Mount Mulanje Excursion

September 27, 2009


I am mentally and physically stronger than I ever knew. A few people at Kabula lodge (where I am staying) decided to make an attempt at the summit of Mount Mulanje. Mulanje is the third highest mountain in Africa and stands at a height of 3100 meters. I knew that the hiking would be tough but asked if I could come along. I had no idea HOW tough it would be. We left early on Friday morning and took a mini-bus into Mulanje town. After some confusion, we hired a guide (Anthony) and two porters to carry our big bags up the mountain (John and Finley). We took off and almost immediately I realized what I was in for- after all this was a MOUNTAIN and not a walk in the park. The whole way was uphill and I quickly realized that I was (by far) the most out of shape person in the group. One of the guys (Craig) was in the Australian army and has plans to conquer Kilimanjaro. The other two guys (Sean and Luuk) frequently go running in the hills of Blantyre for about 10 kilometers at a time. Jayne, the other girl, recently climbed another large mountain in Tanzania and runs regularly to keep fit. I am up to about 5k per day on the treadmill so that is NOTHING compared to these fitness superstars. The first day, Anthony lagged at the back with me and willed me up the mountain. I was sweating so much that all of the other people that I came with gave me their water in addition to my own. Craig even emptied my daypack into his (and he had chosen NOT to get a porter!) All in all, the first day took about 5 hours to get from Likabula camp to Chambe camp. We spent the night at Chambe camp and had a delicious beef stew for dinner. We went to bed early and woke up at 5:00 am to get started towards our next camp. We made it there in about 3 hours and rested for an hour. At this point, I had to decide whether I wanted to try for the summit. I had the option of staying behind and resting since we were going to stay at this camp for the night. I decided to try it- which was a bit tricky since John and Finley wouldn’t be coming. I would be a bit more on my own for this part. The hike to the summit was to take another 3-4 hours up and 2.5 hours back. Craig graciously offered to hike behind me and helped me up the mountain. About half an hour into the hike, I wanted to quit. My legs were shaking uncontrollably and I was so frustrated at my slow pace as compared to the others. At this point in the hike, we were scaling sheer rock and I was on hands and knees scampering up the side of the mountain. I had a bit of a breakdown but managed to pull it together so as to not scare my new friends. If I had had anyone very familiar with me, I would have totally lost it. I rested for a bit and then moved closer to the summit. The climbing was hard- often it was sheer rock or boulders and the peak seemed infinitely far away. When we finally reached it, my new friends made the kindest gesture and offered me the first shot at the peak. I went up there first and they all joined for lunch of avocado sandwiches. Victory was so sweet.

But it wasn’t over- I had to get down. In some ways, descending was worse than the climb up Mulanje. It wasn’t as physically rigorous but it was nerve wracking because you had to put so much effort into watching your footing. About ten hours after having set off in the morning, we were back to camp. We had dinner, played some cards and went to bed early once again. The final day included a five-hour descent back to Likabula base camp. This was harder than I anticipated as well. Much of the time, I was slipping on leaves and grass and fell probably six times on my way down. John, the porter, even walked with me and held my hand at a lot of the trickier moments. On the way down, we went by some waterfalls and even stopped for a swim- one of the nicer moments of the hike. Finally we made it back to base camp but needed to get transport into Mulanje town. Our guide asked an ambulance driver to take us and he agreed- mentioning only that he needed to pick up medicine. Next thing we knew, he was loading a maternity patient into the back of the ambulance. She was on all fours and looked as if she was about to deliver. Who decided that having us share an ambulance with her was a good idea?! We rounded out the tough trip with some pizza and beer at the foot of the mountain and hopped on a mini-bus to get back to our place.

Overall, the experience was a good one. The mountain was gorgeous and the company was excellent. It was, however, probably the most physically challenging thing that I have ever done. My legs ached and I wanted to quit and go home throughout the entire trip. I am proud that I stuck it out and made it to the top. Even my guide, Anthony, was surprised. He said, “you must be fit because most people of your body structure fail to make it to the summit.” It was sort of a shitty compliment but I have decided to take it as a compliment. I would recommend the trip to anyone but would also recommend some level of training for it. Three days and 20 hours of hiking later- I am exhausted, sore and completely impressed with what I have accomplished.

