Hello Everyone,
I am writing this in an internet cafe in Georgetown (Washington DC) awaiting my departure. My staging event here went wonderfully and I really anxious to finally get on that plane. I am in a group of 22 other volunteers and I really am excited to work with all of them, they seem like excellent fellow volunteers.
Our staging coordinator has told us that we will not have access to internet or phones until about April 5. I would like to work on that preminition, so as to not feel anxious to get to a computer or cell phone. I can still receive snail mail though!!! We were also told that we will be in a forestry college about 1 hour south east of Lilongwe in an area that is about 5,500 ft above sea lvl. AWESOME!!!!!
Thank you to everyone for your wishes and prayers. I will try to update as soon as possible.
Off to Malawi I go!!!
Kevin
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Thursday, February 22, 2007
New Layout
Hello again, I'm not in Malawi yet.
Sorry to confuse anyone, I'm copying Chris Hulette's blog and using his format... so sue me (<< obscure Office reference).
Also, if you happen to miss any posts and you are just itching to go back and read them, you can navigate your way back with the "archives" section over on the sidebar. E-mail me f you have any problems.
Peace
Sorry to confuse anyone, I'm copying Chris Hulette's blog and using his format... so sue me (<< obscure Office reference).
Also, if you happen to miss any posts and you are just itching to go back and read them, you can navigate your way back with the "archives" section over on the sidebar. E-mail me f you have any problems.
Peace
4 more days... Holy Cow!!
Hello all,
Apologies again for the delayed post (I have a feeling I will be saying this quite often). So yes, its true, I leave for my adventure this coming Sunday morning. I will be taking the train down to Washington D.C. where I will have my first introduction into the Peace Corps. While in DC we will be having our staging event, kinda like an orientation, etc. We will be receiving our shots and all sorts of administrative materials. On Tuesday afternoon, my group will embark from Dulles on board a direct South African Air flight to Jo'burg. The flight apparently last 15 hours and 10 minutes, but Briana who was on the same flight said that hers came in at just over 14 hours... long nonetheless. We will stay one night there at a hotel on the airport's premise and the next morning, we hop on a flight to Lilongwe and, TA-DA, off we go.
Many of you have received the email that I sent out( if you happen to read this and would like to be put on the list, try to get a hold of me before I take off and give me your preferred email addy). Thank you so much to all of you who replied, it was really great hearing from you. I'm looking forward to receiving small emails from friends and families at random times while in Malawi. If its this satisfying now, I could only imagine what it would be like during the next two years.
The last month has been wonderful. My aptly named, "Farewell Tour" has taken me to Grand Rapids, Michigan and back as well as to Chicago and back. The "Birthday Spectacular" was ... well spectacular and It was really really great to see everyone. It kind of makes this adventure that much more enjoyable, knowing that I may be able to share it with all of you. I hope that emails and messages from my friends and family will be just what I need during those really tough times.
Where do I stand right now? I am currently sitting in a horrendously cluttered room that is scattered with clothes, camping stuff, books, etc. I hope to get everything in bags by tomorrow night. The whole packing process does not seem as onerous as I had made it out to be, but accomplishing things that I wanted to get done before I left has proven so. I feel blessed to have been able to speak to a former NRM (Natural Resource Management) volunteer in Malawi. I find it quite ironic to find one of the elusive RPCV (Returned Peace Corps Volunteer) from Malawi not 3 miles from my house. I have had some wonderful conversations with her and I think I have calmed myself down and have developed some legitimate expectations. I also feel blessed being able to talk to my girlfriend who is currently in Namibia with the Peace Corps. As in the previous post (not the one about Sir Charles Barkley) she has been able to give me a heads on what to expect from the PC and how things work. You may view her blog too, the link is in the sidebar. She's awesome!
I also feel blessed to have the friends that I do. Talking to them has reaffirmed my commitment to the Peace Corps and has inspired me greatly. As of right now: Jason Morgan and his girl friend, Akira Yammamoto and Chris Hulette are in Japan teaching English through JET, Ryan Tracy is in Thailand teaching English through a similar program, Nick Shungu is in Ethiopia doing a sort of medical practicum through Duke University, Jamie Cahoon has returned from working in Ireland and Jordan Kaplan is about half way through the Peace Corps application process and is expecting to go to Francophone Africa with the medical portion. The ones still at home are doing great things too and I can't wait to get back together and share stories with everyone.
