A Quarter of a Century…When did that happen?

Remember that time I used to blog? Or actually post something I write about in Malawi?....yeah me either. Sorry for that. It seems things get busy, life happens, there's no electricity or internet, and I don’t make the time I’d like to...to share my life in Malawi with those that I love around the world. Soooo, today I tried to post some updates. I got this blog post idea from a Peace Corps friend, Kelsey, as way to share the beauty of the past year in one post. To say in frankly she inspired me with her words and adventures. I hope you enjoy, and thanks for taking time out of your busy life to read the words I take the time to write. So here it goes....

I’ve experienced another year around the sun. I’ve turned a “quarter of a century” old (what my mom told me on my birthday...she really has a way of making one feel special haha). I’ve lived in Malawi now for 18 months. I’ve learned so much about myself. And I am so blessed.

Below is twenty-five things I’m grateful for that happened in year number twenty-four.

It was hard to come up with this list, because I could’ve gone on and on. I kept thinking of more things, and replacing things, and well, just know that this is an abbreviated list (even though it probably seems like a rally long post). Because really the list is endless.

1. Hot Season. You’re probably thinking what? Hot season? You’re going to start with this one. I know right?...the amount of times you’ve heard me complain about the heat in Malawi, how could this be #1 on the list? I don’t know either. But I’m grateful because it’s hard. I’m grateful because it’s a struggle. And I’m grateful because I know that someday when I come back to Wisconsin, I’m going to be freezing in the negative 15 degree weather….so, to say the least, I feel like I need to be grateful for the heat while it’s here.

2. Mangos. Plus, with hot season, comes mangos. And how could one not be grateful for the opportunity to eat eight mangos a day totaling at about 20 cents. I know I am.

Above: Preserving mangoes by drying them in the sun...solar driers made out of local, cheap, available, resources.

3. Dan visiting. In October 2015 Dan came all the way from Alaska to Malawi. He stayed for a month, survived the heat, helped with my projects, and hardly complained when it came to the differences of living life here. He was my first visitor from the States, and it was nice to have company from a pretty cool human.

4. Permagardening with my SOLID group. While Dan was here we spend a lot of our time creating a permagarden at the local health center I work at with my SOLID group. In the heat of October this is an accomplishment. Since then an HIV support group has taken the garden over and is getting it ready for this upcoming rainy season. My SOLID group also created a permagarden at one of the member’s homes, where today they have many papaya trees growing big and tall.

My SOLID group creating the permagarden at our local health center.

Below: The permagarden that my SOLID group created in their village, where they now have many papaya trees growing.

5. Thanksgiving at Mushroom Farm with my Peace Corps Family. Spending the holidays away from home, and your family is one of the challenges I’ve experienced as a PCV. However, when you have a family amongst your friends this challenge becomes less difficult and more fun. For Thanksgiving 2015 myself, and a bunch of other PCV’s went to Mushroom Farm (my favorite place in Malawi), where we had a delicious meal, hiked to waterfalls, and enjoyed the beautiful views.

The beautiful Mushroom Farm. One of my favorite places in Malawi.

6. Meeting my, what I didn’t know then, would become, my best friend David. #6 and meeting David could be a blog post of its own. There really aren’t enough good words to say about this beautiful human who I am thankful to call my best friend here in Malawi. David has been here for me over the last year in so many different ways. Through the bad days and the good days, David is someone who has really made my time in Malawi something I will never forget. This 23-year-old boy holds a big place in my heart. The person who comes over to help me start my fire when I’m lazy, the one who makes sure I’m eating enough, the one who gets me out of the house on days I’m sad, and the one who makes me smile even more when I already thought I was happy…well that’s David. And from this entire list, he is the thing I’m most grateful for from this past year.

7. Christmas in the Village. Another big holiday away from home. However, it was hard for me to also say away from my family. Because although I was away from my birth family, I wasn’t away from all family. I spent Christmas 2015 in the village with my landlord, my Malawian family, and the kids in my village. They all came over for a spaghetti feast. And still today some of the children ask me when I’m making spaghetti again haha.

8. Sarah Visiting. My second visitor from the States. my birthday present, my best friend. In January Sarah came to visit for three weeks. During this time we did so many things and I was able to share so much of Malawi with someone I care about so much. Her time here was some of my best time in Malawi.

