African Adventures [part.two]

.January.3.

Last night I forced myself to stay up until 10 (a big feat) and I don't think I've ever slept so good! A small group of us went this morning to go get money exchanged (legally) and then went to the grocery store. After everyone ate we were going to go on a walking tour of 'old town' but we had to wait for the rain to stop. One of the benefits of going to Malawi during the rainy season (December-March)- everything is so lush and green! It's so beautiful! When it finally did stop, Reiner (a World Camp intern from Holland), took us out and gave us a tour around town and through a market. The vendors come up to you saying "My friend! My friend! Come look at my stall!" They love azungus (white people). 
This afternoon a beautiful woman named Grace came and spoke with us! She was a primary teacher for 26 years and now works for the Ministry of Education teaching about HIV/AIDS. Grace herself is HIV positive and she told us that she like to tell people that are also positive, that "Your life is not over!! You can still live your life!!" There is free access to drugs that fight against HIV if they chose to access it. People don't like going into these health clinics to get the medicine because then other people in their village will know that they are sick. They would rather pay for the medicine so people won't know. It seems so backwards. We ran across this throughout our time in Malawi: People need to change their mindsets in order for a change to be made.

She also talked to us about the education system in Malawi which was very interesting because it is so different than our own. There is a teacher shortage (has been ever since primary education became free) so the teacher:student ratio in rural villages is about 1:60 & in the cities is about 1:100-200. Holy cow. Another thing I found interesting was that they teach abstinence in primary schools which is so great!
Grace has the sweetest soul and I'm so glad we had the opportunity to hear from her while we were there!!


After Grace left, we took a van a little ways to a local market. And I'm talkin lo-cal. No other azungus. Anywhere. Close alleys in between wooden stalls. People everywhere. Raw fish sitting on a stand. With hundreds of flies all over them. Plus the smell of fish. And who knows what else. Trash all over the ground that you have to walk over. Being the obvious minority with everyone's eyes following you when you walked by and calling you 'Azungu!'. Completely unlike anything I've ever experienced before. I'll never forget it. We walked through the market to where they sold fabric. Beautiful African fabrics! We all tried out our hand with bargaining {aka me says okay! to whatever price they told me. i'm not a good bargainer. sad.} and learned some Chichewea basics (the language of Malawi). When we got back to the house Lolli was there. He is a tailor & is amazing. We gave him our fabric, told him what we wanted out of it (skirts, dresses, pillow cases, napkins, bags, etc.) and he can make it! He's very talented. We had some good quiche made by John (the cook for the house. sweetest man), a debriefing meeting and then off to bed! 

.January.4.

This morning we woke up and left the house at 8 headed to Wimbe Village! Wimbe is the village of William Kamkwamba, author of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (everyone go out and read this now. thanks. you won't regret it). Once we got on the road and out of Lilongwe, it was absolutely beautiful! So spacious & lush. Random mountains jutting up from the ground. Fields (&maize) for miles. Huts with thatch roofs. Women with baskets on their heads and babies on their backs. Men on bicycles (a main form of transportation). Villages and trading centers along the sides of the roads (with barber shops, investment bankers, vegetable stands, raw meat hanging, kids running around). So beautiful.

We picked up Blessings in Kasungu, who was William's tutor. An amazing man. (Hoping that we get the book passed for the summer reading and we can get him to Boone/first time in America!!!) Soon after we picked up Blessings we turned off the lovely paved road onto a lovely dirt one. With the most awesome hugest potholes I've ever seen. Touche Malawi. When we would drive past a village people were so excited to see us. They would wave and smile so big (usually shouting azungu! so then more people would come out), a very cool experience. 

We finally arrived in Wimbe, and headed straight to William's house. It was so cool to read about this place in his book and then actually see where things took place and to be able to meet some of his family. He unfortunately could not be there, but we were able to meet his father, some of his sisters, his cousins and his grandparents! We were invited into their home, which in Malawi is a big honor. Blessings acted as translator and it was amazing. William's dad showed us an award that William had won, and we saw his graduation picture and his picture with President Banda! You could tell that his dad was so proud. They showed us out back to William's room and the two windmills currently in their yard. The first windmill he built was moved down by Jeremiah's house, his cousin. Geoffery, another one of William's cousins, now maintains the windmills while William is at school. We were able to meet William's grandparents, which was an honor. His grandfather was born in 1919!! I would have loved to sit there for hours and hear his stories. He was a chief in a village not too far away, but William asked him to come back and live near their family. 

