moni malawi

summer love.

noreply@blogger.com (Kristina Lugo) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 20:45:00 +0000

this is MY summer love:

http://www.ei-malawi.org/

debug her pls&ty (:
especially in IE. grr IE.

Sustainability and a Soft Heart

noreply@blogger.com (Kristina Lugo) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 05:54:00 +0000

It always amazes me how just when my feet are steadying on the new ground I tread, that the end lurks nearby, and change is yet again ready to sweep me off my feet.

When I first got to Malawi, I'd constantly asked why, and had to take deliberate time to pause and ponder my actions. I can now say that I'm getting into the swing of things. I'm adapting to the culture, to the TIA(this is africa) moments, and to the heartbreaking realities of nationals.

Within my first weeks here, my heart broke upon hearing that Ninth Grade girls were dropping out of school at an alarming rate of 1/5 due to pregnancies. I paused too long and pondered too much, and the opportunity to run workshops with these girls passed me by as they began their winter vacation. I still wonder if I could have helped even one girl if I had acted sooner.

Then, our day guard told us of his inability to pay for his son's high school tuition. We brainstormed ways to help and were fairly set on an AmazonFresh-type service. Again, I paused and had to ponder this idea. When I could no longer sit still, I talked to the guard and on the fly proposed that his wife cook us dinner twice a week. We pay her a salary that allows exercise books for his 4 youngest children, and hopefully helps in paying the high school tuition as well. However, this service needs work. What will happen when we're gone? I can't quite place a checkmark in the sustainability box.

One evening, we discovered our night guard's son was in the hospital. Asking if he was doing ok, the guard replied that yes, he was ok, but the doctor said that he needs Sobo to boost his sugar levels, and he couldn’t afford to buy it. Sobo is a juice concentrate - a small bottle costs no more than $1CDN. Our guard's son was in the hospital, and he couldn't afford the $1 it would take to make him better. The next day, we gave our guard the largest bottle of Sobo we could find. Pineapple (: Was that a sustainable action? Probably not, but at times like this, compassion triumphed sustainability, and a soft heart triumphed over a strategic action plan.

Lastly, Kathleen and I saw a crippled old woman at the market dragging herself along. We avoided eye contact, and sat on the ground eating our snack. We must have had 8 bags full of groceries, but quickly shook our heads as she reached out her hand, begging. She dragged herself along, and stopped 5m away from us. As we snuck glances at her, we decided to offer her some fruit and cookies.

After 7 weeks and meeting face to face with poverty, injustice, and illness, my heart continues to break with every struggle I hear and to be uplifted with every ray of hope. After 7 weeks, I've learned that I could have all the money in the world, I could have intelligence that revolutionize systems, I could have compassion that cries at the sight of suffering, but if I have not love, I am nothing. What good is money if I don't love the poor I am supporting? What good is intellect if I don't love the beneficiaries of systems change? And what good is compassion if I don't love enough to act on my heartbreak? Nothing. Nothing is anything without love.

Yes, there are times when questions of sustainability arise. These questions should be raised a majority of the time. But also there are times, when before judging and trying to make a strategic move, it's important to simply be human and love. To let love just overwhelm you and do what your heart reveals is the right thing to do. And these moments, moments where you just love, are byfar the sweetest ones (:

Ain't No Mountain High

noreply@blogger.com (Kristina Lugo) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 14:34:00 +0000

I had the amazing opportunity to do a 3-day climb of Mt. Mulanje-Central Africa's highest point. It was my first mountain climb(because Kathleen said the mountain by the UW colleges doesn't count).

The first day, we led the pack and climbed to the plateau in 3.5h. NBD(no big deal), as Jonny says. It felt like being on the stairmaster for 3.5 straight hours.

Day 2, we opted for Chambe Peak. It was an unusually foggy day, and our guide had never been up Chambe before. Both are prerequisites for an interesting climb. The first day was a physical challenge, but this day was an emotional challenge. After 3h, we were within 200m of the peak. However, these last 200m was a vertical free climb. Free as in no harnesses, not free as in you don't have to pay. My heart raced with every move I took. I was so close, yet so far, and I was determined to make it to the top. Unfortunately, our guide was not confident in our free-climbing skills, and advised us to go back down.

Disappointing? Very much, yes. But there are many lessons you can learn from climbing a mountain, and these lessons can be applied accordingly.

