My Story
I remember the day I decided on my career path. I was 5 years old and I told my brother and cousin that I would be a teacher because doctors had to touch blood. I also loved babies. At 12 I declared that I would be a teacher that made a difference. I wanted to help improve my community and help other students like myself see that they could...
The Road to Mthandire
One of my favorite things to do is to walk down the busy road of Mthandire. It is always bursting with life, color and people. There is always blaring music, many shops selling odds and ends and tastey snacks to buy at a cheap price. You can buy pretty much anything as you walk down the road from brooms to masamba (vegetables) to a chitenge (clothe). It kind of reminds me of down town Manhattan, with out all of the tall buildings. There is a lot of traffic though only this traffic is more complex. I am constantly looking out for trucks, cars, bikes, wheel barrels, the Gule Wam Kulu (hope I spelled that right.) and people in general.
The trucks that pass through this road, which could probably fit one car a time comforatably, are HUGE. I’m talking about tractor-trailer sized trucks. The people usually just find a way around them or just wait for them to pass. They can’t go to fast because the roads are bumpy and when it rains, mud puddles form at its busiest juncture.
As I walk on, I listen for cars. They pass one sometimes two at a time. Ok this part is not like New York, but its busy none the less. Just after moving out of the way of one car. Here comes another. Also take into consideration that while all of this is happening, there are about 2000 people walking here and there. (Now that definitely reminds me of New York! Aaaah the comforts of home!)
The Gule wam Khulu is a Chewa tradition in this are of Malawi. They seem to have a strong presence in Mthandire. Just about every time I go there I pass them. The rule is if you see them passing you must get out of their way because if they touch you will be initiated. (That is the short cut version, I will go into more detail on another post). As a result, you know when they are around because there is usually a mob of children running away from them. When they reach a safe place, they yell things like, “Abwana, come get me!” …kids! The Gule also beg for money so when they are passing, I stand behind a wall, wait for them to pass, and then go the other way. They don’t bother me.
The bikes, people and other random things that pass as I walk down the road are what give this area character! I love hearing the common getting as people calling to each other and have long conversations as if they had not seen each other the day before. I love watching people pass by with creative ways to carry their cargo, usually by head, bike or wheel barrel. I love that each day is a chance to make a new friend! Malawians are the easiest friends to make! Everyone here is so kind and welcoming! So if you pass me on the road to Mthandire, you might catch me smiling to myself right before I greet you and you will know why. 
What Time Is It?
Here in Malawi, Eastern, Southern Africa, time seems to fly! At least for me it does! Seems like I just arrived in country just a few weeks ago. It’s more like 17 (almost 4 months). It also seems like Friday and Saturday come twice a week because when the week starts I look up and its Friday again! Well, that just means I must make the most of the time I have here in Africa. I got my IST (In Service Training) dates. This event is the training we volunteers get about three months into our service. It starts in December, but it will be here before you know it. I am excited to find out how things are going for the other members in my group. Hope everyone is having a positive experience! Well time is flying must get my day started! Until next time, Mayende Bwino ndi Salani Bwino! (Go well and stay well)!
Read MoreResource Class in Malawi!
During one of my initial visits to the schools in my zone, I stumbled upon a resource class at Njewa Primary School. This is a class that services children with physical and learning disabilities. This is a small class that allows for teaching of all the subjects at their pace. 
Their classroom is bright with many posters that help to remind them of what they have been taught. The teacher is extremely patient and is careful to repeat what the students need to know in many different ways. I was very impressed. The students enjoy being there. (They told me so themselves) I also enjoyed seeing this!
Teaching in Malawi
So, I am back in the classroom and it feels great. My main job in the Peace Corps is to be a teacher development facilitator, but I also teach English in the Primary classroom in Muzu. I am really enjoying it. There are a few challenges though.
First, class size. The average class sizes in some primary schools in Malawi can reach about 200 sometimes even 300 students in one class. As a result, the Ministry of education has made a policy that the teachers split their classes so that there are no more than 60 learners in a class. It is difficult for students to get one on one attention when the class size is so high.
During my time teaching I have decided to focus on using different ways of expressing language. Here are a few pics from the classroom:
Wedding Weekend!
So this was finally it! Yesterday was the wedding of Madolitso and Bertha. It was a very nice wedding thought I notice some peculiar differences. First, last week at the bridal shower, everyone was dressed to the hilt, but this week at the actual wedding, aside from the bridal party and the family of the bride, no one was dressed up. I thought it was strange. However, at the reception, every one was dressed up. Also, during the ceremony there were two chairs placed in the front of the room because the bride, groom and the wedding party were able to sit at the beginning of the ceremony. This was because before the marriage was officiated, there was a preached word. I wish I could tell you what it was about, but the whole ceremony was in Chichewa. I thought it was interesting when the two had said their vows and signed a contract, the preacher folded it up and put it in his pocket. That was cute.
After the wedding, I was somehow transported to the house where the bridal party was residing. While the couple was counseled by elders, we ate and drank fanatas. We freshened up and then went to a school where the reception would be held. There were many opportunities to give to the bride and groom! Again, I missed most of what was going on because the whole thing was in Chichewa, but I promise you, I will get a hold of this Chichewa thing!! It was beautiful!
