Lake Malawi

Last weekend was my first trip to Lake Malawi, which is about 2 hours away from where I live in Lilongwe.  Lindsay, Heather, and I thought that we would have to take the minibus to get to the place where we were staying, but we were thankfully offered a ride from a friend of a friend named Matt.  The trip out to the lake was nice because I was able to see some of the Malawian countryside with its rolling hills and lush greenness.  Matt mentioned how brown and dusty it is here during the dry season, and I felt luck to be here now instead of in September.

At the lake we stayed at a lodge that included one huge house and a smaller, round structure just outside of the house.  The lake itself is beautiful and very warm (which is required if I am to swim).  The water was a bit brown, I assume because of the rains, but was still refreshing.  There is a sand beach and huge rocks all around.  I've attached some pictures above.

All in all, things in Malawi are going well.  I am still really enjoying my work here.  In addition to the two women's support groups that I am facilitating, I have taken on 6 individual clients and plan to begin a children's support group next week.  I'm grateful to have the opportunity to work with both children and adults in this placement.

My frustrations continue to be the same, though, namely my lack of mobility and the sense that there is so little to do here.  Yesterday Lindsay came over to watch a movie, and we arranged for a cab to pick her up at 10:30.  Only at 10:30, the cabbie had turned off his phone, and he never showed up.  We called a few other "cabs" but they had all either quit working or refused to give Lindsay a ride because they would not make enough money in the process!!  It was a frustrating night to be sure, especially for Lindsay.  She ended up having to sleep on my floor, which I can assure you is not very comfortable.

I am constantly thinking of whether I could do this kind of work long-term.  I think if I were staying here for longer, I could invest in some creature comforts which would make my stay more bearable.  Most people who live here for more than a few months have cars and cute apartments in which to entertain.  I could live here happily if I had those things as well, I think.  The other concern, though, is being so far away from friends and family.  I could not stay here more than a year or two because I would miss them too much.

Another week has gone by...

Well I seem to be only getting to this blog on the weekends, but that is more updating than most.  This past week has been really busy with work.  Since we have been organizing the trauma support groups in the camp, we assessed over 150 people for traumatic experiences and trauma symptoms.  We spent the end of the week placing people in groups, and the result is 8 groups with about 10 people in each.  I am facilitating a women's trauma support group and a widow's group.  I'm also still hoping to start up a trauma support group for children, but that won't be for a couple of weeks. 

This weekend I ventured to a party for someone who is leaving Malawi for good.  People cycle in and out of here so quickly it is difficult to keep track!  Lindsay and our new Canadian friends came to the party as well.  On Saturday Lindsay and I went to the "clothing market" (as opposed to the produce market).  It is comprised of small stalls made out of sticks, wood, and tarp, and people sell anything from used clothes (sent from the US) to toothbrushes (unused, of course).  It was a bit overwhelming because the walkways were crowded and small, and as soon as you express the slightest interest in an item, the vendor starts shoving it towards you and talking it up.  The good thing about this market is they sell long swaths of beautiful fabric that one can purchase and take to a tailor to be made into anything.  Lindsay got a pretty piece of fabric that she will probably use as a scarf.  I left empty handed, but certainly plan to return.

Above are some pictures from the clothing market.  It is next to a river, and you might notice a lot of people standing around the bridge.  Someone told us that everyone was standing around because a man was agreeing to jump from the bridge into the water for money.  We caught a glimpse of him falling...I assume he was alright. 

Here is another picture from my first week here.  It includes Ann, my supervisor (with the brown hair in the back) and Nyssa, my fellow intern (with the blonde hair across from Ann).