I learned that foggy days can be a blessing because you can't see how close to the edge you are, and you focus solely on your steps, not fear of falling. I learned that making it to the top does not mean a constant upward climb, there are points in which you are walking straight, and there are points when you are going down. Some steps are easy, and others can't be taken without the help of a teammate. And sometimes, you have to give yourself more credit than you think. You have to trust that you will be able to pull yourself up and get your feet onto the next footholds. That when you're not sure of your steps, ask someone who can see your path more clearly than you can. I learned that sometimes going down, and taking steps back are much scarier than taking steps forward. There are times when all you want to do is keep going, ignoring your limitations, and you have to accept that maybe you won't make it. I felt the exhilaration of pushing the boundaries of nature and self, and it felt wonderful. Maybe the timing wasn't right, maybe I wasn't ready, and maybe I'll get another chance at Chambe. 2010 anyone?

Evening Poetry

noreply@blogger.com (Kristina Lugo) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 12:51:00 +0000

my church was wonderful enough to write me one letter for each day that i'm in malawi - that's alot of letters! the letters have been wonderful and an amazing encouragement, especially when i'm having a rougher-than-usual day. i opened my letter one night and found a poem written for me. thank you tito jonie (: no one's ever written me a poem before. it's wonderful and certainly my prayer that i can live it out (:

-------------------------------------------------

The Lord Leads Me to Africa

My precious child you made me proud
you've heed my call no matter how hard
Away from home, in Africa you'll roam
so that the love of Christ will be known
and the way, truth and life will be shown

My gentle voice will always fill your ears
so it can wash away all of your fears
You'll feel alone in the middle of nowhere
Far away from home with a burden to bear
Yet my child, all's well for your Lord is near

Kristina, never be afraid if you face a wall
when problems seemed like a mountain tall
when it's hard to go on and follow the call
don't you give up, just move on and roll
The Lord your God will take care of it all.

When the path is dark as the African night
and nothing but troubles are what's in sight
I'll light up the sky and will make it bright
don't you worry, everything will be all right
I'll hold you tight, and I'll carry you my child.

A Day in the Life...

noreply@blogger.com (Kristina Lugo) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 06:18:00 +0000

in case you are wondering what it's like....

6am. Sean Kingston’s “Beautiful Girl” is my 5 minute warning to get out of bed. I grab my Bible and journal and start the day off feeding my spiritual self. Breakfast consists of a banana with oatmeal or toast and peanut butter, but always a banana because Malawian bananas are wonderful (:

7:27am. Greet the day guard with “Mwadzuka bwanji” and begin my uphill commute to the office.

7:30am. Arrive at the office. From here my day takes 1 of 2 paths:

Office Day

Field Day

Start up the computer and create a quick to-do list for the day. I open Notepad and exercise my brain by hard coding web pages. I’m a code monkey. I wrestle with style sheets until I either get too frustrated - with things like why my in-line lists don’t appear to be in-line – or the code works.

9am. Out of frustration with broken code or pure joy with working style sheets, I make myself a half coffee/half chocolate before going back at it (:

10am. I’m freezing cold so I pay a visit to different program offices and set dates to do field visits.

12pm. Lunch time (: I ask the day guard how his family is. He tells me stories of his hardships and I smile politely.

1pm. I prepare tea and toast for the guard and we agree on a way that I can help. The office is empty, so I catch up on emails before working on something more creative: print or news articles for the site.

4pm. I message Kathleen to tell her how wonderful Rhoda’s cooking smells up here. We discuss food and potential dinner concoctions.

I wrap my chitenge 2x around my waist while waiting for the vehicle to be prepared. We drive to Miloso and pick up field staff and continue an hour to our destined village.

830am. We’re well on the village roads and hear countless children jumping, waving and shouting “Azungu azungu!” before running after the truck.

9am. We arrive at a village to a group of women welcoming us in song. The team gets to work – doing demonstrations, workshops, or well rehabilitations – and I watch, and try to snap photos that capture the true essence of the project. I snap a few pictures of the children, and join in their laughter as I show them their pictures.

1130am. The team finishes their work we take time to take what the village women have prepared – a drink or meal – before continuing to the next villages.

230pm. My stomach is starting to grumble as we wrap up at the last village and set off for Zomba.

4pm. Back to the mountains. I upload my photos and select the best ones for the website.

5pm. Pack up – I must get home before it gets too dark and I can’t see the path I’m walking.

545pm. After discussing our days, Kathleen, Kirsten and I think of something creative to make for dinner.

603pm. “OH MAN…” we say simultaneously as the power goes off right when we’ve started cooking. We stumble around for matches and candles, and continue to cook on our single gas burner.

730pm. Dinner is served (always with NALI - Malawian Hot Sauce) and dessert is one piece of chocolate (must ration the chocolate!), and a banana with peanut butter. Yum =)

815pm. Dishes are done and the ironing party starts. There is someone ironing every day.

10pm. My roommates have gone to bed already and I’m still working on something. I make a hot cup of tea and toast for the night guard and ask how his family is. He tells me they’re doing well and asks me for a Bible. English, Chichewa, “Anything will do because I have no resources”, he says. I nod my head and say that I will try to get him something.

