It has taken me nearly a week to try and find the words I needed to write my final entry on Malawi. I started writing a final entry nearly a dozen times in Malawi but nothing seemed appropriate, and I couldn't get very far without breaking down into tears. I'm not sure I will ever find the right words to summarize my time in Malawi, they might not even exist.

In the end these are some of the things I will never ever forget: landing in Malawi anxious and excited and extremely exhausted, living with a wonderfully generous Malawian family where I learned to cook on a fire and speak with my hands, eating way too much nsima, getting used to the water (read: becoming violently ill on multiple occasions), swearing in as a REAL volunteer, moving to my first home, heartbreak, a crazy crazy Christmas, New Years in Nkhata Bay, climbing Mt. Mulanje, planning camp SKY, celebration at President Bingu's house, Camp SKY, AMERICA, game count, Thanksgiving, MY FAMILY ARRIVES,New Years on Mumbo Island, safari in Zambia, loneliness, Sarah's death, carrying 20l of palm oil around Malawi and making soap, the opening of AYID, climbing Kilimanjaro, snorkeling in Zanzibar, the world map project, Eunice, Charity, Ruth, Dennis, Derrick, Vinny, Innocent, Henry, Mavuto, Amayi, Mr. Kasiya, Mr. Masofa, Mrs. Matumba, William, Charlie, Alexander, Gertrude, Mr. Lisambo, Enesti, John, Dickens, Blessings, falling in love with Malawi...

In the end my experience is not about the frustrations and the challenges, rather it is about the hope and beauty I witnessed in an extraordinary place. In the end I learned more about myself than ever before, I was challenged and frustrated and inspired. I am so thankful for the support of my family and friends both in Malawi and at home, you knew it was not always easy, but you supported and encouraged me and reminded me why I was there. In the end I will always remember the moments that remind me why Malawi will always be magical.

I have had plenty of good days and amazing moments but Saturday, June 4th was easily a top 5 day in Malawi.

In a last minute effort to hang out with the Form 3 and Form 4 girls I asked my sitemates, Twila and Debra, if they would be willing to help with a girls' day--a day to discuss health, environment, and education issues and a forum for the girls to be comfortable enough to ask questions. Twila and Debra agreed and so we bought some beans and rice and fantas and had our day.

Twila, an environment volunteer spoke about taking care of their environment. They talked about where to plant gardens that would be easier to water, where to plant trees to help lower the water in the chimbudzi, and good fruits and vegetables to plant in our area. This is all really helpful information because they will all be the heads of their households and will (hopefully) be able to provide their children with lots of healthy foods.

Then Debra, a health volunteer, got to the good stuff. They talked about their bodies, how menstruation works, how you can become pregnant, all the stuff that kids learn in America in the 5th grade that is taboo in Malawian schools. They also learned about HIV/AIDS, they learned how to put a condom on, and why THEY are in charge of their bodies. It was an incredible conversation.

I talked about setting goals, both long term and short term, and how they have to work step by step to achieve their big goals. We also made a calender and mapped out our day so we can be efficient and effective with out time. (thanks TFA) I was pretty encouraged when Eunice told me me Monday we needed to finish our map because it was on her schedule.

The rest of the afternoon was spend doing a question and answer which was unbelievable. The girls were so open and honest and the next day one of the girls wrote a report in my class about the day, she said "we must take care of our vagina coz its so beautiful we must not allow anybody to destroy it." To that, I say 'yeah, girl.'

see you all soon!

love,

e

Somehow it turned into the end of the month. I'm not entirely sure what happened but the days that used to go by achingly slow have somehow flown by. Here is a brief recap of this months adventures!

HIV/AIDS Training

In Senga Bay. Sweet. For better or worse this was one of the best Peace Corps trainings I have attended. For better because it was informative and inspirational; for worse because at this point I have one month left at site, it would have been awesome to know this stuff 20 months ago. It was a pretty basic workshop in that we learned about contacts to make in our Boma and discussed current HIV/AIDS programs-their successes and their flaws. The most exciting part was planning future events like medicinal gardens, fun activities to do with youth groups, and the basic biology of HIV. I am kinda bummed to be missing these future trainings but so excited they might be a reality for future groups.

The Perfect Day

Lots of people ask "what do you do everyday?" To be honest, I'm not always sure- it changes everyday. Some days I teach a lot, some days I work at home planning and organizing, some days I go to Lilongwe or the Nkhotakota-it's a pretty flexible job...but the other day I had a near perfect day, this is what happened:

Almost all of the teachers were gone (they were at the bank because they haven't been paid in like 3 months, but that is a whole other story) so I taught the Form 4s for about 4 hours. They got so into the lesson on phrasal verbs (not to be confused with verb phrases--I made that mistake) so we just kept going and going. I love the Form 4s- they are creative and clever and curious - all of the best qualities in students. In the afternoon I walked to my friend Gertrude's house about an hour away. Gertrude runs the positive living clubs for people living with HIV/AIDSand after the workshop I realized what a rockstar she is. Gertrude is one of those people that makes you feel better about life, she has been on the brink of death without access to ARVs and has since risen to become a beacon of hope transforming the way positive people are living and how they are treated in our area. She has a smile from ear to ear and a contagious laugh and the world is better for her being here.

After visiting Gertrude I went to visit Deckens, a friend of mine who attends Chancellor college (the only 4 year university in Malawi) and is blind. I gave him my old computer because it only worked when it was plugged in and that basically rendered it useless to me. He assured me he could update and fix it and install software that would read him the actions of the computer so he could write his reports and read word documents much easier. He showed off his computer skills proving that, indeed the computer was still kicking and he knew how to use it.

I think this day reminded me of so many good things: how much I love my students, that I have made friends here-real friends so unlike my friends at home, and that the simplest gift can make such a difference in a person's life.

Domasi College of Education

One of my friends has recently been transferred to Domasi to finish his service as a professor in the science department - a pretty sweet deal, if you ask me. He invited Jesi and I to do a 'foldables' workshop for one of his classes. Happy to oblige and excited to see Zomba we planned to do the workshop, hike up the plateau, and head out early Tuesday morning. Unfortunately, Monday morning Jesi got sick-really sick, so I did the workshop and we spent the rest of the day at a lovely clinic in Zomba. (photos are now on facebook) Luckily, we were able to travel back to Lilongwe Tuesday morning but the plateau still remains a mystery. I guess I'll have to come back to Malawi...

loads of love,

e

Uhuru peak on Mt. Kilimanjaro is 5895m tall, almost 19,000 feet above sea level and after 4 days of traveling on a bus and 4.5 days of climbing we made it to the top of Africa, the tallest free standing mountain in the world. And that was just the first week of my two week spring break. The second week was spent in Zanzibar enjoying the oxygen available at sea level, snorkeling over beautiful coral reefs, eating my weight in prawns and coconut fish, feeding 150 year old tortoises, and exploring the incredible beauty of Stonetown. This is how I spent my spring break:

Transport:

Getting to Arusha required 4 days of transport, including a 19 hour bus ride and a night spent in a brothel. (it was only $2.50/night) To be fair, the buses in Tanzania were much nicer and the rides included stops at rest areas with take away food! An incredible upgrade from roadfood in Malawi.

Getting from Arusha to Zanzibar required a 11 hour bus ride from Arusha to Dar es Salaam, the brakes on our bus broke so we missed the last ferry to Zanzibar. We had heard about flights to Zanzibar and went to airport on a whim. About 45 minutes later we had bargained down a flight from $76 to $45 and were sitting in the smallest plane I have ever been in (minus the one I jumped out of) enjoying a sunset flight to Zanzibar.

Zanzibar to Dar es Salaam was not so spectacular as I get incredibly sea sick and had to use a sea sick bag in front of A LOT of people. I have never gotten sea sick in my life, it was terrible. Probably karma for making fun of people who wear those patches behind their ears on cruises. I'm sorry, I promise to never make fun of you again.

I decided somewhere along the 19 hour bus ride it was totally worth it to fly back to Lilongwe. But...the flight was postponed a day, and then the airport didn't take credit cards. Yes, in order to buy a plane ticket in Dar es Salaam you have to withdrawal a lot of cash, walk around the airport with this giant sum of money, and shadily hand over a wad of cash.

The Climb:

Was amazing. The first three days were fairly easy. Our guides, Stanley and Issa were awesome and we enjoyed the luxury camping of having our tents set up, food prepared, and water boiled. easy. And then day 4 started. It was windy and cold and there was not a lot of oxygen. We moved at a snails pace, the beautiful green vegetation was replaced by what looked like the place where rocks go to die. We arrived at our last camp around 4pm, ate dinner and tried to sleep for a few hours. I should explain here that we were all taking high altitude medication, this medication our bladders active. very active. Every night I had to prepare myself to step outside in the frozen tundra (okay, not really frozen tundra, but it was COLD), use the bathroom, and then warm back up inside my TWO sleeping bags at least 3 times. This meant that none of us had a good nights sleep, at the end of the 4th day we began our summit push already exhausted. We woke up around 11:30pm, ate some cookies, and began walking towards the top. Gale force winds seemed to be whipping around us and our tiny headlamps lit the path towards the summit. From 1:30am to 5:30am were rough, really rough. We made it to Stella Point, the lower peak just before sunrise and managed to make it to Uhuru Peak as the sun was rising. I'm not sure if it was the complete exhaustion or the beautiful site, but I had tears in my eyes I approached the peak. Somethings just take your breathe away. literally.

We stumbled down the mountain, rested for about an hour and then hiked about 4 more hours to the last camp. Exhausted. Proud. With chapped lips and a smile.

Zanzibar:

Ahh sea level. Glorious. Zanzibar was beautiful. We spent the first 3 days at Jambiani beach, swimming, snorkeling, eating delicious sea food, and recovering. Bliss. We spent the next few days in Stonetown, a beautiful city with an interesting Arabic and European feel. Stonetown was a slave trading post, full of history. We were able to visit a few museums, feed giant sea tortoises, take in the rich smells of the spice market, and explore this very cool city.

And now I'm back, ready for the final countdown. I miss you all and can't wait to see you!

much love,

e

Yesterday easily falls in the top 5 days in Malawi. Easily. Active Youth in Development (AYID), the youth group we started last January opened the doors of the community center and the library to the village. To say this opening was a long time coming is an understatement. The village, Kanyangale, is about 3k from the closest primary school and about 10k from the closest secondary school. When we started AYID last year I had no idea where it would go, but I liked the group and I needed the exercise. There was always a dream of a building, but they had to prove their want. So, we tried to raise money. We dried fruit (fail) and made soap (success), they carried canoes in from the road, worked in people's fields, burned nearly 25,000 bricks and proved their want. Honestly, the last few months have been trying. The project has been stressful and frustrating and I have lost my patience more times than I care to admit or remember. But, yesterday it was totally worth it. We had about 20 chiefs, the Traditional Authority for the area, a representative from our Member of Parliament, representatives from USAID, my boss from Peace Corps and a few volunteers all came to support the opening. The building isn't perfect, but the best stuff is what is going to happen inside. Today has been spent frantically trying to grade exams before I leave for Tanzania. Yes, this week we opened a library and next week I'm climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, the week after that I'll be recovering on the beaches of Zanzibar, I guess my life is pretty cool. Much love, E

Just an f.y.i. if you ever thought about sending a package to Malawi now is the time! The post office has been exceptionally slow and I have about 3, yes 3 months left which means in order for me to truly be able to enjoy the letter, package, treat, etc you should think about sending it sooner than later. If you're not into sending packages that is totally cool, you can take me out for dinner in America. : ) much love, e

Sometimes Peace Corps can seem really glamorous. The 'life is calling' photos with the beautiful sunsets in the background or the beautiful kids looking desperate to be taught. Stories of travel and work make me wonder why my photos don't show up next to Angelina Joli and Madonna (don't get me started on Madonna) in People magazine. Let me be clear, my life is not glamorous. Not in the tiniest way. And if I was starting to believe otherwise the past three weeks have confirmed the lack of glamour. Since returning from Ruarwe I have been entirely at site. This is kind of a big deal for me as I prefer to travel on the weekends to maintain my sanity and see Malawi. But for the past 3.5 weeks I have been dealing with Malawian shenanigans that have made me thankful I can start my countdown home. I'll try and break it down: School I love my school, I really do. I don't love being their go-to person for everything. I have spent the past 3 weeks typing exams for 6 schools. Exams in Chichewa, exams with ridiculous diagrams, exams with intense math equations, exams that don't appear to be in English or Chichewa but some other language belonging to a secret few. Oh, and typing the answer sheets. I type these exams because none of the schools in my cluster have computers and only one has electricity so they would have to pay someone to type the exams and they can't afford to do that, especially since the government has collected ALL the money from the schools without a plan to return it. The problem is that the teachers think I wave the paper in front of the computer and it magically appears-I have the easy job, so it's not big deal to turn in exams 3 weeks late and expect them the next day....I suppose other jobs are like this, I just HATE typing exams. The exams have also taken away time to do other, better things. Like finish the map, teach extra periods, and bathe regularly. But...we did have a special treat this week- A friend of mine stays in Lilongwe and had her sister, Laura, visit Malawi. Laura works at Gymcraftics, a nonprofit group in Boston and wanted to visit a school in Malawi. Monday we had a couple of sessions with the girls, it was absolutely awesome. They are so strong and were able to do some really advanced cool moves. Hopefully I will have photos to post soon but if you are really curious just google Gymcraftics! Exams have begun this week and will finish next week and then it's a 2 week holiday -- Mt. Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar here we come! AYID One of my teachers told me "Malawians are good at starting projects, but they are not good at finishing them." So it seems. We were supposed to open March 17, the date has been shifted to April 4th and sometimes I feel like to babysit to make anything happen. Oh, and we ran out of money....whoops. Life Hmm, some days have been great. Some days I have been woken up at 2am because the witches visited my neighbors in the middle of the night and we had to pray for their house. The more time I spend in Malawi the more I realize how little I know, maybe that is the point. Also, I put a deposit down at the University of Chicago so if you are in Chicagoland let me know, I would love to see some familiar faces! Miss you all! loads of love, e

To be sure, Paradise looks different for every person. Some people prefer fancy places or rural landscapes or maybe even a Sunday morning with pancakes. Last weekend I found my paradise in Ruarwe.

