I have been in Malawi for over nine months. Woah, that seems like the shortest, long nine months of my life. (I know that doesn't make sense but it does in my head) I really love Malawi, though I must admit it can lonely and sometimes frustrating. Nothing is ever perfect and sometimes it takes these moments of frustration to embrace the moments of goodness that surround all of us. I am giving myself ten minutes to complain and then I'll talk about the good stuff. : )
My mom always told me patience is a virtue. I am glad I learned that lesson before coming to Malawi. Otherwise, I might turn into a crazy person. Some things just take FOREVER. For example, AYID, the youth group I am working with wanted to make soap. As I have previously mentioned one of the main ingredients for soap, Palm Oil, is found only in Karonga (almost Tanzania) and is a big challenge (read-a huge pain) to bring to my site. I contacted every little shop at my site (I live in a small trading center, I can buy vegetables (tomatoes, onions, okra, pumpkins), fruit (bananas), bread, cold fanta : ), fabric and plastic basins) to see if someone knew of someone who might have a car going to Karonga. I also asked the same thing in Nkhotakota. Nada. But, one of my favorite shop owners was able to go to Lilongwe to buy caustic soda (the other main ingredient) so if you happen to find yourself at the turnoff you should stop by Kankyhulu Hardware. I digress, anyway I finally contacted someone at the Peace Corps office whose husband if from Karonga and travels back and forth fairly frequently. He was able to bring some back on his last trip, all I had to do was bring it back to site. No problem. However, 20 liters of palm oil is really, really, really heavy. It comes in an awkward container, the kind that digs into your hands and you lose circulation almost instantly. So I carried it on my head to the mini-bus depot, to my friend's house, back to the mini-bus depot, and to my house. Yes, people laughed, yes I had a headache, did the palm oil make it. YES! So, after almost two and a half months after we received funding we finally have the ingredients to make soap.
On a separate issue, I have been trying to contact my member of Parliament (MP) for the last six weeks. I found her number in the school logbook (I prefer to call that detective work and not stalker training) and called to arrange a meeting. I wanted to speak with her about bring electricity to my school. Electricity is unbelievably expensive and there is only one company in Malawi, who in my humble opinion stinks. I was hoping to arrange a deal where we could split the cost of the electricity hookup (the school is less than 500m from a transformer, but somehow we need a new transformer which will cost more than $16,000USD). I would try and find a grant for half; she could provide the other half from the community development fund and take all the credit. I thought that was a pretty great deal. I was supposed to meet with her in Lilongwe, I waited for three hours and called so many times she turned her phone off and not once called or texted to apologize or explain. I then met the Governor of my area who is the liaison for our village and the MP; we arranged to meet in my village the following weekend. Again, nothing. She didn't call or text but when I saw the Governor he just said, "yes, she failed to come." No kidding. I have recently learned that in Malawi it is considered saving face if you don't acknowledge you missed a meeting. If you don't acknowledge missing it, it never happened. There are some things I will never understand.
Okay, my ten minutes of complaining is over. Now, the good stuff.
Charity, one of my form three students who helps me get my water in exchange for school fees, invited me to to her home to meet her family. Charity is one of my favorite students; she tries so hard but doesn't always understand the material, especially English Literature. I don't always understand Shakespeare and I speak English, I can't imagine trying to read Romeo and Juliet in my second language. (if i had a second language) She has been coming over every weekend so we can review what she is reading and practice vocabulary, I am continually impressed with how focused she is and how much education means to her. So on Saturday we went to her village. I asked her how far her village is and she responded "oh, just very close." I laughed and said "do you mean 1k close or 20k close?" She replied "oh, just maybe 1k." I have been here long enough to realize nothing is "just very close" and an hour and forty-five minutes later after crossing multiple rivers and one Indiana Jones type bridge we arrived in her village. Her family was absolutely brilliant. I met the chiefs of her village, the village headmen, her brothers and sisters, cousins, uncles, aunts, relatives once and twice removed. Their house was absolutely bare. They had a mat to sleep on and a radio, but they are so proud of Charity. They served me a basin of rice that was probably equivalent to having Chinese food with 6 other people. When I explained to her Uncle (who also found it necessary that I come to his house to eat) that I was too full I would need to sleep before walking home he responded "you are most welcome, but we don't have a mattress" and proceeded to give me a giant bag of rice. I write this because for as many times as people ask for money or pens or hair (yes, sometimes they shout 'give me your hair') there are some people I have met that are beyond generous. I must remember these people when I am frustrated with others always asking. Two of my other students also come from the same village and were home for the day. The three of them gave me the tour of the village (the fish dams, the church, the youth center) and were so excited that I was visiting their home. It was one of the best days I have had in a long time. We left sometime in the afternoon and arrived an hour and forty five minutes later tired, dirty and with enough rice to share.
