28 days later....

So I'm finally responding to Stephanie's request for updates, more than a month late. Can I still claim to be on Malawian time? I remember having to wait three months or more for the phone guy to come visit me in Thekerani, so I figure I'm doing pretty well.

No newsworthy events have occured since the time I last posted. I'm still working at 2K Sports, and it's been dull and demanding. Most of my waking hours are spent behind a desk, conveniently located for coworkers to pass by and fling verbal abuses regarding the numerous ways in which I've caused the game to crash. We're putting the finishing touches on our current project, College Hoops, so I'm looking forward to a little break. In fact, I'm counting the days until I get to fly off to New York for Thanksgiving. To whomever is going to make it there, too... Yay!!!

Jessica, it just knocks my socks off that Bingu's brother is a professor at your law school. And Joaquin and Stephanie with Gaddi Vasquez... Geez, the closest thing to a celebrity that I've met is some guy who plays basketball or something at some college or other.

Well, that's all I've got. But since I don't really have a good way to finish, I'll just distract you with this mesmerizing image...



-Harlan

Matt- Madonna's adoption

Hey Everyone, Enjoying reading about what is shakin' with all. I am still workin' with kids and enjoying the mountains.

Here is an article about Madonna and her adoption. It is long but has a pretty good message.

Stay well, Matt

A million reasons not to adopt David

STEPHEN JARDINE http://news.scotsman.com

"Madonna is sending out the message that the only hope for a child in Africa is to be rescued from the place"

ON my desk is a photograph of a boy called Jack Kajombo. I met him two years ago on a trip to Malawi and keep his picture as a constant reminder not to forget all the poor and disadvantaged in the world's ninth poorest country. He is my conscience.

Following another visit this year, I've become a trustee of a charity building a new school in Malawi and this Christmas I'll be involved in a massive fundraising drive to transform the main maternity hospital. But suddenly that's not enough. Thanks to Madonna, I'm left wondering why I didn't pluck Jack out of poverty and offer him a new life of plenty here in Edinburgh.

Then I remember all the other kids I met. The girl who walked 10km to school every day. The boy who ate only half his food so he could take the rest home for his hungry baby brother.

Malawi's problems are vast and despite what Madonna seems to think, there are no quick fixes or easy answers. Since my first visit with First Minister Jack McConnell two years ago, Malawi's international profile has been transformed from the country always overlooked to the post-G8 cause célèbre. When Sir Tom Hunter decided to invest $100 million in a joint initiative with Bill Clinton to tackle African poverty, the Scottish connection made Malawi the obvious choice. And a subsequent conversation with Clinton seems to be what sparked Madonna's initial interest in the country.

Sadly, her subsequent actions have been seriously misguided. What Malawi needs is an infrastructure to allow education and health improvements leading to trade and the end of dependency on the west. That will take a long time and a huge amount of money but some people are working in that direction. Madonna could have chosen to join them, quietly transforming Malawi and life for millions of children. Sir Tom Hunter is using the business models that made him rich to change the way small communities operate in Malawi and to ensure they have a sustainable future. Sir Tom Farmer funds orphan feeding stations in the country but does it quietly and carefully. It was never going to be like that with the Material Girl.

Six weeks ago I got a phone call from Los Angeles. On the line was the head of Madonna's Raising Malawi charity which is linked to her strange Kabbala religion. During the conversation it became clear she would be making a documentary about her African adventure and that is when alarm bells started ringing. In this country adoption is carefully regulated and cloaked in secrecy to protect all concerned. In contrast the past week has been like a shopping expedition for a new handbag, with cameras poised every step of the way. According to charities based in Malawi, normal legal procedures were circumvented to allow the child out of the country in record time. They are now challenging the legality of the process on the basis of the precedent it sets.

By her actions Madonna is sending out the message that the only hope for a child in Africa is to be rescued from the place. Like the old colonials who brought African children home as souvenirs, the adoption reveals huge ignorance of the problems. Yes, she is setting up a care centre for orphans in Malawi but at the same time she is choosing one child to be whisked away from it all. It had to be a boy, apparently. But what were the criteria? How can you choose one hungry parentless child from another? Far better to adopt the approach of other charities who sponsor families to look after their own children in their home setting but with proper support. She could have provided the resources for the father and a thousand others to raise their own child properly but of course that doesn't make such good worldwide headlines. As the boss of one local charity put it: "The court seems to have allowed the adoption on the basis of Madonna's wealth, but being a good parent is not about money, it is about having heart, it's about love". That was little in evidence as 13-month-old David Banda was hustled through Heathrow cloaked by a nanny and surrounded by bodyguards but with his new mother sadly absent.