On another note, my father has notified me of a man by the name of Clement Chiwaya. To make a long story short, he is a wheel chair bound Malawian who was a student at my dad's alma mater, Aquinas College in Grand Rapids Michigan. He was abandoned as a child and was picked up by a Catholic Missionary. He was able to complete education at Aquinas and return to Malawi where has since become elected as a member of Parliament. He has also taken it upon himself to raise villages from ruin through grassroots agricultural, water, construction and political programs. On top of that he has been contacted by Bono himself and is currently working on a large program for Malawi. Needless to say, this man would be a tremendous contact and I hope to be able to speak with him. Stay tuned for more, I hope his name pops up again.
Okay, I could say more but I would be going on and on about boring feelings and such. Hopefully the next post will have more juice. Its pretty crazy to think that the next post will be from Malawi, but I think I'm ready for it. So now I bid adieu to this lovely laptop, my house in Lambertville, my friends (that remain), family and my life here in the States. And its look out Malawi, here I come.
Peace and Love to Everyone
Kevin
^^^ How cheesey was that last paragraph?!
P.S. If you were wondering Charles Barkley and Dick Baveta really did race during the All star break. Charles won, which really, really surprised me.
Apologies again for the delayed post (I have a feeling I will be saying this quite often). So yes, its true, I leave for my adventure this coming Sunday morning. I will be taking the train down to Washington D.C. where I will have my first introduction into the Peace Corps. While in DC we will be having our staging event, kinda like an orientation, etc. We will be receiving our shots and all sorts of administrative materials. On Tuesday afternoon, my group will embark from Dulles on board a direct South African Air flight to Jo'burg. The flight apparently last 15 hours and 10 minutes, but Briana who was on the same flight said that hers came in at just over 14 hours... long nonetheless. We will stay one night there at a hotel on the airport's premise and the next morning, we hop on a flight to Lilongwe and, TA-DA, off we go.
Many of you have received the email that I sent out( if you happen to read this and would like to be put on the list, try to get a hold of me before I take off and give me your preferred email addy). Thank you so much to all of you who replied, it was really great hearing from you. I'm looking forward to receiving small emails from friends and families at random times while in Malawi. If its this satisfying now, I could only imagine what it would be like during the next two years.
The last month has been wonderful. My aptly named, "Farewell Tour" has taken me to Grand Rapids, Michigan and back as well as to Chicago and back. The "Birthday Spectacular" was ... well spectacular and It was really really great to see everyone. It kind of makes this adventure that much more enjoyable, knowing that I may be able to share it with all of you. I hope that emails and messages from my friends and family will be just what I need during those really tough times.
Where do I stand right now? I am currently sitting in a horrendously cluttered room that is scattered with clothes, camping stuff, books, etc. I hope to get everything in bags by tomorrow night. The whole packing process does not seem as onerous as I had made it out to be, but accomplishing things that I wanted to get done before I left has proven so. I feel blessed to have been able to speak to a former NRM (Natural Resource Management) volunteer in Malawi. I find it quite ironic to find one of the elusive RPCV (Returned Peace Corps Volunteer) from Malawi not 3 miles from my house. I have had some wonderful conversations with her and I think I have calmed myself down and have developed some legitimate expectations. I also feel blessed being able to talk to my girlfriend who is currently in Namibia with the Peace Corps. As in the previous post (not the one about Sir Charles Barkley) she has been able to give me a heads on what to expect from the PC and how things work. You may view her blog too, the link is in the sidebar. She's awesome!
I also feel blessed to have the friends that I do. Talking to them has reaffirmed my commitment to the Peace Corps and has inspired me greatly. As of right now: Jason Morgan and his girl friend, Akira Yammamoto and Chris Hulette are in Japan teaching English through JET, Ryan Tracy is in Thailand teaching English through a similar program, Nick Shungu is in Ethiopia doing a sort of medical practicum through Duke University, Jamie Cahoon has returned from working in Ireland and Jordan Kaplan is about half way through the Peace Corps application process and is expecting to go to Francophone Africa with the medical portion. The ones still at home are doing great things too and I can't wait to get back together and share stories with everyone.
On another note, my father has notified me of a man by the name of Clement Chiwaya. To make a long story short, he is a wheel chair bound Malawian who was a student at my dad's alma mater, Aquinas College in Grand Rapids Michigan. He was abandoned as a child and was picked up by a Catholic Missionary. He was able to complete education at Aquinas and return to Malawi where has since become elected as a member of Parliament. He has also taken it upon himself to raise villages from ruin through grassroots agricultural, water, construction and political programs. On top of that he has been contacted by Bono himself and is currently working on a large program for Malawi. Needless to say, this man would be a tremendous contact and I hope to be able to speak with him. Stay tuned for more, I hope his name pops up again.