9. Good meals with friends. The best meals in Malawi are the ones cooked with friends. The meals in the village that you would never spend time cooking over the fire alone, but when you have company you’re willing to go all out for. The meals you feel stuffed after because you just ate so much you can’t move.

Vegetable Stir Fry :)

Below: Banana french toast with care package syrup and honey!

Above: Cooking rabbit over the fire...no, I did not eat any of this.

Paul and I cooking home made village pesto gnocchi

Bucket Macaroni and Cheese :)

10. Being Week Zero Resource Volunteer. When the new intake group of health and environment trainees came to Malawi to start their service in March 2016 I was selected by the Peace Corps Office to be one of the two volunteers who spent the first two weeks with these new, very pale, chubby, soon to be volunteers (I’m not trying to be mean with that statement, it is often just a joke amongst PCV’s that many people get darker as they are here because of the sun, and also sometimes loose any extra weight). This time as a resource volunteer was a time that I was really able to reflect on my own service and was when I realized how much Malawi had really become my home.

Above: The group of health and environment volunteers we welcomed to Malawi.

Below: Corey and I, in our matching outfits, ready to welcome the new volunteers with our welcome signs in Chichewa and Chitumbuka.

Above: 3 generations of 1st resource volunteers.

Below: The group of trainees walking through the training village.

11. Fighting Against Malaria. The month of April is World Malaria Month and with that I had many projects going on at site. I helped with the massive nationwide bed net distribution that my health center was in-charge of for our area and I also held a mini Malaria camp at a rescue until in my community. This mini camp with about 40 youth is something I am grateful for because it was a time where I really saw two Malawian student facilitators shine. David, and Pilirani (a friend and counterpart of another PCV) pretty much ran this project on their own. And they were beautiful and amazing in doing so. This was one of my favorite projects because I felt like the knowledge had been passed from PCV to Malawian and now they were teaching others with the knowledge they had been taught. This weekend in April made my heart smile.

Above: Some of the kids playing one of the games while learning about Malaria.

Below: David and Pilirani being rockstars and preparing to facilitate todays training.

Above: The youth with their certificates after completing the mini-camp.

Below: The facilitators in front of the finished mural.

Above: Everyone who participated after the final session of the day.

Below: The finished mural painted by the students.

12. Travels to South Africa. At the end of April-beginning of May myself and a handful of other PCV’s and Malawian expats traveled to SA to attend a festival known as Africa Burn and after see the sites of Cape Town. Africa Burn is a festival where people come together and express themselves through art however they may desire. It’s a place where people love with intention, be who they are, and gift what they can give. An intentional community of lovers, an expression of art. It’s in the middle of a desert for a week, where you bring everything out that you bring in; leave no trace. A place where 12,000 people get together once a year to have a good time. An event, in my opinion, to experience if you ever get the change. It was beautiful, and so much fun. After the Burn a few of us spent a few extra days in Cape Town eating all the good food, and ice cream, drinking good beer, going on wine tours, getting piercings, and climbing Lion’s Head mountain at sunrise. The trip was amazing, and a great way to celebrate one year in Malawi with people I’ve grown to love.

Above: Look at those two dashing Malawi Residents :)...Goodbye Malawi, Hello South Africa

Below: ALOT of pictures from Africa Burn :)

Above: We survived the BUUUURN and made it back to Cape Town

Below: First meal = Sushi

Below: REAL ICE CREAM!...it'd been a year people!

Below: Cape of Good Hope...it was beautiful!!

The wine tour with new friends :)

Above: The view from Lions Head before the sun came up

Below: Strike that YOGA pose :)

Above: Climbing down from Lions Head after the sun came up

Below: Headed back to Malawi

13. My Girls. Over the past year I’ve started a girls club, known as GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) with two woman teachers at the local CDSS (Community Day Secondary School) in my area. The girls in my club have become some of my favorite people in my village. They are intelligent, and motivated, and beautiful. They’ve learned about self-esteem, staying in school, human rights, abuse, reproductive health, sexual healthy choices, and being a change agent for other girls. They’ve sewn reusable menstrual pads and written letters to our Traditional Authority in Chipoka about things they want to see changed for girls in this area. They are amazing, and when I meet and chat with them my heart is so incredibly happy.

Above: My girls club waiting to start our session.

Below: Yayyyy for knowing how to use condoms, both male and female. Most of the girls in my club told me that they are practicing abstinence, but that having the knowledge of knowing how to use a condom is still very important for their futures.This is not something they are are taught in school.

