Oct 11: Attempt to call home…Failure
I think dealing with the extra time especially on the weekends is going to be my greatest challenge over the next 3 months. Once my job starts hopefully they will give me so much work that I don’t have time to stop, but I’m sure the weekends will still be very uneventful. Today I felt like I was in prison, I sat in my tiny square concrete room, read, played phone games, exercised, and tried to sleep in between. I was hoping to take a walk with Chihiro, another DI from Japan, but she went into town very early this morning. I don’t want to wonder off by myself just yet in fear that I might get lost or into some kind of trouble. I’m really just not all that comfortable in my surroundings yet. If I can meet new people in town and have a place to go on the weekends that has INTERNET life would be awesome. As my title says I did try to call home today. I got 2 minutes on the phone with my dad/ step mom and those 2 international minutes took up 300 local minutes on my phone. Sorry to leave you hanging dad, but that’s just how it is down here in the bush. It kind of puts me in a pickle now, b/c I won’t have a chance to get to town again until the end of the week, and the people at my project use their cell phones more than we Americans do. Anyways unless something drastic happens, I doubt I will have strong enough internet to web cam for all the family on my birthday or thanksgiving. I’m going to ask for my week off the week of Christmas for my investigations, so I might be able to see you guys then, but unless something drastic happens there is no possible way that will happen if I’m at Amalika. I’m trying to rally the DI’s to get together and talk to heads of the school about appointing a Head DI that has more responsibilities like a master key and the password to the internet, because as it stands right now there are only 2 teachers that have keys and the password to the Server (internet), the problem lies in the fact that both of these teachers do not live on campus, so they are nowhere to be found on the weekends. I am already frustrated with this process. I’m also going to talk to the project leader about the possibilities of starting a student government to strengthen the community of the student body. Well time to take a shower and hit the sack. The power goes off in 10 minutes, is it sad that I go to sleep at 8pm now?
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I think I became addicted to Benedryl while I was there, because I ate some everytime the power went out. LOL.
ReplyDeleteas for the weekends, you gotta go elsewhere. start planning all the trips you want to make and ask the smart locals (project leaders, etc) which buses you need where. you will get completely stir-crazy and wicked depressed if you just hide in your room all day. plus, it's f'n hot sitting under a tin roof for hours at a time.
good luck and godspeed. see you in 90+ days.
Paul
ReplyDeleteIt was so good to hear from you. The changes you've been thru in the past week are enormous! I admire your attitude. At your age, you probably bounce back quicker from jet lag, but I'm always low for several days after an intercontinental trip. I'm sure it won't be long before you are completely adjusted to everything. I have a lot of confidence in you. I also have lots of questions about Malawi and the place where you are living. I know you said a good portion of the country is a lake, but what's the geography otherwise? The internet makes it look dry but not necessarily sand desert? How about wildlife? What have you seen? Lions, tigers or bears? Your posts sound like there are people from many countries living near you. All working in international development? OK, enough of 20 questions. Love you and try a local beer for me....