Okay, I could say more but I would be going on and on about boring feelings and such. Hopefully the next post will have more juice. Its pretty crazy to think that the next post will be from Malawi, but I think I'm ready for it. So now I bid adieu to this lovely laptop, my house in Lambertville, my friends (that remain), family and my life here in the States. And its look out Malawi, here I come.
Peace and Love to Everyone
Kevin
^^^ How cheesey was that last paragraph?!
P.S. If you were wondering Charles Barkley and Dick Baveta really did race during the All star break. Charles won, which really, really surprised me.
Friday, January 19, 2007
OK, one more....
So I'm watching the post game wrap up of the Lakers - Mavs game and Charles Barkley is up to his usual antics. Charles has bet $10,000 to another commentators favorite charity if he loses in a race up and down the court against Dick Baveta the 67 year old official who was calling tonights game. Charles refuses to believe that there is a single 67 year old out there who could beat him in a race. This is hilarious and I would love to see this actually happen. I'd put my money on Baveta!
Thursday, January 18, 2007
wow
And without further adieu, here is Malawi on a map! Enjoy
The first two posts were really long, I'll try to make the future ones a little more concise and exciting.
Here is a link to the database of blogs that I find to be a wonderful resource some of which have some great pictures. If you navigate back, you can see blogs from volunteers all over the world.
http://www.peacecorpsjournals.com/mi.html
Peace
I'm watching the Australian Open and can't come up with a witty title
Okay, so its been over a month since my last post, sorry sorry! So I will inundate all of you with a long rambling entry
In my discussions with girlfriend Briana (who serving in Namibia for the PC) on the phone, I have becoming increasingly psyched for my upcoming adventure. She has been talking about the familiar quirks that seem to be universal in Africa. From the seemingly unimportant concept of time, to the phrase "sorry sorry" that it uttered when you drop something or hit your head. I'm excited to go back to Africa.
I have since stocked up on all the suburban white man's creature comforts, nearly clearing out the local Eastern Mountain Sports and Blue Ridge Mountain sports stores. I'm gonna look like a complete goofball when I get to my village and start trotting around in zip away pants and tight, non-cotton shirts that feel like the cloth you use to clean the lenses on your glasses. Whatever, I'll be sure to invest in the local garb once I start settling in. The image of "Peace Corps Kevin in Africa" is currently not a pleasent one. I'm drawn back to the witty, word-smith Pete McCarthy who cynically observed young Amreican tourists backpacking around Ireland with "Small refrigerators on their backs". Thats gonna be me.
Lets see.... The blogs that I mentioned in my previous post have been an invaluable resource in preparing for my service. Some days I get a head ache from all of the "what if's" and the thoughts about possible situations I may find myself in. I simply turn to the blogs and my mind is eased.
I am really, really looking forward to learning. I will undoubtedly be surrounded by amazing people, from fellow volunteers to the in country directors and the locals I really can't wait to morph into a sponge and soak up all that I can. Continuing the metaphor, I will need to do my fair share of exchanging and "wringing out" all that I have learned. I suppose that is what my job as a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) is.
*note on acronyms - Briana has told me that there will be about 300 acronyms for every day of the year so I'll be sure to pass them along.
*note on sarcasm - I use it quite often and when something doesn't seem right when you read it I'm probably being a sarcastic 9th grader.
On a more introspective level; As many of you know, my friend Chris Hulette (http://makeitsuntorytime.blogspot.com) is teaching English in Japan as part of the Jet Program. He recently visited another friend of ours, Ryan Tracy who is teaching English in Thailand. Though Chris has traveled quite a bit, this was his first taste of the developing world. He had some interesting observations comparing Thailand to Japan and the differences in economy, order, and daily functions. It got me thinking again about how I dealt with my time in rural South Africa and how my mind, heart and patience were tested to the max. I remember how unsettled I was with my first experience with third-world poverty. I wonder how much of that I will relive upon entry to Malawi and it will be interesting to see how my fellow volunteers react and adjust.... (see there I go again with these complicated worries).
Someone the other day asked me what, aside from family, would I miss most. I really had to think about this and I really couldn't come up with something. I thought for a moment that I would miss electricity, but I really don't think I will. I said running water, but again, I really don't think I will. I certainly wont miss TV. After careful consideration, I think I will mostly miss things like sports. Will the Tigers finally win the World Series? Will my Indiana Hoosiers carry their early-season momentum into the NCAA Tourney? Will Michigan Football finally be the best? (chances are no). I will miss playing or simply being a spectator to FIFA on X box with a random sample of friends from Lawrence. Of course I will miss my family and I will miss Briana (I miss her dearly already). But I truly have no idea what I will significantly miss.