11pm. I reflect on the day and read. I pull out my daily letter from my church that always puts a smile on my face. I thank God for the day and pray for strength and wisdom, then fall asleep with more questions in my mind than I had when the day started.

When to Take a Leap of Faith

noreply@blogger.com (Kristina Lugo) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 13:03:00 +0000

[ Edit: As the typed the last line, there was a knock on the door and it was the gardener, wanting to introduce 2/5 of his children to us while the eldest son worked. ]

I was chatting with my guard the other day and asked how his family was. he said his 5 children were doing well but he was upset because his eldest son got "fired" from secondary school. a term at this school is 4000MKw (~$35CDN), but he could only afford half his son's tuition and the timing is particularly bad because finals are next week. Imagine not being able to afford secondary school? My heart breaks upon hearing struggles like this.

I let my emotions calm and went to seek advice from a colleague. it seemed like a story she'd heard a thousand times over and advised not to give him the money, unless of course I wanted to.

So I've been stuck in an emotional battle over the only options my mind sees fit:

1. Give the guard money
2. Don't give him money
3. Create a solution

If I give the guard the money, presumably, his son will be able to write his exams. However, there are 2 more terms in this school year. Do I give simply because I can? Going with option 1 is a quick fix, it's not sustainable. Even if I do give him the amount, how do I know it will go towards his son's education? I'm reminded of how Elizabeth Gilbert raised money for a house for a Balinese family, but was greatly deceived along the way.

Or I could harden my heart and turn my back? If I do not give the guard money, what will happen to his son? How will his future play out? I have the opportunity to create an opportunity for change. If valued, his education could equip with the skills needed to be a change maker in Malawi.

I analyze each pro and con and weigh the arguments on my scale of sustainability. I wonder if there are ever times when the pros and cons don't need to be weighed out, and I could just count on good people doing good things. If there can be times when we don't need to play out what is sustainable, what is better for the future, or even what is right, and just act?

I think these times exist. I've seen it happen. I've experienced it happening. I got to Malawi through the leaps of faith taken by family, friends, and complete strangers that I would be a good steward of their money.

If a stranger can take a leap of faith on me, surely I should be able to do the same.

But there is a third option. It's one that takes effort, but is the best one. Instead of simply giving money or holding back, there is a middle ground and it's not too difficult. Micro-lending, setting up a service or providing small-scale employment. So we're thinking something simple. Since we don't have a vehicle, we'll pay for him to buy and deliver our groceries. We're thinking AmazonFresh minus Amazon. We'll help sell this service to the neighbours as well so that he can continue to earn tuition money after we leave. This will be done on weekends so it does not cut into the school week. I dream of this service going to scale and maybe even paying his University tuition. Imagine?

So my leap of faith is in knowing that this will work. Am I doing the right thing? I'm not quite sure, but I'm doing something, and I know that that in itself is better than nothing.

heart of grace, soul of love.

noreply@blogger.com (Kristina Lugo) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 13:50:00 +0000

"Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve.... You don't have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love."

-- Martin Luther King, Jr
from i-heart (:

seek and find

noreply@blogger.com (Kristina Lugo) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 13:25:00 +0000

One of the personal goals I set for myself during my time in Malawi was to "find God". Yes yes, I know who God is, what He's done, and what He commands, but I'm looking for more, a relationship with Him. I want faith that can move mountains, a heart that breaks for the lost. For the past month, I've been searching in books, the Bible, my strong-in-faith roommates, diligent co-workers, passionate friends, supporters back home, and the stories of the poor, but have yet to succeed. I realized that I was looking in all the wrong places. I'd become far-sighted, and couldn't see what was staring me in the face.

"The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart"
- Romans 10:8

Faith is personal. Romans 10:8 is a reminder that faith begins within. Before venturing off into foreign territory, look inside you or beside you.

Kathleen and I were discussing how we satisfy spiritual thirst along with physical thirst to the villages we visit? Because really, we're here to reach out to the rural villages. We realized that maybe that's not our battlefield(due to the circumstances, and also it's not quite sustainable). So who then can we reach out to? Answer: our co-workers, guards, neighbours. Opportunities are plentiful and friendships are already established. My job only requires me to go into the villages 2-3 times a week, and it's always different villages. I was trying to fight a fight that wasn't mine. Over the past few days, I've learned the following:

My colleague doesn't his own children, but is raising an orphaned girl
A high-schooler from my church was "encouraged" by my desire to use my math skills for change that he started reading about Waterloo and has his mind set on ActSci

I've focused so much on trying to share God's love to a distant crowd, that I've dismissed the work He can do within the people around me. It's humbling . For all I know, it could be my guards or colleagues who are the ones struggling to feed their families and it could be the people around me who are HIV/AIDS positive and fighting a constant battle. Is it not odd that I know the unemployment of Canada or Waterloo even, but don't even know the employment status of my neighbours? Or the outrageous stats of University graduates in Malawi, but don't even know if my co-workers can afford to send their children to University? It is odd, and I don't think it's right.