Best Compliment Ever

The other day, I was driving with my favorite taxi driver, Tom. I met him when I first got to Blantyre and he is always happy to drive me around whenever I need help. He charges me fair prices and even sometimes offers me rides free of charge.

Anyways, he was bringing me somewhere and he turned to me and said "people in Malawi like you so much." I wasn't sure what he was talking about and asked him whether he was talking about Americans or azungus or me. He said, "no, you!" I asked him why and he replied, "You don't have one racist bone in your body. So many of the azungus that come here don't greet us and don't want to know us. But you are friendly and you try so hard to know the people." It sounds silly but that simple comment made me feel so good about myself and how people here perceive me.

Malawi has interesting racial dynamics. It is in the south of Africa so there are large white settler populations. A lot of the expats do keep to themselves and are able to insulate themselves from everything African. Their interactions with Malawians consist largely of talking to their gardeners, cooks and guards- all people who work for them. In my time here, I have come across many South Africans, white Zimbabweans and Brits who now make their homes in Malawi. There is also a group of doctors and medical professionals who work here on a shorter term basis. These two groups don't really interact a whole lot.

I personally love Malawian people. Although there is a small subset who is constantly trying to rip me off, most of the people are helpful and kind. The simple act of greeting people in Chichewa and learning a few words off of them makes all the difference in how they view you. You can always get a big smile by practicing Chichewa with the vendors on the way to work.

Weekend at Ndkudzi Bay

September 21, 2009


This past weekend, I went with a friend to Mangochi and Ndkudzi Bay. I met Jeremy at my previous hostel (Doogles) and he is doing irrigation projects in Southern Africa. Born in the UK, he grew up in Zambia and has been living in Southern Africa since. He calls South Africa home but spends long stints in Malawi and other parts of Africa. Jeremy came and met me on Friday morning and we left around nine in the morning. From Blantyre, we drove to Mangochi and he dropped me off at Jamira and Maxwell’s place. I spent the day with them and it was nice to feel at home again. We didn’t do much- just cooked and talked and relaxed and played with the kids. Maxwell and Jamira are so sweet- they bought all of the vegetables that are available in the market for me since I don’t eat much fish or meat. I had green beans, peas, onions, tomatoes, carrots and potatoes. I had it with nsima for lunch and then had rice for dinner. I feel spoiled having meals cooked especially for me when I know how much the family likes meat! But I also know that it is their way of being good hosts and I try to be a good guest by bringing gifts for everyone. The only hard thing is finding something for Maxwell because it is hard to know what an adult man would like! Jamira’s dad gave them a chicken so it was moving around the yard. They soon put it in the house so that they wouldn’t confuse it with the other chickens outside. I had some fun posing with the chicken and with the baby goats next door. At night, I went and said hi to my former roommate, Jodi and then came back to the house totally exhausted. I was just recovering from being sick so I didn’t have tons of energy. I went to bed early and shared a bed with Vanessa. Vanessa is like Barbara- she takes up the ENTIRE bed and even sleeps diagonally! It reminded me of home to be sharing a bed with my baby sister (relax B, you are not being replaced). In the morning, we woke up and Jamira made a big breakfast of eggs, bread, tea and French fries of all things. Jeremy came and picked me up at nine to take me to the lake. It was sad to say goodbye and the two little twins even cried when I left. I promised to come back and am planning to take the family to Liwonde National Park to see the wildlife. They have never been and I think that they would enjoy it and should see what tourists come from around the world to experience!

The “cottage” at Ndkudzi bay was absolutely incredible. Jeremy’s friends, Suzie and Mark, own the place and use it as often as they can. Suzie is a British woman who was born and raised in Malawi and Mark has been here for ten years. The cottage is right on the lake and has four bedrooms, a common area, two showers and a beautiful patio. A huge tree hangs over the patio and provides plenty of shade to anyone trying to escape the heat. We spent many, many hours out on that patio relaxing, reading and enjoying the lake. Hands down, the best part of the lake was their toys. They had a catamaran sailboat and a speedboat. Both were a lot of fun. On Saturday, we took the speedboat out and went all the way across the lake to snorkel. The water is so clear and you can see all of the fish down there. I was amazed at the variety and colors of the fish in this freshwater lake. We spent the day on the boat swimming and snorkeling and watched the sun set in the evening. We even managed to go water skiing once the water calmed down. At night, we went over to Cape Maclear for dinner and drinks. One of the bars there was hosting Spanish night so there was plenty of Spanish food, music and sangria. On the way back to the cottage, Jeremy and I managed to get lost in Cape Maclear and spent hours finding our way back to the main road.

