In case you've been taking things for granted

The other day I had a nice chat with a fellow PCV on how we both sometimes fantasize about taking a Malawian to America. It's fun to think about, because it'd be like one of those movies where a time traveler suddenly finds himself in the 21st century. Malawians know America is different (and idealize it as a heaven on Earth), but most of them don't even see American movies and can't imagine just how different it is. We talked about the various places we would want to take them--a mall, a movie theater, a high school, a library, a highway interchange,  a gym, a museum,  etc. And then we got very excited and animated over a conversation where we were basically just listing a bunch of stuff Americans have at home that Malawians don't. It went something like this:

Okay, imagine taking a village Malawian into a typical upper-middle class American home. Like I'm picturing my parents' house.

Oh man, they have NO IDEA how nice my house is.

Right off the bat you've got two stories; aesthetically pleasing decorations.

Sheetrock.

Furniture. Like actually nice furniture.

The flooring--maybe hardwood, carpet, tile.

The entertainment system. You've got a flat-screen TV.

With like 200 channels.

And surround sound!

You have light fixtures. A ceiling fan!

And books! Think how many books you have in your house.

Well my mom was and English teacher, so a lot. A lot of books. And there would be more, but she let kids take them from her classroom and donated a lot.

What about the kitchen?

Oh man, so many appliances!

Stove top, oven.

Refrigerator,  everything IN the refrigerator. You got the toaster, blender, waffle iron. Counter space.

Stacks and stacks of plates.

And nice, matching, ceramic plates!

You've got the coffee machine, the dishwasher!

Think of the bathroom!

You got the sink, the toilet, the shower!

The mirror.

And you probably have 2 or 3 bathrooms. My parents have 3 bathrooms.

And you don't even have to go outside. What about the laundry room?

The washing machine!

And the dryer.

The bedrooms! They each have a TV.

And a closet full of clothes.

Oh my God, and the shoes. I have so many shoes.

I would be so embarrassed if a Malawian knew how many clothes I have.

Okay, then the backyard--maybe a nice lawn!

One of those ride-on lawn mowers! And tools in a tool shed. There's a special machine just for trimming the grass along the sidewalk!

Crazy! And a pool! My family has a pool just for their own personal use. Like a nice, in-ground pool. When I was at Mvuu Camp, the kids on field trips to the national park came to see the pool and take pictures with it because they'd never seen one before.

What about a nice grill?

We have a swing set and a trampoline! Yo, what about the cars?

Oh, the garage!

Like multiple cars. I don't even know anyone with a car in my village.

I'm so used to not having any of that stuff, it just seems absurd!

It's ridiculous. You know there's a reason the Peace Corps will pay for a couple sessions of therapy when we get home. I think readjustment is legit hard. I'm a little worried about it.

It's going to be expensive too.

I know, my electric bill here is like $2.50 a month.

My rent is like $12 a month!

That's crazy cheap.

Seriously, I could spend more on a coffee in New York than I spend on food in a week here.

...

Living in America, you hear the criticism about materialism and consumerism, but it takes a lot of time away to really see it. It's a little bit shocking. 

A day in the life

I know, I know, I know, this blog has gone by the wayside. I've never been able to keep a journal in my life, and my Peace Corps experience has been no exception. But with the new school year starting up, I'm feeling like it's time for a fresh start, so we'll try this again.

A few people have asked me what a day in my life is like, so today, 15/9/2014, I will describe my day in way more detail than anyone ever cared to know.

I wake up at 5:18. Not sure if it's the roosters, the neighbour sweeping, or just the fact that it's getting light earlier and earlier these days, but it's time to get up anyways. I try to be quiet while sneeking out to the chim because my friend is still sleeping. She crashed at my place last night after mural painting at the health center all day yesterday. The chim is a squat-down pit latrine in my backyard, and when I go out I find my makeshift cover for it is broken. I'll have to find a replacement. When I get back to the house, I put a metal bucket of water on the hot plate for my bath and go back to bed as I wait. As I start to drift back to sleep, Travis the dog bursts through the door (the latch is broken, so he is liable to do this unless I lock the deadbolt). Like it or not, my friend has clearly been woken up now, so I get up too.

