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
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
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
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