My Name is not Muzungu

A new year means new beginnings, or at least that's how it usually starts out. I promised to start writing on my blog again, and about 4 weeks after that promise I only wrote 2 posts.

Now I could make up excuses like "oh I didn't have Internet over Christmas Break" or "I don't have the time with 18 credits". However, excuses only mean you're not taking responsibility for your actions. And now that I will be blogging for my internship (by the way, getting paid to be on Social Media is the best thing ever!), I should get back into the swing of things.

It has been nearly a year since I found out I was going to study abroad in Malawi, Africa last May. It's hard to believe how much has change since then. My new found love for Africa has inspired me to find ways to incorporate it into my everyday life. It didn't work out in my favor when I had to make a speech last semester about my time in Malawi and decided to wear African clothing, only to have many people stare at me like I was a lunatic. Which is why I'm relying on my social media outlets, and other subtle ways, to help portray my love and interest in the land so many people assume is full of only poverty.

The first step was to change the URL for my blog. While I will always love the original name "Shutter-Style", it was time for a change. My blog's new name is "My Name Not Muzungu".

What is a Muzungu? Muzungu is a term for foreign person, used mostly in the southern, central, and eastern regions of Africa (like Malawi!). It can mean "aimless wanderer" or "someone who roams around aimlessly". However, most natives of Africa associate the term with the meaning "white person" or "European". When I was in Africa, this was basically my name. It's important to note that this term is not offensive. Now if you called someone out based on their ethnicity or race in the United States, you would more than likely get slapped....

There are not very many white people in Malawi (no surprise), and many of the natives have never seen a white person other than through a picture or on TV, especially someone as white as I am. It was difficult to convince them that I had a name, a personality, and a life outside of Africa. It was also hard to adjust being in Africa and having everyone stare at you, staring because of your skin color, your accent, and your lifestyle.

The more I thought about being the "muzungu", the more I realized I was facing this problem before I went to Africa. I don't mean being singled out by my race, but the concept of trying to portray myself as not just a typical college student, as "Kalchik's little sister", or that girl in class that doesn't talk as much. I've been trying to find ways to distinguish myself from the rest of the world as an individual. That is what got me interested in Social Media, because I can describe myself on my own terms through the "inner voice" of my head. I don't want to be remembered as someone who blends into society, or gets stereotyped with other people who are similar to me; I want to stand out and make a name for myself.

The Malawi (and London) Swag Bag

I've been dying to post the souvenirs I got from Malawi and London for the longest time! The main reason I haven't is because I wanted these to be a surprise for those who were lucky enough to get these as gifts. Well wait no longer!

Let's be Amish tonight

Day 11
05/16/12

*There is no post for Day 10, due to some controversial issues that went on during the day as well as some personal information that shouldn't have been online. I deleted that post from earlier today. I'm sorry if I offended anyone for what I posted and hopefully my future posts will not offend anyone.

The Orphan Pact

Day 9
05/14/12

Oh, there goes a window....

Day 8
05/13/12

Do we have to pay them?

Day 7
05/12/12

Can we visit Mozambique too?

Sorry for the delay in my posts, I just started work again and it's been crazy! But that's how it is where I work: I work during the holidays so you don't have to.....
Anyway, here's what happened on Friday!

Day 6
05/11/12

YOYO (You're On Your Own)

Day 5
05/10/12

Balog vists Africa

Day 4
05/09/12

You got me higher, than Kilimanjaro

Day 3
05/07/12

Our flight is cancelled?

I'm officially back in the United States! It feels so good being at home. I love Malawi with all my heart and plan on visiting again. There is so much to tell, and I'm not sure words can even describe it! I will try my best, but for what it's worth, traveling abroad was one of the best decisions of my life.

Here's Day 1:

05/06/12

Greetings from Kenya!

Hello everyone! Sorry it's been a while since I updated. Everything is great so far, I love Africa! I will be home tomorrow afternoon. Also, I will updating my blog a little differently when I get back. My next posts will be like journal entries for each day I was gone. Can't wait to share my adventure! :)

It's Time for Africa!