Oh well, I'm done rambling.
the next post should have more information about my job/life in Malawi. I will be receiving staging information in the mail sometime in the next two weeks.
I would love to hear from all of you before I leave. Some of you I will see at the "Birthday Spectacular" e-mail me or facebook me for directions.
For now, I bid you all adieu.
Peace
Kevin
In my discussions with girlfriend Briana (who serving in Namibia for the PC) on the phone, I have becoming increasingly psyched for my upcoming adventure. She has been talking about the familiar quirks that seem to be universal in Africa. From the seemingly unimportant concept of time, to the phrase "sorry sorry" that it uttered when you drop something or hit your head. I'm excited to go back to Africa.
I have since stocked up on all the suburban white man's creature comforts, nearly clearing out the local Eastern Mountain Sports and Blue Ridge Mountain sports stores. I'm gonna look like a complete goofball when I get to my village and start trotting around in zip away pants and tight, non-cotton shirts that feel like the cloth you use to clean the lenses on your glasses. Whatever, I'll be sure to invest in the local garb once I start settling in. The image of "Peace Corps Kevin in Africa" is currently not a pleasent one. I'm drawn back to the witty, word-smith Pete McCarthy who cynically observed young Amreican tourists backpacking around Ireland with "Small refrigerators on their backs". Thats gonna be me.
Lets see.... The blogs that I mentioned in my previous post have been an invaluable resource in preparing for my service. Some days I get a head ache from all of the "what if's" and the thoughts about possible situations I may find myself in. I simply turn to the blogs and my mind is eased.
I am really, really looking forward to learning. I will undoubtedly be surrounded by amazing people, from fellow volunteers to the in country directors and the locals I really can't wait to morph into a sponge and soak up all that I can. Continuing the metaphor, I will need to do my fair share of exchanging and "wringing out" all that I have learned. I suppose that is what my job as a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) is.
*note on acronyms - Briana has told me that there will be about 300 acronyms for every day of the year so I'll be sure to pass them along.
*note on sarcasm - I use it quite often and when something doesn't seem right when you read it I'm probably being a sarcastic 9th grader.
On a more introspective level; As many of you know, my friend Chris Hulette (http://makeitsuntorytime.blogspot.com) is teaching English in Japan as part of the Jet Program. He recently visited another friend of ours, Ryan Tracy who is teaching English in Thailand. Though Chris has traveled quite a bit, this was his first taste of the developing world. He had some interesting observations comparing Thailand to Japan and the differences in economy, order, and daily functions. It got me thinking again about how I dealt with my time in rural South Africa and how my mind, heart and patience were tested to the max. I remember how unsettled I was with my first experience with third-world poverty. I wonder how much of that I will relive upon entry to Malawi and it will be interesting to see how my fellow volunteers react and adjust.... (see there I go again with these complicated worries).
Someone the other day asked me what, aside from family, would I miss most. I really had to think about this and I really couldn't come up with something. I thought for a moment that I would miss electricity, but I really don't think I will. I said running water, but again, I really don't think I will. I certainly wont miss TV. After careful consideration, I think I will mostly miss things like sports. Will the Tigers finally win the World Series? Will my Indiana Hoosiers carry their early-season momentum into the NCAA Tourney? Will Michigan Football finally be the best? (chances are no). I will miss playing or simply being a spectator to FIFA on X box with a random sample of friends from Lawrence. Of course I will miss my family and I will miss Briana (I miss her dearly already). But I truly have no idea what I will significantly miss.
Oh well, I'm done rambling.
the next post should have more information about my job/life in Malawi. I will be receiving staging information in the mail sometime in the next two weeks.
I would love to hear from all of you before I leave. Some of you I will see at the "Birthday Spectacular" e-mail me or facebook me for directions.
For now, I bid you all adieu.
Peace
Kevin
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
The Waiting has Ended
On Saturday the 9th I finally received my invitation to serve in the Peace Corps. I am set to leave for Malawi on February 25 as a volunteer in the Environment program. For the past four days and nights I have had me eyes glued to the computer, trying to unearth anything and everything possible about Malawi. Most valuable have been the blogs of current volunteers as I am able to gauge what life will really be like 6000 miles away from home in a rather foreign place. There are three programs in Malawi and it has been very interesting to pit the experiences of different volunteers against one another. Needles to say the information influx has made the process of planning/thinking quite daunting.
These past few days have been overwhelming and I would imagine that I will be considerably overwhelmed from now until April, 2009 when I am set to return. Even then, I imagine that my world will be picked up, twirrled around and slammed back down again as I return to life in the US.
