Final Post

Dear Followers,

Thank you for your interest in my Peace Corps experience these past few year.  It has been incredible.  I hope that I've not only helped complete the third goal of Peace Corps (to share host country culture with the United States), but that I've also been able to enlighten you just a little bit to the diversity of the world.  That being said, if the only thing my readers have learned is that Africa is a continent with many cultures, and not a country with one homogenous people, it was worth all the work.

This will be my final post on this blog.  It's weird to think that I will no longer be sharing my life in such a public manner, but it's also weird to think that I did so in the first place.  The weirdest thought is that people cared so much.

If you ever want to hear more about Malawi and Southern Africa, please don't hesitate to contact me.  For those of you that don't know me personally, my email address is on this blog, and I intend to leave this up so that Peace Corps Invitees can get another perspective.


Yewo Chomene,
     Nick Parr, RPCV Malawi 2012-14

Q&A with this RPCV

I'd like to address a few of the common questions I've been getting since I've gotten back.

"Would you do it again?"
I have two answers to this.  (1) Would I sign up again and do a second tour? Probably not.  (2) Knowing what I know now, would I have gone to Malawi the first time? Hell yes!

"Do I plan to visit Malawi again sometime in the future?"
Of course, but I know that it will never be the same.  I've both traveled and actually lived in foreign places before, and I know that there is a huge difference in the two.  Even after living in Chilumba for so long, getting to know so many people, learning the language, and (hopefully) making a lasting impact, I know that when I go back, I'll once again be the outsider.

"Do you have Ebola?"
 Yes, come over here so I can cough on you.  Seriously though, people (not you, you're ok because you're reading this)!  Buy a map, and realize that Europe is far closer to the outbreak than Malawi.  Africa is big.

"How are you adjusting?"
Pretty well, I think.  I'm no longer freaked out by running water or refrigerators, or electricity.  However, I no longer feel the need to leave the TV on when I'm not actually watching it, I sometimes forget to turn lights on at night, and I still find air conditioning a little odd, but I think (hope) these are more permanent changes.  Overall, I'm quite happy.

"What are you going to do next?"
Find a job.  That's a much slower process than you'd think.  Non-competitive eligibility (federal job hiring preference) and having Peace Corps on your resume doesn't magical make everyone want to hire you.  It's a slow process, especially since I'm changing gears a little (I'm looking at work in Marine Ecology which my Bachelor's Degree is in, instead of Biomechanics, which is what my Master's Degree is in).  I'll be fine, and due to my cheap lifestyle, low gas prices, and almost free forms of entertainment (outdoors stuff), money isn't really an issue yet.  As for what else is in the future, who knows, and that's what makes it so exciting.

2014 in Video Clips

It's done!  The 2014 Year, 3-Seconds at a Time, Video is ready (with only one small mistake).  I was going to put together an explanation of each individual clip, but that's probably not going to happen (and most are self-explanatory).  Plus, I'm being realistic here, it's 18 minutes of my life, so I don't expect to be winning an Oscar, or having that massive of a viewership.  So now that I sold it so well, grab your popcorn, sit back, and enjoy my mini-documentary: PCV to RPCV.

The Holidays

The holidays were great to spend with friends and family.  I spent Thanksgiving around Daytona with family, and Christmas/New Year's in South Florida with Shannon, family, and friends.

The exciting parts were a couple of canoeing trips.  One was a day trip on the Loxahatcheee River, near Jupiter.

Great Blue Heron on the Loxahatchee River

Then, for three days, we went on a canoeing trip through The Everglades.  I've done this trip once before, but The Everglades are always magnificent and the others in the group had not been paddling through there before.  Due to 'complications' (a leaking canoe), we only got one night on the water and spent the first night at a campground that also happened to be the Skunkape Research Headquarters (Skunkape is the Everglade's Big Foot).  Quite a quirky place, but very fun.

