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.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Girls' Day
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
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
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Holy May!
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
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
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Standing on the Top of Africa
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
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
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
The Day We Opened the Library
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
Friday, April 1, 2011
Mail Tails of Woe
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
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Recently
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
Friday, March 18, 2011
In Which We Discover Paradise
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
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
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Shine bright firefly, shine bright
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
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
Friday, February 11, 2011
The Death of a Chicken and Other Things
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
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
Saturday, January 29, 2011
The Family Vacation
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...
Sunday, January 23, 2011
An Outside Perspective
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 transport
- I 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 education
- learning 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 shopping
- There is nothing like a fresh mango or pineapple, even if it is sold to you at an azungu price
- The children are well loved and taken care of
- The 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 bought
- Amayi (mothers) hands are stronger and tougher then an ove-glove, no joke. And their backs and heads and well... they are just strong women
- there are so many people that are willing to work hard, but the bureaucracy and dependence on others prevents a lot from getting done
- only in Malawi will you wake up with a monkey on your porch, brought to you by the neighbors
- Azungu 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 weather
- Elisa is one tough cookie
- Malawians 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 idea
- Sometimes 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 through
- I 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 it
- cooking 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 bread
So, 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)
Saturday, January 8, 2011
National Lampoon has nothing on the Benoits...
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 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
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