Not in too much of a great mood right now, but I feel I must blog
since I have the opportunity. Two days ago my dog, Zigamba, was hit
and killed by a car. I have not been in the village very long, but
from the very first time I stepped into my village he was the best
part of my site and was always following me around wherever I went. He
was my constant companion. And for those of you that know me, I love
dogs very much, so it’s been pretty rough. It’s hard enough having
something like this happen, but to have it occur in another country
where I am still learning the language and the culture, it’s been
difficult. Enough said about that.
On April 28th myself and 20 other trainees officially became Peace
Corps volunteers. We swore in at the US Ambassador to Malawi’s house
in the capital city of Lilongwe. It was a really special day as we
celebrated the culmination of our two months of training and preparing
for our service. Although all the volunteers were happy to finally be
done training, we were definitely sad to leave each other and head out
to our sites without each other.
My site is in the central region of Malawi in the district of Mchinji
and it is in the village of Kakunga, close to Zambia. My house is
situated within a family compound and it is a brick house with a tin
roof. I have three rooms and a nice backyard and although it needs
some repair and cleaning, I have been having a lot of fun making the
place feel like home. This is the first time in my life I have ever
lived by myself, and although it is a strange and new feeling I am
enjoying it.
My day-to-day life these past couple weeks have consisted mostly of
cleaning, decorating, cooking, meeting people, gardening, reading, and
still trying to learn the language. Basically, I am just taking care
of myself, my house, and trying to integrate as well as possible into
my community.
There has been some challenging times, such as what happened two days
ago, but I am being constantly reminded of how blessed I am to be
here. I’ve also been able to meet some great people who have made me
feel very welcome here. I knew before coming to Malawi that I would
have good days and some not so good days, and thankfully the Lord is
giving me the strength I need to get through both. That’s all I could
ask for.
“Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the
One who makes me who I am” (Philippians 4:13, The Message)
ALSO… I have a new address, so here it is:
Kathryn Kutzner
PO Box 50
Kapiri, Mchinji
Malawi
