Village Days of Awesome

Day 117

I spent the afternoon doing chatting with the women in my village.  They were meeting at Mrs. Nkhosi’s house for their monthly meeting.  I had not visited with them (not like this) in a long time.  We talked for a while and it was nice.  I feel like I’ve been in my own little world lately and I haven’t taken the proper amount of time to visit with my friends. 

Day 118

My newly-found Dutch friends came to visit!  They were on their way from Nkhata Bay and they said they would stop in for a few hours.  It was really great to show them my house and village.  They loved it and we met with a few favorite neighbors and blew up balloons for the kiddos (which ended up being a disaster as now everyone is asking me for balloons) and it was such an exceptional visit!  I felt proud of my village and work here as it’s rare that anyone other than Peace Corps visits me.  

Day 119

The kiddos came over to play and I took some time out to actually sit and play with them.  Usually I just give them something to do in my front yard while I do chores and I pop my head out every once in a while to break dance.  Today we blew bubbles all afternoon.  Their eyes bugged out at how amazing a bubble is and they ran around popping them until my face turned blue.

Day 120

Christian Surprise!  Christian showed up just after dark after telling me he would be stopping by the next day.  Such a nice treat!

Day 121

In honor of Christian’s visit, I made lemon tarts (which I have never made before) and I was surprised at how amazing they were!  Delicious, we ate most of the treats by the end of the day. 

Day 122

In the middle of the night, I was robbed.  I was angry and upset most of the day, but was supported by Christian (who picked up new locks while I manned the house) and Ian (who stopped by to play frisbee) and all of my neighbors sent out a search party and checked in on me throughout the day.  Although a really unfortunate event, I was extremely lucky to feel so much love during a day where I felt so much loss.

Day 123

Sunday night means pizza night at Mayoka so Christian and I went to the bay and met up with Jay and his friend Sarah who was visiting from Germany.  We went swimming and drank cold beers and it was such a calm day after feeling so broken the day before with my break-in.  We also met an RPCV who stayed in Malawi a few years before.  It was really cool to chat with him about Peace Corps and returning...now that we are almost done, I feel like I can relate to RPCVs and I’m less likely to relate to newer volunteers.

Day 124

I picked up new phones for Christian and me in Mzuzu.  Surprisingly, it was stress-free.  Airtel was quick to respond with customer service and it made my life feel so much calmer.  Afterwards we celebrated with cold beer at Aqua Africa.

Day 125

I met with the ladies of Luso on my way home from Nkhata Bay and it was a busy visit.  A group of eye doctors were visiting Malawi to provide free glasses to adults and children after receiving a free eye exam at the Luso house.  They brought with them a suitcase of eye glasses and I watched them test the eyes of several people and it was amazing to watch them “see” for the first time.  One man jumped up and did a dance and couldn’t stop laughing.  It was so good to watch.

Day 126

Back to teaching Life Skills this week!  I decided to teach a few lessons on puberty and reproduction to all the forms, since it is a topic that many teachers feel uncomfortable teaching.  My favorite question of the day: “Did Jesus go through puberty?  Did Jesus have wet dreams?!”

Day 127

Still teaching the life skills and I was really pleased with the question/answer sessions in class.  Students were asking questions that were too scared to ask teachers or adults about masturbation, menstruation, wet dreams, and feelings.  I was so impressed with how bold they were and they were so attentive I had gone over by at least 10 minutes in every class.

Day 128

One of the last few market days with Ama Chimbutu.  We didn’t score any good clothes this week, but we did drink cold cokes and there’s nothing like sitting next to your best friend with a cold coke.

Day 129

My first day of implementing Youth Friendly Health Services was a hit!  We had 14 students show up (okay, not a fantastic showing, but it’s a start) and they all walked away with condoms and a few received HIV tests.  Not to mention, we played frisbee and football most of the morning, which is always a hit.

Day 130

I am starting to feel a bit overwhelmed.  Googling things in America does seem to calm me.  For instance, I like to google apartments where I might live in Houston or look for cars or jobs.  Today was a job googling day and I was excited to see a few postings of things that I am qualified for and would love to do – a rare thing!  So I spent a lot of the day preparing my resume and writing cover letters.  Even if I don’t get the job, I’m just happy for the practice.  I feel like I’m out of shape when it comes to job hunting!