Hey, two and a half months have flown by since I last posted here. Apologies; I've been letting my facebook status updates do all my work for me.
So, what's new? Well...
- I got my grant money. Yessir, the project is moving ahead. It's rainy season so I'm not sure how much construction we'll be able to do, but my village headman and my counterparts at the CBO (Community Based Organization) are motivated and anxious to get a move-on. The salesman at the mill place is tappin' his toe and my Member of Parliament is ready to deliver. I am pleased.
- The school-year calendar is FUBAR. Hence the remainder of my service will be spent (in addition to teaching and preparing for milling) searching for alternate housing for either myself or my 'replacement' volunteer, searching for something to do from August - December other than teaching, and not really getting a vaction, ever.
- My boss is retiring. Dora has been APCD for Education here in Malawi for a long time, and she kicks ass at it. She has gone to bat for me and others many times, she sticks up for us, she thinks of our interests, and we are going to miss her. Nobody will ever fill her shoes.
- My parents are talking to a travel agent about coming out here in July. The opportunity to show them where and how I live is so freakin' exciting I can't really sum it up. They will be shocked and awed and horrified and amazed as I am just about every day. Sweet.
- The transit house here in Lilongwe closes tomorrow. This is challenging because now to come to town will be much more expensive (by a factor of about 10, actually). "Secondary" projects are going to go down to nearly nada because writing a grant is a lot of work and we can't afford to stay here in town for 2 weeks while the proposal is farted around with. So we're not going to try, mostly. It also means that seeing other volunteers just isn't going to happen the way it has been. This is a bummer not just for social reasons but because I frequently get great ideas from other PCVs about how to deal with the challenges I face. So, this is another example of volunteer support failing. Sorry PC, but I think you made a big blooper this time. Time will tell!
I think that's all I've got for now. I hope that all of you at home are safe, happy, and warm. Drop me a comment or an email and update me on your lives.
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3 comments:
Hi Natalie!
Deb Pockat here and I want to let you know to expect a package. We had a group meeting in January (which I couldn't attend)and I had sent out an email to all checking to see if they were interested in donating to your cause and your list of needs. You will be amazed! We raised $250 and the majority of that will be sent to your mother so she can get the money to you. You may use however you see fit. We also have some items to ship and that I will be doing shortly as I am on my way to D.C. for a month. Yee Haw!
As I told your mother when we talked - you are an inspiration and know that people are thinking of you!!
Deb Pockat and groups C,I, J, & K
Hey Deb :)
Great to hear from you! I had tried emailing a few of you but for some reason the ncua.gov domain was rejected. I am really honored that you all thought of me and I can tell you that the money you're sending will be a great help with my mill project, as some costs have gone up since I did my budget research.
Please pass on my greetings to all as well as my gratitude and that of my fellow Ngalans.
Enjoy DC!
Malawi Girl.....Glad to see things are progressing for you. We think of you often in the RO, so when we had the group meeting a couple of weeks ago in NH it was a good opportunity to show some support form NCUA folks. There will also be a care package for you personally which we hope you enjoy. I wish I could visit you when your parents go over, I would love the aventure, but with work this year in CA probably not likely. Best to you and your group over there. Mick
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