So not everyone'sprimary battlefield is in the rural villages of Malawi. It may not be mine, but today I learned that my night guard and I attend the same church. Your main battlefield could be the cashier you see daily at the coffee shop, your elderly neighbour, or even just your family. While(or before) helping those in the distance, don't make the mistake of overlooking those right in front of you.

click click

noreply@blogger.com (Kristina Lugo) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 21:17:00 +0000

for the people who just like photos (:

i moved 2 houses down the hill on the weekend with kathleen and kirsten(med student from cambridge). we are definitely not roughing it here in malawi. our house is complete with hot water, a living room spacious enough for P90X and a washing machine. However, the power does go out frequently, making our electric stove unusuable. kathleen and i are sharing a fairly large room and i even have a bookshelf and reading lamp :D

monday july 6 was malawi republic day (a national holiday), and the eggerts were kind enough to let us tag along their visit to liwonde national park. we took the company truck, which was made for game parks and spent the morning driving through the game reserve. upon turning a corner at 40km/h, we came within 10 feet of a GIGANTIC elephant :O oh my. it flapped it's ears(bad sign) and we slowly and safely backed away. a few minutes later, we stumbled upon a little baby elephant. mike drove up a few meters so that we could get a look at the mama elephant. being a tourist, i had half my body out the window in attempts of getting a good shot. all of a sudden, the mama elephant flapped it's ears, raised it's trunk (another bad sign), trumpeted(extremely bad sign), and started charging towards us(sign to get out of there!). mike stomped on the gas pedal as jonny yelled "go go go!" and i went flying backwards, with my feet flipping over my head. sure beats african lion safari ;p

we had a marvelous lunch at mvuu lodge, and kathleen and i took a boat safari along the river in the afternoon. we saw more species of birds than i can count, water bucks, crocs, hippos, and we were particularly lucky to find a herd of 50+ elephants. it was amazing to see animals in their natural habitat.

at times i feel like i'm cheating, that i'm not embracing a truly malawian experience. but why does development work or missions have to mean roughing it? i'm learning, and i think that's what truly matters.

new house complete with a washing machine (:

liwonde game park (:

we got trumpeted and chased by a mama elephant hence the blurry photos :O

romans 2:13

noreply@blogger.com (Kristina Lugo) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 13:11:00 +0000

[ Edit: Through this journey of 2 months, I want to be raw in sharing my accounts and emotions. I want to go beyond the emotional highs and the "amazingness" of being in Malawi and be transparent in who I am and what I'm feeling. ]

"For it is not those who hear the law that are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the Law who will be declared righteous."
-romans 2:13

I grew up in a Christian family, am able to recite all the books of the Bible, and know how to pray in front of a crowd, but none of these indicators prove that I'm a faithful Christian. Lots of people grow up in church, memorize the song that goes along with the books of the Bible, and have heard enough prayers to know what to say to have people "Amen" your prayers.

If I had to be completely honest, God has alot of work to do on me. I don't think I quite measure up to the faith that's required of someone in my position. And to be even more honest, I wanted to come to Malawi to find God. Whether it be through experiences of hunger or through a verse that I read, I came here ready to be broken and moulded into the person God has intended for me to be. And yes, I also came here to show God's love by doing His work.

It's very easy for me to be passive but I'm learning the urgency of breaking out of my passive comforts and executing the plans God has for me. Knowing poverty is one thing, experiencing poverty is another, and acting on poverty is yet another. If I come back with a whole notebook of lessons that God has taught and do nothing, I'd be a failure. Above hearing, I need to understand, and above seeing, I need to perceive.

This verse is a challenge not only to me, but to everyone. To everyone that knows that there is poverty in the world, there is more to knowing. To everyone that sees injustice in their community, there is more to seeing. And to everyone that hears the cries of the helpless, there is more to hearing. Knowing, seeing and hearing this holds us accountable to do something, anything, may it be small or big.

ride for africycle

noreply@blogger.com (Kristina Lugo) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:38:00 +0000

for my short stay at the country directors' home, i have jonny living on the other side of my bedroom wall. at the dinner table today, he announced that he would be gone for the weekend "just in case you care or something". i asked where he was going and he said he was off to Mt Mulange (Malawi's tallest mountain), not to do the climb, but to go around it. why? because that's johnny. he seems like your typical 20-something guy, but there are a few things that are not so typical 20-something of him:

Name: Jonny Perrott
Title: Africycle Country Director (Malawi)
Job: A little bit of everything.
Age: 22 and a 1/2
Status: Single
Height: Huge
Weight: 185lbs

My name is Jonny. I say and write the word “bike” in any given day enough times that it hurts. Am I a cyclist, you ask? Answer: Yes, but I think of my self more like a Cyclogist.

