Tuesday, December 23, 2008
My Box of Letters
I spent last night reading everyone's Christmas letters. I just had to write again to say how much I truly loved them.
Best Christmas present I've ever received.
In the note on top my mom wrote "I was trying to think of what you'd want for Christmas and the only thing I could come up with was us!!! (who wouldn't)"
I can't think of a truer statement.
Merry Christmas and lots of love!
Best Christmas present I've ever received.
In the note on top my mom wrote "I was trying to think of what you'd want for Christmas and the only thing I could come up with was us!!! (who wouldn't)"
I can't think of a truer statement.
Merry Christmas and lots of love!
Merry Christmas from Malawi!
Merry Christmas!
I cannot believe it's December, let alone Christmas time already! This year's gone by so quickly and my time here is going by even faster.
I'm in Lilongwe for the day to meet with some friends from my training group for the holidays. Tomorrow morning we'll be heading to Senga Bay to spend Christmas camping on the beach!
I was able to pick up my mail today and received the box of letters my mom gathered from everyone in my family. I was so absolutely overwhelmed and so happy! I can't even describe it! It's so nice to hear from everyone at home, I love and miss you all. Thanks for thinking of me!
And thank you to everyone who's been sending me emails, letters, packages, etc. I know it's a pain that they take so long to get here and even longer for me to respond, but every letter or good thought from home that comes my way means the world!
Enjoy the holidays!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Love and Good Thoughts!
Kelly
I cannot believe it's December, let alone Christmas time already! This year's gone by so quickly and my time here is going by even faster.
I'm in Lilongwe for the day to meet with some friends from my training group for the holidays. Tomorrow morning we'll be heading to Senga Bay to spend Christmas camping on the beach!
I was able to pick up my mail today and received the box of letters my mom gathered from everyone in my family. I was so absolutely overwhelmed and so happy! I can't even describe it! It's so nice to hear from everyone at home, I love and miss you all. Thanks for thinking of me!
And thank you to everyone who's been sending me emails, letters, packages, etc. I know it's a pain that they take so long to get here and even longer for me to respond, but every letter or good thought from home that comes my way means the world!
Enjoy the holidays!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Love and Good Thoughts!
Kelly
A Few Reactions toward Me in My First Few Days
- Small children who scream, cry, and run away in fear upon seeing me
- Small children who are so incredibly happy to see me that the follow me, reach for my hands, and smile from ear to ear especially when I ask them their names
- A handful of people who upon my greeting them and asking how they are say “I am not well, I am hungry” or “Please give me food, I have nothing”
- People who tell me I should stay for more than two years and that Malawi is now my home
- A woman who asked if I was here to take pictures
- Many smiling, welcoming faces, when in Chichewa I introduce myself and say that I will be teaching here for the next two years
Gwangwa CDSS
I've been able to spend a few hours here and there looking through the materials and resources at my school. As I said before, my school's been completely renovated over the last two years with money from the African Development Fund. There are two new classroom buildings (two classrooms per building), two old classroom buildings, a library, a laboratory, and staffroom, and bathrooms (still pit latrines, I'm not that lucky) all enclosed by a very large brick fence.
The school grounds are fairly expansive; there are trees, shrubs, and some grasses dispersed throughout.
Each of the new classrooms have about 50 desks and chairs as well as two chalkboards in the front of the room. However, there are over twice as many students as desks in Forms One and Two, so I'll see how that works out come January when school is in session.
Attached to the the staff room, where I'll have my own spot and table, there is an office for the head teacher which also has a Dell computer and printer/copier machine.
The entire school has solar panels atop each building providing power for the computer and fortunately for me, to be able to charge my own phone, laptop, etc. There are a few water taps throughout the grounds so students can drink, wash their hands, etc. The water is pumped from a large storage tank also enclosed by the brick fence.
The area of my school which I've been spending the most time in so far is the building which holds the library and lab. I've been sorting through the books in the library; they're mostly assorted donated books and texts of all kinds. There are a ton of good resources to be found here for both students and teachers. I'm hoping that by organizing the space I'll be able to make it more accessible and encourage it's use. There's a study/reading room attached to it as well and I've been told that occasionally this space is used by students after school. I'm hoping to encourage much more of this when I begin teaching.
It's interesting the sorts of book that are housed within my library; some are great, some are very random. There's a decent set of texts (25 or so) for each of the major subjects but there are also sets of French books, books for using computers, for using Microsoft 2000, a set of teacher's edition Junior High algebra books, technical drawing, telescopes and astronomy, an entire set of the Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, and a few old but really great old novels like those by Steinbeck, Tolstoy, etc.
