On the Road with CPAR – U of M Students in Malawi

Them dogs days are over Florence; they are they are!

cparcanada — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 20:46:32 +0000

Happiness hit her like a train on a track
Coming towards her stuck still no turning back
She hid around corners and she hid under beds
She killed it with kisses and from it she fled
With every bubble she sank with her drink
And washed it away down the kitchen sink

The dog days are over
The dog days are done
The horses are coming
So you better run

Run fast for your mother, run fast for your father
Run for your children, for your sisters and brothers
Leave all your love and your longing behind
You cant carry it with you if you want to survive

The dog days are over
The dog days are done
Can you hear the horses?
Because here they come

And I never wanted anything from you
Except everything you had and what was left after that too, oh
Happiness hit her like a bullet in the head
Struck from a great height by someone who should know better than that

The dog days are over
The dog days are done
Can you hear the horses?
Because here they come

Run fast for your mother, run fast for your father
Run for your children, for your sisters and brothers
Leave all your loving, your loving behind
You cant carry it with you if you want to survive

The dog days are over
The dog days are done
Can you hear the horses?
Because here they come

The dog days are over
The dog days are done
The horses are coming
So you better run

“Dog Days are Over” by Florence and The Machine

I am very much aware of the fact that it is August 13^th today.

I am very much aware of the fact that I have been home for almost a month.

I am very much aware of the fact that my Nchito Yabwino experience ended almost two months ago.

I am also very much aware that my reflection blog is way past due.

Here’s the thing. I have a difficult time ‘just writing’. I can’t just sit down. And write. It normally only happens in two cases. One, when I have a deadline or am under pressure. Two, when the mood smacks me upside the head and the thoughts pour out.

Blogging worked well in Malawi largely because I was in a state of constant think-dom. It was not that difficult to regularly make public what was going on in my mind as there was a whole host of experiences to choose from.

It is not that I didn’t want to after we finished. Or felt that I didn’t have to. Or. Anything disrespectful like that. I understand I left my part hanging, full of loose ends and inconclusive thoughts. And I apologize. I blogged on June 13 and then in that last week so much happened. We went back from Chintheche to Lilongwe, we wrapped up with Laban and Allan and Steve, Dennis and Patricia. We did a presentation to the staff on our 6 weeks. And then it was Sunday, June 20^th. And it was alllllllll over. Done. Finito. Thing is, I happen to be a very emotional and sentimental person. So you can imagine that I’m pretty awful at saying goodbye. I can’t do it. It hit me like a ton of bricks that we were finished. I had completely forgotten that I didn’t live in Lilongwe. I had pushed it out of my mind that this was only a 6 week student placement. It’s not that I didn’t want to go home. It’s just that I had forgotten that I would. I forgot that, to be honest, I led a life that was vastly different from the one I was leading in Malawi.

When I arrived back home on July 15^th my family was awaiting me at the airport. It felt extremely strange to be back at home. I have travelled many times before and have been away from Winnipeg for much longer lengths of time than this time. However, I felt like I was seeing everything for the first time.

Friends and family would ask “So. Tell me ALL about Africa”. To which I would, and still do, respond that I simply can’t. Instead I find my stories come out in unanticipated moments. Fixing the fence with my dad and remembering the time we held the rope to repair the borehole. Back at my job as a server at Luxalune and talking about how I had to confront cultural differences and Western expectations head-on while eating out in Malawi.

What I am generally able to tell them about my time ‘in Africa’ was that I feel different now. I feel like a proper grown-up. I know, look at me… falling into the stereotype. The all-encompassing and awfully-generalizing ‘Africa’, has changed me. Yes, I am over my fear of creepy-crawly bugs. And yes, I am a much happier person. And yes, I feel more confident. And yes, (insert crescendo-ing music) I finally have moved from a university student into twenty-something adult world.

One of my fav current singers, is Florence and The Machine, whose lyrics for the song “Dog Days are Over” are posted above. Dog days, according to the credible source that is Wikipedia, refers to a hot and stagnant period that is “marked by a dull lack of progress”.

I feel like that is exactly how I have changed.

My dog days are over because I don’t feel like I’m in some sort of stagnant state in life anymore. I feel like I’m finally starting to ‘get it’. We accomplished a lot during our time in Malawi. We learnt a lot about development and communications. We learnt a lot about interpersonal interactions and dealing with difficult situations. It really was ‘Service Learning’.

