Happy Thanksgiving from Malawi

Just like last year, Thursday started like just a normal day. I went to school and taught my classes, well class, since my second one was cancelled so the students could hear a motivational talk about blood transfusions.

But in the afternoon my friend came by and the festivities began. I was planning to cook over charcoal because the power had been out all day, but it came on around 4pm. It was a Thanksgiving miracle!

The menu was mashed potatoes and a Sprouts pumpkin soup that my Mom had sent in a care package. (Thanks, Mom!) I also had picked up some green beans (ziteba) from the village market, so our meal was looking pretty festive. And then we got a little crazy.

I had picked up some chive flavored cream cheese the day before in Blantyre, and without refrigeration this was probably the last day it was edible. So we threw that into the potatoes.

Then we poured the heated soup over that, and topped it off with our lightly cooked green beans.

This was the delicious result:

(It tasted better than it looks, I promise).

We were both stuffed after our meal, as is appropriate on the holiday. It was a good day. And this marks the end of my last Thanksgiving in Malawi. I'm looking forward to a dinner with all the fixins back Home next year!

Thanksgiving is a time to say thanks, and I have a lot to be thankful for. I'm thankful to Colii for this crazy PC adventure we are on together. I'm thankful for my site and my school and that I get the opportunity to experience all this. And I am so thankful to all of my family and friends and for all your love and support and letters and emails (and care packages!) while I do this. I miss you all so much. Ndathokoza kwambiri (I am very thankful).

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Maprizes for Students

School is still going here in Malawi, but term three is almost over. They have more of a year-round schedule here, so thre is only a six week break at the end of the year. I taught my last classes of the 2014-2015 school year already, and now all that is left is the terminal exams. I'll be giving those next week.

During my last Form 1 Physical Science class I gave awards to the students that completed every homework assignment. Seven students (out of around 87) came up in front of the class to receive their masweeties (candy) and maprizes. I gave them a pencil, a notebook, two candies and a big sticker of their choice. There were a lot of homework assignments this term so I was really proud of them for turning them all in.

I also used stickers as a homework incentive a few weeks ago. We were learning about physical and chemical changes. I told the students if they could give an example of a physical and chemical change I would put a sticker in their notebook. As I hoped, I had a higher rate of homework submissions than usual, and I was able to give out quite a few stickers.

Thanks for the stickers, Mom. I'm putting them to good use!

Sunday breakfast, just like old times

Something that helps me get by here in Malawi is to focus on what I do have here, instead of what I am missing. So I enjoy the fresh, local tropical fruits like bananas and mangos and guavas, instead of longing for berries and peaches.

But sometimes it is nice to have a little taste of home. Back in the States I used to have a french toast breakfast with eggs and coffee every Sunday morning. It was a tradition that my Mom started in my childhood, when she made pancakes for breakfast every Sunday before we went to church. (FYI - my Mom makes the best pancakes in the world. I can't wait to have some when I go home next year.)

I haven't bothered making pancakes or french toast much here because, let's face it, it just isn't the same without maple syrup. And while we have a lot of crops here, maple trees are not one of them.

But all that changed when I opened my care package from Becca and Brandon this week. The box was filled with some of my favorite things, including... maple syrup!!! This called for a celebration. And what better way to celebrate than to make a pancake breakfast?

 (I know it doesn't look pretty, but it tasted amazing. Trust me.)

Thank you so much! It was a wonderful little taste of home on a Sunday morning : )

care package!

YAY!! Nothing's better than care packages from home! Like i've mentioned before, it's not necessarily the stuff (although the stuff is definitely GREAT!), it's just knowing you're thought of and cared for back at home...especially when you're super homesick!! 

The story behind the towel: 

Peace Corps Headquarters has a shower...Mama-G, does not. I average going to PC every other week, which is when i get to actually shower, and it's something i long for by the beginning of the 2nd week of not showering. 

I brought 2 REI "quick-dry" towels with me from America. I don't like them because they don't dry well, but they were all i had. I left one at PC, hanging with everyone else's towels in the bathroom, and had one at home, that i actually forgot that i had. 