Anyway, I hope to keep this blog running for as long as possible. I am under the impression that I will have extermely sparse internet access. Suffice to say that this will be updated rather irregularly. For now I will post information as it comes to me and I will post my thoughts as they pop in and out of my head.
Here is what I know so far:
- I will be working with members of a community in implementing a plan for sustainable natural resource management. A volunteer's blog of the same program in 2001-2003, worked with subsistence farmers to implement a more organic farming process. She held workshops and trained locals with techniques that have been lost or simply unintroduced. Se also maintained a garden (WOO HOO) which served as an example to the rest of the villagers. As the community caught on the soil became much more fertile and productive effectively raising the expectations for healthy living and economic gains tremendously.
- I will most likely be living in a small mud-walled hut with either a tin or thatched roof in a very rural village. No running water or electricty for me.
- Judging by many of the bloggers, I will long for letters and packages from back home. My address until further notice is (copy exactly):
Kevin Malone, PCT
Peace Corps, Malawi
P.O. Box 208
Lilongwe
Malawi
Africa
Apparently some brilliant postal workers are unfamiliar with Malawi's location and consequently send letters/packages to South America or perhaps Maui?
Also, write "Air Mail" and "Par Avion" on the envelopes/boxes.
-I am told to expect up to 5 weeks for letters to arrive and possibly 4-6 months for packages. I sent a package to my girlfriend, Briana in Namibia and the USPS man told me it would only take 7 days. Apparently DHL has faster service. I will share more information as I receive it.
-I will be learning an indigenous language - most likely Chichewa. Upon a brief inspection of the language I have found a number of cognates with isiZulu.
For example:
Water in Zulu is "Amansi"; in Chichewa water is "Madzi"
Foreigner/White person in Zulu is "Umlungu"; in Chichewa it is "mzungu"
to arrive in Zulu is "fika"; in Chichewa it is "fika" (wow)
Large in Zulu is "kuluphele"; in Chichewa it is "kula"
Sadly, there are no clicks in Chichewa, perhas that is for the better. I should have a fun time trying to sort my way through noun classes and all the other fun stuff associated with Zulu
There is a whole lot more, but this will do as a first post. Questions???? - Ask now!
Peace and Love,
Kevin
These past few days have been overwhelming and I would imagine that I will be considerably overwhelmed from now until April, 2009 when I am set to return. Even then, I imagine that my world will be picked up, twirrled around and slammed back down again as I return to life in the US.
Anyway, I hope to keep this blog running for as long as possible. I am under the impression that I will have extermely sparse internet access. Suffice to say that this will be updated rather irregularly. For now I will post information as it comes to me and I will post my thoughts as they pop in and out of my head.
Here is what I know so far:
- I will be working with members of a community in implementing a plan for sustainable natural resource management. A volunteer's blog of the same program in 2001-2003, worked with subsistence farmers to implement a more organic farming process. She held workshops and trained locals with techniques that have been lost or simply unintroduced. Se also maintained a garden (WOO HOO) which served as an example to the rest of the villagers. As the community caught on the soil became much more fertile and productive effectively raising the expectations for healthy living and economic gains tremendously.
- I will most likely be living in a small mud-walled hut with either a tin or thatched roof in a very rural village. No running water or electricty for me.
- Judging by many of the bloggers, I will long for letters and packages from back home. My address until further notice is (copy exactly):
Kevin Malone, PCT
Peace Corps, Malawi
P.O. Box 208
Lilongwe
Malawi
Africa
Apparently some brilliant postal workers are unfamiliar with Malawi's location and consequently send letters/packages to South America or perhaps Maui?
Also, write "Air Mail" and "Par Avion" on the envelopes/boxes.
-I am told to expect up to 5 weeks for letters to arrive and possibly 4-6 months for packages. I sent a package to my girlfriend, Briana in Namibia and the USPS man told me it would only take 7 days. Apparently DHL has faster service. I will share more information as I receive it.
-I will be learning an indigenous language - most likely Chichewa. Upon a brief inspection of the language I have found a number of cognates with isiZulu.
For example:
Water in Zulu is "Amansi"; in Chichewa water is "Madzi"
Foreigner/White person in Zulu is "Umlungu"; in Chichewa it is "mzungu"
to arrive in Zulu is "fika"; in Chichewa it is "fika" (wow)
Large in Zulu is "kuluphele"; in Chichewa it is "kula"
Sadly, there are no clicks in Chichewa, perhas that is for the better. I should have a fun time trying to sort my way through noun classes and all the other fun stuff associated with Zulu
There is a whole lot more, but this will do as a first post. Questions???? - Ask now!
Peace and Love,
Kevin
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