Keep in Touch!

While the address at the bottom of the post will still work, I will only get that mail on the infrequent occasions that I travel to the capitol.  My local address is:


Erica Lucille Ward, PCV
c/o Kamsonga Health Center
Kamsonga, Ntchisi
MALAWI
AFRICA


It has been recommended that packages sent to Malawi be in padded envelopes, written in red ink, with various Biblical verses on the outside of the package to prevent items from theft.

The Peace Corps address in the capitol:

Erica Lucille Ward, PCV

PEACE CORPS/MALAWI

P.O. Box 208

Lilongwe
MALAWI

AFRICA

AIRMAIL


You can also email me at eward06@gmail.com. However, I may have limited access to the internet.

November

Some patients at the health center.

My friend Noel, the Medical Assistant at the health center, in his office.  

This room at the health center is currently not being used.  I hope to remedy that by starting a youth health program (ages 10 - 25). 

I'm helping Noel put drugs into dosage bags.

My cat named Mtima (meaning "heart" in Chichewa).

Mtima yawning.

Mtima on my lap.

Mtima sleeping on the window ledge.

Ntchisi hospital.  My site, Kamsonga, is in the district of Ntchisi.

Kamsonga hill, which my house and the health center are next to. 



Some of the students in the Form 3 Life Skills class that I teach at Kamsonga's secondary school.  This term we discussed topics such as: physical, mental and emotional changes during puberty; moral dilemmas; roles of leaders and citizens in a democratic society; stress and anxiety management; self-esteem; and self awareness.

Stove-top popcorn.

My friend and fellow Peace Corps Volunteer, Sally's, house in Salima.

Inside Sally's house.

Cooking vegetable dumplings - yum!

Lake Malawi!  We went there for Sally's birthday.

Sally with her birthday cake.

Monkey by the lake shore.

Thanksgiving dinner!



Buttered corn, mashed potatoes with vegetarian gravy, salad, green bean casserole, macaroni and cheese and coleslaw!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving























October

This is Edward Masite, my counterpart, who is helping me to get to know Kamsonga.  He's a Health Survaillance Assistant. I will continue to work with him throughout my service in the Peace Corps.  He is smart, hard working, has vision, and his English is very good.  I am lucky to have him as a counterpart.

This is the health center.  Right now I am not doing work there but I suspect that my main project will be sex education for youth ages 10 - 25 there.  There is a room for youth health activities at the health center but right now it is not being used. 

This is my boyfriend, George Yamikani Phiri.  He's an Intern Medical Assistant (a position somewhere between a nurse and a doctor) at the Health Center. 

This is the secondary school where I've started teaching "Life Skills" classes to Forms 1 and 3.  Life Skills is basically civic, ethical, behavior and sexuality education.  A secondary school is like a high school and there are four forms so I'm teaching the equivalent of freshmen and juniors.  The Form 1 students struggle to understand my English but they are getting better. 

This is the primary school and "football" (soccor) field.  There are games on Thursdays (market day), Saturdays and Sundays. 

This is my bike.  One time I rode for 34 kilometers in one day! 

These are two maps of villages I visited within Kamsonga's catchment area.  The Health Survailance Assistants of those areas drew them.

This is my friend Alfred Nyasulu.  He's a police officer.  One of his friends just gave him this pool table!



September

This is the inn in Mchinji district where I stayed with eleven other volunteers for our "Language Intensive" week.  After that week we took our "Language Proficiency Interviews" at the Peace Corps training site in Dedza.  We had to receive a score of Intermediate-High to be sworn in as volunteers and I got Advanced-Low.

Peace Corps office in Lilongwe.

Inside the Peace Corps office

Inside the Peace Corps office

The room I stayed in at the Peace Corps Training site in Dedza.

We saw a rainbow on the drive from Dedza to Lilongwe for swearing in as Peace Corps volunteers.

My friends Sally and Talia at the US Ambassador's residence, where we swore in.

The Ambassador's residence.

Two children coloring by my door.  People here loooove sliced bread.



Children borrow books on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from the little library in my house.

Kamsonga

I just got back from a five day visit to Kamsonga - the village where I'll be living for two years!  I am thrilled with the people, the environment and my house.  Here are some pictures of it:

This is my house! 

My living room.

Spare bedroom

I have a toilet!

This is my shower but I only get cold water so I boil some water, mix it with cold and take a bucket bath in this room. 

Paraffin stove under the chimney. 

My cubbard.  The volunteer who I'm replacing left me spices and other supplies!

This is my bedroom.  I moved a bunch of these boxes into the spare room.

The PCV I am replacing started a small library.

This is the shelf near my bed.

Supplies in the bedroom.

There is a hill behind my house that I climbed. Here's a view of the health center from it.  My house is right by the health center.