Day 33
All my shopping is done! This is a
grand thing – why? Because somehow when
I am in Lilongwe I can never get everything on my list completed...but this
day, I have! Amazing. I was able to find material for more reusable
pad trainings (including the ever-coveted plastic lining...table clothes were
not so difficult to find!) as well as seeds for the demonstration garden at the
hospital. This was all good stuff,
especially since I could report back to my village that I was bearing
gifts. They were most grateful.
Day 34
My country director asked me to speak at a PEPFAR Partners meeting. PEPFAR is a U.S. government program for
reducing AIDS and the stigma associated with it. The program funds numerous activities
world-wide and works hand-in-hand with NGOs and government agencies. Anticipating a small meeting around a round
table with three or four people, I said, “sure, why not?” Two days later I
found out there would be about 100 people from the CDC, the Malawi Ministry of
Health, the State Department, UNAIDS, USAID, as well as PEPFAR. I caught my breath and panicked. When was the last time I spoke to a large
group of people?! College?! I created a quick slide show and almost went
comatose at the thought of public speaking in English to a bunch of
professionals. I’m so comfortable
stumbling over my Tonga with Malawians under mango trees. Another PCV was doing the talk with me, but
that was little comfort. I could barely
keep my nerves from going insane. I have
never been this scared of speaking before – it was overwhelming! Is this what it is like to go back to America
– anxiety on top of fear?! Deep
breath. However, the PEPFAR meeting went
better than expected. I gave a shout-out
to my fellow Tongas in the audience (all three of them – including Christian)
and anxiously talked about the things I am doing at site. When I finished and there was a tea break, I
was swarmed by numerous people asking more questions about pad trainings,
making peanut butter, GLOW, Operation Smile, Hope Kit, theHIV support groups in
my area, the nursery school, etc. I felt
inundated with questions and excitement.
The morning was a whirlwind of people shaking my hand and passing me
business cards. One woman said she was impressed
Peace Corps did so many activities – she thought we merely hung out in Malawi
for two years. Peace Corps Malawi
anticipates receiving more funding for HIV/AIDS related projects they are
ecstatic we were viewed in such a positive light. NOT ONLY THAT, but a GLOW girl named Bahaiti
gave a beautiful speech that Shelly coached her on. It was amazing, she was treated like a
celebrity the rest of the morning. One executive
director at a nursing school even offered her a scholarship. It was a beautiful moment – Bahaiti was
speechless. I couldn’t be prouder of
GLOW and the girls who graduate from such an awesome program. Solid day for Peace Corps.
Day 35
I decided to make traveling more exciting by seeing Malawi through new
eyes. We discussed this with a friend’s
friend who was visiting from America. It’s
funny how when you come here you notice the oddities – goats on the handlebars
of bicycles, women carrying tree trunks on their heads, thatched roofing and
red clay roads...it’s all so novel. But
after two years, I have found myself half-asleep to this amazing beauty. So I looked out at the rolling hills, the
goats playing in fields, the women pausing to arch their backs in the sun...and
I just appreciated these moments. It was
truly awesome. My new goal? To take more pictures. I’ve been slacking and I don’t want to miss
all this beauty when I’m gone.
When I arrived at my house, the hospital women’s group was meeting outside and
they cheered when I walked up. We
received new matching chitenjes for the group which we wear whenever we greet
new-comers to the hospital or visit sick patients (they are a blue-green leafy
pattern – much nicer than the other chitenje we got last year – everyone was
much happier this time around). Ama
Chimbutu insisted she make dinner for me because I looked a mess from
traveling. We ate nsima and chicken by
candlelight from the same plate and I felt so good. I felt like I was home.
Day 36
Early this morning I rode my bike to the lake to check out the nursery
school and lo and behold, the roof looks great!
I am so pleased with how well things are going at the nursery
school. They have needed very little
guidance and are so grateful for the small funds I have been able to acquire
for their meager needs. I forgot my
camera memory card in my computer so I was not able to take pictures. This was probably a blessing in disguise as
playing with the kiddos is so much fun – they love a good game and they’re so
patient when they chat with me. I will
return to take the obligatory finished photos of the roof and tickle and run
and jump and play with the cutest kids on the planet. My job is pretty sweet.
Day 37
Steven came over early to help me with the Anamed bulletin board we are
putting together at the hospital. Anamed
is Action for Natural Medicine and Steven recently returned from a
training. He is so gung-ho about it, he
started a fence for our demonstration garden the day he returned from the
training. We decided to decorate the
walls of the hospital and make use of the empty spaces. He helped me translate the importance of
natural medicine in Tonga and then I got creative and posted the praises of
anamed all over the board. I love a good
day of creativity.
Day 38
“What makes you phenomenal?” This is
the question I asked my Girls Club in a Shelly-inspired meeting. As a group, we read Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou and took turns saying what it
means to be “phenomenal” and then moving on to what makes us phenomenal. My girls got more and more courageous with
their answers and at the end they were smiling and laughing and cheering each
other on. I love how Girls Club
transforms my usually quiet young ladies into brave, unique, happy women.
Day 39
Yesterday my neighbor told me she wanted to talk to me tomorrow. So today my neighbor came over to chat...just
to chat. I wasn’t sure what to expect,
as I rarely speak to her. She has always
acted so shy toward me. Well it turns
out she is not so very shy. We chatted
for over an hour and it felt good to have such nice conversation with someone
who I thought hated me...or was afraid of me...or whatever. It feels good to have good friends, as Ama
Chipalasa left this week. This time it
was for real. In happier news, her
parents still live here so we should be seeing her every once in a while. I can only hope!
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