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.