A very lovely Malawian proverb... And let me tell you... we've finally gotten the rain we've all been praying for, and with it has come A LOT of mud. So trying really hard not to complain. But its everywhere. We had a late start to the rainy season... There was this weird 2.5 weeks in October, usually one of the hottest and driest months of the year, when we had really cool temperatures and a ton of rain. Then nothing... until the beginning of January. And now... 3 days this past week I was basically trapped in my very small house because of torrential downpours. I haven't seen the sun for more than 30 minutes in over a week (SAD in the tropics anyone?). I've been the cause of much amusement with neighbors and friends; I had several severe cases of cabin fever and started wandering around in the late afternoon when the rain became a drizzle. "Mutowe mvula" or "You should run from the rain" they all yelled at me... Either way. Its nice to not worry about crops failing because of too little or too late rain.
So... Merry late Christmas and a Happy New Years to everyone who reads this! I hope the holidays were family and fun filled. A bunch of us went north to the lake and then to the tropical island paradises of Likoma and Chizumulu Islands. We relaxed, ate delicious food, were visited by Santa (actually the amazing and thoughtful Miss Sara Lane... thanks again!), hung out at one of the coolest bars I've ever seen (a series of decks and patios placed among boulders right by the lake... the owner claims that decks disappear and appear as the water level changes over the years... crazy!)... New Years was also at the lake... dance party funness. While I was up in my second favorite region of Malawi (sorry... the South still rocks), I got to hang out at some other volunteers sites as well... Which is always a great way to see other parts of the country.
Our COS (Close of Service) conference was a blast as well... I have an official date: April 13th is my last "official" day as a PCV. From there, I'll be heading on a "COS trip" which will include Vic falls, Zanzibar, and hopefully a climb up Kilamanjaro. Then flying home!!!!
In village life.... I'm super glad to be back. I really missed my house... my friends... my neighbors... my work... my routine... everything. First couple days back got to hang out with my awesome site mates. We had a sushi themed dinner that was absolutely amazing. Discovered that when you haven't ridden your bike more than 10k in over 6 months, going longer distances and then climbing up half a mountain will take more out of you than expected. Also, attended my first funeral in Malawi of an older gentleman who lives next to my borehole. The man, Mr. Mbisa, was super friendly, and never failed to say hello when I passed every day. He was a Jehovah's witness, and somehow managed to procure English (as opposed to Chichewa) versions of the Watchtower magazine most months to give me. Since cell network at my site sucks, I usually sat at this tea shed in the same area as the borehole and his house to check messages and have family phone call day on Sundays. He always sent one of the neighborhood kids over with the magazine, and while I wasn't necessarily interested in reading them, the fact that he thought of me really touched me. He passed away this past Tuesday; he had been sick with malaria and when treatment at our health center wasn't working, they transferred him to the boma, but he didn't respond to the treatment there either. The funeral was a very moving experience. In some ways, it was very similar to ones I've attended in the US, but in other ways, very different. For instance, women sit inside with the deceased one throughout the morning while the men sit outside. Often close family members are crying or wailing, but people don't physically comfort them. Instead they simply sit close by and silently offer their support. When you come to pay your respects, it is customary to show your respect by contributing money to assist with the funeral expenses (they actually record who and how much was contributed and then read it later as a sign of gratitude). Around noon, the service starts.; people are still segregated by gender. Then things begin to be more similar to American funeral- people sing hymns, read eulogies, read bible passages, etc. Suffice to say, it was a very moving experience...
Finally, a huge thank you to all of you that have helped my library projected by contributing money, getting the word out or both!!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! As of today, the project has "disappeared" from the Peace Corps website... that hopefully means its fully funded (I'm being cautiously optimistic) and we can get started on it. I'll know for sure on Monday (the Program assistant in charge of the grant is in the field today so won't know till then). Please keep your fingers crossed that this is the case (and not that something weird has happened)! If so, I have just enough time to complete this project before I leave... so Yippie!! Until next time... lots of love and hugs to everyone out there!!
Friday, January 27, 2012
Friday, October 21, 2011
elephants and rhinos and buffalo oh my!!!
Hello all! It's been a lllllloooooonnnnnnng time since i've updated this... but... lots of news!!!
