The Past Nine Months

For the past nine months I've been living and volunteering at Mzuzu University - and it occurs to me that this has been very hard to document on facebook (especially through pictures) and even harder to convey what I have done to everyone back in Canada. I came here not know exactly what I would be doing - just that it would have something to do with my area of study: public policy. As soon as we came, I was offered a teaching position in the Department of Land Management for a Development Policies course and a program evaluation position in the Children's Library and Information Centre. School ended at the end of October, and my exams were marked by mid- November, so for the past 3 months I've been solely focusing on the Children's Library and my other projects. Malawi works a bit differently than the rest of the (Western) world. Time is a constant and isn't chased - It just happens. Nine months is long and short - long time to be away from home, but short time to have significant projects started, processed and completed. In Malawi, nine months has proven to be short. When working on projects here, there is still a set deadline in place, however, that deadline isn't actually respected. Just because the department says we will have something done by December 5th doesn't mean it actually will be done by then. It's done when it's done - and this is what we have been working with. So here is what I've done the past nine months - with the lucky breaks of a week in Zambia, a week travelling around Malawi and a week off for Christmas. Don't mind the style of writing - this was written for a final report. 

Department of Land Management

                During the first semester at Mzuzu University, my work concentrated on lecturing in place for the head of the Department of Land Management in the level 2 Development Policies course. I utilized the minimal lecture notes that were given to me to help develop and shape my course outline. However, the majority of the course was developed from my own research of Malawi's various development policies and lining my teaching up with the course objective. I delivered lectures on 9 separate development policies, required 3 assignments, lead 3 seminar workshops and wrote 2 exams for this course. Once the final exam occurred and was marked, I submitted all of my lecture notes, research notes, PowerPoint presentations and assignment outlines to Dominic so that they can be reused in the future or applied to a web environment. I also helped develop a basic evaluation plan for a future intern to complete a full curriculum evaluation. As program evaluation is part of my specialization, I created a work plan that lays a base for the development of a complete and thorough curriculum evaluation for the department so that strengths and flaws within the entire department's curriculum can be discovered and remedied. This will be an extensive evaluation that is necessary for the department.

Children's Library and Information Centre

The Children's Library has been the main area of my interest and is the root of my projects at Mzuzu University. I have developed a program evaluation template for each of the services offered through the Children's Library. These templates will help measure the strength and reality of each program offered. In addition, I am aiding in program development. This involves analysing the current status of each program, relating the status to the goals of the program and bridging the gap between the two. This involves small areas such as finding a local partnership to illustrate local children's books, and much larger areas such as developing a new branch of a program to incorporate young mothers into literacy clinics. I have fully edited each program proposal documents, as well as all of the program evaluation sheets. With this system in place the Children's Library will be able to move forward with a specific work plan and goals. The program evaluation system will allow all of the limitations and realities of each project to be clear for a much easier future path. Additionally, I am developing a website that will act as a technological connection to the public so that there is a potential for more people to access the services offered by the Children's Library. 

Other Projects

                Outside of my projects at the university, I have begun working on my own research project involving energy and the dependence on fuel wood, using Malawi as a case example. I hope to complete my research while in Malawi in order to write the paper in Canada. My goal is to have my paper published. I am also partnering with Mike to write a paper on coffee production and the future of the coffee industry in Malawi. Additionally, I developed and delivered a funding proposal workshop to a local organization, Ungweru. This presentation is available to anyone at the university or future interns working in areas where funding proposals are needed.

Ten Things I've Learned in Malawi

So living in Africa does make you learn a few things: some big and some small. Here is a small sampling of what I learned.

1. Lizard poop is black with a white tip. Who knew. 

2. How to make banana bread.

3. Everything can be reused - absolutely everything. 

4. It is not the end of the world when the power goes out. 

5. Shoes that are described as quality made will not last 2 weeks in Africa.

6. Nothing is more important than family and community. 

7. Ants are evil. They will find you no matter where you are and they will hide out in unlikely spots just to be evil! For example, they will band together and invade your bedroom and your bed or they will just hang out in the handle of the kettle so when you pick it up they climb over your hand (true story). They are evil. Period. 