With William's new fame things have been donated to him and his family, such as solar panels and electricity for his whole village! Most of us brought our books, so the kids and then his family signed them, which is now priceless! Success.

We stopped at the primary school on our way out of town and it was unreal. I think that is when all of us fell in love with Malawi. Kids come out of the woodworks to see azungus! Then when you try to talk to them they get shy and laugh and smile. A thumbs up is a good go to. After a few rounds of singing, we were able to see the library where William would rent textbooks that led him to build the windmill! 

On our way back to Lilongwe, we stopped at the secondary school where Blessing's daughter attends. The school was fussing that her tuition had not been paid yet, so Blessings wanted to talk to the principle to say that he didn't have the money, but he would soon. We decided that it would be great to pay for her semester of school! So we did!! It was 8,000 kwacha which is about $50-55 USD. For a whole semester of school. SO so worth it!! 

That evening a man named Chikabachi came to give us a Chichewa lesson. He taught us some basics which was very interesting (&hard) to learn. But it makes a big difference just trying to speak the language. All about immersing yourself into the culture, including the language. 

For dinner we had our first nsima experience. The traditional dish of Malawi. Not awful, just bland and super super filling. It's just flour and water mixed together and then you eat it with different relishes. We had beans and some type of vegetable. An amazing, unforgettable day :)

Zikomo kwambiri. 

African Adventures [part.one]

It's here. It's has finally come time to put my experience into words. I honestly have been putting it off because I don't even know where to start. How do I put words to this amazing experience and do it any justice? Who knows. But I'm going to try. Partly because I want to share with you my adventures and partly because I have to for a grade :) Lets get started, shall we?


.January.1.

I arrived at the airport at 4:15am where Whitney & I flew to DC and met up with the rest of the group. We hopped on a flight to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. 13 hours.

 No big deal. Long flights are ridiculous. There never is enough room to actually get comfortable, especially if you're like me and have the middle seat curse. However, the screens on the back of each seat did help to pass the time. Movies, TV shows, games, music -- they have it all! Side note: If anyone is looking for a beautiful ethnic woman, go to Ethiopia. These women are gorgeous. :End side note. We arrived in Addis Ababa then had to get another plane to take us to Lilongwe. Another 6 hours of flying time. Sweet. We stopped halfway in the Congo to refuel. Crazyness. Needless to say, we were glad to get back in the air and not stay there. 

.January.2.

We finally arrived in Lilongwe in the early afternoon and were all pretty exhausted. First impression: it reminded me a lot of Nicaragua. It was hot, humid, luscious and obviously so different than North Carolina. Not like what I pictured. Previously when I thought of Africa, I thought hot, dry, dirt, cheetahs and elephants. Not the same. 

It was about an hour drive from the airport to the house, so it was a great opportunity to see some of the landscape leading into the capital of Malawi, Lilongwe. Even just from the drive into town, you can tell how significantly different of a country Malawi is. 

There were two things that stood out to me while driving into town. One: How within the first twenty minutes of being in the car, you could tell how drastic the gap was between the rich and the poor. There really is not a middle class in Malawi. We drove past several gated subdivisions with huge houses inside and then right up the road are mud houses with a thatch roof. Two: The fuel shortage. We drove past a gas station that had cars parked, lined up for miles waiting to get gas. We complain here in the United States when gas prices are rising, which is indeed a problem, but at least we are still able to get fuel when we need it. Very interesting. I found this video online that can give you an idea of what it was like:

After a tree literally falling directly in front of our van, we finally made it to the World Camp  volunteer house. World Camp is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to providing simple, sustainable solutions to the complex problems of poverty and HIV in Malawi. Our group stayed in their volunteer house in Lilongwe along with their current interns. We divided up into rooms and began to rest and unpack. It was so nice to finally be there and be done with traveling for a bit. In the capital they have electricity, but it is pretty unreliable. So the first night we didn't have power until later that evening, which was fun and an interesting problem that is often run into. Candlesticks stuck in wine bottles? Genius. A lot of us played the beloved card game, Mofia, had a debriefing meeting and finally went to bed!

