Still here in Malawi...

We're reaching the end of October. I'm now halfway through the first term of teaching at Chisugulu CDSS. I'm still here! I think integrating into a new culture and the entire PC experience comes easy to some people. I think others have some difficulties, but somehow manage to deal with them as they come. Living in a rural village in southern Malawi has definitely not come easy to me! It's insane to realize how much you depend on certain things in the United States or in developed countries. I don't have electricity at my house or school. I walk half an hour along the road to get to school everyday. I bathe using an incredibly small bucket of water! When I want to go to a major market to get anything, I wait up to two hours for a minivan that's filled with 25 people on a good day and then travel another two hours to go 40 kilometers. I'm surrounded by an entire community of Malawians, and I see my students 4-5 days a week. Even then, I still get lonely! (Though I have adopted a kitten this last month and she's been an amazing companion. I fear I may be reaching crazy cat lady- adoration levels. Stay tuned for that transformation..) This experience is incredible in that I've been able to push myself farther than I thought possible and still be a moderately functioning member of society. :) I can't believe it but I've been in Malawi for about five months now. I'm nearing two months in my village, Mwanga. Time here passes so incredibly slowly on a daily basis and faster than I could have possibly realized overall! I'm so grateful those back home have supported me through the journey so far. I know that without that, I wouldn't still be here today! Until next time...

Why? Why is it so hot here?! -Camomile, the newest edition to my family

I'm alive, I promise...!

This post is long overdue! If you were wondering, yes, I'm still alive and in Malawi and now I'm a sworn in Peace Corps Volunteer! I promised myself when I left America that I would make an effort to keep everyone updated- obviously, that didn't work out as well as I thought it would! :) I will say that if anyone wants to hear from me more often I more regularly check my email and I'm on whatsapp regularly. I've been in Malawi for about three and a half months now. From the end of June to the 28th of August, I was staying in Chinkhombwe village, about 10 km outside of the Kasungu Boma (main market). During this training time, my host family was an older couple who helped me adjust to life in a village and introduced me to the nuances of Malawian culture. Training was a crazy an intense time. I had classes in culture, language, and technical skills that would help me adjust to life here. I was able to make some great friends and became close to many people in my Malawi education 2014 cohort! (For more details on just how familiar everyone has become, check out Devyn Lee's blog posts- the one titled "Diarrhea Diaries" may give you a glimpse of that... Also, she's just really good about updating her blog ha! :)). Many PC volunteers told me Pre Service Training would be the hardest part of my service- and they were right in a sense that I was fresh from America, vulnerable, and being constantly bombarded with information. I worked hard during PST and definitely put in a lot of effort- I feel more comfortable in the classroom, dealing with cultural differences, and to an extent with the Chichewa language (I got Advanced Mid on my final language proficiency interview!). During that time, however, I had the comfort of my education group to support me and help ease the transition. At the end of August, after swearing in as a PC Volunteer, I moved to a very small village called Mwanga. On a map, Blantyre, Zomba, and Phalombe create a triangle and I'm close to a major crossroads on the road between Zomba and Phalombe. I am the first PC volunteer in my area and the only PCV in the district of Phalombe. I teach at Chisugulu Community Day Secondary School; this term I'm teaching Form 1 physical science and life skills (essentially like a health class) and Form 3 biology and life skills. I work at the school teaching classes Monday through Thursday. My site is a little unusual for an education volunteer in that I do not have electricity at my house or at my school. Solar charging has been my friend and I'm glad right now it's the beginning of hot season- I'm not sure what I'll do when rainy season comes! Internet at my site is sporadic and never good enough to do more than whatsapp family and friends, but I'm eternally grateful I'm able to do that. When we were in PST we received a chart with the emotions a PCV faces during service- the first three months were a deep ditch. And jeeze- that chart is eerily accurate. This first month at site has been incredibly challenging. If it weren't for the friends I've made here and the incredible support I've had from back home, I honestly don't think I would still be in Malawi. I've never in my life felt such a huge rush of conflicting emotions and conflict. I won't dwell on anything in this post, but if you talk to my family you'll get a better picture! As time goes on, I'm growing and changing in ways I couldn't have fathomed before.  The PC is an experience that is different for every volunteer and all I can say is that it's unlike anything I've ever felt and this entire experience is a challenge I don't think could ever be replicated.