Pre- Departure

Six days! It is approaching to quickly... we have six days before we leave for Malawi, Africa!




I, along with 5 other students from Radford University and 1 advisor will fly 18 hours on Ethiopian Airlines to Addis, Ababa and then another 4 hours to Lilongwe, Malawi to experience a new place and new culture for one month! Along with Radford University, Virginia Tech and UNC will also be coming with us.



The picture above is our first group meeting back in January! It isn't everyone, but part of the group!



I will first arrive in Lilongwe (the capital) and then be staying in Zomba (South-West) at a place called Annie's Lodge. I plan on posting lots of pictures of where I stay, but you can look this up on their website for now, if you like...

http://www.annieslodge.co.mw/main_zomba.htm


I'm very excited, however beginning to get a little nervous. Last Friday the group from Radford and I went to the Malawi Embassy in Washington, D.C. It was a great way to finalize preparations before we depart! They gave us so much information and were so excited for us to experience their culture... I think they were a tad bid jealous we were going instead of them as well ;)

Here's a picture of the group who went with the Malawian Ambassador and employees of the embassy! These people help the country develop plans for development. They were so informative and helpful!

Left Front Row: Jennifer Jones, Thokozani Martha Chikuni, Kelsey Adams, Beth Dickey, (in English his name is Mr. Flowers) and Carolyn Gardner
Left Back Row: Ann Mary Roberts, Her Exellency ambassador Hawa Olga Ndilowe, DeAnna Hash.

I also began packing today as well. I am allowed to bring two 50 pound bags as well as a carry on. I didn't think I would need to bring this much, however after I started today I think it will be easier than first imagined. I will not need to bring many clothes (4 skirts, 7 shirts, 2 pairs of shoes, 1 pair of jeans, and a sweatshirt) however, small things (medicines, first aid, granola bars, baby wipes, etc.) seem to be filling up space fast. Any leftover space will be filled with donations for the people and children of Malawi.

While in Malawi, I will have limited e-mail access, and plan on updating this blog 2 or 3 times per week. So please feel free to e-mail me at eadickey@radford.edu or read my blog to follow my journey. THANK YOU so much to all those who helped me get to Malawi, I could never tell you how much it means to me!

Much Love,



Beth