Busy busy busy before vacation...

Hi everyone...
Just wanted to do a quick update before I go on vacation for a few weeks with Paul...he is coming to visit me for 6 weeks at the end of June! I can't wait! I haven't seen him in over year! I am so excited! We're going to meet up in Dar es Saalam in Tanzania and then ferry over to the island of Zanzibar for a few days of diving...other planned activities include travelling through Malawi, visiting my health center and village, and going to Mozambique for some great diving as well.
So, what have I been up to lately? Well, I have met with the chiefs, principal of the technical college, and people from the district hospital to talk about building a guardian shelter for the women who come to the health center with women in labor. It is important for these women to have somewhere to sleep and eat while taking care of women who are working so hard to deliver a baby! I now have to search for funding...I think I can find some through USAID...I worked with the head of maintenance to come up with a budget based on the guardian shelter that we are copying from another health center...It sounds like it is going to be HUGE (12.5 metres x 6.4 metres, aka 23,000 bricks!). I am sort of stressed about finding the funding for it, applying for the funding, and gettting construction started and completed before the rainy season in November...since things move so slowly here, I think it might be pushed until after rainy season... :-(
So, my best friend and Malawian mom is getting transferred to another health center. She's moving about 70km away from me in the completely opposite end of the district. I am so upset about this. When she told me I didn't believe her. I felt like I got the wind knocked out of me! It is unsure when she will be transferred exactly, but hopefully not until after the guardian shelter is built since she is the main person that I am working with on it.
I am in Lilongwe now working on figuring out proposal stuff and then I will help teach the new health volunteers who just arrived in Malawi on May 31st about forming youth clubs and teaching LifeSkills. I'm really excited about that! I am also going to go to 2 other health PCVs' sites to see what they are doing at their health centers! I will then go to my own mid-service training and then head off for vacation with Paul!
I love and miss you all so much! I hope that you are all doing great!