The trip had been planned since before I even moved here so I had spent almost a year anticipating them coming. They are the first, and possibly only, Americans to visit me in Malawi and it was very exciting being able to show them my home and have them experience how I live here. After greeting them at the airport we went to the Avis desk to rent a car. As is typical of Malawi, it did not go smoothly. They didn't have the car that we had reserved and we spent a long time trying to remedy the issue. It was confusing, chaotic, and stressful- a perfect introduction and representation of Malawi and my life here. We finally got it resolved and headed to the lake for a day, then down to my district of Mulanje. The rest of the trip went much better. Only a few bumps (some literal-the roads are awful), and some bad weather, but overall everyone had a great time. The highlight was definitely going into my village and introducing my family to my friends and neighbors. We had a traditional Malawian lunch of nsima and ndiwo on a reed mat in my friend's house. We took a tour of my house, my school, the health clinic, and even dipped our feet in the river that serves as the border of Malawi and Mozambique. We met and talked with a lot of people and I had to convince my cousin she couldn't take all the children home with her.
All too soon we were driving back to Lilongwe where they would board a plane back to America. I really enjoyed having visitors here. They got to understand a little bit more about how I live and I got to see Malawi through a fresh and excited pair of eyes. I also got to see family who I hadn't seen in over a year and missed very much. That calls for a carlsberg! :)
Another important event happened for me recently. June 20th was the anniversary of me being in Malawi for one year! Time has gone surprisingly fast. On the 21st I was at the airport yet again to greet a new group of education volunteers just starting their peace corps service. It was strange being there and remembering what it was like being in their shoes one year before. When we got off the plane we were excited, exhausted, and had no idea what life in Malawi would be like for us. Welcoming the new group I could see just how different I am now and how far I've come since arriving here.
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