Wednesday, August 25, 2010

As to my side; I finally finished that goat husbandry training that I feel has been pending for months. It went more smoothly than I ever could have dreamed and the content was rather impressive. Once it was in full swing really I was just on food duty, which can be crazy for 30 people when you only have a bike, which means lots of bread and spreads. Sometimes trainers were late and trainees didn’t show, but at the end of I was left with and students that hopefully learned enough to not kill these 500$ a pop goats from south Africa; not to mention a bloody bowl of testicles from the castration practical. I was a bit skirmish the how time and my site mate who came to take pictures couldn’t hold still for the phantom crotch pain. But my women jumped right in to participate. I was so proud of them.
I go to Lilongwe more often these days to enjoying an array of creature comforts and spend time with the boy and recently (I don’t know how my boss worked it) we got to have a luncheon with the president of Malawi! We went to the state house complete with Zebras grazing in the front yard, lunch, speeches, open bar and dancing. It was super chill and I was surprise at how much fun we all had. It was a good PR thing and they even put it on the local TV station. My first time ever to shake the hand of a political leader and his wife, it was awesome! But man did I get some nasty blister because after only wearing tevas for some 17 months having to polish up and wear heels was a bit too much for my feet.
I have now sat on this email long enough I have other things to add to it. Now the goats have actually arrived in the village. We are still waiting on the big males, which is unfortunately the main point but the other 40 local females for breeding are there…well actually only 25 of the 40. So here is the story. When we meet the suppliers in the boma the goats they had in their truck were not only less then 7 months old and sick but they were fainting because they hadn’t been feed of watered for 2 days and later some would actually die. This was a breech of contract so we got the price lowered but for what we were paying they were still way too expensive. We were paying 2 different prices as the goats were coming from 2 different places and we did this in order to mix up the genetics. Come to find out later that the further away company called the closer company and they all came for the same place but the prices remained the same. I was furious and thinking of the horrible things I should say in Chichewa to their faces. I laugh now as the worst things I could think to insult them with is that I hoped they got aids and die. This country will never go anywhere if citizens and government employees continue to try and take financial advantage of those local people who have initiative enough to try something new or people who are trying to help or at least not until there are legal consequences for such to action act as deterrents. For example, Peace Corp had an accountant who for years and years embezzled money. By the time they caught it in the records he had taken thousands of US dollars. But even with lots of paper trails and evidence because the court system doesn’t work here and probably someone got paid off it has been two years and no sentence/verdict has been passed. It was just frustrating in that we tried so hard to do our homework so that we would get a good product. Talking to vets and extension agents in order to do the right thing but we still failed. We are still trying to coordinate for the male goats, which is the whole point. We are thinking this week but once again I’ll get back to you if it actually happens.
Got an oil press to a women’s group but they are dragging their feet to find someone to make the stand of it so I may just borrow my sitemate’s tools and go try to make it myself, though the board I got for making it I think is going to be too thick and heavy so I might have to buy another one. Recently went to a wedding…When I finally arrive back in the states I’m going to miss being the guest of honor, given all the best food and seats, everywhere I go. I didn’t the story all that clear but my neighbor was saying something about two guys stealing all the money that was earned for the new couple and then something about the police finding the guys and an ax.
In other news my neighbor’s twins are babbling up a storm and they know mama and the name of the dog, Charlie. They are little crawling monsters that can stand and dance if you give them a beat but not walk. The Academe has been on their winter break so there are no students around and I have found pleasure in going and watching music videos until late in the afternoon at the club there. It’s still a little cold here to be using the pool. While waiting for my rare door to door ride to Lilongwe the other day (To get to Lilongwe it is usually a 2k walk to the road, a 30K ride in the back of a pickup to kasungu, a 2k ride on the back of a bike to the main highway where I stand under a flattop African tree where I do my hitch hiking to get to town. Then people who take me to Lilongwe usually can’t drop me exactly where I want to go so I often have to catch a 15 min minibus ride too. You can imagine how nice a direct delivery is.) I played a Malawian game called fly, which is a kind of dodge ball with the neighbors. I had played it many times before but it had been awhile and the interaction was refreshing but I was so dusty by the end I had to go take a bath I couldn’t go into town looking like that.
It is crazy to think that I only have 8 months left to be here and have to start little by little thinking about what will be next only when I have begun feel that I have gotten settled here. It’s rather tiring yet exciting that once you get a job lined up and your life in order you have to turn around and change it again. I’m considering anything from staying here in Malawi, doing initial 1st world reentry on an organic farm in Squim Washington, moving to Vermont and getting a low stress job going food service or going back to school. I don’t have to starting making serious decisions about this kind of stuff until December.
As it is i'm going up to the northern part of the country to Karonga where a girl in my group is holding a week long women's development camp. Showing these high school girls their career opportunities, other women who hold leadership positions in the community, their rights as a human being, reproductive and sexual health, leadership skills, self respect and in general just create a space for discussion. I'm going to get help teach and control the chaos as needed. Well that 's all i can think of for now so i'm going to head out and get lunch at my usual greasy spoon place in the old town market called the silver spoon where i get a coke, a huge plate of beans, rice with greens and a type of tomato sauce to pour over the rice for just $1.50 of 210 Kwacha.

