Adventures in Mozambique

Greetings and happy July to all my friends and family on this beautiful planet. I am a little late getting this post up about my trip to Mozambique but things happen and in the realm of African time I am doing just fine. So as said in my last post in May I went on a 2 week holiday with 6 volunteers including myself to the land of Mozambique. We left just after our mid service training and the trip started out on an amazing note which continued through its entirety. We left from our capital here Lilongwe, and split up in 2 teams so we could hitch to the borderand save money. My hitching partner Mel and I were picked up by a Malawian in a brand new Mercedes which to ride in style is always nice (note to anyone who ever plans travels in Africa, if you want to hitch as a man you should always try your best to have a female partner it makes a HUGE difference to say the least). The gentleman was very vague about his life and profession but after a stop at a gas station where the attendant made reference to seeing him on T.V. the previous night he opened up to us and told us he was a top member in the president’s cabinet. He was supposed to be traveling with a security detail but he snuck away because he like the freedom of being alone and anonymous and having the option of such things as picking up hitch hikers. We proceeded to have an amazing conversation for hours as we were traveling about a variety of subjects in including the state of Malawi, international aid in Africa, the life of women in Malawi, and many other related topics. His take on things were amazing, refreshing, and overall was probably one of the best conversations I will ever have on this continent.

So needless to say we all made it to the border in one day and were able to make it to a city called in Tete in the northwest part Mozambique. We were exhausted when we arrived and we found an economical hotel (to put kindly) to stay the night. A few of us wanted to rest while a few of us wanted to grab a beer and some food so we made it to a local bar. It turned out to be quite an interesting time with a generous man buying us food and beer who spoke no English but that did not stop him from chatting in the least. We were also joined by an extremely drunk Portuguese man who took quite a liking to me and he would not leave me alone as holding my hands and he even planted a kiss on forehead. My friends and I were tired and were a few beers into the evening. We proceeded to laugh and smiled through the entire event. The following day we got bus tickets to start our journey to a coastal town call Vilanculos. The only problem we found out that the bus did not leave until 4 a.m. the following day. We made plans to close down a bar and just wait at the bus depot to save money on getting another night at a hotel. By 7:30 p.m. our plan seemed like a nightmare, we were tired and one of my friends Lyn was a bit sick. After we ate we decided just to get another hotel room for a night even though we did not want to spend the money. As we were walking towards the hotel a Brazilian named Gui and I started chatting. He was in the country teaching at a college and the city gets few foreign visitors so he was excited to chat with us and before we knew it he offered his house for us to sleep at. We all said what the hell and we ended up talking with him at his house for a few hours, getting showers, food, and a free few hours of sleep before we headed out the following morning. He was an amazing guy and we all made a new friend who plans to come and visit us in Malawi.

The following day’s bus trip was quite the adventure. The first leg took 6 hours on one of the most crowded buses I have ever been on. 2 of us myself included had to stand and were so packed that if someone moved anywhere the rest of us felt it. I just laughed and made the best of it by having fun conversations and just taking in the new scenery. It ended up taking 5 different modes of transportation and around 16 hours but we made it to the coast late in the day. We stayed in Vilanculos for about 3 or 4 days and enjoyed being in one spot and on the beach. The Indian Ocean is absolutely courageous to say the least. The water is so clear and even going in the cooler time of the year for Africa the temperatures in the water were high 70’s and low 80’s. The highlight in Vilanculos was going snorkeling at a reef on a day long boat trip. I had done little snorkeling in my life but I was astounded by the beauty of the reef we were playing around. The aquatic plants and marine life were amazing and I was lucky enough to have an underwater camera so one day I will get to relive the pictures.

