May 30: Can you experience human withdrawal?

I’ve been travelling on my own for about 24 hours now, and it’s surprising me how much I’m craving human interaction. I may be more extraverted than I previously thought. I got to call both my parents yesterday and talked to a bunch of people on Facebook chat, but I really want to speak with another human being in person.

I don’t think I got to sleep on my flight last night. As soon as I realized that I was in a centre seat, I gave up on any dreams of getting a decent night’s sleep. That being said, Mars still gets the award for being da real MVP for suggesting that I get an inflatable neck pillow.

Since I’m tired, my layover in Amsterdam has been pretty low-key…I’ve mostly just hung around, killing time. I was pretty disappointed that I didn’t get to have any stroopwafels when I was here the first time, though, so I picked up a small box of those. They’re essentially waffle cookies with caramel filling. I haven’t eaten any of them yet, but I’m pumped.

I think it’s going to take more time for me to really grasp the impact this experience has had on me, so I’m not going to write any reflective things for the time being.

I’ll be in Ottawa in a little over 12 hours!!!! YAY

Noteworthy: last night in the Nairobi airport, I went to the restaurant there for food, and I had a quesadilla and ice cream. I was unable to find good ice cream in Malawi (I have pretty high standards), so I was really excited when the ice cream was delicious. It's all about enjoying the little things :)

-Jen

May 29: On the road again!

I slept so well. I’m very pleased about that. Last night, I went around to most people’s rooms and said goodbye, but I didn’t know where Pat and Adam’s room was, and Chelsea and Bissy were still in town, so I was worried that I wouldn’t get to say goodbye to them all. Luckily, Pat and Adam were at breakfast when I arrived this morning, and Chelsea and Bissy walked by as I was waiting for my taxi, so I got to say goodbye to everyone. I also enjoyed chatting with Adam and Pat at breakfast, since they also lived at the other house and I didn’t get to know them as well as those at the Oasis.

I was struck again this morning by how astoundingly cheap everything is here. My lunch and dinner yesterday, hotel for the night (with a king-size bed to myself – glorious), and 20-minute taxi ride to the airport cost a total of $45USD.

Right now I’m sitting in the Nairobi airport, in the midst of a 10-hour layover. I thought about leaving the airport to explore, but I’d need a visa, and between the cost and hassle (especially since I don’t know how much time/money it would take to get into town/ back here later), I decided not to go out. So I’m hanging out…I’ve got about 8.5 hours left. I bought internet, which was a good life choice even though it was a bit expensive ($6USD for 12 hours…).

I’m a total nerd…I’m pretty sure everyone reading this knows that, but I decided to include that as a disclaimer in case someone was somehow unaware. The end of my trip into Nairobi consisted of me realizing that a lot of countries end in the letter ‘a’, and subsequently making a list of countries on my phone, sorted into categories. Those ending in each vowel (including ‘y’) have their own categories, then there are categories for “ending in ‘land,’” and “other.” It’s worth noting that I’m using the English name for each of the countries for consistency, though I made an exception for Cote D’Ivoire since many English speakers Anglicize that rather than saying Ivory Coast. I was pretty pleased that I managed to name over 50 countries in about 10 minutes without internet. And I confirmed my assertion that a lot of countries end in the letter ‘a.’ I’ll probably continue playing this game once I finish this post and get bored of using the internet.

I got really excited because not long before we landed in Nairobi, a peak reached above the clouds, and it looked similar to the pictures I’ve seen of Kilimanjaro. After looking at a world map (and doing my best to not look at country names… Luckily, I already had Malawi, Tanzania, and Kenya, which were the ones that mattered for this exercise), it’s totally feasible that it was Kili! It was gorgeous, though I’m sure it’s more impressive from the ground. I was particularly excited about seeing it because Mars is planning to climb it in February 2017, and I knew she’d be pleased that I saw it.

I was expecting that after 3 weeks of being around people all the time, I’d enjoy the solitude of travelling alone. Instead, I’m finding that I’m missing being around my classmates. Luckily, there’s talk of having a get-together at some point this summer. I’ll also stay in touch with many of them, I expect. But this was a truly unique experience, and it’s unlikely that all 18 of us will be all together again.

