His Excellency President Bingu wa Mutharika

On July 21, 2010, Peace Corps Malawi Volunteers and Staff attended a formal luncheon at the President of Malawi's estates in Lilongwe. President Bingu wa Mutharika (rhymes with Metallica) hosted a spectacular event for some 100+ PCVs. The luncheon took place within a large air-conditioned tent with three huge chandeliers. The three course luncheon included soup, traditional Malawian fare, and dessert plus South African alcohol :)

President Bingu graciously thanked PC for the 40+ years of service in Malawi. After his speech, he invited us onto the dance floor with his wife, First Lady Callista.  Afterwards, he posed for a picture with us (see below).

You probably can't see me, but I'm the gorgeous gal in brown to the far left, second row ;)

Keep in mind, this was during many third week of training. It was a real treat that PCTs got to attend this event during our intensive pre service training period. It was also a nice respite from language classes and health technical demonstrations.

That day, the event was broadcast on Malawian TV and radio stations as well as newspapers. People know of PCVs as the ones who partied with the President :)

You can read about the event here: http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.media.press.view&news_id=1599

Afterwards, all trainees were bussed back to Dedza (our training site). The good mood ended there...on the trip back, the bus I was riding on hit an elderly man crossing the street. Motorvehiclar accidents are unfortunately very common in Malawi, the third leading cause of death. No matter how common, it is still upsetting to witness. Needless to say, July 21 was both the best and worst day so far in Malawi.