In other news, World Cup season is alive and well in Malawi. I wasn't expecting to be able to watch any of the games at my site but was pleasantly surprised when a few of the teachers invited me to watch with them in the market. I was hesitant at first because women are not allowed in the bottle shops (bars), women in bottle shops are considered prostitutes but I trust my teachers and hoped for the best. The first time I went it was awkward. I was the only female in the room (a thatched hut with a TV) of about about 40 men; they weren't sure why I was there and were generally confused by my presence. Then they realized I just love watching sports, no alcohol was served, and I can root for my team with the best of them. Pretty soon I was getting high fives and questioned when I missed a game. Saturday night was US vs. Ghana, it was too late for me to be out of my house but some of the guys called to give me updates on the game. I feel like I have made it in the sports watching world of my site. Sunday was hilarious; other regular viewers were talking to me like a family member had died, justifying the loss and explaining that the US team did the best they could; one team just had to lose. I tried to take each conversation seriously but it was pretty comical how genuinely concerned they were for me for the loss of the US in the World Cup. For the record, sure I cheered for the US team, did I think they were going to win the World Cup, no. One of my favorite teachers told me that if it was the Malawian team and they lost twenty times, but one once, the one win would be publicized for a month. Never mind the twenty losses. I like that mentality. Celebrate the wins and get over the losses. Support your team no matter what.
I am currently in Lilongwe for VSV (volunteers serving volunteers- each group has three representatives to help support, encourage, and be a friendly face to new volunteers) training. Saturday we have a big Camp Sky meeting, the last with the whole group before August, in the afternoon we are going to the Ambassador's house for Fourth of July festivities. Sunday, the new group of health and education volunteers arrive!
That is that, I can't believe Fourth of July is Sunday! I hope you have a safe and wonderful holiday. Miss and love you all!
loads of love,
e
p.s. Shout out to laura and her new husband matt who are now honeymooning in Italy! eat lots of gelato and delicious Italian food : ) can't wait to see the photos and hear all about it!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Saturday, June 5, 2010
No News is Good News
I have been trying to think of something clever to write, a funny story or crazy adventure. Truth be told life is simply happening.
School
The past two weeks have have been a two week term break but the teachers at my school are so awesome they are teaching through the break. The school year was shortened by about six weeks this year so they are trying to fit the syllabus into the shortened year. I am really fortunate to be working in such a hardworking school, many of my friends have ended up teaching literally every class because the teachers don't feel like teaching or go missing. The first week we just taught form 2 and form 4 because those are the testing grades. I taught form four life skills which ended up being lessons on biases in the media. (How do you teach this without Fox news?) It was an interesting objective to teach because while the students are familiar with newspapers (sort of) and radio they don't really have any opportunities to cross-examine media sources and it isn't in their nature to question authority. Thus teaching lessons on how the media might not always be telling the whole truth was mindblowing. I do hope to do more teaching the next school year, it is way more fun teaching students than teaching teachers.
AYID
Soapmaking is turning out to be a ridiculous fiasco. One of the main ingredients, palm oil, can only be found in Karonga which is really close to Tanzania. Trying to find someone going that direction and with the ability to bring back palm oil is incredibly difficult. We have some options for the end of the month and another volunteer has offered to teach how to make it in July so I think I just need to be patient. It is times like this I wish I had a car.
Camp Sky
The countdown is on and we are slowly getting things prepared. The contract has been signed, registration forms have been turned in, curriculum is being written, registration forms have been submitted, the menu is finished, and the fundraisers have been collecting funds. There are still about a billion things to do but it will come together, it always does.
Malawi in the News
And not just for Madonna! In December a gay couple was put in jail based on their homosexuality. Homosexuality is a very taboo topic in Malawi but from what I can gather in random conversations it happens privately. So these two guys were not so private and then sent to jail to perform hard labor for fourteen years. Lots of NGOs and other foreign aid started pulling out of Malawi because of the violations against human rights. Last week the President of Malawi pardoned the couple mostly because he realized Malawi cannot exist without the substantial foreign aid it receives. The story is in the newspapers but it is difficult to have a conversation on the topic with most Malawians. The only Malawians I have actually spoken to about it have been educated outside of Malawi. I'm not sure what will happen with gay rights for the future of Malawi, but I hope they change for more than just foreign aid.
Play
The past two weekends I have spent camping on the lake. It is amazing the difference a night away can make. Two weeks ago Jesi and I went camping about 30k away from my site. It was absolutely beautiful and we saw a crocodile! The second weekend my friend Haakon visited, he taught a math lesson, we bought fresh fish, I cleaned my first fish!, then we went to Senga Bay. It was so great to see friends, grilled fresh fish, swam all day, and stared at the amazing stars. Plus, we saw lots of monkeys and baboons. This weekend I am in Lilongwe to meet the new environment group and attempted to meet with my member of Parliament. But she never showed up so I wrote this instead.