For the rest of the trip we traveled further south down the coast to a district called Inhambane and a place called Beira. The area is beautiful and has lots of old Portuguese architecture. We made it to a small beach town of Beira and were lucky enough to rent the top floor of a beach house. It was not enclosed which was amazing. Every night we went to sleep and woke up to the sounds of the ocean with fresh sea air all around us. We stayed there for 4 or 5 days and just had an amazing time. We had a kitchen so we would cook big dinners nightly while enjoying spirits and great music. During the day we lounged around the town and of course relaxed to our fullest on the beach. I had no idea what to expect with the Indian Ocean but besides being beautiful it had fun waves. I tried for a few days to rent a long board so I could surf a bit but by the time I finally found a board and a good rate the waves had become not so good for surfing. My dreams of surfing on this continent are on hold for now, but I have not given up. One night after going out for beers we were coming back and we were all walking along the coast feeling nice and enjoying the night. We were near our house and I just decided right then and there to shed my clothes and go for a night swim. Before I knew it 4 others had joined me (only 1 decided to take a pass) and we all enjoyed a moonlit swim playing in the waves and feeling about as free as one could feel. The last night before we started our departure back north towards Malawi was a perfect way to end our beach adventure. A big dinner was cooked and many drinks were had. There was live music that night so we all ventured to a hotel with a huge patio for the band and festivities. When we arrived all of us were already feeling quite good and happy. The place was packed and the band was playing fun music but no one was dancing. The 6 of us proceeded to grab and drink and get right to dancing. The band was happy that we were out on the floor dancing it up and soon after the entirety of the place decided to join us. The 6 of us only stopped dancing when the band took a break and it was just an amazing evening that could not have been scripted better. After that we took a few days and made it back to Malawi with little money left but memories that will last a lifetime.

So I just want to give my overall take on Mozambique and its people. First off it is not nearly as packed as Malawi. You can go hundreds of kilometers without seeing people or villages which is dam near impossible in Malawi. There are baobab trees everywhere which to me are some of the most beautiful trees I have ever seen. I am in awe of them every time I see them. With that said deforestation does not seem to be near the problem as it is here. The food with the Indian Ocean near is obviously heavily influenced by seafood. The people are not nearly as friendly as Malawians. Many say that is because of the 25 plus year civil war they had which ended in 1992 You can still see remnants of the civil word when traveling at times in such things as guard towers and certain buildings with bullet holes. Greetings in Mozambique often times involve the waving of both hands to say hello. This comes as a result from the civil war. With both hands waving in the air it is a sign that you have no gun in your hand and you are safe. The people also make less of an ordeal about you being white as compared to Malawi. We could walk down the streets and not be shouted at because of our skin color which was a nice break. The integration of the Portuguese with the local Africans seems much less segregated than Malawi. You see many Portuguese and Africans side by side enjoying each other and often times you saw people of mixed blood which is quite rare here. Also the adoption of the Portuguese language by the Africans in Mozambique was astounding. Almost all people can speak Portuguese where in Malawi, a huge majority of its population speak little if any English. Things were much more expensive than Malawi which left me with little money by the time I returned but well worth it. The country itself was much more developed than Malawi. Even small cities in Mozambique seemed to be further along than most cities here in Malawi. I have been told by quite a few people that you will see Malawi’s true poverty once you see other African countries and this was the first time I saw that with my own eyes.

Overall as you can probably tell it was an absolute great time and I enjoyed every minute of time in Mozambique. I am curious to get out and see more of Africa and I am planning around Christmas this year to do the Victoria Falls area and get into some of the parks to see some wildlife. I hope as always all is well and good for all in the states. My life is amazing and I enjoy life everyday here in Africa.

Cheers,
Pat

More to come but maybe you can help

Greetings and salutations from Africa. I hope life is well and good for all my family and friends back in the good old U.S.A. and as for me life is wonderful as always. First off my trip to Mozambique was amazing and when I head into the capital for our 4^th of July celebration at the U.S. Ambassador’s home I will have a nice update with some pictures telling about my adventures. I have less then 10 months to go and I am starting to feel a little time crunch for all I want to do. I am working on a few grants one for a youth community center, a tree project, and also I am getting a bunch of oil presses to start small businesses around my area. Lots to do and so little time. That is where I am hoping some of you can help.