I live on a mountain. Cool eh? The Ride for Africycle is a thing that excites me. What are some other things that excite me, you ask? Answer: big fires, high speed, blueprint and technical drawings, big ideas, a good poo, cool drawings, nice people, keepin’ it real, good storytelling, jokes, adventure, music . . .

I am not going to be joining any of you in the “Ride for Africycle.” But, I will be doing a version of the “Ride from Africycle”
my ride will be a self supported solo ride from July 3–5/2009.

Day One: Starting at the Africycle shop located in Zomba, Malawi. I will be riding south to Mount Mulanje (Malawi’s tallest mountain)
Day Two: Riding around the mountain
Day Three: riding back to Zomba. (home) I will also be taking pictures along the way!

jonny is one of the co-founders of africycle and has been in malawi for the past 2 years setting up their initiative here. through the "re-cycle"-ing of bikes and bike shops in both canada and malawi, africycle's vision is to "use what we’ve got to provide those without opportunities the tools and a way to begin to lift themselves and their communities out of poverty.

jonny is trying to raise $100 for his SOLO ride to and around Mount Mulange - an estimated 211km while a team back in canada bikes around lake ontario. africycle is a great initiative and is truly empowering malawians. donate to africycle here.

10/50 = too many

noreply@blogger.com (Kristina Lugo) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 17:23:00 +0000

this morning i went out with the water&sanitation team to a sanitation training. the training is for members of a village in which we recently rehabilitated a well and teaches the importance of hand washing, etc. to avoid fecal-oral diseases such as cholera.

before the training started, we had the chance to speak to headmaster emmanuel of the secondary school which was allowing us the space for training. for the sake of conservation, i asked him how long he'd been headmaster, how many students he had, how many went on to college, etc. this year is his 10th, there are 300 students across the 4 grades, and about 3-5 go on to college every year, he responded. emmanuel went on to disclose his school's problem: young pregnancies. this school year alone, 10/50 first year girls have dropped out due to pregnancies.

10 out of 50.

i stared at him with a dropped jaw and felt shocked, sad and mad all at the same time. i was shocked that this statistic was so large, sad that these girls would never be able to see their dreams come true, mad that they didn't make better decisions for themselves. i looked into the faces of the girls around me and couldn't help but wonder which face would soon disappear from the school due to pregnancy. "they don't value their education" he explained.

endless questions overflowed my brain's capacity: what do these girls dream of? what will it take to decrease these numbers? why does this happen? and most haunting "what should i do? what can i do?"

so i offered to talk to the girls and lead a workshop for them. on what? i have no idea. maybe on leadership, decision-making, realizing dreams.

any advice is most welcome and needed (HE).

_____________________________________
and some fun stuff:
great great weekend (:

friday night; watched jack&the beanstalk at the international school, babysat for the eggerts, watched madagascar(go africa!), and stayed up talking to kathleen until 1am - weee party animals.

saturday: zomba market and bargained (YES, me, bargaining) 3 chitenges for 1500MK, went to thomas' 5th birthday extravaganza, and a bbq/meetup across the road that was full of masters'/phd students researching for the world bank

sunday: went to church in blantyre, split a boneless chicken lunch with kathleen since my order was missed, then no longer available, played volleyball(YES, me, volleyball!) with local volunteers, went to the local hangout to watch the confederations cup final (where this malawian man kept chanting "O-BA-MA O-BA-MA")

discussing ways that fecal waste can make its way to your mouth

paying attention in training, realizing the importance of hand washing

kathleen and i found a baby boy with asian eyes to bring home (:

im hungry.

noreply@blogger.com (Kristina Lugo) — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 11:17:00 +0000

my first full week in malawi involved 4 hosted dinners in a row, a chichewa lesson, liwonde prayer day, and 2 days out in the field.

on wednesday, i went out with the world food programme(wfp) staff to do food distributions. wfp has a FoodforWork pilot wherein beneficiaries work certain tasks and are paid with food. i asked kathleen what she usually does for lunch when she's out in the field and she said "oh, well we don't really eat lunch when we're in the field". oh...ok. i brought a kitkat bar along with me "just in case".

by 11am, we were at our 2nd distribution centre and the men had to pick up more food from the warehouse. i stayed at the school with another woman. the younger children were already done school and sat in front of me staring. after my failed attempts in conversing in english and chichewa, i decided to organize a game: boys catch girls. this took 15min. for the next 2h, we played any game i could recall from my childhood. 2h later the men return and we proceed with the distributions. by this time, i was feeling a bit lightheaded thanks to the hot village sun - what a change from the mountains. i take a sip of water and feel slightly better. the lightheadedness continued and mixed in with feeling faint. i continued to find comfort in water. i felt like throwing up but had nothing to throw up. at 630pm (almost 12h since breakfast), i finally sit down for a meal.