Sunset on Lopez River, Everglades National Park

Paddling through Cross Bay, Everglades National Park

Call for Holiday Giving: Camp Sky & D2D

I don't know if anyone still reads this, but if you do, it's that time of year again.  Camp Sky fundraising is going on now.  If you can give a little or a lot this holiday season, this is an awesome opportunity for the students of Malawi (and who are we kidding, the PCVs, too).  I donated, but will you?

Click here to donate to Camp Sky 2015.

Do you want to donate even more tax-deductible money to another cause?  Determined to Develop (our partner in the library project) is always looking for help with their projects.

Disclaimer: When I joined the Peace Corps, I swore I would not become one of the cliche aid workers that is always asking friends and family for money and using website with cheesy pictures of "Africans."  I am not trying to perpetuate the belief that only WE can help THEM.  However, these are two causes that I was involved with while there and are primarily aimed at empowering Malawians with the skills they need to help themselves.  It's not that they "need" us, it's just nice to help someone else when you can.  And you can.

Blueberry Travels

The Blueberry and my travel buddy, Shannon.

So, instead of being responsible and getting a job, I've been on a road-trip.  Here's a brief recap.

I had a layover in Denver, so I extended it to a 5 day layover to visit friends.

Then, I had my flight to Oklahoma City to stay with Donald in Edmond.  While there, he took me up with him for a flying lesson, we visited the Wichita Mountains, went mountain biking, and cooked many amazing meals.  Shannon picked me up the next week in her car, The Blueberry.

I joined Shannon in the Blueberry when she picked me up at Donald's.  From there, we stayed two nights at Lake Tenkiller State Park, one night in the Ozark National Forest at Lake Weddington, then we visited the Walmart Museum/first store before staying in Fayetteville for two nights.  After Fayetteville, we had an overnight backpacking hike on the Ozark Highlands Trail.

After a very late exit from the Ozarks, we drove overnight to Nashville to visit with Chris, Tori, and Abby (Chorby).  We stayed with them for a week.  Over the weekend, Shannon and Tori (Shori) went to Atlanta for the Southern Living Fair and Chris and I hung out in Nashville.  Following our stay in Nashville, we had a quick stop to walk around the University of Tennessee's campus, then stayed with a friend of Shannon's in Johnson City (I kept signing Wagon Wheel), before starting the Blue Ridge Highway at Grandfather Mountain State Park.

We entered the Blue Ridge Highway in North Carolina at Grandfather Mountain (mile marker 300) where we hiked and spent the night.  We then drove north the rest of the length of the highway, spending another night camping at Rocky Knob.  The Blue Ridge was incredible!  It didn't hurt that we were there when the trees were in full color, but after the major rush of visitors.

From the Blue Ridge, we proceeded to my old site-mate, Aaron's house outside of DC.  We spent Halloween in DC and I spent the whole next day exploring the capital.

After DC, I drove to New Jersey and stayed with Erol and his parents.

Rode a bus into NYC, then used the subway while I was there staying there a week in Brooklyn.  At the end of the week, I went back to Erol's where Shannon picked me back up.

We stayed with a friend of Shannon's in Phili where we saw Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, then stayed with my Aunt in Williamsburg (with a very brief visit to Jamestown and a ride on the Jamestown ferry).  From there, we proceeded to Wake Forest to have a late lunch with a friend and then camped outside of town.  Finally, we drove down to Savannah and stayed with Matt and Amber, where I finally got to meet their newest daughter, Penny.

Finally, after all that time on the road, we returned to the Sunshine State for a couple of Gator games.

