Zikhala Bwino ("staying well")

Well my last major life update was at 100 days in Malawi, and today (August 12th) marks 160 days! Sorry these posts are so sporadic, but due to poor internet and increasingly frequent blackout it makes using my computer difficult! 

Since my last post I've been working daily at the local health center doing small tasks to help out whenever possible (mostly paperwork and talking with staff/patients). Some people from America keep asking me what I am doing here in hopes of hearing some inspiration story or exciting adventure. To be honest, I only have one especially exciting day a week and it's usually just a meeting or meaningful conversation I happen to have with someone. Day to day I'm not living this incredible adventure many friends in America seem to think I'm having - I'm living just like the people around me; chatting, pumping water, cleaning, cooking, helping others when the opportunity arises, etc. 

I've been reading a book recently ("The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying") and came across one extremely powerful passage that may help my friends and family in America - both in understanding my life here, and hopefully in improving your own:

"There are different species of laziness: Eastern and Western. The Eastern style consists of hanging out all day in the sun, doing nothing, avoiding any kid of useful activity, drinking cups of tea, listening to music on the radio, and gossiping about friends. Western laziness is quite different. It consists of cramming our lives with compulsive activity, so that there is no time at all to confront the real issues."

To me this is a great comparison of the two cultures - in America if you are walking down the street and see someone whom you want to chat with there are usually 101 reasons why there simply isn't time. In Malawi, however, a passing conversation on the road or at the water pump is common - and many times it ends with a new friend.

This is how one of my first projects began actually! I met my friend Clara who works for Moyo ndi Pamba ("life is capitol") which is a branch of USAID that goes into local villages doing similar work that Peace Corps volunteers do. After a chance meeting one day we decided to work with a community 15 min down the road to construct a community garden. The community worked extremely hard clearing the land, building a fence, and preparing the soil. I was there with them helping to dig the beds, and together we planted 6 beds of tomatoes, beans, leafy greens, cucumber, and even cantaloupe (trying to explain a cantaloupe to someone who has never seen one sure was entertaining). I donated some of my seeds I have brought from America, and after a bit of hard work we finished the garden!

We are planning to start a new garden soon, and after an empowering meeting with Feed the Future (another branch of USAID) last week I think my fellow hospital workers and I are going to plan some cooking demo's and other nutrition related events. I've also been going to "teen club" which is a monthly meeting for children (many under 13) that are living with HIV/AIDS, and in July I will be leading an activity where we will draw pictures to be used as daily reminders to take HIV suppression meds. 

Outside of work I've been having plenty of adventures round Malawi also! I've hiked around Zomba Plateau (my favorite place in Malawi, so far) and seen a lot of the major lookouts. Along the trails in Zomba you find many people selling quartz, tourmaline, feldspar, and other gems that they collect from a nearby mountain (Mt. Malosa). Later this month I'm planning to venture up this mountain and see some of the mines they are finding these gems in - I'm really excited about this! I also made a trip up to Cape McClear, one of the most popular tourist locations. Although the water was beautiful, the atmosphere had a very "westerner's vacation" vibe that I wasn't as much a fan of. My favorite moments at the Cape were snorkeling with cichlids and cliff jumping after taking the "Rasta Boat" to otter point.

It's just a few weeks until my next Peace Corps training, and I couldn't be more ready. After this training we will finally be allowed to start our own projects and apply for grant funding. I will be bringing my counterpart and friend Romeo with me to Lilongwe for our training, and after I'm headed to Malawi's biggest music festival Lake of Stars! Big things coming up!

I've included a few pictures below (per usual), hope you enjoy these small windows into my life here in Malawi! Don't be afraid to write me a letter or send me a butterfinger (hint hint), I'm sure we will all be in touch soon one way or another. 

-Trevor

^ A few of the gems I've boughten from the people selling up on Zomba (it's an ongoing joke that I spend all my stipend on rocks rather than food, and sometimes its true haha)

^ Clara, Nsulu village, and myself working to create there community garden. The food will go to local families, and the idea is that this garden will inspire other families to plant their own gardens at home!

^ Hiking in Zomba

^ On of the most beautiful views on Zomba

^ Zomba

^ My favorite meal for lunch - Mustard Greens, Tomato, Onion, Spices on Rice (living local)

^ Me and two of my best village friends. These are the two younger brothers (the oldest was working, and the second oldest took the picture). They would come and sit with me on my porch even when we couldn't hold an actual conversation (they only know Chichewa), but after months of being together we laugh and share stories everyday

^ The PCV closest to me recently finished her service (she was a teacher at the secondary school near me), and for her going away party the local church choir sand a few beautiful songs. On the far right (black and checkered shirt) is my language tutor Stuart, and in the red is my counterpart Romeo.

