First Two Months Down!!!

Hey! Also, welcome to any of the new people who are joining Peace Corps Malawi in February! I'm excited not to be the new kid any more!

So, updates on the school- I have been working on cleaning out the library and dusting off the books- we have an awful lot of books, but unfortunately, most of them are inappropriate for second language learners. I sorted the novels into sections of easy, medium, hard, and adult- so if anyone feels like sending books, easy reader novels are a good bet- also, consider the culture of the kids here, so many of the stories are out of their grasp not just because the language is too difficult, but the subject matter is too. I've been working with folk tales with my freshmen, and those seem universally understandable. I think myths, and adventure stories would make sense too, but a lot of the really great young adult literature that I love dosen't have an audience here, for instance, we have a copy of Maniac McGee, and I just know that the kids here totally wouldn't get the issues in it, because it is just too Western, so think, would this make sense to a kid living in an African farming family with no electricity and no television.

We also hooked up our computers in the library, and I have been teaching some of the teachers how to use the software. The eventual plan is for me to teach a computer class to the students, but they don't have free time on their course schedules right now. By the way, my school is crazy in that it has computers, in no way is this the norm. Anyway, if anyone can find typing software or any computer games that would work with Windows 2000, I would really appreciate some software, we have floppy disc drives, which is exciting, so if you find anything in your attic, yo.

Um... what else can I beg for? OH! My women's group is having issues getting off the ground, just because items like knitting needles, yarn and other crafty type materials are too expensive, and of poor quality, around here to really start anything. I was sent some great yarn which I distributed (thanks Zach and Kitty!), but then I found out that nobody had knitting needles, so I let them use some of mine, and I also gave out pencils to use as needles, but of course, those only get you so far. Really, anything that you can use to make clothes from is very much appreciated. We cut some sewing patterns out from newspapers so that everybody could have a copy, and the eventual plan is to buy fabric to make school uniforms to sell, but since we don't have any money to start with, we can't afford the fabric. It's a grass roots group, and I'm only partially involved, which I take to be a sign of stability, but if you can send any sewing or knitting materials, the women here can make miracles happen. The community is really supportive too, and the nearby orphan care center has offered to let us use their sewing machines, so they're making headway.

As for me, I didn't take the cat- I realized that even though I am in Malawi, I am still allergic to cats, go figure. A student is trying to sell me a puppy, but I'm not sure. Site is going well, and I'm much happier now that I'm working on the library. I am in Mzuzu right now, because the Volunteers Supporting Volunteers (VSV) organization is throwing us newbies in the North a party, so I get to see some of my friends from training, and meet new friends. I really like Mzuzu, and am excited to buy some more awesome fabric from Tanzania. I made Zach a pair of PJ pants out of it, and I must say that they rule. He may never get them, because I can't lie, I like to hang out in them, so I'll need to buy some more fabric to make my own. I got Christmas packages from Zach, and my mom, but am still waiting on mail that was sent in mid December. A few thoughts on the new season of How I Met Your Mother: awesome, slapping is still funny even in Africa, the road trip episode reminded me of my trip to NOLA with Courtney (the book on tape part). I have only seen episodes 1-9, but they were still cool. Also, the Dr. Who movie thingy on Mars scared the hell out of me- don't watch shit like that if you live alone in the middle of Africa.

ALSO, and this is super important, please PLEASE don't decalre value amount of packages to be more than 15 USD, I have to start paying duty on stuff soon, and if you say something is worth more than that, I need to pay for it, and I can't afford that. A package containing 50$ worth of stuff has a duty amount of about 10,000 MK, and that is half of my monthly pay check- so if you really want me to get your packages, DON'T write the amount as being more than 15 dollars. Also, I have a new address, if you want to use it- both will still work, but the new address will send my stuff to my site, instead of Lilongwe, and I'll get it faster:

Melissa Small
Chintheche CDSS
Box 44
Chintheche, Malawi
Central Africa

The next time I'll be online will probably be around Feb 22, if everything goes well. They moved up our IST (interum service training??? Peace Corps likes to use acrynoms), so I might be in Lilongwe for a bit. I'm excited to be with the whole education group all together again, and I can't wait to meet the new guys (hey guys!), if they (you?) are anything like me, they (you?) are getting anxious right now, and are reading a lot of blogs. My advice is to eat out a lot, because you'll lose it all without trying. The fuckit diet is definately a plus to Peace Corps.

Aright, Melissa out- I love and miss you all, I live for my weekly phone calls, and I'm sorry for all of you who have been trying but can't get through- the network has been iffy- but it is kind of a miracle that I have a phone in the first place, so let's just count our blessings.

Love love,

Beeb