For starters, I've only got about 6 months to go!!! I've been sort of feeling conflicted about this. I really do love Malawi, and I'd love to come back, whether its to visit or to work again, but I'm at that point where I'm beginning to feel a bit burned out to say the least. I definitely will be ready to go home in April. In addition to that, I'm realizing how little time I have left for working in my village, seeing the sites of Malawi, and seeing friends. Its going to require a careful balance between travel and staying at home... I have a lot of smaller project ideas that I think will be perfect for my last few months. For instance, tree nurseries are ongoing. Plus I helped with a business training early this month, which means I can help my groups utilize the information. The CBO, or community based organization near me is now active and I'd like to help them with a few projects, particularly with the HIV/AIDs support groups they are connected with... So... should be a busy 1/2 year....
Last week I turned 28. Not much to say on that besides, no... I don't feel any different! It was a lovely birthday though. Thanks for all the wishes.
Last week I was also a volunteer at the water hole count in the rhino sanctuary at Liwonde National Park. The sanctuary is a fairly large area inside the park that is fenced in to keep re-introduced animals, such as black rhino and zebra, protected from poachers and the issues related to the high human population density surrounding the park. Because the sanctuary has no natural permanent water source inside the fence, the park has created 4 artificial water holes... so... the program was to get an estimated count of animals inside the sanctuary... so we took 4 hour shift in hides (think a little shack to keep animals from seeing you) and literally counted whatever came. I saw a ton of elephants (which I'm still secretly thrilled by whenever I see them!), bush buck and impala, sable (which are kind of shady... just kind of creep around), eland (think an antelope the size of a small horse), buffalo, ZEBRA (apparently my African spirit animal...), and a bunch of other random stuff. Plus.... RHINOS!!! Saw 4 (2 pairs: m/f and then mom and baby) total... at about 1:30a... but the moon was out and I was boring some really really nice high powered binoculars from a friend. Suffice to say, the whole experience was amazing.
Biggest accomplishment for me in the last few months has been this business trainng for my mushroom and peanut butter group. It has been soo frustrating to teach these women business concepts. First, we have a pretty significant language barrier. I'm pretty good at Chichewa, but obviously not a native speaker. There are just some concepts I have difficulties explaining. On top of that, I have repeatedly gone over some easy business strategies and they seem interested, but actual implementation is not happening... So... I approached Mobi+lise, an NGO in my area about providing some support and training... They found funding to pay trainers plus to provide a communal meal for a 4 day (2 days/group) training on business. It was awesome! We'd had extensive discussions about the strengths and weaknesses of these two groups, and I'd say that everything that was important was covered in depth and as long as we keep the momentum going, I think they will actually use what they learned.
My borehole is now functioning... another frustrating situation to get it working again... but more on that another day... or not...
And last but not least... Time to ask for help. My primary school has a library that was started a few years ago by the volunteer I replaced. Its small, but definitely has the potential to grow, and the school community really supports its continuation. The problem is, the library is currently housed inside a classroom, and because of security of the library books, the classroom is not being used to teach. With over 2400 students, and 23 (hopefully this is increasing to closer to 30) teachers, resources are already really scarce, and that includes classrooms (only 12 are able to be used now). We want to build a small, separate building to but the library in, and then provide training to at least 3 teachers so they can properly manage the library. I know times are tough in America... but please consider helping out this much deserving community. If you are unable to donate money, please help by spreading the word to people who might be able to contribute! One advantage to a project with Peace Corps is that you know every cent donated is going to be used for the project... no overhead costs, no salaries... just to get this done (heck, I can send you the budget and original proposal if you ask!). Anyways... donations can be done thru the Peace Corps website. I'm pretty positive they are also tax deductable... The link is:
https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=614-233
If you have any questions or want to see pictures, please contact me at reed16@gmail.com. Your help is greatly appreciated!!!
For starters, I've only got about 6 months to go!!! I've been sort of feeling conflicted about this. I really do love Malawi, and I'd love to come back, whether its to visit or to work again, but I'm at that point where I'm beginning to feel a bit burned out to say the least. I definitely will be ready to go home in April. In addition to that, I'm realizing how little time I have left for working in my village, seeing the sites of Malawi, and seeing friends. Its going to require a careful balance between travel and staying at home... I have a lot of smaller project ideas that I think will be perfect for my last few months. For instance, tree nurseries are ongoing. Plus I helped with a business training early this month, which means I can help my groups utilize the information. The CBO, or community based organization near me is now active and I'd like to help them with a few projects, particularly with the HIV/AIDs support groups they are connected with... So... should be a busy 1/2 year....
