COS Date Set: 5 August 2014!!!

Mzuzu Food Market - Post-Fire

Some of you might remember my post back in August called Mzuzu Food Market.  Well, here's an update.  If you didn't see it on my Facebook, there was a fire at the Mzuzu main market.  Here are some pictures.

A picture I took as we passed by around 9pm.

A picture someone posted on Facebook of the fire

Before

After

Before

After

Camp Sky

It only seems appropriate that my 100^th blog post should be about such a wonderful and successful project as Camp Sky.  A project that was made possible thanks to the donations raised through this and other Peace Corps blogs and Facebook posts. Full credit for this wonderful program goes to the coordinating committee, including Lauren LaVare, Ali Fedro, Rita Bradley, Travis Craddock, Allison Hargraves, Nick Griffin, Cameron Stanley, and Pat Mullen. For more information, check out the Camp Sky Blog at http://campskymw.tumblr.com/. 

Sunday, 6 April 2014

Day 1:

The Camp Sky Song (to the melody of "Wave the Flag")

The first day was all the students and teachers arriving at Mitundu Secondary School and getting ready for Camp Sky.  I waited in the bus depot in Lilongwe.  Students were divided into teams (houses): Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune.  I got oriented with my laboratory, where I would be the Laboratory Coordinator, and the kitchen, where I was helping out as Assistant Logistician.
we until a little after noon helping gather our camp participants and then rode over to the school in our private mini-bus.

Monday, 7 April 2014

Day 2:

I will think for myself.

Day two started like most, with some students waking up for the morning exercise while most trickled into breakfast.  As of 7:30am, everyone has eaten breakfast (phala, maize porridge, fruit, and tea).  The staff was drinking coffee, keeping three French presses constantly going.  This coffee, by the end of the week, would be the only thing keeping us going and as energetic as camp counselors need to be. 

The morning was taken up by classes.  Students attended four, 70 minute classes in English, math, biology, and physical science.  Since the main focus of the camp was on MSCE preparation, this was the sima (main part) of the camp. The teachers, all Peace Corps Education volunteers, prepared very interesting and interactive lessons where the students would review the toughest topics they have learned in forms 3 and 4 (11^th and 12^th grade).  I sat in on a couple of these lessons throughout the week, and I was extremely impressed with the quality of education the students were receiving.  If Camp Sky were an actual school in Malawi, I dare say it would have the highest exam scores in the nation.

Since I was not teaching, I spent the morning helping in the kitchen a little, but mostly I prepared the laboratory.  The host school’s science department head did a good job of cleaning the lab, but I went ahead and cleaned everything again.  I wanted all equipment cleaned to R1 university standards. 

Students learning through doing.

After lunch, the first lab was with Saturn and Neptune.  It was a biology lab on testing for macronutrients.  They used iodine to test for starch, Benedict’s solution to test for monosaccarides, a paper test for lipids, and Biuret’s reagent to test for protein.  In groups of 3-4 students (much smaller groups than these kids are used to), they tested nsima, egg yolk, banana, and filtered water.  For about 3/4 of the students, this was the first laboratory experiment they have ever performed (they came from CDSS schools, which are underfunded and often lack a library or laboratory, much less equipment and chemicals).  However, the MSCE includes a practical section where the Ministry of Education brings the necessary chemicals and equipment to the testing centers and the students are expected to perform an assigned experiment.  The macronutrients test is a commonly assigned task.  Most importantly, the kids seemed to learn a lot and really enjoy the experience.  

Andrew talking to the campers

After lab, there was a session on creativity with guest PCV speakers Andrew and Dwayne, who are involved in the annual Peace Corps Malawi Music Camp, bringing students together to encourage creativity through musical expression.  Creativity and independent thinking are almost never encouraged here, so this motivation for self-expression is extremely unique and wonderful for the students.  After dinner, the students performed their musical skits.

Our reflection group

Then, after all the day’s activities, two counselors gathered with 9 or 10 (half of one team) students in small   My co-counselor was Melissa Hughes and we had half of Team Neptune.  Thankfully, she was very good at this (definitely not my strength), so during reflection she was able to shine while I just kept quiet.
groups and reflected on the day’s activities as well as the message for the day (notice it under the date).

