The Things She Carried

The Things She Carried

Some of the best, most invaluable things I packed for Malawi were:
My 32L Northface hiking pack
My JanSport small daypack
Chacos
A tent that can sleep 2
My Colombia fleece jacket
Unlocked iPhone 3GS
Apple iPod with headphones
Pens and markers
Nalgene water bottle 
Some reliable headlamps
Deodorant

Things maybe I could have done without:
Socks
Long underwear 
Winter gloves
Too many pocket knives
Hiking boots (Chacos win at everything)
Nook e-reader (paper books are abundant from Peace Corps and other volunteers. Plus I can't download new books because I don't have wifi)
Ponchos
Solio solar charger (not worth the $$)

Things that were sent to me that have been super nice:
Battery operated fan
Spices for food and cooking
Foldable organization baskets
Seeds
Folders and notebooks
Pictures
Sewing kits

Things I acquired here that I am thoroughly enjoying:
Trek Bike
Zitenje cloth fabric
Home-made, fresh crisps and chips
Brown leather side bag

Things I miss:
Pizza, Mexican food, Cake, Chili soup, cheese and crackers, cold milk, nachos, buffalo wings. 
Starbucks mochas
Hair dryers and straighteners
Driving a car







Public Health Professional and International Development Worker. RPCV & RPCRV Malawi 2013-2016

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Malawi to Zanzibar, A Historical Journey

Image
Z anzibar . An island off the coast of mainland Tanzania only about a 30-minute plane ride or 2-hour ferry ride from Dar es Salaam (which is the largest city in eastern Africa). An island unlike any other place we’ve visited on the African continent before. It has a population of about 1.3 million people with Kiswahili the main language spoken. It's also semi-autonomous from the mainland. 
Read more

A Malawi Holiday

Image
In Malawi, Christmastime, December, normally means not snow nor cold but heat and sometimes humidity as the rainy season begins. But after 5 Christmases spent in Malawi, one starts to get use to it. So what did we do during this hot, humid rainy Christmas?
Read more

How Do You. . .? 10 Q&A

I've lived in Malawi for 19 months now. And today I was just reflecting on how once difficult tasks are now so easy. I was discussing with a fellow PCV about making brownies and it dawned on me how normal it felt to not even consider an oven. So here's a Q&A blog featuring 10 questions on how things get done kuno ku Malawi (here in Malawi).  1. Where do you get water? - A few yards from my house is a borehole. This is basically a long pipe reaching down into the ground that you must manually pump up and down to get water. I collect it in buckets and take it home. Most days my neighbor kids are more than happy to help do this for me. Occasionally the borehole can break down in which I would have to go about 1km to find water. Did I mention I share this 1 water source with hundreds of people in my village? The bucket lines can be long.   I have a water filter provided by Peace Corps that makes the water safe to drink once I pour it through.  2. How do y...
Read more