Its been a while since my last post- I've been quite busy. I come into Lilongwe about once a week to print documents and check or send emails for my organization. Its not so bad coming into town, but it is pricey! I've started using the ambulance at the hospital where I live as transport so I don't have to pay to take a minibus. I've not been having much luck with the minibuses of late anyway- the last three times I took one it overheated (hot season is here!) before I got back home and I had to find a hitch, which isn't really that big of a deal. Its always cool to meet new people. Here are some of the things that I've been working on at my organization this past month: We conducted a leadership and sexual reproductive health training for the leaders of all of our youth clubs; attended a signing ceremony for a grant from PEPFAR and began to implement that project (promoting voluntary HIV counseling and testing among the youths in our community); got the ball rolling on a garden income generating activity-IGA- with one of our women's groups (thank you everyone who sent me seeds- its because of you that we can help these women make a little money! Keep 'em commin'!); began digging up this dry, hard land to make a garden IGA for the organization to help pay the staff a little something; and I conducted private, conficdential interviews with all of the staff members to learn about the strengths and weaknesses of the organization in order to come up with an action plan for the way forward and suss out some organizational weaknesses and management issues in particular. So as I said, I've been busy. Comming up at the begining of next month, I think I'm going to visit another volunteer who is working with the government at the district level so I can learn a little bit more about the connection between CBOs and the government here in Malawi. I need to figure out if it is better for us to be registered as a youth organization or a CBO, better in the sense of funding opportunities that is.
Aside from work, I've had the chance to see some pretty cool stuff. A few weeks ago I went to a chieftainship ceremony with traditional dancers called Gule Wamkulu (goo lay wahm koo loo). Their costumes were awesome: they dressed as different animals and gods! The dancers are actually a part of a traditional religion. It is said that spirits inhabit the bodies of the dancers, so I understand. Its pretty cool. Before the dancing I got to eat lunch with a bunch of chiefs from the area. I ate the rice they gave me but couldn't bring myself to eat the chicken entrails (yuck!). On a more somber note, recently a neighbor of mine who was HIV positive died. The funeral was truly moving- an event held for several days. All the women sit seperately from the men and wail and beat their chests in grief. Along the path near their house was the notice of the death: a string of grasses/branches accross the road. When walking by, if you don't stop you must atleast remove your hat, if you have one on. It was really something to see. So different from our culture...
I'm looking forward to traveling. I still haven't seen the lake yet. Its killing me! At the end of October I have my in-service training with all the rest of the volunteers from my group. We'll be back in Dedza for two weeks and then I'm going to take a little vacation to the lake. I can hardly wait!
As always, thank you everyone for sending letters and packages. Grandpa, I'm getting your letters and loving them. Sounds like its pretty hot over there. Its getting to be that way here too. The hot season is just begining and the well by my house is running low. Pretty soon I'm going to have a bit of a walk to get my water. Already we can only draw at night when the water has had a chance to rise. Its better to do that kind of thing at night anyway- its just too hot during the day. Its the worst between 11:30 and 3:00. I just stay at home and rest for those hours. But god I sound like such a baby; I guess the people living near the lake have it ten times as hot! I'm just a wuss with "yankee" blood I suppose.
Dad, I got the dvd player and it is heaven. I can't even describe how awesome it is to have that thing here. I thought coming to Africa with the Peace Corps was going to make me less materialistic and "grasping"- yeah, right. The exact opposite has happened. Its like how I thought that this expeirence would allow me to experience poverty first hand. Instead I've learned what its like to be the richest person in town. Well, you know what they say about assuming things...
So thats what's going on on this side of the ocean. I hope you all are doing well and know that I love you and miss you all and whenever I'm having a bad day, I re-read your letters and your words of encouragement brighten my mood. If one of you reading this could do me the favor of sending a printed copy to Mom so she can make photocopies to send to the family members who don't have access to the internet, that would be great. Thanks!!!! Peace!