My local school here had new headmaster come in about 3 months ago. In a short time we have become good friends and his energy and excitement for students and education is really admirable to see. He , along with the school staff , has been pushing the students extremely hard for their upcoming exams. He is adding teachers, opening up the school in the evenings so children can study with proper lighting (the school has some units which have electricity), along with other initiatives that will have a positive effect for the short and long term . He is also reaching out to the local church and community leaders to help raise money for repairs that are much needed. Some money has been raised and given to allow for some upkeep , but there are limitations as you would assume due to the poverty levels here. The headmaster is also trying to get money from the district and petition the ministry of education , but money is once again scarce.

He has never asked for my help , but this is something I really want to do. I fully believe in the value of education and money for schools. I am applying for grants and I am in the process of writing three as we speak. The school year ends in the next few months which is the optimal time for maintenance projects to be done.

So what I am asking my friends and family that can afford it is to donate what you can to help the cause. I know times are tough in the States but a little can go along way here in Africa. I am going to have my parents collect the money with the intentions of wiring it to me sometime in August. For those of you who are local you know where my parents are and how to find them. Those of you that are not located in the Millville area of New Jersey can send my parents a check. You can make it out to either Oscar or Bernice Phillips and send it to the following address.

1202 Pleasant Dr.

Millviile, New Jersey 08332

If you do plan on mailing my parents a check please send them an e-mail so they can know it is coming and verify with you once they get it. Their e-mail is bernblade@msn.com

Thanks in advance for those who help out. I promise the money will be put to good use and I will keep everyone updated with progress as well as pictures. The school is littered with holes in roofs, floors, lack of proper seating, broken windows, etc. Also certain students board at the school and their dorms are in poor condition, So much can be done on many levels. As I said above I will be in the capital in a few weeks so I will give a proper update on my life in Malawi. As for today I am in the city of Blantyre for a trip to the bank as well as other errands including internet time and reading about my beloved Flyers losing the Stanley Cup in six games.

Cheers to all and a good day to you,

Pat

Opinions expressed in this blog are representational of my own thoughts and not those of the Peace Corps or the Government of the United States


Hello everyone back in the U.S. I hope life is well and good. Things are great and I am enjoying life as always here in Africa. I just finished my mid service training and it is wild to think that I have less than 12 months of my service left. Five other volunteers and myself are getting ready to take a 2 week trip to Mozambique which should be amazing. I leave on the 8th of May and I am in the capital now preparing for the trip. The plan is to go to the southern coast and do the beach life on the Indian Ocean. Speaking of water, word among the American community here has been circulating about the huge oil spill back in the States. It has been a bit sad to read and hear about the amount of pollution occurring and the long term environmental and economic ramifications. Hopefully some kind of damage control can be done to help the situation. As for this post, I wanted to take some time to talk about the women of Malawi and their roles and responsibilities in their day to day lives here. Keep in mind what I’m about to say is not the same for every woman and man in Malawi, but you can certainly make some generalizations. There are good situations here too, but I can also say that what you are about to read is an honest portrayal of what life is like for many women plain and simple.