Read MoreTerrible Blogger
Okay, so it turns out I am a terrible blogger. I am not writing as consistently as I hoped, but I hope you are enjoying the info thus far. Last week, I began teaching as Muzu Primary school. I started later than the other teachers because my job requires me to travel a lot. I really enjoy it! Already I have found that some lessons are easier to teach than others. I have also found that it is not always easy to get my point across using pictures. Today, instead of just using a bunch of paper, I used the blackboard and the language. My goal is to get them to remember. As a result, I include a lot of repetition in my teaching. I also want to get them speaking. Time will tell. I just wish I had more time to write here.
Read MoreCatching You Up Contn’d (The Flight)
Since I’ve been in country, I have only been able to sit in front of a computer long enough to check my email and facebook, aside from last week in which I was able to download pics. (If you missed that look me up on FB.) That being said, it is high time I caught you up on what has been happening in my world.
The last thing I told you was that I was at staging. The train ride was beautiful, the hotel was beautiful, the bus ride at 3 in the morning was beautiful aside from the fact that I was groggy from my 4 hour rest. I had no intention of sleeping, but when my body wants sleep, it will shut down like a laptop computer out of power.
That night my roommate Rebecca and I wanted our last meal in America to be good so we went to this lovely Indian restaurant. My friend Shivang gave us some recommendations, Rebecca had some of her favorites and we ate until our hearts content and began our journey onward.
During our staging class I volunteered for the job as bus leader so I had to be up by 3:30 and make sure everyone’s stuff made it on and off the bus. I introduced myself to the bus driver and once everyone was down stairs, told them to load their things on the bus.
Once we had everything ready, we headed to the city to the JFK airport. The funniest part about this was I was just there three days prior. JFK is about a 15 min car ride from my house. When we passed the city, my city, NYC, I was so proud to point out all of the buildings I grew up seeing. It was about 5 am so we could still see the lights from the city.
When we got to the airport, it was hurry up to wait. I miss understood which airline we were going to (It was one of those powered by someone else flights). We went to one gate and started unloading bags from the, but later realized that it was the wrong airline. I had to reload the bags on the bus, but at least I had a lot of help! Our flight wasn’t to leave until 11 am. We arrived at 6 before the ticket counter opened. So some went to breakfast, others hung out by the ticket counter, and the rest of us were busy using the airport scales to make sure we were within the baggage limit. Everyone was so supportive. Those who were underweight shared with those who were over. By the time the counter opened we were pretty much set but some people were told that their carry-on luggage was too heavy…huh? Never heard that before. So we had to juggle some weight and finally made our way to the gate.
For me, it was an emotional take off. Leaving everyone and everything you know is like being reborn. There is some crying involved in the beginning as you break away from the know to the unknown, but you eventually begin to discover your new surroundings. I remember calling my mom on the phone to let her know this was it and I could not hold back the tears and neither could she.
As I hung up the phone, I noticed some other moist eyes and I didn’t feel alone. This was going to be a journey into the unknown. We had no idea what we would encounter in Malawi. It is so interesting how one can feel so many different emotions at once.
The flight was long but filled with entertainment. I watched a few movies and sitcoms. I also took a few laps around the plane to stretch my legs. Half way through the flight, they told us to close all the windows, then they turned off all the light and made asked us to try to sleep. This was help us adjust with the time zone. I tried… And then again… Nothing. I was getting emotional again, so I turned on another movie.
Next thing you know,we were in South Africa! Not even sure what it looks like outside, but the airport was awesome! There were statues of Mandela everywhere! Animal skins, drums, all so beautiful! It was vibrant and lively. I went into a gift shop to buy some post cards and was amazed. I’m sure the lady at the counter was thinking, “Aaaah, fresh meat!” Not even sure how much I paid for the post cards or the watch I bought. We all changed into buisness clothes at the airport.
The second plane was much smaller than the first. This was it! The flight to Malawi! I sat next to a woman who had beautiful hair. She got it done in Lilongwe. She had extensions, but the hair was wrapped instead of braided. Made me even more excited. I knew that I would be able to get my hair done when I needed to. During the flight we watched this animal planet type-show about Mere Cats about 3 times or 4.
So finally, we get to the airport in Malawi. We step off the plane and there was a lot of cheering for us. There was a PC flag and sign. They were so happy to see us and it was really a great welcome. Then we met Vic the country director and Jason the APCD. From the start, I felt special and cared for. They took our passports and took care of customs whoop-whoop! One less line to stand on!
Getting our bags was like being in the middle of a crowd when free things are being given away. Crazy! The carousel was about the size of 2 large pool tables and there was only one. You really had to shove your way to the front. Which I did several times. Not one bag was lost, so we made our way to the cars and met some cool volunteers, took pictures, and off we went to Dedza College which was about an hour or so car ride. A few volunteers came with us, one being Alexis who was a TDF like myself. I just remember asking questions nodding off, to wake up and ask more questions as I gazed at the beautiful countryside.
Next thing you know, we were in Dedza and were greeted by our trainers with singing and dancing. We were so tired. We played a game to get to know each other. I went for a walk with Maggie, met some kids and then ate dinner. As I adjusted to what would be my home for the next 3 Months. What a day that was! Read More
