Hey everyone! So I originally thought this blog would be an every day thing, but that’s probably not going to happen. We stay pretty busy and we have to pay for internet. So that being said, don’t get worried (mom) if I don’t post for a couple of days!
Friday through Sunday were orientation/training days for us. We went through schedules, teaching roles, and curriculum. Friday night we got to go out to eat so that John (our cook) could take a break. Saturday morning we went to YOSSA, an after school program for orphans, so that we could observe our program coordinators teaching parts of the curriculum to students. The little kids who are too young for our program (lovingly referred to from here on out as “rugrats”) were adorable, but a little shy while we were waiting around. We ended up watching Rachel and Jaren lead an HIV transmission game and participating in our first condom demonstration. Awkward? Slightly. But something I’m going to have to get used to!
Throughout training our group of 13 really bonded. We’ve done a lot of laughing and encouraging, especially when we each had to get up and teach part of the curriculum to the group. We are also working with Y2Y, which is World Camp for high schoolers. They teach a modified curriculum to younger children which includes Malaria education. There are six of them and they join us for meals and camps. Sunday night I was pretty nervous because the next day would be our first camp…
Camp 1. Day 1. EEK! We drove a little over an hour, half of which was dirt roads, and ended at a school. Immediately the rugrats (little kids) swarmed our bus. We all got off and as we moved into the open field, they followed us in swarms. We were legitimately surrounded by hundreds of rugrats, a sea of kids looking up at us. They loved giving us first bumps and fives, but sadly we had to chase them away to make room for the older kids. Most impossible thing to do ever. There were SO many rugrats it was just impossible to control them, and classes were having difficulty getting started and playing their games. Alicia (who is from TN) and I were assigned to be Teacher Facilitators for the first camp, which means that we lead the teachers at the school in discussion about the World Camp curriculum, their community, and answer questions they may have about HIV/AIDS and the environment. We kind of felt awkward and intimidated, but our translator Chikabachi was so helpful and encouraging. He gave us a pep talk and told us to be confident, and the day ended up going okay. We had a lot of discussion with the teachers, and I was surprised how many questions they had about HIV and even some misconceptions. Oh, and every time I told them I had no plan once I got back to the US, they kept asking if I wanted to come teach in Malawi. The hardest part of the day was lunch. I helped serve, and not only did we end up running out of nsima and beans (traditional Malawian meal) so one class didn’t get any, but there were also rugrats hanging in the window begging for us to give them some beans. Hard to ignore. So the rugrats made it all chaotic, but as I put on facebook, in two words the first day was: happy chaos.
Tuesday was Malawian Independence Day! So we didn’t have camp and instead wrapped up training. I had to lead the planting a tree lesson, and so our group planted a tree at our house which will always be there, which is kind of cool. Thus the day would have been very chill, but it was my cook group’s turn to cook. Catastrophe, that’s all I can say. We finished the evening with “creative presentations” about what we had learned. My group did a fabulous remake of “I’ll Make Love to You” by Boyz II Men. The lyrics may be a little to explicit for this blog, but I will say that not only did we win (it was a competition), but the program coordinators said it was the best presentation/song they had ever seen/heard.
Today was the second day of camp. The rugrats were supposed to be sent home before we got there, but we arrived early and so there were again hundreds of them. So during songs and games, I felt like I was crowd control/security. Not the easiest job with excited little ones. But we did our best in hopes that they older kids would get the most out of their games and beginning of lessons. The rest of the day went great though. Conversation continued to go well with the teachers and we are learning a lot from each other. I led my first condom demonstration with them, which I think lightened the mood as there was a lot of laughing. Haha.
They keep asking me how I like Malawi. And I tell them I like it and the people are friendly. And they are. It is such a different world in front of my eyes though. I wish all of you could see it. So many needs…
Keep these people in your prayers. Little do we realize how blessed we truly are, even in our hardest times.
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