The last post: au revoir Malawi!

Well, it’s hard to believe that this year is actually over. I’ve been pretty bad at keeping up this blog the last few months, but I figured I had to write one last posting. I’m now back in the UK and already missing Malawi so much but I know I made the right decision not to extend and to come home. Sometimes I feel like jumping on the next plane back to Lilongwe but I definitely need some time to rest, clear my head and decide on my next move… Plus I have to admit it’s very nice to have hot running water, constant electricity and any food I could possibly desire! I’m not enjoying the freezing weather so much though, I might just have to hibernate this winter!!

So, where to start? Perhaps with work, since that’s really the reason I was in Chitipa for one year ;) Well, things definitely got better in the last few months, since I finally took matters into my own hands and concentrated on my fieldwork. After finishing the capacity assessments, Alfred and I trained seven CBOs in project cycle management: things like planning, monitoring and budgeting. I was quite pleased with what I managed to achieve given how long it took to get things going, but of course it would have been nice to have been able to do a bit more. The whole experience has taught me that I have so much to learn and that what I really need at this stage of my career is a job where I will be trained, with proper supervision and guidance. That’s what was lacking this year, but it's hardly surprising given the nature of VSO placements, where you’re expected to just jump in at the deep end and get stuck in!

Training Twaipa CBO

Alfred, busy translating :)

This year has also been difficult emotionally, but I definitely feel that I’ve grown as a person and learned a lot about myself. I’m much more assertive now – it’s impossible to get things done in Malawi if you’re not! There’s no need to get into my personal issues but I certainly went through some really tough times. I was so lucky to have some incredible friends who supported me and helped me so much. Iris, Martina, Denis, Grace, Haswell and Vincent, I love you guys so much!   

Ok, enough of the soppiness :) I had some visitors in the last few months: first, Bella and Sara came for about a week, which is quite a short time to see much of the country. We started our trip in Zomba, a cute little town in the south of Malawi. We stayed up on Zomba plateau for one night and did some hiking. 

Zomba

Our little cottage on Zomba plateau

Bella, Sara and me

Then we went to Liwonde National Park which was really awesome. I’ve always said I’m not really into animals but I have to admit it was kinda cool spotting the wildlife. Maybe it was more fun because you really had to look hard, unlike some other safaris where the animals practically come to you. I do remember it being very cold though – June and July are the coldest months in Malawi and the temperatures get surprisingly low! 

The captain of the ship

Crocodile!

        

So cute!

Warthogs

Impala

These were my favourite :)

From Liwonde we then went to the lake for a few nights but unfortunately it was just too cold to swim and my friends didn’t get to see Lake Malawi at its most beautiful. I think they enjoyed their trip though :)

After this I had to say goodbye to Iris and Martina, which was really hard. We’d become very close over the few months they were in Chitipa, so of course I had to throw a party in their honour!

Iris, me and Martina

Phillip (Iris' boyfriend), Iris and Haswell

We managed to meet up for a few days in the south, when I went down to pick up the next contingent of visitors, Elena and Giada. Things got really stressful during this time, due to the planned demonstrations in Malawi. I don’t want to get into that here, but the girls weren’t sure til the last minute if they were going to go ahead with their trip. Thankfully they did, and I’m really glad I got to show them Chitipa. It was nice that they got to meet my friends, to see how I lived, and to have the authentic experience of bucket showers, power cuts and cooking on charcoal! 

Having a treat at Mamma Mia in Lilongwe

Showing off my new skills :)

Haswell and Giada

Lighting the charcoal

The girls trying out nsima. I ate most of it :)

Sampling the local nightlife :)

From Chitipa we went for a trip to Nyika National Park, a seven-hour drive away. It was beautiful but incredibly cold during the night – Elena and I ended up sleeping in the car and I have never been more cold in my life!

Elena, Giada and me

After this, we went to Nkhata Bay, on Lake Malawi, for the last few days together. The plan was that Daya, who arrived one week after the other two, would get on a bus from Lilongwe and meet us there. I knew Daya would be fine with this but unfortunately things didn’t exactly go to plan as her luggage didn’t arrive with her plane and she had to wait an extra day in Lilongwe. Thankfully my friend Mark in Lilongwe looked after her (one of the nicest things about the VSO network) and she eventually got her bus, although the poor thing didn’t get to Nkhata Bay til 2.30 a.m. But typically, Daya was as bouncy and positive as ever, even after spending 10 hours on a bus so I didn’t feel too bad in the end :) It was good to relax at the lake and catch up with the girls. We parted ways and they went on to do a safari in Zambia, but I decided I needed to get back to Chitipa. 

There’s not much more to say. My last few weeks were spent wrapping up my work and getting my head around the idea that I was really leaving. Sometimes it’s harder when you have more time to think about it, and I guess making the decision to leave a bit last-minute sort of helped. Of course it was really emotional and difficult to say my goodbyes, particularly to people I’ve come to think of as really close friends. I had a leaving party of course, which was less stressful to organise than usual as I had a lot of help. I didn’t really have to do much myself so I could actually enjoy it! 

Outside my house with my landlord Marshal, his wife Ellinah, the kids Peter and Regina, and Ellinah's sister Mphatso

Cathy (of TDI), me, Derick (my supervisor) and Sparks

I spent my last weekend in Malawi at the Lake of Stars Festival, with a few different friends: Mark, Kara (a Peacecorps volunteer in Chitipa) and oddly enough, people I never expected to run into in Malawi: Tuva, a friend from SOAS, and Laura, who I’d met in Tanzania 2 years ago! It was a fun way to say goodbye to Malawi but unfortunately I missed the headline acts because I somehow regressed to my university days and got far too drunk! Ah well, these things happen I guess. I blame the Malawi gin ;)

So it just remains to say thanks to everyone who’s been following my blog. I hope it's been a good read. I’m sure I’ll be seeing a lot of you soon – looking forward to catching up! And to my friends in Malawi, I miss you all so much but hopefully we’ll see each other again someday…