Saying Goodbye

July 25th was my last day at site. I packed up my stuff, said a few more goodbyes, got into a share taxi that happened to be passing by transporting a few hikers into town from Mulanje, and I was off.

It's hard to believe that two years have come to a close, and that I won't be seeing my friends and neighbors and the village everyday anymore. As I looked out the window at the rolling hills, the brick houses, the women filling buckets at the borehole, the children playing at the side of the road, I couldn't help but feel sad to say goodbye to my village and my home of the last two years.

Goodbye, Village

Goodbye, School

Goodbye, Mountains

Goodbye, Neighbors

Goodbye Other Neighbors. Goodbye, cow.

Everyone was so sweet when we were saying our goodbyes, and they all wanted to know when I would be back. I had to answer "kaya" (who knows?) because it's hard to know what the future holds. But Malawi will always hold a special place in my life, and I would love to come back again someday.

Officially an RPCV

Today I have officially completed my service and I can now call myself a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (RPCV). Or maybe I have to be back in America to be "returned"? Anyways, after two years my service is complete.

PC Malawi Education 2014 - 2016

Showing off my National Wear, a farewell gift from my school

When I think about my service, so many emotions and thoughts come to mind. I often think of the Charles Dickens quote, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." Everyday was filled with triumphs and challenges, both big and small. I learned so much from living and volunteering in a new culture and from the people around me. And I made wonderful friendships with Malawians as well as PCVs that I hope will last a lifetime.

I feel so grateful to have been given this opportunity to serve my country as well as the people of Malawi, and I think joining the Peace Corps is one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life.

So now what? Time for a bit of travel to experience more of the world's cultures and explore God's good works. Coalee will be here tomorrow(!!!) and then we will be on our way. Stay tuned for posts about our trip...

Last week at site

I have just about a week left at my site. Despite the fact that school is out and I've been staying in the village, my days have been really busy.

I've been trying to go through my stuff to prepare the house for the next PCV that will replace me. Somehow I have acquired a ton of stuff in the last two years. It's mostly clothes, papers and junk like tin cans, plastic bags and water bottles, but it's all gotta go somewhere. I'm giving away most of my stuff to my neighbors, though I'm leaving the household items like dishes, sheets and books for the next PCV.

The weather has been overcast and chilly, so it's perfect soup weather. I've been making vegetable soups using whatever veggies I can find at the market, a few spices, and fresh basil from my garden. Sometimes I add beans. Here is a soup I made on Friday with some macaroni noodles added in. I seasoned it with garlic salt. It was so warm and delicious!

My neighbors have been coming by to chat more, since everyone knows I'm leaving soon. And I've been making daily trips to the trading center so I can see my friends there too. When I think about the final goodbyes it makes me feel a bit sad, so I'm trying to just be present and enjoy the little things in my PCV village life while I can.

These last two years have been full of ups and downs, and I am very much looking forward to seeing my family and friends back Home, but I am going to miss my life here in Malawi too.

One Year at Site

As of last week it has officially been one year since I moved to my little village in the district of Mulanje in southern Malawi. That means I have reached the mid-point of my service. One year down, one to go!

Colii took this photo of me with my Form 1 class in July

PCVs often go through a slump at this time. I can understand that. When I first got to my site everything was new and exciting. Now I am settled and sometimes the particulars of my day-to-day life here can wear on me. Like I sometimes think, if I have to fill up this water bucket to bathe one more time... But I know I have to fill it up hundreds more times yet.

And a year at site means I have been away from my home and my family and friends for a very long time now, which is really hard. I miss you all so much.

On top of all that, right when I got back from my amazing summer trip with Colii, I got really sick. Probably the sickest I have been since I came to Malawi. I think I am finally better, but it has been a rough few weeks. (And being sick without indoor plumbing is no picnic, especially when there is a small crowd of people watching you every time you step outside to use the latrine.)

So what is a PCV in a mid-service slump to do? Stay busy! School is starting next week, and I have my Mid-Service Training with the other PCVs coming up, and there are a few PCV gatherings in the works too. So there is plenty to look forward to, and to keep me busy.