Above: One of my girls learns how to use a male condom.

Below: Our club made reusable menstrual pads and learned about our reproductive system and how menstruation happens.

Above: After completing all the sessions the girls wrote letters to our Traditional Authority telling him about the issues young girls in their community face, and how he can help.

Below: My GLOW Girls with their certificates after graduating from the club :)

14. Falling in Love. Who thought this would happen? ;) When you least expect it, it seems that love finds you. In the past year, together I’ve built a beautiful friendship, relationship, and partnership with one of the most genuine humans I’ve ever met. I’ve learned about love languages, how to love with intention, and how to create a relationship that you want, not that you need. I’ve learned about letting go of attachment, to gain happiness, about loving in the moment, and about being grateful for the love that is being created in the now, not worrying about what it may be in the future, because the moments created can’t be lost. I’ve spent time focusing on the beauty of choice to share a life with someone, and knowing that they are not mine, and I am not theirs. I don’t believe in being someone’s other half, I believe that we are both whole. I believe in sharing our whole self together, with each other, through an open communication of emotion, of love. Even if someday it all may end, the future is unknown, it doesn’t mean I shouldn’t love now. I’ve learned that understanding that is one of the most difficult of feelings to accept when you love someone, but that it’s okay that it’s difficult, and that it will be okay, no matter what the future may entail. This past year I’ve fallen in love. With myself and with a really incredible human. But mostly with myself. So that I could love that human with the intention and intensity that he deserves.

15. My Support From Across the Pond. This one is for all of you reading, and everyone and anyone else who has kept in touch, sent me a letter/package, and prayed for me. I am grateful for you, and I miss and love you all. Thank you for supporting me from many miles away. It does not go unnoticed and I appreciate it more than you will ever know.

Above: And a special shout out to this amazing family, who continues to love unconditionally even when I decide I want to move away and live in Africa....look how beautiful they are :)

16. Meeting Debra Messings. Sorry Debra, but I honestly didn’t even know who you were until someone told me. I know, Will and Grace, the famous Grace, probably the most famous person I’ve ever met (had lunch with for an hour actually)…oops, I should’ve probably known who she was. Now I do. Anyways, in June I had the opportunity to meet with Debra Messings along with 2 other PCV’s to share our experience of living in Malawi. She is a global ambassador for the organization PSI (Population Service International) and came to Malawi to promote a new HIV Self-Testing program/study and bring awareness about the initiative. Similar self-testing is happening in Zimbabwe and Zambia and Malawi is just starting along this path in one of the southern districts. While this was her main aim for the visit she was also interested in learning about adolescent girls here in Malawi, and had expressed interest in meeting with a few PCV’s because we may bring a different perspective and reality to Malawi that top-bottom organizations may not see. Meeting, chatting, and sharing with her was definitely something that I am grateful I had the opportunity to do. She listened very openly to what all of us had to say and I think that we were able to give her a completely different perspective of what the reality in Malawi is like.

And she taught us how to take the perfect selfie :)

17. Grassroots Soccer Camp in Chipoka. Over the school break my community held a Grassroots Soccer Camp (a program focused on HIV awareness with youth) with 40 students from the nearest secondary school. Since April myself and my community have been planning this program, writing a grant, budgeting prices, finding a location, the campers, facilitators, and counselors, shopping for supplies and food, printing posters, etc. And in July the camp happened. 40 students, David, Chenjezi (the most motivated teacher I’ve ever met), 4 student facilitators/counselors, myself, and 4 other PCV’s is what it took to make this HIV/AIDs and Arts camp happen. The students learned about HIV transmission, risky behaviors, sexual healthy choices, prevention methods, etc. in the mornings using the GRS curriculum, which uses soccer to educate youth about HIV. My student facilitators are the ones who lead the sessions. They were selected from the HIV club at the school as student leaders that would be able to be role models to their fellow peers. And they SHINED! I am so proud of these 4 students and how they grasped this opportunity to lead. They were simply amazing, and I was so proud to see each of them take what they’ve learned in the club and share it with the other students at their school. Seeing their confidence with facilitation, and watching them lead was probably my favorite thing about the camp. In the afternoons Chenjezi led sessions about arts; visual arts, music, drama, and creative writing. The students learned how to take these art mediums and educate others about HIV/AIDS through them. On Friday, the camp help a community open graduation where people from all over different villages in the area came to watch and learn what the students had to share. There were songs, dramas, poems, short stories, and an art gallery all with messages about different HIV topics. The students were great, and it was clear from what they displayed at the graduation that they had learned so much. I was so proud of each and everyone of them.