In other news I am coming home for two weddings in September and am SO excited. I arrive the 2nd of September, travel to Minnesota for Melissa and Marcus' wedding, spend time in the mitten, then head to Indiana for Erin and Martin's wedding. If you are going to be around then let me know, it is never to early to schedule a lunch date. : )
That is that. I miss you all and would love to hear from you soon!
loads of love,
elisabeth
School
The past two weeks have have been a two week term break but the teachers at my school are so awesome they are teaching through the break. The school year was shortened by about six weeks this year so they are trying to fit the syllabus into the shortened year. I am really fortunate to be working in such a hardworking school, many of my friends have ended up teaching literally every class because the teachers don't feel like teaching or go missing. The first week we just taught form 2 and form 4 because those are the testing grades. I taught form four life skills which ended up being lessons on biases in the media. (How do you teach this without Fox news?) It was an interesting objective to teach because while the students are familiar with newspapers (sort of) and radio they don't really have any opportunities to cross-examine media sources and it isn't in their nature to question authority. Thus teaching lessons on how the media might not always be telling the whole truth was mindblowing. I do hope to do more teaching the next school year, it is way more fun teaching students than teaching teachers.
AYID
Soapmaking is turning out to be a ridiculous fiasco. One of the main ingredients, palm oil, can only be found in Karonga which is really close to Tanzania. Trying to find someone going that direction and with the ability to bring back palm oil is incredibly difficult. We have some options for the end of the month and another volunteer has offered to teach how to make it in July so I think I just need to be patient. It is times like this I wish I had a car.
Camp Sky
The countdown is on and we are slowly getting things prepared. The contract has been signed, registration forms have been turned in, curriculum is being written, registration forms have been submitted, the menu is finished, and the fundraisers have been collecting funds. There are still about a billion things to do but it will come together, it always does.
Malawi in the News
And not just for Madonna! In December a gay couple was put in jail based on their homosexuality. Homosexuality is a very taboo topic in Malawi but from what I can gather in random conversations it happens privately. So these two guys were not so private and then sent to jail to perform hard labor for fourteen years. Lots of NGOs and other foreign aid started pulling out of Malawi because of the violations against human rights. Last week the President of Malawi pardoned the couple mostly because he realized Malawi cannot exist without the substantial foreign aid it receives. The story is in the newspapers but it is difficult to have a conversation on the topic with most Malawians. The only Malawians I have actually spoken to about it have been educated outside of Malawi. I'm not sure what will happen with gay rights for the future of Malawi, but I hope they change for more than just foreign aid.
Play
The past two weekends I have spent camping on the lake. It is amazing the difference a night away can make. Two weeks ago Jesi and I went camping about 30k away from my site. It was absolutely beautiful and we saw a crocodile! The second weekend my friend Haakon visited, he taught a math lesson, we bought fresh fish, I cleaned my first fish!, then we went to Senga Bay. It was so great to see friends, grilled fresh fish, swam all day, and stared at the amazing stars. Plus, we saw lots of monkeys and baboons. This weekend I am in Lilongwe to meet the new environment group and attempted to meet with my member of Parliament. But she never showed up so I wrote this instead.
In other news I am coming home for two weddings in September and am SO excited. I arrive the 2nd of September, travel to Minnesota for Melissa and Marcus' wedding, spend time in the mitten, then head to Indiana for Erin and Martin's wedding. If you are going to be around then let me know, it is never to early to schedule a lunch date. : )
That is that. I miss you all and would love to hear from you soon!
loads of love,
elisabeth
Saturday, May 15, 2010
The Hardest Days
Time has a strange way of moving in Malawi. Some days seem to crawl on forever, while blocks of time come and go with the blink of an eye. It is an odd paradox of feeling like I will be here forever, while often worrying if I can be effective in two short years. Recently, the days have been flying by without a moment to catch my breath but things came to a standstill this weekend and truth be told it was one of the hardest weekends I have had thus far.
I will preface this weekend’s events with the fact that last week was spent typing exams. Lots and lots and lots of exams—full of ridiculous questions and complicated diagrams—you can have a look at my three favorite questions found in the Social and Development Studies Exam at the end of this blog for your enjoyment. I don’t really mind typing exams, it is just extremely tedious and boring and I was trying to do too much. (as per usual)
Saturday was a bust. I was supposed to have a gender development workshop which was initially scheduled for a different location. I changed the location at the last workshop, each school was represented and wrote it down and confirmed the location change. When I arrived at my school a little before 9 I wasn’t really surprised to not see any of the other teachers. But then it was 10 and then 10:30 and no one called or texted so I went to find my headteacher who had sent our teacher to the initial location for the workshop. I felt terrible for changing the location and the miscommunication, but I was mostly bummed that no inquired about my whereabouts in an effort to hold the workshop.
