Monday, June 29, 2009
We are in Lilongwe for the 4th July. We'll be in town until the 5th. We are working this week on finding funding for the laboratory/clinic that our school is trying to build. We're also meeting with other volunteers to work on planning Camp Sky, a summer camp in November for exceptional kids from our schools. It will be really exciting because most of our students have never traveled more than a few km's from home and they'll get to go to Lilongwe for 2 weeks, go on field trips, and meet other students from aroud the country. And of course this week we'll also hang out and catch up with other volunteers that we havent seen in a while, and we'll go to the Ambassador's house on the 4th for a party wth other Americans-- ex-pats, missionaries, volunteers, etc. It should be fun. I've included below an entry that I typed up last week while staying in Mzuzu. Also, I'm updating photos, so check those out too.
23 June 2009
Well, we're almost through with our second term. School is going well. We're getting to know the students more and very much enjoying working with them. This term I dropped my form one (freshman) classes and picked up form 4 (senior) math and biology. I find myself having to brush up on a lot of old math topics that I've just about forgotten, but it is really rewarding. The form 4's are so motivated, they keep me on my toes. We usually meet a couple evenings a week and sometimes on Saturdays to cover all of the material.
We are now into cold season. When we first came here I thought that the "cold season" was just a myth-- some fictitious time to look ahead to during the long hot season. Well, it turns out there is a cold season. We have seen the temperature down in the low 50's on some early mornings, which feels very cold when you have to walk to the bathroom at night or bath outside in the morning. We're even considering buying a second blanket. However, just because it is cold season does not mean that it doesn't still get hot. There are still some days were the thermometer is well over 100 in the sun. We are definitely getting into dry season as well. It's been over a month since we've seen any rain and the landscape is turning from green to brown.
We've just started a dry season garden. It took a pick axe to dig up the soil, but then we mixed in a lot of compost and good moist soil, and also installed a drip irrigation system. We just planted last week, so we'll see in a few weeks how it works.
All in all, I feel like we're adjusting pretty well. In fact it almost feels like we are so adjusted that it is hard to think of interesting thinks to talk about that would sound different to all of you back home. I realised this when I mentioned to my parents that a guy had come through the village selling pork. They asked what exactly that meant, so I said that a guy had apparently butchered a pig recently (probably that morning or the day before), and he was carrying parts of the carcass around in the basket on his bike, with a machete to hack off chunks to sell to people. That’s just how you buy meat in the village. Then I realised how crazy that is. So, over the last couple of months we've been compiling a list of "things we've adjusted to--" things that seem normal to us now that when we stop and think about it, aren't normal in America. So, here it is:
Things We've Adjusted To
1. Guys "coming by" selling pork
2. 70 degrees is cold (it was a month ago, but now 50 degrees is really cold)
3. Dirt doesn't mean dirty
4. Noisy dogs, chicken, and children all the time
5. Washing my hair and shaving my legs is a luxury that I occasionally indulge in
6. Children shouting and chanting, "Azungu! A-Zu-Ngu! A-Zu-Ngu!" (Azungu means stranger or white/rich person)
7. Bugs in food mean added protein and texture
8. I'm aware of the phases of the moon because it determines whether or not I need a light to walk to the bathroom at night.
9. "Night" begins at 6pm
10. Chewing with caution! Rocks and stones are common food additives
11. Full stops, oestrogen, foetus, colour, practise, diarrhea, zed, etc, (British English)
12. Zebu-- either refers to a common breed of cattle or my husband
13. The ground can double as counter space when cooking
14. Squatting to do everything
15. students squatting at your feet to show respect
16. Surrendering all control of indoor temperatures to nature
17. Chickens
17.5. Lizards
18. Not being embarrassed by pit stains
19. Trash cannot be magically thrown away. You have to put it somewhere
20. Showing skin on the hips or legs is scandalous, as is the silhouette of legs in pants or a very slightly see-through skirt. But breasts are a functional body part thus are not.
21. The various scents of the human body
22. Personal space is community property and can be invaded at any time
23. Spiders (yes, me, learning to live with spiders)
24. Preheating the "stovetop" takes at least 20 minutes
25. Candle-light dinners are more mundane than romantic
26. When crossing a busy street (in town of course), look right-left-right instead of left-right-left
Well, we're almost through with our second term. School is going well. We're getting to know the students more and very much enjoying working with them. This term I dropped my form one (freshman) classes and picked up form 4 (senior) math and biology. I find myself having to brush up on a lot of old math topics that I've just about forgotten, but it is really rewarding. The form 4's are so motivated, they keep me on my toes. We usually meet a couple evenings a week and sometimes on Saturdays to cover all of the material.
We are now into cold season. When we first came here I thought that the "cold season" was just a myth-- some fictitious time to look ahead to during the long hot season. Well, it turns out there is a cold season. We have seen the temperature down in the low 50's on some early mornings, which feels very cold when you have to walk to the bathroom at night or bath outside in the morning. We're even considering buying a second blanket. However, just because it is cold season does not mean that it doesn't still get hot. There are still some days were the thermometer is well over 100 in the sun. We are definitely getting into dry season as well. It's been over a month since we've seen any rain and the landscape is turning from green to brown.
We've just started a dry season garden. It took a pick axe to dig up the soil, but then we mixed in a lot of compost and good moist soil, and also installed a drip irrigation system. We just planted last week, so we'll see in a few weeks how it works.
All in all, I feel like we're adjusting pretty well. In fact it almost feels like we are so adjusted that it is hard to think of interesting thinks to talk about that would sound different to all of you back home. I realised this when I mentioned to my parents that a guy had come through the village selling pork. They asked what exactly that meant, so I said that a guy had apparently butchered a pig recently (probably that morning or the day before), and he was carrying parts of the carcass around in the basket on his bike, with a machete to hack off chunks to sell to people. That’s just how you buy meat in the village. Then I realised how crazy that is. So, over the last couple of months we've been compiling a list of "things we've adjusted to--" things that seem normal to us now that when we stop and think about it, aren't normal in America. So, here it is:
Things We've Adjusted To
1. Guys "coming by" selling pork
2. 70 degrees is cold (it was a month ago, but now 50 degrees is really cold)
3. Dirt doesn't mean dirty
4. Noisy dogs, chicken, and children all the time
5. Washing my hair and shaving my legs is a luxury that I occasionally indulge in
6. Children shouting and chanting, "Azungu! A-Zu-Ngu! A-Zu-Ngu!" (Azungu means stranger or white/rich person)
7. Bugs in food mean added protein and texture
8. I'm aware of the phases of the moon because it determines whether or not I need a light to walk to the bathroom at night.
9. "Night" begins at 6pm
10. Chewing with caution! Rocks and stones are common food additives
11. Full stops, oestrogen, foetus, colour, practise, diarrhea, zed, etc, (British English)
12. Zebu-- either refers to a common breed of cattle or my husband
13. The ground can double as counter space when cooking
14. Squatting to do everything
15. students squatting at your feet to show respect
16. Surrendering all control of indoor temperatures to nature
17. Chickens
17.5. Lizards
18. Not being embarrassed by pit stains
19. Trash cannot be magically thrown away. You have to put it somewhere
20. Showing skin on the hips or legs is scandalous, as is the silhouette of legs in pants or a very slightly see-through skirt. But breasts are a functional body part thus are not.
21. The various scents of the human body
22. Personal space is community property and can be invaded at any time
23. Spiders (yes, me, learning to live with spiders)
24. Preheating the "stovetop" takes at least 20 minutes
25. Candle-light dinners are more mundane than romantic
26. When crossing a busy street (in town of course), look right-left-right instead of left-right-left
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