I've finally arrived! This is Malawi, and it is beautiful. It's 6:30am - probably the earliest I've woken up in months. I think that I've finally gotten over this jetlag, which is absolutely excellent.
We were greeted in Lilongwe by long-term overseas volunteers Duncan, Anna-Marie, and Christina, who made us feel at home very quickly. The drive to Lilongwe from the airport offered a quick glimpse of the landscape of the city - minibuses and cars (on the left side of the road, I might add), markets, stores, red sand, very little surface water, farms with animals, bicycles, women carrying food and other items on their heads and their children on their backs in beautiful chitenge. I look forward to capturing some of this for you when I arrive in my home district of Machinga.
Over the last few days, our sessions have included topics such as HIV/AIDS trends and issues in Africa and Canada, learning Chichewa (one of Malawi's national languages), cultural appropriateness, and a Q&A with the long-term EWB volunteers in Malawi and Zambia.
We also spent our first day in the market yesterday, which was excellent. As myself and two other JFs were talking with the vendors at the many stalls selling shoes, chitenge, bicycle parts, clothing and other items, I thought I would try out some of my newly learned Chichewa, and it really furthered my appreciation for the power of language to allow you to connect to people (it also helps to keep kwacha in your pocket!). Right now I only know pang’ono (a little), but it will be something I invest a lot of time into.
Tomorrow I go to Machinga to meet Christophe, who will be my working partner for my upcoming placement. He is a consultant for the African Development Bank, working in the water and sanitation sector, and is someone you’ll hear a lot about over the next 4 months. I will also meet Genevieve, who lives in the Salima district. She will be my coach, and will advise me and collaborate with me on ideas, integration issues, health concerns, you name it!
I know I haven’t been too clear about what my placement looks like yet, but I’ll map it out very soon. Details are changing everyday, but I’m sure we’ll reach equilibrium soon. More to come!
For now, it’s off to adventures on bumpy roads.
And as they say in Chichewa – Tselani bwino.
“Stay well”
Kevin
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