On Sunday, we slept in and Suzie took us out sailing. The wind was blowing pretty strongly so the boat moved quite quickly. I was almost a bit afraid of it capsizing! We headed back to the cottage and took a nap- I decided to sleep on the beach and have the tan/burn to prove it. Sometimes, I did feel a bit awkward because there was such a divide between our life and the local community. Wilson cooked and cleaned for us and we did very little besides relax. The kids from the community just sat and watched and I am sure wondered what it would like to be on a boat like ours. Overall it was a really nice trip and I had a good weekend away. Jeremy and I left this morning and went straight from the lake to work. When I arrived, I had to give a presentation for the study that we are doing- pretty quick change in lifestyle! Next weekend, I am planning to go to Mulanje and perhaps do some climbing. We will see how it goes…

I am loving Malawi ☺

Life is GOOD.

I am feeling so much better about life in Malawi. Things at work are coming together well and I am feeling independent and confident about being on my own out here. Kabula is nice and I am meeting many friendly people there. A Scottish girl, Allison, is especially friendly and invites me all sorts of places with her. Sean, from England, is also really nice and we often take the mini-bus to work together in the morning. They all went out to Blue Elephant bar last night and I was really torn. I wanted to go but I was still getting over being sick. I decided against the trip and it was fine. Another girl, Ellen, decided against the night out as well so it wasn't just me being a party pooper. Tomorrow, I have decided to go back to the lake and see Jamira and Maxwell and also do some jet-skiing with a new expat friend from South Africa.

Today, I went to the museum and danced with a traditional dance company, Chichiri dance ensemble. It wasn't quite the same as Africana but it had drumming, smiles and nice people. I held my own (despite not having eaten in 2 days) and had a lot of fun. They rehearse from 10-12 and from 2-4 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. They have also just decided to add Mondays to the schedule. We will see how much dancing I can fit in with work.

Sick in Blantyre

September 16, 2009

Yesterday was a busy and fun day…for the most part. I went to Lunzu where Andrea’s Family Health and Wealth Study will be taking place. They had a meeting with the chiefs there. Although the meeting was lively and interesting, I kept dozing off- which is not like me. When we got back to the College of Medicine, I had to go and meet up with Camille and her parents, Jennifer and Eugene, to go to Limbe for some shopping. Limbe is just past Blantyre and has a lot more hustle and bustle than Blantyre does. People were selling all sorts of things and there was even a man just walking around holding a rat. I didn’t quite understand why. People here eat mice but this rat was much larger than usual (and uncooked!) We went to lunch and I had an omlette and chips. Afterwards, we walked around the town and I picked up some nice fabric to make some clothes with. Soon, the heat began to get to me and I started to feel ill. By the time that I made it back to the office, I was really feeling unwell and decided to leave and go back to my place. At this point, I didn’t feel like I could take the mini bus and walk from the market. I felt so weak. I got in and napped for like three hours and then got up to try to socialize and make some tea. A few minutes later, I had to go back inside because I was vomiting. Not really the best night I had had here… I slept soundly through the night (thanks to my sleeping pill) and woke up around ten this morning. I phoned the office and told them that I wouldn’t be coming in. Finally, I was able to get myself together and shower and start my day. I am now sitting on the patio area in the shade about to start work for the day. I need to go through the interviews that we have done and look at them for certain themes. I am supposed to have French class tonight and then go to a movie with a friend and finally go for a drink with my boss. I hate to cancel all of this but I don’t know if it is the smartest thing to try to do all of it- or any of it. In my quest to stay busy and avoid homesickness here, I think that I have overdone it with activities.