This experience has put into context the fact that my life is officially moving. It is also the first time that I don’t have a ‘natural progression’ life-plan; I don’t have the next step, I have lots of options and it’s up to me to figure out what I want from life. I always knew I would go to university. But that was generally as far in the whole ‘thought process of life’ that I would get. I am done that. No more stagnant, follow-through-the-steps for me.

I can hear the horses coming, and I’m going to run.

Thank you all for reading the blog and keeping up with us. It really did mean a lot.

Cheers and Love!

Lauren

One of my fav pics, Jill and I at Freedom Gardens

Is that all there is?

cparcanada — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 20:12:10 +0000

One day in Chintheche I woke up to see the sun rise...it was worth it

First of all, apologies that the blog has been severely neglected since our placement came to an end. It’s hard to believe that this journey has come full circle, and we are now homeward bound. I’ve been in London for almost two weeks, coming straight from Malawi, while Eric and Lauren stopped over in Nairobi. Tomorrow Eric and I go back home and Lauren goes to Newcastle to visit her family. While I am sitting here on my last night, reflecting on the last six weeks and not quite knowing what to make of it all, I found a post that I wrote on one of my last days in Lilongwe and never put up. I will post that here, as it seems to sum up our last chunk of time in Malawi.

Yesterday I visited the Natural History Museum and came across petrified tree bark. When a tree dies the wood usually rots, but under certain conditions the plant tissue may be replaced by minderals and it turns to stone. I don’t know why, but I find something rather poignant about that fact. While it is undoubtedly cliche to say, this trip was truly life-changing…Something unexpected happened, and I haven’t yet been able to figure out what it was. Maybe that will happen as life goes on and Ntchito Yabwino becomes ancient history…and maybe it won’t.

Thank you for coming along on our journey with us. I hope we were able to convey a little bit of the magic through our writing and photographs. Here is my un-posted post:

Ntchito Yabwino is OVER. We can speak simple Chechewa, have finally learned the directions to our house in Falls and are pinching our last few kwatcha- time to go home. Our last day of work was on Friday- after presenting a power point to the staff at CPAR Malawi about the outcomes of our placement, we were taken out for a lovely lunch. On Monday we leave for a 4 day safari in Zambia, and then we’re off for a short stint in London before heading home.

Sorry that we were lazy with blogging the last few days in Chintheche. To summarize, we got sick in rotation (it was bound to happen eventually…), and I ended up back at Chintheche Rural Hospital as a patient rather than a visitor. Let me just say that I have a whole new appreciation for the health care system in Canada. All I wanted were some antibiotics. To get them, I had to walk through a room full of sick people waiting to see one doctor. That was the first and only time I had been without my fellow Mzungus, and it was incredibly overwhelming to feel like crap and stick out like a sore thumb. To make matters worse, I felt awful that I could just walk in and see the doctor relatively quickly. After I was finally able to make the doctor understand that it was my throat that was sore, I lost it when he asked me how long it had been that way and exclaimed “three YEARS?!?” I burst into tears as I replied, “No, three days!” While I didn’t handle myself with quite as much composure as I would have hoped, after two months in Malawi, I guess one emotional outburst ain’t too shabby.

We had a surprise visitor at the office on our last day of communications training- after hearing some commontion on the lawn, we looked out the window to see a man running around talking to himself. After a closer look, we were able to confirm that yes, that man definately has no pants on. Luckily, Allan, a CPAR Malawi Project Officer, quickly took charge of the situation- there’s nothing more intimidating than a Project Officer with a broom in one hand and a communications training manual in the other…it was a priceless moment that, unfortunately, we were unable to caputre in photo.

As for our placement now being over, I have mixed feelings. I am excited to go home because when I am here, I am so far away from the people I love. At the same time, when I am home I am so far away from what has been an incredible experience. I am most scared of forgetting what it FEELS like to be here- if only photos could capture that. When I reflect back on all we have experienced in the past two months, there are certain small moments that stand out: having lunch in a village chief’s hut on our first day in the field; dancing our hearts out at an all-locals club; enjoying family BBQs on lazy Saturday afternoons; showering newlyweds with kwatcha to the beat of popular African music at a wedding; watching the cows cross the beach each morning at Flame Tree Lodge; playing beach volleyball with locals at Kande; and an afternoon cooking lesson on how to prepare traditional dishes. There are so many wonderful memories to choose from, and I owe many of them to the friends that we have made here. I will never forget your kindness and generosity towards three clueless Mzungus.