Monday, April 12, 2010

April 11th

I got my new kids today!!!! They arrived in malawi about 2 months ago and I had the opportunity to go down to dedza to help out with their training for a week. It was priceless to gain that point of reference by which to see how far I’ve come in my understanding in being here for a year. I'm excited to see that the 2 new puppies (the new kids) i got to take home are two awesome boys! One from Connecticut who will be replacing my sitemate audra and the other from Georgia who will be at a new site near the Nhotakhota game reserve. We are going to have good times!!! I am so excited in fact that they arrived today that I am typing this at 3:00am because I can’t sleep. And in conjunction with life’s cyclical nature in receiving two new good friends I have also lost two good friends. Audra and then a good friend i have made and always stay with while in Lilongwe. Her name is Kamla and she grew up in Manhattan right next to freakin’ central park. I went and saw her off at the airport. They were incredibly generous and genuine. (The people who are moved into the house after Kamala left are also awesome; a Norwegian, an Irish and a Canadian.) I hope I never cease meeting people who inspire me to awe and wonder.

My Easter weekend though it wasn’t filled with chicken dumpling soup or peeps being blown up in the microwave was filled with YOGA!!!! I have an education sector friend who hosted a yoga party. Six of us headed to her place and aside from eating cinnamon rolls and chicken fajitas, we would lead each other in yoga sessions. I just finished a two day training of the “Hope Kit” which is an interactive, visually aided resource given to us by the peace corps to facilitate teaching people about HIV/AIDS. This group was a newly formed and motivated Community Based Organization (CBO) out of Ntumtama. I was no doubt wringing my hands at the edge of my comfort zone for those first few minutes, but looking back I had nothing to worry about as they loved it. We had a ton of fun and I finished out by giving them the kit to use with other villages and having feeling I had actually accomplished something. I’m sitting high this week.

Next it’s back to msulira to teach soap making and get the women of Zombe to commit to an oil press. Then in the end of April going to visit some of the places my coworkers live, then to mid service training (i can't believe a year has passed already!!), Finally, my mom and Wesley come for 3 weeks in MAY!!!!! I’m also excited that afterwards my brother (who I haven’t seen in 3 years because he went on a mission for two and then I was here) is going to see my dad and sisters and after that my dad’s family in South Carolina. Mind you last time they saw him he couldn’t even walk yet, so some 20 years! My mind can't think past May. I’ve only printed calendars off to the end. My life has not been thought about much past may.

As far as before may....the rainy season has come and gone. My garden is and mostly was weeds and grass. Any seeds that were too small were washed away though I tried reseeding many times and alot of stuff drowned, but the string beans, radishes and zucchini did great which is funny because those are the crops that people always plant but no one likes to eat. Everything else failed though I have yet to try to dig up the sweet potatoes or cassava so there my yet be hope. The raised beds I built by my house are doing good. I've got booming ginger, lemon grass, oregano, birds’ eye hot peppers and an assortment of flowers.

