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.