I wanted a break yesterday, so I went up Smithfield canyon with a friend. The runner is not me, but I wish it was. I consider this place a hidden gem.

Snow in September

Snow on the mountains in September. It won't stick, and the cold won't stay but it's an obnoxious reminder that winter's right around the corner. Green canyon is 4 miles from Brett's house so Danielle, Tyler and I went hiking on Monday. I may have gained 3 pounds on that hike with all the rocks and sticks that Tyler let me carry for him. He has a lot of energy, but believe it or not, he does get tired.

Desert Wilderness

My parents live on this road... which doesn't exist on googlemaps. I just stepped out their front door to take this picture of desert wilderness from a small development. It's taken me a while to understand this place a bit, but I can see now why people would live here... I'm not saying that I'll be moving to NM, but if that was in my future, that would be fine.

Also, I'm happy to say that I went for a nice run outside today and did not site any coyotes, nor did I have any encounters with wolves or mountain lions. It was a rather uneventful run, which is fortunate seeing as I left my gun and pack of ferocious dogs at home... I did get passed by a couple of jack rabbits at impressive speeds, but I took that in stride and made it here to write this blog.

Two more days and I'll be back in Boston for a harder-core job search. It's been great to see so much family including all the immediate and a significant chunk of the extended, a bunch of friends, and Arches (which I never managed to see during the time I lived in UT). Arches Natl Park fit into the drive from UT to NM. It's been a great trip - MA to CO to UT to NM... and tomorrow... to CO... and Friday... to MA. It's time to contribute something to society, ideally as part of an income generating activity. I do not promise to keep this blog updated, but please keep in touch.

I had a test this week at the JFK building in Boston. This quote was on the wall. I like it.

"But this nation was not found solely on the principle of citizen's rights. Equally important, though too often not discussed is citizen's responsibility. For our privileges can be no greater than our obligations. The protection of our rights can endure no longer than the performance of our responsibilities. Each can be neglected only at the peril of the other."

Pres John F. Kennedy
Nashville, TN
May 18, 1963

Fall

It's probably about time for me to update my blog. These pictures are all pretty close to my house. The lakes were taken on a roomate stroll. Shelly's the friend on the trail and Andrea is on the swing. The bridge is part of one of my favorite trail-funs in the Fells. I took my camera with me on this particular run because it was the Fall, but this is the only picture I actually took. At any rate, it's a great place to run. Fall in NE is a nice distraction from school and the fun of writing excessively long papers.

I've posted pictures since writing this post so I would like to make a few comments. The kids wanted to help me with my laundry... this was not forced labor. Having a few nephews and nieces of my own I recognize the need to appropriately limit such enthusiastic assistance. For example, I'm ok with and even humored by the above 'sweater stretch' method of drying as well as the clothes that get dragged on the ground before making it onto the line (they're short I totally understand)... but in an effort to be somewhat time efficient I do as much as I can alone and then let them step in for the rest. I miss these kids. I think the pic ax picture would make a great cover for a safety manual... and finally - Mt Mulanje is gorgeous - imagine seeing it in person!!!

It's Tuesday and I come home on Friday... so this is probably the last post until I come back and post all the amazing pics, etc. Anyways, this past weekend has been amazing and it's a bit sad to be leaving. Still, I'm ready to just wrap up a few things and come back home. My friend Betsy has been in town (usually up in Dowa just north of Lilongwe). We staying in her NGO's team house. That was a different world and the minute I went in I felt like a billionaire. I think you would not be all that impressed, but a few weeks in the village and scattered lodges changes your perspective on what you should appreciate as amazing and this was beyond amazing. I had some chicken foot yesterday. It's not too bad, but really not much to it. It looks crazy, but if you can get past the fact that you're knawing on a claw, it's fine.

So, I watched a few evenings of the Olympics and caught up on a few bits of news that I had no idea about - Pakistan, Russia/Georgia. Betsy was also awesome. Since we've both been living in villages and have some similar experiences we find each others stories hillarious. I'm not so sure you'll react the same way, but that's ok, I can tell them to you anyways. Betsy is a nutritionist intern - almost an MS and almost an RD.

