Saturday, December 08, 2012

3 Months at Site

3 Months at site…

So I’ve been at site for 3 months.  Wow, amazing it’s been that long already.  In just a couple of weeks, I will officially have been in Malawi for 6 months, tying the longest I’ve ever lived outside of the United States (or Florida, for that matter).  So here are some things I’ve learned over the past 6 months:
·         Everything is ‘Just OK’
·         ‘Feel Free’
·         Delicious meals can be made over fire
·         Cooking can be fun, on the weekend when I have the energy
·         Lilongwe is expensive
·         The nicest resort in Malawi is no better than site without the right people
·         Most westerners are in fact dumb Azungus, just not the ones that live here (and this does not make it acceptable for children to shout that term)
·         The Kindle could be the greatest invention in the world, followed by the MP3 player that plays videos, in my case the Zune
·         Electricity is a luxury, don’t ever forget it
·         Running water is a luxury, don’t ever forget it
·         Cell phones are everywhere
·         Facebook is everywhere
·         While I was once able to burn hours on the internet every day, I now find it boring after about 30 minutes once a month
·         Mail is amazing!  Especially when there are pictures
·         With a little perspective, you realize who is important to you
·         Tea’s addictive properties rival crack
·         Good booze can be made with rotten fruit and a 20L plastic bucket
·         Draft beer should never again be taken for granted
·         Florida isn’t hot, ever
·         Freshwater fish < Saltwater fish
·         The lake is like one giant bathtub
·         Sprite is cold, even when warm
·         Laundry with a machine doesn’t even count as work
·         Water is precious (at least when you have to carry it on your head)
·         Drinking tap water is not always safe, especially in a big city
·         Drinking straight from the bore hole isn’t always dangerous
·         Mango season literally means it will rain mangos
·         The Gators are amazing, a fact you don’t actually have to see them play to know
·         Spite is more work than it’s worth, with exceptions (thanks Dad for reminding me UGA still deserves nothing good to ever happen to them)
·         Clay pots are like refrigerators
·         Dehydration is always just around the corner
·         ‘Chop my money, and I don’t care’
·         Geckos can provide hours of entertainment
·         Cats can be useful
·         Chickens are the worst, except for maybe goats
·         Checking on a tree every day will not make it grow faster
·         The black-market isn’t actually that sketchy
Hmmm, can’t think of any more off the top of my head, but hope that entertains ya’ll for a couple weeks.  I’m in Lilongwe right now for IST (In-Service Training), hence the new pictures I’m going to put links to at the end of this.  I’ll be going to Likoma Island for Christmas, which will be amazing!  I don’t know when the next time I’ll have a chance to post will be, so if I miss it, Merry Chrismahanakwanzika and a Happy New Year!

PST

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