yes, maybe i was being a bit dramatic but eating 2 meals a day is not the norm for me. yes, i could have eaten the kitkat, but it wasnt something i'd be able to share with my 3 coworkers. no, i was not going to faint, so i just sucked it up. if my coworkers are not eating, i didn't feel that i needed to either. this is culture and i didn't want to be a weak little canadian girl.

the reality is, hunger and poverty is real. it's rampant. and this experience was a lesson in humility and simplicity. i'm learning to be sincere in giving thanks for food rather than just saying the words. most malawians can only afford to eat 1-2 meals a day. most times, the meals are the same: nsima, vegetables, and sometimes a bit of meat. one coworker was asked by a malawian "i heard in canada, you eat something different for 3 days". all she could do was smile and brush it off because in canada, it's very easy to eat something different everyday for a month.

so there you have it. the girl that loves food went struggled through 12h without eating (:

world food programme projects

water & sanitation projects

time, please slow down.

noreply@blogger.com (Kristina Lugo) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:07:00 +0000

whether you're someone with high expectations or low expectations, the fact is that you will always have some expectations or idea in your mind of how something will be or feel. over the next 2 months, i expect to learn about international development, malawian/african culture, myself, God, and my purpose in life. and so, i've had some interesting learning experiences over the past 8 days:

malawi has mountains EVERYWHERE. mountains and valleys and trees and stars. this is a beautiful country.
there are always people walking on the side of the roads. where to? wherever their heart desires.
when offered nsima (flour-y porridge, malawian equivalent of rice), it is BURNING hot. do not try to grab it slowly with your whole hand. wet your fingertips beforehand taking it.
i am chinese, or assumed to be so. asian girl = china girl ;p maybe it's my bangs
children in the villages are shy but absolutely love to have their photo taken. they have kung fu poses.
mefloquine (my anti-malarial) will cause me to burn easily, and make my tan fade quicker (no black beauty this summer)
my chichewa rocks: muli bwanji. ndili bwino, kaya inu? mukupita kuti? ndzina langu kristina.
i'm weak. malawian women carry 15kg on their heads like it's nothing. i tried lifting with one arm and failed.
food is priced about equal to canadian food. imported food is crazy overpriced, cheerios=$30CDN.
the power goes out at least once a day for stretches of 1-3h, and usually during dinner time.
Being out at 11pm is a late night. I sleep at 1030pm, wake up at 6am, start work by 715am.

for the sake of a short post, i shall leave it at that. and of course some pictures:

victor, the papaya climber and me, the climbing failure

beautiful lake malawi (:

kathleen and i (:

battlefields

noreply@blogger.com (Kristina Lugo) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 10:05:00 +0000

oftentimes, aid workers and missions volunteers fit more or less to certain criteria: well-travelled, minimalistic, outdoors-y, big-hearted, and vocal about their passions. admittedly, i fit few if any of those criteria. i've been told "you're not exactly low-maintenance" and "i never imagined you'd want to go on missions", which makes me laugh ;p not because it's not true, but why does there need to be preconceived qualities of an aid worker or of someone wanting to go on missions?

lately i've been questioning more and more of what my place or where my calling is in this diverse world. if i had a say, i'd be an international food taster/blogger. i think i'd be quite good at that (: but really, if i had a say, it would be a position which involves alot of travelling and eating.

lately i've been learning more and more that it matters less what i want and more what God wants, more what there is a need for. i've been questioning how i can use my technical skills for change and have crossing my fingers that the answer will be one in which i can work directly with international development (travelling included!). in recent conversations, i've been told

"maybe the corporate field is your mission field. that it's not bad to make money because initiatives need to be supported somehow. if you can get a good job that pays you well, take it! because there are many people who need your support"

part of me says "Yes!" the corporate world is my battlefield. i could mitigate change amongst the for-profit sector. i could encourage people to be stewards of their money. how many ways have i complained that the corporate sector cares too much about themselves and money and too little about injustice? maybe my place is in the corporate world. but another part of me says "No..." i want to work with people. i want to be amongst the poorest of the poor and be there when they have their first taste of clean water.

so God, i'll wait for Your verdict, otherwise, i'll fail.

Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.
acts 5:38-39

entering phase 2

noreply@blogger.com (Kristina Lugo) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 19:38:00 +0000

and the honeymoon phase is over.
i miss home =(

theorize and apply

noreply@blogger.com (Kristina Lugo) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:39:00 +0000

when i first read that malawi is 80% christian (55% protestant, 25% catholic), i was impressed and thanked God that the people here not only know who He is, but also believe in Him. i thought this demographic would be a plus in my work.

we had a cultural orientation session with a young pastor's wife and she told us

"christianity in africa is like a very very wide lake...that's only 1 inch deep"

she continued in telling us that numbers are merely numbers and i heard firsthand her accounts that handouts and aid are not enough. victory told us how missionaries came to malawi with arms filled of things to give away and how when asked to receive Christ into their lives, people routinely raised their hands without commitment or knowing what they were doing. numbers are just numbers, used to fund projects and show concrete figures that work is being done and money is well-spent. i am slowly beginning to match faces and names to theories of development and aid. no longer is dead aid a book, but the story of a friend and of many around me.

the first dinner i was here, a newly ordained malawian pastor said grace and prayed

"Lord, bless those that do not have any food to eat today"

this prayer was sincere and so real, so much more meaningful than how i pray for the hungry.

reality and malawi is making real of the all the theories and stories i've been reading.

i live on a mountain

molly and the mountains. this dog is bigger than me :O

zomba market

zomba market; they re-use tin and make it shiny and usable

Mulibwanji!

noreply@blogger.com (Kristina Lugo) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:01:00 +0000

after 34h (including a 7h flight to london, 12h layover in london, 11h flight to johannesburg, 3h wait, 3h flight), i have finally arrived in Malawi. Thanks to everyone for your support and prayers in getting me here =)

Disclaimer: Please excuse any spelling, grammar or logic mistakes in this post. I am lacking sleep.

Malawi is very mountainous! Much more so than I ever imagined. Mountains all around, and I'm determined to climb some. Kathleen and I already gave word to Paul that we'd like to climb Mt. Mulanji (just less than 10 000 ft) in July. The Zomba plateau is about 7000, so we can practice with that anytime we want.

When we arrived in Blantyre, I stepped off the plane, only to look up and see a 50m balcony completely filled with people cheering and waving to their friends and family arriving on the plane. It was quite a sight and made me smile =) I looked up to look for Kathleen, Paul and Helen, but failed. So instead, I took a 360 degree look around me and marvelled that I made it. I passed immigration and was immediately greeted by Paul in the baggage claim area. How did he get there? He has connections ;p I found my luggage and we were off with Kathleen for some lunch and grocery shopping (where we definitely tried to leave from the entrance).

I exchanged $200USD ($1USD=172 Kwacha), and the largest bill is 500 Kwacha, meaning I had a big wad of money. Cereal is expensive! I think 800 Kwacha for a smaller-than-regular box, and books are REALLY expensive: 9000!

When I was landing in Joburg, I thought "I'm in South Africa...AFRICA?! I'm in Africa!" I had a beautiful sunrise flight in where we were soaring above the clouds. In the distance, I could see the soft red soft rising. It colouring the land below, but also peaked through the low clouds above. Beautiful =) I'm a sucker for sunrises.

I'm here, I'm here. I can't wait to get started and let God work through me, use me, break me, and make me into the person He desires =)

June 15: Thanks Oates family for the plane ride books!
June 16: Thanks Pastor Kevin for the card. I was definitely tired when I read it, and it was a great encouragement =)

and some photos for those that don't like to read:

wee world traveller (:

buckingham palace; im a loner =(

palace after the changing of the guards

big ben IS quite big

EYE am in london

change: embrace it.

noreply@blogger.com (Kristina Lugo) — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 15:28:00 +0000

for my 21st birthday, my waterloves got me this beautiful jeanine payer necklace :D

change and i didn't always have a history of wonderful tales. we didn't always get along. the first semester of high school, the first term of university, first weeks at work, all extremely exciting times, but always mildly to overly difficult for me.

one of the most important lessons waterloo has taught me is to embrace change. in a program that required slight to extreme change every 4 months, i've learned to look forward to new chapters in life and to go at them full swing, knowing that amidst all the changes going on around me, the people and ideals i value will never change. i can almost say that i've become a change lover. i expect change and now love new surroundings, new houses, new roommates, new food, new climates, new everything. change and i have become good friends now, because change, they say, is the one of the only true constants in life.

but somehow, this time feels a bit different. for once, i'll go away and have no idea what will change, stay the same, or remain when i return. for once, i'll leave and not know how i'll change, what parts of me will be the same, or what part of me will remain when i return. this is what i fear the most: that the things i didn't want to change will, that things i wanted to stay the same won't, and that the things that remain won't be enough. i fear that the old will no longer be compatible with the new, and the new will be something i didn't want.

somehow it's not leaving that i fear, it's returning.

if i....