To be clear, Ruarwe is remote. So remote that you can only get there via a 3 day hike or by boat. I am of the opinion that the more difficult something is to attain, the sweeter the success at the end. With the term break at our disposal Jesi, Twila, Drea and I set off on a 3 day adventure. With high spirits and fancy hiking boots (minus Drea in her Snooks) we began.

One of the challenges of hiking to Ruarwe is that you are never quite sure where you in relation to where you need to be. As I have mentioned before Malawians are not known for their precise directions, they mostly just point towards a random direction saying "ahh, it is just near" or "you are just very close." We were unsure how far to walk each day, but we marched along knowing somehow in Malawi everything always magically works out.

At our first lunch break we all observed the lack of bore holes for water. The villages in this region are so remote that NGOs and Government agencies have done very little in regards to development. Why would you need a bore hold for water when you live on the lake? So with iodine tables and a prayer I drank the lake water...

Anyway, as we walked from village we chatted with people along the way. One man noted, as we were preparing to move on, that I "was meant to be a soldier, not a teacher." Probably true...but it's just that whole war thing....

I digress. The first night, upon recommendation, we stopped at a primary school with a perfectly symmetrical mango tree. We spent the afternoon swimming and cooking with the women. It was glorious.

The next day was more of the same but harder. The trail became narrow and steep and rocky. We stopped for a mid morning swim convinced we were not TOO far away. After walking quite a distance (and stopping for lunch) I realized my camera was missing. In a frantic burst of frustrated energy I threw my back down and started running back along the trail. A pack of kids soon followed when, about 30 minutes later, another boy started chasing us proudly swinging my camera in the air. He found it under a rock, I would have NEVER seen. I think my giant hug might have scared him but we all walked back to Twila, Jesi, and Drea laughing and smiling. I rewarded him with some American trail mix and granola bars and the loose change in my pocket. Oh, and we got to take lots of photos together.

The second night we found a school to sleep in, made friends who helped us cook and considered ourselves ready for paradise.

We were told we would arrive in Ruarwe anywhere between 10am and 2pm, but we were convinced we would have a full day in Ruarwe-it would just be a short morning trek. We walked and walked and walked, around bends, up hills, down hills-all of us loosing steam. We were low on food, water, and energy. Around 3pm we rounded the final corner and saw the lodge waiting for us-the most beautiful thing we had seen in a while.

The following days were spent swimming, jumping off tall things, eating delicious food, reading, chatting, and enjoying. We took the Illala- the big ship that goes up and down the lake out on Monday morning to Nkhata Bay refreshed and content. Tuesday was back to site and reality, being thankful to have found paradise.

Oh, the best part-the butterflies guiding our way along the entire path. Thank you Sarah for helping us find our way.

loads of love,

e

I hope everyone has a friend like Sarah. Someone who knows all the moves to the Thriller dance, can make you laugh until you have tears running down your face, who will meet you for coffee or frozen yogurt, who will pray for you, who will listen, guide, teach, inspire, who, after meeting them makes you want to become a better person. Someone who will help plan a surprise birthday party for you, who always suggests the perfect book, who will remind you that you are worthy of good things and to live intentionally.

Sarah, you were one of the brightest lights in my time in Houston, go shine your bright light on the world from Heaven.

Life is eternal, and love is immortal,

and death is only a horizon;

and a horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight.

-rossiter worthington raymond

Please keep Eric and her family in your thoughts, and be thankful because we now have an amazing angel in Heaven.

much love,

e

www.sarahchidgey.blogspot.com

It has been a while since my last update, my apologies. Life has been trucking along as it does in Malawi- days can seem to take lifetimes, but somehow the weeks and months fly by.

The week after my family left we had our mid-service training, it was the last time I will be in Dedza (a little bittersweet, but mostly sweet). Of course it is always nice spending time with my group, but I am ready move on. I think.

The past weeks have been full of lesson plans, map drawing, weekend trips, library training, and a chicken killing. Let me explain...

After my family left I decided I wanted to travel and visit people on the weekend, I have done just that. I put in my monday-friday work and then go to beautiful places on the weekend, it is a nice balance. School has been going really well, I can see improvements in my students English both in writing and speaking. Marking exams and compositions can be absurdly frustrating (on any continent!), but I do think they are learning...something. We have also been working on the world map project, the map we started with family. It is slow going but the kids are having so much fun, and they finally know where Malawi is!

We had our library training last week for Active Youth in Development. Since the death of our contractor progress has been slow. So, we came up with a new plan and should be done my the middle of March. Yesterday I was able to register the group with the National Library Service so they can pick up books all year long. I was able to fill up two HUGE boxes of books (I hadn't been in a library in too long, the people working thought I was nuts because I was so excited about all of the new books!).

Oh, and the chicken. Last week I went to visit John's family. John is the student my Aunt is helping with school fees, but I had yet to meet his family. So a couple of students and I went over to their house and had some awkward conversation and they gave me a chicken. We walked back to my house where I gave it to my neighbor and asked if she could keep it for the following week...well, something got lost in communication and she brought out the chicken to give to her nephew to kill. When in Rome, right? So I killed the chicken. He held it down on the ground and yours truly cut its neck off. And then we had chicken and rice for lunch.

I have been accepted into graduate school so I can come home at the end of June! This means the days in Malawi are numbered, somewhere between a precious few and an overwhelming too many.

Miss you all!

loads of love,

elisabeth

I figured it was time for Elisa's abambo to put in his 2 cents about the vacation - although that word really doesn't describe the experience we all had. I'll admit that I was a bit hesitant at first about the whole trip, but even before the first evening we spent all together in Salima, it was pretty clear that I would have missed the opportunity of a lifetime. So, here are some highlights from my perspective...

When your child decides to grow up and move 8,000 miles away, you just have to believe they can take care of themselves. You would not want to mess with Elisa (particularly if you're a curio vendor...)Living in a National Geographic spread is a little surreal. We WERE the stuff you see in the magazine.The fact that you can buy a cold Coke and cell phone minutes in the middle of nowhere was a bit disconcerting. But it does give a sense of how the middle of nowhere is connected to the rest of civilization.I think the last time I cleaned and cooked live fish was on a Boy Scout campout, but making a family dinner with ingredients we bought at her market and prepared on her paraffin stove while wearing a headlamp was a personal best for me...Mooching off of someone else's bucket list isn't so bad.Sistership is a pretty special relationship. Planning for Alix to go out the week before the parents was the right idea.I'll come clean about the "azungu trap" since it provided for some hysterical laughter behind my back. Because of the severe rains in the country, there are fairly wide and deep ditches along the edges of the roads in Lilongwe. This isn't anything you would see in a developed country since they are rather dangerous to pedestrians. So, during our last evening there, we walked to the restaurant - in the dark. Trying to assume the role of the patriarch, I walked behind the 3 women - especially since Elisabeth needed to lead the way. Well, I really don't see so well in the dark, and there's a lot of crazy drivers, and the thud they heard was me landing in the 24" deep ditch, with my head and arms outstretched on the road, awaiting the oncoming traffic. I took my time cleaning off the blood in the men's room at dinner so they had some time to compose themselves. Naturally they all wanted to hold my hand on the walk back.Running isn't practical in Malawi or Zambia - something about being mistaken as "dinner" put a damper on the training. I got over that...It was amazing to see how far a few dollars will go with the right kind of direction. The AYID community center Elisabeth is helping to get built in Kanyangale was incredible. It's the first building in this little fishing village on Lake Malawi to have an "iron roof". Seeing how the village has come together to build the structure, and to meet the villagers and their chief - and be honored quests was pretty special. And now we have the "Benoit Family Library" - a room in the community center for this village that has no school. The building is paid for, but we donated some money to furnish the library. And then I started thinking that others might want to make a small contribution to endear themselves to the family library. Perhaps a trip to Lilongwe to get books from the free national library system ($5)? Small table ($10)? Lifetime library cards for 10 people ($5)? Paper/supplies ($10)? Let Kathy or myself know if you're interested in supporting the cause.And aside from the horrendous air travel (Ethiopian Air is more like a catering company with some salvaged planes...) it really was the ultimate family trip. My love to all...

Mid-vacation Elisabeth said "Alix, you should make a guest entry in my blog. It would give an outside perspective on my life in Africa." At the time this task did not seem to be too difficult. Sure, there are plenty of things to write about and angles to take, but to really sum up the blip in time that was my holiday is near impossible. So, in an effort to pass on a little of my experience here is a taste of what I learned, what I saw, what I did, and what I thought:learning to hitchhike, as a standard mode of transportI now have an understanding of Malawian transport, in all its glory. Mini buses, AXA buses, hitches... I missed bicycle taxi's, but I think I got a decent educationlearning to be patient with Malawian transport- eventually the mini bus will go, you just have to wait and standing on sack of maize for 6 hours from Elisabeth's site to Khande Beach really isn't that bad. Oh, and if the sheep under your seat on the mini bus kicks, just lift your legs. Walking across "the scary bridge" in the Lilongwe market is the best way to go clothes shoppingThere is nothing like a fresh mango or pineapple, even if it is sold to you at an azungu priceThe children are well loved and taken care ofThe sense of community in the villages is remarkable, there are very few homeless people and it seemed as though everyone takes care of everyone. I have never heard the phrase "you are most welcome" and "feel free" more, but they were always said with complete sincerity. Still, I always wanted to ask "feel free to do what?"When white people multiply in a remote village you are bound to get looks. I still have not figured out a use for all of the chitenjes (the colorful cloth the women wear) I boughtAmayi (mothers) hands are stronger and tougher then an ove-glove, no joke. And their backs and heads and well... they are just strong womenthere are so many people that are willing to work hard, but the bureaucracy and dependence on others prevents a lot from getting doneonly in Malawi will you wake up with a monkey on your porch, brought to you by the neighborsAzungu traps (giant ditches on the side of the roads) are dangerous. adding too much water-guard to water will make you sicker than just drinking water out of the borehole- I learned that one the hard way.I am not sure how Elisabeth handles the little things all the time, like: sexism, dependency issues, her brothers, preventable accidents, lack of funding for the important things (water, electricity for the school), bugs, transportation, living somewhere for over a year and still there are people that beg her for things. Really, she lives there too! She doesn't have running water or electricity either, and I am pretty sure asking for a msweetie or pencil will not help you out in the long run. cold cokes and fantas can and will revive you even in the muggiest of weatherElisa is one tough cookieMalawians often use "L" and "R" interchangeably, making some funny words, like the volunteer Russell who is called Lusser, or in the case of the Neil Diamond classic "Sweet Calorine" yes, I have heard a band of Rastas sing "Sweet Calorine" at an Italian restaurant followed by the Beatles "Ret it Be" The lodge in Zambia had a pet squirrel, but I think I am the only in the family that thought that it was a good ideaSometimes when Elisabeth laughs really hard she sounds a little like a hippo....I was a little worried about such a long family vacation because we haven't spent that amount of time together in consecutive days in, well, ever.... but, everything turned out grand. No, really it was fantastic. I don't know why, but I will venture to guess it has something to do with months of mental preparation Elisabeth put us throughI don't like nsima, I don't care how good the relish is, the nsima is yucky. That isn't fair- it doesn't really have a taste but you smack it around in your mouth and it does nothing but gum up and never go down.I could never finish a plate a of food, no matter how hungry I was. I am pretty sure 5 cups of cooked rice is more than one serving, but my inability to finish will prevent me from being a true Malawian. purchasing food at a restaurant (note: the term "restaurant" is used VERY loosely, really it is someplace that *may* serve food at some time) is often a timely ordeal. Don't wait until you are really hungry in case they take an hour or three. And have a back up in case they don't have what you want or don't feel like cooking itcooking over hot coals is rewarding you can bake over the coals, I managed a chocolate cake, but other talented volunteers created cinnamon rolls, mango crisp, and banana breadSo, there it is- a general overview of some of that I learned. If I think of other really important things I will add on, but for now this is it. There is no way to put into words all that I will take away from this adventure, but there is no doubt that it will stay with me forever. I want to thank all of the volunteers I met, you are awesome. Keep being rockstars. Elisabeth, you are the greatest "man-woman" sister in the world and I am super proud of all you are doing. I know you question the impact you are making, but you are showing villages that with hard work and follow through things can get done.

Keep an eye out for an outside perspective Abambo (daddy) version, coming soon...

Alix(Alice, little Elisa)

The family came to Malawi, my sister for three weeks and my parents for two. It was perfect. Perfect timing, a perfect vacation, I was pretty bummed dropping them off at the airport yesterday. Lucky for them they were able to extend their trip courtesy of Ethiopian Airlines--maybe they can tell you about that later in their guest blogs. : )

The following is a brief summary of their adventures kuno ku Malawi.

1) My sister arrives! She and I are going to have a 'peace corps' experience, taking public transportation, and doing things the Peace Corps way. I discover it is much more fun to ride in the back of a truck with your sister.

2) We visit my house. Alix meets the neighbors, all of them. She has passed the neighbor test and the boys deem her cool enough for a dance party. Positives: We make a delicious taco dinner with guacamole and baked a chocolate cake for dessert (on coals). Negatives: We make a mouse trap that fails two nights in a row.

3) We travel north to visit a friend's house for Christmas. Alix gets the full transport experience as we stand on bags of maize with 120 of our closer friends for 5 hours to Khande.

4) Christmas as Russell's house with 13 other friends. Christmas was spent eating cinnamon rolls (also made on coals), swimming in the lake, and enjoying some really terrible Christmas music. Traditional? No. Memorable? Absolutely.

5) The day after Christmas we travel back to my site via a hitch that gets a flat tire and a mini bus whereby I am attacked by a sheep traveling under my seat.