Last week I turned 28. Not much to say on that besides, no... I don't feel any different! It was a lovely birthday though. Thanks for all the wishes.
Last week I was also a volunteer at the water hole count in the rhino sanctuary at Liwonde National Park. The sanctuary is a fairly large area inside the park that is fenced in to keep re-introduced animals, such as black rhino and zebra, protected from poachers and the issues related to the high human population density surrounding the park. Because the sanctuary has no natural permanent water source inside the fence, the park has created 4 artificial water holes... so... the program was to get an estimated count of animals inside the sanctuary... so we took 4 hour shift in hides (think a little shack to keep animals from seeing you) and literally counted whatever came. I saw a ton of elephants (which I'm still secretly thrilled by whenever I see them!), bush buck and impala, sable (which are kind of shady... just kind of creep around), eland (think an antelope the size of a small horse), buffalo, ZEBRA (apparently my African spirit animal...), and a bunch of other random stuff. Plus.... RHINOS!!! Saw 4 (2 pairs: m/f and then mom and baby) total... at about 1:30a... but the moon was out and I was boring some really really nice high powered binoculars from a friend. Suffice to say, the whole experience was amazing.
Biggest accomplishment for me in the last few months has been this business trainng for my mushroom and peanut butter group. It has been soo frustrating to teach these women business concepts. First, we have a pretty significant language barrier. I'm pretty good at Chichewa, but obviously not a native speaker. There are just some concepts I have difficulties explaining. On top of that, I have repeatedly gone over some easy business strategies and they seem interested, but actual implementation is not happening... So... I approached Mobi+lise, an NGO in my area about providing some support and training... They found funding to pay trainers plus to provide a communal meal for a 4 day (2 days/group) training on business. It was awesome! We'd had extensive discussions about the strengths and weaknesses of these two groups, and I'd say that everything that was important was covered in depth and as long as we keep the momentum going, I think they will actually use what they learned.
My borehole is now functioning... another frustrating situation to get it working again... but more on that another day... or not...
And last but not least... Time to ask for help. My primary school has a library that was started a few years ago by the volunteer I replaced. Its small, but definitely has the potential to grow, and the school community really supports its continuation. The problem is, the library is currently housed inside a classroom, and because of security of the library books, the classroom is not being used to teach. With over 2400 students, and 23 (hopefully this is increasing to closer to 30) teachers, resources are already really scarce, and that includes classrooms (only 12 are able to be used now). We want to build a small, separate building to but the library in, and then provide training to at least 3 teachers so they can properly manage the library. I know times are tough in America... but please consider helping out this much deserving community. If you are unable to donate money, please help by spreading the word to people who might be able to contribute! One advantage to a project with Peace Corps is that you know every cent donated is going to be used for the project... no overhead costs, no salaries... just to get this done (heck, I can send you the budget and original proposal if you ask!). Anyways... donations can be done thru the Peace Corps website. I'm pretty positive they are also tax deductable... The link is:
https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=614-233
If you have any questions or want to see pictures, please contact me at reed16@gmail.com. Your help is greatly appreciated!!!
Monday, May 23, 2011
Saturday, I met a boy whose name means "Please Think" in Chichewa...
And that, my friends, is a true story. Ganizani was his name. Kuganiza is the infinitive form "to think." Add onto that the suffix -ni, and there you go... Hope you enjoyed today's lesson of the Chichewa language!
Anyways... To the few (and by that I mean 3) people who actually read this blog, I wish to say “pepani” or sorry for neglecting you! It has been far too long since I’ve updated this. I wish I had a great excuse, but unfortunately, laziness is by far the biggest factor. In fact, I’m only overcoming this obstacle by the fact that I need to be doing something while my iPod is charging on my computer so it doesn’t go into standby and since I’ve run out of work to do otherwise, the blog it is. J I have to say… its sort of odd to be typing this by the light of a kerosene hurricane lamp and candles (I should be more stingy with the candles, but I can’t stand sitting in the dark).