I haven't washed my hair in several days, and I will have students for the first time this year, so I add more water to my bucket and head out for my bafa (in a separate structure in my yard). When I wash my hair I bring a cup out with me to pour water over my head, but I still manage to bathe with about 5L of water.

After I'm dressed we make tea and cereal and chat until it's time for school. At 7 I peak out the window to check if the other teachers are there yet, and decide we can hang out a bit longer. By 7:15 it is time to go, so my friend heads out to the road to get a minibus home while I go to my staff meeting.

The Monday morning caucus starts with a prayer and ends much later than it should. While waiting for the teachers, one of the student religious clubs starts the assembly with some amazing singing. It is my favorite part of Monday mornings. After the morning announcements and the national anthem, it is time for class.

Almost. I have to wait for the students to clear the extra desks and chairs that are piled up in their classroom. Travis is hanging out at school, so I take him home and lock him inside while I wait.

The Form 3's are quiet. I had determined to be a more animated teacher and set up a more interactive classroom atmosphere this year,  but I am quickly reminded why I fell into the Malawian teaching style last year. I will win them over; they just need to get used to me. I try not to cover much new content as only about a quarter of the students have reported for school so far.

After class I plan for my afternoon period. Same class, but physical science instead of biology. In the staff room I am approached by the senior teacher. "Lola, we have a problem with the class allocation for form 1. Our teachers have left and we have not received new teachers yet. Can you take this English literature?"

"Literature?! Why not biology or physical science?"

"Ahh these other guys will take those, but our English teacher is so overloaded."

"Okayyyy, as long as it's only temporary."

"Yes, of course! It's temporary! "

...Right.

I'm secretly happy to take it. My Form 1 Literature class was my most tedious last year, but also my most improved.

I join the other teachers under the mango tree to read my book. I haven't been reading as much lately, since I aquired a ton of movies annd shows to watch on my computer over the holiday, but I'm trying to get back into it.

The borehole (water pump) near my house broke over the weekend and I am thrilled to see people out there working on it. When they finish, one of the other teachers tells me there is water and I am thrilled! I try to express my enthusiasm with a 'yay! Ndikusangalala!' (I am happy) but it sounds weak compared to how excited I really am. I know too many people who's boreholes were not fixable, or there was no money to fix them, and I didn't expect mine to be fixed so soon. I suppose it was a priority because it is for the school, but I felt like it was done just for me.

My second class goes better than the first...maybe they will be a good class. I think I had too high of expectations for their first period of the day on their first day back from a long holiday. Teaching is definitely not my passion, but I'm feeling good about this year. When I leave, the form 2s call me over. They don't have a teacher at the moment and want to chat. It would seem they like me a lot better when I am not making them work.

I head home and grab some lunch (an apple I got in town this weekend and more cereal), then chug some water and lay down because hot season is starting and I have a dehydration headache. After a little Facebook and Candy Crush it's time to pump up my bike tire and go to town.

First stop it the post office where my BIRTHDAY PACKAGE awaits! Thanks Mom and Dad! Then I do a little grocery shopping and head home to bask in the glory of skittles and shirts that smell like America. :)

The rest of my day will be spent watching a movie, planning tomorrow's classes, doing household chores (sweeping, getting water, ect.) and cooking dinner. I am very grateful for all the hours I spent badgering my mom in the kitchen; I actually cook pretty good food for myself most nights. Then I'll go to bed by 7:30 to escape the mosquitoes and read for an hour or so until I fall asleep.

Hopefully I didn't bore you too much (or you stopped reading), but if you did find it boring and read through it anyway, you've got a pretty accurate depiction of my life. Sometimes there's a little excitement, but for the most part life is slow and steady here.

Maybe some day soon I will write another post...or post the ones I have already typed up and decided against sharing.

Ciao!

