Don't be chicken...

I was gifted a chicken by a man named Loyd. He came by my house to tell me that we had a meeting at 8am the next day and that he fulfilled his promise. I had no idea what promise he was talking about but I miss so much of many conversations here I didn’t give it much thought. Later that day I went into my “kitchen” (which is merely an outdoor room with a thatched roof and my mbaula – charcoal stove) to find a chicken flocking towards me. And then I remembered, Loyd. Loyd promised me he would give me a chicken. Thanks? I lost that came of chicken! I closed the door and counted to 10 to go back inside to untie its feet. I did this three times…fail,fail,fail. I then went and asked my neighbor to help me. Turns out I have a fear of bats and chickens and mice too. Well I am more just really annoyed at the mice. I don’t know why they say, “quiet as a mouse” because it is my experience they are not quiet at all and wake me up every night. At the moment I am a little extra peeved because they ate through one of my headphones. Come on!

A few weeks after that episode I was gifted another chicken. Thanks but you shouldn’t have…no really you shouldn’t have. I was at a meeting with a Community Based Organization (CBO) that supports those living with HIV/AIDS. It was a really kind gesture to provide me with “relish” but the walk home was awkward to say the least. I carried it with no ease at all. Many people offered to carry it or just laughed. I must look like such a strange bird being the only one in the village that is uncomfortable around chickens. I hope this is an egg laying chicken because I know I don’t have the guts to slaughter it and I still want eggs. I walked it to my sitemate Mark’s house where he has a room to keep it. He is almost as uncomfortable around chickens but helped me cut off the ties around its feet. The chicken quickly escaped and the neighborhood kids were helping us try to catch it. I was just pretending to help because I didn’t want to pick it up again. A kid ended up cornering it after some time. He was wearing a blue Nike t-shirt so naturally we started encouraging him by calling him Nike Blast. “Get ‘em, Nike Blast, get ‘em!” And he did!

Oh, I have been meaning to ask, want to come over for dinner?

In more impressing news…

I helped at a girl’s empowerment camp called CAMP GLOW (Girls Leading Our World). It was a really great week with many inspirational moments and fun with 70 of the brightest girls in Malawi. Peace Corps has been hosting the camp for a few years and has been able to acquire some excellent speakers. This year was no exception…the Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton came by to share some words of encouragement. It was a very hectic week preparing for Hill O’ Beans especially because I was serving as the resident gopher. It was such a great opportunity for Peace Corps staff as well as the girls, I was very impressed with it all. But still some of the highlights of the week were the Dance Party (I won at least a few dance offs! Earning some real street cred) and the Bonfire, where girls wrote down something they “can’t do”, shared it with the group and then threw it in the fire, which was pretty powerful. A lowlight of the week was speaking directly after HC left, giving a talk with my colleague/friend Ian on Human Rights and Democracy…wah wah. Come on girls you just met with one of the most powerful women in the world…now listen to what we have to say! Too bad CCN didn’t stay for that because I think we nailed it.

They say that Peace Corps has really high highs and really low lows and most of the time those are in the same day. I call that Manic. But it is sort of true. I have been having some incredible experiences juxtaposed with some very slow moving days. Village life is really good but can be really slow! Adventure is always lurking. But when adventure is taking a hiatus here is an average day, however, no day looks like the day before but just to take away a little mystery.

5am Wake up and tell Splinter and his rat friends to leave because I am up. Maybe I go running or run to my chimbudzi (outdoor pit latrine).

5-6am Start the fire, which still varies with success, fetch water, sweep my house

6am Enjoy Coffee or Tea and Oatmeal and try to listen to BBC News.

7am-8am Read/Write or do my laundry by hand…these hands.

8am Realize I have already been up for 3 hours and am running out of things to do so I heat up water for my Bafa (outdoor bathing area where I take a bucket bath).

9am Head to the Health Center or to meet with a CBO

Noon. Lunch time…Join someone for lunch or start another fire…oh man…again…I just finished a fire…maybe I will just skip lunch

1pm Back to the Health Center or another group that I invite myself to observe

4pm look for something to do and make my way to hangout with my neighbor friend Gertrude who is 19 and has a 2 year old. Sometimes she lets me watch while she puts in a weave for a friend. That is usually a Sunday afternoon activity and takes a long time!

6pm It is pitch black…so I will read for a bit by candlelight.

7pm…Tell myself I should probably try to stay awake until 8pm.