- Jillian

VIDEO!!

cparcanada — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 13:36:13 +0000

The day has arrived…it’s a VIDEO!! I really hope it works for those who watch, let us know what you think! This is a video we created at a borehole that had broken down in a rural village near Chintheche. It was created using the Flip videocamera and Flipshare software we left with both the Lilongwe and Chintheche CPAR offices.

Recap and Reflecting

cparcanada — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 13:30:07 +0000

Six weeks have come and gone here in Malawi; much faster than I had anticipated. Thinking back over all we have accomplished, I feel satisfied knowing that we successfully aided CPAR Project Officers to more effectively communicate to donors the excellent they have done and continue to do.

Sunrise over Lake Malawi

On one hand, it feels like we left our comfortable homes in Winnipeg ages ago. Saying goodbyes to my family and friends seems like it was almost years ago. Not seeing the people you care about for such an extended amount of time is something I haven’t experienced before, but it is an important step in determining the person I will become in the future.

On another level, I find it hard to fathom that we have been here for six weeks already. So much was packed into that month and a half, I often find myself struggling to remember all the things we have experienced. Eating nsima and chicken in the Group Village Headman’s house on Day 2 is still vivid in my memory, but many of the days in between are hard to recall. I’m sure when we all look through our pictures and notes memories will be evoked and fondly remembered.

After completing the Communications Training Program on Wednesday in Chintheche, we, along with our incredibly patient and amazing driver Vincent, headed back to the capital, Lilongwe. On Thursday we prepared a presentation and answered any questions the Project Officers had about the Communications Program. Friday, our last day at the CPAR office, we presented a short overview of what we had completed, the successes and challenges of the program, as well as our recommendations for any future program. We also presented the water and sanitation video we had created in Chintheche, which we will post on the blog shortly.

Overall, I feel that our short stay in Malawi was very productive and successful in our objectives. The Project Officers now have more skills in photography, article writing, videography, and blogging; effective tools to communicate their ongoing work in rural Malawi. I also feel I have learned a lot about development work in Africa, a new and exciting culture, as well as myself. There have been more than a few experiences which I will never forget and I hope I can communicate to those who have the means to help, how much their support means to people in need of it.

Jill and two sellers whom I traded my shirts to for my sisters' presents (they better like them)

Eric

Oh Sunday, how you make me smile

cparcanada — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 14:07:20 +0000

Sundays are always my favourite day of the week. I know that I probably should prefer Friday or Saturday. All “whoot whoot”, “yay it’s the weekend” type sentiments, but as a server those nights just mean long and hard work. My appreciation for Sunday probably developed when I was living in England and was treated to many a Sunday Lunch. ..Wake up, prep the veg, start roasting the chicken, family comes over, talk talk talk, sit down to eat, talk more, family leaves, go for a walk in the late-afternoon sun, come back home, Sunday movie on television, fall asleep. Brilliant.

Today we are off to Kande Beach, which has quickly (and easily) become one of our favourite places here in Chintheche. The water is gorgeous and the hammocks are comfortable. But before we head off I wanted to update the blog about the last two days…

Friday morning we returned to one of the boreholes that we had visited on our Study Tour. It was the one where we had taken that long and arduous walk down the steep incline to see where the community had previously been collecting water from. We went back to that particular site to collect more in-depth information for one of our article assignments about how clean water can save lives. The committee members were happy to meet with us again and we got some really great information and quotes for our report.

One the way back to the office we stopped off at Makuzi Beach for lunch. Another one of the many beautiful beaches that line the coast of Lake Malawi and full of great opportunities for picture-taking. See below

My new friend

Eric giving in to the jumping-picture fad

Friday was also an exciting day for another reason. That morning the power had been shut off across the northern region of Malawi. We have been accustomed to random blackouts and it is generally more of an inconvenience rather than a problem.

EXCEPTION: FIFA WORLD CUP.

As such the late afternoon was spent attempting to find a place that had both a television AND a generator that was powering it. We eventually made our way to the campsite at nearby Chintheche Inn that seemed to have sacrificed all the lights in the campground to send what power they could to the television. Success!

