christmas pics

Senga Bay at The Wheelhouse

Rob, Me, George

me at Senga Bay

Merry Christmas, Happy New year, good kwanza to all

Hello family and friends and those who are just maybe reading this in passing. Im thinking that only Aunt Roe reads these blog entries. So I would really like pictures from the family and to know how christmas's were. I really miss u guys. I spent my Christmas at Senga Bay with Rob and George. There were a few mishaps but in the end a good time. We stayed at 3 different lodges and spent a ton of Kwacha's. On Christmas day we hired some rastas to row us to Lizard Island and we swam, snorkeled, ate lunch it was beautiful. The next night we went to see Lucius Banda which was ok. I did some dancing, george really enjoyed the show and extreme booty shakin that was goin down. now im here in the capitol relaxing and getting some work done. Im going to site tomorrow and then maybe to Nkata Bay for the New Years party with bout 60 other volunteers. Site is still good, not too much different. Mushroom project officially startes next week. I had another training at my house the week before last with more than 40 participants and I got very angry at people for cutting down a beautiful acacia tree in front of my house to make a low-cost beehive that was not suppose to use any trees to make. But is was a good day though, we made soap, jam, planted soya and trephosia, used a fireless cooker to cook our lunch and discussed beekeeping. Its now the raining season and Im really enjoying the variety of insects that i am discovering. Some of the largest insects Ive ever scene. Huge praying mantis's, beetle's, giant snails, crazy ants that eat chickens, tons of flying insects that emerge at the same time and are collected by the people and are eatin. They also love to eat catipillars and mushrooms are in season too. Its a cool time of the year, Im enjoying waching my plants grow and sitting in my house watching and listning to the rain while reading and working my many puzzles. Ok lunch is aproachin, E-mail me peeps, Im getting no e-mails any more.

Mr. Chi and Georgie at my house

Chisuwe village making vinyo

Tree Nursery we made last week

Kasungu National Park, near my house

My "uchi" Miko

Chief Inaguration Dance in my village

Me N Mico at Mabuya Camp, in the rain with no electricity

Happy Halloween! Happy B-day! Merry Christmas!

Hello, muli bwanj? Ndili Bwino. Im here again in Lilongwe for a blood donor training. Im with all the Kasungu District volunteer's, their is 8 of us all together. Not really exciting, today we will be doing lots of role playing (Malawians favorite thing to do). Uhhhhhhh not much to report really. I got my bike back after it was stolen. Ive just been working and reading. I did spend last weekend with my boyfriend Miko at a very cool backpackers camp. So Im going to put a picture of him on here for yall to see. Weve ben dating scince April, I met him at the Malawi College of Forestry where he studies and Peace Corps does their training. He's pretty awesome. I did not do anything for Halloween, but we will be going to the US ambassodors house for thanksgiving, then my friends and I will be going to the lake probably for Christmas and New years. In between I will be in my village doing a soap, Jam, juice training, then at the end of November, we are doing the mushroom training, then beekeeping is starting. So very busy. Ok must go to training now, Pictures are coming shortly.

Still here

Hey everyone, hope everyone is well. Things are still going very well here. Ive got a few projects starting up that im very excited about. The biggest is a mushroom project with an HIV/Aids group. We are getting funds to construct 5 mushroom house in 5 villages, which is great nutrition and income for people living aids and its decreasing the dependence on the resources inside the national park. Im also doing 3 small-scale tree nurseries and education on better agricultural practices, which is something I never thought I would be doing, being from a city and never steping foot on a farm until Malaw. Im going to start a small-scale beekeeping project with my watchman, who is probably the most honest, good-hearted, and hard-working person I have ever known and one of my best friends, I really want to help him have his own business soo he can support his family of 10. So I finally went to lake malawi which is even nicer than I thought it would be. The water is crystal clear and the beaches are soo nice. We swam, cooked, sat around fire and played games, it was a good time. So Im back in Lilongwe cause this 17 Yo kid stole my bike from my backyard when I was home with my door open. I was able to follow the track for bout 2 hours because all paths are sand and I could tell he was headed to town, so I was able to call ahead to villages and the police and got my bike back in 2 days, but they stole everything off of it so im here to fix it for at least the 3rd time. Pictures will come next week, fo sho

6 months in Africa

Yo Yo Yo,
Back in the capitol, we had a two week in-service training and did soap making with a local women's group. So im going back to site tomorrow. This month im working on establishing a few tree nurseries and more trainings. I miss everyone but am loving Africa and my work.

