Simple Daily Reflection

Orange spots of sunlight gleam between the bluegum trees as I watch the world disappear behind us in the fingerprint-speckled rearview mirror on the mini bus. To our left, Mulanje mountain glows purple as it always does at this time in the evening when the sun sinks below the earth, putting an end to the hot day. A faint, yet almost full moon floats above the mountain, almost in the center of the elongated rock structure.

Along my way from the capital city, I'd seen so many depressing as well as incredible sights that, despite having been here for over 20 months, still touch my heart. Child labor at its finest as kids dig up dry fields to cultivate and struggle to carry buckets of water on their heads. Diminishing forests next to piles and piles of charcoal. Then there are the pristinely wild looking mountains and hillsides and cute lines of chicks waddling along the sides of the roads. I think about how new and shocking this all was when I arrived here; debating whether it's me who's changed or whether I've just become accustomed to the sights and this life.

Yet every single day I can find something to be thankful for here in Malawi. And it's not just the obvious things like running water and electricity. It's the opportunity to live in this changing place and to see the beauty of it before it's all gone. It's the chance to experience a culture from as close to an insiders view as I can get. It's the fact that I can have conversations with anyone and everyone in the vernacular language and convince them that I'm not just a tourist.

And that's my favorite thing about my life right now. I'm living this exotic lifestyle that seems wild and raw and absurd to so many, yet to me, I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be than out in the world, doing my thing, appreciating the beauty around me, and breaking the mold of what life should be like by challenging social norms and living a simple, happy life. Despite the hardships, I can't think of anywhere is rather be. Bliss, my friends. Find it.

Emergency Evacuation!

It’s been a whirlwind of a week. A giant tropical storm slammed the southern region of Malawi a few days ago with multiple feet of rainfall in 2-3 days. Considering homes and buildings are made of sandy mud bricks around here, lots of rain can weaken these walls and cause walls and entire structures to collapse. Thankfully I was not in my village when the storm hit (I was staying with a friend who knew the storm was on its way), so I was safe. I watched the storm bend palm trees and flop big branches from the safely of a large front porch that overlooked the tea estates. The rain came in waves usually of ridiculously hard rapping on the roof to light drizzling, and we had phases of thunder and lightning. One thing was for sure though—it didn’t stop raining for three days straight. The only discomfort I experienced though was temperamental electricity (which didn’t bother me since I’m used to not having it anyway). Besides that, I spent four days working on lesson plans for programs in...

Neighborhood Kids

It's funny how me sitting outside on my front porch studying development materials can quickly turn into a gaggle of kids in my yard playing. My cute toddler friend Macy comes over to chat with her sister, a few neighbors kids join us, then she gets her "Malawian jump rope," more kids come (in their purple uniforms because they're on their way home from school), and before I know it, my yard has because a playground. Even though it can be frustrating when I actually need to get things done, sometimes being in the center of the village, surrounded by activity, a highly frequented produce stand, and children, can be a blessing.

Luderitz

After a week of rest and recovery (sort of) in Windhoek, I decided it was time to get down to the work exchange I'd organized to do down in the remote, coastal town of Luderitz. Honestly, I was getting bored of playing tourist and ready to get back to doing meaningful work. I hitched a ride down to Keetmanskoop, a small, commercial town about five hours south of Windhoek. When I arrived, I was actually lucky enough to meet two Peace Corps Volunteers living there. It was great swapping info on our two countries for a bit. Then I did some wandering around town...although there wasn't a whole lot to see. The guy I'm doing the work exchange with (his name is Giel for future reference) was kind enough to drive over 350km to come pick me up in Keetmans, so I was happy to have a safe and reliable ride into Luderitz. The scenery on the drive, before it got dark, was pretty amazing as the sunset painted the sky orange-y yellow and in the far off distance we could see lines of rain...

Under the Milky Way

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