Saturday, and thus yesterday, we were privy to a cooking lesson that would have made Julia Child proud. Get ready Winnipeg… Jillian, Eric and I are soon returning armed with Malawian cooking techniques. We wanted to learn to make some the traditional dishes we have been eating over the past few weeks and yesterday was the day. Thanks to Maria, Elizabeth and Agnes (friends of a friend who helped show us the ropes) we were peeling and stirring and boiling, and ultimately eating, in no time.

before...

Eric helping with the fire

Peeling sweet potatoes

All in all it has been a pretty awesome weekend to say the least. The next few days will have us busy finishing up communications training with the staff here in Chintheche and then it will be back to Lilongwe for the wrap-up. One week from today and the on-the-ground-here-in-Malawi part of Ntchito Yabwino will be officially o-v-e-r-.

Anyone know the word in Chichewa for “Crazy!” ?!?

-Lauren

The final product

Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?

cparcanada — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 09:16:07 +0000

Students in the school garden they planted

Well, here we are in Chintheche and on the last leg of our study tour. It’s hard to believe that a whole month in Malawi has come and gone. In some ways it feels like we just left home, and in others like we have been here forever. Yesterday we visited a school garden at Chilala Primary School in the GVH (Group Village Headman) of Jumbo in the STA (Sub-Traditional Authority) of Fukamalasa, Malawi. I think I can speak for us all and say we were glad to return to Chilala. We were scheduled to visit them last time we were in Chintheche, but arrived to an empty and sobre school. On that day, the students were attending the funeral of their teacher, only 30 years old, who passed away from AIDS, leaving her own 3 children orphaned. This time, we were happy to see the school much more alive with the voices and laughter of students excited by the mysterious arrival of our land cruiser.

In 2007, the school introduced a permaculture project, with the aim of supplying students with fruits and vegetables to supplement the nutrients that they lacked in their bodies. What was just dust has been transformed into a lush and beautiful garden containing bananas, papaya, pears, oranges, guava, mangoes, yams, potatoes and peppers, as well as some medicinal plants (this is where Eric has his shining man vs. wild moment in identifying blackjack).

Gilbert Kaunda harvesting yams from the school garden

The students, aged 6-14, have been involved in all aspects of the garden. They brought the seedlings and materials to plant the garden from their villages and constructed composts to produce fertile soil. The students also do all the planting and harvesting. “We want every child to have a picture of what is happening here so when they go home they can utilize it in their own villages,” said Mr. Gilbert Kauna, Headmaster of Chilala Primary School.

At this time, the garden produces just enough to feed the students. Because students no longer have to go to school hungry, school attendance has increased since the garden was planted. In 2007, there were 163 boys and 194 girls enrolled. Today, there are 199 boys and 186 girls.

The garden is also benefiting the larger community: “Community members are now getting planting materials from here and bringing them back to their homes, so it is beneficial to all,” said Boyce Mhonea, a school teacher.

Pineapple

This particular garden reminded me a lot of the Takwonda Freedom Garden that we visited last Friday near Lilongwe, where in almost 30 years, 10 square metres of “useless” land has been transformed into a 10 hectare, entirely organic and self-sustaining farm with aquaculture. After 4 weeks in Malawi, I have learned more about farming and agriculture than I did in 23 years in Manitoba. Farming is just so much more interesting when you can grow exotic things like sugar cane, mangoes, bananas and papayas.

After an inspirational morning, we were off to Chintheche Rural Hospital where we dropped off the second suitcase of medical supplies we brought from International HOPE, an organization in Winnipeg that collects and distributes donated medical supplies. We left our first suitcase at Kabadula Rural Hospital near Lilongwe, where we were shocked to discover that they previously had no thermometers. It was great to see that what we brought was indeed quite needed. If only we had known before we left home, we could have brought a whole case of thermometers instead of just 3.

We spent a beautiful afternoon at Kande Beach, where we were joined by a bunch of locals in a volleyball match. After a short swim in the lake, we were all exhausted and ready for bed. I keep forgetting to charge my camera battery, so there is a shortage of current pictures. After three days, I remembered last night, but forgot to put it back in my camera this morning. Sigh.

We miss everyone back home and are looking forward to seeing you all when we are home next month.

