrots, onions, avocados, beans, and rice. Other household things like: clothes pins, sponges, a gardening shovel, laundry and dish soap. I bought about 8 different buckets to carry water, store food, wash dishes, and one for bathing. It was quite amusing seeing 15 volunteers in the same store buying out the entire inventory.
On Wednesday we all got dressed up and ready to go by 8am to be driven to the Ambassador’s house for the swearing in ceremony. For those who received letters describing Thanksgiving it was held at the same place. The home is very impressive with an in-ground pool; a fountain, a pool table, and beautiful patio furniture to sit on underneath an overhang (don’t know what to call it). It is a wooden structure that is built off of the roof that provides shade for the back yard area. There is a tennis court and a large open field used for playing football and Frisbee and gardens are dispersed throughout the property. The house was decorated nicely for the ceremony and our language & technical trainers were their dressed in their finest clothes. People in Malawi dress very nicely and are very clean. They are always in business attire and for our special ceremony, the men busted-out 3 pieces suits and the women, beautiful suit coats and skirts. Our group took special care in getting ready and did each other’s hair and makeup. I wore a dress that was given to me by a volunteer who E.T.ed (early terminated) as a way of honoring her. Our guests were the Ambassador, our country director, our program director and program coordinator, and the secretary from the minister of education. They all gave a speech and in addition, our group wrote a speech which was translated from English to Chichewa (national language and language I speak) and Chitimbuka (language of the North and the language of many volunteers). I helped write the speech with another volunteer Meleia who did most of the work. The one positive advantage to a major side-effect of our Malaria medication is insomnia. Meleia was up all night anyway and was able to crank-out the speech in one night. I added some details and changed some of the wording but I give her the credit. It was a beautiful speech (maybe I can post it) and hopefully it wasn’t lost too much in translation. Our readers did us proud especially Anthony (quite a performer) who brought the crowd to tears with his dramatic reading. He added drums when we spoke of being welcomed with song and dance and used a lot of hand gestures to bring drama and effect to the words. This was aired live on Malawi t.v. (for those who watch it) and I have a feeling he may be famous.
After the speeches we all raised our right hands and said our oath. Many people were joyous but for me, honestly, I didn’t feel different after earning status as a “volunteer” versus a “trainee.” Some felt or expressed joy whereas some of us agreed that a two year commitment is a two year commitment no matter what acronym we are given. We had great appetizers following: mini pizzas, samosas, chicken, and cake. We had our married couple cut the cake (my idea) since they were skilled in it! We got photos of them holding the knife together as in a traditional wedding ceremony and they were cracking up!
The following day we all brought our things outside and waited as each of us loaded up our prospective vehicles to be dropped off at our sites. I went with another T.D.F. (Teacher Development Facilitator) “Shana” and I am glad I did. I was shocked at how far off the main road (they say “Tarmak”) she is-about 40miles. We kept driving up this windy, dirt road for what seemed like forever. At first I commented at how happy I was to be able to see her site as I would highly doubt that any Peace Corps volunteer would visit her. To get out of her site there are vehicles that leave every day at 5am and 7am but they have to be full to leave or you have to pay 250 kwacha (2dollars) for every empty seat. Not the most reliable transport. Then after 45 minutes I wasn’t so happy as the bumpy roads got to my tummy! It was plush green rolling mountains and fields of freshly planted maize and tobacco...beautiful!! We dropped her off and proceeded to my place. We were also lucky to have Heather, the desk assistant to the Southern African countries from Washington, D.C., who was visiting for a few days. She came along with us for the ride. She kindly provided lunch and bought us each Taco Mix and a sleezy, magazine to catch-up on our Britney Spears and Angelina Jolie info! The food was soooo spicy I couldn’t eat it and the magazine sooo trashy that my stomach was very unhappy. Needless to say I listened to my MP3 player (which takes AAA batteries...hint, hint) and tried to zone out.
When we arrived to my house we found that we were unable to drive up to my front door. We all took some of my things and carried them across a field and a river. I was appalled at a man who put my 65lb bag on his head!! But needless to say it was done quickly and without a lot of difficulty. After we brought the things to my house Heather suggested that we drive to the lake. My Head Master and myself got into the car and headed down the road-about 2km. When we got out of the car we were greeted by about 25 children who all started shouting, “Azungu!” which means “white, wealthy person in Chichewa. We walked down to the lake and it was beautiful. I had visited the lake but a different spot. There were gorgeous big rocks in the water and boats, docked on the shore where fishermen had left them. There were “usipa” drying on the lakeshore-a tiny fish that many people eat. A man informed me that they fish are caught at night with boats with lights. Heather got some great photos as these children loved being photographed. None of us could stop smiling because the children had so much energy! They would scream each time they saw the flash go off. Luckily, it wasn’t a digital camera otherwise; they all like to look at the picture.
So I settled in and because it was dark, I ate Chex-mix for dinner as I didn’t want to start a fire. I put up my mosquito net, read Ericka’s letters and went to sleep. I slept from 8pm-6:30am..exhausted from the last few days. This morning I ate chex-mix again as I have still not fetched any water. The bucket awaits me outside my Head Master’s door as do many people who will watch me as I fill my bucket and place it on my head. It is not something I am looking forward to but something I want to begin doing so it causes less attention each time. I don’t mind performing however; when you are constantly on display it can be unsettling. I am dealing with it. I just try to remember that we are all children or novices at many things and need to be humble and start at the beginning. I could easily pay someone to do my chores but I want to save my money and truly try to integrate and live as they live. I must sign off but I hope you enjoyed this entry. I will write as much as I can in as much detail as I deem necessary. Love-Angela

