Special edition: guest blogger!

Caryl and Jon have left some pretty big blogging shoes for me to fill here, but I figured "When in Malawi..." I should at least try. So far, I've learned many things that would fall under the headline of "When in Malawi..." For example, when in Malawi, expect to do something fabulously well, only to discover that someone else has already done it.

Everything Caryl says about Malawi is incredibly accurate. (She seems overwhelmingly adamant that you know that, while poking me in the arm.) If you are one of the lucky few who come here to visit her, follow her advice!! (Trust me, this might be the first time in 36 years of friendship that I've said this!)

Baggage claim in Lilongwe has to be one of the most unusual experiences of my life. You have just completed about 24 hours of air travel/airport waiting...you then find yourself crushed with a throng of humanity, waiting for bags on one very small carousel. And since the bags for the people waiting at the front never arrived, all the people in the back can do is watch their bags go round in circles, helpless. I was almost hopeless: pushed to the back with no luggage at all. When in Malawi, you fill out a baggage claim form and leave it up to luck to decide if/when you get your baggage. As you know, my bags were eventually greeted with an overwhelming reception of gratitude here. It was worth every moment of schlepping to see Caryl's face. When in Malawi, Oreos and Chapstick (among other things) are a priceless treasure.

We spent our first weekend in Honeymoon Nirvana, aka the Mvuu Lodge. Now, we were not on a honeymoon, but we appreciated the free upgrade we received anyway. It might be the most beautiful place I will ever stay. By the end of the weekend we had close encounters with elephants and hippos, vervet monkeys and baboons, impalas and warthogs, not to mention lilac breasted rollers (but we mentioned it repeatedly for the fun of it). We also had too close of encounters with pretentious, name dropping Europeans. When in Malawi, both 4-legged and 2-legged creatures can be full of it.

We returned, happy but exhausted...me from lack of sleep due to loud animals and birds all night, Caryl from 5 hours of driving each way with much clenching of shoulders and teeth. She is doing an excellent job driving here, what with the goats, chickens and people to dodge, the FIVE police stops on our way down, and the numerous potholes that could be hiding all of the above. When in Malawi, wear your seatbelt, use your horn, and drive as if everyone else on/near the road is about to dart in front of you, because they probably are.

I could keep going, but I'll save that for some other morning. Why? Because when in Malawi, you wake up really early every day. Really.

Channukah in July

After spending 3 days in her airplane wear, Laura's baggage arrived thanks to the helpful people at Wilderness Safaris. Although both bags arrived, the zipper of one bag was broken and the bag open. She and I feared for the worst (and feared emergency bathing suit shopping in Malawi).
However, miracle of miracles: EVERYTHING WAS STILL INSIDE (or as much as Laura can remember packing)! Like manna from heaven, or like 20 clowns piling out of a VW bug, Laura pulled from her bags: padlocks, Little Debbies, USB ports, dark chocolate, dictionary, a fully-inflated volleyball, telephone, Cliff bars, smoke detectors, pepto, Hot Tamales, batteries, falafel mix, and so much more. Only a photo will do it justice.

Laura even managed to bring a few items of clothing for herself. Thank you, Laura!

Madonna + Caryl = Best Friends Forever!

This is unbelievable news! No, I did not meet Madonna. And, yes I would like to, but that is not the point. The point is that I got in touch with Madonna's local charity, Raising Malawi, 2 weeks ago to try to form a partnership. The president of the NGO, the Executive Director of Lighthouse, and I all had a lovely chat about ways we could work together to improve HIV prevention and treatment for children. They asked me to write a short piece about the clinic, and they would post it on their blog. I had no idea it would happen, or that it would happen so fast. But now, thousands of people, possibly tens of thousands of people, are reading the posting. They also put up a link of Facebook, raising awareness about Lighthouse even further.

This could translate to countless donations for Lighthouse, or at the very least, some interested people reaching out to find out more about our amazing work. It makes me want to blast "Like a Virgin" and dance around! It's a great mantra for HIV prevention too.

If you can't follow this links, here are the web addresses:

http://www.raisingmalawi.org/blog

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Raising-Malawi/137500469236?v=wall

My first visitor. Lost already?

My best friend from childhood, Laura, is coming to visit today for 3 weeks. Or, I hope she arrives today. This is her first trip to Africa and to a developing country. She is supposed to arrive in Lilongwe on Ethiopian Airlines having traveled from DC via Rome and Addis Ababa - 23 lovely hours.

I definitely want to make sure that I am at the airport to greet her when she arrives, but this is complicated. According to the flight status tracker...there is no information on the flight status tracker (very informative site). According to Ethiopian Airlines website, the flights are scheduled (also not helpful). According to Ethiopian Airlines' Malawi office - a literal quote, "the plane should take off and land sometime". "Would this be on time", I asked? "I have no way of knowing that," was his response. Funny. I was talking to the airport office!

So, Laura, you don't know this, but you are already having your first typically African logistics experience. I'll be at the airport around the scheduled landing time, hoping for an on-time "sometime" safe arrival. You're welcome to Malawi!

{UPDATE: she arrived on time, but her luggage did not. Hopefully, it will be on the next flight on Thursday. And, hopefully the bags will arrive with all their contents intact...]

Work Coup! (no, not that kind)

Sometimes, things do go right! This week, I had two fantastic achievements (keep in mind that anything that goes right feels like an achievement…).