6) We pick up our parents. And our car. Life is good.

7) The first night is spent at Senga Bay at a beautiful resort with a pool and air conditioning and room service. Clearly, I have never been here before, but I can get used to this life.

8) We travel to my site. We buy fish, my dad cooks. Christmas presents fall from my parent's suitcases (enough macaroni and cheese and hummus mix to last a long long time).

9) The school prepares a lunch for my family. Lunches in Malawi are always awkward events with lots of speeches and weird silences. My headteacher provides comic relief with his dramatic way with words as he says about my arrival: "when we found out we were receiving a women we were paralyzed with fear, but Elisa has proven herself to be a "woman-man." Gee, thanks.

10) The next day we go to Kanyangale to visit AYID's building. The group welcomes us with songs and dances. They give my parents the best hats in the whole world and name the library after us.

11) Two nights at my house proves to be enough. We spend the next morning working on the map project at school and then head to the Safari lodge in Nkhotakota for a great meal on the lake and a comfortable chalet.

12) On the way to Monkey Bay we stop at Mua Mission to visit the cultural center and learn about different kinds of umm...masks.

13) New Years Eve. Staying a 'rustic lodge' without electricity in Monkey Bay makes it difficult to stay awake through the new year.

14) We travel to Cape Maclear to try and beg for a place to sleep. One night at the 'rustic lodge' was enough. We happen upon a little lodge which is about an hour ferry boat ride away-and so begins our trip to paradise.

15) Mumbo Island. Paradise. Beautiful tents set up like tree forts fit a maximum of 14 people on the island. We spend the afternoon kayaking and swimming then take the boat out for a sundowner. Delicious food, beautiful scenery, happy 2011 to us.

16) Travel to Lilongwe. Safari the next day!

17) SAFARI in ZAMBIA! We saw tons of giraffe, zebras, elephants, birds, hippos, crocodiles, baboons, monkeys, and leopards (yes, plural and one about 10 feet away), and lions. The best part was driving in the crazy safari mobile flying through the bush tracking the leopard at night-we all had the most ridiculous smiles on our faces as we were flying off the seats. More delicious food, more cool people, bucket list items being checked off. sweet.

18) Back to Malawi. Time to go home. I couldn't have asked for a better vacation (I hope my family would say the same). I feel refreshed and rejuvenated and full of delicious food. Thank you family.

happy 2011 to you!

loads of love,

elisabeth

The youth center for Active Youth in Development was going up too well. In Malawian standards there were no problems-every time I went to the site the youth group, led by a hardworking contractor, were diligently layering bricks, mixing cement and building a youth center. I am so proud of them.

Saturday I went to the site to help work for the day. By help, I mean I carry some bricks, try to mix some cement, and mostly stand in the way. They don't let me do a lot of work, but I like being around and it so cool to see a building come to life.

I was watching the contractor work on Saturday and thought to myself-'we really lucked out.' Not only was his quote the lowest, but the building was going up on schedule. He wasn't showy or chatty-he got the job done.

Sunday morning I got a call at 5:30am saying that he had died. Our contractor got hit by a car on his bicycle after buying some tomatoes at the market. It was dark outside and a truck was trying to overtake another car on the narrow road-the trailer of the truck swung and hit our builder. He died instantly from head trauma. I went to the funeral Sunday morning, the group was really upset but they are moving forward. And that is what I am taking from this death-life goes on. We bought the roofing this morning and the group is looking for a new builder this week. It is not because they are over the death of our friend, it is because they still have to plant the crops, they still have to draw the water, and they still have to build our youth center.

My sister comes tomorrow-it could not be better timed. I am so looking forward to her visit, followed my parents arrival on the 27th. I really need a vacation and some family time.

Happy holidays and cheers to the new year!

loads of love,

e

I have officially completed my first year as a volunteer. It seems so bizarre to think last year at this time I moved into my house at the turnoff-scared, excited, overwhelmed, nervous...yes, mostly nervous. This has been the most intense, trying, inspiring, frustrating, wonderful year. Here is a recap:

December 2009- Arrive at site, it is so hot I think I might die. It takes 2 hours to scramble eggs because my fire keeps going out. What does a teacher development facilitator really do? I read a lot of books and wonder what I am doing in Malawi.

January 2010- This entire year will be spent in Malawi. Hmm. Active Youth in Development is formed. The rains come and I think I might die from the flooding.

February 2010-Starting to figure out being a TDF- but really, what am I doing here?

March 2010- We have been at site for 3 months-training in Dedza. Climb Mt. Mulanje.

April 2010- Start teaching at school. Start planning Camp Sky. This isn't so bad.

May 2010-Happy Birthday to me! Camp Sky is going to be a lot of work. AYID decides to make soap. Being busy is so much better.

June 2010- Winter arrives at the turnoff. The cool weather is amazing.

July 2010- Meet the president of Malawi, celebrate the 4th at the ambassador's house, write a grant for a youth group building, camp sky is next month!

August 2010- CAMP SKY!

September - AMERICA!

October 2010- Search for elephants. October is Typically my favorite one, this one seems never ending.

November 2010- Teaching a lot more. Weekend trips to the lake. Youth group building is started. I buy lots of cement, timber, nails, and other stuff to build a house.

December 2010- I made it. A full year! There were plenty of days I didn't think I would. There were lots of sad, homesick days-but there were plenty more great days. Now I am applying to grad schools and have about 6.5 months left. (this is not official because I will probably have to leave early to start school, but I will be able to finish the school year) My family is coming, AYID's building is going up, we are painting a world map school, and we have another training in January....and then it will be 5.5 months to go!

I hope you are all having a very merry holiday season. Love and miss you all!

love,

e

Thanksgiving has arrived. While I do wish I were at home mashing potatoes (the extent of my turkey day responsibilities) there are so many things to be thankful for in Malawi.

1) My family. They are flying around the world to go to the bathroom in a hole in the ground and eat nsima. That is love.

2) My friends. In Malawi and in America. Emails, letters, packages of encouragement and support make me believe I have the best friends in the whole world.

3) Health. Maybe it was the chemical burn in eye or watching Sarah's courageous battle with cancer but out health is so precious. You never know when you might misread a contact solution label or go through a scary doctors appointment.

4) The rains. Rainy season is here in Malawi. While it will soon become a swampy, muggy mess I am currently thankful for the reprieve it gives from the heat. I am also thankful for the reminder that all seasons are temporary.

5) My Malawian family. I am thankful for the hugs I get from Dennis and Derrick every morning before I go to school, watching Derrick's body explode into a crazy wild spasm when he is so happy he can't control himself, for Vinny's songs when I come home from a trip, for Innocent's earnestness and perceptiveness, my Amayi's constant concern. Well, sometimes I am not thankful for that but it is really nice to have someone to make sure I am okay. Or, to let me know when I am getting fat.

6) Malawi. While it has taken my patience and occasionally my sanity and made me speak in an awkward bizarre accent constantly misusing words and switching my 'l's and 'r's while writing and speaking it has the lake. And millions of smiling faces and generous spirits, and crazy adventures, beautiful sunsets, hundreds of lessons, and a lifetime of memories. Fair trade.

7) The future. I am currently applying to graduate school. I have no idea where I will end up but I am so excited that next year at this time my life will be completely different. That is awesome.

8) Cold Fanta

9) My students. I love teaching again. My form 4s (senior year) are witty and clever, and hardworking and make me laugh every day. I will miss them. a lot.

10) Learning how to live alone. In a village in Malawi in Africa. This was and continues to be the toughest lesson. Being alone can be a scary thing-I am learning to embrace it and even crave it. I am thankful for that.

There are lots of other things I am thankful for like nutella, post-it notes, good books, Glee, etc but these are the big things this year. I am hope you take this time to be thankful too.

loads of love,

e

I am not known for my direction reading skills. I prefer to figure things out in my own way. This week I learned an important lesson on reading directions-they are there for a reason.

Last Sunday I came into Lilongwe to go to the bank and run some errands. My plan was to be here less than 24 hours. That was my plan....

I wear contacts. I have worn contacts for years and don't enjoy wearing glasses. Peace Corps advises volunteers not to wear contacts because of the risk of infection. In order to avoid infections I have been using no-rub solution which requires a special case. Maybe you are familiar? In my hasty packing I forgot my contact case. When I realized this I didn't think twice to find some cups and let my contacts soak in the cups overnight. Now, this goes back to my lack of reading directions: on the bottle it says 'use only the lens case provided'-but living in Malawi has made me believe expiration dates and directions aren't totally necessary. Monday morning I woke up to go for a run and put my contacts in like I do everyday. I put my right contact in and felt intense fiery pain. My eye immediately pinched closed and it took my prying fingers to remove my contact. I ran into the shower and hoped my eye would stop spazzing. Unfortunately it did not. Luckily, I was in Lilongwe so I was able to visit the doctors. The doctor irrigated my eye and gave me goop (medicated eye drops) to put in 4 times a day. And then he told me I had to stay in Lilongwe until Friday...

Friday became Monday but now I am finally on my way back home! Lesson learned-read the directions on your contact solution bottle. They are not lying.

loads of love,

e

"Most people don't know there are angels whose only job is to make sure you don't get too comfortable and fall asleep and miss your life."

-Brian Andrea My friend Sarah needs your thoughts, prayers, wishes, hopes, and every positive vibe you can send. She is getting married on the 27th of this month (well, she and her husband, Eric, already got married but this is the one with the bigger dress) and deserves a perfect day. Plus, she is such an amazing person you can help but not be inspired by watching these blogs.

www.sarahchidgey.blogspot.com Loads of love,Elisabeth

Every Peace Corps volunteer struggles with the idea of development, specifically sustainable development. What does development look like and how can you make it effective in the long term? Some volunteers refuse to build anything, determined to make their service entirely composed of a transfer of technical skills. Some volunteers raise thousands of dollars to build schools, toilets, houses, and offices. I was not planning on building anything as I was more of the first opinion, building stuff doesn't solve problems. But....the youth group I work with wanted a youth center. Really, really badly. They proved their work ethic for 6 months so I wrote a grant (mostly just to appease them, I really didn't think it would go through)...the grant came through!

So now we are building a youth center with a library. While I was away the group (AYID) burned 20,000 bricks. Yes, they got the sand, the water, they mixed it together, they burned them, each individual brick...20,000 times. The funny thing about building stuff in Malawi is that there are no codes or regulations, you just kinda build. If you have read Three Cups of Tea it is a little like that- you just meet people who know people and then things turn up. There are no guarantees with anything, I am constantly surprised when things go as planned, but somehow they always do. We have a builder, last week we opened our bank account (a 4.5 hour process), next Friday we are going to Nkhotakota to buy 100 bags of cement and lots of timber (among other things). We made another batch of soap (which sold like hot cakes!) on Saturday to help pay for our 25% of the grant, the land is being cleared this week, and now it is a race to finish before the rains. The coolest thing is that things are happening...quickly. Two things that are not a guarantee in Malawi.

The Saturdays spent at Habitat for Humanity are coming in handy. I am learning about types of cement and how to lay a foundation and the difference between a roofing nail and other kinds of nails. This might not be the safest building (as we are following zero codes) or the prettiest (the layout was a hand drawn copy of something the chief and the director sketched out in the sand) but it is our building. And that makes it pretty cool.

loads of love,

e

Most people know I am not exactly an animal person. I like some on an individual basis, but if you want Dr. Doolittle please see my sister. However, I have been on a mini mission to see an elephant in real life. I felt like seeing an elephant would complete my experience of living in Africa; seeing Dumbo makes this Peace Corps thing a little more real....

So, every year a few of the environment volunteers are in charge of the game count in Liwonde National Park in the south east side of Malawi. National parks in Malawi are not exactly the mecca of the big five as far as game parks are concerned; but as far as I am concerned warthogs are almost as cool as lions. Maybe not--but they did make laugh every time hoping I to see a meercat riding on its back a la Lion King. I digress, my quest for seeing an elephant became magnified when I signed up for this game count. This was my opportunity!

Saturday Ben, Jordan, a guide, a navigator and I set off for a 14k trek through our assigned quadrant of the park. We were dropped off in a village and had to army crawl under the park fence. I realized then our chances of seeing an elephant drastically decreased because a) they aren't going to visit the gun-toting villagers and b) herds are led by females so it is not like they are going to get lost...ha, bad joke. We walked and walked and walked and saw lots of poo. Finally, we saw Impala, a few Livingtonia things (like mini foxes/rabbit things), two kudu, and lots of warthogs--but no meercats and certainly no singing. We saw some wild pigs, those were my favorite, they had some crazy mohawks and looked like they should be in a rock band. We walked and walked and walked right into the 'leprosy tree.' I was intrigued by this 'leprosy tree' because of the stories our guide was sharing. Apparently they stuffed people both dead and and alive suffering from leprosy into a small hole in a tree. 'No way,' I thought. Well, that tree is the stuff nightmares are made of. We climbed up to look in the small hole and saw bones and skulls staring back at us. Our guide was not kidding.

In an effort to make things a little more lighthearted over what we just saw and the fact that we didn't see any actual elephants we played soccer with elephant dung all the way home....

The next day we were in a 'hide'- I use this term loosely as were were sitting on a giant mound of dirt in the middle of a very open plain next to the river. It was more like a 'here I am!' And there we were sitting in the middle of a termite mound in the middle of a national park in the middle of Africa watching animals everywhere. A herd of 150 water buffalo march to the water, hundreds of impalas and water bucks and wart hogs scampered around, and finally the ELEPHANTS CAME! We saw about 20 different elephants in different groups trekking to the water. (They are just as big and beautiful as they are in the zoo.) It was in that moment I wondered how my life became so far from in the middle.

loads of love,

e

If you rowed this makes sense. If not, let me explain. Crossing the 1000 meter mark of a 2000meter race is a euphoric combination of exuberance and dread. Exuberance because you are half way, you hit your stride, the home stretch is coming. Dread in that you have to do it all over again. The best part of the last 1000 meters is that is goes by quickly.