So officially at the beginning of the month (well, 29 April to be precise), I’ve been a volunteer for 1 year. That realization has been met with a variety of mixed feelings… ranging from relief that I only have one more year to go, to anxiety that I won’t get everything I wanted to get accomplished done, to depression over the fact that I’m only half-way to when I can see friends and family again, to a lot of anger and bitterness and disillusionment and generally too much bitching to friends here about pretty much everything (hopefully stopping soon)... So, in brief, an emotional rollercoaster. The last two months haven’t really helped since I’ve been travelling a great deal, but not for fun-mostly “work” related stuff. And travelling in this country involves a lot of waiting and a need for the patience of a saint. On top of that, my site-mate Amy, thru a series of unfortunate events and irrational decision making by certain Peace Corps staff (and that’s all I’ll say on the matter) has moved out of our district to the nearby but not an hour’s bike ride district of Chiridzulu. Thankfully, at her new site, she’ll be working her dream job, but still, it sucks.
On some positive notes, we’ve welcomed a new group of volunteers (congrats for making it thru training!) in both health and environment, said good-bye to an amazing group of volunteers (you’ll be missed but we’re happy for you!), and I’ve gotten some work done. And I’ve managed to stay in my village for a solid 2 weeks (looking at 3 shortly). Which is wonderful. I’ve missed my house and my cat and my neighbors and the Phundumas, and pretty much everything about my village. And on a literary note, I’ve discovered the amazing-ness of Sherlock Holmes. Thanks to my new site mate, Leith, for leaving that book at my house!
Currently, the big project is bore holes… Just got funding for 3 (see appropriate water projects page), and working on another grant to replace missing parts for the one I (and about a million other people) used to go to before some bastard decided that he was more important than the 100+ families in my area that now have to walk 1+ KM to get to a safe water source. Not that I’m bitter or anything. So, Alex (my counterpart) and I have talked to most of the water committee members and parts are ordered. A few other projects are in the works, but waiting on feedback from community/PC.
This week should be pretty busy, but in a good way. A few meetings… hopefully not as far as the ones I went to on Saturday (2 ½ hrs on bike… on really bad roads!! Beautiful though!). Need to get some laundry done. And visit with some friends I’ve been too busy to actually sit down and chat with (and then eat nsima… because it’s not proper chatting until you’ve left someone’s house so full of food you can’t eat till the next day J). Anyways… that’s it for now. Love and miss you folks back home and thanks for reading. Till next time!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Happy 1 year anniversary of arriving in Malawi! And welcome to Malawi for the new folks!
That's right. One year in Malawi. And that means what? Only 13.5 months to go!!! Ok... I'm not really counting down the months... or days... but its kind of nice to realize that in another year I'll be back home annoying family and friends for the first time in 2 years!
Currently still on Med hold till Wednesday. Advantages: good medical care, Evelyn's hug, free internet, hanging out with people I never see! Disadvantages: missing out on meetings back at site, Lilongwe's expensive... and there are so many tempting places to eat, no personal space.
Particularly of concern is that this week I was demonstrating how to construct fuel efficient mud stoves for two of my groups. Now I'm not going to be able to do this till next week... maybe... if I have time. Argh. I miss site so much! But, my skin rash thingy, while no longer septic, is spreading. So, leaving now is not a good plan. Currently sporting a blue circle around it to see if the prednasone helps or if it gets worse. Max will take a look tomorrow... I absolutely love the med staff here. They are amazing and really look out for us...
Yesterday, to break up the monotony of just working at my computer for 8 hours, went with a bunch of volunteers to see the arrival of the new environment and health trainees! It was awesome. We have 45 new volunteers total. We've been following their pre-arrival funness on Facebook and I can't wait to actually chat with everyone in a few weeks (like 2). A good sign: plane arrived on time, and no luggage was lost! Current volunteers were on best behavior unlike when I arrived, so overall a success I think. We did the introductions and pictures and off they went to Dedza to hopefully get a good night's sleep!
So... going to spend the next few days working on a Food Security Taskforce assignment with Jackie and then getting started on Tilipo updates and revisions with Chloe. At least I won't be bored! If any folks want to Skype, I'll be able to if the internet here cooperates. FB message me or email me to let me know.
Currently still on Med hold till Wednesday. Advantages: good medical care, Evelyn's hug, free internet, hanging out with people I never see! Disadvantages: missing out on meetings back at site, Lilongwe's expensive... and there are so many tempting places to eat, no personal space.
Particularly of concern is that this week I was demonstrating how to construct fuel efficient mud stoves for two of my groups. Now I'm not going to be able to do this till next week... maybe... if I have time. Argh. I miss site so much! But, my skin rash thingy, while no longer septic, is spreading. So, leaving now is not a good plan. Currently sporting a blue circle around it to see if the prednasone helps or if it gets worse. Max will take a look tomorrow... I absolutely love the med staff here. They are amazing and really look out for us...