Happy 2012, I'm off to Africa!!

That's right folks!! I leave for AFRICA tomorrow!! I can not believe it is actually here. I was so so busy with exams, and Christmas that it snuck up on me. In the first wee hours of 2012 (IN LESS THAN 9 HOURS), I will be boarding a plane headed to Lilongwe, Malawi for TWO weeks!!! I am beyond excited. I feel so blessed to be able to go on a trip like this and cannot wait to get there!! 


I have to answer three more questions for my Malawi class, so without further ado, here are the final questions:


Question One: List the two greatest achievements of NGO's in Malawi.
Throughout our readings and research, we have found obvious achievements of NGO's in Malawi. In my opinion, one of the greatest achievements they've had is the education that they have given the local people which is priceless. They are able to help get children to school when otherwise, they might not have had the chance. They also have NGO's that give people knowledge on how to help protect themselves against AIDS and HIV, personal hygiene, and safe sex. Another important thing I believe NGO's have been able to do in Malawi is being able to provide aid to the people there. There are now more clinics set up than in the past which can provide different types of aid. 


Question Two: List the two most common reasons why NGO's disband/fail.
One of the most common reasons that NGO's disband is when the mission is no longer appropriate and the non-profit struggles between it's original mission and with relative security. These are two constant, competing tendencies  that can become extreme when organizations are under pressure, and ultimately lead to disband or failure. The second reason is the risk/survival analysis, finding the proper balance between organizational extension and risk taking and organizational security. There is a point where a line needs to be drawn between the public service mission and the organizational security which can be a struggle for NGO's and can also lead to disband or failure. 


Question Three: Which is more challenging, managing cash flow in a non-profit or a regular business? Why?

Managing cash flows in a non-profit organization is more challenging than that of a regular business due to the fact that it may or may not be an unsteady inflow. This can result in a shortfall of cash during the year and force the NGO to alternative routes to resolve this problem. Some of the routes include reserve funds, liquidate assets, borrow money from a trustee, or a loan from a bank. 

So my bags are packed and I'm ready to go. I probably won't sleep well tonight. You know, pre-trip anxiousness (I'm 22 years old and this still happens before every trip) and the fact that fireworks will be going off all night long (happynewyears!!). Also a fun piece of information:: Gray and I will have been dating for THREE YEARS in two days!!! :) :) So blessed. He is the best ever. He's being super sassy that I won't be here (typical) but I'm bringing him a baby lion cub in return for my absence. Fair trade. 

Well, I'm off to go do some last minute things. Please be praying for me and my time in Malawi! Can't wait to share my new adventures with you :)

THIS is the confidence we have in approaching God:

that is we ask anything according to his will, 

he hears us.

And if we know he hears us - whatever we ask - 

we know that we have what we asked of him.

-1John5:14-15

New Adventures

School has kicked itself into high gear as the semester is coming to a close. From this side, it seems like the papers, presentations and exams will never stop. But I know that in a few short weeks the world will be right again, and everything will once more be calm (PraiseJesus). I have had a wonderful semester back at App and can't believe it's nearing a year to when I left for the great adventure that was Spain. As I reminisce on my time there, I am so thankful for the beauty of other countries and cultures that I was able to see, the people I was able to meet, and the overall eye-opening experience I was blessed to have. I love Spain. 


SO even though the semester is slowly winding down, I am gearing up for a new adventure :) One that will take me out of the country from January 1-16. One that will require me to fly over the Atlantic. One that will land me in SOUTHERN AFRICA!!!! Specifically, Malawi. I am going to Malawi, Africa!!!! I can not tell you how excited I am!! I am going with a group from Appalachian (about 10 other students) and we are staying mainly at a Non Profit called World Camp in their volunteer house. We are going to go on a safari (YES!!!) in Zambia and also go to Lake Malawi and stay a night there. The icing on the cake is that we get class credit!! It counts as three credit hours that will go towards my spring semester!
For part of our grade in the class we have to have a blog (perfect) and we are required to answer a few questions for class before we leave and then keep a daily journal while we are in Malawi. So instead of making a whole new blog, I edited mine a bit and am just going to add to it! So our first 2 questions for class are...