I could continue to write and rant, but I don’t think I really have anything worthwhile to write about, so I’m gonna sign off.

-Jen 

May 28: Bookends

As predicted, I was quite pleased with being sober at 5AM. After some banana bread, coffee, and Advil for most folks, we hopped on our shuttle and headed for Lilongwe! The bus was pretty quiet since most people were trying to sleep, though our driver was playing a very interesting mix of music. We couldn’t decide whether it was his mix called “Music White People Like” or if he actually liked it, but we assumed it was the first. I mostly listened to my own music, though I took a break for the Backstreet Boys portion of the trip. The banana bread and scones were a total blessing. Honestly, I don’t know what we would have done without Chancey and Felista; they were so thoughtful.

We made it to Lilongwe in time for Mary to catch her flight, which was why we left so early. Then the shuttle carted the rest of us to our lodge for the night, where most of us put our stuff in our rooms and went straight to lunch. Some people went into town, but I didn’t have particular a reason to go with, so laziness and tiredness won out. I spent my afternoon with Maddy and Akkila, which was really nice. I’m more comfortable in small-group settings. This trip has definitely challenged me to work on speaking up in large groups, but once in awhile, it’s nice to have interactions that are easy for me. I also hadn’t gotten as much time to get to know Maddy since she lived in the other house, so I really enjoyed getting to know her. At one point, she asked Akkila and I if we wanted to go for a walk, and we were both just silent…we were so tired and lazy! But I was glad that she convinced us to go; it was really nice outside. I also wowed Akkila with my Solitaire skills…not entirely certain that’s something to be proud of, but it was pretty funny.

We had dinner at the lodge, and then I spent my evening playing Gloom with Natalee, Sally, and Akkila. I was really glad it got played, because I would have been slightly dismayed to have fruitlessly carried it to another continent…We weren’t particularly creative due to lack of sleep, but it was still fun!

The title of this post comes from the symmetry that I’ve been noticing in my trip. Today included a sleep-deprived bus ride and a cold shower, which was how my time in Malawi began! While those sound like really negative things, I was really pleased that they were the start and end of my trip. Those sort of character-building experiences (or AFGO, as my mom calls them…Another F***ing Growth Opportunity) are what make trips memorable. The final bookend of the trip is that my flight path home is the reverse of my trip here. The Type-A part of my brain is super pleased by all this symmetry, so it seemed noteworthy. It’s also adding a sense of finality and closure for the trip, which is nice, if a little sad.

I’m hoping to get a good night’s sleep since I’m flying out tomorrow! Last night’s sleep was not long, and I probably won’t get much sleep while travelling, so I need to rest up.

-Jen

May 26-27: Winding Down

I didn’t write on Thursday because not a whole lot happened.

Thursday morning started unconventionally for me. I poured myself a cup of coffee (which in and of itself is new for me) before realizing that we were out of milk, so I tried my first cup of black coffee! I overcompensated for the lack of milk with excess sugar, so it was not super enjoyable, but I can now say that I drank a cup of black coffee.

After a short lecture to wrap up the class, some of us headed into town to get lunch and access internet for a bit. Natalee and I were considering going on a safari, so we did a bunch of research. Unfortunately, it isn’t feasible for the time we have. After the internet café, we headed home and hung out at the Oasis for the remainder of the day. Things were pretty chill because everyone was finishing up the last of their assignments for the course. I packed because I’m a keener and also (correctly) assumed that I wouldn’t want to do it today.

Today started really slowly. I slept in and lay in bed for awhile since we didn’t have anything to do. Around lunch, some of us walked into town. I exchanged some money, checked my internet things, and grabbed some food. Natalee and I separated from the group and ended up deciding to take an alternate route home. Rather than taking the major roads that our bus uses, we thought we could find a faster route along the smaller roads. It involved some guessing, but we managed to find our way home, and we think our route was faster than our normal one! It was a fun adventure to go on for the last day.

