The opinions/views presented in this blog are of the individual and do not reflect those of St Paul's College, University of Waterloo, or the Farmer's Union of Malawi.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Until We Meet Again

Alright, so by now everyone who has read my blog and hoped to keep track of me via my blog has figured out that I am not a blogger. Upon reflection I wish I was, it would have helped to keep track of everything that has been happening in my life - but alas, life goes on.

So, not a lot has been happening in relation to my work. As a result of delays in funding and poor scheduling the last couple months much has been left to be desired. However, back in January and February I was able to assist with the implementation of model herbal gardens for vulnerable people. Communities have been taught the use of many plants, how to plant and care for them and in the coming months will be taught how to process them. This may not seem like much but it provides benefits on two levels for Malawians. Firstly, it becomes cheap, accessible medicine for an array of ailments. Secondly, it is an income-generating activity, if the right channels can be developed. People in Europe are willing to pay outrages amounts of money for herbal medicines - it is the current trend, and Malawi should be taking advantage of this. My role in FUM has been warped from gender specialist to gender and HIV/AIDS specialist. This came as a surprise to me, since I have had less interaction with HIV/AIDS-related work then I have with gender. However, over the months I have begun to feel comfortable with both topics and feel confident in the work I do do as of now.


I feel the more exciting aspects of my adventure have actually been happening outside of work (particularly the last couple months). I live with a fantastic couple (unfortunately from the US ha ha) who work in Dzaleka Refugee Camp here in Malawi. I have had the opportunity to really get to know their projects and some of the refugees they work alongside. To be perfectly honest, my work in FUM had made me lost track of why I even started studying International Development. Dzaleka made me remember. Everyone in the refugee camp comes from a completely different background, with a unique story that, if you take the time, they would be willing to share with you.

Recently I even had the opportunity to attend a celebration within the refugee camp. It was the 10 year anniversary of a church. Which, if you know me at all, doesn't sound like something I would ever attend. Now, I'm not about to tell you I had a life altering experience and I am now a women of God - cause I'm not. But, I have developed a deep appreciation for what religion can mean to people. Religion brings people together and provides them with the hope they need to keep moving forward.

Dzaleka is an interesting place all around. Recently, the amount of food aid available to them has been cut in half, from 14kg to 7kg, which is not enough to survive on for a month. By some stroke of luck they received more food and a second distribution was set up, for another 7kg. But the the horror of the refugees they were only receiving 5kg and the distributing organization (that shall remain nameless)  was keeping 2kg/person for themselves. Of course, this resulted in riots and numerous refugees ending up jailed. This is just one story of many, and it isn't a one time thing or unique to this particular refugee camp.

I could honestly talk about the refugee camp and some of the individuals I have met for days and days. So, if you ever wanna talk or just ask questions you'll know where to find me in 3 weeks (WATERLOO!!!), or just shoot me an email.

As most people know I had two friends come to visit me in March, Dana and Sarah, who are currently completely a placement in Botswana. It was nice to have some familiar faces around me. It was also nice to view Malawi through the eyes of someone else, someone who isn't accustomed to the daily issues or general woes of the country. It was refreshing to see Malawi as the beautiful country that it is once again. I lost track of that and let myself get wrapped up in the daily grind of life in Malawi.

This post is already getting lengthy, and I apologize for that. I have also not covered a lot of things in this post about my life here in Malawi. I am looking forward to being home and sharing all of my stories and pictures with everyone. Only 18 more days until I am on a plane and headed home. As it gets nearer I am starting to think that I will really miss Malawi and that one day I would really like to come back, whether it be for work or for pleasure.

Oh! Just a tidbit of information, we are now experiencing a sugar shortage also. Without going into too much political stuff I will just say it is now added to an ever expanding list.

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