Tionana Malawi

i cannot believe it... i am out of malawi. to be more exact, i am in the kenya airport about 10 hours into my 36 hour trip home. it doesn't feel real, perhaps because it felt so painfully real up to today. it was very difficult to leave; after taking so long to settle and starting to seed strong friendships, it just came to quickly. and i suppose in departures, one realizes that she did not take full advantage of time, place and people.

but no regrets about going to malawi! the year professionally was all and much, much more than i had anticipated. i know so much more about where biostats fits into the bigger picture, and as a result, have a much better idea about where i fit into the picture. and i feel loads more confident and comfortable than i did 12 months ago. (now if i can just maintain this). and my colleagues and counterparts couldn't have been more engaging and responsive. wow.

and on a personal level, there are no regrets. i have been able to find my place in it all again, step away from the hectic US and remember who i am and what i am. suppose that sounds cryptic (unintentional), but i think many will know where this comes from. and i have felt so loved here. the troops came out to celebrate my time here and say their farewells - 21 people for a weekend at the lake, 3 family dinners, an open house that pulled about 30 folks. it was lovely. and the most WONDERFUL part of this is that every one of them is amazing - committed, kind, worldly, inspiring.

but as i transition out, i feel so lucky (ondinelago, shili shili) that i have i am returning to a whole lot of committed, kind, worldly, inspiring folks. my roommate put me on the plane today with the words "i am now turning you over to your boston support group". wow. how is this my life?

so photos to come from all the final festivities, and to all of you tionana (see you later)- either in malawi or in us or namibia or germany or .....................

Kasitu Update

I am headed back to kasitu tomorrow, and realized that i have not even updated from the last big events....

so ali's visit to malawi was incredibly successful on a personal (see below) and professional level. not surprising, ali was very well received in kasitu, she seems to function so comfortably in about every environment, and i have seen ali in alot of environments! and i think all of us involved are so impressed by the level of commitment and excitement.

ali arrived in malawi on a thursday, and crunched between our dinners with friends, my work, nights out, we somehow managed to squeeze in chitenge and supply shopping. i promise you, and those of you who have lived anywhere in africa can sympathize - this is not a straight forward process. then ali left for kasitu on the following tuesday, and thankfully, nellie was able to take a week off of work to join her. this helped ease the transition, but also allowed nellie time to set up other aspects of the kasitu foundation - registering with the district, setting up with the traditional leader, etc.

i showed up four days later and was so impressed with what i found - first, they had really picked up a great range of skills in the three weeks of training with the local training. and then, they seemed to really pick-up the patterning and designs that ali had brought, not only picked them up, but already by the end of the week, they were adapting them and making them there own. it was really fantastic (not to mention a very enjoyable village stay!).

and the group dynamic was so nice - every time i peaked in, there was a good spirit of working together, improving, helping each other - which is great considering the eight folks involved are different ages, gender, hold different positions in the community.

ali and i also stopped by to visit three days later to see how everything was progressing, answer any outstanding questions, and they were moving right along. their products aren't perfect, but pretty darn close considering they have only been sewing for a month! and i have to say, there is something a bit sweet, real, about an imperfection.

so i am headed back for a few hours tomorrow to pick up our first order, to answer any questions, deliver the next round of supplies. we have put a lot of thought into the way to set up this group in a sustainable, so we will buy the things and take some of the money and put it right back into supplies and giving the rest to them for their families. i am just guessing how this should work, but no other way to learn than trial and error i suppose. i cannot wait to see the new stuff, and will be sure to pass along photos to you when i do.

wishing everyone well!

Many Thanks to these friends of Kasitu! Ami Zota; Alice Hedt; Marcello and Phyllis Pagano; Pastor Anthony and Grace Lutheran Church; Venu Ghanta; Marlene Smurzynski; Bill Sayles and Kathleen Daly; Jessica Hartman; Patrick and Melissa Loerch; Lane Dilg; Miriam Nuno and Jamie Bugni; Connie & Elliot Beal; Dan & Michelle Waterman; Xavier and Mercedes Basagana; Michael Tsung; Kenneth and Kathryn Rice; Mary Evans; Kathleen Levedz; Dave & Karen Fardo; Dave Keegan; Nedralka Douptchea; Sadhna Patel ; Jellena Follweiler; Richard Poulin; Carol Murray; Heuke Maatz; Jesse Perreault; Eric Smallwood; Heather Hagerty; Douglas Marsden; Etena Gonzalez; Jeff Ramsey; Sachiko Miyata; Jim Helms and the Keystone Club; Meghan McInerney; Jeniifer Linnane; Jona Maiorano; John and Karen Covington; Nancy Sabo; Michael and Cynthia Sikorski; Helen Coelho; Patrick St. Clair; Martin Aryee