I am sounding negative. That is not my intention. I love rowing, much like I love Malawi. I am a different person because of these experiences; however, that does not mean they were/are easy. In fact, if they were easy I am certain they would not be so profound. I could never be a college athlete again, and at this point I will most likely never be a Peace Corps volunteer again. I still love to row and I will still need to travel and have crazy adventures. Just in a more toned down masters group/summer vacation sort of way.

The best part of coming back to Malawi was that I was coming back to my life. Coming back to my house, my job, my community, my projects. How incredible to have established a life in Malawi!

Last weekend I hung around Lilongwe to finish a welcome book for Peace Corps Volunteers. VSV (volunteers supporting volunteers) -the committee I am part of- is putting together a book with volunteer profiles, travel tips, a language reference guide (Chichewa is the official language, but Chitumbuka is spoken in the north and Chitonga is spoken in the Nkhata Bay area along with various other Bantu languages specific to the tribe of the area), health tips and coping mechanisms, and other helpful notes. The book, titled Tilipo (we are around), will have to be updated regularly but hopefully will be useful.

On Monday I traveled back to site with all of the my goodies from America. My kitchen is stocked with processed goodness, I have a proper towel for bathing, and a yoga mat. My life has improved drastically. It is now a mad dash to eat all the chocolate before it melts in the oven of my house...well, that is what I am telling myself. I have been added to the teaching schedule and will be teaching much more than last year, but still will have time to focus on workshops and other projects.

Without much time to get comfortable, I left for my friend Jerrod's site on Thursday. Alexis, Chris and I were invited to do a workshop at his site in Mzimba district in the middle of the country and about 10 feet east of Zambia. Friday morning Alexis and I taught Form 2 and Form 4 girls about menstruation, how to use a condom, and entertained enlightening questions during an anonymous q & a session with questions that were both honest and refreshing. It should be noted that there is 1 female teacher at this school and like most Malawians she is very uncomfortable discussing her body and sexual activity. A year ago this session would have made me uncomfortable and blush excessively. Now, if the girls make the boys wear a condom or they think twice before having sex it has gotten past that point, now I realize it can be a life and death discussion. And that is certainly nothing to blush at.

Jerrod was a lovely host, his site-about an hour off the road in the middle of ths bush was absolutely beautiful. It was so much fun to work with Alexis and Chris on a workshop on a subject I love-reading.

Next weekend I am going to Liwonde National Park to participate in a game count. Here's to seeing elephants!

miss you all!

loads of love,

elisabeth

My romp across continents is finished. I am back in Malawi settling into the new school year, picking up semi-forgotten projects, and planning a few more adventures.

America was (and I'm fairly certain still is) amazing. The following is a brief itinerary of my American adventure.

Thursday-arrived in America, turkey sandwich waiting, milkshake on the way home. Life is good.

Friday-Drove to Minnesota. Personal transport is wonderful. So are outlet malls.

Saturday- Manicure/Pedicure, rehearsal dinner on the lake. I have missed America.

Sunday- MELISSA AND MARCUS GET MARRIED!!!

Monday- Fly to Houston

Tuesday- Surprise Sarah! Manicures/Pedicures and fajitas with Melissa and Sarah. Wonderful friends, wonderful food...why did I leave America? Later-Aligator hunt and small group. Houston wasn't sooo bad : )

Wednesday- Errands with Sarah, lunch downtown, dinner 1 with Sarah, Eric, and Sarah's parents, dinner 2 with my happy hour girls. So thankful for my health and my friends.

Thursday- Back to Grand Rapids. The sister arrives!!!!

Friday- Beach day with the family. I love Lake Michigan. so much. Drinks with Lizzie and Melissa. I love my friends.

Saturday- Bill's for breakfast. If you live in Grand Rapids, you too should make this a habit. Order special toast, I promise it will change your life. Dinner with Lizzie, Melissa, Mieke, Ganny, Meredith, Alix, Zach, Scott. Some things just never change. : )

Sunday- Bike ride with the mom. I love fall and I love ice cream. Both were available on this trip. Sister goes back to Tucson, but I will see her in 3 months!

Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday- Wake up, work out, have lunch with great people, research grad schools, visit Target, Schuler's, and other places of necessity, have dinner with more great people. Watch ridiculous television and listen to terrible music. I have missed America.

Friday-Drive to Indiana. Erin is getting MARRIED! Rehearsal, rehearsal dinner. My friends are so cool.

Saturday- Hair appointments, play dress up, take lots of pictures, drive in a sweet Impala to the church, ERIN AND MARTIN GET MARRIED, drive around in a golf cart, take more pictures, eat yummy food, dance for hours. Am I really going back to Malawi?

Sunday- Back to Grand Rapids. Pack. I guess I should go back to Malawi.

Monday- Long run with my dad. Lunch with my mom. Drive to Detroit. Fly to Amersterdam. I am ready to go back to Malawi.

Tuesday- Land in Amsterdam. Take the train into the city center, eat a hotdog, watch human mimes, take the train back to the airport, fly to Nairobi.

Wednesday- Land in Nairobi, it smells like Africa. Fly to Lilongwe. Check in at the hostel. Take long nap. I am home.

I missed America more than I imagined. I missed my family and friends, cheese, ice cream, personal cars, music, electricity, escalators, ice, showers, the smell of cut grass, fall leaves, going to the gym, calling people on the phone, and walking around after dark. But all of those things will be there when I return. I have work to do in Malawi, I have purpose in Malawi. Now it is back to business.

Keep the emails coming, I love hearing from home! Also, visitors are most welcome. Anytime. Really, anytime. ; )

loads of love,

elisabeth

p.s. A giant thank you to Auntie Carol, Memere, and the Rathbuns for the packages awaiting my arrival. : )

"I'm busy busy forming my future" - one of my favorite girls after she was late for lunch.

With that Camp Sky is over. Six months of planning and organizing over in 10 days. The most exhausting, inspiring, stressful, wonderful ten days of my time in Malawi have come to a close. I must admit, it was a huge success.

Success #1

The students arrived in one day all before 9pm. Public transportation in Malawi is less than reliable therefore this is a small miracle.

Success #2

The students were divided into four streams of classes each with 17 campers. This meant the campers had smaller class sizes (compared to the 60+ they normally have in the classes), the teachers (other volunteers) could plan activities for smaller classes and for kids who are above average academically, plus they got to have labs in real science labs, and use the computer lab. (for many kids it was the first time they had ever turned on a computer and many schools do not have any kind of science lab or lab equipment)

Success #3

In the afternoon the kids participated in three extracurricular activities from sustainable agriculture, solar engineering, tuck shop, cooking, sewing, writers' workshop, business, mud stove building, orienteering, batiking, etc. It was so cool to have our own camp tuck shop based on the business skills they learned, reading poems from writers' workshop, and having kids sort through the rubbish pile shouting "we love composting!" Over the weekend they also did a goat dissection (we later had goat for dinner) and built a bee hive to learn about honey IGAs. (income generating activities)

Success #4

Climbing a mountain. With 76 kids. We all made it up, we all made it own. That is one giant success.

Success #5

People came to talk to us. We had some special force police officers, a solar engineering guy, a fish pond guy, and a journalist from the major radio station in Malawi. They talked about the importance of education, career guidance, and professional options in Malawi. The kids had never heard of a lot of these options and now have lots of plans for their future that don't just include farming.

Success #6

A field trip is always exhausting. A field trip in Malawi offers lots of potential challenges like transport not arriving, people forgetting we are coming, moving 76 kids around Lilongwe, etc etc But we made it! We toured Parliament, had lunch at a memorial (rice and beans out of a bucket), watched some airplanes take off and land, and made it back to Kasungu.

Success #7

The ATTORNEY GENERAL came to speak at camp. This was a total fluke. I was in the office picking up my passport (SO I CAN COME TO AMERICA) and was talking to the secretary for the Country Director. It was the day before camp so I was really excited talking about it, Betty (the wonderful secretary) mentioned some ideas for speakers and told me to call her back. I called a few days later and Betty had the attorney general lined up. Good thing I am coming to America because otherwise this might not ever have happened.

Success #8

The kids made it home. 76 kids from all over Malawi are back in their villages. I hope they are inspired.

Next week I am coming to America. Land of ice cream, cheese, salads, and personal vehicles. I arrive in Detroit Thursday morning and will be using my mom's cellphone for the 3 weeks I am around. Send me a message with your number so we can have a phone date. The safety and security officer with whom I had to have a briefing with before filing my leave of absence for America warned me that "your friends will make fun of you for talking so slow-you must explain to them you talk slow because you live in Malawi and must speak slowly in order for your students to understand you." Please don't make fun of me for being slow. : )

much love,

e

I cannot wait to blog about Camp! It is going far better than I could have ever imagined but today this blog is not about Camp Sky or Malawi. It is about something far more important, it is about my friend Sarah.

Sarah Chidgey is one of the most beautiful people I have ever met. When I was struggling through teaching in Houston she was there to encourage, support, and pray for me. She reminded me there is nothing prayer can't solve and God never gives more than we can handle. Now she needs your prayers. Sarah was recently diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Her blog is www.sarahchidgey.blogspot.com -read about her, love her, and tell cancer to start packing.

Much love,

e

I stole this blog from Alexis to explain the last 24 crazy hours in Lilongwe:

Apparently, when instinct kicks in, I opt for the former.

I'm in Lilongwe to shop for school supplies and tie up loose ends before Camp Sky starts next week in Kasungu, and the last 24 hours have been pretty weird.

Last night Elisabeth and I played ultimate frisbee and saw a man hit by a car on the way home. We were riding with a doctor, who tried to stop the growing mob from touching the man, but it was too late. They picked him up like a sack of maize and tossed him in the back of a car, his body twitching in his last breaths. Car accidents are fairly frequent here, but it doesn't lessen the shock of seeing them. No ambulances show up in 5 minutes, no EMTs with backboards, no policemen arrive on the scene to calm the crowd and take notes. A mob collects, surrounds the involved parties, tempers rise and then slowly dispel. There won't be a notice in the paper.

So we were contemplative this morning, crossing the bridge of last night's accident, as we embarked on a hellish three hours of market shopping. I have never been a shopper. Inevitably, my blood-sugar levels plummet an hour in and I morph into a impatient animal on a ravenous search for peanuts or sugar. Unfortunately, this morning that happened at the very moment we were accosted by a large crazy man who followed us around the streets of Lilongwe. We weaved in and out of stores, crossed the street, walked zigzag and still this man was a step behind, mouthing kisses and mumbling incoherently.

Well, Elisabeth booked it and I lost it, unleashing a loud and long slew of pointed directions as to where he should go and how he might arrive there. It was quite a scene we made there, in the electronics shop next to the bus depot. I think my reaction was a result of the stress of the night before, and of pent-up frustration at the barrage of unwanted negative attention that women receive here. Anyhow, after my rant, we ducked, ran, and dove behind an idling car, and (to the amusement of its passengers) waited and watched until our pursuer rambled away, and we escaped safely into the depths of the chaotic clothes market.Some deep breaths and big lunch later, I'm writing off this trip to Lilongwe as a bad dream, and looking forward to better days ahead: a stop tomorrow at the health sector's Camp Glow where I'll be talking to the girls about writing, then a fondue-inclusive visit to Jen and Kris's site on the way north to Kasungu, and then 10 crazy (the good kind of crazy) fun-filled days of camp after that.

I am spending tomorrow in Lilongwe to finish up some things for SKY and then will head to Kasungu on Wednesday for more camp preparations and camp. Hears to hoping the next 24 hours will be better : )

loads of love,

e

I decided I want to go to graduate school when I come home. Of course I want to go for all the obvious reasons (I miss the smell of libraries, I miss learning in an academic environment, it will give me something to obsess about during the last few months of my peace corps service, etc). However, I have also realized that after Peace Corps I would be in no condition to have a real job with set hours and expectations. At my current school in Malawi I make a poster and receive a giant thanks, it will be devastating to work in America where a poster might only receive some strange looks, but certainly not a round of applause. But the last few weeks have been busy, really busy. Like America busy and I have confirmed my decision to stay away from an actual job for a few more years.

To rewind, last time I wrote in this blog we were going to have lunch with the President. Yes, that happened. Yes, it is in my top 5 days in Malawi. Yes, it was totally ridiculous and over the top and absolutely fantastic. We arrived to a giant tent with 17 portable air conditioning units. It is the middle of winter in Malawi. We dined and danced and shook hands with the President and the First Lady. They had a marching band to play the national anthem and popular Malawian played while we were dancing. I sat next to the Minister of Education and tried to a) get him to come to Camp Sky and b) build a science lab at my school but he was having none of that. Nonetheless, I drank wine and ate chocolate cake and had a ball.

Back in the real world...

While in Lilongwe, I submitted a proposal for a youth center with a library for AYID. It is a long shot because of the amount of money (A LOT) but AYID is working hard selling soap and building bricks. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

I came back to house for the Form Four graduation. I cannot believe the first school year is finished. I helped cook and was lucky enough to learn how to cut apart the insides of the goat. Yes, they have me a giant basin of the goat insides and a knife. So there I was, at school, cutting apart a goat's liver, stomach, intestines, and other organs realizing I have made it in Malawi. And I have absolutley no desire to ever do that again. On the plus side, I could clarify I only wanted the 'outside' of the goat and they could save the 'insides' for other people. In any case, the graduation was wonderful (or as wonderful as 6 hours of speeches can be-but this time it was worth it for the students).

Sunday I was hanging out at my house and my mysterious Member of Parliament arrived. The same MP who never returns my phone calls and frequently forgets meetings just showed up at my house. We discussed the issue of electricity and she casually said 'ok' sounds good-we will commit to half the cost. She had spoken with the committees and the other subcommittees and the other subsubcommittees and they had okey'ed bringing electricity to the school. Unfortunately, that leaves me with fundraising $9000usd. (yikes!) I talked to some Malawians and some Peace Corps staff who were all shocked at the high cost. Afraid of getting 'azungu priced' I went back to the electricity supplier more prepared to play the game and they are doing a reappraisal. I may be asking for your assistance with this project so please stay tuned!