Thanks for reading if you still are. I notice there are no more comments, but that's fine. I recognize that this has been really sporatic. Have a great week. I really hope to be home on Saturday... which I will be unless a conection problem leaves me chillin' in Addis for an extra day. Let's hope I can postpone my Ethiopian adventures to another trip. I'm almost ready to be chillin' in Boston, and I think 2 more days will do the trick. See you all soon!

Public transport

I've been off traveling for the last week or so. I went from Lilongwe to Blantyre to Nsanje (detouring through Chikwawa) then back up to Monkey Bay (via Blantyre, Zomba, Mangochi) and then caught a car back to Lilongwe. I've never been more appreciative of shocks and soft seats as I was in the truck back to Lilongwe which took 3 hours and would have been around 8 on public transit (or more). It was all great, but I'll tell you about the places when I get home. The most entertaining is the transport.

When I was leaving Nsanje to travel N I went with McJustice (Malawian friend) to see what time the first buses would leave in the morning. They started at 2am. Well, good thing we checked because they came to wake him up at 2 to see if I was ready and then again at 3:30 when the next one left. Of course I had no idea because I was on the other side of the lodge. They were so frustrated that I was not ready by 3:30 that they told him they would not come back. Tragic really because the walk to the bus station is a strenuous 3 minutes. I'm sure he was relieved.

We walked over @ just after 4am in the calm... peace... quiet that you would expect at 4am. Then after boarding the minibus, the driver proceeded to drive around town honking repetatively and reving the engine, while a guy in back yelled out the window "Blantyre! Blantyre!" I was cringing at first, but then I found it very comical. I laughed to myself of course because no one else found this out of place. I'm sure the poor people who had intended to sleep in were now thrilled to be jolted from their sleep, as if going to Blantyre had not occured to them until now... 4am. What a great time to recruit. Anyways, we finally left at 4:50.

My favorite transit story actually happend a few weeks ago. I was going to look at a friends plot just outside of Lilongwe. He told me he would meet me at the bus depot, a short car ride from the turnoff to Salima. The trip was pretty normal, except that at some point we turned off onto this dirt road and started driving into these villages. That wasn't in the directions, but I didn't think too much of it because I'd never been to his place before - who knows, maybe he knew a short-cut.

Soon enough the car stopped and the driver came around to open my door. I didn't realize this was my stop, but he would have had to open the door for me anyways because there was no longer a handle on the inside. In fact, it wasn't supposed to be my stop. On asking where the bus depot was I got a confident gesture towards the building I was now in front of - an orphanage. I sensed a language barrier... my Chichewa is too limited for these types of situations (in addition to most situation). I repeated "bus depot" with questioning emphasis. He pointed again matter-of-factly at the building, and not deterred at all by my confusion got in the car and drove off.

I really felt like I was in a movie. I was in a small village somewhere in Malawi. People who didn't speak English were staring at me - a bit out of place - and I was hoping that I would not have to hike back out to the road. This is not necessarily something to be concerned about. I called my friend on my handy celtel cell phone, and read the orphanage sign which named the village and he said ok, he could be there soon. Great- no big deal. At this point of just hanging out, a man comes out of a nearby building and says, "Madam, you are a stranger in a strange place." That was true, and such a great line. He was actually a friend of my friend and showed me around.

Once I met with my friend we walked to his house. I found it cool that he grows 12 varieties of bananas - I tried 2 of them - and has 2 beehives... among other things. I'm pretty sure looking back, that the driver was likely pointing through the orphanage as if to say, "It's there. You know, the bus depot right over there - right behind the orphanage, down the trail, through the village, over the soil eroded ditch, and through the market." Maybe that's what he meant when he pointed at the orphanage, because in fact that is where it was. How obvious. What a great country.