^ To visit my friends staying in Liwonde National Park I take a small boat across the Shire River. On on trip we saw a massive heard of elephants and hippos (both common in my area)

^ This little guy may look cute, but he's a banana theft (he sat next to me eyeing my food for nearly an hour)  

^ This gives you an idea of how close these elephants are 

^ Only a month or two more till I'm eating the fruits (and vegetables) from my garden!

^ My favorite snack, papaya! Costs about $1, and is almost as big as my head! 

^ Another favorite meal: Okra, tomatoes, onion, cumin, garlic, soya pieces, with the Malawian staple nsima

DIY Bucket Wine / Beer / Champaign / Mead

Before leaving to Malawi I began researching how people can make their own wine at home - and I realized the process is extremely easy. In Malawi if you are seen at a bar or buying alcohol people are likely to assume you are indulging far more than you may actually be. This is because people who "take alcohol" here do so with the intention of getting completely drunk. In America its common to have a glass of wine or beer with dinner or even a couple drinks on a Friday night - all taken in moderation - but thats not the case in Malawi. Because of this social opinion surrounding alcohol (and the small wallets us PCV's have) some of us have taken up brewing in our homes as an experiment. It's a very easy process thats safe to try even if you haven't done anything like this before.

Many volunteers here are interested in learning how to make "bucket wine" and have asked me for advice. This post is for you!

^ The pictures in this post are from when I made ginger beer, but the technique can be used for wine, champaign, or mead. The essential ingredients to any brew are water, yeast, and sugar (or honey) - everything else will just make it look/taste better. I'm using red wine yeast I brought from home, but any type of yeast will do. The only difference is how high of an alcohol percent your final product will have; baking yeast cannot survive highly alcoholic environments so your final product will have a much lower alcohol percent (compared to wine yeast which can survive in much more alcoholic environments leaving you with a much stronger drink). Experiments with your own ratios, but a general rule of thumb might be something like 1kg sugar :: 2.5g yeast :: 10L water (for my ginger beer I used 3kg :: 5g :: 15L and it came out very sweet like soda)

^After you have ingredients start to prepare them for boiling - the more surface area your ingredients have the stronger the flavor will be. For the ginger beer I mashed up the fresh ginger into a pulp so that the flavor would be strong, but for softer fruits mashing isn't necessary (but you can do it if you want, it won't hurt anything).

^ In a large pot combine all your ingredients EXCEPT YEAST and boil together for 30 minutes to an hour. I was using charcoal so I couldn't get it to a rolling boil, but if you are able to it's highly recommended because a rolling boil will kill unwanted bacteria that could grow in your wine (I haven't had this problem, but others have). After boiling leave your newly created juice to cool with a cloth placed over the top to prevent insects. For my ginger beer I let it cool for an hour, but since then I have learned it's best to let it sit overnight.

^ Add your juice to the brewing container of your choice; I used a chigubu (plastic jug used for oil). Add your yeast, give it a little shake to wake it up, and apply your seal. A great seal will allow air to escape the jug, but not allow outside air to enter. You can do this by running a hose from the lid into a bottle of water (bubbles will come from the hose, but because it is submerged in water no air can flow back in). If you can't find materials (or just want to find a use for all those Peace Corps condoms) you can just use a condom secured with a hair tie! As the yeast eats the sugar, both alcohol and co2 are released and the condom will inflate! Using a knife poke a very small hole in the end of condom to slowly let air out (as it deflates the plastic will contract and seal the hole, preventing air from entering).

^ From there just sit back at let the yeast eat! After it has finished use a cloth/screen to filter and pour into bottles. If you want a carbonated drink, bottle your brew after 10 days and allow it to continue fermenting in an airtight environment for another week or two (co2 will still be released, but because it can't escape it will mix with the liquid). If you want a flat drink, leave it in the brewing jug until no more co2 is being released (you can tell when the condom doesn't inflate/ bubbles don't come from the tube; depending on which method you used).

All brews (carbonated or flat) should be stored in air-tight containers. An easy DIY sealing method is to put a plastic bag around the opening and screw the cap on over it (be careful not to rip the plastic!). If your wine isn't sealed and becomes exposed to air it will begin the process of turning into vinegar (takes 2 - 4 weeks, and can be a good thing if you want vinegar!). If you made a carbonated drink BE CAREFUL, sometimes the yeast can continue to ferment for longer than you anticipated resulting in the bottle exploding! Throughout the whole process of making wine taste it and see how its doing. It's okay to open your brew bottle once a week and drink a cup (OR ferment a small amount in a smaller jug to sample from).

