Swearing In as an Official PCV

On September 1, 2010, 34 health and education trainees were officially sworn in as Peace Corps Volunteers while standing next to both the American and Malawian national flags. The event was held at the US Ambassador's estate (currently, Malawi is sans Ambassador) in Lilongwe. The estate was breathtakingly beautiful including a tennis court, swimming pool, and well manicured garden.

Red, White and Blue-tonniere

The Oath

I was impressed with how great everyone looked, we cleaned up well! You'd never guess we were learning how to shower via a bucket bath, use the pit latrine without falling in and avoiding the spiders, and carry water on our heads without completely soaking ourselves.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, the new PCVs and PC staff enjoyed delicious appetizers and desserts. We even had pseudo-chocolate cake. I'm not sure real chocolate cake exists in Eastern Africa...even in Ethiopia, the cakes would look delicious with what appeared to be mouth watering chocolate icing and cake; but alas, just kidding, not really chocolate. So I'm now on a mission to find real chocolate cake in Malawi ;)

Pseudo-Chocolate Cake

And of course, we all posed with the cakes before devouring. This was our last day together as a combined group of health and education volunteers. The following day, we each set off to each of our new sites. Bon voyage!!

The New PCVs of Malawi :)

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

Before I left America, my mom and I both read a book about Malawi that the Fayetteville Public Library featured in their book-of-the-month book club. The book, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba, chronicles the life of William as a young Malawian boy struggling to attend school to feed his passion for science.

"William Kamkwamba was born in Malawi, Africa, a country plagued by AIDS and poverty. Like most people in his village, his family subsisted on the meager crops they could grow, living without the luxuries - considered necessities in the West - of electricity or running water. Already living on the edge, the situation became dire when, in 2002, Malawi experienced the worst famine in 50 years. Struggling to survive, 14-year-old William was forced to drop out of school because his family could not afford the $80-a-year tuition.

Though he was not in a classroom, William continued to think, learn—and dream. Armed with curiosity, determination, and a library book he discovered in a nearby library, he embarked on a daring plan—to build a windmill that could bring his family the electricity only two percent of Malawians could afford. Using scrap metal, tractor parts, and blue-gum trees, William forged a crude yet working windmill, an unlikely hand-built contraption that would successfully power four light bulbs and two radios in his family’s compound. Soon, news of his invention spread, attracting interest and offers of help from around the world. Not only did William return to school but he and was offered the opportunity to visit wind farms in the United States, much like the ones he hopes to build across Africa.

A moving tale of one boy’s struggle to create a better life, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is William’s amazing story—a journey that offers hope for the lives of other Africans—and the whole world, irrefutably demonstrating that one individual can make a difference."

More about the book

So the book is great, and I recommend that everyone read it! The crazy thing is, he came and spoke to us during PST! Strange...the only celebrity Malawian I'm aware of I get to meet him during my second week of training :) I shook his hand and told him my mom loved him! Plus I got a picture with him.

Village Farewell

After 5 weeks of homestay, the four villages that hosted PCTs (PC Trainees) were invited to attend a farewell ceremony. Health volunteers conducted demonstrations on healthy behaviors learned during technical trainings. My friends and I demonstrated WaterGuard Wa Ufa & the benefits of clean drinking water!

Our host families were invited to attend the ceremony and receive certificates of honor from the PC Country Director. In appreciation, our amayis (mothers) performed a traditional dance in our honor. Chiphazi's amayis all dressed in the same chitenje (traditional cloth worn by all women).

Traditional Dance of Chiphazi Amayis

After all the certificates were handed out and village dances were over, the Gule Wamkulu (The Big Dance) came out to celebrate...The Gule Wamkulu are a special & secret group of men that dress in costumes and masks and provocatively dance when the village chief invites them to special ceremonies. The Gule are considered to be in an animal state when dancing & are not responsible for their behavior. It has been rumored that if you cross a Gule's path, you could be potentially kidnapped. Children run away in fear of them. The dance is symbolic of meshing of the the ancestral spiritual world and the present. It was quite a sight to see :)

The Gule Wamkulu

During village homestay, I witnessed a girls' initiation in which the Gule Wamkulu were performing. Many Christian religions forbid their congregants from attending events with in which the Gule perform because of their lewd behavior. At the initiation, girls naked and decorated with beads danced to the beat of the drums and with the encouragement of the Gule Wamkulu. These girls had reached puberty...the day before the Big Dance, the girls gathered around a large tree to learn about their menses and childbearing. The Gule Wamkulu danced all weekend. The one time I was out late in the village was to watch the Gule in the moonlight...a small group of us danced with them!

PST in the Phaz :)

For the first 8 weeks in Malawi, I underwent Pre Service Training (PST). This included health technical trainings, language courses, and Malawian culture lessons. PST was located in Dedza, a mountainous and cold area in the Central region. We were very fortunate to be in such as beautiful location!

My First View of Dedza

During the first week, I climbed Dedza Mountain, a pretty cool mountain located right behind our bunks at training site. From the top, you can see Mozambique and plenty of mountains.

Dedza Mountain

For 5 weeks I lived with a Malawian family for what PC calls Homestay. I was fortunate to stay in Chiphazi or the Phaz as we called it with 8 other PCTs. I lived with a widow and her 2 children (she has 4, one at school, the other is married). They were very accommodating to my strange American behaviors. My amayi (mom) was a excellent cook! My achemwali (sister) Coria helped me with Chichewa. And my achemwene (brother) Phempo would entertain me with songs and dance. I lived in a modest room, but was living in luxury because I had a bedframe (oh, the simplest things in life are so pleasing). I was a constant source of entertainment for the family, especially when I brought out my camera!

My Homestay Family

Not only was I amusing to my family, but the entire village. Wherever I went, I was a constant spectacle to the village children. My friends and I would go for walks which confused many. They would ask us, "Where are you going?" We would respond, "We are just going for a walk." They would ask, "Where?" The concept of exercising is lost on many Malawians.

The Paparazzi

Health Technical trainings consisted of learning a variety of PACA tools (Participatory Action for Community Analysis), health indicators for Malawi from the Demographic and Health Survey, and techniques for community development. My particular favorite was the day we made our host families sanitation platforms for their pit latrines.

Community Mapping

Problem Tree: Insufficient Water Sources

But PST wasn't all work...of course not. My 33 new best friends and I got to enjoy the local dive (Ed's Bar), explore new foods (some ate mice, not i), and visit Dedza hot spots! Dedza Pottery is an amazing venue with fantastic food, especially the cheesecake. It's not really cheesecake, more like egg custard, but delicious nonetheless. I also devoured mushroom and tomato quiche and coffee!!!!!!

CHEESECAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Whew....ok, thats alot for now....plenty more to come in future blogs! Stay tuned for more on PST and swearing in :)