In Lilongwe to get Mauwa!!

Hey everyone! I am in Lilongwe for a few days and figured I should update my blog. Well, things have been going pretty good lately. Last week, the Peace Corps doctor and new country director came for a site visit to see how my house is and for me to meet the new cd. It went really good. The new cd seems really nice and ready to tackle the job of handling 120 PCVs in Malawi. It was good to tell them about all the thigns I've been doing over the last 7 weeks. I guess I didn't realize how much stuff I've done until I talked with them! I've been busy "going out in the field" as they call it, riding my bike many kilometers to outreach clinics and the like. The roads are all dirt, rough, uphills and downhills, and sometimes just kick my butt! I've visited a trained traditional birth attendant. She delivers babies at her house where women come to see her since the health center can be too far. It went well, she liked me alot! I went to a sanitation platform training with Interaide, a French NGO. They taught a bunch of chiefs, village health committee members, and me how to make these concrete platforms to put on top of pit latrines. It is a lot more sanitary than just a hole in the ground! I finally got furniture on Wednesday of last week! I have a bed, table, and two chairs! No more sleeping on a mattress on the floor! I actually feel like I have a home now. The nurse midwife that lives next door to me came back from her leave at another health center. I was very excited to see her! She said that she missed her daughter (talking about me!). I have been "adopted" by her and her 4 children. I eat dinner at her house every night. I buy some veggies to contribute and they teach me how to make Malawian food! They taught me how to make phala (porridge) which is sort of like cream of wheat so that I can make it for breakfasts for me and my kitten! I've been doing the usual outreach clinics and clinics at the health center. I have rode to Thondwe 3 times. It is a tough 16km to get to the paved rode! Hopefully the more I do it, the easier it will get. The hot season is quickly approaching as I noticed that I am sweating more and drinking lots of water. I get into town about once/week to check mail and emails, so keep them coming. I have about 1 month until reconnect and training when I will get to see all of my fellow 1st year health PCVs and hear how their 1st three months at site has gone! I get my kitten, Mauwa, this weekend! I am very excited to finally get her! Hopefully she will be an excellent mouse hunter! Well, that's it for now! Love and miss everyone lots!

Already been a month!

Hey everyone! I wanted to let everyone know that I am doing good! I have been really busy with stuff at the health center...I have so far gotten to see 2 deliveries! It was so awesome! I can't believe how easy these women make it look, makes me wonder what us americans are doing that it takes hours of pushing instead of the 5 minutes I saw here! Other things that I have been doing: had a community meeting on Monday to discuss Malaria, family planning, and voluntary counseling and testing for HIV. It was really good. There were about 120 people in attendance! I have been going to outreach clinics that are anywhere from 2-12 km from the health center that I bike to on every Wednesday. There are always lots of women and children. These are the under 5 and family planning clinics. I have also done some village inspections where we see what sanitation and hygeine things are or aren't missing like a pit latrine, kitchen, drying rack, refuse pit, bathing room, etc. The weather has been unseasonably windy, cloudy, and cold. Its very weird as we are supposed to be headed into the hot season this month! I will be in Lilongwe at the end of the month to see the new education volunteers and to try to download some pictures. I will keep you posted! Let me know how things are going! Oh, everyone wants to know if I like nsima (I do!) and if I know how to cook it! My neighbor, a midwife, is on leave for one month at another health center. I have been eating most dinners at her place with her kids! I seem to have gotten my own Malawian family!