Fermenting is kind scary for people, but when it comes to making bucket wine don't be afraid! The "worst case scenario" is an upset stomach - you won't die or become seriously ill. If something goes wrong you will see it or smell it before you ingest anything anyway (it will be obvious - a bottle of mine had a hole and I could tell the second I looked at it that mold was growing on top). This can be a fun first lesson in fermentation, and can help you with possible future projects (cheese, sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha, etc.)

I hope this helps all you future-brewers! I just finished drinking my ginger beer and it turned out delicious! My next batch (raspberry and rosemary with coconut wine) is brewing as I write this - I can't wait to see how it turns out! If you have questions send me a message or leave a comment and I can try to help the best I can!

For your health!

100 Days in Malawi

It's been a few weeks since my last blog post so it's about time for another one. I've been living in my new house for just over a month now, and am happy to say it finally feels like home! I've spent the last month buying the basic home necessities here (water buckets, kitchenware, building supplies/ timber, sleeping mat, and more). I remember back home when I would buy wood at Home Depot it was always a trick getting it to fit inside my small Toyota Camry, but here in Malawi everything is transported via minibus (imagine 20+ people crammed in a minivan PLUS whatever everyone has bought), bike, or balanced on your head. It was a trick getting all my things to my house, but at long last it is all here!

Besides moving in and making the T-Den (tentatively named) a home I've been working daily at my local health center. I've been working with pregnant women, HIV/AIDS groups, and children under 5 helping to monitor their health. Basically, people come in once or more per month for medicine or check-ups, and when they do I take their weight, height, BMI, and MUAC (this is basically a way to check for malnutrition). I couple weeks ago I went with some of the staff to Balaka (the district's "capital" city) to attend a conference about malnutrition. I learned that a major issue all health centers are facing is the lack of malnutrition supplements - if you are a male or non-pregnant female chances are you won't receive any food supplementation from the hospital. The reason for this is related to donor funding and a bit complicated to explain, but the good news is that a solution isn't! An easy way to get malnourished people back to health is to encourage home gardens!

Which leads me to my next update - my home garden is complete and has already begun growing!! Here in Malawi things grow EXTREMELY fast - it's actually pretty unbelievable. Despite having to water your garden (which means going to the borehole, filling buckets, carrying them back, and THEN watering your garden) it's really not so difficult. My yard was literally the worst possible place to make a garden - but I worked really hard to show others in my community that it can be done; even when you have a tiny yard thats 99% rocks and trash. I've already have people tell me they were surprised I got anything to grow here. I guess my plan is working!

Besides working at the health center, tending my garden, and getting laughed at when I go to the borehole to carry my water with my hands (everyone else balances it on their head; I tell them I'm too tall and it'd be dangerous for them shah) I've been trying to go on an adventure every weekend - at least for a bike ride if nothing else. Over my birthday weekend in the end of May I went south to Blantyr - the old capital city, and the only "real" city in Malawi. I spent the weekend eating great food, exploring the market, and spending time with friends. All in all it was a fantastic weekend, and a great way to begin my 23rd year!

For those at home hoping to receive a letter - I promise I'm trying! Moving in was expensive and at the moment I don't have enough money to send letters, but I get paid soon so I hope to send out a few in the coming weeks. 

Love and miss you all,

-Trevor

^ Hanging fruit basket I made to prevent ants from getting into my food.

^ Working in my garden is hard work!

^ Before and after pictures of my garden.

^ French onion soup I made (eatin' good)

^ Early morning in Blantyr on my birthday.

^ New furniture!

^ Over 100 days of no shaving

^ First sprouts in my garden

^ My co-worker Peter presenting in Balaka about our health centers progress in monitoring and evaluating patients

New Home in Ulongwe

To mark the end of our homestay Peace Corps organized a large village appreciation ceremony with speakers, government officials, chiefs, and of course music and dancing! The village showed their appreciation to us by inviting the Nyau to perform the Gule Wamkulu ("Big Dance") - the dance performed at important ceremonies by the Chewa tribe. Up until about 60 years ago this dance was not practiced publicly, and the secrecy surrounding it made it a mystery to all except those who "entered". I'm happy to answer questions if you have any, but I'm also going to post a link below to a cool CNN article that talks about the dance. To show our appreciation toward the village we decided to do something much less reflective of our own culture (not my decision, but we had a good time haha). We did the "Thriller" dance (Michael Jackson), performed "Three Little Birds" (Bob Marley; I played banjo alongside ukuleles and a mandolin), and danced to some Shakira I still don't know. Peace Corps printed out certificates to give to our host families (Malawian's LOVE certificates) and we spent the afternoon playing outside sports against our families. That night I went home and gave my family a few small gifts from America (calendars, candy, playing cards, and pictures from Washington) and we spent some time together reflecting on the last 2 months.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/06/africa/gallery/infiltrated-african-nyau-cult/index.html?sr=fb050715africansecretsociety7pGalLink