This afternoon was chill again since a lot of people were out buying last-minute souvenirs and those at the house were doing school work. But around 5 we started our last BBQ of the course, and the Oasis has been quite the party central since then. We have a DJ with sound equipment, so we’ve been dancing. It’s a lot of fun. Most people are drunk, but since I hate beer and that’s all we have, I’m 100% sober. I’m quite alright with that, it just means that I’m writing this as a short break from the noise and activity. I think I’ll be very pleased by my choice to stay sober at around 5AM, when we’ll all be getting up to get on our shuttle to Lilongwe. That should be an adventure. It’s after 11 already, so we’re all gonna be pretty tired. Luckily, Chancey made us scones and banana bread for the trip tomorrow, so we’ll be well fed.

As is the way with endings, I’ve been thinking back on my time here. One thing that will be a significant change when I go home is that I won’t be approached or waved at by strangers. I think I’ll be okay with that, but also miss it a bit. It’s nice to walk down the street and have people wave at you and/or say hi; I think it encourages me to smile a lot more in my daily activities, and that’s never a bad thing.

As I was dancing with my classmates tonight, I couldn’t help but marvel again at what an amazing group of people came on this trip. We got through 3 weeks of spending almost all our time together with virtually no conflict, and many of us came into the class not really knowing anyone. Not seeing my peers will be another big change in my life in the next few days, and I’m going to miss them a lot more than being waved at. We will have this shared experience to talk about, but I hope that’s enough to encourage us to stay in contact. I’ve met so many amazing people here.

With all that said, I’m definitely looking forward to coming home. I’m very ready to see my family and friends. And sleep in my own bed…that’ll be really nice. The Oasis has felt like home in its own way for awhile now, but it’s still not quite the same. Alright, I should probably go back to dancing now…even though I kinda just want to sleep. I probably couldn’t because the music is pretty loud. So dancing it is!

-Jen

May 25: Beach Day 2.0

What a lovely day!

We planned today as a beach day, so we didn’t have class today and set out around 9! We stopped at the craft market on our way again, since many people didn’t get everything they wanted last time. I’m basically done finding souvenirs, I think…

The rest of the ride to the beach was pretty low-key, apart from a bit of an adventure through a sandy section. Oh, there was also a moment when a big truck was heading the opposite direction we were, and the road we were on was really only wide enough for one vehicle. Our bus had to reverse and drive up on the hill on the side of the road, at which point our bus was at probably a 30 degree angle, and we were all pretty worried about it tipping. Thankfully, it didn’t tip and we made it safely to the beach.

The rest of the day passed in usual beach day fashion: beach soccer, swimming, reading on the sand, and lots of sunscreen application. There was a small island about half a kilometer offshore, and some of the group paid to take a boat out there. I decided not to go, but then I was hanging out on some boards (similar to surf boards, but they were massive and didn’t have fins) in the water with Sally, Laura, and Kelsey, and Kelsey joked about paddling to the island on the boards. I took her seriously and said I’d go along, so the two of us set off! The boards were exceptionally hard to steer due to their lack of fins, but it was really fun! We mostly lay on our stomachs, so it was kind of like swimming above the water. We managed to make it all the way to the island, where those who’d taken the boat were jumping off into the water. I’d estimate the cliff heights as ranging from 15-20 feet. Kelsey and I had a bit of an adventure trying to get our boards in a secure location, since the island was rock and the rocks at the water’s edge were really slippery! I managed to smash my finger in between a rock and my board at one point, and it started bleeding (don’t worry, family, I cleaned it as soon as we got back to the beach and put a bandaid on). Between bleeding, being tired from the paddle, and being a person who avoids falling, I decided not to cliff jump. I might have done it if we stayed longer and I’d had time to rest and talk myself into it, but the boat was heading out less than 5 minutes after Kelsey and I got there, and we needed to move our boards for the boat to moor. I don’t regret not jumping (please excuse the double negative – I’m tired), so I think it was the right call. The trip back to the beach on the boards was better than I expected; I thought that I’d be tired and in pain from my finger, but it was pretty much the same as the trip over. As we got to shore, a gaggle of small children came and claimed our boards. As I walked toward Kelsey, I felt a small hand slide into mine. The children here are SO cute, and they’re usually pretty bold and friendly. After one of the kids told me I was their friend, they ran off to play with the boards. Adorable.