Tuesday, 8 April 2014

Day 3:

My body will be as strong as my mind

Morning exercise: Ultimate Frisbee

Day three started the same as all days, with optional exercise, then breakfast.  The morning once again was full of classes which I spent helping out in the kitchen.  In the afternoon, I had the biology lab with Mars and Jupiter, where once again my wonderful team of science teachers helped make the activity going perfectly.

Nutrition lessons

After lab, the guest presenter was another PCV named Kay, who talked about staying healthy.  She educated the campers on proper nutrition and health.  In my opinion, I think malnourishment is the biggest problem in Malawi, so I felt this was an extremely vital topic to cover, and Kay is a dietician and a health volunteer that focuses her work on prenatal and infant nutrition.  Did you know, malnourishment during pregnancy and early development can stunt a child’s growth and intelligence by as much as 33%? 

Our kitchen staff with Ali

Unfortunately, I didn’t get to attend too much of her session, as Ali and I were busy in the kitchen getting dinner ready.  We had a team of 5-6 Malawian cooks throughout the camp, but there was a lot of oversight and additional prep that was needed, so we were both kept very busy all week.

Lauren and Travis doing the
Malawian Romeo and Juliet.

After dinner, the kids got to watch the Leonardo DeCaprio version of Romeo and Juliet.  Romeo and Juliet is a part of the English literature syllabus in Malawi, and since all students have to take English, we thought this could be a fun way for them to review the story.  For most of the kids, this was the first movie they’d ever seen.  Allison and Rita would pause the movie in-between scenes to review what they saw and relate it to the play.  During one of the breaks, Travis and Lauren performed the famous baloney scene with a Malawian twist, help scripting by Cam and supporting actors Pat and Ali.

I used this break in activities, a rare treat, to get a bath and organize my room.  After the movie, we had reflection then bed time for most (sorting food for the next day for me and Ali).

9 April 2014

Day 4:

I am more than what others say

The fourth day was a bit different for teams Mars and Jupiter.  They were going to have the chance to go to the U.S. Embassy Resource Center (where I took the GRE), get a basic training on computers, sign up for an email account, and learn about opportunities to study at universities in the United States of America.  They also got ride in a embassy vehicle through Lilongwe, past the Malawian Parliament building and other multiple story buildings.  Considering that most of these kids have never been outside of their village in their entire life, this was a very special treat.

For the half of the staff that remained at the Camp for classes, it was a very quiet morning.  However, once the other half returned at lunch time, we were back to the busy, exciting schedule.

In the afternoon, there was an HIV education session led by Allison that included a trivia scavenger hunt where groups had to run around to councilors hidden in a field and answer trivia questions about HIV/AIDS correctly.

After HIV, there was a session on Gender with PCVs Kendall and Danna.  This is another very important issues, and another session that I was in the kitchen for.  The students have told me with was very informative and eye-opening.

Egg Drop Day 1

The real fun came after dinner.  We had an egg drop competition! Groups got together and designed a apparatus that an egg could be inserted into and would protect the egg as their counselors dropped the eggs from increasing heights.  The kids did an incredible job!  I’ve been involved in this activity state-side, and I’m not exaggerating when I say that the Malawian kids did a better job than American kids tend to do.

After egg drop, it was rather difficult to calm the kids back down, but we managed through reflection time.  This was also the night that I was to serve as House Father (or as Rita and I called it, RA).  I slept inside of the boy’s dormitory and was responsible for making sure they were lights out and asleep by 10p and waking them up at 4:30am.  I know that sounds like I don’t get much sleep (5 hours), but it was actually the longest night’s sleep I got all week.

10 April 2014

Day 5:

I make my own future.

Since I was already awake, I decided to help with morning exercise.  Isabella and I did soccer stretches then drills with the kids, starting with simple passing, progressing to a game of keep away, and ending in penalty shots.  Traditional football skills are not taught to students here, so while many of these kids have spent a lot of their life on the pitch, they aren’t actually that good at the vital basics.

Saturn and Neptune got to go to the embassy.  They returned, and we finished the egg drop activity.  Most groups eggs survived.

