Countdown: four

Another quick update.

We've been doing training since Wednesday and it's been pretty good so far. I've been able to meet and hang out with all of the other interns and I can certainly see some great friendships building already.

The training has been alright. I try not to talk about Uganda too much but there are many ways that I've been able to relate what we're learning to my experience there last summer. We've talked about the similarities and differences between culture quite a bit. To me, it just seems like common sense. We have to know how to deal with people that may not agree with us whether we're in Canada or Malawi or Chile or Australia.

Assumptions

I was thinking about this last night and I realized that although some of the training that we've been going through seems a bit redundant, I really need to be careful that I don't go to Malawi with pre-conceived notions about how it will be because I've been to an African country already.

This time around, I may not be as shocked at the amount of clothing people wear in extreme heat or if I see two men holding hands, but Malawi IS a different country. There will likely be many differences between Uganda and Malawi (as is between Canada and the United States, for example) so I'll try to keep that in mind and not create more generalizations than perhaps someone may have that has never been to an African country.

Visiting other countries

During one of our training sessions today, a new thought sparked inside me. We've been talking about some difficulties that we might have while working in Malawi. I began to recall some moments in Uganda (there I go again, relating this upcoming trip to last summer) where I felt like an outsider. This was often made apparent to me through the kids we worked with. They would make playful jabs at us for how we talk by plugging their nose. They treated us as a bunch of Westerners that gave away some soccer balls and then returned home feeling good about ourselves, and rightly so.

Then I thought about immigrants, visitors, and refugees coming into Canada. How do we take part in making them feel like outsiders?

BUT! Despite all of this, we are somehow encouraging and happy when people leave their own countries to explore a "new world". There seems to be a collective respect for anyone who travels (whether that anyone is a Canadian going to Malawi or a Malawian going to Canada).

I haven't completed these thoughts quite yet. They are a working progress. I just thought it was interesting that as Canadians, we place value in travelling to other countries but when people from different countries visit Canada, we don't necessarily treat them the same way that we hope our brothers, mothers and friends are treated by locals when they travel.

Hopefully that made sense.

Four days until I leave for Malawi!!

Countdown: sixteen

Just to keep you all updated on the mundane details of my preparation for Malawi, here's another post.

Monday was travel doctor day. Last year when I went to the travel doctor, I was a little worried (or, dramatic ). This time around, the doctor wasn't so bad. I only needed a booster shot and she even gave me a red lollipop.

I spent a couple hundred dollars on prescriptions so hopefully they are successful. Before going to Uganda, most of the people in my group took Dukoral. I figured I could tough it out and that was a huge mistake. Although it's only 60% effective, that's better than having 100% diarrhea!

Reading through the pamphlet was enlightening.
Among other "dos" and "don'ts" here are a few that I had a difficult time listening to last summer:
DO - drink bottled fruit juices (the fresh passion juice was so yummy)
DON'T - eat fruits that don't need peeling (tomato & avocado salad!)
DON'T - eat uncooked veggies or salads (oops)
DON'T - eat foods sold by street vendors.

That last one was my biggest downfall. I had a few rolexes (chippatti and eggs; not the watch), fried plantains, and mysterious meat on a stick. The deliciousness is obviously tough to avoid.

I also picked up my anti-malarial pills. Last year I used Malarone and didn't get malaria. This year, I'll be using Mefloquine (Larium). It's known to give vivid nightmares, which is fine with me (I think). I usually get scary dreams anyways and in fact, I like them. Nightmares make me appreciate life more. ;)

That's it for updates so far.

We have our pre-departure training during the week before we leave. I'm really looking forward to meeting the other interns and learning more about my position.

Check back for more on that before fly-out day (July 2).

28 days away

It's official.

I leave on July 2 and return on December 23.

Hope you like the map! :)

“Didn’t you hate it?”

Before I found out that I was going to Malawi, I had told a few people that I had applied for the internship. In return, I saw a lot of stunned expressions and a couple people said, “Didn't you hate Africa?”

The short answer is no, I did not hate Africa. I don’t think I ever will.

For the sake of a juicy blog posting, here’s the long answer. It’s no secret that my trip to Uganda last summer was a little tough. There are a couple of main reasons for that.

One, I could barely tolerate the food. And it had nothing to do with taste (or lack thereof) but rather that I couldn’t keep it in. Lesson learned: I’ll be taking Dukerol this time around. (Too much information?)

Two, and probably most notably, I had a really rough time with the organization I was working with. Because we were the first batch of interns, there was no structure to our workday. We were thrown into an unknown country, asked to create peacebuilding programs (which we didn’t know anything about) and then were criticized—by the other Canadians we were with—for “failing”.

At times, it was a disheartening experience. I had been looking forward to going to Uganda and although I really enjoyed meeting new people and learning about the politics and culture of a country with such an intense history, the positive experiences were often overshadowed by a personality clash.

This time around will be different. I’m going to Malawi with an organization that I know and trust. I will be doing work that I know is important—to the people I’ll be working with and for my future career opportunities. Amy and I will be working closely together at MIJ and since we’ve already worked together at jhr I know that we’re a good fit.

Also, I keep hearing that nerves are a good thing (shout out to Davey!) because they keep you on your toes, providing you with a better chance to adapt to any given situation.

Before my trip to Uganda, I wasn’t nervous at all.

Right now, I am nervous. I’m anxious. I’m ready to start a new adventure and I’m excited to keep on my career path.

I learned a lot of lessons from my time in Uganda. For me, the most important one is to enjoy every moment. It’ll be over in a flash… whether it’s ten weeks or six months.