Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Don't come back weird

Today my boyfriend revealed his fear that I would return from Malawi a changed person, as in, totally weird. He mentioned that his college roommate had gone off to London for the summer, and the next year the fridge was covered with Big Ben magnets and the guy was constantly cooking fish and chips. He wondered if I might come back with a whole new African wardrobe, wooden beads, or perhaps some kind of weapon such as poison-tipped darts and a blowgun (not a bad idea for enforcing reasonable bedtime).

I'm sure once I get back, I'll have a lot of Malawi to talk about, but I don't think I'm going to be one of these flighty folks who gets absorbed in a new place and can't let go. There's always a period of re-adjustment upon returning to a place. People in Baltimore will go on doing their thing while I'm off doing a whole different thing, and that will create a gap in our ability to understand. It happened when I went off to TASP and during the first couple of years of college when Am was still home. Everyone had this common understanding based that I'd moved away from by not being around. But it's only three months, and then I'll be back for good. At least until I find a job and probably move again.

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Malawi blog

Hey people,

I've decided to change the focus of this journal to my Malawi adventure. Mostly because I wasn't using it much for its original purpose of scattered things.

I still don't know when I'm going to be leaving for Malawi. I found out today that the local review board approved our study, and my advisor wants to wait until the Hopkins board gives final approval before I book my flight. Currently it looks like I'll probably be in Malawi from late March to late June. This bums me out a little because it cuts into summer, but I need as much research time as I can get. I'll also be missing my 5th year college reunion and Commencement, but such is the life of a jetsetting international researcher.

Anyway, later on I'll write more about how absolutely not jetsetting/international I really am, what I'll be doing in Malawi, and how I need housing.