Current News.

by Dom on March 3rd, 2008

So I’m down in blantyre for a party of the birthday kind. It was good. It’s over. I need to be heading back to site now. We played a pretty sweet game of charades the other day though. It was great, I love that game.

Term one is almost over. It’s pretty great. Now were just revising(reviewing) and preparing for the term tests that honestly don’t mean much in the scheme of things. Just a formality they enjoy. I guess I enjoy the relaxation they afford. Then I think I’m going to head to Zanzibar for the term break. That should be fun. I need to party a bit. Though I don’t think I’ll get my fill until I get home and can actually relax. Then term two begins and that’s my last big hirah. It’s extra long this year, 15 weeks, but oh well. After that it’s a couple more months and a ticket home. Crazy.

Blantyre

by Dom on December 10th, 2007

So it’s raining now. Like those hard tropical rains that make you have to turn your movie up or go make sure your house isn’t flooding. I got out just in time. I’ve just been sitting here decompressing, some might say, after CampSky. The plan is hang out until thursday cause the Carlsburg tour is wednesday. This morning I watch some south park and then I, Robot. It was nice, but now I’ve come out because I need to get some groceries so I don’t have to eat out so much, and maybe save some money. Apparently I spent quite a bit in Mozambique. I’m also getting a cobbler to fix my flip-flops currently. Having him sew the sole back on. We’ll see how they turn out tomorrow. I’m sure he’ll use like some horrendous color of thread but it’ll be fine they are all black. I guess more what I’m worrying about is somehow the people in this country never seem to be able to do things just like I want, no matter how well I explain it. Who knows. Played some hold’em last night, and some weird mystery role-play games like mafia and murderer the night before. They were fun. Otherwise just been hanging out trying to relax to the max. That’s right, I went there.

They did an EAP, emergency action plan, test the other day where they try to contact everyone. They called while I was teaching, I knew what they wanted. I figured I’d wait till they called back, no use wasting units. They sent me a text at like 5am telling me I needed to call them. Ridiculous. Whatever it got handled. They are giving phones out now because they’ve decided it’s important for safety that everyone has one, except they only work with one network provider and not everyone has them if any at all. A nice gesture none the less. Peace Corps also on this big small camp kick, they supposedly have about $15,000 to give for these. A max of $1000 for each, just have to write a proposal. I think on my way back through lilongwe I’ll see what template they have for the proposal. Thinking, still, about these weekend big experiments. I’ll probably also try to look some up online to try to do, but if anyone has suggestions I’m all ears, or eyes in this case, leave a comment chonde(that’s please).

Marlo’s kid, a girl names Rilla, got baptized, congratulations! And Jon is married now, congratulations to him too!

The good times

by Dom on April 24th, 2007

Things these past weeks have been pretty cool. Probably the best time I’ve had in this country. It began with the wardrobe malfunction during the bike training in dedza. Stupid crappy abercrombie and fitch jeans. Then, on into IST, down to blantyre and mulanje, back up through lilongwe and on to nkhata bay to stay at mayoka village on the lake. That place was awesome, right on the water, awesome atmosphere, good food, cool people, and just all around real laid back. Sergio came with me and we met some others volunteers there. Ended up meeting a lot of real cool people too, some gap year british folk, some irish folk, two sweedish girls, a peruvian and another dude from LA. All of them, save the brit’s, got a minibus with sergio and are headed north (to alaska, goin’ north the rush is on). He should have a good time, I’m sure it’s the trip of a life time. It was pretty crazy to meet people with zero affiliation with the US. It was great though, it really gives a new perspective on everything.

Also, in the midst of a site-change process. I just don’t like my site and it makes me feel ill when I realize it’s time to go back. The same feeling I used to have when I realized I had to do dynamics homework. Not good. Also, I’m going to try a toned down version of “the book” the one for teaching reference, not “the book” for language reference, gunda icho. The latter has actually come along quite nicely. The former however has a long way to go. I think it will be good though. I’m suppose to get a call tomorrow from Dora and we can talk some more, she called me today and we had some discussions but it was more about how my expectations weren’t going to be met, as usual. So hopefully these talks will be relatively fruitful tomorrow.

It’s sad to have chris gone and sergio re-gone, but when I think about the site change and the book, I get a little excited and that’s something that hasn’t happened in, oh say, 7 months. And I know sergio’s going to have a good time, and chris has to be loving it, literally.

Lastly, I’m over 6 months out of date on the music scene, but the eagles of death metal, ok go, incubus, gnarls barkley, and hellogoodbye are still rockin’. Do it.

P.S. Elin, that paper you wrote the email address of that icelandic slaughterhouse on got all smeared in my wet pocket and now it’s un-readable, I’m retarded I know. Anyway, could you leave me that email address again if you have it? tak(?)