peace out america

The bags are packed!

This will be my last post on American soil for a while (Lord willing of course). I will be heading out to staging in Philly tomorrow and we will be leaving Saturday morning for Malawi. For those interested in my itinerary the next couple of days, here it is...

Fri 2/26:
1pm - registration
2 to 7pm - meetings, paperwork, etc

Sat 2/27:
2am - leave for JFK airport
10:30am - flight departs for Johannesburg, South Africa

Sun 2/28 (Malawi time):
8:40am - arrive in Johannesburg
10am - depart for Lilongwe, Malawi
2:25pm - ARRIVE IN MALAWI!

I can't really explain how I am feeling since I am experiencing every emotion imaginable. And I really don't know what else to say other than that I am going to miss all of my friends and family so much! Thank you for the love and support you have all shown me this past year and a half as I have been through the grueling process of being an applicant, then nominee, and then FINALLY an invitee, and now a trainee and hopefully a full blown volunteer in a couple months. I know that I have talked many ears off either complaining about not knowing if I would even be going or sharing my excitement over each hurdle I had to get through. So if you happened to be one of those people, THANK YOU. I have an awesome support system around me and having that makes it so comforting to know that I am not going to be completely alone in Malawi.

I can't wait for what's ahead, even though I know it will be full of challenges and awkward cultural exchanges. And if you don't hear from me for a while or I am not able to update my blog, don't be worried. Just know that I will be very busy with training and immersing myself into the culture.

Well, I'm off to my Malawian adventure! Here we go...

a bit about the Warm Heart

Hey everybody! Well it's only 16 days until I leave for Malawi, and I thought it might be nice to post something about the country I will be calling home for the next 2 years. If you are anything like me before I got the invitation, I knew next to nothing about Malawi AKA the Warm Heart of Africa. I copied all the info from a fellow volunteer in the enviro group (thanks Mary!).


Geography
Land size of Malawi is about equal to that of Pennsylvania
Lake Malawi (aka. Lake Nyasa) is about the size of Vermont
Climate is subtropical (rainy season November-May, dry season May-November)
Terrain consists of plateaus, highlands, and valleys
Current environmental issues: deforestation, land degradation, water pollution from agricultural runoff, siltation of spawning grounds (endangers fish population)

Population
15,028,757
Life expectancy for males and females is right around 50 years old
11.9% adults living with HIV/AIDS
Nationality: Malwians
Religion: 79.9% Christian, 12.8% Muslim

Government
Multiparty Democracy
Capital is Lilongwe
Time difference is UTC+2, or 9 hours ahead of Mountain time
Declared independence on July 6, 1964

Economy
Agricultural products: tobacco, sugarcane, cotton, tea, corn, potatoes, cassava, sorghum, pulses, groundnuts, macadamia nuts, cattle, goats
Industry: tobacco, tea, sugar, sawmill products, cement, consumer goods

Transportation
32 airports, 6 with paved runways
Railways: 797km
Roadways: 15,451km
Ports: Chipoka, Monkey Bay, Nkhata Bay, Nkhotakota, Chilumba


Good stuff!

okay, i'm gonna ask you ONE more time...

...To write me! If you all send me mail in the next few days, I will most likely get them by the time I arrive in Malawi. How fun would that be? For me, A LOT of fun. SO DO IT!