Work as always is happening little by little and because of that I’ve shifted my focus. I've stopped taking myself so seriously in matters of ‘work’ for three primary reasons. First I’m doing development work and not environmental conservation. Though I understand the importance and connection between the two I still find myself incline to participate in the later half, which is reaffirming as i continue down my path of discovering my future course. Secondly, as a extension worker stationed in the field, I find myself, instead of implementing projects spending most of my time writing grants to get money to do projects, which (insert sarcasm here) I’m finding difficult as I’m 5 hrs from the office. Lastly, many of the people with whom I work despite their being the most warm, generous and kind people I’ve ever met, I pray forbid you ever have to work with them. First it’s like putting a rocket scientist in a trailer park. I’m have trouble trusting them to be fair with each other (will the person housing the oil press/nut sheller actually allow the other people in the group to access it?) to honest with money (skills of balancing a cashbook, tallying receipts or budgeting have never been taught and some always gets skimmed off the top), or being responsible for tasks (6 reminders and 3 weeks later something might be done). So what the hell am i supposed to do? I'll tell you what I'm doing!

I'm cherishing the relationships I'm making (which have become very dear to me) instead of stressing. My little neighbor boy is my buddy. He give me hugs. He runs up saying “auntie huggy” and comes to check on me every day. I have another other neighbor whose daughters always humor me with a dance parties whenever I want them and they always send me home with delicious food. Then are there is the chief’s youngest daughter and grand daughter who are like sisters to me, Moreen who is so proud of her little boy and can ask any question of and the group village head man who damn near shakes my arm off my shoulder every time i see him. Chisomo’s twins are now sitting on their own, are a lot more gutturally verbal, interactive and are beginning to do the worm. Tandy who just had a little baby and let me name him bring my total to 4. I’ve given up on R’s and L’s so this one is christened Jacob. I held him when she wouldn’t let anyone else; the list goes on. The things I'm learning and the time I’m having away from the noise of the usual is such that when i go back it will be impossible for me to return home and go back to doing what it is have always done, which was the point in the first place.

Know that at this moment of focusing on nothing but thoughts of you, who I left at home, that my deepest most sincere heartfelt wish is that you are happy and healthy. I no longer have tabs on your coming and going other than through the technological miracle of facebook. My minds eye has kept you all to be exactly as you were when I last I saw you; this casting being as true for you as it is for me. In any case know that i send you nothing but thoughts of strength and peace in the endeavors you are sharing and engaging yourself in these days.


Melissa

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Christmas Vacation Installment #2

It was a rare moment that I didn’t feel I was walking through a national geographic spread. The path was just a foot one that connected village after village along the slope of mountain after mountain that cascaded into in the water. I wondered at how for the people who lived here their only flat space was the waters surface. We asked daily how far to Rawarwe, which the local’s call charlie’s after it’s owner, and everyday it was anywhere from hours to days away. Women dried khonole on rocks, the men mended nets, the little girls fished with long poles from the shore and the boys took the boats out like teenagers do their parents cars back home. We saw monkeys, snakes, chameleons, an array of colorful birds and fish. We would hike ‘til we were exhausted and then hiked a little farther ‘til we found a good bit of sand. After asking permission to stay we’d wash up, cook dinner and watch the night. From time to time people you’d find someone selling a coke.

Did I mention it was beautiful? After 5 days of walking we were skeptical that this rawarwe as going to be any better than what we had been experiencing the last couple of days but it was and by the time we got there we were ready for the sit and enjoy spot that it was. Drinks, swimming, snorkeling, natural waterslide, high scream extracting rock jumping, good company and my tent was on a little cliff that overlooked the bay. After a few days of the main event being the family style dinners where we’d pass about big bowls of food we hiked to a village were the only public passanger boat on lake Malawi, the Ilala, stops. The hike out was a bit more of an exercise in patience as children would grab at your bag and hands wanting to hold them and the cries of ‘Adzungu’ reached volumes and reputations of 15 and 20. We finally got a old lodge that had obviously seen it’s glory days years before. Cushions were fading, termites where eating books away, hammocks were deteriorating, the resident dog was so old it looked like a rat and there was just one caretaker seeing to the grounds. Surreal, perhaps even eerie, but we had run of the place and were soon endeared with it.

The Ilala was actually a really pleasant ride though riding the life boats from the shore to get to the steamer was a bit intense as there was overloaded and loaded poorly.

The itinerary for the return home:

10:00am: Board Illala
2:00pm: Arrive in Nkhata Bay and hunt for food
3:00pm: Catch a matola to Mzuzu
5:00pm: Arrive in Mzuzu and walk to the Mzuzuzoo to stay the night

Next day
8:00am-11:00am run errands with Lyn
11:00am: Catch the AXA bus to Jenda
3:00pm: Arrive in Jenda and walk to Lyn a fellow PCV’s house
3:30pm: Take a load off

Next day
8:00am: Walk to main road
9:00am: Catch a hitch to Kasungu
11:00am: Arrive in Kasungu
11:00am-2:00pm: Run errands
3:00pm: Leave minibus depot
3:30pm: Arrive at Msulira
4:30pm: Arrive at home sweet home!

