Yes Mom, I'm still alive and well.: January 2014

Ok folks I´m back! I know I´ve been kind of slacking this year so far with my blog but I´m here now to update you on all of our happenings, in a very condensed version. I spent Christmas with some other volunteers, we hiked to a waterfall on Christmas morning and then ate some delicous food cooked by some of my new friends and then we exchanged some stocking stuffers. Overall, it was very good Christmas, as much so that it could be, being my first one not with family. Then for New Years, Sam and I headed to Lake Niassa (or I guess more comonly known as Lake Malawi), this is the 3rd largest lake in Africa and is on the border between Mozambique and Malawi. The other Niassa PCVs were heading to a lodge (not quite complete) that is owned by 3 Swedes and a Frenchman. They are working on creating a toursit getaway but for now, while it isn´t ready for actual paying customers, they let us stay there with them for basically just the cost of food for the time we are there.

We were lucky enough to meet one of the Swedes and his Portuguese girlfriend and another Portuguese friend on our Christmas travels and were able to arrange a ride all the way to the lake. So rather than endure cramped public transport to Lichinga by chapa which could take 8+ hrs depending on the chapa we rode in an air conditioned car with some new friends to Lichinga and then straight to the lake, to get to Lichinga it only took us about 6 hrs and then another hr to the lake. So overall it was a very easy trip, minus the road being awful because 1) they aren´t paved and 2) it is rainy season.

So after about a 45 minute boat ride we made it to the lodge. It was beautiful and very isolated. It is about 10km from Meponda a near by village and about 2km from the Malawian border. They have built a bar on the beach, 3 huts (which have roofs and curtain walls, which is where I slept), a kitchen with coal stove and a back dorm house. They are working on getting a few other things built but that is all there is now. It was amazing to wake up and see the water each morning. Instead of describing it more, I figured I´d just put some pictures to show you. We spent a few days before New Years and then a bunch of there friends came and other volunteers stayed their to bring in the new year!