August 23, 2016

I almost just wrote the date as "2013" which is completely ridiculous because just writing the wrong date won't #takemeback.

2016 is fine, I'm just kidding. 

So today I woke up at 7am sharpie from sleeping for about 11 hours. Not only did I sleep for 11 hours, but I only had to wake up at 7! Two more hours than usual!  So how was I still tired all day? -_-

On another note, although I've not used an ounce of bug spray since I've been here, we sleep under permanent mosquito nets. I always like when I get to sleep under mosquito nets because it feels like I'm sleeping in a little nooky cavey nichey homey cozy hut. Feels like I'm in a meshy kangaroo pouch. 

Ohp! Power just went out!! That sucks because I know that my roommate just went to take a shower! I'll talk about my shower now, I guess. 

First I'll say that I spent more time flossing my teeth than I did in the shower. There has been a severe water shortage in Lilongwe for the past two years... Water is difficult to find. And apparently it's EXTRA difficult for my chalet to find. The drizzle I showered under today was remarkably itty bitty! Haha I had JUST ENOUGH water to wash the soap off of my body, but not enough to wash the soap off my wash cloth. 

And second I just want to say that it's not the worst shower I've dealt with. 

As for my chalet, it's built to hold 4 people. Quite like a tiny house it has a loft with a wooden ladder. Two twin beds on the first floor, two twin beds on the second floor. One bathroom with a flushing toilet and a flimsy stone shower. I brought and slept in my sleeping bag as a luxury item because I just bought it and wanted an excuse to use, but the sheets here are comfy and the bed is nice and wooden with a sweet little mattress. I'll get pictures tomorrow on my lunch break! The other volunteers here have a separate building to sleep in with 4 bunk beds, each with their own mosquito net. In fact, there are several living quarters built here! Many people are staying on site.

Now, finally, what I did all day. 

Woke up, had breakfast. Breakfast is a kind of fend-for-yourself type deal. There are many bland foods available! But y'all, I like a nice bland meal, so I had no issues with this. I can for real see how others would have a problem though. I'm talking cornflakes, oatmeal and toast. I had a toast sandwich with peanut butter on one side and honey spread on the other. Wash down with water. I can see myself eating this for the rest of the time I'm here! 

No coffee and no beer while for the duration of my trip. Don't think it's not available! So, haha, I'll update you about that one.

At 8, lectures started. Remember, it's just me and that one other girl from Portugal. Her name is Ana. Because it's just us, everything was super intimate! Which is PERFECT for me because it meant I got to ask all the questions I conjured up! As in, I'm usually too shy. This is so rad. Y'all, the course is a trillion times more serious than I anticipated. More dense than I anticipated. And way more in depth! I was bubbling with excitement. Today was mainly introduction to animal welfare. Our teacher's name is Jasper. He is Dutch and is built like a young Frans de Waal. He gave us a notebook for notes, a binder book with all the powerpoints for the entire week, and a Lilongwe Wildlife Trust keychain. This morning he taught us about policies, laws, and the history of this particular organization all in depth.  Then, a break. After, the break he took us on a loooong tour of the entire Centre. Minus the quarantine areas and dehumanizing zones, I think we saw all of everything! A blind female lion and her huge submissive male partner named Simba, two huge teethy crocodiles, a 35kg python, dozens and dozens of monkeys (vervets, blue monkeys, olive baboons, hybrid olives), and a serval. Google 'baby serval' when you have an hour to dedicate to cuteness. Jasper also explained to us that we needed to be careful if we go on walks around the Centre because often crocodiles are sunbathing on the paths. I'm glad he remembered to mention that.

Then, formal lunch. Staff here sets up lunch for us at promptly 1pm (I can hear my coworker's snickering at this!). It was a ramen noodle dish. 

Then, more lectures! Alma, a Dutch woman whose build is NOTHING like de Waal's, talked about animal intake and orphan care. I asked too many questions. This girl is a total BAMF. I am blown away by how in-depth the lectures were! They keep saying that if we need a break to let them know. And I think it's only going to get better! 

Alma had to run to take care of an intake, so one of the volunteers showed us how to feed a couple orphan vervet monkeys. Pour the milk based on their age/weight, add the vitamins, put on the blue jackets (attempt to keep them dehumanized), and stick the bottles through the fence! I did all of this in flip flops! I fed a young kid named Flaggle. He was a sloppy eater. But so is my sister, so who cares. 

Then, it was 5pm. End of the day. I ran to get internet for 30 minutes before the sun went down... It's a ten minute walk through the park for wifi, and I don't know the way well enough yet to do it in the dark. 

Dinner of rice and chickpea stew! Yum! Now, I lay. I hate leaving out as many details as I have just now... Today was so packed with things... I have learned already so much, I'm so thankful.