Women in Malawi are in charge of many if not all of the daily chores around the house, in the village, and in the fields. They do lean a bit on their children to help, primarily girls and young women, but they ultimately bear the brunt of most duties. Families are typically large here in Malawi with most women having an average of 5-7 children and a few families having more or less (yes more). So remember when I write about certain chores like cooking and drawing water for drinking and bathing, we are talking about a huge undertaking because of the large family size. Also consider that many women are caring for additional children, usually their orphaned nieces and nephews. Most women here wake up at the crack of dawn anywhere between three to five o’clock A.M. First thing they do is sweep the inside of their homes, outside of the home (which has some large environmental impacts as I’ve mentioned) and then they sweep the outdoor kitchen. Other daily chores include getting water for the family, cooking, getting the wood needed for cooking, cleaning the inside and outside of the home, hand washing the families clothes, working in the fields, getting the children ready for school and many other jobs. Chores like drawing water can be quite a long process as well as strenuous work. Women carry all this water on their head of course and most buckets fall in between 20-40 liters. They start doing this at such a young age that they develop super strong neck and back muscles but this tendency to carry everything on their heads from such an early age leads to many neck and back problems throughout life. Similar situations occur when women go and collect firewood. Most cannot afford to buy illegal charcoal so they are responsible for going out into the African bush to cut trees which can be extremely far and then carry them back to the village. This can be very dangerous for women for the following reasons: poisonous snakes are prevalent, injuries due to the heavy load and distance back to the village, and rape which is very common, because of the isolated and distant areas they have to travel in order to find firewood. It is also common for women to be raped while working alone in their fields.















Women do all the cooking and cleaning for the whole family. Some women are smart and cook in the open air but many use kitchens with small windows and little to no ventilation. They either use wood or charcoal (the latter being illegal in Malawi but available everywhere). Cooking like this meal after meal and day after day makes respiratory illnesses extremely common and in the top five leading causes of death for women in the developing world. All laundry is washed by hand here, which is not only extremely difficult, but requires a lot of water. In my area at certain times of the year we have seasonal rivers which the women can utilize to wash clothes and dishes and save themselves time and energy. It should be noted that while performing all chores, including chopping firewood, most women have babies strapped to their backs, which is how babies are almost always carried here.


Rape and domestic violence are unfortunately very rampant here in Malawi just like in the States. The only difference is that women here have little recourse to take legal action or get community support of any kind. Physical abuse and rape is technically illegal by law in Malawi but culturally it is very acceptable. There is a huge gender inequality in this country and many men believe that the woman’s role is to serve the man. Most men believe that it is a women’s duty to have sex with her husband whenever he wants and sadly many women believe they don’t have the right to say no or the courage to challenge the status quo. Few women have any say in such things as birth control (even when they know their husbands to be unfaithful) or family planning or birth spacing. Sex for women is also very unpleasant. Many men and women both believe that the dryer the vagina the better and men try to ejaculate as quickly as possible which they believe is the manly thing to do. Women get little pleasure from sex and most women do not understand that a normal thing like masturbation is OK and can be enjoyable for their own pleasure


Women do attend school but most fathers view educating males as a much higher priority. By secondary school the percentage of women who drop out is astronomical. The major problem is that once women start to menstruate they often get married and start having children at a young age which means school ends. Little value is seen in an educated woman as opposed to a woman who can help in the house, fields, and etc. Also it is not that uncommon to hear of adult male teachers sleeping with students and similar horror stories.


For me and many male and female volunteers we struggle at times with the treatment and thoughts about women in this culture. On many days I argue in a friendly thought provoking way about the perception of women in this culture and their roles. I challenge them all the time and tell many of my male friends that they are lazy and have no idea how to take care of a woman. I tell them they would not be considered a man in my culture for forcing and asking women to do extremely physical chores. I am one of the few men who actually goes to the bore hole and draws water and the women in my village it love it and respect me a lot for it. I always try and encourage the girls at school and around my village to go to school and to make sure they finish. The government is trying to do certain programs to encourage gender equality but it takes a long time to change culture but I hope with time and education things will go in the right direction for the women of Malawi many of whom are amazing people who never get the chance to reach their full potential due to cultural practices.
















