Jon and Emily

by Dom on June 27th, 2008

So Jon and Emily came and went. It was a great time. We spent a few days at my house where they saw me teach and helped me get water. We spent some time in Lilongwe doing fourth of July stuff and we went to the lake for a few days as well. I was impressed with how they handled all the situations. Like they were old pro’s or something. They were so easy it was great. They even cleaned my house and filled up all my water buckets while I was teaching the last day we were there.

It was nice for others to see the kind of things I get to face day in and day out. Like sweet random hitches and food that almost tastes American. We all actually thought it did taste American until Jon corrected us. Out of a room of 10 I think half did a double take when he said nik naks tasted nothing like cheetoh’s. Amusing. I got him hooked on bao. I just hope he finds people to play with besides Emily, cause I know she’ll get tired of it. If he doesn’t I just keep whooping him when I get back, well he did beat me two consecutive times and deemed himself the bao champion and started talking smack to Malawians saying he was the best. I don’t think he ever let them challenge his title though. He also was kind enough to bring a soccer ball for my school which was in desperate need of one. Though now, two weeks later, it’s almost unrecognizable from the bunch. It’s amazing how they treat things.

I think they had a good time. It was stressed by some of my previous engagements but they were good sports about it and seemed to make the best of it all. We made it to the lake and thats all I really wanted to do. Now they’re home safe. Back reliable transportation and food, and traffic jams, mcdonalds and headaches. Although I think traffic fume headaches are worse than sun/boredom ones. I’m extremely glad they came and I think everyone enjoyed meeting friends of mine.

MST and then some

by Dom on January 19th, 2008

So back in Lilongwe. MST was fun in a stressful boring kind of way. Glad it’s done, but wish we would have stayed in Dedza last night, as much as my dining room chair was I think my quiet bed would have been preferable. Back to site tomorrow. Yay. Atleast I got a hitching buddy. We’ll see how it all works out. So much going on.

Oh yeah, happy birthday Stephen. We went out for Indian last night. It happened.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

by Dom on December 31st, 2007

Back in Lilongwe. New Years is tonight I guess, woohoo. Almost forgot about it. I’m a bit more excited because Jenn comes back tomorrow. However right now I have a Gastro-Intestinal Tract Infection. Which means I have lots of cramping and other things that most people don’t like when I say.

Christmas at Paiges was good though. Played a lot of bored games, went swimming and had duck. Bought it off this lady who claimed she didn’t have any, but there were like 10 waddlin around her. So we got one, for K500 too. She said we had to pay more because we were white though and we did the whole, I’m-gonna-fake-walk-away-cause-I-know-you-want-the-money-more-than-the-duck trick. It worked. She buckled, we paid, but it was still over priced. Apparently ducks are like 3 or 4 normally. Whatever. It was good. We ate it with potatoes.

After that I went to visit Jessie for a bit in Nkhotakhota. We basically just ambled around town. Helped her turn an old chicken coup into a dog house. By that I mean I moved it into her courtyard. Her place was pretty snazzy. However I think that’s where I got my little belly viper, I mean GI Infection.

All that said, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

If only there was a Meatwad party quote

by Dom on July 26th, 2007

So we had a party for all the newbies last night. They swore in yesterday. New health. Then they went to Dale’s for a lovely dinner I’m sure then they came back and we had beer. There were drinking games being played. I rounded up two others, Erin and Eric, and got the guitar and we just wandered around making up riffs and making fun of people it was good fun jamming and singing. I think we offended some, but I blame them, they shouldn’t be that easy…Alright well it was a good time overall.

General Good Times.

by Dom on May 27th, 2007

So had to come in to lilongwe. Had to do it, so I did. There were “summer school” meetings, or Camp Sky, as it’s being called. It’s this “secondary project” where we invite kids from our schools to come to like a crazy peace corps volunteer run “school” that’s only like a week and a half long where we do harder stuff than normal and offer interesting electives, like film study and star gazing. woohoo. Anyway, I’m in charge of picking where to do it at. Good times in general but nothing real specific.

There was also a “Iron Chef” competition. It was held at Dale’s. Basically we had like 4 groups with a secret ingredient of honey make a ton of food, and then we hang out. Food was good, and it was definitely fun. Ahh peace corps…

Peace Corps made me sign some paper that basically said I had to like my new site or decide to go home. I was “terribly vexed” about that. But it’s cool because I do like it. No worries. I bought this curio table that has a chess board on one side and a bao board on the other, so when I have guests we have something to do other than wait to watch the sunset. I did trade one of my pairs of camo shorts for the pieces to the chess set, but I still have another pair, and the other pair fits better so it’s all good.

Back to site tomorrow, gotta get my teach on.

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(?)

Happy Easter

by Dom on April 9th, 2007

So yesterday my goal was to not leave the house. It didn’t happen, but oh well. I ended up going to a vigil mass that was about three hours the day before. The bishop was there, it was solid. Then we decided to have a communal dinner on Easter and it turned into a bbq. We had Steaks(small ones), sausage, Pasta salad, awesome sweet potato pie/cassarole, rolls and rice. I didn’t eat any rice, it seemed pointless. Anyway, that was really cool and then about 10 pcv’s from Zambia showed up and it kind of turned into a party. It was really fun and odd. A good time none the less; we moved all the couches and such outside too so there were probably like 30+ people in all. It was a (very)good Easter.

I corrected the clock.

Thanksgiving

by Dom on November 24th, 2006

So Thanksgiving was pretty awesome. Unfortunately I didn’t get any pictures so even when I do finally get some up, they won’t be from there.

It was a really good time. We all agreed rather quickly that the ambassadors (oooh at ambasa) house seemed like a level from Bond. With all the glass, dark wood and gardens. Gazebo’s, pools, grills, furniture, etc. It was a very nice place. It actually help set in the fact that I’m living here in southern Africa. I haven’t seen anything like it in America. Crazy nice. The pool measurements were in feet, which was novel.

The food was really good. They barbequed a whole pig. There were like 7 different mashed potato dishes, sweet potatoes, breads, stuffing, deserts, and it just goes on and on. I got so full after one plate I went and tried to take a nap under a tree in the shade. Very pleasant.

The ride home was a lot more lively than I expected considering the days activities. We had a fleetwood mac’s greatest hits tape cranked, and I was tapping out the beat on the 13 passenger minivan’s snorkel. Under the second most red sunset I’d seen here in Africa yet.

The absurdity level was astronomical considering that a little over a week ago I was in a mud hut with a thatch roof eating sima, and then I am in some palatial mansion of wood and glass gorging on pig and pumpkin pie. Speaking in English to everyone, no less.

All in all, it was a grand time, and I definitely apperciated the break from the status quo that seems to have been achieved.

*edit* I got a mohawk the night before.