-Jillian

Welcome BACK to Chintheche

cparcanada — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 19:07:21 +0000

Two weeks after beginning our placement with CPAR in the Lilongwe office, we are back at CPAR Nkhata Bay and loving it. I feel like our short stay in Lilongwe was very productive and we thoroughly enjoyed working with Joseph, Steve, Dennis, and Patricia. I feel they all made tremendous progress and CPAR can be assured that their programs in Lilongwe are in good hands. Even though it isn’t goodbye yet, it is unfortunate we couldn’t spend more time working with the staff in Lilongwe.

Although I was sad to leave Lilongwe, the ‘big city’ we were getting accustomed to, I am excited to start a new challenge back on the beautiful Lake Malawi. We are excited to start the Communications training with Laban this week, and with Alan the next. I am positive that we have learned how to complete the training more effectively and I am sure that Laban and Alan will be a lot of fun to work with.

Two days ago, one day earlier than scheduled, we arrived with Vincent, our dedicated driver, back at the Flame Tree Lodge in Chintheche and we were greeted by the friendly staff, Tony, Ida, and Ester. Alan and Laban from the CPAR office in Chintheche quickly made their way here to warmly greet us once again. Unfortunately Alan could only spend about a day with us because he made his way on Saturday to Likoma Island in Lake Malawi, just off the coast of Mozambique. He was quite nervous about making the journey on an aging vessel (see picture below)…probably for good reason. After the jokes that probably made him more nervous, we saw him off from the other side of the bay, but we do hope his return voyage on Saturday also goes well.Even though the journey is only 40 nautical kilometers from Nkhata Bay, his trip took over 10 hours, but all in one piece.

Yesterday was one of our longest days of the entire trip…we really wanted to revisit the Tawonga Community Based Organization that we were able to see the first time we were in Chintheche on the Study Tour. So in the morning, Vincent came and picked us up and headed to the office to pick up Laban, and then we headed off to Tawonga. Just like our last visit, Judith, the CEO of the CBO, was there to welcome us. This was fortunate for the three of us, because we were hoping to interview her for our article on inspirational African women for International Womens Day. Not only were we able to complete this, but she also graciously showed us the Community Based Child Care in action, with 2-5 year old children counting to 20, playing airplane games, and singing welcome songs to us.

The children and caretakers of Tawonga CBO (with Judith on the far right)

We were also able to meet with a woman who was receiving home based care from the CBO, because she has been ill with AIDS. It was such a great sight to see all the help she and her family were receiving with household chores and counselling. I was fearful coming here that people with a positive HIV status had a stigma attached to them, and this would severely disadvantage them both in medical treatment and in community involvement. I am quite sure that if not in Malawi, then in other sub-Saharan African countries this may be the situation, but in all the cases we have seen thus far, it has not been a big issue.

Afterwards, we drove to the CBO’s garden, which they use as an income generating activity as well as to feed the children. I really enjoyed trudging through the fields, across canals and rivers, to see the garden. It helped me reinforce the nickname I have willingly accepted, “Man vs Wild”. Probably because I bring up something I learned from the show at least once a day. The best one had to be when I identified blackjack (the plant; haven’t played at the casino in Lilongwe yet), which could be used for mosquito repellent. Proud moment.

Today we travelled to Mzuzu, probably my favourite city in Malawi. It is at a higher elevation so it is quite a bit cooler than down at the lake, but close enough to it to have a cool breeze passing through. It is also the only place where being a mzungu (white person), didn’t seem to be that big of deal. In Lilongwe and definitely in the rural villages, we seem to become local attrations, which I don’t mind, however it gets tiring after being in Malawi for over a month.

At the Mzuzu resevoir

As I type this I can rotate my head 45 degrees and see the lights on the lake, fisherman who will spend all night in an uneven dugout canoe, trying to catch fish to take to market the next day. I think that this is the most lasting image of Africa for me so far. The thought of being out in the middle of the water in pitch black attempting to catch fish, quite honestly terrifies me, but I greatly admire the courage and dedication that the fisherman have in trying to make a living and supporting their families. I only hope I can effectively portray this image so others can realize the struggle of people not only in Malawi, but throughout the world.

Lake Malawi at night, the lights are fishermen in dugout canoes

Cheers.

Eric

More Pictures from the Journey…

cparcanada — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 15:14:42 +0000

Be sure to check out the contest below!!!!