I feel similarly about my school's lab in that there's a ton of potential for it use. For now, it's not used at all and many of the chemicals and materials that came with it are still in their boxes, some opened, some not. There's a ton to sort through; chemicals, glassware, an autoclave, skeletons, batteries, models, all kinds of good resources for teaching and learning.
For now, I'll continue sorting through these two areas and soon after Christmas will start planning for the upcoming school year. I suppose I should say a bit about the school schedule.
In Malawi both primary and secondary school years are divided into three terms each lasting somewhere between 13 and 15 weeks depending on the year. This year the tentative schedule is as follows:
Term 1: January5th - April 3rd
Term 2: April 27th - July 24th
Term 3: August 17th - November 20th
So I'll have three sizable breaks throughout the year to relax, work on other projects and hopefully do some traveling throughout the country and continent.
The school grounds are fairly expansive; there are trees, shrubs, and some grasses dispersed throughout.
Each of the new classrooms have about 50 desks and chairs as well as two chalkboards in the front of the room. However, there are over twice as many students as desks in Forms One and Two, so I'll see how that works out come January when school is in session.
Attached to the the staff room, where I'll have my own spot and table, there is an office for the head teacher which also has a Dell computer and printer/copier machine.
The entire school has solar panels atop each building providing power for the computer and fortunately for me, to be able to charge my own phone, laptop, etc. There are a few water taps throughout the grounds so students can drink, wash their hands, etc. The water is pumped from a large storage tank also enclosed by the brick fence.
The area of my school which I've been spending the most time in so far is the building which holds the library and lab. I've been sorting through the books in the library; they're mostly assorted donated books and texts of all kinds. There are a ton of good resources to be found here for both students and teachers. I'm hoping that by organizing the space I'll be able to make it more accessible and encourage it's use. There's a study/reading room attached to it as well and I've been told that occasionally this space is used by students after school. I'm hoping to encourage much more of this when I begin teaching.
It's interesting the sorts of book that are housed within my library; some are great, some are very random. There's a decent set of texts (25 or so) for each of the major subjects but there are also sets of French books, books for using computers, for using Microsoft 2000, a set of teacher's edition Junior High algebra books, technical drawing, telescopes and astronomy, an entire set of the Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, and a few old but really great old novels like those by Steinbeck, Tolstoy, etc.
I feel similarly about my school's lab in that there's a ton of potential for it use. For now, it's not used at all and many of the chemicals and materials that came with it are still in their boxes, some opened, some not. There's a ton to sort through; chemicals, glassware, an autoclave, skeletons, batteries, models, all kinds of good resources for teaching and learning.
For now, I'll continue sorting through these two areas and soon after Christmas will start planning for the upcoming school year. I suppose I should say a bit about the school schedule.
In Malawi both primary and secondary school years are divided into three terms each lasting somewhere between 13 and 15 weeks depending on the year. This year the tentative schedule is as follows:
Term 1: January5th - April 3rd
Term 2: April 27th - July 24th
Term 3: August 17th - November 20th
So I'll have three sizable breaks throughout the year to relax, work on other projects and hopefully do some traveling throughout the country and continent.
My House
Now that I’ve actually moved in and am starting to feel settled into my new home, I can speak a bit more about it. (And post a few pictures)
My new home for the next two years lies amongst a row of primary school teacher’s houses between Gwanga Primary and Secondary Schools. My house is quite cozy with one open sitting room and three smaller bedrooms or storage rooms. I have a front and back door with sliding locks and bolts on each. In total there are four windows throughout, one in each of the four rooms, each with their own sliding locks as well. The entire house is made of red brick and has an old yet durable tin roof atop it. Directly across from my back door there is an outdoor kitchen with a small room for bathing attached to one side. This small building is made of red brick as well but has a thatched straw roof. Unfortunately, as of now my kitchen lets in quite a bit of rain which is making it a bit hard to store dried firewood inside, but I’ll manage. My chimbudzi (outdoor toilet/pit latrine) can be found at the very back of my yard. It’s newly dug, has a concrete floor, brick walls, and a thatched straw roof. This reminds me to mention that most of the doorways in the village homes I’ve been in, mine included, are unusually short. I’m quite sure all of my doorways are barely over 5ft tall. After hitting my head many, many, MANY times, I’ve started to grow accustomed to ducking upon entering rooms.
