A Christmas filled with sun, humidity, and diving...Is that normal?

Well, I just returned from the northern region, visiting Nkhata Bay for the Christmas holiday. It was so different from the normal Christmases that I am used to in the US. I luckily had the best weather ever given that it's rainy season and only ended up raining at night during my stay. I went with 12 other PCVs to Mayoka Village for some rest and relaxation and that I did get. We all felt like we were in a random island paradise and not in Malawi! It was ridiculous how beautiful Lake Malawi is!
I took a diving refresher course with my friend Catherine and then we went on a pretty good dive for getting back in to it. It was so much different than diving in the NW, things actually had color! I saw some blue crabs, blue chiclids (can buy in pet shops), and some mouth brooders. It was pretty cool! I also went through a thing called a swim-thru, kind of like a cave, but a little different. It was also different to dive in freshwater as opposed to salt water, I didn't have to wear tons of weights! I also liked that the temperature was warm enough to not wear hoods, gloves, or booties. It was great! We did a boat dive, which is when you have to roll off backwards into the water (I had never done this before), and we were all sort of sea sick from the waves until we got under water.
So, Christmas day was all hyped up by the place we were staying at and ended up sort of being a disappointment. They had all these random activities planned and ended up only doing one. Then dinner was disappointing because my meat had fur still on it (not supposed to) and then only had 1 out of the 3 desserts that they said they would have. Oh well. At least I only have one more Christmas to get through. It wasn't horrible, it just wasn't home.
Yesterday we traveled from Nkhata Bay to Mzuzu. Instead of taking the normal minibus, we decided to hire our own minibus to get there faster and to not be super crowded. This sounded like a great idea until all of the other minibus drivers started getting really mad at the one that we hired. They didn't want to let us in the minibus. It was pretty crazy! We did finally get in the minibus we hired and made our way to Mzuzu. We then decided to go to Lilongwe from there on a luxury coach bus line. We got in at 11pm and met up with more PCVs.
A bunch of us are having stomach problems, so we are all on antibiotics to fix that. Oh well, it happens...so, I will be here through New Year's in Lilongwe...let me know how everything is going! I love and miss you all!

Summer school and snorkeling...does that go together?

Hey everyone!
So, I just got back from teaching a few days at the Peace Corps summer school program...It went pretty good! I taught some genetics and immunology. The students were very motivated and asked some good questions that weren't just about surface information, they actually were comprehensive! Although there were the occasional funny questions like, "If I go to the traditional healer, can I get medicine to make me have a boy baby?" I feel like this gave me a good idea of what to expect if I want to teach at the secondary school near my health centre. I think I did a good job, for the most part...I am considering teaching maybe a few days per week in biology or life skills. Who knows? I have decided that the northern region so far is the most beautiful part of Malawi...It has many mountains and trees and is very GREEN! It reminds me of Oregon. There was a very funny sign that said, "Vasectomy: For men who love their spouses." I thought that was funny because here in Malawi, men have no idea what vasectomies are, and if they do, they still think that outpatient female sterilization is much easier...of course, it's not happening to them! Other things about the north...I went to the Tanzanian fabric market in Mzuzu...amazing! I bought some beautiful fabric and had a skirt made out of some of it. It turned out really pretty. I love it...just another reason for you women to come and visit me, get fantastic fabric and outfits made! I went to Nkhata Bay with my friends Annie and Heidi. It was really beautiful too! We stayed at a cute sort of backpacker's lodge called Mayoka Village. They had cute cottages that overlooked onto the lake and were super cheap. I was able to use their snorkeling equipment for free and saw some pretty bright blue fish! The food there was really good and I can't wait to go back for Christmas! I am headed back to Zomba to work for a few weeks before Christmas and then will head back up north. It is cloudy and humid because there was lots of rain earlier today. Well, that's about it for now...let me know how things are going! I love and miss you all! I tried posting pictures but the internet is running too slow and won't download them...I'll try again when I'm in Lilongwe in a few weeks!