November

Nala!  She's my baby.  Here is her song:

I love my Nala, oh yes I do.

I love my Nala 'cause she's so cute.

She's the cutest doggie in Kamsonga. 

I'm right about that; I am not wronga.

She's the cutest doggie in the region.

If I could feed them I'd have a legion.

She's the cutest doggie in Malawi.

When people see her they say, "Oh, wowie!"

She's the cutest doggie in Africa.

Her cuteness is real; It's not a tricka.

Nala resting on the grasses for my fence. 

From November 8 to 14 I went to a natural medicine training in Dedza.  This is the training center where it was held.

fig leaf tea and artemesia tea

Medicinal tinctures, oils, and ointments!



Fellow PCV, Carolyn, is excited about tumeric. :)

Ginger



Thank god for coffee!

October

This is Garrett, a Peace Corps Malawi 2010 EducationVolunteer, sitting on one of his kitchen tables.  He lives in a district called Thyolo in the far south.  I visited him in early October and taught his students about responsibility in sexual decision making.

Garrett's living room

Thyolo tea estate

Tea pickers in Thyolo



This is Gibran, a Peace Corps 2011 Health Volunteer.  I visited him in the district of Zomba, which is in the southern region.  This is a bridge in the Zomba botanical gardens.

Gibran's apartment complex in Zomba.  He's in the last unit on the end.  It's two stories and very nice.

Zomba botanical gardens

Zomba

Through the generous donation of friends, family and a spa company, the borehole at the primary school in my village is now functional!

primary school children using the repaired borehole





September

Camp Sky - a Peace Corps Education Camp.  I taught HIV transmission and prevention at this camp.

Lilongwe Wildlife Refuge Center

Fellow Peace Corps Volunteer and Ntchisi resident, Sara Lane's, garden and kitchen.

Sara's house

Sara's living room

egg salad!  tomatoes!  lettace!

Ntchisi Forest



Ntchisi Forest

Ntchisi Forest Lodge

rice with greens, onions and peanut flour

August

Malawi Entreprenuership Development Institute (MEDI) where Peace Corps Volunteers ran the week-long Girls Leading Our World (GLOW) camp.  I taught four sessions: "Career Counseling," "Starting a Business," "Healthy Sexual Relationships" and "Healthy Sexual Practices."

MEDI

GLOW campers and Peace Corps Volunteers.  I made the poster :)

The Queen Bees

The Clovers

Team 6-cess

Ndingathe! (I can do it!)

Ladies of Various Ethnicities (LOVE)

Precious Ambitious Girls (PAG)

Yes We Can!  Yes We Will!

Performance by a drama group

GLOW resources

First Aid and Penises (the wooden penises are for condom demonstrations)

GLOWing breakfast

num num

The First Lady of Malawi - Madame Callista Mutharika - gave a motivational address at Camp GLOW.

people milling around after the First Lady's address

a break at mid-service conference in Dedza

gold shoes!

a Scrabble game with friends