I have two women in my village who are a big part of my life. The first being my neighbor Lucy whom I spend lots of time with. Men and women usually are not friends in this culture but we are breaking the norm which is good for people to see. We chat about everything and I eat lunch and dinner with her family every day. They are my family here and I enjoy sharing my life here with her and her husband and their two children. She takes good care of me and we help each other all the time. Her husband is my friend but has a bad drinking problem so he disappears most days to drink whatever he can find. He works for the government but spends all the money for the family on alcohol. Lucy runs a preschool from her house and uses the money she makes to support the family, and often has to hide her money from him. She teaches preschool kids just like we would in the states, teaching things like the alphabet, counting, songs, and she teaches mostly in Chichewa but also basic English to the kids. All her students come to me and greet me in English which is funny. She dropped out of the equivalent of 12th grade because her father died and her uncle’s would not pay for her to continue school. However, she is very smart and an independent thinker which is not something you find everyday here. She talks about going back to finish and I always encourage her and offer to pay for her schooling. She never stops moving from dusk till dawn. She does all the aforementioned chores and also conducts school from 7:30 AM until 11:30 every day dealing with 20 young children. She is truly an amazing woman who I want to try and help as much as possible while I am here. I recently got her trained by a friend on how to use female condoms so she can teach other women in the community. We both give out male and female condoms at our homes and with her help, we are getting lots more people using protection (some people are intimated to come to me because I am a male and white). I could say more but you are getting my point about the respect I have for her.


My other great relationship is with a young girl named Kamboyua. First off she is deaf. Some in the village have developed a basic system of sign language with her but she has never had much of an education of any kind. I know a few of the signs but not many. She helps my neighbor at her preschool and also helps me around my home with small chores. I tend to over pay her but her family is not all that kind to her so she uses my money to buy soap and necessities. Also if she gets sick at times I will pay for her to get medicine and go to a health clinic. She comes over and hangs out with me. We obviously communicate little but she likes to look at my magazines and books, pictures on my wall, and other oddities which a westerner has at their home. She really wants children and to be married but a deaf woman is viewed and treated negatively by society here. They think of her disability as being a heritable genetic disorder, which it’s not. She was impregnated by some man before I got here who would not take responsibility for the baby, which she later miscarried. She is a wonderful person full of laughs and smiles and I enjoy our relationship of silence.


There is hope for a better future for women in Malawi. In the city where education is more prevalent and western influence is apparent you can see a big difference in the role of women and how they are treated. Malawi just needs those ideas to spread to the poorer rural areas but the ultimate key is education and specifically women being educated and becoming financially independent.










Lastly on a personal note about a month ago I climbed to the peak of a place called Mount Mulanje here in Malawi. It is the tallest mountain here in country and beautiful. I went with another volunteer and his girlfriend who was visiting from the states. They are both amazing people and we spent three days hiking and staying in cabins along the mountain with our guide. The conversations were amazing it was one of my best experiences in the country. Funny thing though she asked my friend and I a lot about our lives here and she commented on how much she enjoyed hanging out with such hard core feminist. Africa changes you in ways you never expected and although I have always been respectful of women my eyes have been opened significantly here about the struggles women in other parts of the world face.


















Cheers to you all and I miss and love everybody


Opinions expressed in this blog are representational of my own thoughts and not those of the Peace Corps or the Government of the United States

Pictures

1-Me with my neighbor Lucy and her children Maggie and Hop

2-Women in my village carrying babies on their backs as usual

3-My deaf friend carrying water

4-Me at my bore whole drawing water

5-Young girls carrying firewood

6-A picture on Mount Mulanje

Peace Corps or the United States Government

Greetings
Well it has been quite some time since I last updated this blog and for those of you who enjoy reading this I send my sincerest apologies. Life has been flying by here and good times have been aplenty. I just recently finished spending 2 weeks in our training hub in Dedza. Myself along with 3 other volunteers helped prepare training for the 21 new environment volunteers that arrived from the states and we also got to spend the first week with them. We answered hundreds of questions and just sat back and enjoyed seeing their excitement and amazement as they took in the new world around them. The energy new volunteers bring in is intoxicating to be around. To think I was just in that position not that long ago and on February 22nd I celebrated my one year anniversary in country and have a little less than 13 months left. The only sad part is with a new group coming in it means soon the old environment group will be leaving. I have some good friends in that group that I will miss but with the new group I will find new people to share in this adventure here in Africa. So many amazing people I have meet here that come and go and all you can do is enjoy your moments in time with them and take those memories with you.

