The Next Chapter

“Where exactly is Malawi?”

This has been a very frequently asked question over the past month and is as good as any place to start, so let's begin there. “It is a small country nestled among Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia. It is landlocked, though there is a lake that runs along over half of the country.” It seems to be considered part of both Southern and Eastern Africa. Known as the “warm heart of Africa”, I have yet to hear anyone speak badly of it. Geologically, Malawi resides within the Rift Valley, which provides the iconic plains of Africa and the mountains I crave. Historically, Malawi was formerly known as Nyasaland when it was a colony of Great Britain. I could continue, though you would be better informed by reading the wiki entry for Malawi.

“What are you doing there?”

This question is much harder to answer. “Well”, I would say, “the Peace Corps is sending me to serve as a Peace Corps Response Volunteer tasked with providing HIV technical assistance to a local branch of the Malawian government.” When that answer elicits an odd look on the face of my questioner, I would explain that the national government of Malawi has developed a National Action Framework to respond to the HIV epidemic with the support of the international community. The Peace Corps has developed a partnership with the government of Malawi to help strengthen the management, program monitoring and reporting of the District Assemblies to better respond to Malawi's generalized HIV/AIDS epidemic. So then the question becomes, “So what are you actually going to do there?” That is when I simplify it by answering “I am going to work in a government office from 7:30 to 4:30 Monday to Friday and try to help people fulfill their work responsibilities by providing them with the skills and resources they need, so that they enjoy their work more in hopes that they will make sustainable gains against the HIV epidemic!” What a cool job, right!?! And that is just the beginning...

Before I continue to speculate on everything that I am going to do over the coming year, let me briefly review where I am coming from for those who have not heard from me in a while. Back in 2006, I moved back to the US from my Peace Corps service in Bolivia. I spent a winter on ski patrol in Maine and applying to grad schools. When spring rolled around I was accepted to George Washington University's Elliott School for International Affairs in their International Development Studies program. I spent that summer in France learning the language and visiting friends and famous places. In August I moved to DC and got a development internship with a small nonprofit while I started classes. The course work was great, but writing grants and asking for money was not for me, so I left the internship and was hired by La Clinica del Pueblo, a community health center. There I worked with a group of health promoters and held community health fairs to screen the Latino community of DC for health risks and get them into the health care system. In the summer of '09 I finished my MA in international development and global health studies.

My experiences in Bolivia, grad school and La Clinica all fed my interest in health systems strengthening, a concept based around the idea of aiding countries to develop their health systems to respond to all their health concerns (often compared to vertical programs targeting specific diseases, though this is extremely oversimplified). My thesis work in grad school exposed me to Africa, and a cursory review of available jobs and all the African novels that I was reading convinced me to branch out from my work with Latinos. At about the same time I received an email from a Peace Corps recruiter who asked me to consider a Peace Corps Response position in Malawi. Well, if you read the wiki entry on Malawi, I don't think I need to do any more explaining. The position was a great fit with my qualifications, and people kept telling me what a wonderful place Malawi is.

So over the past month I worked hard to leave my program at La Clinica in good shape and in good hands. I sold my motorcycle, got someone to replace me in the house, had three farewell parties and packed up everything for a move back to PA. That is where I am now. I have three packs sitting in front of me, a plane ticket for June 6th, a stiff new passport and one last farewell party planned for tomorrow night with my family. It all marks the closing of one chapter of my life and the vast possibilities for the next one.

This blog is meant as a means of sharing the personal and professional adventures that are to come. It is also a means for me to digest all that I am about to experience. I invite you all to read, reflect and comment on where ever this blog takes us.