Flying over the Congo to Malawi, I noticed an immediate difference in the land bellow us. Taking off from America, everything was laid out like a small Lego city. Everything was gray; the color of buildings with the occasional splurges of green grass, rainbow cars, and blue waters. Looking down over Africa, it was like a vast land stretching over a reddish-brown blanket. It was accented with black, I’m assuming lakes and rivers that appeared black from my angle. As we got closer to Malawi, I noticed that there were things that looked like winding red dirt ribbons. My first impression was to think that they were rivers, because they meandered very similarly, but when we got closer I realized they were dirt roads.
I’ve never traveled outside of the US, so the entire experience of simply traveling from the Lilongwe airport to our house was a fascinating experience. I feel like I must of looked like a cow or something, staring every direction with my mouth slightly open, drinking every new scene in with hungry eagerness! The roads of Lilongwe were swarming with people. They were all talking, yelling, trying to cross the road, selling goods at small booths, carrying babies, and living. From an outsider’s perspective, it looked a lot like one big family reunion, because everyone seemed to know everyone else. I wanted to jump out of the car and be a part of it all…which of course I didn’t, since I knew better.
It hasn't taken long for me to settle in the house; it already felt a lot like a home. We started orientation within three hours of arrival. With the rigorous day to day process of being thrust head first into the curriculum I should have reviewed more before coming to Malawi. I was suffering extreme jet lag, and it felt like I was a walking zombie for a while there, but going to bed much earlier than I am used to has put me on the schedule quickly.
Our visit to Chisomo on Saturday was the first experience I had with the children. Chisomo is a place that takes children off of the streets and helps them get their feet on track. Even though I was not teaching here (we interns were watching the coordinators teach to see what the curriculum looked like in action), I felt so excited approaching it. The children had the biggest smiles, especially once our program was over. I took my camera out for only a few seconds without knowing how crazy that would make them! I was surrounded by kids begging me to take their picture, let me look at pictures, and posing in front of me excitedly. I have a feeling I will have plenty of pictures when I leave here.
Being here has been such a striking culture shock. The bustling market here reminds me of a combination of the flea market at home and the Disney movie, Aladdin. Eating the staple food, Nsima, was an adventure all in itself. (I’m not very good at eating with my hands, I get it everywhere). No matter what I have been doing, I am falling more and more in love with Africa every day. I miss a lot of people at home, and think about them a lot before I go to sleep, but now I know that when I am home sleeping in my bed, I’ll be missing Africa at night too.
Submitted by: Nicole Bradley, Malawi SS1 2011 Intern
I’ve never traveled outside of the US, so the entire experience of simply traveling from the Lilongwe airport to our house was a fascinating experience. I feel like I must of looked like a cow or something, staring every direction with my mouth slightly open, drinking every new scene in with hungry eagerness! The roads of Lilongwe were swarming with people. They were all talking, yelling, trying to cross the road, selling goods at small booths, carrying babies, and living. From an outsider’s perspective, it looked a lot like one big family reunion, because everyone seemed to know everyone else. I wanted to jump out of the car and be a part of it all…which of course I didn’t, since I knew better.
It hasn't taken long for me to settle in the house; it already felt a lot like a home. We started orientation within three hours of arrival. With the rigorous day to day process of being thrust head first into the curriculum I should have reviewed more before coming to Malawi. I was suffering extreme jet lag, and it felt like I was a walking zombie for a while there, but going to bed much earlier than I am used to has put me on the schedule quickly.
Being here has been such a striking culture shock. The bustling market here reminds me of a combination of the flea market at home and the Disney movie, Aladdin. Eating the staple food, Nsima, was an adventure all in itself. (I’m not very good at eating with my hands, I get it everywhere). No matter what I have been doing, I am falling more and more in love with Africa every day. I miss a lot of people at home, and think about them a lot before I go to sleep, but now I know that when I am home sleeping in my bed, I’ll be missing Africa at night too.
Submitted by: Nicole Bradley, Malawi SS1 2011 Intern
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