You know what else would brighten my day-- hearing from you! So if you want to send me an email or write me a letter, feel so free : )

One more year. Here I go...

Back in PST Again

I’m so excited to welcome the new Peace Corps Trainees for the Education Sector! They arrived last month and started their Pre-Service Training (PST) here in Malawi. Here is a photo of them that was taken at the airport when they first arrived:

Some of the currently serving PCVs in my group were invited help facilitate the training for the new arrivals, including me! So a couple weeks ago I headed up to the Kasungu District in the Central Region and found myself back in PST again.

The house I stayed at in the training village had three rooms, with a mud floor, an outdoor kitchen and chim, and an outdoor straw bathing area. No electricity here, so I had to heat my bath water and cook over a charcoal mbaula. Which I learned how to do that week, with the help of my fellow PCV Tally, who was also facilitating sessions with me. She is a mbaula expert, and makes excellent peanut butter cookies over her fire. I plan on trying that back at my site soon. Here is a photo of my morning pot of water for coffee and hard-boiled eggs.

The Chichewa group near the house I was staying in let me sit in on their language classes a few days during the week when I didn’t have to facilitate technical sessions. It was nice to get a refresher, and I was able to pay more attention to the whys of the grammar rules instead of just the whats since I know more now. They were learning about how to answer basic questions about themselves like where they are from and where they live. That will be really useful for them because I get asked those things in Chichewa all the time. I can say, “Ndimachokera ku America mu mzinda wa California” (I am from America, from the state of California) in my sleep.

The week I was there was heavy on technical sessions, so Tally and I had a lot of work to do, along with the PC Technical Trainers Denis and Geoff. We worked with the trainees on Malawian curriculum and syllabi, lesson planning, teaching in classrooms with limited resources and student-centered learning. We also did a session on teaching English as a second language. Both Tally and I are science teachers at our sites, but really all PCVs are English teachers because we teach our classes in English. We provided tips on delivering content in a way that ESL speakers can understand, like making sure to speak slowly and clearly, writing things down and defining new words. As someone learning a new language myself, I know how important those concepts are. I often wish people here would use some of those methods with me.

Here is a photo of the trainees in the hall during a session. The facilitator is our Associate Peace Corps Director (APCD) for Education, Michael Kumwenda.

This was a really fun week to facilitate PST because besides all the technical sessions, we also had a luncheon. All the host mothers brought in lunches for the trainees to share with everyone, and the trainers prepared dishes to share as well. It was a basically a big potluck. There were so many dishes to try. Tally made chocolate brownies which were delicious. I also had nsima because I don’t get to eat it very often anymore. There were also cooked greens, potatoes, cooked cabbage, rice, beans and lots of other local dishes.

The trainees are a wonderful group. I had so much fun spending time with them, and I am looking forward to working alongside them as fellow PCVs. They find out their sites tomorrow and they will swear-in at the end of August. And the PC wheel keeps on turning...

One Year in Malawi

As of last week I have been in Malawi for a year. It's crazy how much has happened to me in such a short time. To celebrate, I had dinner with a group of PCVs at a fancy restaurant in Blantyre. I forgot to take photos, but let me just say three words-- "garlic cheese loaf." It was a really fun night, and I felt really lucky to be here and have this incredible experience.

So now it is time to celebrate on the blog. In sixth grade we had a writing assignment that went "I used to _______, but now I _______". It was supposed to be a way to reflect on how much we had changed during elementary school. So I am going to borrow that idea to describe some of the changes that have happened to me this past year.

I used to speak English and a little Spanish, but now I speak English, Malawian English, and a little Chichewa. (My Spanish has mostly been displaced by my new language. Pobrecita).

I used to drink tap water, but now I only drink water that has been treated by filtering, boiling or adding WaterGuard.

I used to wash my hair everyday, but now I wash it once or twice a week.

I used to be a vegetarian, but now I eat meat when I feel it is safe and has been properly cooked (usually only in a city restaurant or cooked by a PCV.  Or when I get it in a care package. Beef jerky is like my new favorite food.)