Like i said, the 1s time i showered at PC, i left my towel hanging in the bathroom with about 20 other PCV towels. When i returned, excited to take my bi-weekly(?) bi-monthly(?) shower, my towel was gone!

A little while later i stayed a night in medical and was given a towel to use for showering. I decided to "borrow" it to use it as my PC towel (since it was PC property anyway and was staying at PC). But i also decided to keep it in my locked locker for safe keeping. 

After showering, i hung it over my locker door to let it dry a little before locking it up, but i forgot about it and left it like that. When i returned to PC for my shower 2 weeks later, it was gone!

So for Christmas, i went on Amazon to make a wish-list and put the weirdest/most unique towel i could find on my list...and what better than a pink shark?! 

My logic is that the REI quick-dry towel and the PC towel were both pretty generic (i've seen 3 other quick-dry towels and 2 other towels that other PCVs probably took from PC medical), so i'm trying to give the benefit of the doubt that my other 2 towels were mistaken for other PCVs' towels.

But this time i know that no one else has a towel like this, so if it goes missing, violence might ensue. ;op 

...I'm not going to mention my drying methods in between towels, i'll just say that i don't want to revisit those times, and i'm SOOOOOOOOOO happy to have my new towel!!! Thanks mom & dad!!!

So, even though the towel is the only picture i took from that care package, it was actually one of the biggest, if not the very biggest, care package i've received and EVERYTHING else that was sent is much appreciated too (MUCH-NEEDED clothes, Trader Joe's treats, MUCH-NEEDED clothes, STICKERS for my students and other "goody-bag" stuff, a portable speaker for my iphone, and did i mention, MUCH-NEEDED clothes??)!! ...I just felt the towel was of the utmost importance and needed to be highlighted! :o]

Again, thanks mom & dad!!! I love you!!!

care packages!!

When i went to training in Chișinău last week, i was welcomed with 3 care packages!!! I wasn't able to get pictures of all of them since space was limited and i needed to pack it all into my backpack and pungă (Moldovan carry-all bag), but below is one from Dr.J!! It's PERFECT! It was full of super terrific toiletries (like Hempz and Philosophy), hair ties, chapsticks, body/face wipes (which i use waaaaay more than i ever thought i would when i first arrived in Moldova...they basically replace bucket bathing...ya), lotions, and even a mini brush, which i have been needing so i can stop taking my big brush with me whenever leave site! And look at that cute polar bears card...it's hanging on my closet door with my other cards, making a pretty cool collage to look at everyday! Thanks Dr.J!!! 

I also received a package from John and Kathy Copeland! It was full of all kinds of neat stuff (& candy) from Japan (which i shared with the other ravenous PCVs), chapsticks, beanie, gloves, scarf, and other odds and ends...all of which i appreciate with all my heart!! THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH!! (Sorry no picture :o[)

...and then there was even this package...sigh...where do i even begin...? Well, here in Moldova, instead of Secret Santa for only the month of December, we do Winter Wizards from December 1 - February 28. I signed up to be one, which means i also received one. Similar to Secret Santa, we don't know who our own Winter Wizards are. The 1st time i heard from my Winter Wizard was 3 weeks after Winter Wizard announcements, right before i left for Turkey, s/he left a 3-pack of hair ties(?)/elastic bracelets(?) in my PC mailbox. The 2nd time i heard from her/him was when i got back from Turkey, and s/he left a chocolate bar and mints in my mailbox (which i appreciated :o])...then when i arrived back in Chișinău for training, there was this...the above package...it's wrapped so nice! I was so excited to open it! So i did...and behold, 2 shirts from Loot-Me! (Background: Loot-Me is a closet-like space where PCVs bring their unwanted stuff and other PCVs take it...hence the term "Loot-Me".) I just started laughing. That's the most obvious re-gifting i have ever seen! ...So, if nothing else, at least my Winter Wizard caused me to laugh in confusion. ;op

Nothing like be welcomed home to Christmas care packages!!! YAY!!

