Pre Service Training - In Review

I have done a poor job of actually blogging about Malawi, and I have every intention of changing that today. This is the office in Lilongwe, where I can use Internet and pick up mail!

We spent 6 weeks living with a family in a village.

I lived in this grass hut, across from my host family's hut. It had a mattress on a mat, a little table for my things, and a chair to hold my water filter. We sleep under a net every night to prevent Malaria.

The floor of the hut is made of mud so every few weeks you have to smear more mud on. A REALLY fun project.

Dinner with the family on a mat. We ate with our hands, usually nsima (maize based- like dense mashed potatoes), tomatoes, and greens.

Women carry their babies on their back using a chitenji (piece of cloth).

I did my student teaching at Linthipe Community Day Secondary School (CDSS). This was the first day of teaching.

Transport during training is in Peace Corps vehicles. We can fit 12 people in a land rover.

After training, however, most volunteers hitchhike everywhere they go. We had training and first got a ride from a British expat to the market. On the way back, we rode one leg of the trip in a semi, the other in the back of the worlds smallest pickup truck.

Around Thanksgiving I got really sick, possibly Giardia. I had to go to Lilongwe to see the doctors and be on medical hold until I got better.

We swore in as official Peace Corps Volunteers December 9 at the home of the USA Ambassador. This is the director of PC Malawi and the ambassador.

I moved to site the next day. This is my house in Dedza before the rainy season. Now everything is lush green and the fields are growing. Unfortunately I was only there until January, and moved to a new location in Dowa.

For Christmas, Erica and I spent a day in Senga Bay until she was bit by a monkey. Christmas eve and day were spent in Lilongwe. I then went to Nkhata bay and Mzuzu with some friends for new years.
Hope that catches you up with a little of what happened Sept-Dec!