December 2011
1 post
October 2011
1 post
“No path is straight.”
– The leather-bound pages of my black Moleskine are covered in crowded scribbles, neon highlighter drawings, and post-its. Notes from the last day of Athens, waiting in the airport, remind me of how to just “let days go.” My European and South East Asian backpacking adventures taught me...
June 2011
1 post
December 2010
2 posts
It is, truly, about the circle of life.
In the beginning, Kyson and I were struck by stark similarities between our project expectations and the humble realities of Malawi. Our project focuses on cutting back on deforestation, but we didn’t expect to see charcoal to be so engrained in everybody’s lives. We sure didn’t expect charcoal traders pushing bicycles toppling with maize bags full of charcoal to be the first thing we see; neither...
October 2010
31 posts
2 tags
“Wa-ko-sa, wa-ko-sa, SHOO-ah! STARRRR!”
With waving hands and outstretched fingers, we congratulated the small, 3-year-old girl wearing a raggedy pink Disney princesses dress on pointing out the letter “M” correctly.
The little boy wearing blue giggled hysterically, shouted with laughter as the rest of the class bellyflopped onto the bamboo mat to trace their hands in neon highlighter on the poster paper. I chased him around, lightly...
2 tags
3 tags
Blog Action Day 2010: Water
Yesterday was Blog Action Day, so bloggers all over the world are conversing, spilling information and perspectives about water. I will talk about water availability and sanitation in Malawi; I’m here with Bamboo Lota, Inc, to research bamboo, charcoal production and deforestation practices. As the third largest lake in Africa, Lake Malawi is inhabited by more species of fish than any other...
“This, too, shall pass.”
– And then, life—no matter how wealthy you are, how many vegetables you eat, how sheltered you might be—ends.
Today, we are affected by the death of an EI’s wife’s passing; she died of cerebral malaria, 20% of the millions of people who get malaria are affected. Last week,...
You don't leave us the same.
His voice shook the building,
words exploding in heavy sophistication,
sending shivers to my breathless heart.
If I am struggling with the same things as yesterday, if I am frightened from the same reasons from when I was a child, if I am being held captive by burdens I won’t shake away, if I am living selfishly without His heart in mine, if I am not serving others with the right mindset,...
Lives based on the "macala" trade
Veering slightly from our usual USAID/WALA irrigation project sites, Kyson, Jam, George and I paid a visit to a community that was dependent on the charcoal (“macala”) trade to survive.
Upon arriving, the chief of the village bent to shake our hands and positioned an unsteady workbench and chair for us to sit on. After a prayer and introductions, we split the group into...
September 2010
50 posts
