Please keep sending me mail...New Address

I just opened a PO Box in Blantyre. Please send mail here now:

Jessica Underwood
c/o Jacob Strawn
PO Box 1871
Blantyre, Malawi

I will continue to check the other address as well but this one is much closer to site.

With courage, optimism & love, anything is possible.

Tonight I am sitting in my house, the door is open and the Malawian music from the market nearby is mingling with the sounds of crickets, chickens, and people chatting all around me. The sun has just set. I saw all my favorite shades of pink lighting the sky before its descent. I may have said before that each day here is new and different and it truly is.

I have now lived in my home for four days and have met numerous minor challenges as well as experienced beauties unlike those I would ever see in the States. I went to the butcher where a goat hung from a stand and watched as he cut a chunk off for my dinner. I rode my bike for an hour to see my friend in the neighboring village and on my way received showerings of “azungu” (white person) from the children along the road. While cleaning my house I found several lizards and named the largest one Pizza. I found that I could carry water to my house each day…on my head while the other women laughed with surprise.

Humans are amazing creatures. We are so versatile and resilient. Every day I learn more about how cultures differ but also how our humanity links us. When I talked of living in Africa, some people thought I would struggle with the lack of running water, the bugs, and missing my things. So far, I have found those to be minor inconveniences. Don’t misunderstand, I love being able to turn a faucet and have clean water come out but we adapt rather easily when it is not available and we appreciate it more when it is accessible. In some ways, it even starts to feel normal to wash clothes in a bucket and bathe under the full moon. I develop a rhythm for my days and normalcy sets in.

But, I have also been thinking of how people are so resilient when they experience loss or are hurt. My fellow PCV was telling me stories of when she worked as a nurse in Haiti. There was so much loss at that time but many of her stories were of people who overcame devastation. There was a woman who was trapped for three days but was rescued and survived with the help of a man whom she fell in love with. Many lost children and loved ones and you would think that the pain would be so great that they could not function. I know from experience that even when you lose someone you love so much, you still must find a reason to continue your own journey.

And so, my adventures continue. I am grateful for each day I spend in Malawi. Each day feels like a small accomplishment and I realize that while I may be crazy for doing this, I am also so lucky because most people will never get the chance to experience it.