Nice to meet you Mr. President

This last week I was in the consular’s office. The Consular Officer, Peter, loves his job and was more that eager to share his experiences with me. I did visa interviews, processed passports, got materials ready for the US citizens services desk that will be at the 4th of July event, and visited airline offices to pass out passport inspection materials. The foreign service national (FSN) in the consular’s office is Davis. He is a really fun guy and we had a good time joking around and discussing cases with Peter.

On Monday night Molly and I were invited to the Ambassador’s house for a reception for a organization called Women’s Campaign International (WCI). WCI is an organization that promotes women’s participation in democracies around the world. They support political campaigns and provide resources and training for female candidates in the developing countries. They also promote women’s related issues like family planning and maternal health. Upon arrival I met the Ambassador for the first time. He had been away preparing for his next post in Iraq. I also met the current First Lady of Malawi who was absolutely elegant. Later that evening I had a wonderful conversation with the long-time girlfriend of the former long-time president, Banda.

Also this week Molly and I went out often we Doug, the Facilities Management Officer (FMO) and the newly arrived Secret Service members. The Secret Service was here preparing for the upcoming visit of Bill Clinton. The former president is in South Africa attending some World Cup games and planned to come and visit Malawi to see the projects that the Clinton Foundation is doing here. All the Secret Service people are really fun and we always had a good time going out and drinking and talking and laughing.

Peter is also doubling as the Regional Security Officer (RSO) because the RSO is out of the country. Therefore, he was responsible for coordinating with the Secret Service to plan the security for the visit, and by extension, I got to witness the preparations. It was absolutely fascinating to see all the background work that goes behind one visit. I feel really lucky to have been able to see something so hidden from the view of most people.

Friday brought even more excitement. I arrived at work early that morning and got in an embassy car to join the police-led motorcade to the airport. On the way we picked up the Secret Service agents from their hotel. We waited at the airport for almost two hours and then the plan came. I walked out to the tarmac and then President Clinton came out of the plane. Peter shook his hand and then introduced me. Bill Clinton asked me about my internship and where I go to school and where I am from. I think I answered all of those questions correctly….but I was really nervous so who knows.

After the former president left for his visits, Peter and I took the passports of everyone that was on the plane and made sure that were stamped and the entry cards were filled out. Later that night we went back to the airport (this time joined by Molly, the Political Officer, the Ambassador, and his wife). We stood by the plane and got pictures with Bill Clinton. Then, he actually stayed and talked to us for awhile about Africa and development and agriculture……it was awesome.

Down South

We (Mayeso, the driver and I) left for Blantyre in the afternoon. The drive is just a few hours but I slept the entire way. I suppose I will still getting over some jet lag. We got to Blantyre in the early evening and got some pretty good pizza. The next morning we went from news station to new station picking up reporters. Once the car was full we headed for Malanje.

We visited a bird’s eye chili farmer’s cooperative. ADF, in partnership with the Malawian government, helped provide funds for the cooperative to start a factory. There, they turn the chili’s into higher-value products. This increases the incomes of the small farmers and provides more jobs for community members.

When we drove in a group of about 30 women were standing in a circle singing and dancing. As we got out of the car they turned toward us and sang to us. It was fantastic! Mayeso showed me how to use the embassy’s camera while we waited for the ADF Chairman, Jack Leslie, and staff to arrive. It would be my responsibility to take pictures of the event that could be used in news coverage.

The Chairman finally arrived with his two kids and the Malawi Program Director. Jack Leslie’s kids are both in college (one is a freshman and the other a senior). They have the good fortune of being able to accompany their dad as he does a tour of ADF’s programs throughout Africa. Both of them were really nice and excited to be longer for the ride.

The program in Malanje was full of photo ops. and tours of the factory and speeches and press interviews and gift giving. However, it was also punctuated with choreographed dances and songs. All of the performances were mini-dramas with a plot and usually some detectable social message.

That night I went with Mayeso to a local resturante and had insima for the first time. Any of you who read my Uganda blog will remember the cultural staple called Matoke. Well, encima is the Malawi’s Matoke. It is a white mush made from maize that you work between your fingers until it’s a good scope for picking up the other items on your plate. I had it with beans and it was pretty good.

On the way home the next morning we stopped on the side of the road and the driver bought mice on a stick. Apparently this is also a common Malawian food. I will try it eventually, but today wasn’t the day.

Its time for Africa

Here I am again. Another summer and another attempt to write a blog. I have a computer at my home, so I can write often. However since I can’t transfer documents to Embassy computers for security reasons, I can only post when I have time to get to an internet café. However, I hope to be able to blog at least once a week…..we will see!

Already this experience is vastly different from working in Uganda and Fiji. First of all, all logistics were set before I came. Another intern (Molly) and myself stay a HUGE house. I have a real mattress for the first time in two yeas. Beat that air mattress! The kitchen has a refrigerator, microwave, and oven. And…can you believe it….I have hot water! What is more, the State Department has a car service that takes us where we need to be. I have been eating well too. There are several nice restaurants in Lilongwe that my colleagues have been nice enough to take me to. All of this is wonderful, but makes me feel disconnected from the people here.

Monday was my first day of work. It was an absolute whirlwind. We started the morning by talking to human resources and the medical office. We also met with the Political, Economic, and Public Affairs officers who gave us an introduction to their jobs and their staff. Then we met with the Deputy Chief of Mission, who is now the acting ambassador while the Ambassador is away from Malawi. Everyone was extremely nice and void of the kind of pompous you might expect from diplomats.

The most exciting part of the day came when the Public Affairs officer came in and asked if I wouldn’t mind traveling to Malanje the following day to help set things up for a visit from the African Development Fund Chairman. Of course I would!

The African Development Fund (ADF) is a government agency started over 30 years ago to implement community-driven development projects. They have a unique niche because their budget is neither the gargantuan size of USAID or the feeble size of grassroots NGOs. Thus, they can fund projects in the middle that often get overlooked. Also, ADF is one of the first larger organizations to use participatory methods, which means that communities are highly engaged in designing and implementing projects.

The Chairman of the Board will go to Malanje to do a site visit and see possibilities for new projects. I will go there with Mayeso, who is one of the staff members in Public Affairs. We will gather journalists and transport them to the site. Aparently, you have to provide transport for journalists in Malawi if you want coverage, because budgets are so small.