My entire backyard is enclosed by a sturdy straw fence, held together by limbs from my now slightly mangled large tree. I’m extremely happy about my fence; it’s nearly 6ft tall and provides me with a bit of privacy as well as a sense of security. Speaking of security, I have hired a night watchman who comes to sit in front of my house every night from 5pm til 5am. It’s not that I don’t feel safe in my area, but my headteacher, Mr. Kangulu, recommended that I hire a watchman and truthfully he knows much better than I do. Plus, hiring someone is a good way for me to put more money into the community. I don’t actually know his name, I just refer to him with a respectful Chichewan word for old man, because he is in fact quite old but very, very nice. He sweeps my yard each morning as well as splits my firewood, all without me asking him to do so. I think that we will get along quite well and I do feel safer with him outside at night.
As far as my backyard goes, there are two trees and a lot of red dirt and rocks. Unfortunately, I don’t know the names of the trees, but I definitely intend to find out. The larger of the two is a good 40ft tall which will come in handy in keeping my yard and future garden a bit shaded.
The view behind my house is absolutely incredible. It’s almost a shame to have the fence blocking it (almost). Everywhere you look there’s nothing but green; large pastures, a variety of shrubs, fields and trees as well as large hills in the background. It’s very picturesque, much like something you’d find in nature magazine or wall calendar.
As far as the inside goes, I haven’t much in terms of furniture but I can have more made if I wish. I’m using the backroom as my bedroom and inside I have a bed with a new mattress as well as a small table to keep my clothes, etc. upon. The other back room will be used for storage of my water buckets, pans, bike, etc. By the way, as far as drawing water goes, I've been filling my buckets each morning from the running tap outside my head teacher's home. It's cleaner and closer than the bore hole, so I'm very fortunate to be able to use it.
In the front of my house, there is one additional "bedroom" which again I'm just using for storage for now (maybe for potential visitors in the future?) Then there is a larger sitting room in which I have a place-I-put-everything sort of table, four chairs, and an additional tiny table as well. I've hung a chitenje on the wall to decorate for now and hopefully will be able to do more to make it feel like a home in the future.
Yes, my house is a bit of a fixer-upper. I have a few holes in my roof, which are being patched. Some additional plastering and painting that needs to be done and a few other minor things as well. I have to sweep every day, sometimes more than once and definitely won't be keeping anything on the floor. I frequently find many small friends (ants, crickets, spiders, etc.) and may or may not have a bit of a termite problem brewing in my front room.
Osadandaula (don't worry) I'm happy, safe and looking forward to making my little house a home.
My new home for the next two years lies amongst a row of primary school teacher’s houses between Gwanga Primary and Secondary Schools. My house is quite cozy with one open sitting room and three smaller bedrooms or storage rooms. I have a front and back door with sliding locks and bolts on each. In total there are four windows throughout, one in each of the four rooms, each with their own sliding locks as well. The entire house is made of red brick and has an old yet durable tin roof atop it. Directly across from my back door there is an outdoor kitchen with a small room for bathing attached to one side. This small building is made of red brick as well but has a thatched straw roof. Unfortunately, as of now my kitchen lets in quite a bit of rain which is making it a bit hard to store dried firewood inside, but I’ll manage. My chimbudzi (outdoor toilet/pit latrine) can be found at the very back of my yard. It’s newly dug, has a concrete floor, brick walls, and a thatched straw roof. This reminds me to mention that most of the doorways in the village homes I’ve been in, mine included, are unusually short. I’m quite sure all of my doorways are barely over 5ft tall. After hitting my head many, many, MANY times, I’ve started to grow accustomed to ducking upon entering rooms.
My entire backyard is enclosed by a sturdy straw fence, held together by limbs from my now slightly mangled large tree. I’m extremely happy about my fence; it’s nearly 6ft tall and provides me with a bit of privacy as well as a sense of security. Speaking of security, I have hired a night watchman who comes to sit in front of my house every night from 5pm til 5am. It’s not that I don’t feel safe in my area, but my headteacher, Mr. Kangulu, recommended that I hire a watchman and truthfully he knows much better than I do. Plus, hiring someone is a good way for me to put more money into the community. I don’t actually know his name, I just refer to him with a respectful Chichewan word for old man, because he is in fact quite old but very, very nice. He sweeps my yard each morning as well as splits my firewood, all without me asking him to do so. I think that we will get along quite well and I do feel safer with him outside at night.
As far as my backyard goes, there are two trees and a lot of red dirt and rocks. Unfortunately, I don’t know the names of the trees, but I definitely intend to find out. The larger of the two is a good 40ft tall which will come in handy in keeping my yard and future garden a bit shaded.