In less than 12 hours, I will be going on a plane and hopping across the pond for the first time! I'm nervous, but excited. I don't know if I'll be able to update my Facebook/Twitter/blog while I'm in Africa, but honestly, if I don't, it'll be a nice break. I'm truly blessed to be one of the first students from AQ to go on this trip, and I can't wait to see what is out there.
Peace. Love. AQMalawi ♥

Keep calm and carry on (literally)

I'm sick of studying, so I'm focusing on my trip for next week. Now the fun part of traveling: packing. Not only will I be leaving for two weeks as opposed to usual study-abroad trips, but we have to deal with customs and all that fun stuff since we're leaving the country. I found this great website for packing:
 http://selectstudyabroad.com/2012/01/top-ten-tips-for-packing-luggage/
This has some really good tips, such as rolling your clothes to pack instead of folding them. I love the tips about how to protect liquids and keeping everything fresh. I'm just praying everything will be able to fit! Here's what I've been able to pack so far:

I know for sure one thing I absolutely need to pack: sunscreen. even though i was only outside for a few hours yesterday during our Soccer tournament, my face got fried (definitely not as bad as my friend Katie). I'm also a little worried about the mosquitos, I'm usually a food magnet for them during the summer. But I've been taking my malaria pills and I'm packing plenty of bug spray.

This just got real

I decided to take a mini-break from blogging so I can sort out what exactly I need to do to be able to pass all my classes, which means studying, a ton.

But the days are dwindling down; tomorrow, I will be in the single digits until I leave for Africa! It's hard to believe. I just got my International Student ID yesterday, and my group is already packing.
I've been asked to provide an interview. Some of the questions are pretty basic, such as major, how are you involved on campus, how did you hear of the program, year, etc. But some questions I really need to think about: why did you want to study in Africa? What do you hope to bring back? What has Aquinas been like so far?
For the first question, I have two reasons:
The first: I've always wanted to study abroad, but with expenses and how close I am with my friends and family, I was positive I couldn't study abroad for a whole semester (especially with the fact that my majors wouldn't let me qualify). My cousin currently attends Westpoint and was able to study abroad last year in Egypt. Of course this was during the riots and he had to be relocated to Morocco.
The second reason: since both of my brothers have made their names known at Aquinas, I had to make my mark somehow. I'm part of the first group of students from Aquinas College traveling to Africa. My input is vital since I will be providing feedback for future trips. I want to make a difference (I know, I'm using Aquinas' slogan, but it totally applies!)
For the second question, I hope to bring back more of an understanding of developing countries. I'm not sure what to expect exactly, but I'm keeping an open mind (as well as a charged camera battery to document my trip!)
And the last question, well, I'll save that for another day. It's almost time for Africa!

Muli bwanji?

Today I had another meeting for my trip to Malawi, Africa in May. We had two guests visit the class: Provost of Aquinas College Chad Gunnoe and Rev. Gerald Guduli. The Provost wanted to speak on behalf of the college how excited they are for us to be given such a unique opportunity and wanted to wish us safe travels.

Africa is a continent if you're a geographer

Happy Palm Sunday! And Happy April Fool's Day. Can you believe it's already April? Lent has gone by so fast. Not that I'm complaining, I decided to give up coffee realizing that being more empathetic wasn't enough.

It's better to give than receive

Some great highlights of my day so far: my Accounting class was cancelled this afternoon! That never happens, so as you can imagine I was quite happy finding this out. I got my Humanities Exam back and scored a solid 90%! I went shopping with my friend Rachel to buy longer clothes for Malawi and found numerous cute, usuable items such as dresses, skirts, etc. we plan to wear in Malawi and after our trip as well. I'm also the new Public Relations Manager for the Sports Management Club at my school, as well as going into my second year as Treasurer of Bravo!, my school's theater club.

39 Days

Only 39 days until I will be on Malawi soil (as well as England and Kenya soil). It's so close I'm getting so nervous and excited. So I started singing a song called Nervous But Excited (props for those who know where that quote is from). I have my prescription for malaria (prevention, trust me no one wants malaria) and I'm getting my typhoid and yellow fever shots on Thursday. I think the thing I'm most afraid of is well, my fears. I'm terrified of two things the most: snakes and heights.

It's warmer in Michigan than Florida????

It's only the second day of Spring, but it feels like the middle of summer. Not sure why exactly we have this heat wave, but it's quite nice compared to getting 2 feet of snow a few weeks ago. It just proves how bipolar Michigan's weather can be.