December 19th (a few days later)
Just thought I would add a few things today as the adventures never cease in Malawi. Today I am in Lilongwe after a pleasant ride with a man in a nice truck. He charged me for the ride but I can’t complain because I arrived about 2 hours early than I would have by mini-bus. We listened to reggae music the whole way as many Malawians are “Rastafarians” with dreadlocks and outgoing personalities. I am here to do some business then I will proceed to my friend MaryBeth’s house to spend the night with her and her friend from the UK that she met. It is fun being here as meeting people is easy and the circumstances and ways in which you meet are unexpected and spontaneous.
Anyway, I wanted to inform everyone that I have a new member in my family. It’s a kitten named, “Njala.” I asked my Head Master for a cat to help me with my mice problem. The mice are cocky and have no problem making noise at night while I am sleeping even when I shine light on them. I heard that they are afraid of light but it is not working. It’s as if they know they have been there long before me and are trying to break me down so they can reclaim their territory. My cat’s name “Njala” means “hunger” in Chichewa and I am hoping that he will live up to his name and eat every last one of them. For now, I am feeding him “usipa,” the small fish I described above. He is cute but I must admit that my limited cat experience leaves me feeling clueless as to knowing how to respond to his frequent “m-e-o-w-s.”
I will be returning home tomorrow or the day after and will be accompanied by 8-12 of my fellow volunteers. Everyone wants to see the lake for Christmas so they are coming to my place. The more the Merrier!!
I must be going but I am hoping you are enjoying my entries. I will try to make them juicy so that you feel you are being swept away in an African novel!
All the best and Happy Holidays!

Malawi Adventurz

2007-12-12T23:09:00.000-08:00

Hello!

This is my first entry on my blogspot. Elisa, this was your idea but I think it is a way I can inform people of what is going on and possibily add pictures to this.

Today is a short entry because I have to spend my limited time on the Internet informing everyone of this spot.

I look forward to adding entries to blogspot and keeping you updated on my adventurez.

I hope you all are enjoying the holiday season. Here, it is nearly non-existent but I did receive an awesome birthday package from Ericka so that I can enjoy candy-canes, a small x-mas tree to join the small crystal one my mom gave me a while back. Also, I have a small, wooden snowman to hang. Wait! I almost forgot the x-mas windsock I will hang from my porch that will confuse everyone I am sure but maybe it will welcome new people into my home!

All the best to all the best people in my life.

Season greetings from the Warm Heart of Africa!

Angela