Yesterday, to break up the monotony of just working at my computer for 8 hours, went with a bunch of volunteers to see the arrival of the new environment and health trainees! It was awesome. We have 45 new volunteers total. We've been following their pre-arrival funness on Facebook and I can't wait to actually chat with everyone in a few weeks (like 2). A good sign: plane arrived on time, and no luggage was lost! Current volunteers were on best behavior unlike when I arrived, so overall a success I think. We did the introductions and pictures and off they went to Dedza to hopefully get a good night's sleep!
So... going to spend the next few days working on a Food Security Taskforce assignment with Jackie and then getting started on Tilipo updates and revisions with Chloe. At least I won't be bored! If any folks want to Skype, I'll be able to if the internet here cooperates. FB message me or email me to let me know.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Tilipo....
The thing I hate about Lilongwe is that its ridiculously stressful to get here, and when I do arrive, I feel like all I do is run around getting even more stressed out and yet not actually getting anything done. At all. Arrived Wednesday night after getting a ridiculously wonderful hitch a little north of Blantyre. I'm staying at Mufasa's and the last few days have been training for Volunteers Supporting Volunteers. Its been pretty interesting for the most part and people in VSV have some cool ideas for things the group can do here to welcome new volunteers to their regions and stuff. I'm really excited anyways to be a part of the group.
Even more fun is I have a skin infection on my foot! Its pretty awesome... And by that I mean gross... :) Apparently it was infected so now I'm on med hold until Monday in case it takes a turn for the worse! Right now it seems to be getting less infected, but the rashy part seems to be spreading... And its ITCHY. Ridiculously so. And those of you who know me realize that itchy is a huge problem... Not scratching is a constant struggle.
Work is busy now. I should be doing stuff for VSV, like edits for the volunteer directory thing, or getting stuff written up for the food security task force thingy I'm on (did actually do some of that), but the lure of free internet is so much easier to accept. So instead, I've been spending my afternoon on facebook, looking up graduate programs (hey... only 14 months left), and random other things. Oh well.. I'll be back to business soon enough. Like tomorrow.
Work is busy now. I should be doing stuff for VSV, like edits for the volunteer directory thing, or getting stuff written up for the food security task force thingy I'm on (did actually do some of that), but the lure of free internet is so much easier to accept. So instead, I've been spending my afternoon on facebook, looking up graduate programs (hey... only 14 months left), and random other things. Oh well.. I'll be back to business soon enough. Like tomorrow.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Damn you Mark Risso... you were right... Kurt Vonnegat is a genius!
So a long time ago... in a land called Nittany Valley... a girl named Brianna got ridiculously pissed off at her former roommate (Mark Risso) for insulting her favorite genre of book. I believe he said something along the lines of: "If they can't tell the story in less than 300 pages, they just can't write" and used Kurt Vonnegut as a prime example. (Ok... it was actually a much more heated discussion... much more heated... in which Kurt Vonnegut was held up as the epitome of writers while all fantasy and science fiction writers, with the notable exception of Tolkien, were tramped upon... ) Thus, the girl... who in her defense was very young at the time, held a huge grudge against said author. Fast forward to the future. In the land of Mulanje, Malawi, where free time seems to be abundant and the sources of books scarce, this girl decided to give it a try since Vonnegut seems to just pop up everywhere (thank you peace corps library!). After reading... said girl is forced to say, although she still holds fantasy and sci fi in high esteem, Kurt Vonnegut is FREAKING amazing. For sure... Read him if you haven't... I suggest starting with Bluebeard
In other news... xmas and new years were spent lounging on the beach. A much needed (although didn't realize it at the time) vacation. Lake Malawi is beautiful! While I definitely missed the presence of snow (its amazing how much we associate that time of year with snow... it really didn't feel like xmas/new years without it and with temperatures above 80F), it was nice. Also, not having family around was a super bummer. I didn't realize how much time I spent with my family this time of year... putting up the tree, cooking food... getting yelled at by dad for not cleaning the house :) cranberry sauce... cookies... xmas eve at dad's... driving to NJ to see mom's family... and one more year of that :( but I know that when I get home, I'll really appreciate the holiday season even more.
