Ode. To Niger

Leg 1: 26.01.11, 11:28AM. Casablanca MOROCCO to Lisbon SPAIN

We used our last dirham(s) to buy beers (at 10:45AM!) before getting on the plane, the first leg of this insane journey. Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans. Shit. I was supposed to do this and that in Matameye, live there for 21 more months, start projects, build a life there (and I was already getting surprisingly sucked in and considering extending). Now I've got to throw myself into Malawi, 100%, no holding back, my heart or anything. Where am I going, ultimately, career- and other-wise? Are there answers in Malawi?

"Everything happens for a reason," said Lisa.
"Yeah? Well I better find my fucking husband in Malawi, because this has been bullshit!" said I.

Fuck. Esther and I are going to win this shit!

Leg 3: 26.01.11, late that evening. Frankfurt GERMANY to Addis Ababa ETHIOPIA (waiting onboard for 3 hours at the gate before it took off because of "technical difficulties")

We're doing this! Two bottles of wine in Portugal and two glasses on the flight to Frankfurt mean I'm better than okay right now. Bring it on, Malawi! We ate hotdogs on moving sidewalks, rock rock on! Here's hoping that Malawi means all sorts of good shit. Not that I deserve it any more than the next, but c'mon! Niger I miss you but if I didn't believe that Malawi holds great things for me I'd be a broken-down mess, still needing to be mopped up in Rabat.

Niger, my love letter: your are in my heart for always, no one or nothing could remove you from that special place. So I'm moving on much sooner than either of us thought. Don't worry, I'll be back. I don't know when, but c'est la vie, and life's funny like that--I gotta believe it will work out well or else my heart would break right now. Niger you were amazing and I don't think I can know fully yet what effect you had on me. Here's to what Malawi will mean to me in the future. Moving forward, because we have to. MWAH!

Live 100%, all the way, because you may get evacuated tomorrow, someone may die, plans will change.

Layover the third: now 21.01.11. Addis Ababa Airport ETHIOPIA

I'm in Ethiopia right now, for crying out loud! They just served us drinks and cake, at the gate, which I think is a bad sign (addendum: we boarded our next and final flight just a few minutes later, leading me to conclude only that Ethiopians are extremely nice, but I could have told you that from knowing Biiftu and Sebia). At least we didn't miss this flight, and I'm running on reserves of irrational optimism that our bags will make it to Lilongwe with us, because there is no other option. For now I'm just trying to be: patient, calm, ready for the next step.

29.01.11. Lilongwe MALAWI

So far so good. Even though this whole thing has sucked I'm fairly certain I couldn't have asked for a better place to transfer to. I'm excited about the work possibilities. Also nervous. And the other volunteers have been so nice and welcoming. I teared up a little when I saw the welcome committee at the airport, waving American and Peace Corps flags. (Note: someone won a bet, and someone else lost, when all 4 of Esther and my checked bags showed up in Lilongwe. Yawwa!) I'm not so worried anymore--this is going to be great. Different, yes, and loving Malawi all the more doesn't take away the fact that my heart broke for Niger. Chichewa is hard but so was Hausa.

Mwadzuka bwanji? (Ina kwana?)

Ndadzuka bwino. (Lahiya lau.)

It will come slowly, and that's okay. Esther and I went for a run today. I need to get back into that. We ate Korean food tonight. (!!) Education volunteers here are the ones in the bush posts, but whatever. So I won't have the cushiest post with 2 showers and electricity (and will be lucky to have more than an open fire on which to cook), but that will just make this experience all the more different from Niger. Esther keeps exclaiming about the smell here: flowering plants. Is this paradise? Do people retire here? ...I have a feeling daily reality will be slightly different once out at site though. We'll see.

I'm grateful for everything here: delicious restaurants; nice PCVs; a friendly staff; green plants; an amazing partner-in-crime in Esther; this opportunity to continue my service and learn so much from everyone; my supportive family; my PC Niger friends, as scattered as we all are now; the time I had in Niger and the friends I made there. I learned a lot about my own strength and capabilities, about Niger, human relations, and I think I'm just beginning my journey in the development world.

We're in this thing to win it. This thing called life. (We're also in this thing to make sure Malawi PCVs know how good they have it and how lucky they are. Seriously, this place is awesome!)

30.01.11

We ran today. We 'sightsaw' (walked around the muddy streets and dirty market and Wal-Mart owned superstore of Lilongwe, gaping at the big screen TVs). We watched DVDs, lounged by the pool, and generally marveled at our situation here in 'the warm heart of Africa.'

31.01.11

Fuck January 2011. Seriously. Esther and I toasted it away as we drained two bottles of wine while watching Troy this evening. Good-bye worst month ever, and hello February, new site (whose name I still don't know), new country, new stuff (Wal-Mart?!? Really?!?), new possibilities for...anything, everything. Work, jobs, careers, friends, stories for the grandchildren, satisfaction, etc. etc. etc. Fuck this life, in every sense of the word: fuck it hard, fuck it good, may it be awesome, may it be delicious, may it be damned, may it peace out and not bother us anymore at some point. Where will we be then? Fuck if I know, and fuck if I'll be losing any sleep over that any time soon. Fuck. Here's to losing ourselves in Africa. Incha'allah. Al hamdillilaye.