Thanks Cin for the warm socks, made even warmer with the magical chemistry induced heat thingys!! And when i saw the snow on the ground in Moldova when we landed, finding those in my care package were a welcome treat!! THANK YOU!!!!!! And, of course, the card is what really makes my day...hung it on my door right when i got home!!

And to accompany my new warm socks and warmy thingys...my new warm winter boots!!!! THANK YOU P, T, & E!!!!!!!! Everyone was jealous when i opened them in PC. I took a shower (don't know when the next one will be and i wanted fresh feet goin into my new boots) and immediately put them on! So nice! So comfy! So warm! So WONDERFUL!!! THANK YOU!!!

Thank you Vicky for pseudo mudg and the beautiful thoughful card! Pseudo mudg went straight to my bed and i've actually been favoring her more than my blankey the past few nights! She cradles my head just right...and it's the mudg, so what else is there to say? Your card is hanging on my door so i can see it everyday and think of you and the wonderful person that you have always been, continue to be, and always will be!! Thank you for you love! I love and miss you! Please send my love to your parents! My prayers are with you all!!

This was the first pleasant greeting i saw out of my care package and it brought a big fat smile to my face! It lost some beads along the way...but it held up pretty well for the long journey it's been on! It's a survivor! And i love it! Does it have a name? It's hanging on the dulap (wardrobe) right next to my bed so it's the first thing i see in the morning and the last thing i see at night!!

Love this one too! It's hanging on my door to help keep watch over my closet to keep everything safe! I feel it's a protector. Does it have a name as well?

And, YAY!!! My sheets!! Thank you!!!!!!! I'm sure Mama-G thinks i'm the weirdest person she's ever hosted ;op  She saw them on my bed and said, "Awwww, frumos!" Meaning, "Awwww, pretty!"...really dood? pretty?? I told her they are amuzant (funny), she smiled. She gets it...i think.

They're a little too big for my duvan (futon), but they're PERFECT!!!!

Lil mudg, blankey, mom's super comfy blanket, and Marvel Comics sheets holding down the fort!

Love the pic! I MISS DISNEYLAND!! It's weird, cuz i was never really a crazy Disneyland person, but i've been wanting to go there for months now! How weird! I guess it's a nostalgic thing for missing home, but wutevz...i frkn wanna go to Disneyland!

My set up...The map shows everywhere PC has served in purple. 

My fave gift, thanks mom & dad..."A Charlie Brown Christmas" burnt into wood...so simple, yet so nostalgic and meaningful for me...

Then on the other side is the Bible Verse that Linus quoted in the movie, Luke 2:10-11. Then my mudg girlz love ...sooooo perfect!!!! Thanks Mom & Dad!!! I LOVE AND MISS YOU!!!!!!

And here i am in my super comfy pjs! THANK YOU!!!

They came with this label, which also now hangs on my door...so as to not forget... ;op

Thank you all sooooooooooo much!!!!!!!! I LOVE and MISS you and am counting down the days, weeks, months, seasons, and semesters when i get to be with you again!!!!! (19 months on the 13th, 83 weeks, 580 days, 7 seasons (including this one), and 3 semesters to go!!...the semesters sounds most feasible ;o] )

I love you! You are all blessings in my life and i am soooooo grateful to God for all of you!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!

Care Package Love

I just picked up two care packages from the Post Office. One was sent in October and we were worried it would never arrive, but it made it. It's a Christmas miracle! The other was sent in November. So the average is still about three weeks for a package to reach Malawi.

So what was inside? Tea and almonds and instant oatmeal and chapstick and a ton of school supplies which I can use with my Malaria Education Club. And a lot more. But I can't think about all of that because I am distracted by this:

That's right-- real dark chocolate. 72% cacao. That is the first dark chocolate I have had in months. And it is just as good as I remember. And I haven't seen chocolate chips anywhere in Malawi, so these are like gold. If gold came in tiny edible morsels. I can't decide if I should try to make cookies on my hot plate or just keep eating them plain. (Cuz you'll notice there is a little tear in the corner where I opened the bag immediately upon spotting them. I am only human after all.) Also, holiday peeps! I've got big plans for these festive little treats.