Thoughts of America

Here are some of my random thoughts now that I've been back stateside for a couple weeks:

• There are a lot of fat people. 
• So much food!
• Seriously, 3+ full meals a day?  What is this, Christmas?
• There is no nsima, soya pieces, and veggies are expensive.
• Fruit has no flavor.
• But people are eating like there's no tomorrow.
• Did I mention the food?  I mean, seriously, these portion sizes.
• Not only portion sizes, but why does a menu need so many options?
• I want to order the dinner.  Don't complicate things.
• People know almost nothing about Africa or geography.
• Smart phones are ubiquitous, but direct human interaction is not.
• Almost every child out there is spoiled.
• Beer can actually come in more than 4 varieties, and tastes good.
• New Belgium is now available everywhere.
• Drafts!  It's even better than I remembered.
• Yet all this good beer, and everyone else seems to be a light-weight.
• Water comes out of taps and is already safe to drink.
• People drive really fast, but the cars are in such good condition.
• Taco Bell wasn't a fantasy, but a glorious reality.
• There are so many hipsters, it can only be defined as the mainstream movement, which makes my brain hurt.  
• And my soul hurts, too.
• Radio stations! We have them.
• In English.
• You can't make bad comments or curse in English in public places, because people know what you're saying.
• Pepper is a stable condiment.  Nice!
• So many napkins and paper towels.
• Petrol (gas) is really cheap.
• It isn't normal to go to bed when it's dark, but to use artificial light to stay awake for many hours, just to sleep way past sunrise using blinds to block out the real light.
• People are obsessed with money.  Well, that's about the same.
• Stories involving throwing rocks at dogs = not well received.
• Almost no one actually wants to hear about Peace Corps/Malawi.  Just quick answers.
• If you ask me what Peace Corps was like, and want a quick answer, I'm going to expect you to give me a quick answer on what the last two and a half years of your life was like.
• Also, don't ask me what Africa is like unless you're prepared to tell me what North and South America are like.  I lived in one small country.
• And no, I was not even close to the Ebola outbreak.  Europe is closer than Malawi.
• Gator Football...is miserable.  Let's be honest people.
• For that matter, the Bucs, too.
• But, the best part of all: CHEESE!!!

Back on the Road

After a week in the Daytona area catching up with family, and a weekend in Tampa catching up with more family and friends, I am now back on the road.  This week, Denver, then Oklahoma to visit Donald (old site-mate) before beginning a road-trip with Shannon (the one that visited Malawi).

I know, now that I'm back stateside, I'm far less interesting, so expect far fewer updates.  That being said, I will continue to maintain this blog through the end of the year, culminating in an epic finale.

Repatriated

Landing in the United States of America

Taxing into the airport, immigration, and my official return as an American citizen

Burj Khalifa

Food in Dubai

Restaurants Found in Dubai and not just in touristy parts of town

Hardy's

PF Chang 

Pink Berry

Papa John's

Subway

KFC

Burger King

McDonald's

Olive Garden

Chili's

Cheesecake Factory 

IHOP

TGI Fridays

Starbucks 

Panda

Panda Express

Tim Horton's

Dunkin' Doughnuts

Häagan-Daz

Baskin Robins

Cinna-bun

Nandos

Wing Stop

Wendy's

Debonair's

Red Lobster

Texas Roadhouse

UNO 

Gloria Jeans

Johnny Rocket's

Seattle's Best

Outback

Macaroni Grill

But, no Taco Bell!!!

P.S. I needed Google to find an actual Middle Eastern restaurant. 

Check out the name of this one

Goodbye Africa

Cam and I spent our last night in Africa, after 810 days straight without leaving, in Johannesburg (ok, Cam is still traveling through Morocco, but that hardly counts). Both of us had the same top priority: don't get shot or robbed.  Well, I'm happy to say that we succeeded.

Our "Last Supper", a late lunch when we got into Jo'berg, was at Carnivore. We are all sorts of meats, including zebra, springbok, impala, and kudu. It was amazing, and after two hours of waiters just bring big skewers of meat to our table and cutting us off pieces, we were stuffed. So, naturally, we had cheesecake.

That night was rather uneventful. We had a few beers, watched Mission Impossible 3 and most of Crank (until the bar where the TV was closed), then went to bed. Unfortunately, my mind was racing, so it took me 3 hours to get to sleep. 