Lucky for me I have my brothers. I have never had a dog but sometimes I think coming home to them is like coming home to dogs. (in the most loving sense) They can tell if I have had a good day (that is when they ask for sweeties or pencils) or a bad day (that is when they suggest a dance party and color with me). The point is that they can always tell what kind of a mood I am in and know how to respond. (well, maybe it is the fact that I give them pencils and sweeties and the occasional cup of cooking oil but what are neighbors for?) Anyway, we had a grand dance party in my house and I believe you would be hard pressed to find a person who could be in a bad mood jumping around to the Jackson 5.
Sunday morning I found out a Form 2 student from my school died. My neighbor told me it was Malaria (Malawians think everything is Malaria-thus part of the problem is resistance to the treatments because they take Coartem (malaria medication) for everything but that is another story). I found out from other teachers that it was a rib injury. Precious Mbale (the student) was a football player and football is no joke in Malawi. I often cringe watching them play because few students wear shoes or shin guards or any of the other protective sportswear my overly maternal instincts deem necessary for contact sports. Anyway, he had been complaining about his rib cage and while I am not a doctor he was coughing blood and that seems like a sign of a punctured lung or internal bleeding or something painful. But I think they gave him malaria medication. He passed early Sunday morning. I had yet to attend a funeral in Malawi and I hope to not have to attend many more. The men and women are divided into different areas. The women first must visit one area to deliver the flour and fire wood to the family, their name is checked off a list and they can move to the prayer area. There are prayers and songs and everyone from the village was there, in many ways it was so beautiful and moving. Amongst all of these beautiful sounds there is the hammering and sawing of the men building the coffin. It seemed like such a strange contradiction between the prayers of a safe journey to heaven meshed with the sounds of building what seemed like a permanent, final resting place. After some time the chief speaks and finally the community is allowed to mourn and cry. My students who are normally so bubbly and full of life looked so defeated and sad. The boys from school carried Precious in his coffin to the road to an ox-cart that would take him away to be buried. There are no grief counselors for the students, life goes on at Mkaika, but life was taken away too soon from such a beautiful person.
Peace Corps tries to prepare you for funerals and death, we had training on what to wear and how to act, but this was so real. It made me miss my friend Grant who passed this time last year, though I know he is an angel to SO many people now. It reminded me to tell you that I love you and I appreciate you. It reminded me that life really is Precious.
Loads of love,
elisabeth
On a lighter note, here are some of the ridiculous test questions I have spent way too long typing. Enjoy.
1) All the these are gender roles for women except:
a. Taking care of children at home
b. Cooking for the family
c. Taking care of sick people
d. Digging graves at funerals is for husbands
2) What rights do women have according to Malawian constitution?
i. Right to inherit property
ii. Right to polygamous family
iii. Right to best education
iv. Right to be beaten by their husband
a. I, II, and III
b. I and III
c. II and IV
d. III and IV
3) What are functions and duties of the state:
i. Homicide
ii. Nutrition
iii. Health
iv. Killing political opponents
a. I and II
b. II and III
c. III and IV
d. I and IV
I will preface this weekend’s events with the fact that last week was spent typing exams. Lots and lots and lots of exams—full of ridiculous questions and complicated diagrams—you can have a look at my three favorite questions found in the Social and Development Studies Exam at the end of this blog for your enjoyment. I don’t really mind typing exams, it is just extremely tedious and boring and I was trying to do too much. (as per usual)
Saturday was a bust. I was supposed to have a gender development workshop which was initially scheduled for a different location. I changed the location at the last workshop, each school was represented and wrote it down and confirmed the location change. When I arrived at my school a little before 9 I wasn’t really surprised to not see any of the other teachers. But then it was 10 and then 10:30 and no one called or texted so I went to find my headteacher who had sent our teacher to the initial location for the workshop. I felt terrible for changing the location and the miscommunication, but I was mostly bummed that no inquired about my whereabouts in an effort to hold the workshop.
Lucky for me I have my brothers. I have never had a dog but sometimes I think coming home to them is like coming home to dogs. (in the most loving sense) They can tell if I have had a good day (that is when they ask for sweeties or pencils) or a bad day (that is when they suggest a dance party and color with me). The point is that they can always tell what kind of a mood I am in and know how to respond. (well, maybe it is the fact that I give them pencils and sweeties and the occasional cup of cooking oil but what are neighbors for?) Anyway, we had a grand dance party in my house and I believe you would be hard pressed to find a person who could be in a bad mood jumping around to the Jackson 5.