The view behind my house is absolutely incredible. It’s almost a shame to have the fence blocking it (almost). Everywhere you look there’s nothing but green; large pastures, a variety of shrubs, fields and trees as well as large hills in the background. It’s very picturesque, much like something you’d find in nature magazine or wall calendar.
As far as the inside goes, I haven’t much in terms of furniture but I can have more made if I wish. I’m using the backroom as my bedroom and inside I have a bed with a new mattress as well as a small table to keep my clothes, etc. upon. The other back room will be used for storage of my water buckets, pans, bike, etc. By the way, as far as drawing water goes, I've been filling my buckets each morning from the running tap outside my head teacher's home. It's cleaner and closer than the bore hole, so I'm very fortunate to be able to use it.
In the front of my house, there is one additional "bedroom" which again I'm just using for storage for now (maybe for potential visitors in the future?) Then there is a larger sitting room in which I have a place-I-put-everything sort of table, four chairs, and an additional tiny table as well. I've hung a chitenje on the wall to decorate for now and hopefully will be able to do more to make it feel like a home in the future.
Yes, my house is a bit of a fixer-upper. I have a few holes in my roof, which are being patched. Some additional plastering and painting that needs to be done and a few other minor things as well. I have to sweep every day, sometimes more than once and definitely won't be keeping anything on the floor. I frequently find many small friends (ants, crickets, spiders, etc.) and may or may not have a bit of a termite problem brewing in my front room.
Osadandaula (don't worry) I'm happy, safe and looking forward to making my little house a home.
The Local Market
December 20th, 2008
Today I took my first trip alone to the local market. Every Saturday a small market is held about a 45 minute walk away from my school. There are a few tiny shops open on this day as well as vendors selling clothes, shoes, chitenjes, vegetables, fruits, fried meats and potatoes, etc.
I had been to this market briefly last Saturday, but accompanied by my head teacher’s son and two junior high aged nieces. This time, however, I ventured out alone.
I’m becoming used to being stared at by everyone wherever I go. It’s a very strange feeling to know that absolutely everyone is watching you and wondering who you are, what you’re doing there and why.
Once at the market, I made my way through the staring faces and tried to speak with as many people as possible. I also successfully bought a new chitenje, tomatoes, onions, and bananas all at a normal and reasonable price. I was afraid that maybe I would be expected to pay more than someone else buying the same things, as it’s assumed that I have much more money to spend, but everything matched up to the prices that the girls had quoted for me the day before.
On my way to the market, I decided to walk rather than ride my bike so I could chat and meet people along my way. I passed several homes and small villages and was able to greet many people, crying and ecstatic children included.
Halfway through my walk, I came across two old women washing their hands, face, and feet in a very large puddle along the side of the path. They were short (clearly stunted), thin, and appeared to be very old, though I doubt they were much past 40. One of them also had a very large goiter on her neck, clearly deficient in food and nutrients.
They walked with me for the duration of my journey and we chatted about the market, the fields, the rains, etc. Clearly, this is how I will best learn Chichewa and more about Malawi, through small exchanges like this one each day.
Today I took my first trip alone to the local market. Every Saturday a small market is held about a 45 minute walk away from my school. There are a few tiny shops open on this day as well as vendors selling clothes, shoes, chitenjes, vegetables, fruits, fried meats and potatoes, etc.
I had been to this market briefly last Saturday, but accompanied by my head teacher’s son and two junior high aged nieces. This time, however, I ventured out alone.
I’m becoming used to being stared at by everyone wherever I go. It’s a very strange feeling to know that absolutely everyone is watching you and wondering who you are, what you’re doing there and why.
Once at the market, I made my way through the staring faces and tried to speak with as many people as possible. I also successfully bought a new chitenje, tomatoes, onions, and bananas all at a normal and reasonable price. I was afraid that maybe I would be expected to pay more than someone else buying the same things, as it’s assumed that I have much more money to spend, but everything matched up to the prices that the girls had quoted for me the day before.
On my way to the market, I decided to walk rather than ride my bike so I could chat and meet people along my way. I passed several homes and small villages and was able to greet many people, crying and ecstatic children included.
Halfway through my walk, I came across two old women washing their hands, face, and feet in a very large puddle along the side of the path. They were short (clearly stunted), thin, and appeared to be very old, though I doubt they were much past 40. One of them also had a very large goiter on her neck, clearly deficient in food and nutrients.
They walked with me for the duration of my journey and we chatted about the market, the fields, the rains, etc. Clearly, this is how I will best learn Chichewa and more about Malawi, through small exchanges like this one each day.
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