Egg Drop Day 2

 After lunch, I had Mars and Jupiter (now calling themselves “Jup-ta”) for the physical science laboratory: titration of an acid.  They neutralized an unknown concentration of hydrochloric acid using 0.1M sodium hydroxide with phenophthalein indicator.  We had all the proper equipment (burrettes, beakers, and chemicals), so once again this was a unique opportunity for these kids that attend unequipped schools.

Titration Lab

The session after lunch was Malaria Prevention with guest PCV Brooke.  Once again, I missed this session, but I also heard the campers talking about how much they learned.  Since Malaria is still a big problem in Malawi, both from a fatalities point-of-view as well as the fact that students often miss school while sick, this was another important bit of information for these kids.

After dinner, there was a variety show (talent show).  The students showcased a ton of extremely entertaining talents from poetry to dances.  As Team Neptune, we decided to do the Cupid Shuffle, and practiced in one of the classroom.  However, when we got up on the stage, we realized that the only speaker was facing the audience, so we couldn’t actually hear the song, or more importantly, the instructions for the dance.  Because the variety show ran so far over on time, we skipped reflection for the night.

 

11 April 2014

Day 6

Nothing will prevent my success

Part of our science team at lab time

Morning exercise and breakfast once again started the day, followed by classes.  After lunch, we had the titration lab with Saturn and Neptune.  I would like to once again thank the wonderful science department for helping me out, and Allison for lending her shoes to a student that didn’t know to bring closed toe shoes.

After the laboratory activity, the teachers that had been busy with Teach Sky (the teacher development side of the camp) led lessons to small groups of the campers on study skills and test taking strategies, something that is almost never actually taught in secondary schools around the world but students are expected to know.  This was also the perfect chance for the teachers to use the trainings they had throughout the week.  Following dinner, there was trivia and post-test assessments.  Finally, the day ended with an extra long reflection to make up for the previous night’s being canceled.

Saturday, 12 April 2014

Day 7:

Sky is not the limit.

The last day started the same as always, but there were not morning classes.  Instead, Fran and Lauren led a session on goal setting so that the campers could use what they learned at Camp Sky to set goals for themselves going forward.  After goal setting, there were Malawian guest speakers from a variety of careers around Malawi, including journalism, education, and medicine.  These speakers talked about their jobs and the fact that these goals could be reached.

Following the guest speaker sessions, there was the necessary monitoring and evaluating tasks that follow any government run activity.

The signed Camp Sky banner

Dinner was followed by a heart-felt farewell session where each individual camper was awarded a certificate, said what they enjoyed most about the camp, and signed the Camp Sky banner.

Ed13 kicking off the disco

The fun last activity of the camp was a disco (dance).  This was kicked off by the PCVs from the Ed13 group reenacting the “Wave the Flag” dance they performed at their PST Village Farewell ceremony.  For the rest of the night, the kids and counselors danced and had fun.  It was a great way to end a great camp!

Sunday, 13 April 2014

Day 8:

Campers began leaving as early as 4:00am and everyone was gone by 7:00am.  After that, the camp staff cleaned before setting down on mattress to watch The Breakfast Club and BBC Planet Earth on the projector.  Truth be told, there was far more napping than watching.  The PCVs that hadn’t left then went to a nearby restaurant called Waka Waka for a well-deserved celebration of a wonderfully done camp. 

Ed13 has already made it clear that they want to do this camp again next week, and I really hope that they are able to.  I think that the students that attended not only had experiences they would never get otherwise, but also they were told over-and-over-again that they had wonderful potentials and they could achieve whatever they set their minds to.  This may sound like a message that kids hear often, but in Malawi this is not said.  Most children here are only told what they cannot do, or what they will never be.  However, hard-working students from villages are passing the MSCE and going to colleges all the time, they just need the confidence to go for it.  I genuinely believe that the Form 4s that attended 2014 Camp Sky know this and will go far.

Floors Done

I know I keep saying "almost," but really it is super close now.  We have a floor in the main room now and the plastering on the outside is done.  All that is left is the munda (porch), windows, and doors, which should be very quickly done.  Here are pictures.

All that is needed on the outside is the porch.

The inside is all done and even already being used a little.