Kid's Korner: Surprise Visitor from the USA!

We interrupt your regularly scheduled Kid's Korner to share some of our activities with our visitor, Flat Stanley! After being stuck at the Post Office for a few weeks because there is no home delivery of Mail, Flat Stanley visited us and our village for a few weeks.

Here he is at our house.

 

Admiring the view of Lunjika Mountain behind our house.

Checking on the Maize Crop.

Helping Tara's Grassroots Soccer Team with one of their Practices.

Attending my Grassroots Soccer Team's Graduation.

We had a lot of fun showing Flat Stanly around and even took him to the market to get him his very own Chitenje clothing.

Next time on Kid's Korner:

Back to your regularly schedualed programming:

If you don't have electricity, how do you cook?

21 Hours

21 HOURS
The number of hours Matt and I saw each other in all of February.

It has been much harder than expected to spend quality time together.  One of our biggest expectations for PC was to spend more time with each other than we would know what to do with.

Sometimes like ships in the night Lilongwe calls each of us, individually, for one duty or another.

These times pose challenges that we have never really had to face in the states.  Since September 2010, when Matt moved back to Virginia, we have not been apart more than 2 weeks at a time.

In the states we would call each other, text, or if we really needed to we could make a trip in a car to see each other.  Here, we have Whatsapp, which as been great, but phone time is limited.  At times phone signal is slow or down, there is no voice mail, and phone calls are expensive.  Round trip from Lunjika to Lilongwe is a minimum of 4 days for what should be a 5 hour one way trip.  This makes a quick visit impossible.  Nothing in Malawi is quick.

I would like to say this is the only challenge to spending quality time together.  However, during our New Year Resolution check-in we came to the conclusion that even when we were both at site we were not spending the kind of time together that we wanted or envisioned.  The days home together were filled with chores and living a village life.  We were being sure to share responsibilities, but not what was happening in our day.  Household work was shared evenly but the simple things of what we were doing or how we were feeling hardly came up in conversation.

We realized that we didn't actually know how the other one was feeling about their service.  At least not how we would have known about each other in the States.

I think we took for granted that the amount of time together does not make up for the quality of time together.  

This lesson has not only been our biggest surprise but it has been our best.

Now, every day we are at site together we set aside one hour for each other and one hour for ourselves as an individual.  Saturday is all ours...no projects, no unnecessary house work.  We just talk, be with each other, cook, and we eat!

It's not as easy as we had expected but we are starting to meet our expectation of getting to know each other even more than before!

Malawi Music Project

Donate to 2016's project https://www.youcaring.com/kids-between-7-and-16-517278

Malawi Music Project was an absolute BLAST!  I had such an amazing time reconnecting with my musical roots and was even more thrilled to share that passion with talented youth from Malawi. 

A brief back ground of Malawi Music Project: It was started in 2008 by a few volunteers and each year since it has been taken on and developed by a new group of volunteers.  Unlike GLOW  this camp is unique to Malawi and is a partner with Music Crossroads in Lilongwe.  PC Volunteers work with professional musicians and teachers to lead sessions on: song writing, traditional music, drum circles, hip hop, music fusion and music theory to name a few.  The youth were broken into bands and given a week to use these lessons to write, produce, record, and perform an original song about HIV awareness.  To help with content of their songs and personal awareness we also held HIV sessions that taught about transmission, prevention, healthy living after contracting HIV and provided an opportunity for testing and counseling.

Just Jammin'

Drum Circle

The week ended with a celebration and a battle of the bands where six newly formed bands preformed their original songs for the local community!  It was quite the show!  The energy was electric and the bands shared not only their passion and talents but how HIV effects them on a personal level.  They learned that they can use their talents as a voice to empower others and to educate the community on important topics.

Male Condom Demo! 

We believe in equality! Female Condom Demo! 

