Goodbye altered moods and increased anxiety... Hello sunburns and antibiotic resistance...

So... Peace Corps policy requires all volunteers to take medications that keep us from getting malaria.  Good policy for sure.  Malaria, as I've observed from people in my village, just sucks.  And has the potential to kill you or put you on dialysis for the rest of your life.  So definitely not complaining.  Since arriving in Malawi, I've been on Mephlaquine, the cheapest and easiest medication available.  Once a week you take it, and then no worries.  However... side effects are numerous, generally fall into the mental health altering category, and sometimes sneak up on you without warning See:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mefloquine  for more info.  For example, you think everything is fine and dandy... and then your bike tire won't separate from the tube and suddenly its the end of the world and your trying to hold back tears while explaining to your counterpart that, yes, everything is in fact ok when you actually want to curl up in the fetal position or tear out grass from the ground while contemplating calling your boss to say you're leaving.  True story.  Anyways... after that little episode, it was suggested by my amazing and very patient site mate that I should call and get my medicine switched.  Turns out, its ridiculously easy to do, and starting next week, I'll be joining the crowd of volunteers in my group switching to Doxycycline.  Doxy has much fewer scary side effects.  My main concern now is that sun sensistivity increases.  Not a good thing for someone who consistently forgets to apply sunscreen on a daily basis, is currently living in a sub tropical country in the middle of its "summer", and has no hat.  Also a concern... doxy is an antibiotic.  And increases frequency of yeast infections... So... while definitly more manageable, is still just the lesser of two evils.  But at least I won't get malaria (for which I'm super thankful!  Thank you PC!)

On happier notes... things are moving along at site.  The mushrooms my women's group "planted" are coming along slowly, but doing well!  And the PB group, which is also the natural resource management committee, are taking a break from peanut butter to build a tree nursery.  The structure was completed last week and this past week, they've been filling pots and started getting seeds planted.  Also, had a really good meeting with the chair of my village's Development Committee, and have some really cool ideas that I want to start working on.  For instance, a large scale irrigation system for the community so they can still farm during the dry season (which is right now... and let me tell you... in addition to being dry... its HOT!! Days usually in the upper 90s but still humid, and nights, I'm lucky if it fall to the low 80s... and I have a iron sheet roof... and my water is never cool... its grossly warm... and I sweat... a lot... and while its certainly not chickwawa (district aka devil's asshole b/c so freaking hot)... it still sucks...).  The village directly north of me has one already... and its the most BEAUTIFUL thing ever.  Lush, healthy green maize EVERYWHERE... near the system that is... so super excited to start finding out about that...