I used to wake up to an alarm clock, but now I wake up to the crowing of roosters (and sometimes the mooing of cows).

I used to think powdered milk was gross, but now it is like sweet nectar when I put it in my coffee and cereal and hot cocoa.

I used to wear jeans everyday, but now I wear skirts and chitenjes, and only wear my jeans in the city. I still love them though.

I used to use a shower, a sink, a washing machine and a flush toilet, but now I use buckets for washing stuff and my toilet is a pit latrine (aka the chim).

I used to be blissfully unaware that cockroaches shed their exoskeletons at several points in their lifetimes, but now I have seen direct evidence of this in the chim. And I have the photos to prove it.

I used to mostly recycle my trash, but now I burn it. I still compost my food waste though.

I used to drive a car, but now I walk or ride mini-buses or bike-taxis to get around. 

I used to think it would be cool to move to another country someday, but now I want to live in America forever and just visit other countries.

I used to think I had the best family and friends in the world, but now I *know* I do. I love you guys! Thanks so much for all the letters and packages and emails and phone calls. It means a lot.

Cheers!

Live like a PCV for a Day Challenge

It's June, and that is a special occasion here on the Peace Corps Sisters Blog. In June of 2014 both of us left our family, friends, jobs and homes in the USA to travel across the world and become Peace Corps Volunteers. It's been quite an adventure and we have had fun sharing our experiences with all of you on this blog. So many things have changed for us, like the way we bathe and cook and get around and even the way we speak.

To celebrate, we have decided to offer up a challenge to all of you! During the month of June, we want each of you to live like a PCV for a day. Choose one activity from the list below, and do it for one day. Then let us know (with a comment to this post or an email) about how it went for you.

Live like a PCV for one day during the month of June! Pick one of these activities to do for one day:

• Take a bucket bath using water that was heated on the stove
• Treat your drinking water - boil & filter all water before you drink it or brush your teeth with it
• Use only candles or flashlights after dark
• Only use water from your outdoor tap for one day
• Wash all your laundry by hand and dry on a clothesline
• Pee in a bucket after dark
• Go without electricity
• Go without refrigeration
• Take only public transport and sit next to a stranger
• Walk to an outdoor market and buy all the vegetables and grains you will eat that day

During your day, why not greet someone in one of our local languages?

• In Chichewa, you can say "Muli bwanji?" (how are you?).  The typical response is "Ndili bwino" (I'm fine)
• In Romananian, you can say "Bună ziua" (boona zeewa) which means "Good day".

New PCVs on the way

The PC Health and Environment trainees arrived in Malawi last month. Last week they received their site assignments and went on their site visits.

Guess what-- we are getting a new PCV here in Mulanje! She will be living near the mountains, working in forestry and preventing invasive species.

I went to visit her at her new site. She lives pretty far from the road so it took a while to walk there, but the view was lovely.

It was a really fun visit. We hiked to a waterfall, picked pineapples with a grower, and checked out a tree nursery. We also cooked over an open fire (she has no electricity), made guacamole from some avocados her neighbors brought over, and just had a great time talking about this crazy thing called being a PCV. She is really fun and sweet and I'm happy she's joining our district.

With the arrival of the new PCTs, my 2014 Education group are no longer the newbies. It's fun to think how much i have learned in the time I have been here.

6 months at site kuno ku Mulanje

I was at a training in Lilongwe when I hit my six-month mark so this
is a little bit late.  It's okay though because I am in Malawi and
everything runs a little slower here, so this only shows I am
integrating well, right?

Compare and contrast how you thought your service would be by this
point, and how it actually is.
I think I imagined that after six months I would feel pretty
comfortable with teaching, daily chores, Chichewa, knowing transport,
all of it.  Still, six months isn't much time, so I wasn't expecting
to know everything.

I am pretty comfortable with my home and with teaching, but I still
come across new things everyday.  For example, I just recently learned
that my village trading post has fresh milk in bags.  And I just went
to my first PTA meeting last month, which was a whole new experience
for me. So I am still learning, but my life has more of a routine to
it than it did when I first got here.


