Trees and Email

by Dom on October 28th, 2007

So I’ve come up to Mzuzu in search of both. Trees and email. I went to Nkhata Bay yesterday, cause that’s where every person I talk to tells me I need to go. To find plantain trees that is. The trouble is it’s really difficult to explain what I want to a Malawian because there’s no difference in banana and plantain in chewa, tumbuka or tonga. I’ve got a few words actually but they mean other things and I think people would be more confused if I used words that sometimes mean things like wisdom for a plantain. So the search continues.

Also, apparently my school has created a “link” between us and a school in the UK. And for this “link” we need correspondence. Since the phone system sucks, as some of you have discovered, they haven’t been able to call. And so sent a message via a man at the consulate. So what we’ve decided is to try email. Only no one at my school quite understands the omnipresent capabilities of the internet or email and so I’m meeting my headmaster here to again be a teacher. Wish me luck.

The reason I say link in quotes is because I don’t know what this link means or is or what. Just that we need to be able to correspond. Also I’m glad you guys are liking the pictures.

Finally

by Dom on October 17th, 2007

So I can leave tomorrow. I have been here for a week and a half and I swear goal no. 1 was get these stupid shirts printed. Everyday it was something. So yesterday I finally got down to the place, on my way out of town, it was open and I got the order in, only for them to ask me to come in tomorrow at 3. So I could look at a sample print. It looked pretty good. The screen wasn’t exactly like the design so that upset me a bit, I mean what’s the point of me making a design if they can just change it. I told them to correct it and to go ahead with the order, so hopefully everything will turn out ok. They look pretty good, if I do say so myself.

Prayers Answered

by Dom on October 15th, 2007

So yeah, I got more and more pictures up. Lots of them. Ranging from the house in Lilongwe where I stay when I’m in town to get all my stuff done. Where I’ve been a lot more than I would like here lately too. But whatever. Then I also put up some pictures from my new site and house and school. The ones where I’m teaching Jenn took, you should thank her, I know those are what everyone really wants to see. My house is pretty sweet and homey but tiny. It works for me well though. Well or good whatever. I also put some pictures of some of the animals I saw when I went with Jenn and her parents to Mvuu down south in Liwonde. That was by far one of the coolest experiences of my life. It was almost scary showering because hippo’s and monkeys and anything could just walk by and in. I also put up some shots form Likoma island, one of the two big islands on the lake. It was beautiful there but some shoddy service. If you have questions feel just so very free to leave a comment and I’ll try to comment a response to it too. oh yeah, you’re welcome.

The Dinner

by Dom on October 12th, 2007

The Summer School CampSky fundraising dinner. I heard it went well but I don’t actually know. I was holed up in a hot back room with 17 kids, age ranging from 1-13. It was a time. Can’t say I ever liked babysitting before, and this wasn’t really a change in the status quo. Still not too pleased. Jenn and Jared helped and withuot them, there probably would have been no babysitting. I would have just kicked up my feet while those kids ran around tearing up Dale’s house and I watched “The Jacket” on some 5-movie dvd we brought to watch “Robots.”

We took them outside a time or two. One kid started punching kids. He was a spaz. I almost punched him. We gave them spaghetti and meat sauce for dinner and coke. Some lady came out and yelled at us about giving coke to her kids. One of who was the spaz. I realized it was a bit late to giving caffiene only as the lady complained. I was told when I went to get them water, that she started asking Jenn if she had any experience/references and new any kind first aid. She told her dale has her CV and she’s an EMT. Apparently the lady shut up pretty quick. I was proud. I probably would have fumbled with some brown-nosing remark or just snapped. “Oh it’s definitely one or the other!” Besides that kind of stuff for 4 hours I guess it went well. Except apparently a lot of people seemed to have gotten food poisoning. Vomitting, loose bowels, and all that. I’ve been fortunate in that I was spared. I think Jenn and Jared were too. I guess that’s the just desserts for those others leaving 2 and a half people(with me involved) to watch 17 kids only to stop in once in a while to gawk at the absurdity of the situation as opposed to letting us eat or drink or something trivial like that. Oh well, bitter me. I guess there was some money made too. yay.

The Doctor

by Dom on October 9th, 2007

So just went to see the doctor. Yay. That was a good time. Nothing too special, no prostate exam. Really just step on the scale, blood pressure, anything wrong…no? cool. We discussed what illness means and why he decided and how he got to working for Peace Corps. We checked the calibration of his scale versus the other doctor’s. So I’m healthy, except this cold that is still here, just a bit. Congratulations me!

My tooth that got the filling is kind of hurting though…hmm…no apparent reason. Hopefully that goes away.

The Dentist

by Dom on October 9th, 2007

So I’m doing the medical for my mid-service today. I already did the dentist. I had a cavity. I knew I did, the first time ever actually. I could feel the pain due mostly to hot beverages like my morning tea.

The place overall was decent but the actions were pleasantly third world. The lady poked around looking for a bit trying to figure out where I already had fillings and root canals. Seems pretty dumb when I had that rather extensive dental records sent to peace corps before I came, why she had to poke around…who knows. Anyway. She did the little jab thing with the scrappy thing when it sticks you normally have a cavity. I’ve deduced this from my years of experience. She suggested a x-ray first. I said just fill the thing. So she did.

They had that suction thing in my mouth, I bit down, the tube came out of the actual apparatus and thus I spit all over myself as the actual vacuum fell to the floor. Then she had the ultraviolet laser for the solidifying, which I was impressed with. No shots. It went ok. The cleaning however was more of a joke.

Instead of that paste with the rubbery spinny thing, they used a pick with a vibrating motor. She tried the first thing after smearing the paste on my teeth but she didn’t seem to get any power to the tool so she switched to the pick thing. It was loud. Then she had this yellow spray thing with a clear dome on top, they put some powder into it and closed it up. I expected some like bead blast or soemthing but it was more like water. Like the normal water spray gun. No idea what that actually did. I was done. Don’t drink hot or cold beverages for two hours. I think that was a cavity restriction. I really have no idea when the cleaning occured. Either way the cavity filling happened before the cleaning which I thought was odd. I’m just curious if the one month of peace corps insurance when I get home will cover the replacement of it?

Next I have to get my physical later today. I think that should be a bit better, or probably worse, but atleast I’ll know they know what they are doing…wish me luck.

Mothers Day

by Dom on October 8th, 2007

So here I am back again. Gots loads of stuff to do from shirt designs, passport applyin to bike repairs and seein’ Jenn. So far it’s been nice because there’s not many people here so I can take my time doing what I want for how long I want.

However I can’t do too much because today is Malawian mothers day. So Happy Mothers Day mom! So most stores and resteraunts aren’t open today. But that’s fine. I don’t mind a little forced leisure time. More time for guitar.

Our fundraiser dinner is coming up. That should be interesting. I’m gonna bring the puzzle and music box Chloe gave me to try to entertain these children with. I found some other nik-naks at the house that someone had donated as teaching material. That might go over well…Seriously though there is like a big clothe blanket checkers set. I have no idea about age or amount so it could be easy or horrible. We’ll see.

Got my school an email account. They are partnering with a British school for pen pals I think. I don’t really know. It was funny, they told me maybe I should get this email address in Mzuzu because it was closer, they don’t go to Lilongwe much…

I did get a game of softball organized with the JICA volunteers down the road. That should be a good time too. Too bad I won’t be able to be there because summer school is so close to when it will be. It was there idea too.