In Water project news... After a slight miscommunication, in which the village chief at namwera wanted to change the project to a different, more expensive one at last minute (he understood we have a limited budget and we went back to the original program), we are rolling! The community found volunteers to dig trenches and finished Wednesday. Yesterday, myself, the local plumber Mr. Gologoda, and about 7 volunteers, including the Village Headman Namwera, went to the trading center by me to buy all the supplies and transport them back. Hopefully they'll have everything done in the next few days! Otherwise, waiting to hear about some funding for a school library, trying to get some more funding for a few more water projects, and helping with some training for village savings and loans groups I work with now. So... busy busy busy. :)
In other news... xmas and new years were spent lounging on the beach. A much needed (although didn't realize it at the time) vacation. Lake Malawi is beautiful! While I definitely missed the presence of snow (its amazing how much we associate that time of year with snow... it really didn't feel like xmas/new years without it and with temperatures above 80F), it was nice. Also, not having family around was a super bummer. I didn't realize how much time I spent with my family this time of year... putting up the tree, cooking food... getting yelled at by dad for not cleaning the house :) cranberry sauce... cookies... xmas eve at dad's... driving to NJ to see mom's family... and one more year of that :( but I know that when I get home, I'll really appreciate the holiday season even more.
In Water project news... After a slight miscommunication, in which the village chief at namwera wanted to change the project to a different, more expensive one at last minute (he understood we have a limited budget and we went back to the original program), we are rolling! The community found volunteers to dig trenches and finished Wednesday. Yesterday, myself, the local plumber Mr. Gologoda, and about 7 volunteers, including the Village Headman Namwera, went to the trading center by me to buy all the supplies and transport them back. Hopefully they'll have everything done in the next few days! Otherwise, waiting to hear about some funding for a school library, trying to get some more funding for a few more water projects, and helping with some training for village savings and loans groups I work with now. So... busy busy busy. :)
Monday, December 13, 2010
I love the phrase "You've been approved!!"
That's right! Approved! My first project, extending the water pipeline from my village to Maliera has been approved! I was a little worried. The cut-off for funding is US$500 and I was at $492... But all is good! I was getting a little nervous because the village chief had said they'd already started digging for the pipes they already had despite my adamant "I'm not promising this is getting funded... but I'm trying" statements over and over... But now the work can begin in earnest!!!! WAHOO! In addition to this being my first "real" project I've planned here, its super important that the people living in Namwera have access to clean water asap. Most women go to the river for drinking water now b/c the borehole is too far away... and they're at risk for a lot of waterborne illnesses here... like cholera... not a fun time I've heard. Anyways... if anyone is looking for a cause to donate to during the holiday season, please check out my project at: http://appropriateprojects.com/node/466
On other news... don't think I've mentioned that actually did get a cat. Her name is Toco... which is the informal version of grateful or thankful... Its a commonish name here and my counterpart's wife (and good friend here) Lucy picked it so its extra special. She really pretty... orangish... born in august. Really like her, but she's much more high maintenance than anticipated. She's really whiny... like all the time. Which is good bc the mice hear her and flee in terror (Yippie!), but really annoying, at say 3am. Its gotten a little better since she started sleeping on the bed with me... Except her favorite place to sleep is on my chest...
Sort of annoying for me is that for whatever reason... maybe the honeymoon is over at site... but I've had a ton of people, mostly women I work with in the mushroom group, ask me to give them or their kids food (or occasionally money) when I'm walking around and wanting to just chat with people. Which puts me into a pickle: if I want to continue working with them, I can't be too bitchy, but I really just want to flip out on them. One or two is not a huge deal... I usually calmly explain to them a few times that I'm a volunteer... I don't have enough food/money to give them, or if I did I'd have everyone in the village coming up to me for the same thing (word travels fast here... gossip is spread like fire), plus I came to Malawi to help with development and environmental projects, not to hand out shit. But 4-5 people in a matter of 2 days, especially when I just got back from travelling and was looking forward to just hanging out with my friends in the village and working on projects is frustrating. What's also frustrating with the mushroom group is that I've also already given them ~$30 to get them started on their mushroom growing (which is going well fyi!), plus every suggestion I give them to increase business they say "oh ok..." then don't do it. So, Wednesday's meeting is going to be interesting...
Anyways... looking forward to getting the water project started... and for christmas. Going to the lake to camp with a bunch of friends... Should be fun and relaxing!
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