All of this was amazing to witness and to be apart of but the thing that will stick with me the most was the creativity that was flowing all week!  In the United States most youth are given the opportunity to practice or learn the arts in school and to be with peers on a regular basis who have the same interest.

These youth came from all over Malawi.  All of them were musicians from vocalist to violinist, however, few of them had any training at all.  Most of them are self taught and are not used to playing with other musicians.  The schedule had a lot of free time built into it and from my past experience with camps I saw this as a potential nightmare.  I imagined youth leaving the premises, drinking alcohol, and general mischief.  The youth proved me absolutely wrong and used EVERY SPARE MOMENT to make music and just jam with each other.  I had never experienced something so organic in my life.  It was like something had awoken a completely new beast within these youth and the energy in the area was so vibrant.  There was not a quiet moment but there was never a need for a quiet moment.  The air was full of joy, music, and recently tapped potential.

I expect wonderful things for these spectacular youth and feel so privileged to be apart of this experience.

 

Soo Many Friends!! 

So proud of my band "Crazy Colors" who won 2nd Place at battle of the band! 

Merry Festive Season!!

But say a prayer to pray for the other ones 

At Christmastime 

It's hard, but when you're having fun 

There's a world outside your window 

And it's a world of dread and fear 

Where the only water flowing is the bitter sting of tears 

And the Christmas bells that ring there 

Are the clanging chimes of doom 

Well tonight thank God it's them instead of you 

And there won't be snow in Africa this Christmastime 

The greatest gift they'll get this year is life 

Oh, where nothing ever grows, no rain or rivers flow 

Do they know it's Christmastime at all?

-Bob Geldof, Midge Ure

“Do they know it's Christmas time at all?”

While this song has never quite sat well with either of us, it feels even more condescending than ever. We can only speak for Malawi, but yes, they know it is Christmas time. They also know it is the start of the New Year. They don't call it “Holiday Season” or “Christmas Season” they call it the “Festive Season”.

There are no trees or lights or in most households gifts on Christmas morning. There is Christmas music on the radio, Chrismas Eve and Christmas Morning services, and a lot of families will make special food around the Festive Season like rice instead of nsima. Christmas here may look different but they do know it is happening. The majority of Malawi has been infiltrated with Christian theology, so again, they know.

It is the beginning of rainy season and right in the middle of the hunger season and the height of crime season. But to say “the only gift they'll get this year is life”, not so accurate. Just like in the sates there is a lot of pressure for families to make this time of year special, but because of the season this is the time of year food is scarce and money is limited so unfortunately, there is a rise in robberies to make the ends meet. However, on a day to day basis Malawi, nicknamed “The Warm Heart of Africa”, is known for their hospitable nature. They are friendly and helpful and no matter what the day is if their neighbor is in need they help. There is plenty of life here and sometimes it is difficult but I would argue that the greatest gift they give each other is the day to day generosity that comes from a communal life style.

The rains stopped around August so most families are living on reserves. Most of Malawi's revenue is based in agriculture so there is little money around this time. No rain, no crops. (Of course this is a practice we are working to change, but that is for another post.)

“Where nothing ever grows, no rain or rivers flow”.

This year, December 20th, it started to rain. And now every road is a river. Our front yard, though mostly weeds, is green, lush and thriving. We are just starting to get real food from our garden. The few plants we were able to keep alive are starting to really produce. Our neighbor's maize is starting to sprout and the fields are bright green. It took only two weeks of rain for all of this to happen. When it rains it pours and the fields and crops respond. There is actually little that won't grow here. The people here might not grow a large variety but that doesn't mean it's barren.

Christmas time for us, looked a little different. I just finished Malawi Music Project (I promise to update!) and met Matt in Karonga District at our friend Amy's site, which is along the lake, to celebrate Christmas with friends in-lieu of family. From there, we went to Kande where I read books while Matt became scuba certified. To celebrate the New Year we headed to Nkhata Bay. At all of these places we saw Malawians vacationing and celebrating. There were families enjoying the lake and taking time to do something special. This is not a common experience for most Malaiwians, but it is a reminder that things are not always what we see on TV. Children with distended bellies and flies stuck to their face is not the whole picture of Africa.*

“And there won't be snow in Africa this Christmas time”.