Sunday morning I found out a Form 2 student from my school died. My neighbor told me it was Malaria (Malawians think everything is Malaria-thus part of the problem is resistance to the treatments because they take Coartem (malaria medication) for everything but that is another story). I found out from other teachers that it was a rib injury. Precious Mbale (the student) was a football player and football is no joke in Malawi. I often cringe watching them play because few students wear shoes or shin guards or any of the other protective sportswear my overly maternal instincts deem necessary for contact sports. Anyway, he had been complaining about his rib cage and while I am not a doctor he was coughing blood and that seems like a sign of a punctured lung or internal bleeding or something painful. But I think they gave him malaria medication. He passed early Sunday morning. I had yet to attend a funeral in Malawi and I hope to not have to attend many more. The men and women are divided into different areas. The women first must visit one area to deliver the flour and fire wood to the family, their name is checked off a list and they can move to the prayer area. There are prayers and songs and everyone from the village was there, in many ways it was so beautiful and moving. Amongst all of these beautiful sounds there is the hammering and sawing of the men building the coffin. It seemed like such a strange contradiction between the prayers of a safe journey to heaven meshed with the sounds of building what seemed like a permanent, final resting place. After some time the chief speaks and finally the community is allowed to mourn and cry. My students who are normally so bubbly and full of life looked so defeated and sad. The boys from school carried Precious in his coffin to the road to an ox-cart that would take him away to be buried. There are no grief counselors for the students, life goes on at Mkaika, but life was taken away too soon from such a beautiful person.
Peace Corps tries to prepare you for funerals and death, we had training on what to wear and how to act, but this was so real. It made me miss my friend Grant who passed this time last year, though I know he is an angel to SO many people now. It reminded me to tell you that I love you and I appreciate you. It reminded me that life really is Precious.
Loads of love,
elisabeth
On a lighter note, here are some of the ridiculous test questions I have spent way too long typing. Enjoy.
1) All the these are gender roles for women except:
a. Taking care of children at home
b. Cooking for the family
c. Taking care of sick people
d. Digging graves at funerals is for husbands
2) What rights do women have according to Malawian constitution?
i. Right to inherit property
ii. Right to polygamous family
iii. Right to best education
iv. Right to be beaten by their husband
a. I, II, and III
b. I and III
c. II and IV
d. III and IV
3) What are functions and duties of the state:
i. Homicide
ii. Nutrition
iii. Health
iv. Killing political opponents
a. I and II
b. II and III
c. III and IV
d. I and IV
Monday, May 3, 2010
A Birthday in Malawi
I turned 26 this year. Sometimes that feels really old; sometimes I feel like I have the rest of my life in front of me. I am not really sure how I feel about being 26--but I can say I had a really wonderful birthday. Meg made the most delicious cake in a mud oven (yeah, she is that amazing), Alexis led a yoga session on the beach, we swam and tried to run, and ate some more cake, we crammed lots of people in a room meant for 5 and it was wonderful. So, in honor of my 26th birthday I have compiled a list of 26 things I have learned this year and bits of wisdom I have tried to embrace.
2) You can fit 23 people, 6 chickens, 2 goats, 7 bags of maize, and countless pieces of luggage in a mini-bus meant for 12 people--it is possible
1) Life really is a journey--not just on t-shirts and coffee mugs, seriously it is
2) You can fit 23 people, 6 chickens, 2 goats, 7 bags of maize, and countless pieces of luggage in a mini-bus meant for 12 people--it is possible
3) Food can typically* last overnight
4) Expiration dates are mere suggestions for deadlines
5)Who you are as a person is far more important than what you do
6) Patience-I have learned a whole lot of patience. Patience for sitting in a minibus for 4 hours to travel 70km, patience for my students to critically think about anything, patience for Malawi to start to rely on its own abilities, and patience for myself to be wherever I am
7) Frogs are not smart. (this is not meant to be offensive to frog lovers-I just have a lot of frogs living in my house and they are dumb animals)
8) The people that matter don't mind and the people who mind don't matter
9) My family is amazing.
10) I have incredible friends in Malawi and America and those friends make all the difference.
11) In the big scheme of life 2 years is not that long
12)How to carry 20L of water on my head
13) How to boil and egg and cook rice (yes, I didn't know how to do either before...no excuses, just embarrassment)
14) When you try to explain Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny, and the tooth fairy to Malawians you end up sounding very foolish
15)You should always be wearing an 'adventure sandal'-you never know when an adventure might arise so you should always be prepared
16) Being self-sufficient is satisfying, but not as satisfying as eating in a really good restaurant and being pampered (just a little bit : ) )
17) How to sew (sort of) and knit (kind of)
18) Fanta is an invaluable teaching tool
19) how to start a decent cooking fire
20) How to make a compost pile and garden
21) How to diagnose malaria, giardia, shistos, dysentery and a variety of other pleasant ailments
22) In chichewa 'want' and 'need' is the same word: kufuna. More languages should celebrate the similarities
23) I have learned to sit and be still. Some people (my mom) might find this hard to believe, but I really can just sit and be for a long time. A big change from my former super scheduled life (at a moment I was working with 5 minute blocks of time). Most Malawians tell time by the sun. Meetings are scheduled by talking to a person and them saying "when the sun is somewhere over there we will meet." (Picture a person pointing an ambiguous place in the sky) Do you think this would work in America?
