In Malawi

Hi all-

I am in Malawi now but just have a few minutes....

In brief....its beautiful...was just literally hiking through fields and mountains to help with a cardiovascular health assessment survey.

Ate Nsima which is traditional food and looks like an indian idli but bigger...

I got to the college of medicine today and it is interesting to be dorming and be a student again.

I have great rotary friends and they have been escorting me everywhere. Thursday I go to lunch there.

Unfortunately, I don't have my camera plug so I am going to write really once I get the photos because I wouldn't do the story justice without it.

Here are a few phrases that I picked up to tell your friends...

Muli Bwanje? (How are you?)
Ndiri Bwino.. (I'm good.)

Cha bwino (its good)

That's all for now. I promise more when I get a chance!

XO,
Aparna

On my way...

Hi All,

You all probably are wondering where I am right now. I decided to stop for a night in London and stay with my friend who lives here. I will be leaving at 5:50PM today to be exact and heading to Johannesburg, South Africa. I land there at some ungodly hour in the morning, have a few hours of layover time, and then head to Blantyre, Malawi.

From Blantyre, I have a Rotary Club member picking me up and helping me get to Zomba. When I arrive in Zomba, I will be meeting a medical student who is doing a cardiovascular health assessment for the MVP. I will be helping her do her assessment as best I can from the 18th till the 21st, at which point I'll head back to Blantyre. My classes in public health start on the 22nd and for the first two weeks we have an orientation course. I can't wait to meet my fellow classmates and to get to see the village where I'll be spending a lot of time for the MVP.

Stay tuned for a post as soon as I start classes....and some pictures as well.

**Aparna**

Thank you and contact me on email!

Hi All,

Thank you for your comments thus far. I just wanted to request that if people have personal inquiries or questions unrelated to the blog, please email me at akumar0523@gmail.com and I promise to answer as soon as possible.

Thanks for keeping this blog strictly on Malawi and I'll be in touch with you all very soon!

Best,
Aparna

Welcome to the best little blog on Malawi!!

Dear Friends and Family,

This is a blog about my upcoming year abroad to study public health in Malawi through a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship. I will be studying at the University of Malawi Medical College in Blantyre and volunteering with the Millennium Villages Project in Mwandama, just outside of Zomba, which is about an hour away from Blantyre.

I am keeping this blog to stay up to date on news and events, document my travels, keep in touch and also to create an information exchange. Feel free to post anything you find about Malawi in the press so that the blog can also help us learn more about Malawi and the region.

Here are some important news links for the time being:

http://allafrica.com/malawi/
http://www.topix.net/world/malawi
http://www.malawi.com/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/default.stm
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/dbc.nsf/doc104?OpenForm&rc=1&cc=mwi
http://earthinstitute.columbia.edu/mvp

Please don't be shy to post and I look forward to hearing your thoughts!

*~Aparna~*