8. Cheese is a precious commodity. I really love cheese.

9. I am good at what I do - program evaluation and policy analysis. It's most of what I've done here both with the Department of Land Management and the Children's Library. I love my field.

10. Malawi is not a developing country - it is a growing society. A village that is only connected to the outside world by a foot path is not an isolated bubble breeding poverty and disease. It is a community that is living, breathing and working to support family and friends. Malawi has a sense of community and family that is so far beyond the developed world, it can make you doubt the very foundation of your own society. There is a simplicity and strong foundation in Malawi that can be hard to find at home. The community is the glue that holds the country together despite disease and sickness. Poverty is relative - and it's easy to see that many of the "poor" in Malawi are much richer in life than the developed world assumes.

The Downhill Slope

So here we are in February - our last month in Malawi. I can't believe it is already here. Some months went by very fast (January!) and some went by very slow. But we finally made it. It seems that somewhere over the past 3 months we have gone over the learning curve and have become very comfortable and happy living in Mzuzu. We know people, people know us - we have a routine - we know how to act in every circumstance - we have good friends. Turns out, Mzuzu has become our home. Even more interesting is that every unique thing about Malawi that surprised us or caught us off guard when we first arrived, is now normal. 

For example, everyone says "Hello, how are you?" all the time, and every Malawian response is "I'm fine." Doesn't seem all that strange, until you try it yourself. Ask every person you meet how they are and when they answer and ask you how you are, say "I'm fine". It will feel like you are telling them in a covert way that you are not good but don't want to talk about it, as saying "I'm fine" tends to feel this way without even knowing it. We are more likely to say "I'm good" or "I'm well today". Ridiculous how something this small and insignificant can throw you off guard. Now it's just a response. A more noticeable thing we've gotten used to is people staring at us. Like a really good stare that bores into your soul, or at least makes you wonder what is wrong with what you are wearing. We are so used to people stopping and staring at us, it makes us wonder what we are going to do when we are walking around in London or back at home when someone is staring at us. Will we notice it more or not notice it at all? Will something actually be wrong with my clothes or hair, or will I dismiss the stare as I have in Malawi - I'm another person who looks different (because of the white skin, in case you were confused). Another thing we've become used to is our mosquito net. At first it was annoying, frustrating and mostly just a pain to have. Now it's a comfort. We know how to keep it (tucked under the mattress 24/7 so no creatures can sleep with us), and it's become almost a safety net. For the past 8 months I can count on one hand the amount of times we have slept on just a mattress or couch without a mosquito net or without our tent screens to shield us from anything and everything. It's going to be very strange to sleep in a normal bed without having to worry about a net again. Maybe every once in a while we'll sleep in a tent just to bring back good feelings. 

All of these small things add up to a very different way of life (even when you still have running water and electricity). And just as we have become accustomed to our new way of life, we are heading down a downhill slope towards our return to civilization! I can't lie, I cannot wait! I love Malawi and I wouldn't have traded our time here for anything. In fact, our time has just made us appreciate Canada and our lives that much more. As well as appreciate cheese more. And real milk more. And coffee more. It's basically made us appreciate everything possible more than we did before - especially family and friends. I've been slacking on my blogs - I know. It's hard to write about everyday life that has become the norm. I promise I'll do more posts before we get home and that our stories when we get home will actually be interesting! After all, we've just spent the last 8 months in Africa and we only have 1 more month to go.