What do you do in your free time...if you have free time?
I like to read, garden, play with my neighbor kids (lately we are
drawing with chalk), try to figure out new ways to cook  tomatoes with
onions and rice, read the news and of course blog!


How has "integrating" into the community been going?
For me, my community is my school, my village trading post, and my
neighbors.  When I am in those places, I feel pretty well integrated.
At school I know all the teachers and I have my students and my
classes and my work in the library, so I feel comfortable there.  In
the market I usually buy from the same 6 or 7 vendors, so we say hi
and chat in Chichewa when I go there. My neighbors are really friendly
and helpful, and I spend a lot of time with my neighbor kids.  So
while I will never be confused for a local, I feel like after six
months I have made a place here for myself.


If you have any type of media, what do you watch, read, listen to, etc?
Mostly I read books.  I usually have a few going at the same time-- a
couple new ones including the one I am currently reading for the book
club, plus rereading some of my favorites, like "The Mists of Avalon".
I listen to music sometimes.  I have been listening to a lot of
Frente! and Cat Power lately. I was also able to download some
podcasts when I was in Lilongwe, so now I can catch up on a few
episodes of This American Life!


Do you have any new hobbies?
Does weeding my garden count?  Because I have to do that everyday. I
have made a couple friendship bracelets with some embroidery floss
that the previous PCV left for me. Plus I just got a new book from the
PC library so I might have a new hobby in time for the next PC
milestone post.


What's at least one thing new that you've learned since being at site?
Let's see... I think the biggest thing I have learned is how to make a
little bit of water last a long time. I am pretty efficient with the
use of water for bathing and washing dishes and other household needs
now.

Other stuff: I have learned a lot about fire from burning my garbage.
I can now hang, repair and properly wash a mosquito net. And I learned
a new way to cut a pineapple.


What time do you usually go to bed?
I get in my net by 6:00pm since it is dark and the mosquitos come out,
but I usually go to sleep around9:00pm.  Hence all the reading.


What do you typically eat everyday? - what do you "still" like and
what are you sick of?
Breakfast - maize porridge with brown sugar, raisins and pumpkin pie
spice (thanks, Becca!)
Snack - energy bar from care packages, but those are almost gone so I
might try eating boiled cassava as a snack now
Lunch - egg on toast, piece of fruit if I have any, or peanut butter on bread
Dinner - rice with soya pieces, tomatoes, onions and whatever veggies
I can find (today it is eggplants)

I still love toast and peanut butter and eggs and maize porridge.  I
am kind of over the rice and veggies dish, but I try to spice it up to
make it palatable.  I make spaghetti once a week which is a nice
treat, and I've made pancakes a couple times, though it isn't really
the same without syrup.


What does your typical "work" day look like?
I usually wake up at 5:30am and start getting ready for the day. I use
the latrine, get my water for the day, start boiling my drinking water
and making breakfast.  I leave my house and walk to school which
starts at 7:30am.  This term all my classes are in the morning.  In
between my classes I am usually marking homework, preparing an
activity for the next day's lesson, or working in the library.  I
usually leave school around noon. I might stop at the market to pick
up a few things and then I head home.  I make lunch and maybe relax a
bit, then start lesson planning for the next day.  Usually the
neighbor kids will come by and I will take a break and hang out with
them for a little while.  Then back to lesson planning.  Around 4:30pm
I start my evening routine of bathing and cooking, so I can have
everything finished in time to be in my net by dusk.


What are you so over, but you still hafta do it for the next 1.5 years?
Well, there are lots of things that I won't be sorry to say farewell
to after I complete my service, but I try not to think about them too
much (because I still have to do then for another 1.5 years). I will say that I don't enjoy having my bathroom outdoors,
especially when it is raining and my yard is basically a muddy
obstacle course on the way to the latrine in the morning. But that is
more a Rainy Season problem, which won't last forever. And of course
the Rainy Season has lots of cool stuff too, like how pretty and green
everything is right now, and the gentle patter of rain showers on the
tin roof, and how fast my garden is growing, and all the cool frogs
and toads I see in my yard. So there are lots of things that I like
about this season too.  That is kind of my way of getting by here.  I
try to think about what is special about being here in Malawi, and
focus on that.