However, the biggest fish frying right now is Camp Sky. I am heading to Lilongwe on Sunday to buy supplies and to Kasungu to prepare. It is going to take some small miracles for everything to happen, but I have to remember this is Malawi and things just magically happen.

27 days till America!

Loads of love,

e

I went back to Dedza this week to help with training and act as a "resource volunteer of the week." I came back inspired and excited and energized. They were a much bigger resource for me.

The new volunteers arrived two weeks ago. They spent the first week at the College of Forestry, the second week they moved in with a family in a village for four weeks (last year we had six weeks). I was in a different village than last year but the family I lived with was absolutely brilliant. In what other situation would a family chop wood to heat the water so you can bathe more comfortably and not know your last name. Nevermind that, what host would chop wood for you to bathe? The children were so sweet and fun, even after only having been there a week I was sad to go.

Anyway, the new volunteers are AMAZING! They are so enthusiastic and energetic and focused. It was SO refreshing to be around such positive spirits. We talked about teaching in Malawi, lesson planning, classroom management, and all of the crazy things you might run into at school in Malawi. (100 students, no books, teachers missing, etc) I met with the new teacher development facilitators (TDF) and tried to explain what the position meant. ie. whatever you want it to be. I am so excited to go back to site with some new energy.

The coolest thing of the week and the month (so far) was meeting the author of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, William Kamkwamba. He is from a farming family in Kasungu and attended a Community Day Secondary School (CDSS-the schools were Peace Corps volunteers work) until there was a drought and his families crops didn't produce enough money to pay for his school fees. ( SO common with my students) Anyway, he went to the library to try and keep up his studies, stumbled upon an engineering book and figured out a way to make a windmill to power water for the fields. He built another windmill for electricity. Out of stuff from a junkyard. This fall he is going to Dartmouth. He is what all of my students strive to be, he is a success story, he proved that anything really is possible. After being here almost ten months I don't like to believe I am jaded, but my expectations have changed. He reminded me that high expectations yield high results, no excuses. It was exactly what I needed to hear.

Oh, and by the by next week we get to meet the President of Malawi. Yep, Peace Corps Malawi has been invited for lunch to the President's house next Wednesday. I'll let you know how it goes.

Much love,

Elisabeth

Happy Fourth of July! I hope everyone enjoys lots of watermelon, pie, and fireworks...I really miss fireworks.

I have been in Lilongwe this weekend for our Volunteers Serving Volunteers meeting, a Camp Sky meeting, a celebration at the Ambassador's house for the 4th, and to welcome the new health and education volunteers who arrived last night. It is so wonderful to see everyone but it has been really, really busy.

So this is the really great news. Last night around 8:30 I received a phone call from my member of parliament. (If you read the last blog post you know this is rare treat) She asked where I was and I started panicking as though I missed a meeting. No, I had not missed a meeting she just wanted to meet. This morning I greeted the new volunteers and ran over to meet my MP without much expectation and prepared for a very long wait. Today she was fifteen minutes early! (kind of unheard of in Malawi) I didn't have many of the documents with me as I wasn't expecting to meet with her this weekend but luckily I carry the numbers around with me because you never know who'll you'll run into. So we met for about twenty minutes, she was really excited and is going to present the idea to the people in the ministry this week and I should know by next week. Oh, and I asked her to speak at Camp Sky. : ) Of course, this is all wishful thinking but it COULD happen. At least this is a start.

Tuesday is soap making day for AYID. One of the environment volunteers is going to visit my site to teach the group how to make the soap, it then has to sit for three weeks, but I am really excited to see how this IGA (income generating activity) works for the group.

Next week I am going to Dedza to do some trainings with the new group, specifically working with the teacher development facilitators on what that actually means and looks like in Malawi. It will be really cool to meet the new volunteers and now I finally feel like I am not a baby in Malawi. People are asking me questions!

I am hoping I will be able to update later with good news about electricity...or use unveil plan b. Keep your fingers crossed and our school in your thought.

loads of love,

elisabeth

I have been in Malawi for over nine months. Woah, that seems like the shortest, long nine months of my life. (I know that doesn't make sense but it does in my head) I really love Malawi, though I must admit it can lonely and sometimes frustrating. Nothing is ever perfect and sometimes it takes these moments of frustration to embrace the moments of goodness that surround all of us. I am giving myself ten minutes to complain and then I'll talk about the good stuff. : )

My mom always told me patience is a virtue. I am glad I learned that lesson before coming to Malawi. Otherwise, I might turn into a crazy person. Some things just take FOREVER. For example, AYID, the youth group I am working with wanted to make soap. As I have previously mentioned one of the main ingredients for soap, Palm Oil, is found only in Karonga (almost Tanzania) and is a big challenge (read-a huge pain) to bring to my site. I contacted every little shop at my site (I live in a small trading center, I can buy vegetables (tomatoes, onions, okra, pumpkins), fruit (bananas), bread, cold fanta : ), fabric and plastic basins) to see if someone knew of someone who might have a car going to Karonga. I also asked the same thing in Nkhotakota. Nada. But, one of my favorite shop owners was able to go to Lilongwe to buy caustic soda (the other main ingredient) so if you happen to find yourself at the turnoff you should stop by Kankyhulu Hardware. I digress, anyway I finally contacted someone at the Peace Corps office whose husband if from Karonga and travels back and forth fairly frequently. He was able to bring some back on his last trip, all I had to do was bring it back to site. No problem. However, 20 liters of palm oil is really, really, really heavy. It comes in an awkward container, the kind that digs into your hands and you lose circulation almost instantly. So I carried it on my head to the mini-bus depot, to my friend's house, back to the mini-bus depot, and to my house. Yes, people laughed, yes I had a headache, did the palm oil make it. YES! So, after almost two and a half months after we received funding we finally have the ingredients to make soap.

On a separate issue, I have been trying to contact my member of Parliament (MP) for the last six weeks. I found her number in the school logbook (I prefer to call that detective work and not stalker training) and called to arrange a meeting. I wanted to speak with her about bring electricity to my school. Electricity is unbelievably expensive and there is only one company in Malawi, who in my humble opinion stinks. I was hoping to arrange a deal where we could split the cost of the electricity hookup (the school is less than 500m from a transformer, but somehow we need a new transformer which will cost more than $16,000USD). I would try and find a grant for half; she could provide the other half from the community development fund and take all the credit. I thought that was a pretty great deal. I was supposed to meet with her in Lilongwe, I waited for three hours and called so many times she turned her phone off and not once called or texted to apologize or explain. I then met the Governor of my area who is the liaison for our village and the MP; we arranged to meet in my village the following weekend. Again, nothing. She didn't call or text but when I saw the Governor he just said, "yes, she failed to come." No kidding. I have recently learned that in Malawi it is considered saving face if you don't acknowledge you missed a meeting. If you don't acknowledge missing it, it never happened. There are some things I will never understand.

Okay, my ten minutes of complaining is over. Now, the good stuff.

Charity, one of my form three students who helps me get my water in exchange for school fees, invited me to to her home to meet her family. Charity is one of my favorite students; she tries so hard but doesn't always understand the material, especially English Literature. I don't always understand Shakespeare and I speak English, I can't imagine trying to read Romeo and Juliet in my second language. (if i had a second language) She has been coming over every weekend so we can review what she is reading and practice vocabulary, I am continually impressed with how focused she is and how much education means to her. So on Saturday we went to her village. I asked her how far her village is and she responded "oh, just very close." I laughed and said "do you mean 1k close or 20k close?" She replied "oh, just maybe 1k." I have been here long enough to realize nothing is "just very close" and an hour and forty-five minutes later after crossing multiple rivers and one Indiana Jones type bridge we arrived in her village. Her family was absolutely brilliant. I met the chiefs of her village, the village headmen, her brothers and sisters, cousins, uncles, aunts, relatives once and twice removed. Their house was absolutely bare. They had a mat to sleep on and a radio, but they are so proud of Charity. They served me a basin of rice that was probably equivalent to having Chinese food with 6 other people. When I explained to her Uncle (who also found it necessary that I come to his house to eat) that I was too full I would need to sleep before walking home he responded "you are most welcome, but we don't have a mattress" and proceeded to give me a giant bag of rice. I write this because for as many times as people ask for money or pens or hair (yes, sometimes they shout 'give me your hair') there are some people I have met that are beyond generous. I must remember these people when I am frustrated with others always asking. Two of my other students also come from the same village and were home for the day. The three of them gave me the tour of the village (the fish dams, the church, the youth center) and were so excited that I was visiting their home. It was one of the best days I have had in a long time. We left sometime in the afternoon and arrived an hour and forty five minutes later tired, dirty and with enough rice to share.

In other news, World Cup season is alive and well in Malawi. I wasn't expecting to be able to watch any of the games at my site but was pleasantly surprised when a few of the teachers invited me to watch with them in the market. I was hesitant at first because women are not allowed in the bottle shops (bars), women in bottle shops are considered prostitutes but I trust my teachers and hoped for the best. The first time I went it was awkward. I was the only female in the room (a thatched hut with a TV) of about about 40 men; they weren't sure why I was there and were generally confused by my presence. Then they realized I just love watching sports, no alcohol was served, and I can root for my team with the best of them. Pretty soon I was getting high fives and questioned when I missed a game. Saturday night was US vs. Ghana, it was too late for me to be out of my house but some of the guys called to give me updates on the game. I feel like I have made it in the sports watching world of my site. Sunday was hilarious; other regular viewers were talking to me like a family member had died, justifying the loss and explaining that the US team did the best they could; one team just had to lose. I tried to take each conversation seriously but it was pretty comical how genuinely concerned they were for me for the loss of the US in the World Cup. For the record, sure I cheered for the US team, did I think they were going to win the World Cup, no. One of my favorite teachers told me that if it was the Malawian team and they lost twenty times, but one once, the one win would be publicized for a month. Never mind the twenty losses. I like that mentality. Celebrate the wins and get over the losses. Support your team no matter what.

I am currently in Lilongwe for VSV (volunteers serving volunteers- each group has three representatives to help support, encourage, and be a friendly face to new volunteers) training. Saturday we have a big Camp Sky meeting, the last with the whole group before August, in the afternoon we are going to the Ambassador's house for Fourth of July festivities. Sunday, the new group of health and education volunteers arrive!

That is that, I can't believe Fourth of July is Sunday! I hope you have a safe and wonderful holiday. Miss and love you all!

loads of love,

e

p.s. Shout out to laura and her new husband matt who are now honeymooning in Italy! eat lots of gelato and delicious Italian food : ) can't wait to see the photos and hear all about it!

I have been trying to think of something clever to write, a funny story or crazy adventure. Truth be told life is simply happening.

School

The past two weeks have have been a two week term break but the teachers at my school are so awesome they are teaching through the break. The school year was shortened by about six weeks this year so they are trying to fit the syllabus into the shortened year. I am really fortunate to be working in such a hardworking school, many of my friends have ended up teaching literally every class because the teachers don't feel like teaching or go missing. The first week we just taught form 2 and form 4 because those are the testing grades. I taught form four life skills which ended up being lessons on biases in the media. (How do you teach this without Fox news?) It was an interesting objective to teach because while the students are familiar with newspapers (sort of) and radio they don't really have any opportunities to cross-examine media sources and it isn't in their nature to question authority. Thus teaching lessons on how the media might not always be telling the whole truth was mindblowing. I do hope to do more teaching the next school year, it is way more fun teaching students than teaching teachers.

AYID

Soapmaking is turning out to be a ridiculous fiasco. One of the main ingredients, palm oil, can only be found in Karonga which is really close to Tanzania. Trying to find someone going that direction and with the ability to bring back palm oil is incredibly difficult. We have some options for the end of the month and another volunteer has offered to teach how to make it in July so I think I just need to be patient. It is times like this I wish I had a car.

Camp Sky

The countdown is on and we are slowly getting things prepared. The contract has been signed, registration forms have been turned in, curriculum is being written, registration forms have been submitted, the menu is finished, and the fundraisers have been collecting funds. There are still about a billion things to do but it will come together, it always does.

Malawi in the News

And not just for Madonna! In December a gay couple was put in jail based on their homosexuality. Homosexuality is a very taboo topic in Malawi but from what I can gather in random conversations it happens privately. So these two guys were not so private and then sent to jail to perform hard labor for fourteen years. Lots of NGOs and other foreign aid started pulling out of Malawi because of the violations against human rights. Last week the President of Malawi pardoned the couple mostly because he realized Malawi cannot exist without the substantial foreign aid it receives. The story is in the newspapers but it is difficult to have a conversation on the topic with most Malawians. The only Malawians I have actually spoken to about it have been educated outside of Malawi. I'm not sure what will happen with gay rights for the future of Malawi, but I hope they change for more than just foreign aid.

Play

The past two weekends I have spent camping on the lake. It is amazing the difference a night away can make. Two weeks ago Jesi and I went camping about 30k away from my site. It was absolutely beautiful and we saw a crocodile! The second weekend my friend Haakon visited, he taught a math lesson, we bought fresh fish, I cleaned my first fish!, then we went to Senga Bay. It was so great to see friends, grilled fresh fish, swam all day, and stared at the amazing stars. Plus, we saw lots of monkeys and baboons. This weekend I am in Lilongwe to meet the new environment group and attempted to meet with my member of Parliament. But she never showed up so I wrote this instead.

In other news I am coming home for two weddings in September and am SO excited. I arrive the 2nd of September, travel to Minnesota for Melissa and Marcus' wedding, spend time in the mitten, then head to Indiana for Erin and Martin's wedding. If you are going to be around then let me know, it is never to early to schedule a lunch date. : )

That is that. I miss you all and would love to hear from you soon!

loads of love,

elisabeth

Time has a strange way of moving in Malawi. Some days seem to crawl on forever, while blocks of time come and go with the blink of an eye. It is an odd paradox of feeling like I will be here forever, while often worrying if I can be effective in two short years. Recently, the days have been flying by without a moment to catch my breath but things came to a standstill this weekend and truth be told it was one of the hardest weekends I have had thus far.

