Keep Walking

Hello my loyal readers!

There’s not too much to report as of late. Mainly life has just been moving along and slowly but surely I’ve started working. February has been an interesting month to say the least, full of ups and downs and surprisingly a lot of time away from site. It has definitely been a month to seriously wear on my patience…

I’ll start with the bad and work to the good, that way we all end on a more happy, positive note, ok?

Like I said before, my patience lately has been tried beyond its limits. I feel like there are a lot of cultural behaviors that I put up with or let slide, and so far that’s been ok, but I guess everyone has their breaking point in which all the little things build and build and eventually it’s all too much.

I do not feel like explaining all the issues that came up over the last couple of weeks, since it would only be to my benefit to “bitch” about them, and I’ve already done that enough to close friends and family.

I will say though, that the cultural behaviors that bother me the most are:
1. Alcoholism – alcoholism is a serious problem here and not treated as such. People (mainly men) can get drunk and act like idiots and treat people poorly and it’s written off as acceptable because, “Oh he’s just drunk, it’s ok.” No one stands up to drunk people either. Once a drunkard followed me and Dre into a tea shop to beg us for money and the shop owner didn’t do anything about it. Money is wasted on alcohol and it’s all completely acceptable.
2. Lack of accountability – there is practically no accountability here, no pride in one’s work. I honestly think someone does a poor job on something just so they can charge you more later to fix it. People borrow things and break them and don’t tell you or act like they never took it in the first place. And back to the alcoholism, when sober, a drunk will never admit or hold himself accountable for his behavior. Low on the chain government workers (teachers, HSAs) are never fired. They can show up drunk or not show up at all and it slides because there’s no one to replace them. If there’s a serious issue they move them to a different location. Like my former head HSA was a drunk and had many problems, and recently they moved him to a different health center, and I found out this is the fourth time he’s been relocated.
3. Lack of appreciation and understanding of a “gift” – people are grateful when you do something for them, that’s not the issue. The issue is that it’s never enough. At a fellow PCVs going away party at his village (he had been a teacher at a secondary school for 2 years) one of the other teachers got up and said, “Thank you, and when you go home, do not forget us and tell your family to send us money.” There’s no concept that if I do something here it’s out of the kindness of my heart, I’m a volunteer, not an employee, that everything I give (time, money, things etc.) are gifts, and that you’re not supposed to act like you deserve more or ask for more. For example, my mother sent Gladys a headlamp because she’s always using mine and they have been feeding and taking care of me. Well in my latest care package from my mom, she sent me two small fans to travel with. Gladys was playing with one one day and says to me, “You should tell your mom to send me one too!”

*sigh* I know all these things are cultural and that not everyone acts this way, but dealing with this kind of thing day to day is very tiresome..

Luckily I was spared at my tipping point. I took a trip to Lilongwe for the weekend last weekend to get away and when I went to talk to my supervisor about something he asked, “What are you going to be doing next week?” I said, “No plans.” And he asked if I would be willing to come to Dedza for the week to help with their planning for the next Pre-Service Training for the new group of trainees coming in on April 27th. It was a whole week of free food, hot showers, free lodging and time away from site. Who could say no to that?

So last Sunday I went Dedza with 2 other volunteers from the Environment sector. The new group coming in is half health half environment. It wasn’t very exciting, and mainly the three of us spent the majority of the time watching Glee and True Blood and a few movies in between. BUT we did help out, giving input and suggestions on the over all curriculum and logistics of the next training, so I think the next PST will be even better than ours was.

I’m going to be a  Resource Volunteer during the actual training. They like to bring current volunteers in for a week at a time to help out and answer questions and give input. I sent in my application, but they haven’t made decisions yet. I will be going for Week 1, which is the second week the trainees are here and their first week at homestay. I’m really excited that I get to be a part of the new trainees’ experience, but I’m not looking forward to staying with some strange family for a week with not electricity, lol. But it’ll be fun and feel like I’m back at my own homestay experience. I can’t wait to meet at the new people when they arrive here on Sunday! I’m having a very very busy time lately and a lot of time away from site, but I guess I can’t complain too much. hehe

Other exciting news: I’ve completed my first ever grant proposal, and I must say I’m quite impressed with myself! It’s for my Nets for Tests program, a mosquito net exchange program, offering a free net for an HIV test. I filled out the project proposal, came up with monitoring and evaluating and drafted a project budget. I gave it all to my supervisor to go over before turning it in for good, so hopefully he likes it and I can turn it all in and get this show on the road!

It feels good to have actually started to do something. I know a huge part of Peace Corps and my experience here is cultural exchange, but it’s nice to feel like I may soon accomplish something real.

This doesn’t pertain to my work, but another thing I’ve done recently to do something, is I’ve hired a secondary school student to do work around my house (slash the grass, repair my fence, sweep, dig away the termite mounds etc.) in exchange for me paying his school fees. This way I don’t have to do all that crap and I’m helping a boy finish school and have a shot at a real future. I feel pretty good about it  

 

I am happy that I’m here and they don’t call this “the toughest job you’ll ever love” for no reason. I’m back at site after my week at Dedza and feeling a little better and optimistic about the remainder of my time here. I love my village and my neighbors, I think I just need to learn to set better boundaries and expectations of my life here for things to be good. As with any problems in life, it’s important to breathe and just keep walking…

Speaking of my village and neighbors, here are some photos!

During rainy season, fire wood is a problem because it’s expensive and this is the time when people have the least amount of money. So people resort to digging up tree stump roots and chopping away at them for wood. This is some of my lady friends (including Gladys and Generous, my water girl), right outside my house doing just that:

That’s my house in the background (left)

Me and Generous

Me and my crazy puppy Nzelu! He’s getting SO big!

 

Well that’s all I’ve got for now! I’ll be posting this on Thursday when I go to Lilongwe for Volunteers Supporting Volunteers (VSV). I’ll update again soon, and maybe it will be about hanging out with the new trainees!

Tiwonana!