So since my last update was October and it is now almost April I will try to sum my life up these last 5 months as best I can. I will get to my work last and start off with good old fashion American holidays. For Thanksgiving almost all the volunteers gathered in the capital Lilongwe to celebrate the holiday at the ambassador’s house along with a few other ex-pats. The ambassador roasts a few pigs for us and the volunteers are in charge of bringing all the sides, other main courses, and desserts. I serve on a committee here which is in charge of organizing the buying of all foods and cooking of them and myself along with my friend Scott volunteered to take on all the preparation. I can tell you buying and preparing food for a 100 plus people was quite a task. He and I round around for 3 days buying all the ingredients for an abundant of recipes. Along with that we had 3 houses we went with groups of around 10 people at each house who were in charge of cooking the food. I was in charge of the group cooking at the ambassadors house which I can say is beautiful and the kitchen was amazing. The ambassador here is a gentleman named Peter Bodde and he has also been the ambassador in Germany and Pakistan. This is his 3rd and most likely last assignment and he says it is by far his favorite. He is a real down to earth guy who thoroughly believes in the Peace Corps and really helps support us a lot. We ran out of eggs during our cooking and he offered to drive me to get more and we just chatted away about his life and service. His years in Foreign Service and his rank as an ambassador make him equivalent to a four star general and here he is driving me for eggs talking about threats against his life in Germany and Pakistan along with his other life experiences. I was just laughing to myself taking it all in but I really enjoyed our conversation. As for the Thanksgiving event my buddy and I Scott pulled it off with some help from our friends and we did a dam good job. We got toasted at the dinner by a friend as well as a standing ovation from all. It was great but I hope do not have to prepare a dinner like that any time soon again.

As for Christmas about 12 volunteers met up my good friend Mel’s site which is on the lake that lucky gal. We had a fun Christmas Eve just catching up with each other and drinking some beers. As for Christmas day that was a blast. Mel prepared stockings for all in attendance which was super cool and the day just flowed from there. We started drinking beers early and of course swam in the lake. We then cooked a giant feast which chicken was the main course. We had to get the 2 chicken from her neighbor which meant catching them which was an adventure. I had already had a few beers and proceeded with her neighbor’s kids to run around for almost 10 minutes to catch the first one. It was great just running around in my bare foot with the kids laughing like crazy and we tried to catch that dam bird. It was a great African moment for me and I felt free and alive. After we got the first one my buddy John worked on the getting the second one. I carried the first one back with me and John soon joined me with the second one. He and I each killed our respective chicken which entailed my sawing the neck off with a knife I wish was a bit sharper. I was curious to how it would be but it went OK. It was a little weird to be holding his head with eyes blinking while the rest of the chicken was on the ground flapping its wings for maybe 30 seconds. I removed all the feathers and watched a friend gut it for cooking (I had no idea how to do so it was suggested I watch and give it a try at a later date) but I can say I was proud for once to actually kill my food once instead of just waiting for the end product or buy it packaged looking pretty. The feast was great and the day was very festive and although we all missed family it was a blast and a Christmas I will never forget.

