Under the Milky Way

I’m slowly beginning to adjust to developed world life. I’m getting used to the daily HOT showers, brushing my teeth in a sink, busy sidewalks and roads, and a whole plethora of food and drink options. What still overwhelms me though is walking into a mall or store and the amount of colors, lights, and mirrors coming from all directions and that completely put me into sensory overload. We walked into H&M, and I felt like I’ve fallen into a snow globe. I know I went from a rural village to a major city in the span of a few days, but WHOA. Walking through the mall shopping center, I felt like I had ADHD with the amount of things to see, smell, and hear, all while I have to walk and figure out where I’m going?! A simple trip to a pharmacy today made my brain feel like it was firing in a million different directions making it impossible for me to focus on what I was even in there for. Why are there so many options!? And what is it with mirrors? They’re so confusing! ...

Reverse culture shock. You don’t think it will actually happen. But then it creeps up on you. Going from Malawi, even the capital in Malawi, to Cape Town, South Africa has been like going from zero to 10,000. There are so many choices at the grocery store, so many expensive cars and pothole-less roads, so many smartphones, and so many women wearing trousers and leggings all around. The skyscrapers are enormously tall and construction of new ones is happening with massive mechanical machines. People rush around with headphones in, completely tuned out of the world and their surroundings. Shops are chock-full of material goods, all set up enticingly, and restaurants have so many food options. People are a beautiful blend of mixed races and cultures. There are wide sidewalks, pedestrian crosswalks, and stoplights. The produce and meats at the grocery store are all wrapped up in plastic. I feel so lost and over stimulated. What happened to my simple, village life? ...

I will sleep tonight with an extremely heavy heart and puffy, red eyes. Today I had to leave my home here in Malawi.  I remember my ideas about Peace Corps and Africa before I left America. Like most people who have never been to Africa and who often only hear about the bad things that happen here, I was intimidated and a bit scared about the idea of living in a rural village by myself. My going away parties were difficult—I thought they would be the hardest goodbyes I’d ever face. Not seeing so many people I care deeply about for two years; I couldn’t even imagine it.   But today was hard in a different kind of way. Saying goodbye to someone you love, knowing you’ll be back in two years, is completely unlike saying goodbye to someone whom you don’t know if you’ll ever see again (partially because you know they don’t have the means to leave). I’ve said a lot of goodbyes in the past two years, and I thought I’d progressed from the days when I was always the first to c...

You know, I used to really hate the rain. It meant getting soaking wet at cross-country practice. It meant a yucky walk to school in the mud. It meant needing to carry an umbrella amongst so many other things. When I woke up to rain, it would automatically put me in a bad mood. But my mind has completely turned around regarding rain. I remember my first month in Bondo Village—there was a full week when it didn’t stop raining. Cooking outside was a challenge, and I was struggling for entertainment. I was so bored and miserable. I spent a whole day doodling in a sketchbook with literally nothing else to do. I specifically remember this one time when I was talking to my neighbor and asked her if she liked rain or sunshine to which she replied rain. I couldn’t believe it. I told her I preferred sunshine, ‘like a little sunshine child’ I thought. Whenever it was sunny, I practically sprawled out on my porch, soaking up the Vit D and enjoying the warmth on my skin (it ...

As thrilling and adventurous as my life may seem from the outside, sometimes it’s just downright hard. This past week tested and tried me—It was probably one of the most difficult of my service. Yet I still can’t seem to figure out why… Transitions are always difficult; change often goes against human nature. We get comfortable in a lifestyle, and we can become resistant to change. I have become as comfortable as I can possibly be in the village—as someone who grew up with so many luxuries, it will always be challenging in times of discomfort to not crave things like a comfy couch, a hug from a friend, a good movie, a glass of wine, being able to call a friend without worrying about a dwindling phone battery and network issues, etc. But anyway, back to the point, transitions. I’ve now gone through the COS (Close of Service) conference for my two year Peace Corps experience and am looking to the future. Correction , I’m anxious and stressed about the future. As much as I want to c...

Over the past few months, I worked with our local secondary school to do a fun, arts project. Having wanted to start an art club at the school for the past year, I've been too busy to really commit to the project. Also, it doesn't exactly fit into the health framework that I'm supposed to be basing my projects on. Despite this, I worked together with the head teacher and artistically-inclined students to do a 4m x 2m World Map mural! We started in December although here in Malawi, that's not ideal timing. Afternoon rains forced us to stop multiple times, but we rescheduled and continued working. First, we used small rulers and triangles to make a grid of 6cm x 6cm squares--28 rows x 56 rows of them, so 1,568 squares in total. This took much longer than expected to get them straight and perfect. Then the rain came. The next session, we worked on drawing each continent and country using this grid. The group, which comprised of almost all boys except for one ...