Follow my adventure in Malawi as a community health advisor from Feb 2011-April 2013

"Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air" Ralph Waldo Emerson

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Curiouser and curiouser.....down that rabbit hole to Malawi!!! Finally!!!

Malawi! Well hello!
So I've sent in my dental forms, canceled Comcast and started reading 'Across the Footsteps of Africa' (thanks Juliet!),but I am far from feeling prepared! So far, that I can't see the lighthouse, horizon, or any landmarks at all.  The past month has been filled with a lot of nervousness, some excitement and heaps of uncertainty. Where to live? How to move? Does anyone want to inherit my couch that probably won't fit out the door (unless it is Honey I Shrunk the Kids (v.) out or heavily greased in Crisco)? What about my lonely new Australian plant? Miniature penguin collection (kidding) These things have to be addressed.

When and what to do to try to feel confident that I will be in a 'good place' to move to Africa for two years... I just keep trying to refocus and think of my assignment and the work I will be involved in, the people I will meet- and then the excitement for something new and foreign takes over and I'm halfway out the door. The moving, the packing, the waiting- all these things are really distractions form the real issue at hand. Can I do this? Will I make it? Oh self doubt, I'm ready for you to take a leave of absence and welcome your alter egos- naive, unconcerned confidence and unbridled excitement to enter the room. Hurry up lads!!!

Speaking of foreign....Istanbul and Cappadocia still has to happen prior to me lugging all my stuff out of my little DC haven over to the dark side to Virginia for the last couple of months before moving back to West Virginia to say goodbyes and probably live a roller coaster of crazy involving stuffing toasters into my backpacker and reading up on leishmaniasis or something to that effect. Actually I don't eat toast really and I don't expect to have consistent (if any) electricity, scrap that. As for all the tropical diseases I have squished into my head thanks to grad school, I think I will stick with remembering the ones that are not endemic to the region where Malawi sits in Africa, and pretend that I am not afraid of parasites, amoebas or larvae of any make or model.

So we are off to Turkey this week for a rockin birthday celebration including hitting up Istanbul and the Cappadocia region....all thoughts of preparation and throwing my over sized couch down the four flights to my apartment lobby will have to wait until our return :) Baklava! Hooray!

SO happy and excited to begin a new adventure in Malawi....I'm expected to be a community health advisor but am ready and willing to take on so much more!! 

P.s please pardon the new blog quirks, I never thought I would be writing one and am figuring out how to reconcile my feeling that it is a little self indulgent with the reality that I want my family and friends to know about my experiences in Africa, and Africa's experiences with me :P

***Also, meet Jackie Chan, if you already haven't....Erick's new little nugget, who I am obsessed with and who is obsessed with the giraffe ornament on the Christmas tree.....enjoy!

1 comment:

  1. Kate,

    So excited to hear that you're headed to Malawi. Did I understand correctly that this is for two years? Who are you working with? When are you leaving? Sad to realize that I won't be randomly bumping into you here and there but very excited for the adventures that await you!

    Nathalie

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