There were a couple of dogs at the beach. They were pretty big; I thought they had some mastiff in them. They were sleeping on some of the couches for much of the time, and each of them took a turn sleeping upside down with their legs in the air – it was so cute. My own huge dog used to do that so it warmed my heart to see an animal do that again.

On the ride home, Akkila used her speaker to play music for the bus (usually we listen to the driver’s music, and we’re all a little bored with it by this point), and she played a lot of music that everyone knew, so we all sang along. It was really fun to sing with everyone. I realized that I haven’t really had the opportunity to sing while I’m here. It’d be pretty inconsiderate to sing around The Oasis since sound travels a lot.

Despite being in the sun for pretty much the whole day, I’m (mostly) not sunburnt! I have a small patch on my back that is randomly burnt, but the rest of me is good to go.

It’s hard to believe our time here is almost over, but I’m also getting to the point where I’m ready to go home. I’m pretty tired, but very pleased. Between sun, rest, exercise, and fun, I’m in an excellent mood. And with that, I’ll sign off for the night.

-Jen

May 24: Lacking Creativity for a Title Again

I’m officially out of clean shirts. I’m seriously considering just biting the bullet and being gross for the next week because really, who needs clean clothes anyway?

Class was not super engaging today; we talked about the role of migration in the spread of HIV/AIDS. Most of it is pretty intuitive, so I don’t feel like I learned a ton. Oh well, not every class can be phenomenal!

After class, we went into town in groups for lunch, and after lunch my group went back to the Swahili Market. I led the group there, since people have realized that I have a pretty good sense of direction. We shopped for a bit, and Sally, Natalee, and I got separated from the group. We headed over to the Internet café and spent the remainder of our afternoon there. I got to talk to my mom and sister, which was lovely.

Today marks two weeks since McMaster started sending out acceptances. With each day that passes, I’m getting more and more convinced that this isn’t going to happen for me this year. I’m trying to stay grounded in my faith and remember that it might just not be God’s plan for me right now, but that’s pretty challenging. I’m looking forward to having my support system back when I go home. I sent an email to McMaster this afternoon and they’re so prompt at responding to emails that I got a response almost immediately. It turns out that I could technically get offered a spot as late August 29^th…So I’m gonna be checking my email pretty intently for the foreseeable future.

Marlo, Mary, and Kelsey were also at the internet café, so the 6 of us walked home together. At one point, I was telling Mary about how the part from The Incredibles where Edna says “No capes!” is often referenced in the Quidditch world, and Marlo tuned in just as I was imitating Edna, and said, “That reminds me of Edna from The Incredibles!” I’m not doing a good job of explaining why this was funny, so we’ll just settle on acknowledging that apparently my Edna impression is on point. It got a bit chilly, but walking here at sunset is one of my favourite things; it’s incredibly beautiful with the changing light, and the gradient in the sunset is always astounding. We got home just before dark, had dinner, and watched Keeping Up With the Kardashians. It’s become quite the joke in our house, because it’s always on and it’s an easy thing to have on while we’re all chatting. Tonight Alex joked that when people ask how we feel when we get back, we should just respond “cultured.” No need to tell them that we spent almost every evening watching TV about the Kardashians…

The whole class now knows that I’m writing a blog, and today Natalee joked that when people ask her what she did in Malawi, she’ll just tell people to read my blog. I still have a hard time believing that anyone other than my family and close friends would put themselves through reading these, so if you don’t fall into one of those categories, thanks for giving up time in your life to read about my evenings watching TV about the Kardashians! I’m still trying to write as honestly as possible, which is largely accomplished by not thinking about who might be reading them.

-Jen