Duh. The climate of Malawi does not particularly lend its self to snow. In some the northern, mountains they occasionally get frost. Snow, however, might indicate a larger problem, especially since right now, it's summer time.

*Disclaimer: Africa is not a country. The views and opinions in this post and blog are specific to Malawi, a small land locked country in the continent of Africa, and does not accurately express Africa as a whole.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from the warm heart of Africa. While we couldn't celebrate with out friends and family in the states we are at the Lake with our Peace Corps Family. We hope everyone has a great Christmas day!

Kid's Korner: How do you poop?

Question: How do you poop?

The same way you do! But perhaps you were asking how is human waste disposed of.

Short Answer: In Malawi, the answer depends on where you live. Indoor plumbing is very common within the major cities so, just like in the USA, pull a lever and away it goes. Out in the villages people dig pit latrines called a chimbuzi.

A chimbuzi with a fancy hand washing station.

A slightly more complicated answer: A chimbuzi is just like an outhouse. (Ask your grandparents.) A large pit is dug, then boards are placed over the pit leaving a small hole for the waste. Then a layer of mud or concrete is placed on top of the boards to create a floor. Finally mud or bricks are used to create the walls and a roof is placed on top. After many years, once the pit has filled to the top, the pit is capped and a new pit is dug else where. Often trees are planted near the pits so that the nutrients in the waste can be utilized.

A chim hole

How to use a chimbuzi

The we like to be different answer: While we have a chimbuzi, we don't use it. We wanted to be able to use the nutrients (fertilizer) in the waste so we collect ours in a bucket. Each time we use it we 'flush' with a handful of ash and a handful of leaves to control smell and absorb liquid. When the bucket gets full we take it out and add it to our compost pile. The waste is broken down by bacteria and worms into nutrients (fertilizer) that the plants can use and removes harmful bacteria that can get us sick. We then add it back into our garden for more food.

Composting Toilet with bucket inside.

Not everyone in Malawi has a way to get rid of their waste so they partake in what is called "open defecation" (pooping on the ground). Also, in certain parts of the country, seasonal rains flood out the latrines so they are unusable leading to open defecation. As Peace Corps Volunteers it is our job is to teach about positive waste management. How to use and build pit latrines or alternative systems like compost toilets.

But how do you use the bathroom when you're in the car? No gas stations here so, you pull over on the side of the road and drop trou!

Next time on Kids Korner: 

If you don't have electricity, how do you cook?

Happy Thanksgiving from Malawi!

Here in Malawi most people are just starting to plant for the upcoming growing season but since it is the fourth Thursday in November it is a great chance to share some American Culture with some of our Malawian friends.

We made this for you!

Tara and I were joined by five other Peace Corps Volunteers for a few days of wonderful cooking and feasting. One activity of the day was to draw the male and female reproductive organs. Tara is teaching youth about 'Their Changing Bodies' this weekend at the Clinic's Youth Friendly Health Services. 

Genitalia are fun!

We also kept her family's tradition of drinking mimosas alive.

It wasn't enough.

Today we invited both of our counterparts along with our landlord and his family. We cooked some Thanksgiving staples like Green Bean Casserole, Mashed Potatoes, Stuffing, and Sweet Potato Pie but did not cook a Turkey. One, because half of us are vegetarian and two, no one wanted to slaughter and eviscerate a turkey.

What a sweet spread!

We shared with them that the purpose of Thanksgiving is to spend time with lots of family, be thankful for all that we have, and continue a tradition celebrating the end of the growing season and a bountiful harvest. Some of the things that people were thankful for were a chance to meet new friends, having so many friends to share the day with, and having great friends and great food.

Feast Time!