The Places within Malawi

Malawi is a relatively small country, especially when it is compared to the countries surrounding it. In Canada, even in a small province, we are used to every major place being associated with the title of "city".  In Malawi, there are 3 cities: Blantyre in the Southern Region, Lilongwe in the Central Region (also is the Capital), and Mzuzu in the Northern Region (our home). Any other major area where people live or come together is known as a trading centre, some being bigger than others. Any other place is a village - and trust me, they are true villages (as in Dunville looks like a major city in comparison). Mike and I are lucky enough to have seen every city in Malawi and quite a few of the major trading centres. Of course we live in Mzuzu - so we are completely biased and know 100% that Mzuzu is the best city to be in by far - just enough to make it feel a touch civilized, but not as many people or creepy stores as in Lilongwe and Blantyre. It also only has maybe 5 roads, so you will never get lost. Lilongwe offers a much more 21st century feel with actual grocery stores and department stores. And as it is the capital city, you can also see the capital buildings - but we stick to the department stores. As it is a bigger city, it also has a darker side - much like say Toronto has homeless people or more garbage along the sidewalks. Recently Mike and I visited Blantyre. What's in Blantyre? A KFC. And that's about it. We didn't even eat there. 

It's the smaller trading centres that are truly unique and reflect the nature of Malawi. Places like Mulanje, Zomba, Cape Maclear, Nkhata Bay and Kande Beach are some of the most beautiful and friendly places in Malawi. Mulanje is the town at the base of Mulanje Mountain, a range of peaks that are extremely beautiful and surrounded by tea plantations. Mike and I hiked Mulanje, making it to the Chambe peak hut to spend the night. We woke up surrounded by peaks and forest - absolutely beautiful. I think I lost 5 pounds on the hike, which only took 4 hours but was completely uphill - as in literally climbing up rocks. Definitely a happy moment of accomplishment. We didn't even attempt to go to the summit, whose name translated into English means "don't go there". That would have taken about 24 hours to hike. And there are rumours that Mulanje is a harder mountain to climb than Kilimanjaro. In any case, Mulanje is our absolute favourite place in Malawi. People are the most friendly and the view is breathtaking. Mulanje is a much better place to judge Malawi than one of the cities. 

Zomba is the former capital of Malawi, and has a modern feel. Since it is at the base of a plateau you can enjoy the restaurants and (Semi-)modern life (they have cheese!) at the base, or go to the top of the plateau to hike, see the waterfalls or visit the dam that is on the 500 Kwacha bill. We only had a short time in Zomba, but if we had the chance, we would definitely go back to really check it out. Again, it has much more character and beauty than the cities in Malawi. 

Any of the major villages along the Lake are also a true reflection of Malawi's soul. Cape Maclear, at the Southern tip of Lake Malawi was like a small paradise tucked away behind huge hills. We swam with the tropical fish out near one of the islands and watched fish eagles grab fish from the Lake not 10 feet from our boat. Kande Beach is reminiscent of Cuba - sandy beaches with not a care in the world. Nkhata Bay has beautiful views and a much more lively social scene, which has given us many opportunities of making new friends. 

I'm glad that we have had the opportunity to check out more of Malawi than just our humble little home in Mzuzu and Lilongwe. It's not until we went to new places that it really is evident that Malawi is the warm heart of Africa - you just have to venture away from the 'luxury' the cities provide.

Long time no see

So time has gone by so fast! So sorry (in the local language - pepani or in Malawian English - sorry sorry) for not posting any blog posts recently. But to be honest - I've just been working. Mundane day to day stuff - I just happen to be living in Africa. The "rains" have started - but not really as it only rains every once in a while. We are very comfortable in Mzuzu now - comfortable with the people, the culture, the work and our life. It only took 7 months! I've completely finished teaching and had the experience of marking exams instead of studying and taking them myself. And to be honest, being on the other side of the table is over rated - you still have to mark 40 exams, and students generally disappoint. BUT my students were great! No one failed the course and I think they got some critical analysis skills out of it. Other than that, we've turned our focus onto our coffee development paper (contents of which are super secret until we've finished our research). In the meantime - lets learn a little more about Malawi!