noreply@blogger.com (Kristina Lugo) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 03:58:00 +0000

had money to spare and no heart for what i'm doing, i'd deck myself out in the cutest humanitarian gear:

1. THE sash
2. a little shuffle
3. ray bans
4. a maxi dress
5. travel pillow
6. one-piece bathing suit
7. lulu hat
8. a cute little sony p series
9. flip flops
10. soft leather purse

;p
just saying.

heaven on earth

noreply@blogger.com (Kristina Lugo) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 19:38:00 +0000

i had the privilege of seeing hillsong united this past saturday (as I do every year). and as every year, they put on an amazing show and had 15 000 people singing, dancing, and worshiping with them.

phil dooley was replaced this year with someone from the hillsong college. he talked about how although heaven and earth are 2 separate places, sometimes it's possible to catch glimpses of heaven on earth. at the times when the naked are clothed, the hungry are fed, and the thirsty are given a drink, heaven is brought to earth.

as a Christian, i have the opportunity to bring heaven to earth. through me, God can show His glory and love. i think that's amazingly powerful. i, in all my failures and shortcomings, can provide glimpses of heaven's glory on earth.

13 Facts about Malawi

noreply@blogger.com (Kristina Lugo) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:31:00 +0000

why 13? because i'm leaving in 13 days.

13. One Canadian Dollar = 134 Malawian Kwacha
12. The national languages are English, and Chichewa
11. It is nicknamed "the warm heart of Africa" due to it's friendly people
10. It is among the world's 10 poorest nations, with GNI per capita is $596USD
9. Canada recently removed Malawi from it's "aid priority" list
8. Dominant religions are: 55% Protestant, 20% Catholic, 20% Muslim
7. President Bingu wa Mutharika was recently re-elected for a second term with "fighting corruption" as a priority
6. Lake Malawi is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to the endemic fish showing specialized evolution
5. Almost 90% of Malawians live in rural areas
4. Maize(corn) is the staple food
3. Average birth rate per woman is 5.9 children
2. 14% of the population is infected with HIV/AIDS
1. The Blackberry is now available in Malawi

Oh man 13 days.

education: opening doors everywhere

noreply@blogger.com (Kristina Lugo) — Mon, 25 May 2009 20:46:00 +0000

- - - - -   Degrees Awarded   - - - - -                         

Degree: Bachelor of Mathematics                                 
Honours Operations Research, Co-operative Program 

Confer Date:           June 12, 2009

i did it. i actually did it :D

many days throughout my undergrad, i would sit and despise studying. sometimes due to the content, and other times due to sheer lack of motivation. it was at these times that i'd remind myself that education is a privilege. it's a privilege and it's empowering.

everyone has their own motives for educating themselves. education itself provides countless benefits: it equips one with tools needs to earn an income, immerses one in a field which they are passionate about, and it expands networks. however, i think the most important benefit of education is that it provides one with tools needed to make a positive impact on the world. education is a catalyst for human development.

i believe that my degree combined with my co-op experience has and will continue to open my doors for my future that otherwise would have been unreachable, nonetheless openable (is that a word?) i now have the knowledge, the skills and the network i need to begin to do my part in this world. to take a step forward from being a bystander and to begin to tackle pressing issues of my time. i am no longer a student stuck in libraries, but now more than ever, a global citizen.

i don't think an education is a free pass to create your own life, but a downpayment to enhancing lives.

the world is changing. jobs are being lost, systems are broken, and the world rests on the hands of everyone. not just humanitarians, but developers, accountants, architects, musicians, and everyone in between.

like sam davidson, nicholas negroponte, and jessica jackley, i will choose to use my education and skills set for change. i imagine a world in which every grad will also choose to do so, and that world is amazing.

on the right track.

noreply@blogger.com (Kristina Lugo) — Fri, 22 May 2009 17:13:00 +0000

i just finished the blue sweater and recommend it to anyone with even the slightest interest in international development. it is not a book which details all the problems of the world and leaves you depressed, nor does it paint a picture that going overseas with good intentions results in groundbreaking change instead, it is one that details the harsh realities of development and details the depths of the sacrifices that Jacqueline Novogratz's passions took her in her quest to seek justice.

Favourite lines/lessons:

...what is important is that individuals bring what they do best to the world.

...we need more people with tangible skills to contribute to building solutions that work for the poor.

Just start, don't wait for perfection. Just start and let the work teach you.

i don't think i need to expand on any of these because jacqueline says it best. it makes me think about the "thing" renjie, ruby, nick and i are working on and it gets me so excited. we're on the right track team.

almost...

noreply@blogger.com (Kristina Lugo) — Fri, 22 May 2009 02:51:00 +0000

total needed: $5500.00
grand total : $5030.50
________________
balance: $469.50

almost there. almost :D
god, i am truly amazed.

thanks everyone SO very much :D