After endless hours of travel, we finally made it to Malawi! It took us a total of 3 flights to 3 different continents in the span of 4 days to finally arrive in Blantyre, Malawi. Once we landed in Lilongwe after our third flight, we were greeted by the warm and friendly Mr. Richard who would be transporting us the 4 hours from Lilongwe to Blantyre, and the other 4 interns from Tanzania who would be working at the Malawi Polytechnic (Poly for short) with us. Despite being exhausted and jet-lagged, I appreciated seeing the more rural parts of the country. Along the road we would pass through the central markets of towns with people selling an assortment of produce and goods. Little did we know that the road we traveled on spanned the border between Mozambique and Malawi. It was astounding to think that all you had to do was cross the road and you were in an entirely different country.

After settling into the lodge in Blantyre, we visited Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Malawi Polytechnic University where we will be observing patient care and working on our projects. Unfortunately, we were not able to walk around much of the hospital, but in the next couple of day we will hopefully be able to see the NICU for observations and research for future projects. After, a few of the Malawian interns took us around the Poly campus which has a huge library right next to the main campus where I assume we will spend quite a bit of time doing background research for our projects. So far everyone we have met on our trip has been so friendly and helpful, especially the Rice 360 staff in Malawi and other Malawian interns. I am excited to work alongside students who are passionate and eager to begin working.

Over the weekend, we explored some of the city on foot and went to the Museum of Malawi. The museum took us through the different ages of Malawian culture and history which was neat, especially all of the artifacts. We also had our first attempt at washing clothes by hand this weekend. Although it was time consuming and I may have lost a layer of skin on my fingers, finishing was relieving and gratifying until we have to repeat it again next week.

 

Most mornings, we enjoyed the gorgeous view from the lodge and talked with the Joel and Cholo, two of the Tanzanian interns. Some of the stories of their home were hard to believe,especially the ones with elephants simply passing by homes and monkeys stealing cell phones. Our stories from back home were definitely less exciting than theirs. Despite the lively city nearby which always some sort of music playing that just makes you want to dance, its also nice to relax with a book and be surrounded by all the colorful trees and flowers. One characteristic I have noticed is that color seems to be a vibrant and prominent aspect in Malawi, from the nature that surrounds everything, to the painting on the buildings, and the typical attire of many natives.

Monday will begin our first official day of work at the Poly which I am a bit nervous about, but I am sure will be fun getting to know everyone. After our first week of work I am sure I will have much more to share so stay tuned for my next blog!

Tiwonana nthawi yina (see you later)

– S