Post Christmas 8 of us continued our adventure by taking a little holiday to a place called Ruarwe along the Lake Shore. We left the following morning in the rain and after taking a few buses which took the almost the entire day (transport there is always an interesting adventure in its own) we arrived a small village near the lake in the northern part of the country on a district called Mzuzu. We had no place to stay and it was still raining so we went to a police station and with his help the local minister let us stay at his church. The following morning we set off on a 50 kilometer hike along the lake shore. The hike took 3 days with a lot of pit stops for pictures and swims in the lake. It was beautiful coastal line that had small mountains and reminded me a little of the California. We would just mosey all day and sleep on the beaches at night and cook out. The villages along this area are some of the most remote in country with accessibility only by boat. I can say the Malawians in this are seemed very healthy and obviously even through agriculture is limited in the area they get to enjoy fresh fish everyday which has its benefits. On the 3rd day we were close and the group was moving at different paces my friend Mel and I decided to take a boat the last 15k instead of camping out another night. It was amazing we were on a traditional canoe made out of trees which was extremely heavy and 3 people were paddling. The sun was going down and all along the coastline while lightning bugs were everywhere giving us a show and it was amazing. We made it to the lodge and enjoyed a fine meal and some beers. I stayed for 3 days some stayed for 4 but it was just amazing there. Beautiful beyond words and the lodge owned all the in the cove so it was secluded and so relaxing. There was probably about 20 other ex-pats there from all over Europe and they were all great people. Over the course of the next few days everyone just swam, played on rock slides, jumped off decks and giant rocks in the water which were probably 30 and 40 feet respectively. On New Year’s Eve everyone at the lodge had a giant dinner together and followed by festivities of drinking, dancing, amongst other things. At midnight the bar was cleared and people where doing traditional dances from their European countries on top of it. A few of us stayed up extremely late shed our clothes and went swimming by the moon light (it was a full moon). This also included climbing up that 40 foot rock and having no sense to think twice about any of it as we descended into the water. A new year’s to remember and one of the great trips I have taken in my young life, truly amazing times. The only bummer was at the lodge my IPOD got stolen by a Malawian boy and was never recovered and on the way back down south to my village my camera was stolen and I had such amazing pictures starting from Thanksgiving which I will never get to share with you all. I am trying to recover some of them from friends but I by far took the most pictures of anyone. But what can you do life is too short to worry about little things like but for only a few minutes.

In terms of my everyday life at my village I have been plugging along the past 5 months. This is the farming season so it is a bit harder to get people to spare time for certain projects so the key is to remain patient. Our rain season here in my district as well as the last district in the country south of me has had little rains and too much sun. The farmers have been a bit sad and their yields this year will be smaller than anticipated. This could mean problems this time next year but we shall see. The last 2 to 3 months is considered the hunger season. Most people have finished most of the food from the previous harvest and are awaiting the new crops which will be harvested soon. Money is scarce and food as well so people manage to get by on what little they have which is little to begin with. However their resolve is great and attitudes and demeanor still remain high and people are still smiling everywhere. That is something about Malawians I love is their positive attitude through most things.

I continue to work with my group of women making peanut butter and we have gone through multiple business cycles which is a positive sign. They will never make millions but the money helps and I hope to expand their business to oil making soon. I have started making cooking oil at my home with a boy Joseph who helps me do some work and light chores. I am mastering the machine so I will be able to teach it soon to my ladies. I have been sharing the oil with my neighbor whom I eat lunch and dinner with her and the family. She seems to like it and says it will be marketable in the village so I am hoping for good things soon. I have also taught a second group of women to make peanut butter and a third group has requested the same from me which I will be happy to oblige.

I finally planted my trees with my village sort of. Before I get to the planting part I should say I started by making a fence from thorns. It needed to be 100 meters by 100 meters so it took some time to build. About half I built myself which required going into the bush and cutting limps from thorn trees and dragging them back to the village and stacking them to reach around 3 feet. The second half I had a few friends help me and can say by the time I was done I had scratches all over my legs and arms from the thorns but it was worth it. Getting back to plating the trees I asked for the chief’s help which he assured me would be no problem. The holes which to plant the trees require one to dig 60 centimeters in diameter and likewise in depth. The chief however failed so my neighbor and went out day after day digging a few holes here and there. With little rain the ground was tough and it was hard work lots of blisters etc. After a few days my neighbor went back to his routine of drinking all day and I went at it alone. People started to finally notice me working alone to plant trees for the community and they helped me finish. Since that time I have been manually watering all the trees once a week which means quite of bit of pumping water and transporting it but I thoroughly enjoyed the entire process and these trees are like my babies now. Goats and cows are always trying to find a way in since they like to eat the leaves so I am constantly chasing away them away but unfortunately a few trees have been eaten and needed to be replaced. The grazing of animals in most parts of Africa only adds to the problem of deforestation which is already a huge issue. The either kill or stunt the growth of so many seedlings and it would be avoidable if people would monitor where their livestock go but they just let them loose in the morning and they are everywhere all day. Another notes on trees I got a neighboring chief interested in a certain tree which actually helps raise yields in fields. The term used is agro forestry for trees beneficial fir crops for those who do not know. The tree has nitrogen rich roots and leaves so soon enough I plan on going out with some farmers in their fields after they harvest and plant some trees with them and teach them the benefits among other techniques with the tree that will help.

