I figured before I got into some of the heart wrenching things I have seen and experienced, I will start from the beginning. Let's start from the top. Malawi. Malawi is located on the SE border of Africa. It is landlocked but interestingly enough, it feels like a tropical island. Right now, it is so lush and green. It is the size of Pennsylvania (ironically enough) and has about 12mm people.

It is one of the poorest countries in the world. I have never experienced anything like this. Some of the most interesting things I have found is that the Malawians are very warm, kind and they dress with such pride. They always look so nice, and they have timeless patience. Something I am not in touch with at all!!!

I am staying in the city of Liliongwe. I will post pictures when I move into my place on Friday. Right outside "city center" are Areas. I do not even know how to describe them. All dirt roads, with tiny tiny little shops lining the streets. See the hardware store! I still have not been able to wrap my brain around this part. Traveling a little farther out are the villages. This is where a village like Kang'oma is. It is about a forty minute drive from city center. Each part has its own feeling and issues and I am sure I will touch on all of them throughout my experiences.

Although it is such a foreign place, I do not feel as out of place as I probably should. :-)

Where's Waldo...I mean Christine :-)

I took some video of the kids as they were greeting us to Kang'oma Village. I was showing one of them the video on my new Flip camera and next thing you know, I have them all around checking themselves out. I only wished I had a bigger screen to show them on. They reminded me of my nephews who love to video themselves and then watch it. I just wonder at what age it is that you start disliking seeing yourself on video.....or is that just me. :-)

Kang'oma

Good Morning! I had such an amazing day yesterday. To give some background, I am here with a group called The Pendulum Project. PP is an organization that supports 8 different community based projects around Malawi. Yesterday we visited the Kang'oma village and I felt like the experience was straight out of a movie. Really funny at a lot of points. PP has supported a village project which has given people living with HIV/AIDS and their household a plot of land to grow corn. Pretty amazing as just a few years ago you did not mention the words HIV, let alone be open about your status. We were there to see how things were going and brought a chief from another village to show him how his community might do the same.

When we arrived, there were 50+ kids that greeted us about a half a mile from the village. I got out of the car and and ran with them as they sung and danced escorting us into the village. Of course I have a lot of video from my new Flip! The dancing and celebrationing could make any scene in a movie. And being one of the guests of honor, I had to dance in the circle. Hilarious. My sister suggested I should have fought the beat and started the fist pump Jersey Shore style. I love the idea and think I might bring the fist pump to Malawi. At this point anything is better than what I am doing. :-) They also gave me the honor of being the last one to address the group after every chief spoke. All I could think of is how funny it is that I am here, talking to a group of 200+ people who are looking to me as a sign of hope that their troubles will be solved. Little do they know I have no idea what I am doing. :-)

I have been tasked with the job of taking pictures and video of each project so that PP can use this to show donors and potential donors the work that they are doing over here. This has been the coolest for me. Yesterday some of the villagers escorted me around many of the villages, showing me things most would never get to see so that I could document their life. They are proud to show their life and villages and I can see why. It is beautiful. This has given me a lot of purpose other than just taking pictures for the heck of it. Thanks to my awesome new camera, I feel like a real photographer and am playing the part to the fullest.

I will post some pictures when Wi-Fi is back up and I can access the internet from my computer.

Um....I guess I forgot to look at a map before I booked my flight. Did I really need to add onto an already egregious flight? Left Sunday and got here on Tues. The great news is that not only did I get here, but my bags did as well! I am already considering this a successful trip. :-)