Movin' On Up!! (NEW ADDRESS)

I made the move out of my village and arrived in Lilongwe yesterday!! What a headache to move all my meager belongings halfway across the country in rainy season, but all well that ends well. I am currently staying at a guesthouse with my soon to be roomate, Antonia. Peace Corps is telling us that we should be able to move into our new house sometime next week and then I will be able to start work with Music Crossroads soon after that!! Although I was sad to leave my village and my PC friends in the North, I am very happy and excited to start working with Music Crossroads and teaching music to kids as well as HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention here in the capital city. Also, Antonia said she loves to cook!!! Those of you who know me personally know that cooking is a big part of what I like to call my "nonexistent skillset", so I'm happy she enjoys it and is willing to help contribute to my survival here. So, what's gonna change, you ask? Well, I am now living in the capital city with access to a lot of things I previously did not:
Electricity
Running Water
Easy Internet Access
Food, glorious food!!
Access to PC Office (resources/help)
These are the big ones for sure, and it's gonna be a big change for me. Not sure how I'm gonna cope or adjust, ya know? Pangono pangono [little by little](they speak a different language here, Chichewa, so I will soon be tri-lingual in Malawi!) Anyway, thanks for all the support and kind words from back home. Here's my new address if you want to send letters or packages:

PCV PHILLIP RICH
BOX 208 LILONGWE
MALAWI
SOUTHERN AFRICA

Thanks again to everyone who has sent stuff already, it means a lot. All the best.
Peace,
Phil

Random shout out to a reader: HI, JO'S MOM!!!

Ask and you shall receive...

Hey everyone,
Just wanted to say thanks for the interest/quick response to my request. The mother of another Peace Corps Volunteer contacted me and expressed her interest in helping my friend Paulos! I just wanted to let everyone know and to say thanks to her and others who are interested in his cause. I have moved out of my village and am now working on getting my things to Lilongwe so that I can start work with Music Crossroads asap. Thanks for the support, and I'll keep you posted on any upcoming projects once I start my new job!
Peace

Asking For Help

Living as a foreigner in Malawi, it becomes commonplace for people of all ages to come up to you and ask you for money almost everyday. People here believe that all white foreigners have lots of money (except for Peace Corps volunteers). It is just part of life here, and it is easy to become callused/suspicious of the many people who ask after living here long enough. It is just the way it is, and like it or not, I believe that giving someone that money will not help them in the long run, but only teach them that begging works and they should always ask foreigners for money. Having said that, however, there are times when you come across someone in need that you know deserves it and will use it to better themselves, their family's way of life, and hopefully all those around them. The following letter is a request for help from my closest friend in the village, Paulos. Paulos very often has me over to his home where he and his wife feed me and help me with the many things I lack the skills/know how/communication ability to accomplish here in Malawi. He approached me yesterday to ask if there was anyone I know who might be able to help him with his school fees so he can finish secondary school (high school). Paulos has been an incredible friend to me, and is someone who I trust completely. I told him that I would post his request on my blog to see if anyone back home would like to give what I cannot, money. Here is what he wrote:

My name is Paulos Anderson Kayange, Malawian citizen aged 27 male by sex and I am married. I live at Chisansu village 8km south from Chitipa district northen region of the country, Malawi.

I am kindly asking for help in terms of funds so that I can use it as school fees to continue my last two secondary classes. I did the other first two unfortunately, my Father who was paying me past away in August 2007. I am now holding a family. My wife who is now pregnant for the first time, my Mum who is aging 60 and my two young brothers who are doing their free primary education.

My aim is to return to school if I can be finacially assisted and to be educated so as to stand a chance of getting employed inorder to support the entire family living in beyond poverty and contribute to the development of the village and the nation as a whole.

Truely yours,
Paulos


Paulos told me that it would take about 30,000 Malawian kwacha (about $200 USD) for him to pay the school fees for his remaining two years of education. It tore my heart out to tell him I didn't have the money, but I am very happy that I can at least make his plight known to others. The next school term starts in September so I am hoping to be able to find a way to make this happen for him. I have no problems vouching for this man's sincerity, honesty, and hard work. He will do what he says he will do if someone will give him a chance. If you are interested in helping Paulos, please contact me via email at philrich66@gmail.com The above picture is Paulos and his wife, Mable at their home in my village.
Thanks for listening!!

And the winner is...

Thanks so much to everyone who sent an entry into the "Most Useless Item" competition. Here is the list of all the entries I received/or was able to remember:

Wooden Napkin Holders
Car Key and keychain
Wooden Nickel
Cork Screw
Kokopeli Rock Carving with magnet
Zombie Survival Guide

All pretty damn useless for me over here, so great work, and thanks so much for sending these things as well as all the treats that made the trip with them! However, the winning item was sent by a U. Selles from the University of Texas. I can't seem to remember this person, so my belief is that it is just someone who read the blog and decided to take the competition to another level...so thank you Mr.or Mrs. or Miss Selles for the extremely useless item known in the Western World as..............

A Carpet Toilet Seat Cover

No real update on the music NGO thing, but PC admin assures me that it is most likely going to happen by the end of the month. Take Care everyone, and if you are a new volunteer getting ready to come to Malawi, don't worry...We are all very excited that you are almost here and You're gonna love it.

New Links and Short Update

I had my meeting today with my boss and the NGO, and we have begun the process of initial question/answer/paperwork it takes to make a big switch like this. Luckily, so far, the process has not been denied in any way, but it should take some time until I have a definite answer. The next step is for the NGO to decide if they can pay for my housing in exchange for the work I will be doing there. If that is approved, I should be good to go, but I don't want to jump the gun and get too excited about it until I know its for sure. Pachoko pachoko (little by little). I'll update this thing when I find out more. Should be some type of development in the next few weeks. Keep your fingers crossed for me!!
Peace

Here are a couple of links to check out:
This one is for a Picasa Web album of photos from the music camp. (they seem to upload easier here for me)

Malawi Music Project

And here is the address of the Music NGO, Music Crossroads, I'm trying to get the ok to work with here in Malawi.
If the link doesn't show up, here is the address: www.music-crossroads.net

Time - Rachel Ruscombe-King

I just met Rachel through a mutual friend while she was on vacation. She is a former VSO volunteer who was in Malawi and has a lot of great songs. Check out her video so we can guilt her into making more. Also, I have added a banner at the top for an organization call Playing for Change. Pretty cool stuff!

Malawi Music Project pics2

These are pictures of when Peter Mawanga (famous Malawian musician) was recording the PC volunteers and other students' songs at the Music Camp. Enjoy!