Did i mention that since it started raining bacteria has been able to grow a bit better and have to laugh as most any cut I get now becomes crazy infected and I walk around with these huge sores like some charity case. But don't worry they are getting better...slowly.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

I realize it is a little late to be relating to you the details of my Christmas travels but I figured it was a good enough story you wouldn’t mind waiting for it. So here is my Christmas Eve itinerary as I traveled from Msulira to the place of Peace Corps convergence about 200km away at another volunteers house on the lake shore.

7:00: Start sitting on the side of the M18 waiting for something with wheels to pass.
8:00: Found the wheels
8:10: Arrive in Malomo to find more wheels.
9:00: Wheels that were found finally start rolling toward Nkhotakhota.
11:30: Wheels arrive at Nkhotakhota.
12:00: Big, Fast Bus comes then passes as it is too full to take more passangers.
1:20: Big, Fast Bus #2 comes and goes as the first.
2:00: Gave up on Big, Fast Bus and took as twice before crowded pickup truck beds.
3:30: Arrive in Dawangwa.
4:00: Another matola
5:00: Matola driver pawns me off on to a semi-truck not much slower than the matola.
6:30: Arrive in Tukombo just after nightfall.
6:45: Walked to Melanie’s House.
6:46: Drink in hand!!!

Christmas morning woke up early to take a swim in Lake Malawi in the light rain which turned to pouring. Beautiful! Walking back to the house I was stricken with mango greed. I’d pick up one only to drop two I was already carrying. Shirt, skirt, chitenge and my friend’s hands all were over flowing and I ate every single one. Melanie the night before had stayed up and painted some black socks her mom had sent her with our names and Christmas symbols and stuffed them with goodies also sent by her mom crystal light, chips, gum, chocolate, Malawian candy, granola bars, complete with a mango in the toe. John brought a santa hat so we all sat on his lap as he gave us our stockings.

The Rest of the day was spent connecting with family from home and cooking delicious food like mac and cheese, boxed stuffing, mashed potatoes, salad, chip dip, cheese, crackers, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole; most of which was curtsey of home. Though the neighbors brought a huge cut of beef and we slaughtered two chickens I don’t think I will soon forget pat’s face as he was frantically sawing at the chicken hanging from the tree who refused to let it’s neck be separated from it’s body. Not to shabby of a way to spend my first Christmas away from family.

The next once again drizzly morning the 8 of us packed up (our parade would turn many heads before it dissipated at the end) and walked out to the bus stop but because we were so many before we even got there a minibus going the other way stopped kicked everybody off, turned around and took us to Mzuzu. Took a while, but around 1:00 we got there had lunch and soft serve ice cream…..oh ice cream. After arguing trying to get a fair price with conductors for about at hour we found a bus at the depot that took us in the pissing down rain down hairpin turns in late afternoon into nightfall. I would be lying if I said it wasn’t scary. To give you an even better of what a motley crew we really were. On the way down the escarpment we began playing that “Do you know where to get off?” “No, I thought you knew!” “Who would know?” “Emily?” “You got her #?” “No.” “Hey lyn you got emily’s #?” And thus we arrived at Chiweta at night in an African monsoon. We took refuge in the local police station of this little unfamiliar village. Upon asking if there was an empty structure we could seek refugee in for the night. The policeman, who by chance was on duty, took our token Chitimbuka speakers to a local priest who opened the doors of his church to us.

The little priest, who was very concerned for our well-fair, led us up the escarpment a little ways to a, by Malawian standards, fairly affluent church that was still contained remnants of the days Christmas mass included three different colors of toilet paper stung from the ceiling and flowers. We kindly turned down offers of food though agreed to some buckets of water and spent the evening watched from our amazing vantage pointed the lightning storm that was pounding the lake.

The next day we made tea and brushed the pegs to an audience (once again the first of many times this would occur) and took off along the dirt path that would lead us south along the lake shore and with hopes to the magical place all PCV must see before going home, Rawarwe.

To be continued......