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

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10102668299039151.3701808.2036002&type=3&l=bc932b20df

My life as a PCV

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10102979924843541.3757055.2036002&type=3&l=8ffc337b60

My pets

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10102979917114031.3757054.2036002&type=3&l=0ce7e7beb9

My favorite meals since arriving

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10102979895681981.3757050.2036002&type=3&l=b4b126c5c4

Care packages I’ve received

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10102979915322621.3757052.2036002&type=3&l=e1ee65de2a