Where did Mary Poppins get that bag?

So I realize that I am writing things a bit in reverse….I now see that you really have to keep up with these blogs or you fall amazingly behind! But I have to dedicate a few words to the packing experience.

I am my grandmother’s granddaughter (my mother’s mother) without a doubt. Now, maybe she would dispute this…but my guess is a lot of my family would know what I am talking about. We are both outspoken, adventurous, determined, a little controlling, absolutely type A, wonderful women. I did not however, get my grandmother’s ability to pack lightly. So sad considering my addiction to moving and travel.

I used to watch my grandmother pack for two week trips in a carry-on. Her travel clothes were always black and white so everything matched. She had the most amazing travel case for all her make-up…she had everything you could dream of needing and more. I remember my cousin and I were on a night train in Italy with her when we were 15 and she pulled out this little spray of rosewater to freshen our dry faces. Rosewater?! Who carries rosewater? I have always tried to emulate her by having band-aids, safety-pin, a lint roller, etc. with me at all times. I want to be the one can pull what anyone might be looking from her bag and hand it over to the surprised recipient. I do pretty well, but unlike my grandmother, it usually looks like I have everything but the kitchen sink with me.

You would have thought that considering I have changed addresses 10 times in 10 years (three of those being cross country moves) I would have learned to reduce. No. I now have two households worth of stuff. One sitting nicely packed in my mother’s garage, the other integrated into a lovely friend’s new digs in Manhattan.

I hate brown boxes. My cat hates them too. Boxes and suitcases. He knows what packing means – and it is never good in his opinion. I think of myself as organized and neat, not a pack rat at all, so where does all the stuff come from? I knew I was in trouble when I actually developed the talent to predict if my suitcase was over 50 lbs. I am good…frequently it would weigh in at 48 or 49, sometimes even 49.5. I can feel my grandmother shudder from here.

I was determined to pack light for this trip. I needed to be able to carry everything on my back. Well, it all will be going on my back. All 42 lbs. of it.

A hop, skip, three planes, and a bus...

So I am leaving for Africa in three days. Malawi to be more specific.

I am only going to be gone for seven weeks, but a well traveled kindred spirit advised me to write a blog while I was gone, and I figure if I have the blessing of a returned peace corps volunteer(rpcv)...it must be okay.

I have always wanted to do something like this. In fact, I idolize my rpcv and global teaching friends. I really do. I have never quite gotten up the courage to do something like this and am so glad that I am finally taking the plunge, even in a small way.

So what am I doing you may ask? Well, that's a very good question. One that I often ask myself. As I am sure you will continue to see, there are lots of really good questions about this whole endeavor and I do have answers for some of them...others, not so much.

Many of you know I am at the tail end (god willing) of my M.A. program at Teachers College where I have been studying international educational development for the past two years. And as luck would have it, I was offered the wonderful opportunity to go to Malawi by a research center at Columbia University during my last semester.

I will be doing an educational needs assessment in Blantyre, the largest city in Malawi, as part of the Millennium Cities Initiative. This assessment is just a small part of a lot of work being done on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which I am not really going to go into in great detail here. I will say that the United Nations has outlined eight goals aimed at reducing extreme poverty and the "education goal" is for there to be universal primary education by 2015. So I am going to Blantyre to see what it would take, mainly in terms of costs, for this to happen there in that time frame. Okay, I am done with my explanation now. All of you can exhale with relief. For those of you who have listed patiently with glassy eyes for the last few years while I try to explain what I am studying, this will have to do. I promise that I will not focus my blog on these technicalities.

So off I am going to Malawi, via Italy, via Ethiopia and hence the title of this first post. I am not going to think about the route I am taking for my return flight yet, that will have to be the subject of another post. I am arriving in Lilongwe, the capitol of Malawi, on Monday morning where I will stay for about five days until I take a bus or turbo prop to Blantyre. That is the most concrete information I can give you right now. Do I know where I am staying? Will someone be meeting me? Do I have any kind of plan?!?! No, not really. And strangely, I am really okay with that finally. I certainly have spent hours pondering, worrying, searching the internet...and for the first time, I have a total sense of calm about the complete lack of a plan. It's going to be okay (mom, dad, repeat that with me).

I saw a wonderful documentary last weekend as part of the DC Environmental Film Festival called "Water First." The entire thing was shot in Malawi and actually the NGO featured in the film is based in Blantyre. "Water First" focuses on the "water goal" of the MDGs and is fantastic. I encourage you to visit the website, and see it if ever possible. Anyway, I met the filmmaker and she has already put me in touch with the head of the NGO in Blantyre. He emailed me right away. In addition, an American teaching English about an hour from my city has treated me like an old friend. The staff at the embassy has tried to help me even though I will not be in the capitol and am in no way associated with the post there. Repeatedly, everyone has gone above and beyond, is continually gracious, and welcomes me to the "Warm Heart of Africa." If total strangers are so great, why worry?

With that I will say "tiwonana" (Chichewa for see you later) and "hello" to the Warm Heart of Africa. Wish me luck!