Question One: Why is Malawi poor?
I think that Malawi is poor for many different reasons. They have a very poor infrastructure, very bad corruption, undiversified exports, and limited natural resources. Malawi finds itself in a poverty trap. The total discretionary budget is $378.8 million ( 53.6%) of the overall budget. This represents $31.56 per capita for the provision of all services. This small amount is obviously inadequate to provide services that will be impacting. So quality of health, education, financing investments in agriculture and food security, and other services get put on the back burner and thus they are still in immense poverty. Most of the population lives in rural areas and agriculture is what a majority of these people do for a living. However, they have been farming on the same land for years which leads to a decline in the soil fertility and it stagnates the agricultural productivity. This results in an unstable food security situation. According to national data, 64% of the population live below the poverty line. Also, Malawi has an external debt of $3.23 billion which is taken from the very small amount the country does have that should be put into developing the country. 


Question Two: What does it mean to be poor?
In my opinion to be poor means to not have the financial means to support yourself and lacking access to basic amenities.




and the second set of questions too because I'm late with the first ones (sorry Meredith!)...




Question One: What is the definition of a sustainable process?
A sustainable process is development that does not jeopardize the ability of future generations to meet their needs by fulfilling our own needs at present time. 


Question Two: How does it encompass inter-generational and intra-generational equity?
The Brundtland Commission's interpretation of sustainable development brings together the equity between generations (inter-generational) and the equity within generations (intra-generational). The report stated, "Even the narrow notion of physical sustainability implies a concern for social equity between generations, a concern that must logically be extended to equity within each generation." Sustainability is what connects different generations. It requires people in industrialized countries to reduce their consumption of resources per head to a level that everyone in the world would be able to live on indefinitely.


Question Three: What is the difference between sustainability and sustainable development?  
Most people fail to differentiate the difference between sustainability and sustainable development. Sustainable development is a term that ultimately gives priority to development, and growth. It is more of a business term. On the other hand, you have sustainability that is mainly about the environment and used more by environmentalists.




So, dear friends, please be praying for me and I am preparing for this amazing trip. I am so excited to see what the Lord has for me in Africa!! 

Here's another way to put it: 

You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. 

God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill.

 If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you?

I'm putting you on a light stand. 

Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! 

Keep open house; be generous with your lives. 

By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.

-Matthew5:16-18 (The Message)

Manaña.

Can't believe it's finally here. I leave Spain tomorrow. WHAT!?! I AM SO EXCITED!!!!! Actually feels real. It hasn't really up until now. I'm actually going to be able to see Gray and my family in 2 days!! And then my homegirl Allie in 3 days (along with lots of other pretty faces I can't wait to see!)!!! Y'all just don't understand. 5 months is a long time. I'm so so ready to be home! 
But I made some lists. So enjoy :)


So Ready For...

• Not having to walk a bizillion miles a day and be able to drive again
• Two words: Air Conditioning. 
• Milk and eggs that are refrigerated in the grocery store. It still sketches me out.
• A Moe's burrito (plus lots of others. like an actual breakfast from ihop. or a jersey mikes sub. it's pretty much what kira and i talk about all the time)
• A North Carolina summer. 
• Some Cornerstone Summit!!! So excited.

But I will miss...

• Living at the sea
• The pretty fountains all over
• Tortilla de patatas (determined to learn how to make it though)
• El castillo. (cool that i've lived by a castle for 5 months)
• All my cool new international friends
• Prime time European people watching (it's seriously the best)

Also there are things I won't miss...

• Cockroaches (since it has gotten warmer here they seem to think it is okay to come hang out. false. and they're massive. Erin said it looks like they're on steroids. true statement)
• Living in a city (over it. take me back to boone)
• This small, dark apartment. 
• Jellyfish in the water (aka medusas in espanol)
• Techno

Hogueras started a few days ago. If you read when I went to Valencia to see Las Fallas (you can read it HERE ), it is very similar. The cool artsy statues that they burn down at the end of the week. If you want to read in detail about it you can do so HERE or just google it. They also have firework shows daily. And let me tell you something - the Spaniards know how to put on a firework show. I don't know how to describe it. Not only are there fireworks, but there are these firecracker things that vibrate the ground. I'm not doing it any justice, but believe me it's awesome. I won't be able to see when they burn everything, but I am okay with that because I saw Las Fallas and plus I'll be home by then :)

Okay, I need to go pack so I can so say bye to everyone tonight! 