Sick day

I was very sick today. Cough, high fever, fatigue, runny nose, and over all discomfort. At one point I was so dehydrated, it took two hours for me to get up the strength to make the herculean journey from my bed to my water filter without passing out.

In Malawian culture, it is expected that when someone is sick, friends, family, and coworkers pay visits to the infirm. This is not a very popular practice with a lot of Americans, since we feel like we have to entertain our company; the frequent knocks on the door are a burden to someone who can hardly get out of bed, is not wearing appropriate clothing, and has not bathed. However, this evening when my head teacher came over, she sat with me as I sweated out my breaking fever, and when I turned down her offer to make a fire for me so I could have a bath (since the power is out), she took off her suit jacket, donned her chitenje, and went about washing my dishes. That humble and motherly action made me appreciate how good hearted the gesture of visiting the sick is. After a terrible, feverish day, it was a good reminder of why I love Malawi.

Time for an update

Hi friends! Sorry I've been so quiet on this thing recently. I guess it's about time I tell you what I've been up to...

Soon after Thanksgiving we had our Inservice Training, where my training class shared some good stories and learned some useful stuff. Then it was the holidays, which I spent at the lakeshore with friends. Though I missed my family (and the culture of Christmas in general), I had a much better holiday than expected and made great Christmas memories (like being danced at by a bunch of naked African boys at the beach on Christmas Eve). Then January came and I got a Kindle in the mail and I turned into a hermit that showed up for classes and spent the rest of my time reading. (Seriously, I've read 15 books in 2014 already!) And now I'm finally starting work on some secondary projects, including working on a grant proposal to make a science lab for my school.

At New Years, I was thinking about how I've changed in the last year, and it's hard to say exactly how I'm different, but I definitely am. I suppose it would be accurate to say that I have not changed much as a person, but my perspectives have changed a great deal. For example, when my mom was texting me about the Grammies, I kept thinking about how much money must have changed hands for that event, how the amount of money owned by people in that room was probably almost as much as Malawi's entire economy, how ludicrously popular and ridiculously provocative our celebrities are, etc. I'm not saying it's wrong; I love American culture, but it is frivolous sometimes. On a similar note, when I see really skinny people, be it Malawian or models, I no longer have any sense on insecurity; that's been replaced by thoughts of disease and malnutrition. I still don't like being called fat (which has happened several times here, and would not happen in America), but I definitely understand why it's supposed to be a compliment. Also, I now find it perfectly normal to trust strangers with my life and argue with drunk people...

Anyways, I feel like I should be posting on here more, I just never know what to say. If people are willing to ask questions (in the comments, by email, or Facebook message), I would like to do a question and answer post here soon. Thanks! <3

Happy Thanksgiving

Well, it's the holidays. A weird time of year in a land where a semisolid mixture of corn flour and water is the idea of a good meal. In Malawi, 'tis the season of dust and sweat.

I can't say that I had a wonderful Thanksgiving with people I love, and that we managed to cook all the traditional foods (with just a few minor substitutions like chicken for turkey). I can't say that I escaped the heat this past weekend to celebrate early in a place where the weather was just as nice as it would be at home in Fresno this time of year, in a house that could easily have belonged to my grandparents. I can't say these things because that would be against Peace Corps policy (both being away from my site and saying so on the Internet), so I won't say them.

I will say, however, that this holiday season, I am most thankful for my fellow Peace Corps Volunteers. They are my support network, my friends, my family, my confidants, my therapists. They get me. As much as I am grateful for the support I get from home, that support is a little battered and weary after traveling ten thousand miles to get to me. The support I get from my PCV friends is, therefore, all the more important. We greet each other with hugs. We make each other laugh with the build up of witty jokes that go untold for the anticipation of all humor being lost in translation. We bitch and moan about our jobs and village life (which of course we also love, but sometimes you gotta vent). We validate each others emotions, remind each other why all the hardships are worth while, and leave each other feeling ready to take on the world, to do a better job, to be a better person.