Us delivering a suitcase of medical supplies from International HOPE in Winnipeg to Kabudula Community Hospital outside of Lilongwe:

Posing for pictures in Kambalani village at the kick-off of CPAR’s Community Based Home Care Program:

CPAR donated an ambulance on a bike!

– We were treated to an amazing dance performance by the kids!

Dropping off watering cans and seeds to Kasya village

Here are some shots from our trip up to Chintheche. On the left, we are walking up a very steep hill after visiting the community’s pre-borehole water site. On the right….we are just walking.

Above are some shots from our stay at Lafupa Lodge in Kasunga National Park.

ITS A CONTEST! WIN FREE STUFF!!

cparcanada — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 13:34:58 +0000

The three of us have a contest for you all! Five people can win awesome stuff from Malawi by being the first ones to have their Winnipeg or other Canada postcard received at the CPAR office in Lilongwe as well as answering a trivia question on the postcard.

The trivia question to be answered is…what is the full, and we do mean full, title and name of the leader of Malawi?

Find the address, buy a postcard and stamp, and mail away!

When Did It Get to Be June…and How Come No One Told Me?!

cparcanada — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 10:30:55 +0000

That’s right. It’s June. Pretty sure I missed the memo.

Also, I take back my comment about winter in Malawi. I’m cold. There isn’t snow… But it’s not what you would deem warm though either…

Yesterday we went to Kambalani village to attend the launching of their community Home-Based Care program. This was Jillian’s third trip there, having been last week to distribute T-Shirts and information for the local volunteers, and Eric and yours truly’s second. Kambalani village had actually been one of the first places we had gone to on the Study Tour and also holds the distinct honour of being where we first tried nsima.

It was quite the afternoon. There were lots of presentations and speeches. Certificates were handed out by the one of the Kabudula Community Hospital’s Senior level HSA (Health Surveillance Assistants) and Joseph Zimba from CPAR-Malawi. There were educational dramas about good health practices. A team of boys that could give most of the groups on Randy Jackson’s America’s Best Dance Crew a run for their Kwatcha danced to the heavy pounding rhythms of a drum and percussion ensemble. There was singing and dancing, and if I’m not mistaken, a poetry reading. The only real downside was that none of it was in English. I didn’t expect that it would be, and don’t wish that it had been (as it would have been highly ineffective in terms of community message dissemination if it had been in English)… but I wanted to know what they were saying if only to understand what the jokes were about…

Delivering medical supplies to Kabadula Community Hospital

It was also a significant afternoon for another, more personal, reason. When we had been there the first time we met was an elderly woman named Sabina, who could not have been more wonderful. Although we had said hello in Chichewa, she was quick to employ her English and wanted to carry on a conversation. She was not a village chief or headwoman, but was clearly the grandmother in charge. There was just something about her that was special.

Yesterday, after loosening our cramped bodies from the long ride and disembarking from the car, we prepared ourselves for the long line of handshakes that we have become accustomed to. And there, in the queue, was Sabina. She greeted all of us by name. “Jill, how are you?”. “Hello Lauren!”. “Eric, my son”.

During the ceremony she sat with the volunteers, across from us, on a mat. Every so often as I glanced around the crowd that had gathered I would catch her looking at us. She would look me in the eye, not breaking the stare, and I had the feeling that she had been somehow able to get deeper. Without having ever really spoken much, she totally had me figured out.

When we left, the village chiefs and headmen walked us to the vehicle. The volunteers shook our hands and we wished them good luck in all of their work that lay ahead. Jokes were exchanged with CPAR staff and forms and receipts were signed.

As I gazed into the crowd of easily a hundred people, I saw Sabina. Still looking back, still smiling. Without even thinking I waved, unintentionally including all the community in my gesture that was really only meant for one.

I know there are lots of images that will stay with me after this adventure has come and gone. The one with a throng of people and Sabina in the centre, with one old hand waving rapidly in and amongst loads of staring faces will surely be one of them. She knew that I was waving goodbye to her, she was the only one that waved back. She knows that we will probably never see each other again, as my time in Lilongwe is almost done. She knows how strange and redundant I feel some days and how lucky I feel the next. And though I have yet to figure it out, I think I may have learned something from her yesterday.

But to be fair, she probably knows that too.

-Lauren