So it’s been almost a year since I found out that I’d be serving in Malawi. Weird. A year ago I was stalking Peace Corps Journals and Peace Corps Wiki. Now I don’t have the time or patience to read other people’s blogs (slow internet connection, not impatience with the people or their writing). Someone asked me recently if Malawi is what I expected it to be. I wasn’t sure how to respond because I don’t remembering what my expectations were. I knew there would be different challenges with the schools. So far, it hasn’t been as hard as I expected emotionally. I think I braced myself for a really tough time, so it’s nice that it hasn’t been too bad. So far.
The things that people back home often wonder about (using a pit latrine, living without electricity or running water, etc.) really aren’t a big deal. Language and cultural differences are so much more significant. My Chichewa is fairly decent, although there is definitely room for improvement and there are far too many times that I tell people, “Sindikumvetsa” (I don’t understand). Fortunately, I can do my work in English. Cultural differences, particularly Malawian vs. American attitudes about sharing (food, money, things, space, etc.) I’ve made a few friends in the village, but it’s really nice to get together once in a while with other PCVs who understand the ups and downs you’re experiencing because they’re going through the same things.
I know there are future PCVs who are avidly stalking blogs and trying to learn more about being a PCV in Malawi. I’ve been making notes periodically as I’ve gone through packing, PST, and my first few months at site. I promise I’ll have a more complete, thorough list of advice for incoming trainees next time when I have access to both my notes and a fully charged laptop. For now, here’s a few packing tips off the top of my head:
-Small thermos–best thing received in a care package. I only have to cook once a day, which is significant when you’re crying over a smoky fire every time you have to cook (I was a pretty avid pyro back home, as my Girl Scout camp friends can attest to, and I still have trouble here…it’s also rainy season, so that doesn’t help). I cook double portions at lunch, throw half of it in the thermos, and enjoy a hot dinner.
-Skirts–seriously, need to cover your knees. Even in town, where women wear trousers, I still don’t see knees. A slip is also essential, unless your skirt is well lined. The packing list says a cotton slip, but any slip is fine. Bring one, and you can always buy another one here if you need it.
-travel size toiletries for staging and in-country travel. As for the rest of your toiletries, just bring enough to get you through staging. One normal-sized (not Costco-sized) container of each (I’m just now finishing up the ones I brought with me in September). I read it again and again on the blogs and somehow never quite believed that you can indeed get anything you need here until I walked into the stores and saw the soap, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, toothpaste, dental floss, Q-tips, etc. on the shelves.
-computer–this is a tough one to give advice on. On one hand, computers are wonderfully convenient pieces of technology and an external hard drive packed with movies, TV shows, and music is really nice. However, most people don’t have electricity, which means you don’t get to use them very often. There’s also the added security concern of having it stolen. Malawian computers are crawling with computer viruses. I brought a PC, partitioned the hard drive, and run it on Linux, which minimizes the virus issues. Several volunteers who didn’t bring a computer are having visitors from home bring them one. I can’t say definitively, bring one or don’t (although if you’re a TDF you have a better chance of working with at least one school with electricity, and a computer definitely helps you do your job), just tell a few pros and cons and leave it up to you.
-tent–I was torn on this one–it’s a significant weight and space, but it’s also really useful. I haven’t used mine yet, but then again I haven’t been here very long. Some places offer free or cheap camping accomodations for PCVs, and if 12 of you decide to converge on one person’s house at once, some of you have to sleep in tents.
-sleeping pad–I paid for one of those nice ultralight backpacking thermarests and it’s been worth every penny. Sleeping on bare ground, or worse, bare concrete, is beyond awful.
-knife–of the Swiss Army/Leatherman variety, plus at least one good knife for your kitchen. Plus a cutting board (those thin, cheap plastic ones are great) and a sharpener. Malawians use dull knives and cut everything in their hands, a skill I have yet to master.
-earplugs–I was a heavy sleeper at home (I’ve slept through a fire alarm and fallen asleep during a raucous game of Taboo) but I love my earplugs here. Chickens that sound like rats in your roof, crickets that take up residence in the corner and are particularly deafening at night, and the sound of amayis up at 4 a.m. sweeping and getting water, compounded with the stress of traveling half way across the world and the side effects of malaria prophylaxix mess with your normal sleep patterns.
That’s all I’ve got for right now, but I’ll check my notes and see what other things I wish I had known before coming and post something else next time I come into town. Hope that’s somewhat helpful. Let me know if you’ve got any questions. It might take me a few weeks to get back to you, but I will reply eventually!
