Library Finished!!!

It's done! The porch is done, the walls are done, the windows are installed, the doors are hung. Soon, we will have a grand opening, move the books in, and start working on furniture.

Presenting Thunduti CDSS's new library

The back of the building

The reading room of the library.  Thanks Mom for the map!

The right room with the window will be the book room and the left room will be for laboratory equipment.

Inside the book room

Last Litter of Zen-Babies

For the last time in my service here, Zen has had a litter of kittens. Four healthy balls of fur were born late at night of Kamuzu Day (in the basket, not on my foot).

Mama Zen and her new kittens

Baby Kirk, male

Baby Spock, male

Baby McCoy, male

Baby Scotty, male

"Goodbye" and "Hello"

I had a strange experience recently.

Naomi, my site mate who was medically separated, has just been replaced. I arranged a day to rendezvous with Amy in Uliwa so that I could meet her and show her around the trading center. 

Well, Abby, a friend who is an American and that has been teaching at the next CDSS down the road from me, messaged me and asked if I wanted to grab lunch with her in Uliwa on the same day, as she was flying out Thursday. 

So, basically, I had lunch with Amy, someone just at the beginning of her two years in Malawi, and Abby, someone I have known and worked with in Malawi for two years. 

"You say 'goodbye,' I say 'hello'"

Flights Booked

I have now booked my flights away from Africa. Shit just got real!

I will travel through Southern Africa for about a month with Cam. Planned stops include Victoria Falls, the Great Zimbabwe Ruins, Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town, Mozambique, Lesotho, and somewhere we can see lions and rhinos. 

After that, I fly out of Jo'berg where I'll have a few days in Dubai. If you're gonna have a layover, you might as well make the most of it, right? The only thing in Dubai I know I want to do is go to the top of Burk Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. 

From Dubai, I'll travel to New York City, where I've also extended my layover (and  a ticket to see Book of Mormon), then back to Florida.

What adventures come after that? Your guess is as good as mine, but I promise you my passport won't be getting dusty. 

Thank You for All the Care Packages

Thank you so much for all your generosity over the past two years!  The constant stream of care packages and letters has really gone a long ways is making my service more enjoyable.  I'm leaving this page up for reference reasons.

Due to the fact that I'm in my last 3 months of service,  I am officially ending my call for care packages.  Anything sent now would get here either right before I leave site or after I've already left.  If you feel an overwhelming urge to contribute, please go to Determined to Develop or the Peace Corps Volunteer Projects website.  If you want to get something for me, come see me and buy me a drink when I get back.

Thank you again!