Above: The PCV and Malawian counselors and coordinators that made this camp happen :)

Below: The students participating in one of the activities

Above: The campers playing limbo. The stick represented HIV and the height of the stick represented the risks associated with getting HIV. For example, when the stick was very high (very easy to walk under) it represented abstinence showing that if you abstain from sex you have a very low risk of getting HIV.

Below: Role play. The facilitators putting on dramas as an example for the campers.

Above: My four amazing student facilitators, who just shined in their abilities to be role models and leaders for their peers.

Below: Chenjezi facilitating an art session.

Above: A couple campers putting on a drama at the community graduation.

Graduation Day with a community show where the campers presented art mediums with messages about HIV/AIDS.

18. Camp GLOW. A few weeks after the GRS camp we held another camp for all girls from the same school with a focus on female empowerment and gender equity and equality. Four amazing girls who attended the National Camp GLOW last year (I wrote a blog post about this last August) came to Chipoka to help and act as counselors and facilitators. It was so great to reconnect with them and see that they are still being role models to other young girls. Four PCV’s also came to help and act as counselors for the girls. We divided the 40 girls in to 4 groups, each with a PCV and Malawian counselor. This allowed for a more intimate connection between girls, and a safe space to share what they were learning and feeling. In the mornings this camp focused on sessions including self-esteem, staying in school, goal setting, reproductive health, menstruation, sexual healthy choices, abuse, rights, etc. A lot of these topics are not discussed with youth girls in Malawi, so we tried to create a safe space at this camp where girls could learn and share their experiences if they felt comfortable. This camp also had a focus on arts and in the afternoons the girls learned the same art mediums learned at the GRS camp. We had another community graduation where people came to watch, as well as having the PC Malawi Country Director, and a few other staff members from the office attend. This was very exciting for my girls. They took the graduation very seriously and really wanted to make and impact on their friends and families in their community. The girls have since then started the process of creating clubs at 3 schools (1 primary, and 2 secondary) where they will be facilitating sessions that they were educated on during camp to other female youth in their community. The girls are also planning to hold an event at the school for “International Day of the Girl Child” on October 11th, where they plan to march with signs about human rights, unveil a mural about gender that they have been painting at the school, and perform songs, dramas, and creative writing pieces to those who attend. (A blog post to come about this event after October 11th….hopefully haha.) Today, writing this, and reflecting back on these two camps and all that my community has done to make it happen, I’m still tired and mentally exhausted, but also inspired, and so grateful for these motivated youth in Chipoka. They are the change agents of Malawi, and they are ready to be leaders and role models for other youth in their community.

Above: Before the camp we had a counselor orientation/slumber party at my house :)

Below: Preparing for the campers to arrive.

Above: On night 2 we had a campfire where the girls threw pieces of paper into the fire that read things the've been told they can't do because they are female. As they threw the paper into the fire they yelled, "Yes I can." Afterwards we roasted marshmellows :)

Below: PCV, Christina, and Malawian facilitator, Divinous give a session about self esteem.

Above: Learning about the female reproductive system.

Below: PCV, McKenna, helping her camper make a reusable menstrual pad for when she has her period.

David and Paul also made reusable pads to show their support towards females and their bodies.

The girls learned how to properly use male and female condoms.

Above: Team Kangaroo practices their team song before the show on graduation day.

Graduation day!

Below: On the last night of camp we had a camp light ceremony where the girls shared what they learned and what their favorite part of the camp was. The idea of the candle ceremony is to show how change starts with one individual. We started with one candle lit and as the girls shared they passed their flame to the girl next to them until the whole circle was GLOWing :)

19. Milking a Cow. When the Wisconsin girl moves to Malawi and milks her first cow, that is me. I spent a few days in another PCV’s village helping him lead a session for his SOLID group on HIV/condom demonstrations, but that wasn’t the only thing I got to do. While I was there his neighbor let me milk her cow. There is a NGO in Malawi who provides Malawian’s with heifers so that they can sell the milk, and on this day I got to help squirt the milk from the cow into the pot. It’s a lot harder of a job than one would think. My fingers were exhausted only after about 10 minutes, and then when I watched the woman finish up I was almost embarrassed at how little of milk I squeezed from the utter compared to her. But anyways, milking a cow has been on my bucket-list since I was in high school and this August I got to finally check it off.