Imagine if we all took Madonna's approach. Forget the Pop Princess, in a country where 40 per cent of the population live on less than a dollar a day, in comparison all Scots are fabulously rich. So should we all be adopting kids from Malawi - is that really the way to make poverty history? The truth is the children of Malawi aren't the problem, they are the solution. With proper support only they can provide the country with a sustainable future. Otherwise it's one child down, 999,999 to go.

Malawi Education 2003-2005

Malawi Education 2003-2005

What's up!

Hey guys,

It's so good to read your postings and see that everyone is doing OK.

I am fine. Just sitting here listending to the Big Broadcast on NPR.

For several months now I've been working for a company that does program evaluation consulting. We actually are the contracted evaluators for several Peace Corps surveys. I've been enjoying this job, collecting data and working on some education program evaluations. I really like the job but I figure it's time for me to go to grad school and I don't know if I ready to work and go to grad school full-time. We shall see.

I've been cooking a lot and loving it. I have a small apartment about 30 minutes outside DC with a cosy little kitchen. Yesterday I made a seafood bisque and it was pretty damn good. Let me know and I can hook you up with the recipe.

Ron and I are going to Jamaica in December for Christmas-if anybody wants to join us, feel free. It's got some great places to get married, with all inclusive packages no less. I've been trying to drop "hints" with Ron but he has been pretty good at ignoring them. A while back I bought a beautiful diamond (fake) ring to see if he would get the message but that got me nowhere. Maybe when he gets to Jamaica and meets my father he'll get some motivation.

I do miss you guys and it's hard to believe it's almost a year since we were in Malawi. I've kept in touch with a few people, mainly Jane and Vanessa. Sometimes I think about going to visit them, but for now I'm saving my money to go to West Africa. Yes, I plan to go back to motherland one of these days.

Tsalani Bwino,

Shauna

Ryan's plans

Okay, here's what I am up to:

- I quit my job (it was only really to save money).
- I am moving to London to be with Lisa.

The job was okay, and the money was good, but I only ever wanted to do it to save up a little money since I knew I wouldn't be able to work in London. Hopefully I'll be able to get work, but at this point it looks somewhat difficult. There are a lot of rules regarding work permits and the like, but hopefully someone will be willing to sponsor me.

Right now I am visiting my dad in Texas, but on Sunday I fly out of the country. Again. As for future plans I'm still hoping to get into University of Denver grad school (or somewhere else) and study international development. I just took the GRE and I think I did pretty well. I'll have to wait and see my results on the essays.

But until then I'll be living in the UK.

I hope everyone is doing well. I think of you often.

- Ryan

Reporting In

Okay, here's my update. I like hearing from you guys too, so I'm in.

I'm back to teaching high school French and Spanish. I'm not loving it, as I knew I wouldn't but it's a regular gig so it's all right. After my mother died I just didn't have it in me to do a serious job change. I figured I had enough changes to deal with. So, yeah, I'm pretending I still know Spanish and I manage well enough with French. What I get a chuckle from is when Chichewa slips out instead of the target language. I'm better at catching myself before the words escape my lips but once in a while I don't realize what I've done until I hear the words reverberate back through my brain after it's too late. Then I smile wryly to myself.

I am now gearing up to see what else is out there for me. Little by little.

I am also looking for a house. I've got a buyer's agent and I've been inside a few, driven by many, but not yet found my dream house. Shop till ya drop.

I have applied for four jobs since I've been home. Two of them were retail. One was a swim coaching job. The last was at my alma mater. Rejection. Rejection. Rejection. Rejection. Mostly I find it funny, but sometimes it's sad. I hadn't really had my heart set on any of them so it really is okay, but I hope it's not an omen. I'll know for sure whether it's a curse if I don't get offered an assistant coaching position. If that happens, then I may actually have a problem.

What else... The leaves are turning and it's getting pretty up here. I am starting to feel more at home. It's like driving through memories. I've been doing that a lot lately, I'd say.

I am back to Tae Kwon Do twice a week. It's fun. It's a bit of a drive but for now it's worth it.

I guess that's mostly it. No great shakes. As for books, I've been reading detective novels. I have had difficulty concentrating so these are easy, escapist, entertaining.

I'm coming around, peeking outside of my cocoon. Yesterday I went with friends to the Cumberland Fair. I bought a fun sweater. I realized when I got up this morning that I proabably could have haggled for it, and although I quibbled over the price a little bit, it didn't even occur to me to haggle the price down. Funny how that is.

We ate fried dough, maple syrup cotton candy (best cotton candy I ever had), watched the horse pull, and, best part, the rodeo. Yep, cowgirls barrel racin', rodeo clowns making mockery with a little pony, and buckin' broncos! Sure thing. Bronco ridin'. It was fun. Beautiful day. Crowds of white people, smell of greasy, salty food, stalls of poultry, goats, rabbits. Going through the 4-H barn was like a trip down memory lane.

That's all this reporter has for you today.

-Martha