Contract Extension

Good news! I've been approved for a 1 month extension on my contract here in Malawi! This was in the works for the past week but I only found out the funding was confirmed today. So now I'll be working with cadecom until the second week in Nov. I'm really happy about this because it will give me an opportunity to finish 3 things that I was afraid I wouldn't have time to do:
1) Finish & submit the proposal I wrote
2) Translate my training manual into Chichewa
3) Do follow-up visits with the target villages

I knew I took on a large project for the 3 month timeframe but I really wanted to put into practice many of the skills I learned in the past year, and I wanted to do a real pro job on this internship as its a big stepping stone on my career path. I've been working full tilt on this project and I've only taken off 2days since I've been here. I suppose living in Dedza has contributed to my productivity as there is not much night life!!

So what have I accomplished so far? I completed needs assessments for 6 villages, composed a training manual for fish farming specifically tailored to the Dedza area (generic manuals don't tell you how to protect your fish from the nasty katumbu), held 5 training workshops and have completed a draft proposal for the NGO. Not too shabby.

But before I can move ahead and tie up these loose ends I need to figure out my visa situation. It expires on Saturday... I have 2 options. Go through the tedious government channels and pay a pile of cash for my second visa extension OR do a border hop into Mozambique for a few days and then re-enter Malawi and get a free no hassel one month visa. The choice is obvious to me, but I'd better run it by the boss first.

Awww, so much to do, so many paths to travel yet so little time.