2months at site

My Living room, I sleep in a tent
My home, Chulu, on market day (wednesdays)
Mr. Chi, My Counterpart, with Zambo, drinking the local brew called Chibuku AKA shake shake (He loves Texas)
Mbuzi Carcass at market...MMMMMM
Fellow PCV's passing a water balloon with legs at ambassador's...Good Times

Amalia-My girl

Hello all, Im still alive and well, been livin in an african village, making mud stoves, educatin, and brewin wine. We celebrated the 4th of July this weekend and that is where the pics are from, there my girl Amalia, and scott, n Susan. Miss yall, love yall, not much time at the moment, so I will try to write more later today, but I think I have e-mailed most of you the detailed version.

...(the next day) So anyway, i'm stuck here again in Lilongwe, with not much to do, but hang with friends. So we had our 4th of July party at the ambassadors home, which is very nice, we played games, drank beer, played music, an all types of ill s***t. Im not sure what to write about, send me questions. Um I spend most days riding my bike to various villages and waiting for hours for people to show up. Sometimes I just hang on the stoop of the local store where I can get cold soda's, or I go to Mr Chi's home and watch kids in the hall and family guy on my computer. Not very exciting but its a good life. So things that I could use, because people are always asking, are as follows... AA battaeries, movies, music, headphone, chocalate, granola bars, money, hairties, books, soccerballs. If anyone is interested in helping the wonderful people of Malawi, which is one of the poorest contries in the world, there are many things U can do... Soccerballs, stationary, monetary donations for my specific projects, books for the kids and students, toys. These people really have nothing and yet are the nicest and happyiest people you will ever know. Also, there are many students who would like american pen pals, even just through e-mail. So if anyone could help me set that up, that would be great. So my next project is making soap and fuel briquettes made from crop wastes, I also just purchases seeds of Jastrophia, which is being used as a biofuel and is getting big here in Malawi, also some other beneficial tree's that can be planted with their corn and beans to improve the soil quality. Im waiting for the pictures to download, so im just trying to pass time now. What else... Im also working with a beekeeping club that is trying to get established now, which is a great project because it keeps people from cutting the trees, plus its a great business for them. Yeah, new pictures are ready, sorry there's soo few, but thats all im allowed, Maybe I will try to put more.

So Its been Awhile

African Dance performes for us when we were leaving the Kayesa Inn in Mchinji
Typical View In Dedza, the clouds are always amazing
My Drunken Trainers Simple Sid and Lovemoore dancing at Wellingtons
Roberti with his cock and balls shirt he had made at our farewell ceremony in Sila Village
My Homestay sisters rebecca and ? at farewell

Scott, George, Ja-chi at Wellingtons Party

So, hmm uh training is almost over on Wednesday April 25, I will be sworn in. I will be staying in Chulu village at Kasungu National Park. I really like it there. Ive been having a great time and have been really busy learning Chichewa and drinking a lot a beer. Its a tuff life. Its really beautiful here and everyone is cool. So soon I will be able to save the world and all the animals. I really look foward to it. Miss you guys and love you. I now have a cell phone and the number is 0112659117008. My village has electricity, although I do not, but my phone should always be on, feel free to call me. So to recap on training, we learned about beekeeping, making mudstoves, drawing maps and much more, mostly learning the language though. I've spent the last two weeks traveling about, I went to Kasungu to visit my site, it was fun. My counterpart is very cool and gave me his dog, a big fat lazy cute dog. So I wont be lonely. So after a week there I went to Mchinji, where I stayed in a very nice guest Inn in a forrest and studied Chichewa. We have our final chichewa exam on Monday, which we have to pass to be sworn in, I think Ill do OK. Now im in the capital Lilongwe in transit to Dedza Malawi College of Forestry for the weekend. Then I will be coming back to Lilongwe for swering in then I will be leaving for my site on Thursday the 26th where I will be more or less for 3 months straight. But I am really having a good time and I love it hear in Malawi.

