A Day In the Life [Peace Corps Trainee Edition]

You may be wondering, "Katy, what kind of shenanigans are you getting up to during PST (pre-service training)?" My dear friends, wonder no more!

Below, I have outlined a typical "day in the life" of my training. Three weeks down, eight to go!

3:30 AM - Wake up to the neighbor's roosters; fall back asleep.

4:30 AM - The roosters proclaim their anger over my willful disregard for their earlier announcement; I spite them once more by inserting my earplugs and falling back asleep.

5:30 AM - Wake up for good! Stretch, make up my sleeping mattress, and wrap my chitenje (a traditional length of colorful fabric, typically wrapped around the waist by Malawian women over their dresses/skirts) over my pj pants. Blearily stumble outside to help my amayi (host mom) with chores.

5:40 AM - Sweep the courtyard to deter pests and dust; fetch water at the neighbor's spigot (admire how amayi can carry five gallons on her head; get scolded for trying - and failing - to carry my three gallon-bucket on my head); wash dishes.

6:20 AM - Bucket bath time with the water that's been getting nice and toasty over the cookstove during chores! #favoritechore

6:40 AM - Eat breakfast with amayi. Tea with cane sugar and milk powder, a fresh banana, and fingers crossed for a fried egg sandwich with peanut butter (trust me it's good). If not that, perhaps some tasty futali (mashed sweet potato porridge with peanut flour and salt).

7:10 AM - Boogie on over to my Chichewa language class, kindly hosted in my neighbor's yard. My brain always gets a good workout!

9:30 AM - Walk over to our main class building with my fellow trainees; enjoy our mid-morning break by swapping homestay stories and snacks (popcorn and freshly-fried donuts are always highly coveted).

10:00 AM - Peace Corps staff come to the village to host sessions about health, culture, safety, Peace Corps values/reporting, etc. Lots of activities and group work!

12:00 PM - Break for lunch; I walk back home, greeting all my neighbors as I pass by and inquiring what folks have been up to. By the time I reach home, I have also given out many a fist-bump to my posse of giggling village children.

As per usual, I leave lunch stuffed to the brim with rice or nsima, stewed greens, along with beans or goat - yum :)

1:00 PM - Time for technical training with my environmental-sector folks! We're occasionally in the classroom (as shown above) learning theory, but we're most often found elbow-deep in soil in our learning-garden. Lately, we've been practicing principles of permagardening...stay tuned. The group vibes are fabulous, and I consistently leave these sessions with a sore stomach from laughing so much!

5:00 PM - Home for the night; I hang out with my host family and practice my new vocab as much as I can. Fortunately, they are very willing and excited to help me learn! Play singing + dancing group games with any kids who come to visit before dinner 😄 I help amayi and my host sisters cook dinner (usually nsima, veggies, and a protein of some kind). After eating, the family sits inside together, and we chat and joke around before bedtime. Lately, this has also included listening to (and unconsciously memorizing) "Someone You Loved" by Lewis Capaldi blasted on repeat, courtesy of one of the neighbors - LOL!!

7:30 PM - Retire for the evening; I take a couple hours to unwind and reset my mental/emotional state. Usually some combination of journaling, praying, stretching, reading, listening to music, and calling/texting folks back home ❤

9:00-9:30 PM - One last run to the latrine, and I make sure my mosquito net is tightly tucked before I get some shut-eye. Goodnight!