The next day we all boarded a bus early to arrive at the US Ambassador's house. We all agreed that it didn't even feel like we were in Malawi anymore - the house was HUGE and was complete with swimming pool, tennis court, gazebo, cheese, sliders, flush toilets, air conditioning, and even a small fish pond. Representatives from the Ministry of Health, Parks Department, Ambassador, Peace Corps staff, and over 50 RPCV's living in Malawi attended as we were sworn in as Peace Corps Volunteers! We took the same oath the president of America takes upon being elected to office (seemed like a big deal, "defend the country" kinda stuff) and got to shake hands with some of Malawi's top government officials. It was very clear that what we are doing here is very important, and the respect we received from the local government was an honor. Oh yeah, and I got a new suit custom tailored for me here in Malawi (see picture below).

The rest of the day and following morning had a much different tone, but for the sake of keeping this blog positive I'm not going to say much about it here. All I want to say is that I hope in the future Peace Corps takes more time in planning how we leave our host families, and I hope to return to them so that I can apologize for the manner in which we left home - it wasn't how I wanted it to be done, but it was how Peace Corps required us to move.

For the next two years I will be living in the small city of Ulongwe (located in Balaka district) working at the Kalembo Health Centre! I found out where I would be placed in mid-April and shortly after went for a quick visit, but only 5 days later I returned to Chisazima to finish my training. On May 8th I made it to my new house and have been making it home ever since.

My House - I'm living in a small compound of about 11 houses inside of a gated (but never locked/guarded) cluster. Its right in the center of downtown, which is good (close to all the stores/stands, close to a water hole, and very close to a main road) and bad (very loud, lots of drunk people late at night, and higher crime rates). All in all I'm happy with my site though! The house itself is a small house with two 'bedrooms' and one main room (~30'x20' total, maybe?) with an outdoor kitchen, bathing area ('bafa'), and toilet (aka room with a hole in the ground). My yard is extremely small, but I want to try to grow a small garden! Oh and I also have electricity!! Wasn't expecting that, but its a plus! Rent is 14,000mk (which is about $31.82/month)

I HAVE A NEW ADDRESS: (if you want to send a package, please see previous post)

TREVOR BIDSTRUP
BOX 43
ULONGWE, BALAKA, MALAWI

My Health Centre - Kalembo Health Centre is one if the most busy health centers in Malawi. Usually, health centers are smaller and they work with a larger district hospital - however my health centre is bigger than some hospitals. On average the hospital serves between 500-800 people daily with a staff of only 2 "doctors" (not by our standards) and around 40 other staff. Many don't show up for work consistently, but that's just life here in Malawi. The main issues I've been requested to help with are malnutrition, HIV/AIDS (extremely high in my area), and malaria (over half the patients here come for Malaria treatment).

For the first 3 months at site I will be observing the hospital and building relationships with the staff before beginning projects. Also attempting to find things for my house (as of now I have nothing but a cement floor). People in America are asking me "when do you start work"? The answer is complicated. The first 3 months at my site are for INTEGRATING and OBSERVING. I will not be working on any projects in this time, and despite having a health center I am not going to be doing medical work. The goal of this is to assess the community's needs and build relationships BEFORE trying to change anything. After the first three months I will begin organizing small projects, workshops, and community outreach activities (ex. cleaning mosquito nets, building hand washing stations, HIV/AIDS support groups, and/or anything else I feel the community could benefit from). I'm not a trained doctor (although I have more schooling that most doctors here), so I will not be doing any medical work like shots, medications, or anything like this. My job title is community health advisor, and as such I will only advise - not practice medicine or anything like this. So far I've helped out around the hospital weighing babies at under five clinics, checking for malnutrition in different groups, and working with pregnant mothers.

^ All the health and environment 2015 guys in our swear in suits

^ Gule Wamkulu dancer

^ Some shelves I made for myself (moving things off the floor!)

^ Even in Malawi I can make good food (spicy chinese stirfry!)