24) In Malawi it is a compliment to be told you are fat. My neighbor tells me I am fat everyday. (literally, I come home from school and say hello and she says "Elisa-so fat in malawi! fat, fat, fat!) At first it was frustrating so I tried to compromise and explained the word 'medium' so we decided I could be medium. That lasted about a week, now I am trying to embrace the 'compliment' of being fat.
25) I really like doing things the hard way. It always makes for a better story in the end.
26) I am so blessed and lucky.
*You should not try this at home if a refrigerator is available
Thank you all for the sweet messages, phone calls, letters, and thoughts. I appreciate them all SO much. I love and miss you all.
loads of love,
elisabeth
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
The Secret to Teacher Trainings is...Fanta?
I think I have discovered the secret to teacher success kuno ku Malawi. (As far as my workshops are concerned) It is not the venue, time of day, day of week, participating schools and/or teachers. Nope, success is found with Fantas, biscuits, and stickers.
In Malawi, it is expected to give teachers allowances for workshops. That is to say, they get a little bonus for missing school. Plus a Fanta. I don't agree with allowances (mostly, I am not willing to pay people out of my pocket to come to my workshop). Therefore, my workshops have been allowance and Fanta free. This Saturday, (yes-I even made it on a Saturday! Most workshops are during the week meaning the teacher misses all their classes and they haven't exactly developed the substitute teaching system in Malawi) I was so excited I had 13 participants (up from 6 last time) I succumbed to the Fanta pressure and provided cookies and drinks. This was the best thing I could have ever done. At first, just a morning spent with Elisa talking about school stuff. Providing a Fanta elevated the session to a legitimate workshop. Oh, and the stickers--I passed out sticker pages for good answers and as a review/wrap up at the end of the workshop. We had talked about positive reinforcement and stickers aren't wildy available in my village so I was hoping they would take them back to their schools to use them for excellent student work. Instead, they bedazzled their cell phones with 'good luck' and 'A for effort' stickers.
On a separate note, I think it is hilarious and ironic I am teaching a classroom management workshop. I guess all those workshops from Houston came in handy....What is that saying, those that can't do, teach?
p.s. for more Malawi reading check out alexisinmalawi.blogspot.com
In Malawi, it is expected to give teachers allowances for workshops. That is to say, they get a little bonus for missing school. Plus a Fanta. I don't agree with allowances (mostly, I am not willing to pay people out of my pocket to come to my workshop). Therefore, my workshops have been allowance and Fanta free. This Saturday, (yes-I even made it on a Saturday! Most workshops are during the week meaning the teacher misses all their classes and they haven't exactly developed the substitute teaching system in Malawi) I was so excited I had 13 participants (up from 6 last time) I succumbed to the Fanta pressure and provided cookies and drinks. This was the best thing I could have ever done. At first, just a morning spent with Elisa talking about school stuff. Providing a Fanta elevated the session to a legitimate workshop. Oh, and the stickers--I passed out sticker pages for good answers and as a review/wrap up at the end of the workshop. We had talked about positive reinforcement and stickers aren't wildy available in my village so I was hoping they would take them back to their schools to use them for excellent student work. Instead, they bedazzled their cell phones with 'good luck' and 'A for effort' stickers.
On a separate note, I think it is hilarious and ironic I am teaching a classroom management workshop. I guess all those workshops from Houston came in handy....What is that saying, those that can't do, teach?
p.s. for more Malawi reading check out alexisinmalawi.blogspot.com
Friday, April 9, 2010
Climbing Every Mountain
I have never been one to turn down an adventure. When the opportunity to climb Mt. Mulanje presented itself, I was not about to say no. However, next time a mountain climbing opportunity unfolds before me I will do a little research into what I am getting myself into...
Mt. Mulanje is the third tallest mountain in Africa. You have to have a guide and apparently they have not been informed of the beauty of switchbacks. We literally climbed on all fours up the mountain. This in itself would have been difficult but our group was too frugal to get a porter so we carried our packs. Again, this would have been totally manageable, but I was carrying WAY too much stuff. (Clothes and work for Lilongwe, books, lots of food, water...) The first day was six hours up. On all fours, climbing up rocky steps and stairs, straight up. We made it the hut, patted ourselves on the backs for a job well done, and made a delicious dinner. We heard the first day was the hardest so we were pleased with our efforts and excited for the next day. Little did we know....
