Do-s and Don't-s of being a Peace Corps Malawi Trainee

God rays stealing the show!

It's an exciting week for us trainees! Our long-awaited permanent site placements will be announced, followed by a week-long visit to our respective sites. Though I'm a bit nervous to be flying solo for the first time, I can't wait!! It will be a great opportunity to start building relationships with my future community, and I'll get to peep the new digs 😎

In the meantime, here is a brief compilation of "do-s and don't-s" that I've experienced during my first half of training...enjoy!

DO-S:

Greet neighbors as you pass them in the community! It goes a long way to building strong relationships and helps with language-learning
Charge your solar-lamps during the day, this comes in very handy when the sun sets at 6 PM
Sweep your room carefully for creepy crawlies before going to bed (my Amayi - host mom - and I go on spider hunts every night)
Drink lots of water! FILTERED water! Don't risk it, y'all.
Maintain hobbies and/or coping strategies that have worked for you in the past. I.e. journaling in the evenings, reading during breaks, listening to music whilst bucket-showering (especially Spotify playlist collaborations with your cohort teehee 🎷)
Stay patient with yourself, your host family, your fellow trainees...basically just be patient with everyone. Everyone's learning and adapting to new norms, so showing yourself and others grace is uber important
For the ladies, wear a chitenje or salu (wrap skirts) over your dress/skirt, especially at ceremonies or whilst going to market. It helps earn respect and admiration from the community, and you'll feel rather snazzy

DON'T-S

Accidentally shine your flashlight into the pit toilet. It ain't cute and you'll instantly regret it. It will give you involuntary shivers of horror, even weeks later.
Decide to wash your clothes at noon. The sun will mercilessly torment you as you're vigorously scrubbing at the seemingly-endless pile of dirty clothes.
Out-right refuse food from your amayi. She will give you a very disappointed look and shake her head sadly until you give in and take another piece of nsima (staple food, essentially a very thick porridge made of maize). Instead, you must earnestly and enthusiastically tell her that you are stuffed to bursting. Dramatic hand gestures and miming your stomach exploding are helpful.
Badger your Peace Corps trainers for details about site placements; they either laugh in your face or tell you that you're getting sent to Mozambique. Rude.
Underestimate the dust (aka "fumbi"). Fumbi is the new spice of life. You will never truly be alone, because fumbi will also be there with you. (okay okay maybe a little dramatic, but the dry season is no joke. This is why cleaning is so important, especially sprinkling water in your house/yard to prevent the dust blowing around in the wind)

Very excited to see bougainvilleas growing here 🌸

Accessing our bags to snag goodies from long-term storage; it felt like Christmas!!

Yours truly preparing some bricks to construct a sustainable cookstove with my group! Don't worry, there was also plenty of cow manure involved in this process

I hope you've enjoyed this installment; plenty more to come!

Cheers from Malawi,

Katy