I will preface this weekend’s events with the fact that last week was spent typing exams. Lots and lots and lots of exams—full of ridiculous questions and complicated diagrams—you can have a look at my three favorite questions found in the Social and Development Studies Exam at the end of this blog for your enjoyment. I don’t really mind typing exams, it is just extremely tedious and boring and I was trying to do too much. (as per usual)

Saturday was a bust. I was supposed to have a gender development workshop which was initially scheduled for a different location. I changed the location at the last workshop, each school was represented and wrote it down and confirmed the location change. When I arrived at my school a little before 9 I wasn’t really surprised to not see any of the other teachers. But then it was 10 and then 10:30 and no one called or texted so I went to find my headteacher who had sent our teacher to the initial location for the workshop. I felt terrible for changing the location and the miscommunication, but I was mostly bummed that no inquired about my whereabouts in an effort to hold the workshop.

Lucky for me I have my brothers. I have never had a dog but sometimes I think coming home to them is like coming home to dogs. (in the most loving sense) They can tell if I have had a good day (that is when they ask for sweeties or pencils) or a bad day (that is when they suggest a dance party and color with me). The point is that they can always tell what kind of a mood I am in and know how to respond. (well, maybe it is the fact that I give them pencils and sweeties and the occasional cup of cooking oil but what are neighbors for?) Anyway, we had a grand dance party in my house and I believe you would be hard pressed to find a person who could be in a bad mood jumping around to the Jackson 5.

Sunday morning I found out a Form 2 student from my school died. My neighbor told me it was Malaria (Malawians think everything is Malaria-thus part of the problem is resistance to the treatments because they take Coartem (malaria medication) for everything but that is another story). I found out from other teachers that it was a rib injury. Precious Mbale (the student) was a football player and football is no joke in Malawi. I often cringe watching them play because few students wear shoes or shin guards or any of the other protective sportswear my overly maternal instincts deem necessary for contact sports. Anyway, he had been complaining about his rib cage and while I am not a doctor he was coughing blood and that seems like a sign of a punctured lung or internal bleeding or something painful. But I think they gave him malaria medication. He passed early Sunday morning. I had yet to attend a funeral in Malawi and I hope to not have to attend many more. The men and women are divided into different areas. The women first must visit one area to deliver the flour and fire wood to the family, their name is checked off a list and they can move to the prayer area. There are prayers and songs and everyone from the village was there, in many ways it was so beautiful and moving. Amongst all of these beautiful sounds there is the hammering and sawing of the men building the coffin. It seemed like such a strange contradiction between the prayers of a safe journey to heaven meshed with the sounds of building what seemed like a permanent, final resting place. After some time the chief speaks and finally the community is allowed to mourn and cry. My students who are normally so bubbly and full of life looked so defeated and sad. The boys from school carried Precious in his coffin to the road to an ox-cart that would take him away to be buried. There are no grief counselors for the students, life goes on at Mkaika, but life was taken away too soon from such a beautiful person.

Peace Corps tries to prepare you for funerals and death, we had training on what to wear and how to act, but this was so real. It made me miss my friend Grant who passed this time last year, though I know he is an angel to SO many people now. It reminded me to tell you that I love you and I appreciate you. It reminded me that life really is Precious.

Loads of love,

elisabeth

On a lighter note, here are some of the ridiculous test questions I have spent way too long typing. Enjoy.

1) All the these are gender roles for women except:

a. Taking care of children at home

b. Cooking for the family

c. Taking care of sick people

d. Digging graves at funerals is for husbands

2) What rights do women have according to Malawian constitution?

i. Right to inherit property

ii. Right to polygamous family

iii. Right to best education

iv. Right to be beaten by their husband

a. I, II, and III

b. I and III

c. II and IV

d. III and IV

3) What are functions and duties of the state:

i. Homicide

ii. Nutrition

iii. Health

iv. Killing political opponents

a. I and II

b. II and III

c. III and IV

d. I and IV

I turned 26 this year. Sometimes that feels really old; sometimes I feel like I have the rest of my life in front of me. I am not really sure how I feel about being 26--but I can say I had a really wonderful birthday. Meg made the most delicious cake in a mud oven (yeah, she is that amazing), Alexis led a yoga session on the beach, we swam and tried to run, and ate some more cake, we crammed lots of people in a room meant for 5 and it was wonderful. So, in honor of my 26th birthday I have compiled a list of 26 things I have learned this year and bits of wisdom I have tried to embrace.

1) Life really is a journey--not just on t-shirts and coffee mugs, seriously it is

2) You can fit 23 people, 6 chickens, 2 goats, 7 bags of maize, and countless pieces of luggage in a mini-bus meant for 12 people--it is possible3) Food can typically* last overnight4) Expiration dates are mere suggestions for deadlines5)Who you are as a person is far more important than what you do6) Patience-I have learned a whole lot of patience. Patience for sitting in a minibus for 4 hours to travel 70km, patience for my students to critically think about anything, patience for Malawi to start to rely on its own abilities, and patience for myself to be wherever I am7) Frogs are not smart. (this is not meant to be offensive to frog lovers-I just have a lot of frogs living in my house and they are dumb animals)8) The people that matter don't mind and the people who mind don't matter9) My family is amazing.10) I have incredible friends in Malawi and America and those friends make all the difference.11) In the big scheme of life 2 years is not that long12)How to carry 20L of water on my head13) How to boil and egg and cook rice (yes, I didn't know how to do either before...no excuses, just embarrassment)14) When you try to explain Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny, and the tooth fairy to Malawians you end up sounding very foolish15)You should always be wearing an 'adventure sandal'-you never know when an adventure might arise so you should always be prepared16) Being self-sufficient is satisfying, but not as satisfying as eating in a really good restaurant and being pampered (just a little bit : ) )17) How to sew (sort of) and knit (kind of)18) Fanta is an invaluable teaching tool19) how to start a decent cooking fire20) How to make a compost pile and garden21) How to diagnose malaria, giardia, shistos, dysentery and a variety of other pleasant ailments22) In chichewa 'want' and 'need' is the same word: kufuna. More languages should celebrate the similarities23) I have learned to sit and be still. Some people (my mom) might find this hard to believe, but I really can just sit and be for a long time. A big change from my former super scheduled life (at a moment I was working with 5 minute blocks of time). Most Malawians tell time by the sun. Meetings are scheduled by talking to a person and them saying "when the sun is somewhere over there we will meet." (Picture a person pointing an ambiguous place in the sky) Do you think this would work in America?24) In Malawi it is a compliment to be told you are fat. My neighbor tells me I am fat everyday. (literally, I come home from school and say hello and she says "Elisa-so fat in malawi! fat, fat, fat!) At first it was frustrating so I tried to compromise and explained the word 'medium' so we decided I could be medium. That lasted about a week, now I am trying to embrace the 'compliment' of being fat.25) I really like doing things the hard way. It always makes for a better story in the end.26) I am so blessed and lucky. *You should not try this at home if a refrigerator is available Thank you all for the sweet messages, phone calls, letters, and thoughts. I appreciate them all SO much. I love and miss you all. loads of love,elisabeth

I think I have discovered the secret to teacher success kuno ku Malawi. (As far as my workshops are concerned) It is not the venue, time of day, day of week, participating schools and/or teachers. Nope, success is found with Fantas, biscuits, and stickers.

In Malawi, it is expected to give teachers allowances for workshops. That is to say, they get a little bonus for missing school. Plus a Fanta. I don't agree with allowances (mostly, I am not willing to pay people out of my pocket to come to my workshop). Therefore, my workshops have been allowance and Fanta free. This Saturday, (yes-I even made it on a Saturday! Most workshops are during the week meaning the teacher misses all their classes and they haven't exactly developed the substitute teaching system in Malawi) I was so excited I had 13 participants (up from 6 last time) I succumbed to the Fanta pressure and provided cookies and drinks. This was the best thing I could have ever done. At first, just a morning spent with Elisa talking about school stuff. Providing a Fanta elevated the session to a legitimate workshop. Oh, and the stickers--I passed out sticker pages for good answers and as a review/wrap up at the end of the workshop. We had talked about positive reinforcement and stickers aren't wildy available in my village so I was hoping they would take them back to their schools to use them for excellent student work. Instead, they bedazzled their cell phones with 'good luck' and 'A for effort' stickers.

On a separate note, I think it is hilarious and ironic I am teaching a classroom management workshop. I guess all those workshops from Houston came in handy....What is that saying, those that can't do, teach?

p.s. for more Malawi reading check out alexisinmalawi.blogspot.com

I have never been one to turn down an adventure. When the opportunity to climb Mt. Mulanje presented itself, I was not about to say no. However, next time a mountain climbing opportunity unfolds before me I will do a little research into what I am getting myself into...

Mt. Mulanje is the third tallest mountain in Africa. You have to have a guide and apparently they have not been informed of the beauty of switchbacks. We literally climbed on all fours up the mountain. This in itself would have been difficult but our group was too frugal to get a porter so we carried our packs. Again, this would have been totally manageable, but I was carrying WAY too much stuff. (Clothes and work for Lilongwe, books, lots of food, water...) The first day was six hours up. On all fours, climbing up rocky steps and stairs, straight up. We made it the hut, patted ourselves on the backs for a job well done, and made a delicious dinner. We heard the first day was the hardest so we were pleased with our efforts and excited for the next day. Little did we know....

Day Two: We climbed for another 3 hours to the next hut. We were told we needed to move quickly if we wanted to summit. We threw our bags down and were ready to go. It didn't take more than 5 minutes to realize the first day had nothing on summiting this crazy mountain. The positive was that we didn't have our super heavy packs, the negatives were that I am really scared of heights and we were bouldering (jumping from rock to rock) and scrambling up the side of a mountain. We were about 40 minutes from the top and then it started raining. So now we were scrambling on wet rocks on the side of a mountain. Good idea? Bad idea? ...bad idea. I don't like quiting things. In fact, I hate quiting things. But I quite. Alexis and I huddled together while the rest of the group scrambled to the top. We had some thoughts on freezing on the side of a mountain and tried to laugh off the ridiculousness of the situation. But it was pretty scary. The rest of the group found us and we proceeded to slide down the side of the mountain. Yes, slide. On our bums, crabwalking, slipping, planning which piece of vegetation was going to stop a slide off the mountain. By the end we had 5 ripped pants (some of us ripped through to the second layer and were literally sliding down on their bums), 1 lost camera, 12 ripped up hands, cuts, bruises, and very wobbly muscles. Luckily, we made it off the really slippery part before it got dark. Some of us had headlamps and were doing our best to guide each other down but with very little muscle control, darkness, wetness, and exhaustion it wasn't very pretty. After what seemed like hours (it did take us 4 hours to get down) we saw the hut. I have never seen such a beautiful building in my life. It was a glorious sight.

Going down the mountain: Should be easy, right? no. At first it was funny because none of us had any leg muscle control from the crazy day before--so in a span of about 10 minutes each of us fell. But then we had to keep going...and going...and going...Down the slippery, muddy staircases we climbed up 2 days prior. Going up was tough, going down was a pain in the butt. (literally-my tailbone has never been so bruised)--we forded rivers with rocks and logs, we climbed up and down until it was all I could do to put one foot in front of the other. But we made it. 7 hours later we were at the bottom. The best part of being at the bottom of the mountain is that there is a pizza place. We ate the best pizza I have ever eaten (well, ever eaten in Malawi) and felt/looked like we had just been through a war.

Post Mulanje: Walking is a bit of a struggle. Many of our feet are still swollen and our hands are ripped. But we did it. It was awesome. And now we have some crazy stories.

I am headed back to site today and get to meet my new environment neighbor tomorrow! I hope they will be as awesome as Sarah and Austin (that is a tough task : ) ) But it is back to site and back to work.

loads of love,

elisabeth

Happy Easter! I thought it time for an overall update on life in Malawi...so here goes:

Mkaika CDSS

Teaching is going....I really enjoy the students but the school year is so short and there are breaks every week it seems so it is difficult to be consistent. The syllabus is also ridiculous. The students know very minimal English but according to the objectives it is necessary they learn about gerunds, appositives, participles, dangling modifiers, and other less than relevant information. Maybe this stuff is important, but I have gotten through almost 26 years of life without knowing (or caring) and feel like there is other more important information to teach. For example, the use of periods and capitalization and the meaning of words like super, wonderful, and awesome.

A.Y.I.D.

I love this youth group. They took about two weeks to raise the equivalent of $10 US to sell dried fruit. They really want to build a youth center with a library so we are trying to sell fruit to raise capital to buy soap making materials. They are so determined and ambitious--it is definitely refreshing work.

Workshops

Hmm. I am currently taking my lesson planning workshop on tour. Sometimes it goes well, sometimes the teachers seem more confused than when they entered the room. It is kind of like teaching any class I suppose. I am planning a classroom management workshop (the irony of this is hilarious because I attended SO many classroom management workshops in Houston) and a female empowerment workshop in May.

Camp Sky

We have a location (Kasungu Teacher Training College) and a date (August 17-27). This was way more difficult than it sounds due to transportation (I have a bike), exam schedules (all the schools are testing the Form 4s so we couldn't use the nice government schools they have used in the past), and a variety of other crazy things. But...the applications are out! We just have to plan the curriculum and schedule speakers, etc but it is slowly coming together.

Life

Life is good. I am on my way to Climb Mt. Mulanje for Easter break and am totally jazzed about this adventure. I also now have a cell phone with Internet--a nicer phone than I had in America! And it costs less for me to respond to an email than to text America. So, you should email. I'll write back. : )

I think that is all from Malawi...for now. I miss you all and hope to hear from you soon!

loads of love,

elisabeth

T.I.A. Moments Continued….