Spain (/Europe), thanks for having me. It's been great!

America,  I'M COMING HOME! SEE YOU SOON!!!

MyBooneFriend.

First things first. Update: I have EIGHT days until I leave Spain! AHHHHH!!! What?!?! I know. I'm excited. It will definitely be a culture shock when I get back. Europe is way different than the States. But I think I'll do just fine :) Can't wait to give everyone the biggest hug EVER! :)


As you may know, my sweet friend Jaime came to visit me this past weekend! And what a great weekend it was! She arrived on Thursday night and we spent the evening eating yummy Italian food, sitting by the Mediterranean , walking halfway up the castle to see the city lit up, having good conversations, eating gelato (praisejesus), and passing out. The whole weekend we were on the same sleep schedule, which was so great! 
On Saturday we went with some girls to San Juan Beach and had our own DIY spa day! Alicia (from New York) prepared the whole thing and it was really fun! We did facials out of oatmeal, honey and yogurt. Cucumbers and all. Some type of hair treatment with yogurt, olive oil, and an egg (ew). And an exfoliation scrub with strawberries, olive oil and sand. Each of these was a first for me. My favorite was the scrub cause it worked and felt so good!! Might just have to do that one again. Afterwards we showered, then got kebabs and ate at the harbor! Margaret was having a going away party since she was leaving the next morning. Hilarious. No words. Funny funny night. She has a 'ritual' where she burns her notes and books from the past semester of the classes she didn't like. So a little into the night we all hiked up to this place kind of overlooking the city and indeed burned her papers. 
The next morning we rode with Margaret to the airport and said our goodbyes! She is now safely back in her favorite place in the world, Latvia. The apartment is a lot quieter and she is greatly missed! :) We spent most of the day at the beach. It was a solid beach day. Then we got gelato again (perfect excuse to eat it when a guest is in town! no more though. tri coming up) and hiked up to the castle! It was a beautiful day and did not disappoint. 

We sat for a while waiting for the sun to set, but gave up because it sets around 9:30. Impatient and hungry. We showered and then went to a chinese restraunt at the harbor with my Texas roommate Elissa and her boyfriend Austin. Sooo good. Like I said earlier, Jaime and I were on the same sleep schedule so after dinner we were exhausted so headed home and went to bed. 
On Sunday we had breakfast then headed out of town to San Paz to a market/flea market type deal. It was so cool! I really liked it. We liked looking through the old things and finding gems amidst all the stuff. Once we got back into town we had pizza, then walked around for a while until we had to bid adieu at the train station. 
I'm so so happy that Jaime was able to come and visit and check a goal off her list! I really enjoyed our time together! Sweet friend, sweet conversations, and such sweet time together! So thankful for you Jaime!! :) 

Moris is pokin out there (jaime's hair extension).

Off to the beach! Which is probably what I'll be doing for the next week! That and tri training. Ugh. Still can't believe I'm doing that. I might be crawling across the finish line. Hopefully not. 

Stand still and consider the wondrous works of God.

-Job37:14

Sky'sTheLimit.

20 days. Passed the 3 week mark yesterday. Feelin good about it. These are a few of the things I'm missing right now:

The beauty of Boone, NC.

R.Giddings :)

Sheepie.

My Allisons

The Sibs & Los Tres.

Graybill :)

I've been playing this song a lot lately... 

This Thankful Thursday I am very very thankful for Cornerstone Toledo livestream every Sunday. It is always so encouraging to be able to worship and be fed the relevant word of God! This past Sunday Bishop Pitts talked about the love of God. About how God is love. God's love is without qualification or conditions! You don't have to qualify for God's love! It's so much more than any type of love we can fathom. He has NO limits!!! The revelation of His love compels us to do more. Aspiring to reach more. To know more. 

How deep the Father's love for us,

How vast beyond all measure

That He should give His only Son

To make a wretch His treasure.

Oh how He loves us!!! God is love. This chica is thankful.

This is how God showed his love among us:

He sent his one and only Son into the world

that we might live through him. 

This is love:

not that we loved God, 

but that he loved us. 

-1John4:9-10