I continue to give out condoms and just recently hit the 1000 mark which I was somewhat excited about. They have females condoms available here in Africa so I am working on getting a female volunteer to come up and give a training on the soon. My neighbor Lucy has also agreed to distribute them from her house which I am excited about. I would do it myself but women are way too shy in this culture to come see me about such things.

Lastly work wise I fixed the bore hole in my village which had not worked in over five years. It required 2 or 3 trips to Blantyre and me spending a decent amount of my food money to get it going but it was a success. The village was excited and I was stoked to say the least. It will really help our area quite a bit and save a lot of time for the women. We were all going to surrounding villages and the wait was a bit much at times. Now I may wait five minutes at the most which is so very nice you cannot imagine. The agreement I made with the village is that I fix it with my money and soon when people start getting money again from harvesting we are going to institute a tax for those who use it and keep the money towards parts when old ones go bad. Hopefully with this system it can stay operable for years to come even after I am gone.

That pretty much sums up my life. A few quick notes I saw my first snake in my yard but as soon as I got near it slithered away so I have no idea what kind it was. Also my good friend had a baby and asked me to name it. I wanted to name him after my father but they could not pronounce the name Oscar for some reason. It just does not roll off their tongues so we settled on Christopher which is my brother’s name and a fine one at that. I did learn with however that here I in Malawi men do not even escort their wives to the hospital they have a friend take them and once born they are notified and they proceed to go and visit mother and child. Also for the first few days after the women comes home which is usual the next day or same day she is not allowed to bathe in the families bafa(which is where you bathe obviously). My friends wife want to an abandon house and used that bafa until an appropriate time passed and went back to bathing at her home. I asked what the reason was but no one really could give me an answer. Finally they usually do not bring the baby outside once it arrives home for the first week once again no one could explain why but in this case they did break custom and bring young Christopher out so I could see him. Finally my cat died. I am not sure why but he came home and he looked like he lost a cat fight one day but after that he stopped eating. He drank water and managed to hold on for 4 or 5 days before he finally died. I wanted to euthanize him but they really there is no vets here so I thought of drowning him (which other volunteers have done with pets who are suffering because of no other options) but I could not bring myself to do it. I miss the my cat but I now the year I had him he got feed and pet better than he had his entire life so that is about all I can say about that,

I know I wrote a lot and I appreciate everyone who took the time to read this. I will not let this happen again so future entries will be shorter I promise. In May FYI I am taking a 2 week trip with some friends to Mozambique which I am excited for and April 22nd will mark my one year of services for Peace Corps. I hope all is well state sides with everyone and I want to give me Pops a big Happy 64th birthday greeting from Africa. The 26th of March is his big day. I miss you Pops and love you much.
Take care all

Pat

I managed to scrounge up a few pictures and Mom there are a few of me because I know you have requested multiple times that you want to see what I look at
1. The rock slide we played on in Ruware
2. The 4 volunteers who trained the new volunteers for the first week
3. Here you go Mom me in all my glory

The opinions expressed in the blog are solely mine and not representational of the Peace Corps or the United States Government