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.