hello from the warm heart!

Hey everyone!

I am so excited to share my first blog post from Malawi! I have been here for almost a month and a half and a lot has happened since then. My environment group has been going through a ton of training and in less than two weeks we will be swearing in as official Peace Corps volunteers!

For the last five weeks I was living with a host family in a small village south of Lilongwe. I had a great experience with them and despite the fact that they spoke little English and I even less Chichewa. But, I have learned to appreciate the awkward silent moments! Other than that, my group has been kept very busy with language, technical, cultural, safety, etc. training. I am learning a lot of Chichewa and I am really, really enjoying the technical training such as agriculture/permagardening, bee-keeping, composting, mud stoves, income-generating activities, etc.

And just a few days ago I found out where I will be living for the next two years of my stay in Malawi. My site is in central Malawi in the Mchinji District in a village called Kapiri. I am replacing a volunteer and I am very excited about meeting the people and the potential projects that I may be a part of. Today I will be shadowing a fellow environment PCV who lives in my district, and after a few days I will be going to my site for about three days. Then, I will go for a week of intense language training, followed by swearing in and then moving to my site. Scary, exciting, crazy!

Well that's it for now, but I do want to say thanks again for the continued prayer and support. I appreciate it greatly and ask that you would continue to keep me in your prayers. And if you think about it, send me a letter!

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!

staging

FINALLY got the email that tells me where the staging is for our PC Malawi group. It's in.......Philly. Not very exciting since it's basically in my backyard, but hey it's one less flight that I will have to take. February 26th is the official date to leave and I will be in Malawi on the 28th. So, at roughly 12:25pm on Feb 28 I will be in Malawi. Craziness.

My time spent lately has consisted of planning, worrying, doubting, praying, trusting, then back to planning as the cycle starts all over again. Thankfully, I can be rest assured that God has the patience to put up with me.

Overall, I am so completely excited about this next phase in my life. I've been reminded lately of how thankful I should be for this opportunity. The Lord gave me something that I have wanted for what seems like a very, very long time. I am blessed!

aussieland part 1 highlights

So I have about a week and a half left in Australia and I wanted to give a few of the highlights of what Jess and I have done so far...

Took a dingo for a walk
Saved a duck from impending death by a dog
Saw the Sydney Opera House while hiking all around the city in one day
Went to the Hillsong Church for a Christmas Spectacular that wasn't quite so spectacular
Made friends with Jenny the wallaby
Hugged a koala

Yes, I know that most of my highlights have to do with some kind of Australian animal. Oh well. It's been fun. Let's hope the next half is just as great.

Miss you all, hope you are having fun in all the snow!

PS- on a Peace Corps/Malawi note, as Jess and I made the 10 hr trek to Sydney, I got a great feeling of what Malawi is going to be like as I was looking at the scenery out of the car window. And I'm pumped!

off to Australia

I am leaving in 12 hours for Australia! As compared to what I know I will be like in 2 months, I am relatively stress-free. Mostly I am just excited to spend 3 weeks with my friend Jess!

On a side note... I've been doing a lot of research on Malawi, talking to some people who know about the country as well, and trying to read up on what life will be like for me over there. And overall, I have been very encouraged. As per my last post, I have been a bit nervous and stressed, but I have been repeatedly assured that I am following the Lord's will for my life. And how can I be worried when I know God's in control? Some days we all just need a little perspective...

Happy Holidays from down under!

"She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." (Matthew 1:21)