1) Over the last few weeks, I’ve been working with the training staff on new ways of doing their educational activities. Their previous training on Prevention with Positives (keeping HIV+ people healthy) was entirely lecture -- what a bore. And, considering the low literacy rate, a possible waste of time. I suggested that we should move to doing skit- or song-based interventions, and they bought it! We worked on the training for 2 weeks, and I hope you can hear/see the results of the “Lighthouse Choir” practicing their song for clinic patients before taking their act into the community. The song is about preventing mother to child transmission (as you can see from the choreography), and I just clipped out one verse. I must admit that I was grinning from ear to ear and had the chills just listening to it. Hope you like it too!

2) Also, I helped Lighthouse win a grant of $450,000 dollars from NIH/PEPFAR! This funding will go to helping us develop an electronic data system for TB management much like the existing electronic system we have for HIV treatment management. We have 1 year to do an incredibly ambitious program, but I have faith. I don’t know what type of faith I have, but it is my name on the line, and Lighthouse’s reputation, so it will get done. This place might try my patience, but I am continually impressed by how things happen despite almost insurmountable odds. Where there’s a will, there’s a way, right? Just have to create that will!

The down side of security

I am trapped, literally, inside my compound. Electric fences, guards, and a locked gate are very secure -- so secure in fact that I can not get out. It seems that the day guard left with the gate key. Perhaps an indication of: 1) a not-so-stellar list of hand-over procedures between day and night guards; 2) the clear necessity for a second gate key; 3) time to make a back-up escape plan.

So, as I type, the guard company is trying to track down the day guard who (hopefully) has the key. Of course, the guard in question has no cell phone and described his home location on the guard job application as something like, "around the bend in the dirt road near the church opposite the bottle store in a neighborhood far far away." When I asked the guard company how they did the background check on a man with no phone and no known address he replied, "Madam, we know his sister's number and his friend is also a guard." Oh, I feel better now.

Another of the night guards is just about to Spider Man his way out of here and lead the guard response team on a mission to recover my key and spring us. I wonder how long this "top priority" mission will take?

So, I sit here in my house, waiting to be released so that I can see the World Cup final. If not, I will listen to the BBC and enjoy the story of this night. The World Cup in Africa, and amusing moments like this, are priceless.

Enjoy your freedom.


[UPDATE: Have ax? Will break out! 2+ hours inside the Big House, and they cut off the lock. The head honcho of the guard company was here, spewing some vitriol at my guards in Chichewa. I couldn't understand it, but I don't think it was nice. I did, however, save their jobs, and noted that everyone makes one mistake. I hope that bought me some serious guard capital and should make them that much more likely, I hope, to do their jobs well. 2+ hours of captivity in exchange for my guard's gratitude was worth it. Off (and out) to watch the finals. Go Spain!]

Lessons from development - a sneak peek

There are 1000s of really misguided, misinformed, and potentially harmful programs going on in Malawi under the guise of development. Other programs have all the best intentions, but still the outcomes are unexpected and undesired. Today's example comes from the front cover of The Nation: "Mosquito Nets NOT For Fishing Says the District Health Officer." The article notes that people in the north, a region where over 30% of infant deaths are attributed to malaria, are using their free mosquito nets to catch fish. Nets are handed out to women in ante-natal care. Seems their husbands have better things to do with the health supplies than protect their families. Even a clergy person was quoted, "Better serve god by refraining from using the nets for fishing and instead to combat malaria." Of course, the trade off may be better nourished families or malaria-ridden families, a choice I would not like to make. Still, it makes me want to make some pun on the downside of teaching a man to fish, but I am too tired to think of a good one. Sigh.

Life in the Big House

No, I am not in jail. It does feel a little like that though with new bars on windows, new steel grills on 3 doors (see photo), and new deadbolts. But the “Big House” is just what the staff call my house in comparison to their house, referred to as “the quarters” (also pictured). I did not adopt those names; in fact, they make me feel just slightly, sickeningly, uncomfortable. But, what can you do? Blog therapy!

Anyway, the welders, electricians, painters, internet guys, and locksmiths have been in and out of my house for a week. In theory, they will finish most everything on Monday (but they said that last Monday). My washer is finally hooked up, but I did it myself, so I am too afraid to use it. The electrician finished installing my stove today so I can stop my 7-days-of-cereal diet (who knew ovens/stoves did NOT come with a plug in Malawi???). The internet is obviously working, and it is fast enough for Skype (hint). Surprisingly, nothing seems to have gone missing, unless you count my sanity --that evaporated days ago.

Highlights of the new house:

· I am now responsible for 12 people: 1 housekeeper and her family of 5 live in the “quarters”; 5 Black Ninjas guard my home (a reference to the uniform, not skin, of the guard company), including 3 rotating night guards and 2 day guards; and 1 gardener.
· I have an electric fence that ticks like a metronome when it functions correctly. It malfunctioned my first 3 nights, waking me with alarm sirens at random times throughout the night in full panic mode. It seems to be working fine. For now.
· I had coffee on my porch this morning with the company of this gorgeous bird on the near tree branch, a Livingston Turaco! Helped me take a deep breath and smile.
· The dogs are happy (and tired out) in their palatial paradise, reveling in their added good fortune of meat bones flung everywhere from the previous tenants and the roving carnivorous guards. I give them carrots, which they also like.

I’ll post some photos of the inside when I put some stuff away and have a little furniture to make it look less like a convent. Likely, that will have to wait for Jon. For my mental health I am officially on domestic strike.