In other news, I have looked into my time left here and feel pretty excited. I believe that I can make it to Tanzania, Uganda and Botswana- I just have to start planning these things! Have been going through my travel guide and have mapped out a lot of my time here- even made reservations at some hotels in Mulanje and Nkhata Bay (my two must-sees). This weekend should be a trip back to Mangochi to see Jamira and Maxwell and the girls as well as meet up with an expat I know who has friends with water skis woohoo! Next weekend is Mount Mulanje followed by a trip to Liwonde National Park the next weekend. I will visit Nkhata Bay after that and then perhaps Tanzania and Uganda for about a week each. I haven’t seen nearly all that I would have liked to in Malawi but it has been a crazy trip. I am still hoping to see Brent in Botswana but perhaps after the Kampala trip. Sheesh- busy few months.

I am feeling confident and happy and independent (even though I am also feeling deathly ill!).

Kabula Lodge Move

I decided to move to Kabula lodge this weekend and therefore spent the weekend in Blantyre. Kabula lodge is a pretty place in the hills above Blantyre that houses a lot of students from around the world. This morning at breakfast I met a few of them. There were two from England, one from Scotland and one from Sweden. Two were doctors, one was in Environmental Health and one was a fashion design student. Pretty interesting group of people. They love traveling around and do so quite often. They are planning to climb Mount Mulanje (the third highest peak in Africa) in two weeks. I am not sure whether I will climb it with them (because honestly I dont know whether I am in good enough shape) but I will probably at least go and see how far I get. It makes me a little nervous because I keep hearing about people getting lost on the mountain. I think that they are mostly people who don't take guides with them so maybe I am just making excuses. In any event, I am glad to be in a place with lots of young, friendly faces.

On Saturday, I went to lunch at Kay and Vince's house. They are this really nice American couple that I met at the gym. They also invited their friends Eugene and his wife Jennifer as well as their 22 year old daughter, Camille and another Malawian friend, Chiwoza. It was a really nice lunch and I felt good to be a part of a community. Kay and Vince are about my parents' age and it felt good to be looked out for a bit. Plus, the food was fantastic!

On Sunday, I moved into Kabula lodge. Etienne, a guy that I met at Doogles, had nothing to do that day so after breakfast, we loaded up his truck and he helped me move my stuff to the new place. He also gave me a tour of town (which was nice since I dont always have access to a car) and pointed out some nice spots for me to go. He was so generous to do all of that and I felt really lucky to have found someone to help me like that. It wasn't the easiest to leave Doogles. I had made friends with the kitchen staff, the cleaning ladies and the bartenders. All of them had been nothing but great to me and all said how much they are going to miss me. I promised to come back and visit. The Doogles staff are great but the owner and the ambiance isn't the best for me.

After my move, my coworker, Effie, invited me to her daughter's graduation party. Yandura had just completed college in Zomba and they had a small get together with her friends and some family. It was a small group of people but it was nice to get to talk to Malawian girls my own age and dance a little too. Everyone was really nice and I was exhausted when I got back to my place. Had a GREAT night's sleep in my queen sized bed.

I just sat down and came up with a list of the weeks that I have left and some of the traveling that I want to do. I am planning to go to the Lower Shire Valley this weekend and to one of the wildlife parks there. Some guy that I met at my last place has been staying there and has offered to bring me along and show me around. Free rides are always a good thing and he seems friendly but of course I will have my Mace in case he turns out to be creepy.

I am also planning to travel every weekend from now on. I have trips planned for Mulanje, Zomba, Liwonde National Park, Nkhata Bay and north (maybe Nyika Plateau) and perhaps Likoma island. Likoma may be a bit of a challenge because it requires a ferry to get there... Anyways, I am happy to be taking charge of my trip here.

I have decided to move my return to the United States up to November 21st which will make my trip 17 weeks in total. Just about four months here in Malawi. I am planning to return via Kampala, Uganda, where the Gates Institute is hosting a Family Planning Conference. I think that it will be extremely interesting and am looking forward to it. I am also still hoping to see Brent and take a trip to Zimbabwe and see Victoria Falls. Lots to do in just a little bit of time. Overall, I feel happy here and good about the rest of my time here (and my new living accommodations too!)