Oversimplified on a Saturday afternoon

Maybe you’d like to know what I spend my time doing here besides obsessing about food and snakes. I’m looking at the economic feasibility of implementing permaculture in Malawi. I see a ton of potential in it. This country is full of small holder farmers who will enter the yearly hunger season in about Dec/ Jan when their storage of maize runs out, though it hasn’t always been that way. Actually, in some areas of the country the hungry season may start earlier this year. It’s sad and I also believe it’s not necessary because there are solutions. There’s more to it than that, but it’s hard for me to present complexity on a mainly one way blog. People here do not plan ahead. Just one example, I waited 2.5 hours at the immigration office this week because they’d run out of receipts and finally sent someone to get them. I try to bring a book with me when I’m out. They don’t plan ahead with food either (Law of the Harvest) and rely on their full year’s supply of food from 1 crop – maize. I don’t know how many of you have tried nsima. It’s ok, but just ok. They eat it at every meal with not much else. It makes their stomach full, which is something. Anyhow, the current fertilizer subsidies and maize policies don’t line up with the government’s recently released nutrition recommendations (6 food groups). As a side note, these guidelines are going to have a few minor changes to include local foods such as termites and mice. Anyways, maize alone can’t address the kwashiorkor or iron deficiency, or vitamin A deficiency and no, we should not just supplement the country forever.

I’ve seen some really impressive permaculture plots here. Those that get it eat really well – no hungry season. There are amazing foods here. As a result gradually it’s catching on in some area. I see the current maize and fertilizer policies as costly, backfiring right now, input heavy, and completely unable to be an effective solution of the problem they are apparently designed to address. Economists are gems, but I think they could use a bit of nutritional input. This is not an immediate solution, there is a lot of work to do, but the time is right for it to take off because people are at high risk with a yearly hunger season reminder and a life expectancy around the age of 38. Anyhow I’m looking at income, expenditures, and fascinating related information.

Aside from all that excitement, I had a brownie last night in town, now that was exciting. The village kids are over again to watch a movie. The favorite is HS Musical 2. I could probably sing most of the songs for you by now. They get really into it and it’s like a dance party in the living room. They also sing along as best they can, which is pretty impressive since they don’t really speak English. I’m not sure what they’ll watch today. They’re still deciding… Lion King 2 won with a slim margin over HS Musical 2. By the way, Tyler congratulations on catching your own rabbit. We had a couple rabbits here few a few days, but probably the dogs got to them. Hopefully you have better luck.

Malawi has baobab trees. The fruit, called Malambe comes in a hard pod that you can crack open with a hammer and suck on the powder-ish fruit around the seeds. So I was introduced to Malambe juice by Stacia. Apparently it's an acquired taste, but I loved it immediately and everyone I met here in the village loves it. As a result it did not click that it's an acquired taste. I bought some for the Bowhuis’s to try in Blantyre... and then tried to get a few others to try it that evening. Everyone really disliked it. A few thought it was a joke. I'm ok with that, because it was really entertaining to watch their reaction. Maybe it would not do so well in Winchester's cafeteria, but you could market it as a health drink, people expect healthy things to taste different. They say malambe juice is high in vitamin C, iron, and calcium. I'm sure you all can learn to appreciate it. At any rate, it would be more profitable than mice on a stick or termites, or catepillars.

Snakes

On Monday Mr Medici came in to say there was a snake outside. He's the builder and had moved a stone this snake was under. It was a juvenile and from the snake book we narrowed it down to either a black mamba or a Mozambique spitting cobra. Anyways, Mr Medici killed it because that's not a snake they want to have around. We kept our distance, but I do have an amazing picture of it for you all when I get back. I'll probably be going to Monkey Bay in the weekend after this one and they have Puff Adders around the house I'll be at. No worries, I pay attention and have plenty of flashlight batteries, etc. Anyways, I have snakes on the mind tonight. Have a good week.

I'm trying to upload a pic. If you have any ideas of what it is, let me know. The only way to know for sure if it's a black mamba is to see if the lining of the mouth is black, but nobody was interested in doing that for obvious reasons. Ok it's taking too long. You can give your input later.

It's not a cobra and it's not likely a black mamba either. Apparently it's something poisonous according to some Malawians who only know the name in Chichewa... or it's a Herald Snake, which is not harmful.

Blantyre

I'm staying with a couple in Blantyre this weekend. It's basically a 5 star hotel. I have electricity in my room with no sausage beetles. There's a toilet right down the hall. There's a tap for hot water, I don't have to heat some when I want to take a bath... and they have DSL!!! I'm a little over excited about this, but it's been fun anyways. They gave me a tour of Blantyre this afternoon and they shared some frozen mangoes from mango season (which I always seem to miss). Blnatyre is more densely populated than Lilongwe. Lilongwe is the capital, but not that long ago, Zomba was the capital, so Lilongwe is in a growing phase. We visited a school that had tile over their tin roof. I don't know why more people don't do that, it's crazy loud on the tin when it rains. I don't know how much tile costs. I hear thatch is expensive, but there must be something reasonable besides tin. It's not the rainy season now, so this is not a current issue, but they should plan ahead. It did drizzle yesterday, which doesn't happen much in the dry season. Lucky us.

