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
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Saturday, February 27, 2010
IST, Already?
**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
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
Monday, February 8, 2010
Workshop #1 and Other Misc. Activities
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
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
Monday, February 1, 2010
Pictures!
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
loads of love,
elisabeth
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