Day Two: We climbed for another 3 hours to the next hut. We were told we needed to move quickly if we wanted to summit. We threw our bags down and were ready to go. It didn't take more than 5 minutes to realize the first day had nothing on summiting this crazy mountain. The positive was that we didn't have our super heavy packs, the negatives were that I am really scared of heights and we were bouldering (jumping from rock to rock) and scrambling up the side of a mountain. We were about 40 minutes from the top and then it started raining. So now we were scrambling on wet rocks on the side of a mountain. Good idea? Bad idea? ...bad idea. I don't like quiting things. In fact, I hate quiting things. But I quite. Alexis and I huddled together while the rest of the group scrambled to the top. We had some thoughts on freezing on the side of a mountain and tried to laugh off the ridiculousness of the situation. But it was pretty scary. The rest of the group found us and we proceeded to slide down the side of the mountain. Yes, slide. On our bums, crabwalking, slipping, planning which piece of vegetation was going to stop a slide off the mountain. By the end we had 5 ripped pants (some of us ripped through to the second layer and were literally sliding down on their bums), 1 lost camera, 12 ripped up hands, cuts, bruises, and very wobbly muscles. Luckily, we made it off the really slippery part before it got dark. Some of us had headlamps and were doing our best to guide each other down but with very little muscle control, darkness, wetness, and exhaustion it wasn't very pretty. After what seemed like hours (it did take us 4 hours to get down) we saw the hut. I have never seen such a beautiful building in my life. It was a glorious sight.
Going down the mountain: Should be easy, right? no. At first it was funny because none of us had any leg muscle control from the crazy day before--so in a span of about 10 minutes each of us fell. But then we had to keep going...and going...and going...Down the slippery, muddy staircases we climbed up 2 days prior. Going up was tough, going down was a pain in the butt. (literally-my tailbone has never been so bruised)--we forded rivers with rocks and logs, we climbed up and down until it was all I could do to put one foot in front of the other. But we made it. 7 hours later we were at the bottom. The best part of being at the bottom of the mountain is that there is a pizza place. We ate the best pizza I have ever eaten (well, ever eaten in Malawi) and felt/looked like we had just been through a war.
Post Mulanje: Walking is a bit of a struggle. Many of our feet are still swollen and our hands are ripped. But we did it. It was awesome. And now we have some crazy stories.
I am headed back to site today and get to meet my new environment neighbor tomorrow! I hope they will be as awesome as Sarah and Austin (that is a tough task : ) ) But it is back to site and back to work.
loads of love,
elisabeth
Mt. Mulanje is the third tallest mountain in Africa. You have to have a guide and apparently they have not been informed of the beauty of switchbacks. We literally climbed on all fours up the mountain. This in itself would have been difficult but our group was too frugal to get a porter so we carried our packs. Again, this would have been totally manageable, but I was carrying WAY too much stuff. (Clothes and work for Lilongwe, books, lots of food, water...) The first day was six hours up. On all fours, climbing up rocky steps and stairs, straight up. We made it the hut, patted ourselves on the backs for a job well done, and made a delicious dinner. We heard the first day was the hardest so we were pleased with our efforts and excited for the next day. Little did we know....
Day Two: We climbed for another 3 hours to the next hut. We were told we needed to move quickly if we wanted to summit. We threw our bags down and were ready to go. It didn't take more than 5 minutes to realize the first day had nothing on summiting this crazy mountain. The positive was that we didn't have our super heavy packs, the negatives were that I am really scared of heights and we were bouldering (jumping from rock to rock) and scrambling up the side of a mountain. We were about 40 minutes from the top and then it started raining. So now we were scrambling on wet rocks on the side of a mountain. Good idea? Bad idea? ...bad idea. I don't like quiting things. In fact, I hate quiting things. But I quite. Alexis and I huddled together while the rest of the group scrambled to the top. We had some thoughts on freezing on the side of a mountain and tried to laugh off the ridiculousness of the situation. But it was pretty scary. The rest of the group found us and we proceeded to slide down the side of the mountain. Yes, slide. On our bums, crabwalking, slipping, planning which piece of vegetation was going to stop a slide off the mountain. By the end we had 5 ripped pants (some of us ripped through to the second layer and were literally sliding down on their bums), 1 lost camera, 12 ripped up hands, cuts, bruises, and very wobbly muscles. Luckily, we made it off the really slippery part before it got dark. Some of us had headlamps and were doing our best to guide each other down but with very little muscle control, darkness, wetness, and exhaustion it wasn't very pretty. After what seemed like hours (it did take us 4 hours to get down) we saw the hut. I have never seen such a beautiful building in my life. It was a glorious sight.