^ The newspaper article that was printed the week after swear in

^ It's currently cold season, yet temperatures are in the 80s daily (and it doesn't cool down much at night

^ Digging out the garden, its hard work when half the soil is rock or buried bricks/trash

^ Our entire health and environment group at swear in

^ My yard, this is where my garden will be. It's the worst soil and extremely small, but hopefully I can get something to grow - and then use it as an example for others in my community

^ Front porch of my new home

^ The door frames in my house only go up to my neck..

^ My Abambo ("father") and I dancing our way to get our certificate

^ My new suit

Pre-Service Training in Chisazima

PST

The first week ("week zero") was spent at MIM - a small collection of rooms, conference halls, and cafeteria. The whole time there felt like vacation; nothing like the weeks to follow living in the village. During the day we would learn about what to expect in the following weeks as well as Peace Corps basics. After class I played hackie sack ("whack sack") with friends or played banjo with the other volunteers that brought instruments. We all got a crash course of Malawian food during meal time (and a special surprise of "pizza" and ice cream one night!) and had cold soda available multiple times a day.

However, after week zero life changed dramatically. We arrived in Chisazima (a small village about an hour or so outside of Kasungu) to all the mothers of the village singing us a song of arrival. The moment we heard their voices was magical beyond words - never have I felt so welcomed! We sat inside our "School" (the Roman Catholic Church) across from the Malawian families that would be our future host families, and one by one names we read and we left the church for our new home. After my name was called there was a roar of laughter as I was paired with parents over a foot shorter than me. They warned us that the first night would be the most difficult, but I found the first night to be the beginning of a great friendship with the family - especially my "abambo" (father).

The weeks between then and now have been filled with classes from 8am-5pm, a hike up the nearby mountain, hours of hackie sack, laughing, and building friendships with people as crazy ("adventurous"?) as me. Typically pre-service training (PST) is 3 months, but in Malawi they like to cram it all into a little over 2 months. 

My abambo, Hamitton Mbeta, has become one of my closest Malawian friends so far. I'm going to be sad to have to leave him in May, but I'm sure I will come back to Chisazima to visit him. He's 70 years old, has worked as a brick layer (currently is a farmer), and is a devote member of the local church. Although he dropped out of school at a young age (about the equilivant of middle school in the US) he's by far one of the smartest people I've met here. He's lived all over Malawi, and is fluent in Chichewa, Chiyao, Portuguese, and English. Although he's 70 years old every day he gets up early to go work in his gardens - he says it's what keeps him strong (and he's right!). Most nights after school I sit on the porch with him and the rest of the family (3 boys, 3 girls, and a seemingly endless number of other relatives) and practice chichewa or swap stories about life in America/Malawi. As the sun sets we sit together and eat dinner (usually nsima, a protein, and a vegetable - as requested by Peace Corps). Usually families like this would not get a protein every meal, and often times nsima might be eaten alone. Nsima is a staple in Malawi made from ground maize mixed with water (it comes out slightly firmer than mashed potatoes, and shaped into patties). By itself there is almost no flavor, but I actually like it with other foods. Everyone in Malawi knows how to make nsima, and a meal isn't complete without some nsima ("nsima is food, and food is nsima"). 

I've just visited my site for the first time (I will be living in Kalembo!) - but more on that will come in the next blog post!

Here's a list of my accomplishments so far:

- Hitched a ride on a broken down truck being carried on a bigger truck ("truck-seption")

- Cooked the Malawian favorite, nsima (in Malawi nsima IS food, a meal without nsima isn't a meal)

- Made soya milk by hand

- Planted a garden

- Navigated a market and bought things using Chichewa

- Learned EXTENSIVELY about HIV/AIDS, malaria, nutrition, and more'

Here's a list of my failures so far:

- Said "I am food very much" on accident to my family; they couldn't stop laughing

- Tried to explain that in America we eat tacos ("taco" in chichewa means butt cheek)

^View from the top of a nearby mountain we hiked up

^Me and some of the local kids that hiked the mountain with us

^Frogs in Malawi are super cool looking

^Early morning at MIM

^ (Blurry; sorry) My room for week zero at MIM

^After class we would spend a lot of time at the local soccer field.

^ My walk home from class everyday

^ On market visit days we would always try to grab some food and drinks at KJP's

^ I spent 7.5 hours at this church. ~200 people; I was the only white person (took communion in Malawi!)

^ This is how the announced our sites; we were blindfolded and placed where our future homes would be.

^Me teaching about building handwashing stations

^Me and my homestay family (one brother was missing - he was away at school)