3 Months at Site

Another PC milestone! It feels like it has gone by pretty fast, and yet when I think back to the beginning of the term it seems so long ago. I feel really comfortable in my house, my village and at my school. I've met a ton of people, improved my Chichewa, rode many, many mini-buses and taught over 150 high school students about science. I'm feeling really excited about the next phase of the school year and my journey as a PCV.

My new roommate. He prefers level surfaces, unlike the wall-scaling lizards.

What is the funniest thing that happened to you so far?

Last week I was kneeling down while talking with some of the three-year old girls that live near me. They were asking me things in Chichewa which I only partially understood. They pointed toward my abdomen and said what I took to be "belly", only they said it like "bay-lay". I said, "Yes, belly." Then one of the girls reached forward and grabbed my breast through my tank top! And it dawned on me that she was saying "bere" which is Chichewa for breast. So I laughed and said, "Eee (yes), bere!"

What surprises you about your host country?

One of the biggest surprises has been how much is actually locally available. Yesterday I saw spaghetti noodles in my local village market. There are stationary stores in every trading center that sell chalk, erasers, rulers, notebooks, pens and other school supplies. I can get bread and Coca-Cola, peanut butter and M&Ms. Even Orbit gum and Lay's potato chips are sold in the Boma. And that's not to mention what is available in Lilongwe or Blantyre where they have stores that look like something from  America. Which isn't to say these things are common. I don't think most people can afford these items, and I certainly have to watch my Kwacha and follow a budget to afford some of these on my stipend. But I never expected to see most of these here.

What do you love about your host country?

I love how friendly and helpful everyone is. Pretty much everywhere I go I meet someone that is willing to take a few minutes to show me around, help me find something or just chat for a few minutes. I hear "Takulandirani" (Welcome) all the time here.

And it's not just with me. Malawians are friendly and helpful to each other too. When we have a visitor at the school, everyone that walks by will greet them. And if someone just picked pumpkin leaves, all the ladies will get together and help peel them. It's just a very communal, friendly culture. People really care about each other here.

What cultural customs have been most difficult to adapt to?

Money is very out in the open here, which I am not used to. If I buy something usually the first question will be, "How much did it cost?" And people will ask things like how much I pay in rent, which I consider a bit inappropriate unless I know them pretty well. Also when you tithe at church you are expected to go up and put the money in the basket up front where everyone can see. At weddings and parties it is similar. Sometimes they even write down what you gave and read it out. I'm used to a bit more privacy with regards to finances. I don't usually talk about money or how much things cost myself, but I try to put it in perspective and just go with it here.

What is your favorite word or phrase in the local vernacular?

Right now it is a tie between "ndathokoza, which means "I am thankful" and "kaya" which means "Who knows?"

What did you eat for dinner last night?

I had a fried egg on a piece of toast with sautéed onions and tomatoes. And a delicious mango for a dessert.

What foods do you miss the most?

Salads and smoothies. It's been so hot here and those were my summer go-to meals. I would love a fresh Greek salad with romaine lettuce and a strawberry smoothie made with yogurt. Mmm, strawberries. And ice! Cold ice on a hot day would be wonderful.

What do you wish you brought with you?

A laptop, a portable speaker, more tank tops, a good Biology textbook because sometimes I don't trust the Malawian textbooks I am using, sticky tack, and a whole suitcase of food. Especially Clif bars and stuff I could just grab and eat on the go.

Which do you prefer-- a shower or a toilet?

I don't have either at my site, but if I had to choose I would go with a nice shower. While a cool bucket bath on a hot day is quite refreshing, I never feel like I get 100% clean. I am really starting to appreciate how amazing showers really are. I mean, you just turn a faucet and water comes out at the temperature of your choosing, for as long as you want? Sounds like paradise.