The next morning, I was tired, but Cam talked me into following through with our plans (I didn't want to drive, but was definitely wrong) to visit the Apartheid Museum, where they currently have a special exhibit on Nelson Mandela. We spent 5 hours, and could've spent longer. Very educational with so much information. 

Then it was to the airport, some last minute curios shopping, a drink, and saying farewell to Africa...for now.

Swaziland

...is small. So small, that we drove across it, including through their biggest city at rush hour, and we were still on the road for less than 4 hours. 

...is a kingdom. With a king!

...has an awesome flag. The red is blood of the ancestors or the soil (depending on the source of information), the yellow is the gold found there, the blue is the sky, and the shield is black and white to show the countries racial harmony (which we only had two days to see, but it seems much better off than South Africa in this sense).

...has a hot springs tuned into a public pool. How cool is that?!?

...is beautiful.

Honoring Tom

A pretty cool set of events came together just right, and Amy, my Peace Corps recruiter and a Malawi RPCV, is in Eshowe, which we were already planning on passing by. So, we got to spend two nights hanging out with her. 

An even more amazing coincidence is that we would be spending September 3rd together. This year, September 3rd marks the fourth anniversary of the very tragic loss of Tom Maresco, a Gator PCV that was serving in Lesotho and passed away protecting a fellow PCV during a mugging gone very wrong. 

So, Amy, Cam, and I honored Tom the way any of us would have wanted, by celebrating his the life. We enjoyed a Black Label on the beach (his beer), saw zebras, then spent the evening back in Eshowe at Pablo Esco Bar, cheersing a life taken too soon.

Sanchia's

Sanchia, a good friend of ours and a former lecturer at Mzuzu University that left just about a month before we did, hosted us in Petermerytzburg for a few nights. It's was really neat getting to hang out in such a different setting from Malawi and her home-town. We got to experience the Indian-South African culture first hand. 

At one point, we went to a comedy show where we were heckled a little by one of the comedians (although, he showed his ignorance of the states when he asked Cam is Wisconsin was in the south). The funniest part of it was that, mid-joke, he'd stop walk over to where we were, and explain the South African context to us, in a very humorous way (we didn't really need most of the explanations, but still hilarious).

Change of Plans: Lesotho

If you haven't heard, Lesotho decided to have a coup less than a week before we got there. Word around South Africa is that the military has taken control and is patrolling the streets. Contrary to the news reports, it does seem to be a full-fledge coup and South Africa is not as neutral as they say (the Lesotho prime minister is being harbored here). Don't know what the ruling party expected when, in June, they suspended democracy. 

Anyways, for this reason, we've decided to reroute our trip a little. Lesotho will have to be saved for my next visit to Southern Africa. Now, we're planning on going to Swaziland. 

What is this witchcraft???

The Garden Route

Drive: Beautiful vineyards and fields of flowers (and one oil refinery)

Accommodation: Dijembe Backpackers

Comments: Really neat place in the forest with a total hippie vibe. 

Drive: Windmills and pastures

Accommodation: Island Vibe Backpackers

Comments: Great beach in this surfer community that resembled Daytona a little too much. 

Drive: Mountains

Accommodation: Buccaneer's Backpackers

Comments: Buccaneer's is a but off the paved road, and there really isn't anything to do there (the beach is through the woods and the bar didn't even open until 5p), but dinner was great (Mexican).

Drive: More mountains, then what resembled Malawi

Accommodation: Coffee Shack Backpackers

Comments: Probably our favorite stop on The Garden Route. Fun vibe, awesome beach, and the party would've probably been great if it hadnt started raining. Our room was on the other side of a "dry" river, that wasn't so dry after it started raining. We waded to our room. 

Drive: Even more mountains. 

Accommodation: Sanchia's

Comments: We got a late start, so we got into Petermarytzburg after dark. Mountain driving in South Africa (surround by South African drivers) at night is not as fun as it sounds. 

Overall, The Garden Route was amazing. Great variety of scenery, and some amazing beaches.