20. A market full of vegetables. Again, good foooooods. Getting a variety of vegetables in the village market is not as common as one would hope. On most days I can find tomatoes and onions, beans, and some sort of Malawian greens (mustard greens, chinese greens, or rape), but that’s about it. And some days I can’t even find all of that. So when I see a colorful table in the market I am grateful. Carrots, green peppers, eggplant, garlic, and ginger, all things that make me smile.

21. Peace Corps Pets; Tom and Zen. The two who keep me sane, and give me love and snuggles when I need them most. Tom, my dog I’ve had since the beginning of my time here. She has recently been spayed and in doing well not getting prego and having babies all the time, something I am very grateful for. Zen has been a new addition to the home since the end of August. This cat has been with a PCV for 6 years (3 different volunteers) and pretty much every other PCV cat is a baby of Zen. She is known as “The Legend.” The volunteer who had her last ended up not being replaced and the thought of her not getting any more human touch after being with Americans for the past 6 years convinced me that I needed to take her home with me...all the way from Karonga, one of the most northern districts in Malawi. Traveling with a cat in a plastic picnic in minibuses for many many hours was quite the experience I must say…but we made it. I didn’t really even think I liked cats, but now I seem to find myself out in my village thinking, “I really want to go home and be with my cat.” Geez, I know, what happened. I think it must be the snuggles. Tom and Zen are still working on getting along, but all is well and I’m grateful to have them around as full time company.

22. Getting a Sitemate. In the beginning of September I was blessed with another volunteer in Chipoka. I helped Peace Corps to develop a site for a volunteer at the near by school I do projects with frequently, and in September the hard work paid off. Dave, an education volunteer is now teaching English language and literature for Form 3 (juniors in high school) at my secondary school. I’m very excited for the new friend to cook with, and his house with electricity haha. More about having a new friend, but electricity is certainly a perk. He will be in Chipoka for the next 2 years.

23. Candle Lit Nights. My house still has no electricity (it’s been wired, and has circuits, outlets, and everything, and just needs to be hooked up to the wire two feet above my house…., it’s been like this for months, and no one has come….maybe before I leave, but I’m not holding my breath), so when I forget to charge my solar lamp, or decide I want to eat by candle light I have the opportunity to have dark nights in the village. There’s nothing quite like the powerless nights in Chipoka, quiet, dark, and peaceful. The ambiance of a dark house that candle light gives is wonderful, and I’m grateful for these nights to think, appreciate, pray, and be.

24. Presenting at Peace Corps Trainings. During my time as a PCV I’ve been given the opportunity to be a coordinator for two different programs for PC Malawi; GLOW (Girls Leading Our World), a program focused on creating a safe space for female youth to talk and discuss parts of their life and what it’s like to be a girl child in Malawi, and SOLID (Sustainable Opportunities for Leaders in Internal Development), a program created to gives community members the knowledge and opportunity to bring sustainable change to their villages without the need for outside aid. With my coordinator responsibilities one of my roles is to facilitate sessions related to these projects for PCV’s at the different trainings PC gives (PST: pre-service training, your first 2-3 months in Malawi; IST: in-service training, 3 months after you’ve moved and lived in your community, and MST: mid-service training, one year after being in Malawi) to help give support and knowledge for these programs to our volunteers. Being connected with both the office and volunteers to help better these programs for the future, and being involved in the PC trainings for volunteers has been an amazing opportunity for me personally and professionally, and is something that has really been a satisfying part of my service in Malawi.

Pictures from the Technical Expert Panel held by the GLOW coordinators with previous GLOW girls to better the program.

25. Birthday Snuggles from my favorite people. On my birthday this year I was in Lilongwe (the capital city) for IST (an in-service PC training) giving a session for SOLID (a program I explained above). But because I was in town and there were 2 of my favorite people also in town I got so many birthday snuggles. We went out to eat for dinner, Indian food, at a restaurant called Bombay, got a bottle of wine, and then sat in our room at the lodge chatting, drinking cheap bad wine from the bottle, and snuggling up in a cuddle puddle. I couldn’t of asked for anything better for #25. SO much love. So many cuddles.

#peacecorps