The other day I decided to walk to A.Y.I.D. (the youth group I am working with). Normally I ride my back, but I felt like going for a walk. A.Y.I.D. is in a small fishing village on the lake so fishermen are going in and out constantly on their bicycles. One offered me a ride, I was still pretty far away and the charm of my long walk had long since worn off. I jumped on the rack on the back of his bike and off we went faster than normal but I thought he was just in a hurry to get to the fish. The path started sloping down and we started going even faster…..I see my fishermen motion to his friends to stop and I become slightly concerned. My fishermen starts riding off the path into the bushes, trees, and brush attemping to slow down. I jump off and he gets the bike under control. He then apologies “ sorry madam, I am just missing these”—he points to the brakes.

#2

There are certain heartbreak things I have (sadly) gotten used to—the babies with bloated bellies and orange hair from malnutrition, the wailing nearly every other night announcing yet another funeral, men hobbling with the aid of a stick to walk on their severely twisted leg, teachers justifying AIDS as a form of population control…etc. But the other day my heart hurt because I realized how little control I have over anything. I was on my way to Nkhotakota when an open bed truck flew past-in the back without a guard rail was a lady lying on a green plastic mattress and an IV attached to the cab. For as beautiful as this country is, sometimes it just breaks my heart.

If you ever join the Peace Corps it is certainly an added bonus to be in a beautiful beautiful country. Two weeks ago Jesi, Alexis, Will and I traveled north during the school holiday to visit Will's site and hike to Livingstonia. We attempted to make it to Will's site on one day but our bus ran out of gas and Jesi's bus (she was coming from Nkhotakota) got stuck in the mud. We camped that night in Muzuzu which also means that had cheeseburgers at the hostel. : ) We made it to Will's site Wednesday afternoon and quickly realized he lives in paradise. He is right on the lake so we got to swim and ate a giant feast at his head teacher's house. Thursday morning we started early (in the rain) with the walk from Will's house to the bottom of the road/trail. It is a 15k hike uphill with over 21 switchbacks and absolutely stunning. We didn't really have plans to stay anywhere (thus is the whimsical schedule (or lack thereof) of traveling in Malawi) but ended up at the Lukwe Permaculture Camp. After a long day of hiking in the rain it seemed totally justifiable to cram into a chalet and enjoy a little vacation. We explored their incredible gardens (they grow everything from coffee, maize, peppers, beans, bananas, etc) and then played in a giant waterfall. We also had the most delicious food (probably because everything comes from the garden). We were the only people there and it was probably one of my favorite nights in Malawi thus far.

Friday morning we wandered around Livingstonia (historically, a really important spot in Malawi but not really much to do...at all) and then found transport down the mountain. We had dinner a the headteachers house where I had my first experience with condolay. Condolay is nsima made from cassava...so think mashed cassava past = the gluiest, thickest substance I have ever eaten. They have to saw it apart, literally. Malawians love it because they "do not feel hunger" after eating. I didn't feel hunger either, I just felt like I had eaten cotton balls with elmers glue.

Saturday Jesi, Alexis, and I attempted to make our way home. It started well and we arrived in Muzuzu around 9:45, plenty of time to make it home. Due to finances (read: we have no money) the most cost effective method of transport is hitching. So we tried...for three hours...in the rain, pushing back our must leave time little by little. Finally, we realized we might have better luck in Nkhata Bay so we begrudgingly paid for transport. Nkhata Bay was equally problematic. We waited another four hours and then remembered something about difficulty traveling down the lakeshore road in the middle of rainy season due to bridges washing out and impassable muddy roads. whoops. Luckily, one of the girls in our group lived about 30k south of Nkhata Bat so we again paid our way to Chinteche. Sunday morning exhausted, dirty, and ready to go home we accepted the fact we have to pay for a bus. I couldn't remember the last time I bathed and after spending the previous nights in a tent, sharing a double bed with 2 other girls, and 3 nights on the floor, my foam mattress and bucket bath never looked so good.

Positives Upon Arrival

* My brothers were waiting for me at the bus depot!

* People remembered me! (I was a little nervous after being gone for 2 weeks)

*I realized I was excited about coming home.

* Everything was still in my house

Not as positive...

*EVERYTHING in my house was moldy. Clothes, tables, dishes, everything. 4 hours of laundry and lots of mopping and scrubbing I think it is okay now..

Back to reality.....

After galavanting across Malawi I, very quickly, was reminded that yes I live in a village in Africa. Last Monday I went to Gertrude's house to meet with her and the Post Test group (the people living with HIV/AIDS). On the way I nearly rode my bike over a crazy green snake. I am not, nor will I ever be a fan of snakes. I am convinced it was a green mamba and like to count this as a brush with death. (maybe that is dramatic, but drama is necessary when dealing with snake encounters) Anyway, Gertrude wasn't there but some of the other ladies were around and it wasn't until after serving me Palla (porridge) that they asked why I was there...feeling kind of silly because I ate their palla and there wasn't really a meeting I just said I would help with the chickens. So we walked into the corral and they handed me a chicken and showed me how to clean its feet (toes? talons? whatever chickens walk on) Yes, I picked chicken poo off of chicken feet. For an hour. T.I.A.

loads of love,

elisabeth

Malawians really love to greet people. everyone. all the time. They often follow up the greeting with the question, "how is your life?" That seems like a pretty loaded question, but I feel like I can honestly answer "my life is good." We just finished our Interim Service Training (IST) in Dedza and now I am hanging out in Lilongwe to do some work and then heading north on Tuesday with Will, Jesi, and Alexis to visit Will's site and hike around Livingstonia. I'm pretty jazzed.

IST was awesome. Once again I am so thankful for the amazing people in our group. We have people starting women's groups, planting tree nurseries, and turning into amazing teachers. Plus, they are just generally really cool. We bonded over mattress diving (yes, as it sounds. we took the extra mattresses and piled them into our living room area. we proceeded to run and jump onto the mattresses for a good 4 hours. yes, we are all over 22) , students names (McVicious, Mavoto Madzi (problem water)), and the general awkward, random, and ridiculous things that happen when you put an American in a Malawian village. Of course, we had legitimate sessions on medical stuff, security stuff, grant writing, permaculture, and technical sessions. We also started our planning for Camp Sky which is a education sector tradition. This year yours truly is the director which is a totally overwhelming and exciting. It is a 10 day camp for the top students in the volunteers schools. It is primarily an academic camp for the students to prepare for the MSCE (the big test when they finish secondary school) but we are also going to do cool workshops about composting, sustainable agriculture, writer's workshops, knitting and sewing, and other IGAs. Camp isn't camp without capture the flag so we will definitely have other fun games, dances, talent shows, and silly camp activities. It is going to be a big task, but I can't wait.

The new environment volunteers arrived today which means we are no longer the newest volunteers in country. It is a good feeling. As much as I as I am enjoying my life it is comforting to know that Peace Corps is a revolving of people coming and going.

If you or anyone you know has a contact with Madonna please let me know, maybe she wants to sponsor our camp! She has a thing for Malawi...it's worth a try. : )

loads of love,

elisabeth

**Note: I wrote this before IST but wasn't able to update...better late than never!

Next week we are traveling back to Dedza for IST, our training that comes after three months at site. I am SO excited to see everyone, to not think about what to cook, to climb the mountain, and generally have more social contact than I have had in a while. (unless hanging out with 6 boys under 12 including one who has peed on me twice counts) In so many ways this has been the longest 2.5months of my life, but the learning curve is sharp and I was forced to figure out how to live with some sense of normalcy very quickly or turn into a crazy person. Some days are hard and long and lonely and isolating. Some days are inspiring and encouraging and wonderful. Such is life, I guess.

Pre IST Highlights

1) Crazy Christmas

2) Swimming in Lake Malawi

3) Being Elisa and not Azungu

4) Doing an hour run with 2 little boys (who were barefoot) and them never giving up. Their little feet just kept running and they were smiling and laughing the entire time. I felt like I was in a cheesy Nike commercial.

5) Watching Derrick take his first steps (Dennis still hasn't figured out how to walk)

6) My watermelons and sunflowers are actually growing!

7) Realizing I do enjoy cooking

8) Reading more books than I have in the last 2 years

9) Being excited to come to my home in Malawi after traveling or even being gone for a day

10) running with 25 kids on their way to school

11) Hanging out with Gertrude on her poultry farm for the Positive Living (people living with HIV/AIDS) groups. She is one of the most amazing women I have ever met.

12) Charity trying to teach me how to scale and clean a fish-well, I think it was a highlight for her...

13) Totally wiping out in front of the entire school whilst trying to show off my cool soccer moves...not really a highlight but a memorable moment nonetheless

14) Realizing that being here is enough, things always happen for a reason

After IST a small group of us are going hiking in Livingstonia and then it is back home and back to school. After IST means I can also have visitors...if you have ever been considering a trip to Africa you have a host in Malawi. And if you haven't considered a trip to Africa, you should. I'll make you banana pancakes. : )

loads of love,

elisabeth

Lesson Planning Workshop

My primary job is to offer workshops for the 6 secondary schools in my cluster. I held the first one last Friday on lesson planning. Overall, I think it went pretty well. To be sure, I have listed the positives and negatives as follows:

Positives:

1) One representative came from each school! (though one was 2.5 hours late but who is counting?)

2) I have never seen Malawian men so giddy as when they were matching up math facts as a race-hilarious!

3) They asked legitimate questions (and some ridiculous ones) but they were genuinely interested!

4) At the end they actually went to the teachers room to get books to write a five-step lesson plan! They were using active strategies, using resource books, and wrote REAL lesson plans!

Negatives:

1) We held the workshop at the head cluster school--the headteacher was supposed to reserve the teacher development center but as I was setting up 15 guys came in for a red cross meeting. whoops, guess he forgot.

2) I have visited all but one of my schools because it is SO far away (I am actually not really sure where it is...) anyway, their representative walks in and says "you are just a stranger to me." yikes, nice to meet you too.

3) I am not sure these lessons will be implemented into the classroom....baby steps.

I am Teaching!

Wahoo! I have been wanting to teach but it is difficult with traveling for school visits so my headteacher is letting me teach 2 days a week. I am teaching English to form 3 and Life Skills to form 1. I really love teaching the form 3 class, but form 1 can barely speak basic conversational English (secondary school in Malawi is supposed to be taught entirely in English). The first lesson was on self esteem. Imagine trying to learn about why self esteem is important in Greek--yeah, it was like that for the students.

A.Y.I.D.

Active Youth In Development--This is is a youth group I have been working with in a small village about 20 minute bike ride away. They named me their "patron" (technicalities) and I am really excited about working with them because they are super enthusiastic and ambitious. Last week we had a composting workshop (thanks to Sarah and Austin my environment volunteer neighbors!) The fields in Malawi are totally depleted of nutrients because they constantly grow maize and burn the fields, then they have to spend tons of money on expensive fertilizer with lots of nitrogen which runs off into the lake, etc etc...Now, they are planning on doing more workshops with the farmers to teach them the stuff they learned! This week we are having a speaker come from the local health center. They have some big goals and I am trying to keep mine realistic but it is so refreshing to work with an enthusiastic group.

I think that is all for now...I love hearing from you! Please keep the letters/emails coming! I miss and love you all!

loads of love,

elisabeth

Just a note to say I have uploaded some photos on facebook. If we are facebook friends you probably already know that and if we aren't facebook friends I think you can still look at my pictures. : )

loads of love,

elisabeth

Recently, I have been struggling with the idea that I am not being effective, that I am just killing time and hanging out. I attend meetings and visit schools, but I haven't done anything substantial or tangible. Of course, things in Africa take time and this is perfectly normal but it was still starting to bother me. Patience is a funny thing and just as these thoughts were starting to bum me out a little a little boy reminded me everything is relative.

So, for background, Malawi is a very male dominated society. Women are supposed to be at home cooking and taking care of the family. I am the only female at my school and one of three females in all of my cluster schools. (there are 6 schools).

Last Friday I had a meeting with all of the headteachers in a building next to the primary school. School is a very loose term in this case-there are hundreds of kids running around, few teachers, and even fewer resources. As I was waiting for the Heads to arrive I started doing an impromptu lesson on numbers and letters with the 50+ children who decided watching the white lady was more important than sitting in a classroom. (also, I am not sure where the teachers were, in any case lots of kids running around at "school") One of my schools just received a female headteacher (included in the 3 females)-she was the first to arrive and asked if I knew what this young boy in the front was saying to the little girl next to him. I said no so she explained, he was saying if you stay in school and work hard you can be like Madam Elisa. So I haven't built anything or saved the world and the majority of my time is spent reading and playing with my neighbors. But, maybe one day there will be more madams in Malawi and that is a good thing.

I always imagine what my life MIGHT look like in the Peace Corps. I didn't have any concrete facts, just a wild imagination that made the extensive application process seem normal and the long wait just a simple test of patience. Throughout training the other volunteers and I would laugh about ridiculous and awkward moments remembering T.I.A. (this is Africa). We were still fresh in country and not used to being put in a minibus with 20 of our closest friends, or standing next to a seizing chicken on a four hour bus trip, etc. Recently, I have had more T.I.A. moments that remind me I am not imagining my life in the Peace Corps anymore. This is my life.

T.I.A. Moment 1

One of my cluster schools (about an hour bike ride away in the rainy season) is a very small school with only two forms. The school is new and growing and hoping for school blocks to accommodate forms 3 & 4. They just received a third teacher from the ministry of education and the Form 1 classroom doesn't have benches or desks so the students work on the floor. So, this little school with about 120 students and 3 teachers sits about an hour away from the road, from electricity, from bread, and cold drinks! I taught a lesson there the other day and looked at the classroom of students ranging in age from 14-25 and thought yes, this is Africa.

T.I.A. Moment 2

After visiting another one of my cluster schools (about an hour in the back of a truck down a crazy dirt road that would give Disney Land a run for its money) I decided I would start walking back home and stop at another school along the way. Two and a half hours later I made it to the school without seeing another vehicle along the way. Yes, T.I.A. For those concerned I did manage to find transportation home via a bicycle taxi and sanitation truck. It was a very long day.

