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Paradise, People, and Parties

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From the safari a few weeks ago, we headed over to a place I sincerely hope is heaven! We spent the week at Zanzibar Island in Tanzania. Holy moly it was BEAUTIFUL. Perfect temperature, beautiful ocean, island vibe…it was incredible. We spent a lot of the time on the beach, and visited around the island. As part of that, we went on a spice tour. I learned that Zanzibar is known for exporting a lot of spices, and we learned all about them. It was lots of fun! Then they fed us a delicious lunch that had so many flavors it was the best thing I’ve ever had. Another thing we did was swim with dolphins. It was lots of fun, but definitely not what I pictured. I had pictured it being serene and calm and we’d just slide into the water and swim with them…well turns out it’s not that way. We were in the middle of the ocean and waves were huge, and we would jump in and swim with the dolphins for a few seconds until they swam away. Then we’d swim back to our little boat, get in, and start it ...
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Lions, and Tigers, and Bears Oh My! (Well...Not Reaaaallly)

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Well guys, I know this sounds 100% cliche...but honestly words can't express how my last week went! I can saw it was incredible, awesome, amazing, and majestic....but it still doesn't capture it all. This last week we traveled to the Maasai Mara for our first safari! Like I said, words can't capture everything. The pictures can't even capture it all! Being out in the plains, in the Savannah, by the river, wherever we were...the feeling can't be captured. All I know is that, yes, I did cry a couple of times, okay?! We had a three day adventure and man it was quite the adventure! The first day was probably the most exciting. We got to see all of the major safari animals (lion, zebra, elephant, giraffes) and then some. The coolest thing was that our van saw a black rhino. In reality, it more of looked like a black blob that was a rhino shape, but through binoculars it was definitely a rhino. Black rhinos are super rare to see, only 12 in the entire park! They like ...
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I'm in Heaven

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This week we went on another excursion, this time to Cape MaClear at Lake Malawi. Oh man, it was so beautiful, I swear it was paradise. I’ve never seen a better lake in my life! The water was super clear, the beach felt like a real beach…it was really great.While there, I got to go snorkeling for the first time ever! It was so fun. The fish were so beautiful and very vibrant. There were yellow fish, electric blue fish, stripped fish….so many different kinds of fish! I feel like I am constantly amazed at the beauty that is found not only in this country, but also in the world (yeah, that’s cliché but it’s true!). I had a rough time figuring out how to breathe through the tube, but after a while I got the hang of it all and had an incredible time. Another awesome thing while we were there—we found REAL ice cream!! So, the normal ice cream here is pretty funky. It’s got a marshmallow-y taste and texture, and isn’t as cold as real ice cream. Plus, I’m lactose intolerant and w...
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A Tribute

This week I truly learned the meaning of “mourning with those who mourn, and comforting those who stand in need of comfort”. We found out last night that one of our translators and cooks passed away while at the hospital. It has been a hard experience for us all. Because we found out late at night, the cooks stayed over at our hostel. When we got back to the hostel, it was obvious that they had been crying. I didn’t want to be culturally offensive (because touch isn’t a big thing here), but my heart swelled and I had to give the one closest to me a hug. She folded into my arms and began sobbing. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced something so heartbreaking as to hear the sobs of someone who lost a dear friend. I decided that rather than making this post about the fun trip that we went on the beginning of this week, I would give this post to Joyce. Joyce was one of the purest people I’ve met, and I’m not exaggerating. She always had a smile and loved talking to us interns. She an...
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..."There's Always Gonna Be Another Mountain"

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The top of the summit! Literally in the clouds I looked fear in the face this week and then conquered it....and honestly I couldn't be more proud of myself! This week we had our first excursion, which was climbing Mount Mulanje and summit Sapitwa Peak. In case you all were wondering in Chechewa Sapitwa means "Do Not Go There", and yes we went there! Sapitwa Peak is the highest peak bin Southern tropical Africa and the 3rd tallest peak in all of Africa. This experience was probably the hardest thing that I've done that tested me both physically, mentally, and emotionally. However, now I feel like I can do anything!  So, the hike was a 3 day hike and we did 12 miles the first day, 15 miles the second, and 8 miles the last day. And these miles weren't just casual walking miles. On the first day, we went up equivalent of 500 flights of stairs, and that was just day one. There were also points where we had to rock climb freely (ie, without any rope), and it trul...
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Truly Humbled

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It's avocado season here in Malawi! And yes, it really is bigger than my hand What an incredible week this week. So many emotions going through me right now as I sit and write about the last few days! This week I really delved into my research projects, and more specifically my family planning project.  For that project, I am partnering with another intern and asking questions on gender roles. OH MY GOODNESS. The women here are so strong.  You wanna talk about power women? Every day, common, Malawian mothers. That is where the power women are found. Also, another cool thing about my research is that it is so much more positive than I was expecting! To go along with that, we read an article for one of my classes and it was so good! It’s pretty short so I recommend reading it. It’s called “What Bono Doesn’t Say About Africa”. Please go read it if you have the time!! . It’s very enlightening about the way we as a society view most of Africa. Here’s the link for ya! Fou...
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I'm an AZUNGU!

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Muli Bwanje!! That’s the most common greeting here in Malawi. Azungo means white person, and is the word I’ve heard the most this past week. It’s what all the kids and most adults will call us when trying to address us and get our attention. Our first day here, there were a bunch of children at recess and they all started to chant at us while we were across the street “Azungo, azungo, azungo” until we looked and waved at them. And that’s how it’s been pretty much every day since.   The kids are insane. No exaggeration. And yet they still have my heart <3 Right now it’s harvest time here in Malawi, and so everything has their crop drying out in the sun in front of their houses and nobody takes anything from anyone. I’ve never felt unsafe at all, and it’s so cool!. Honestly, the kids are the ones you have to keep your eye on haha. They ask you every time you see them is they can have you water bottle because they can sell them/trade them for money. I was walking with m...
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