I finally bought a chitenga on Saturday - the cloth wraps the women use. I love them. My legs were a bit scratched up when I got here (Thanks to Old Rag off-roading), and the long wraps helped to hide a lot of that. I got an African Queen one. I figured Kristy would appreciate that. By the way, Guliwamkulu means big dance, so you know.

I have over 200 new e-mails that are unchecked since arriving here. Listen patient people, I'm working on it. Congratulations Jocelyne!

Tionana (See you later)

Choppy Novel No. 1

July 9. 2008: I hope your 4th of July was great! Malawi’s Independence day is July 6th. The theme for the year: a nation of achievers. I think that’s a great theme for a country that has the blessing and curse of having so many donors and in some respects as a side effect the un-fortune of dependency.

This morning I went to a Nutrition meeting with more or less everyone who is doing anything to do with Nutrition in Malawi. I was fascinated for the first 2 hours, but the monotone got me over the last 2+ hours. Anyways, there are a lot of reports that I’m trying to get my hands on. Stacia has been really helpful with all that. I’m also a bit confused on how the Government Ministries are set up. There’s a division for Nutrition and a separate one for Food Security. There are roughly 6 sub-committees for each of those. Since food security happens to be a nutrition issue I’ll need to figure out how they are dividing the issues.

I’m more hungry than normal for a couple of days. I eat a lot of rice, pasta, etc with veggies and beans, soya, etc. Usually breakfast is a leftover from dinner. The food is great, but for the times when it’s just not enough I’ve decided chocolate is the way to go and I’ve built a small stash. I went running yesterday for the first time since leaving Boston, rather pathetic. I’m out in a village and it’s taken me a while to feel comfortable with the snakes, the dogs, and everyone watching at me. Stacia told me a quieter route to run and I loved it. I can do that all the time. I went about 6:15 am. People are up and about long before then, but it was nice to sleep in.

It’s the cool season here, not really winter, because it’s around the upper 60’s / low 70’s. The temperature drops a bit at night… perfect for sleeping, it drops more down in the mountains around Mulanje. I sleep in the guest house which is overall great. The other night was rough because of a large sausage beetle. They are absolutely harmless, but this one was huge, flew fast, bumped into everything, except me although it did come close, and made a lot of noise. I’ve decided since then to leave the lights off out there all the time. So I just go out there with my flashlight and go to sleep. I’m not sure why I’m a bit squeamish, but they are really gross. It’s dark here at 6pm and light around 5:30am. The sun goes down really fast.

There was a funeral last Saturday for one of the chief’s wives. Efferal (she helps out here) took me to see the Goliwamkulu (sp???). They are a group who learn the traditional dances of Malawi and dance behind masks at funerals and around the house of the person who died to ward off evil spirits. People apparently aren’t supposed to know who the goliwamkulu are, but they usually do. They learn to dance in the graveyard, which is a bit freaky. You should never go to the graveyard at night, I guess they think you are a witch and the consequences are pretty bad (not that I ever would). The dancing was cool, but in general I’ll keep my distance.

Kids here have amazing rhythm. They dance and sing a lot and play really complex beats on the drums. There are a few girls going to secondary school that stay in a neighboring house and occasionally at night they get together and sing. It’s really cool. The electricity occasionally goes off from ~6-7:30 pm, so if dinner is not ready before then – like last night – than dinner is later, not really a big deal. The official language here is English, but there are a ton of tribal languages depending on the district that people live in. Down here a lot of people speak Chichewa.

It’s the joke of Boston that they don’t label the streets, but here they don’t always name the streets and often there is no address. There’s no address here, just go to Chitedze and ask for amayi Khalidwe (the mother of Khalidwe)… and you’ll find me there unless we’re off around the country somewhere.