0 days to go

San Jose, Ambergris Caye--Cool bar over ocean, Little Sis Linds is looking at a sting ray below
Hmmm....I think we were going snorkling
Dread-locked Rasta--Caye Caulker
Beach Party-Rendevous Caye (Ron,Zues,Sara,Harry,Denis,Dan,Sheri,Pete)

Pic: Aunt Roe, Brother Joey, Nephew Kaden

So I am still in Dallas, due to bad weather in D.C. and wont get into D.C. until midnight Monday night. I will miss the entire orientation, but at least im not stranded in another city or airport like a lot of my buddies. Im really sad right now, having to say goodbye for 2 more days, painfully dragging it out. But life shall move on. And before you know it, Ill be back. I Love You Guys soooooo much.....Lindsey,Joey,Linda,Lisa,Kaden,Tom,Dylan,Aunt Roe and Uncle Ed and everybody else. I hope to see as many of you as possible in Africa or at least get letters and pictures from yall. Dont worry bout a thing...Everythings gonna be alright. As far as sending me packages... I will make a list of useful items when I'm there and figure it out. The first 3 packages customs fees are paid by the peacecorps, I believe. Padded envelopes work best. Any books about africa, animals, nature, ect. I would love for sure. I'm going to attemp to put a link to more vacation photo's as well as family and friends, parties and what not. I will be thinking bout all you guys a lot and I Love Yall!

3 More Weeks

Hey everybody I'm back from vacation and I've got 3 weeks left until I leave for D.C. for my Peace Corps orientation. We have orientation from the Sunday the 25th- tuesday or wed. the 27th, then we head off to Johannesberg , South Africa in a 15 hour flight and stay the night then leave the next day for Lilongwe, Malawi where I will be in training for about 2 months until April 26 when I will be sworn in and head off to my village for 2 more years.

There's a Family Guy maraton on right now, so I'm a little distracted at the moment. But basically I've been working and kickin it with my friends before I leave.

My trip to Mexico, Belize and Guatemala was sooooo amazing. Here is a breif recap...
Started in Playa del carmen where we spent the night playing drums with locals on the beach
Spent the next night in Corazol, Belize, the northern most city, didnt do to much
Went to San Jose on Ambergris Caye, pretty boring really, way too many tourist
Then off to Caye Caulker, the coolest little hippie/rasta island, I ended up spending the next 4 days there biking, snorkling, kickin back with the local rastas
Then we embarked on what could have been the coolest part of the trip, a 3-day sail to Placencia, Belize, which is close to the south part of Belize
There were 11 of us total and we sailed down the barrier reef stopping throughout the day to swim and snorkel, and spent 2 nights on tiny islands in tents. The most beautiful place I've ever been
Once in Placencia we spent 2 days there on the beautiful beach during the day, and karyoke at night.
Then we took a long bus ride and 2 boats to get to Livingston, Guatemala, a gorgeous town that is not very touristy and where a friend I met earlier, Akeelis, lives. He use to be a tour guide there so my friend Chi and I spent the weekend there hanging out with the locals and dancing all night fri and sat. We listened to garifuna drumming everynight as well as some really good carribean food for cheap. My hotel room cost 3 U.S. dollars.
Sunday we left on a boat to Rio Dulce, it was a ride through a deep canyon with thick jungle and mayans bathing and doing laudrey along the way.
We went straight up to Flores, Guatemala, a deserted but very pituresque town that is in the middle of a huge lake, so its like an island. Basically Ice Cream Heaven. Really all there was to do was eat Ice Cream.
We then headed north to Tikal, the most bad-ass mayan ruins set in the middle of a beautiful rain forrest with howler monkey that roar like lions throughout the day. Chi took off in pitch dark to play drums at the top of a temple and had a runin with an armed guatemalan cop. It was funny.
Then I went back to Caye Caulker and spent a few more days there. I love that island.
Then I headed back to Cancun and did my last night in an all-inclusive resort.
So I'm leaving soon and I could not be more excited. Please write me letters and if you really want to, you can send me care packages. I would apprieciate it more than youll ever know. And if anybody is interested in coming out to Africa, that would be cool too. Yall are all welcome to. Well, back to the marathon.