T.I.A. Moment 3

If you need a self confidence booster you should come to Malawi. I walk down the road and the children start jumping up and down, chanting my name. Charity, the girl from school who helps get my water and clean my home (in exchange for her school fees) told me it was because I "have a cheap name," hmm I thought it was because I am a rockstar. : )

** I feel as though I should include another Charity-ism in this category- I hadn't swept in a couple of days and she was over sweeping my house when she asked me "why am I such a dirty being?" I didn't really have a response for that except the thought that my mom would be so embarrassed.

T.I.A. Moment 4 (slightly more frustrating)

Being the only female attending an Area Executive Committee meeting and for 3 hours being asked/told when I am going to leave to cook them nsima. I told them they were probably going to be very hungry because I am never going to cook them nsima. I realize this was not the culturally sensitive thing to do, but I too was hungry and tired.

I know this is just the beginning and there will be plenty more T.I.A. moments. I am trying to take each day as it comes and am doing my best to not take any day for granted remembering that my time here is limited.

But, in the future I will never take a couch for granted or water with lemon or busy Saturday afternoons or jamba juice after a tough workout or being able to visit friends whenever I want....Of course, those are all things that will be there when I get back so until then this is Africa.

loads of love,

elisabeth

I have been living at site for about a month now. I have compiled a list of observations thus far:

* Riding a bike in a skirt stinks.

*I should start dinner a good hour before I am hungry....still working on the whole fire thing. I can start a fire no problem, keeping it going well...

*I really can't live on peanut butter sandwiches

*If I were a sports recruiter I would come to Malawi. There is nothing a Malawian women can't do and it seems as if they feel no pain. ever. for example,

-Removing pots directly from the fire without an oven mitt

- Learning how to jump rope with a baby on their back

-Breast feeding while walking carrying about 20 pounds of rice on their head

- I could go on, but they are pretty incredible

*I kind of like not having electricity, well except for the whole cooking thing

*Pasta sides, mac n'cheese, oatmeal, and chocolate is the stuff dreams are made of : )

* You should label what you plant in your garden-or at least remember what you plant. I had zero faith in my gardening skills but now I have a bunch of stuff growing and I don't know what it is! Whoops.

*I still have no idea what I want to do when I grow up

*Malawians really feel that if you don't eat nsima daily you must not be healthy

*I don't know how I will ever function not getting 8/9 hours of sleep every night

*Nothing I do in my village goes unnoticed. Everyone knows how many tomatoes I buy, that I prefer Fanta to Coke, and that I don't cook nsima. Seriously, you could drive down the M5 and between Benga and Mkaika just ask for Elisa, someone knows where I am.

*Every last extravagant ice cream trip before I left was worth it.

*I have amazing friends and the best family in the whole world

*I am incredibly lucky and blessed!

I had a good 2009. As far as a chunk of 365 days are concerned, this was a pretty good block of time. I laughed, traveled, explored, finished TFA, ran a marathon, and ended it in Africa. It seems as though every year goes by faster than the previous, I can only imagine what 2010 will bring.

We had the last week off of school because of the holidays so I spent a few days at site planting seeds in my garden, building a shelter for my compost pile, and playing way too many games of memory with Vinny and his brothers. Unfortunately (or fortunately) the babies (Denise and Derrick-age 9 months) spend most of their time sans clothes (I don't blame them!) or diapers-clearly we were not paying enough attention to them because they peed on the cards. No more memory.

New Year's Eve Jesi and I traveled north to Nkhata Bay to ring in the new year with about 20 other PCVs. The trip up the lake shore was not easy, it ultimately included 5 different vehicles, but it was totally worth every uncomfortable minute. As we were driving I kept expecting dinosaurs to appear from the bush, it was so lush and green and beautiful. We arrived at our hostel prepared to camp but ended up staying in a chalet with an amazing view of the bay. We rang in the new year dancing outside to a mixture of Malawian music and some old school Beyonce and Rihanna. New Years day was spent swimming in the lake, reading on our porch, and generally being thankful for being put in a Peace Corps country that is also a tropical paradise. I am still thinking about my resolutions, but I am certain 2010 will not disappoint.

Merry Christmas! Happy Boxing Day! Technically, yesterday was Christmas. However, it was unlike any Christmas I have ever experienced. In order to get the full effect I feel it necessary to give a time line of events...

Dec. 24 12:30 PM Alexis and Ben meet me in my village. They see my house, we eat banana bread and mangoes. It is a good start to the day.

3:00PM Arrive in Nkhotakota. Have lunch, take bicycle taxi to Jesi's house.

5:00PM Ten of us have arrived at Jesi's. We are still waiting for 2, but the boxed wine is chilled (sort of) and we have peanut butter balls. Life is grand.

6:00PM First attempt at dinner. Or, first attempts at fire starting and boiling water. How many volunteers does it take to make dinner? Well...

8:00PM Still no boiled water. Boxed wine no longer chilled. Peanut butter balls are gone.

9:30PM The ten of us eat glue that should have been fettuccine Alfredo from 2 pans. Boxed wine makes everything better. Still missing the other 2 volunteers...

11:00PM They are on their way! No bicycle taxis so 5 of us decide we should walk to pick them up...

12:15AM Arrive at the road. Merry Christmas!

1:30AM Back to Jesi's. The 12 of us are together!

2:00AM Sleeping

5:00AM Time to wake up

8:00AM Walk to road to get a ride to Nkhotakota Pottery for Christmas Breakfast

8:05AM Massive rains hit Nkhotakota

8:20AM Find a ride in the back of a truck to the road...in the rain.

8:40AM Get on a bus to the turnoff for NP

9:00AM Thought it was a 200M walk to NP...turns out it is 4k. It is only sprinkling now.

10:00AM Full English breakfast. : ) Delicious

11:00AM We realize we don't have much else to do...so we should probably just hang out until lunch.

2:00PM Delicious lunch. Christmas is mostly about eating, right?

3:00PM Walk back to the road. Find a hitch back to Jesi's road. Alexis sits on a seizing goat, I hold on realizing this is not one of my smarter moves.

4:00PM Walk back to Jesi's.

8:00PM White Elephant gift exchange. Amy and Meg redeem our cooking efforts by making chili and rice and tortillas and guacamole.

9:30PM Fast asleep.

Not a typical Christmas but certainly memorable. I have been so blessed this year with amazing friends and family. I miss you all and hope you know you are with me wherever I happen to be.

loads of love,

elisabeth

I had a discussion with another teacher about the weather in Malawi. "We have three seasons-from August to the middle of December it is the hot-dry season, then from December to the middle of May it is the hot-wet season where everything floods and we have a lot of mosquitoes. In June and July we have winter." (I believe that is the loosest term of winter ever used.)

I have a tin roof, for which I am very thankful because it helps keep the wildlife and I from co-existing. However, having a tin roof in the hot/dry season is like living in an oven and having a tin roof during the hot/wet season is like living in a metal plan with popcorn kernels constantly falling on your head. I am sure June and July will be really nice.

I am slowly getting my village life together. This week has been tough (for a variety of reasons) but there have been enough smiles, welcomes, mangoes, bananas, pineapples, and amazing sunsets to make things okay. I have been falling into a routine of waking up around 5 to run, it is an incredibly beautiful place so it is a treat every morning, I get to see the sunrise, the mountains in the distance, and I often have an impromptu running club with the kids along the way. After I shower (via a bucket) and go to school (around 7). I have been spending the days at school reading books on training teachers, classroom observations, and how to create school and classroom improvement I found at the Teacher Development Center. I spend the afternoons at school or at the library (I tried to translate The 3 Little Pigs in Chichewa for a large group of children-it was pretty ridiculous). In the evenings Vinnocent (Vinny), my 5 year old neighbor sit on my porch sometimes dancing, sometimes coloring, sometimes I sew, but mostly just sitting. I have also had some interesting conversations with my other neighbors about America (they LOVE Obama and think America is great), religion, and food (eating snails = unimaginable and I had to convince them that Chinese cuisine does not include humans). Vinny's mom, my new amayi takes good care of me often bringing mangoes or nsima or whole fish (if you have any tips on cooking entire fish please send them my way). I read for a while and go to sleep before 9. Sometimes I feel like I am in Beauty and the Beast and want to start singing "There goes the baker with his tray like always..." But it is pretty stress free (minus fire starting and the occasional encounter with insects the size of my hand) I am certainly learning to love it.

This weekend a group of us are going to celebrate Christmas at Jesi's. I am really excited to see everyone (it is so strange going from spending every moment with the same 20 people to a few texts throughout the day). It doesn't really feel like the holiday season, trying to explain snow to Malawians reminds me of Cool Runnings--they get a very worried look on their faces and ask if the cars move. Though I miss bundling up and trying to find the perfect present (okay, I miss Target and lots of good food) it is kind of refreshing to be so removed from the commercialization of Christmas. Mostly, I miss you all and hope you are enjoying the good things of the season. Merry Merry Christmas.

loads of love,

elisabeth

Elisabeth Benoit, PCV

Mkaika CDSS

P.O. Box 36

Chia, Nkhotakota

Malawi

Central Africa

I am no longer a Peace Corps trainee, now I am a real volunteer. To you, all that means is a PCV behind my name rather than PCT when sending mail. To me it meant saying goodbye to my closest friends in Malawi, many whom I will not see for at least three months. It meant frantically running around Lilongwe shopping for all the things I could possibly imagine needing for my new house in an incredibly frantic three hour window. It meant swearing in as a real volunteer with the American ambassador to Malawi, it meant watching the Gule Wamkulu (the traditional Malawian dance = a HUGE treat), it meant packing up everything I have accumulated the past 10 weeks including a bike and a mattress and loading up Peace Corps transport to our new homes.

I moved to my site with friend Jesi, who is a short 30 minute bus ride away in Nkhotakota. I have managed to stay fairly busy setting up my house, trying to find the bore hole, carrying back water from the bore hole, getting lost carrying back water from the bore hole, having a small army of children lead me back to house carrying water from the bore hole, trying to start a fire, cooking over a fire (so far, I have made french fries, banana bread, and scrambled eggs with pumpkin leaves, tomatoes, and onions, along with salsa and a lot of peanut butter sandwiches), making curtains, scoping out the market, chatting with my neighbors, and reading. On Saturday one of my site mate's, Jillian came to visit. She is a health volunteer and lives about an hour away. She is going to America for the holidays but it was really nice to have a visitor.

First impressions of Mkaika = incredibly hot. After making dinner the first night I realized I have been less sweaty after a workout (yeah, I was pretty gross). I have great neighbors, the Amayi next door takes good care of me-perhaps because I gave her the banana bread, but I'll do whatever it takes to have an Amayi on my good side, and I found Pineapple in the market. It's not such a bad place.

I am going to begin work on Monday, slowly I think I will fall into a routine and I am looking forward to the time when this place feels like home. Also I have a new address, I am not sure how reliable it is, but I want to see if it works. Of course, the Lilongwe address is always good it is just a matter of me being in Lilongwe.

I hope you are all enjoying the holiday season. I would love to hear from you soon! Miss you all!!!

loads of love,

elisabeth

Yes, I would love a piece of apple pie with ice cream. Thanks for asking. : ) Yes, I would love to be with my family watching some football games (okay, with my mom) enjoying an incredibly luxurious lazy day being completely spoiled by my family. Alas, this dream will have to wait because here I am celebrating #1 of 3 Thanksgivings in Malawi. Even though I am so far away from the American thanksgiving (we do get to celebrate at the ambassador's house on Saturday..woohoo!) I am certainly not lacking for things for which to be thankful. I am doing something I have wanted to do FOREVER and I have family and friends supporting me a million percent (yes, I think this is actually a real number)--so yes, I am very thankful this year.

Last week I found out where I will be living for the next 2 years...I am living in the Nkhotakota district along the lake shore (read: extremely hot!). I am about 40k south of the Nkhotakota central village which I have heard has Internet and a few restaurants. Salima is about 60k south of my village, Salima is considered a city (everything is relative), but I have friends in both villages so it will be really great to be able to visit both sites regularly. My village just got electricity at the trading center (where the market is) which means I can have a cold coke anytime I want! Beyond there, there are no homes or buildings with electricity (including the school and my house). My house is beautiful, I even have a spare bedroom for you to visit! I am in a small compound with 3 houses (one belongs to a policeman and his family--mother, you can sleep soundly now), it has a great porch and a tin roof. I am about a 4k walk to the lake, 5 minutes from the school, and about 5 minutes to the road and the market.

My counterpart came to Dedza last week for a supervisors workshop with all of the other counterparts (headteachers). We spent a few days together discussing expectations and guidelines, Saturday we all departed for our sites. We took a small minibus from Dedza to Lilongwe and a big bus from Lilongwe to my village. It was about a 4 hour trip from Lilongwe on a very crowded, standing room only bus...I have spent the past few days meeting the other teachers (I am now the only female staff member), meeting the primary education advisor, the community development organizer, police officers, the chiefs of my village and surrounding villages, an environment couple who live very close, and other good people. We traveled to one of the other schools in my cluster and spent a lot of time sitting underneath a tree. I am still not exactly sure what my job will entail, but I definitely know that I will keep myself busy.

I am in Lilongwe at the moment and will travel back to Dedza today or tomorrow, we come back to Lilongwe on Saturday to celebrate Thanksgiving at the ambassador's house, Sunday I am going to Blantyre for our language intensive week. We will come back to Lilongwe on Wednesday or Thursday to visit camp SKY ( an academic camp for students from our schools with potential), then we get ready to swear in on December 9th. The second month has gone much faster than the first...which is a good thing. I also have a phone now and it doesn't cost me anything to receive phone calls. I think Skype is the cheapest way to call (about 16 cents/minute)--I would love to hear from you! Also, once I am at my site I should be able to check my email every couple of weeks so keep those emails coming!

I hope you are all enjoying your turkeys and families. : ) Love and miss you all!

loads of love,

elisabeth