The internet has been slower than cold tar. Just keep that in mind. The one e-mail I tried to respond to a few days ago took around ½ an hour to send and even then it didn’t get sent because there was an internet error. I logged off. Twice I was on the verge of posting 2 fascinating posts, but was kicked off the internet and I could not retrieve them. I could not be bothered at the time, but I now have a system, so no worries. Tomorrow we are driving back down to Mulanje to finish off the permaculture training and for me to set up some more interviews and site visits.

A friend shared some great advice, that when in Malawi you let things happen as they happen. People are more laid back about timing and transport is not always reliable, etc. Things tend to get done, but you have to be pretty chill about how.

I went into the lodge at Thuchila estates last week (Mulanje) and they were playing Islands in the Stream. It reminded me of an Adirondacks trip (the first time I ever heard that song) and my only under-40-die-hard-Dolly-fan friend.

Thanks all for the e-mails. I’m a bit overloaded on them, but I’ll get to them bit by bit. Oh- Tara, if my plants aren’t dead, would you mind watering them? Thanks. I should tell you more about what I’m doing here with nutrition and permaculture. For now I’ll just let you check out a website if you’re interested and I’ll give you my run down later. www.neverendingfood.org. I really shouldn’t write 2 novels in one post. Enjoy your summers!

First of all, this blog thing is not really ideal. The internet here is crazy slow and blogspot takes a while to load, but since I'm in, here's the latest. I'm leaving today for a permaculture training in Mulanje (more South). Apparently it's a potential spot for a future eco tourism deal. It should be gorgeous. I won't be hiking Mt Mulanje this week, but I will at some point this summer.

I'm really excited about an interview next week with a Malawian who is an expert in indigenous knowledge. Logistics and planning are quite a bit different here. In the past, Malawian knowledge and local foods have been stigmatized and in their place there has been monocropping, while many local plants are cut, cleared, and the soil swept. The diet is heavy on corn, but there's a lot of untapped potential. However, stigma and habits are hard to change. Probably I'll update this entry, but I'm off to the training so I really have to go. Have a great week. By the way, I'm happy I will not be here for termite season. I'm not in the mood to try them, but I hear they're good. Maybe another time.

I've arrived!

I just arrived on Monday. I'm happy to say that my luggage did too. We were getting off the plain in Adis Ababa when my connecting flight was suppose to be taking off. Thanks to a large Malawian school group that had traveled to Italy, they held the plane for us and our luggage. Phew! I thought I might have to wear the same outfit for a few days. I'll pack a change of clothes in my luggage from now on. They drive on the left side of the road here in Malawi. I need to get my phone unlocked so I can use it here, I now have Kwacha (money), and I have not yet started my research. Stacia and Kristof's house is amazing. I got the tour of the gardens yesterday. So far so good. Probably this is not fascinating, but you might be interested to know that I made it safe and things are good... there you have it. I'll try to make the next entry fascinating.

Off to Malawi, remembering Ghana

As many of you know I go to Malawi this week where I'll be

for 9 weeks. Last night I looked at some of my pictures from Ghana 2005. It's a beautiful country and the people are wonderful. Ghana is not close to Malawi. Malawi, as some of you know is in South East Africa just below Tanzania. Still, I'm adding a few Ghana pics to help you get excited for this adventure... or possibly a bit jealous. I think this blog is the best way for me to keep everyone updated on what I'm up to. I'm not an avid blogger, but I'll do my best. I may not add pictures until I get home in late August. Well we'll see. Once again - stay tuned and have a great summer!

Team Sweetfeet 2008

Sweetfeet...We had 85 runners finish this year's May 10th, 2008 1/2 marathon in Alton Bay at Lake Winnipesaukee. The weather turned out to be beautiful, which helped to keep our numbers up. Pictured here is Team Sweetfeet 2008: the abridged version.

Thanks to the runners, the "fans", and of course, the photographers. Another great year... 5th...

Happy Anniversary Team Sweetfeet!

Sat May 24, 2008: Adirondack's high peaks

Memorial Day weekend: Gothic peaks hike in the Adirondacks. This is taken from the pyramids. The hike was just over 13 miles. No worries, we left Boston just after 4... a.m. and started hiking around 9:30. The Gothics is an amazing hike and I highly recommend it.

Just starting

Just started this blogging deal. Stay tuned...