Only two months late, my apologies!

Bridge that I am doubting will survive the rainy season...

Life in Malawi is definitely an experience of a lifetime. I have yet to write a blog since being here but I am going to try and start keeping everyone back at home up to date with my adventures. However, since I haven't been blogging, this one will be along one. I do apologize for the long delay, and if you can't make it threw this post, I won't be offended :) .

As I sit in my bed typing this up I am currently waiting out one of the many power cuts that Malawi experiences, more recently then not as of late. Power cuts are just one of the many issues that plagues Malawi. Since my arrival in Malawi in early September I have had the pleasure of enduring the fuel crisis, the electricity issues as well as the most recent water crisis. But apart from the many issues my time in Malawi has been one adventure after another, and definitely a learning experience.

My first weeks in Malawi were spent figuring out how to get around the city. Luckily I have had two really great travel companions that have helped me to get settled. Bonnie, who goes to the University of Ottawa, and Katie, who is in the same program as myself. Right from our first day we have been having the time our lives. Starting with our arrival at the airport, we were 12 hours early...leaving us stranded at the airport at 1:00 am. We were fortunate enough to meet a very persistent taxi driver who wanted to make sure we had someone coming to pick us up. After calling the program director of WUSC in Malawi the taxi driver took us to Annie's Lodge in Area 47 where we were suppose to be staying for the week. However, upon arrival we were told they did not have room for us. Now as it is approaching 3 am the program director shows up at the lodge and takes us to his house for the evening, where Bonnie was forced to sleep between Katie and I, two girls she had just met. It was safe to say that we had started our trip off on the right foot...

The first week we tried to keep ourselves relatively busy in order to ward off any homesickness. Our first day to ourselves (our second day in the country) we decided to make a trip into town to see if we could find the market. After getting to know the city better, we now know we took the longest possible route into town. And the market that we were never able to find that day was just around the corner. Our first week was spent mostly with WUSC doing an in-country orientation, a city tour (a little late for our first adventure), culture and language training, and being introduced to the organizations we would be working with. I am working at the Farmer's Union of Malawi (FUM), which is an umbrella organization for farming cooperatives and groups across Malawi. While at FUM I will be working on gender equality, human rights and hopefully in the near future implementing a project relating to climate change.

My first day with my organization was probably the most interesting first day I will ever have at a job. Not ten minutes after finishing my introductions to my fellow colleagues I was taken to a funeral...I was glad I brought my chitenja (the traditional wrap worn by women on special occasions). And my second day, my boss decided to take me out into the field, where I was able to finally see Malawi outside of the capital city. This was the first time the advice from my professors truly hit home. “Don't be concerned if small children in rural villages cry when they see you, for this may be the first time they have seen a white person”, but even being armed with this knowledge I still felt terribly for making the small boy cry. But from that day, work came to a complete halt in terms of excitement. My counterpart (the girl I will be working with for my placement) Chikondi had left for the United States the day after I arrived. Katie and Bonnie were both experiences equally as exciting times with their organizations. In order to keep ourselves motivated we kept ourselves busy on weekends.

Our first adventure was to the Lilongwe Wildlife Sanctuary where we saw our first wildlife of Malawi (pretty well all exotic wildlife in Malawi has been eliminated). We saw loads of monkeys, a leopard, a turtle and a crocodile. There is also a one-eyed lioness from Romania that makes the Lilongwe Wildlife Sanctuary home. However, it isn't meant to be a zoo, it is where animals are taken when they are found sick or out of place. They are kept here until they are better or until their time has come.

Our second adventure was to Lake Malawi. This is probably one of the most beautiful places I have ever been and a place where few people will ever have the opportunity to be. However, it was here that I first started to experience what it is like to be an outsider. Malawi is considered to be the “warm heart of Africa”, which is true, people are very friendly and helpful. However, there are still times where being white gets you more attention then you really want. While walking along the beach Bonnie and I became famous....simply because of our skin colour. Locals on the beach decided to start taking pictures of us and a few even asked us to be in pictures with them. It wasn't a great feeling, almost like being an animal in the zoo. After being here for almost two months now I am more accustomed to receiving this sort of attention. On any given day men in Malawi will ask “Can I fall in love with you?”, or “Will you be my wife?”, and I am constantly being called baby, momma, lover, etc.

Freshly Ground! Look 'em up!

Lake of Stars Music Festival

Our last adventure in September was the Lake of Stars Music Festival. This festival is the largest festival held in Malawi and draws artist from Europe and from across Africa. We spent the weekend lay on the beach during the day and listening to music on the beach at night. It was really amazing to be introduced to new music that I wouldn't normally have listened to. For example, a group that I would highly recommend is Freshly Ground (look 'em up, seriously).

My most recent adventure took me to Mt. Mulanje. Bonnie, myself and a few other international volunteers went and climbed, just not all the way to the top. We climbed to the top of a smaller mountain, however after a full day of climbing we were still 12 hours from the peak of Mt. Mulanje and we were unfortunately short on time as well as being completely out of shape apparently. This was one of the most amazing things I have ever had the opportunity to do, the view was amazing and so worth the pain of not being able to walk for two days afterwards and six hours stuck on a bus between Malawian men.

Market

Of course these just represent the bigger trips I have taken. Any trip to the market is always an adventure, bargaining and interacting with locals. The pace of life in Malawi is completely different from home, and takes some getting use to. Work moves at a glacial pace but the market is a sea of chaos and the minibuses we take are probably the most amusing things I have ever seen (some days you could swear they defy the laws of gravity).

Work has picked up since Chikondi has returned from the United States. We just spent last week out in the field conducting training sessions on gender equality, human rights and HIV/AIDS. This was such an eye opening experience. I spent four long days in four very different districts. Life is so much more simple then North Americans make it out to be. After spending a week out in the field watching mothers and their children making the best of life I realize that we really have nothing to complain about. These mothers who spend their time taking care of children, farming, doing chores, and locating water amongst other things still managed to make time to come to a training session in order to try and better themselves and their communities. And the children are always smiling, they are happy with the simple things in life. Some of the children that mothers brought to the training sessions occupied themselves for nearly eight hours with plastic bottles in 40 degree weather.

Malawi is definitely opening my eyes to so much and keeps me on my toes. No day is ever the same. I miss home everyday but I would not give up this experience for anything, it is really a life changing trip and has helped me find where I want to go with my future. I will blog again next week, not to worry it will be drastically shorter then this :) . Happy Halloween Canada, I miss you all and wish everyone the best!