Going down the mountain: Should be easy, right? no. At first it was funny because none of us had any leg muscle control from the crazy day before--so in a span of about 10 minutes each of us fell. But then we had to keep going...and going...and going...Down the slippery, muddy staircases we climbed up 2 days prior. Going up was tough, going down was a pain in the butt. (literally-my tailbone has never been so bruised)--we forded rivers with rocks and logs, we climbed up and down until it was all I could do to put one foot in front of the other. But we made it. 7 hours later we were at the bottom. The best part of being at the bottom of the mountain is that there is a pizza place. We ate the best pizza I have ever eaten (well, ever eaten in Malawi) and felt/looked like we had just been through a war.
Post Mulanje: Walking is a bit of a struggle. Many of our feet are still swollen and our hands are ripped. But we did it. It was awesome. And now we have some crazy stories.
I am headed back to site today and get to meet my new environment neighbor tomorrow! I hope they will be as awesome as Sarah and Austin (that is a tough task : ) ) But it is back to site and back to work.
loads of love,
elisabeth
Friday, April 2, 2010
Just a little update....
Happy Easter! I thought it time for an overall update on life in Malawi...so here goes:
Mkaika CDSS
Teaching is going....I really enjoy the students but the school year is so short and there are breaks every week it seems so it is difficult to be consistent. The syllabus is also ridiculous. The students know very minimal English but according to the objectives it is necessary they learn about gerunds, appositives, participles, dangling modifiers, and other less than relevant information. Maybe this stuff is important, but I have gotten through almost 26 years of life without knowing (or caring) and feel like there is other more important information to teach. For example, the use of periods and capitalization and the meaning of words like super, wonderful, and awesome.
A.Y.I.D.
I love this youth group. They took about two weeks to raise the equivalent of $10 US to sell dried fruit. They really want to build a youth center with a library so we are trying to sell fruit to raise capital to buy soap making materials. They are so determined and ambitious--it is definitely refreshing work.
Workshops
Hmm. I am currently taking my lesson planning workshop on tour. Sometimes it goes well, sometimes the teachers seem more confused than when they entered the room. It is kind of like teaching any class I suppose. I am planning a classroom management workshop (the irony of this is hilarious because I attended SO many classroom management workshops in Houston) and a female empowerment workshop in May.
Camp Sky
We have a location (Kasungu Teacher Training College) and a date (August 17-27). This was way more difficult than it sounds due to transportation (I have a bike), exam schedules (all the schools are testing the Form 4s so we couldn't use the nice government schools they have used in the past), and a variety of other crazy things. But...the applications are out! We just have to plan the curriculum and schedule speakers, etc but it is slowly coming together.
Life
Life is good. I am on my way to Climb Mt. Mulanje for Easter break and am totally jazzed about this adventure. I also now have a cell phone with Internet--a nicer phone than I had in America! And it costs less for me to respond to an email than to text America. So, you should email. I'll write back. : )
I think that is all from Malawi...for now. I miss you all and hope to hear from you soon!
loads of love,
elisabeth
Mkaika CDSS
Teaching is going....I really enjoy the students but the school year is so short and there are breaks every week it seems so it is difficult to be consistent. The syllabus is also ridiculous. The students know very minimal English but according to the objectives it is necessary they learn about gerunds, appositives, participles, dangling modifiers, and other less than relevant information. Maybe this stuff is important, but I have gotten through almost 26 years of life without knowing (or caring) and feel like there is other more important information to teach. For example, the use of periods and capitalization and the meaning of words like super, wonderful, and awesome.
A.Y.I.D.
I love this youth group. They took about two weeks to raise the equivalent of $10 US to sell dried fruit. They really want to build a youth center with a library so we are trying to sell fruit to raise capital to buy soap making materials. They are so determined and ambitious--it is definitely refreshing work.
Workshops
Hmm. I am currently taking my lesson planning workshop on tour. Sometimes it goes well, sometimes the teachers seem more confused than when they entered the room. It is kind of like teaching any class I suppose. I am planning a classroom management workshop (the irony of this is hilarious because I attended SO many classroom management workshops in Houston) and a female empowerment workshop in May.
Camp Sky
We have a location (Kasungu Teacher Training College) and a date (August 17-27). This was way more difficult than it sounds due to transportation (I have a bike), exam schedules (all the schools are testing the Form 4s so we couldn't use the nice government schools they have used in the past), and a variety of other crazy things. But...the applications are out! We just have to plan the curriculum and schedule speakers, etc but it is slowly coming together.
Life
Life is good. I am on my way to Climb Mt. Mulanje for Easter break and am totally jazzed about this adventure. I also now have a cell phone with Internet--a nicer phone than I had in America! And it costs less for me to respond to an email than to text America. So, you should email. I'll write back. : )
I think that is all from Malawi...for now. I miss you all and hope to hear from you soon!
loads of love,
elisabeth
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