First Month

Today marks 4 weeks since I left for Peace Corps. And it was a great day. I and my fellow trainees traveled from our small training village to the boma (district capital) for some administrative tasks.

We also went to the Peace Corps hub/office in the boma, and finally got access to our extra luggage! I grabbed my solar panel and power banks (!!) I left there in storage weeks ago.

They gave us cookies (!!!) and we hung out for a bit.

Shout out to Sidney for the best candid photography. 😊

In the afternoon, Peace Corps staff gave a training on regional Malawian culture. We learned about initiation ceremonies, weddings, and the secret society of Gule Wamkulu - definitely worth a quick google search! Supposedly, we will be meeting Gule Wamkulu at our swearing-in ceremony (when we officially swear-in as Peace Corps Volunteers, in mid August) so stay tuned for more on that.

In the evening, I completed my second homestay evaluation with the PC homestay coordinators. I was asked to start a charcoal fire and to cook rice (the Malawian way! - pictured below). This is to prove I’m capable of living alone here. It went well, and as a bonus, we had a nice dinner afterward - rice with nyama ya ng’ombe (beef) and masamba (vegetables).

What a wonderful way to wrap up the first 4 weeks of training! Only 7 more to go.