In terms of work, I have been put on the Malawi Couples Study now that transcriptions/translations of the Fistula work have been completed. The Couples Study offers a Couples based voluntary counseling and testing intervention as well as couples based family planning services to eligible couples in Mpemba, Malawi. We are interested to see how many of the couples utilize these services and will be monitoring closely for negative outcomes including domestic violence. I am really glad to be a part of the team and am excited for all of the time in the field. I am slated to talk at the counselor training about issues of confidentiality and consent in this study and am also glad to have this opportunity to be involved.

Missing you all but also enjoying life here :)

Update from Blantyre!

Things back in Blantyre are going alright but I definitely miss my friends in Mangochi. We moved into Doogle's lodge- a backpacker's lodge on the outside of town. It was an improvement over Jeanne's house because we could meet people there and there was a restaurant if we didn't feel like cooking or have groceries. The owner, a South African, said that we could have a discount of 10% because we were staying for so long. However, the other night, he took back his offer and said that he had changed his mind. Andrea and Matt were really upset and packed everything up and left in the middle of the night. I was not that upset so I decided to stay and figure out a plan from there. I really prefer to have lots of people around to meet and talk with and not to stay in someone's house with a big gate around it.

I am feeling a bit lonely and homesick these days so I started finding things to do to fill my evenings here. I have registered for both a French class and a class in Chichewa at the French Cultural Center. I have also found a traditional dance company and hope to start rehearsing with them in the near future. I also joined a gym at the College of Medicine so I can be a gym rat while I am here. Overall, I have done a pretty good job staying busy.

At the gym, I met two Americans who are about my parents age. They have really been kind to me and have been emailing me all sorts of things about upcoming events and clubs to join. I really want to meet people so I may be signing up for a bunch of totally random things. I am going to lunch at her house on Saturday and she has invited a bunch of people. I'm excited about the opportunity. Last night, I also went to the local movie theater (it was cheap night!) and saw "Obsessed" with Beyonce. The film wasn't very good but the movie theater was fantastic! Seriously, it was nicer than many movie theaters back home.

I'm thinking about moving to another lodge in town instead of staying at Doogles. Doogles has many people that are on vacation and aren't really that responsible. There is loud music and drinking at all times of night.

I am going to start traveling in the near future. First stop is Liwonde National Park with all of the animals and then to Mount Mulanje. I am looking forward to it.

I may decide to move my flight up and come home from Malawi early. I have enjoyed my time here so far but things aren't quite as much fun when you're doing them all alone. I am trying to make the most of my time here so that when I get back, I don't have regrets.

Missing you all and looking forward to being home soon!

Farewell to Jamira and Maxwell

September 4, 2009


Yesterday, I went to say goodbye to Jamira and Maxwell and the girls (who are often referred to as “these people.” We sat around talking for a while with Malawian music videos playing in the background. As usual, Tasha and Vanessa had over several friends including the twin girls (who are both referred to as Mia). Soon, the kids started dancing and of course, I joined in as well. The younger kids danced and jumped and were totally adorable. Vanessa and Asiyatu shook their booties and I envied their talent. They tried to teach me but I never quite mastered the skill. After all of this dancing, we went outside to cook rice porridge and sweet potatoes (for Maxwell to break fast). Maxwell has been observing Ramadan so he always eats this hearty meal around six. As we were cooking, Jamira decided that it was high time that I learned to tie a baby on my back and offered one of the twins for me to practice with. I did this much better than the dancing and soon Mia was fast asleep on my back. I had a really nice evening and have attached pictures so that you can see what we did. I will miss them immensely but have promised to come and stay with them for a long weekend or two. Vanessa may even come and stay with me for a weekend in Blantyre.

Moving (back) to Blantyre!

September 3, 2009

We had a meeting with Effie on Tuesday and we discussed the progress of the project. We still have 7 interviews that need to be translated and transcribed but we have lost our translators! One is back at school in other city, one is taking another job, and one is sick. So the final decision that came from our meeting was that we would move back to Blantyre on Saturday (September 5th) and find a Yao speaker there to help us with the translation. I am ready to move and get a change in scenery. Mangochi is rather small and I think that I have done everything here for the most part. The nice thing about Mangochi has been being so close to the lake. I believe that we intend to spend tomorrow at the lake at Palm Beach and enjoy it one more time. I will definitely miss having the water and so much beauty nearby. On the other hand, I am looking forward to traveling to Mount Mulanje (the third highest mountain in Africa), Liwonde National Park (wildlife park), Zomba Plateau, and Nkhata Bay (in the north).