I have in mind, when I talk of these people, the volunteers that came in my training class and those that live near me, all of which are my good friends. But another great thing about PCVs is that they are all willing to be your friends once introduced--no awkwardness, lots of questions asked. I went to Lilongwe a couple weeks ago (Peace Corps approved travel) and met a handful of volunteers I hadn't known before. They talked with me in the office, walked around town with me, and went to dinner with me; I came alone and nervous about the big city, and I left with new friends.

The brotherhood created by our common experience is currently my favorite thing about Malawi. I know my favorite thing should be something Malawian, but deal with it, it's not. That said, speaking with other PCVs and comparing our experiences always makes me thankful for my situation in ways I didn't know I should be. So, in the spirit of the day, here is a list of 10 things I am thankful for this Thanksgiving:

1. My fellow PCVs!
2. My friends and family at home that make the effort to stay in touch.
3. My iPhone/the Internet that allows me to stay in touch with both of the above.
4. The Tarmac. (Their word for paved roads. British?) I live just a few hundred yards away, unlike some friends who have to walk or bike 2 hours to get out of the village. I can just walk to the road, wave my hand, get in a car or minibus, and skidaddle.
5. Ulongwe market. They sell good food. Not everyone can buy green beans and carrots within walking distance. I can also buy all kinds of supplies that most volunteers could only dream of.
6. My love/knowledge of cooking, inherited from mama mia. It can take a long time to cook when you have to always wash your only two pots and spoons, make a fire, use minimal water (since you have to carry every drop you use), and navigate in candlelight; so if you don't enjoy it, it puts a major damper on your days. Plus, you have to cook good food to eat good food.
7. Electricity! Almost forgot. Due to the provider making things annoyingly complicated to set up, I've only had electricity for a total of 1 week, even though it has been installed for two. Nevertheless, electricity makes life so much easier. An hour of cooking can now be done in just 20 minutes! It's the way of the future for sure.
8. The coming rains. They have already started cooling down the weather so I'm no longer in a constant state of dehydration and misery.
9. My dog, Travis. He's a lot of work, but he's my buddy.
10. The students who try and/or ask questions. It's a small minority for sure, but they are there and they make me happy to teach.
11. (I know, it was supposed to be a list of 10, but whatever. 11.) The teachers at my school. While I don't relate to the teachers as well as I do to other ex-pats, I do spend most of my time with them. They are very supportive of me as a new teacher and they express an interest in my culture. They joke with me and engage me in philosophical debates. And not all, but most of them care about the students. They want to embrace new teaching styles. They want to provide the kids with new opportunities. They take the kids on weekend trips. They come early to school to teach an extra period so the students can get through a ridiculously large syllabus. They show up on time and teach most of their assigned periods. They are by no means the passionate, dedicated teachers I know in America, but for the caliber of school and the norms of their country, they're pretty great.

My site mates are joining me for lunch today, so not to worry, I have company who will appreciate Thanksgiving with me. And soon soon I will be on my way to In-Service Training to spend a few weeks (and Christmas) with some of my favorite people. Time will fly and soon I will be at the six month mark!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! And to my family, (I can picture you all huddled around a computer in my parents' house) I love and miss you all. I thank you for making me the person I am today and giving me the strength and the love for the world that see me through this adventure. Eat lots of pie for me! <3

Happy Veterans' Day!

It's not that I didn't appreciate veterans before, my grandpa was a veteran, and I even volunteered at the VA hospital for a while. But I always held a "well that's nice, but isn't there a better way?" pacifist mentality towards the military in general. I blame my quaker ancestors. Recently however, I was reading a book about a WWII vet (Unbroken, in case you were wondering) and I had this moment where I was like, "Holy Shit. Veterans. I need to appreciate them more. They really have sacrificed and the US and the world really has benefited." To be clear, I still don't condone war, but American veterans and their allies--them I can honor. Thanks to all the men and women out there who have served!

Musings on Moto

(Note unrelated to this post: it got dark while I was sitting outside and I was being bitten, so I decided to crawl in bed under my net to write this post...and brought like a hundred ants with me. Ugh! So annoying.)