Thank you SO much, Mom! I love you : )

CARE PACKAGES!!! :-D

YAY care packages!!! When i went to Chișinău this past weekend, i had 3 care packages waiting for me!!! The best part about care packages to me isn't the stuff itself (even though it's super dooper appreciated!!), it's knowing that i'm loved and thought of back home!! THANK YOU EVERYONE!!!! I LOVE YOU TOOOOOOO!!!

The above picture is all 3 care packages together...it made for an interesting, foarte greu (very heavy) journey home...but weeeeelllll worth it!!! :oD

Thank you Cin!!! All this stuff will get much use - beanie will be worn throughout toamnă și iarnă (fall and winter); as you can see on previous blog posts, i use A LOT of markers for my class activității (activities), so they are ALWAYS appreciated; I LOVE LARA BARS, and you just can't go wrong with peanut butter chocolate chip anything, so these will probably be eaten within the week!; the roasted almond snacks will get me thru my school days inbetween classes; and the card is my fave and is already hanging on my door so i can see it everyday!!! THANK YOU!!! MISSULUVU!!!

What can i say??...other than i have the best mom (& dad, of course ;op) EVER! In this package i received a super soft velvety blanket, a cute lamb hot water bottle, 2 pairs of adorable socks (especially the ones with the cute little fox!), a rather sophisticated boot shoe horn that kinda scares me and intrigues me at the same time, a Tide-to-go stick, gallon-sized ziplock bags (very useful!), a really great eraser that i wanted (i know, sounds weird, but i erase a lot while working on my school activities, and it's good to have a high quality eraser!), a lot of art supplies - paints, paintbrushes, paper, Prismacolors, and even a color wheel, and possibly the best thing of all...Halloween Oreos! Thank you mom & dad!!! I LOVE and MISS YOU!!!!!!!!

And finally woggy's (Paul's) care package...the biggest & heaviest of them all!! ;o]

He got me super soft, warm, comfy pj pants, a really nice Dickie's hoodie, thermals - tops and bottoms...tons of super yummy, healthy food - steel cut oats, wild rice, black rice, lentils, quinoa, spaghetti, hemp seeds, raisins, a replenishment of various granola bars (another ALWAYS needed item), chocolate chips, Werther's Originals, brown sugar (o how i missed you), Easter candy (probably from 1 of his customers ;op), zinc tablets (good for the onset of colds), toothpaste (toiletries are pretty pricey here), gallon ziplocks (like i said before...VERY useful!), packing tape (to hang things on the walls in my classroom), other tape, stapler & staples (the 1 i bought here is a waste of a product...i have to literally manually staple with my fingers), markers (YAY!), cool foam stickers (i haven't been able to find any stickers here, and i've been told from other PCVs that they love them), plastic glittery spiders (that'll probably get used next Halloween), a soccer ball (to use in the class as a game i'm gonna try), & dog toys - a rope and a tennis ball - for my puppy, Nicolae! THANKS BABZ!!! LUVUMISSU!!!!!!!!!

Thank you ALL for your love and support! Only (almost) 21 more months!!! :oD

Care Packages

Last week I received two care packages, and it made my day! See how happy I am? That's because getting mail from home is wonderful!

So far I have had three packages mailed to me, and everything has arrived safely. I know Coalee has received several packages sent to her also. We have both received letters too (including from each other). So it seems like the mail systems in both Malawi and Moldova are pretty reliable after all, which is great.

If you want to send us a care package, please do! It is so nice to get something from home when we are so far away. If you need ideas, here are a few suggestions:

Coalee in Moldova

Granola bars (Lara bars & kashi bars)

Markers

Polaroid camera & film

Mini portable speaker for iPhone

An adult wooden rocking chair kit that I can build myself

Sticky tack, to hang pictures on the wall

Stacy in Malawi

Photos of you!

Duct tape, in cool colors/designs

Clif Bars, Lara Bars

Trail mix

Dried fruit

Sugar-free gum

0.7 mm pencil lead

Sticky tack, to hang pictures on the wall

Chocolate that doesn't melt, like plain M&Ms or Nutella or cocoa powder

Anything you feel like sending!