Jodi, my roommate from Peace Corps, and I are planning to travel to Tanzania to visit some friends as well. Hopefully, this will be in late October and then I will visit Brent in November/December. Such nice trips that I have planned!

So I think that this is about it for today. The day-to-day life here is somewhat boring. Today, I will probably go to the bank, go buy credit for my phone, and hit up the internet café- not the most exciting day I have ever had…

Love and miss everyone back home.

Ciao!

Fieldwork in Chilipa and Makanjira

August 29, 2009

This weekend, I went to interview the husbands of the women in our study. This was extremely important to me since all of the women’s interviews had been done before my arrival. I wanted to go to the sites and see the conditions there and try to better understand why women fail to make it to the hospital for delivery. As soon as we got onto the dirt road, I understood. Even in a Land Rover, it was difficult to manage. There were bumps everywhere and we sat there like bobble head dolls. But far scarier were the massive ditches that would appear in the middle of the road. Our driver managed to keep from falling in them although it was a harrowing ride for me. At one point, I thought that the car was going to nosedive into the road. It reminded me of Pink Jeep Tours in Sedona, Arizona. But then, this was day-to-day life!

Besides walking, the major mode of transportation in Chilipa is bicycling. Women who have difficult labors must go, by bike, to the local health centre. If they don’t have the resources to deal with it, they refer her to Mangochi hospital (again by bike). Sounds like a painful trip- no wonder the maternal mortality ratio is so high.

On Friday, we interviewed four husbands. All of them had stayed with their wives when the women developed obstetric fistulas. From my recollection, two were in polygamous marriages and two were in monogamous arrangements. The latter two are especially noteworthy as many men stay with their wives but also get a second wife. I don’t understand all of the details of their stories and need to wait and have the interviews translated to better understand what they said.

While we were interviewing one of the husbands, a woman came to the house to talk to Mary, the Safe Motherhood coordinator. She explained that she has been living with fistula for 15 years and asked for help. There was no comparison between her demeanor and that of the women who had been repaired. She looked completely defeated and didn’t even look Mary, Siyenji (the interviewer) or I in the eyes. Mary was compassionate but could only tell her to come to the hospital for repair. She said that there was nothing else that we could really do. Most of the women that we have been interviewing were repaired at UNFPA funded repair camps that they were brought to. For other women using regular hospital service, we could not provide transport, food etc. Still, I wanted to bring her with us back in the ambulance and get her services. Kind of naïve and unsustainable but still…

On the Saturday, we went to Makanjira, which is very close to the border with Mozambique. The roads were better but still extremely bumpy. We left at 6:00 am and hoped to get seven husbands. We arrived in Makanjira a few hours later and began our search for husbands. Several of the husbands were nowhere to be found. One was out fishing and then came back and we found him. However, while the interview was being conducted, he refused to continue on. He insisted that we were wasting his time and that he needed to get back to his job, just as we were doing ours. He said all of this with a smile on his face and I completely misread his body language. Rita, the interviewer, packed up to leave and I (not knowing that the respondent had refused to participate) pointed to the next page of questions that she had missed. It was a pretty awkward moment when Rita and Jean had to explain that he would not be continuing. Oops.

Other respondents were much friendlier and were elated to have received services. One particular village made an impression on me. The older women were sitting in a circle picking seeds/fruits out of a husk. This group included the woman who had formerly lived with fistula. I sat down with them and started doing the same and they all started to laugh. I could only stay for about five minutes but when I went to leave, the woman who previously had fistula handed me to entire husks. It was a sweet gesture.

Overall, the trips were good but exhausting. I came back to my place around four, showered, and lounged in bed watching “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” Around 7:30, Jamira, Maxwell and the girls came by and we went for ice cream at the Ice Cream Den down the road. Tasha fell asleep almost mid-bite and we said goodbye. It was an early bed time but I was happy to go to sleep.