Anthropometric Measurements

                This morning we were all planning on going for a little run/jog to kick off our little workout regimen but only two people had alarms and woke up apparently. So Emily and Camille went running at the rest of us woke up wondering why nobody woke us up to go running and who actually ended up going. We were promised that we would get a wakeup call tomorrow. Whitney was really excited for the run because she’s a pretty active person and hasn’t been exerting herself very much lately so she planned a run before dinner.

Today we had a meeting to talk about Emily’s project and to nail down specifics with Dr. Steele so we could get started. I got assigned to be the data logger person, which is actually pretty cool. I got to download the software and try them out. What data loggers are is they just keep track of things like temperature and humidity over time. They are handy to keep track of the conditions in the solar dryer while we have samples in there. They are nice too because we can put them in the solar dryer and when we are finished we just plug them into my computer and they spit out the data. I played with one a little bit and it works so that’s a plus.

                Next, we took anthropometric measurements at the school/daycare here. We started with the younger group of kids and they were doing alright until one of them started crying because she was afraid of us. Then everybody else got a little nervous and they were starting to get bored too so it got a little rowdy and loud. Right after we finished with the little kids they were let outside and the big kids were brought in and they went smoothly except for they were also loud and we moved them through faster which made it a little difficult for the people writing down the measurements. The process of taking their measurements was really simple. First we would measure their height in inches on an L shaped board with a measuring tape on it. We would put another L shaped board on their heads to make sure we measure accurately. Then they would move onto the scale which was just a bathroom scale (one of those with the dial that moves when you stand on it) and measure their weight in kilos. We are going to put that data together later to find out how well the kids are doing as far as how big they are for their age compared to other children.

                The children here are so beautiful. After we took their measurements they sang some songs for us. I really enjoyed it because we’ve been trying to get them to teach us songs or sing for us. They were so enthusiastic when they sang. Their instructor just had to say the first couple of words to the song and they would take off. They weren’t as nervous around us when they sang. They just belted out whatever it was they were singing. I just love children. I’m so excited to meet my new niece when I get home. Her pictures are so adorable.

                Later we hung out in the conference room a little more to do research and shoot emails or just pass the time. While we were doing that we all became Facebook friends, even Dr. Steele. We also started following each other’s blogs. Then we started talking about lesson plans because we still don’t have any direction which is hard because the families here have been taught all of their lessons and are leaving after harvest. We still need to prepare the nutritional information packets for them to take with them when they leave so we decided to do a two part lesson on those. The first part is just to go over the nutrients in the packets and explain to them that the packets have some information on them, why there are important and what foods they come from. Then we are just going to go over than information pretty briefly because we only have an hour. Teaching is interesting, it’s just hard when there isn’t really and direction and you come into it at the end of the class. I think teaching the new families in a few weeks will be exciting and fun.

                Whitney decided she didn’t want to run before dinner because Nicolle wasn’t feeling too hot and she didn’t want people to watch her run. Surprise, Surprise, nobody here works out to stay in shape. They just work so they think it’s a little weird for us to just run. To be honest, I side a little more with the Malawians that I do with the Americans on that issue.

At dinner we had Nsima which looks like cream of wheat but it’s made with corn flour. I wonder if we will be seeing it more often because the family farmers are starting to really get into the processing of corn into corn flour. We’ll have to see if we can check it out tomorrow. Anyway on our way into dinner, our lovely cooks told us how to make it so we can have an nsima party when I get back. They also decided that they were tired of us using utensils to eat it so they also showed us how to eat it with our hands. I actually thought it made eating it a little easier so I had my whole piece with my hands even though it made my hands messy. Don’t worry I used hand sanitizer on them first. Before dinner we had a little devotional and hymn to “relieve any tension between us” and per Dr. Steel and Adam’s request. Apparently there is tension between us. I didn’t know that. After dinner Nicolle and Camille finally convinced Whitney, Emily and me to try out one of their favorite games where one of them makes up a song and other follows along to try to make it sound like it’s a real song. I might bring that home too! I didn’t get too into it just because I’m shyer than most people but I did participate in a group song.

After all of that we did find an empty room to do Jillian Michaels and yoga in. Jillian Michaels was a little too much for me to be honest. It was only 20 minutes but she thinks of the hardest things to possibly do for 20 minutes. I roll my eyes. Doing yoga right after Jillian Michaels wasn’t the best idea either. Your body just needs a break to calm down a little. Anyway I liked to yoga a lot more. Apparently at some point while we were doing yoga, somebody was watching us which was weird. It didn’t really make me want to work out more. I felt like I was doing pretty good with all the walking, talking, singing and whatever we were doing. Apparently if you really want to get in shape you should exercise for an hour every day. I guess that is a bit of an exaggeration because we’re not here every day. We plan to have trips almost every weekend so we’ll take it a little easier on those but it’s still a lot. It’s just more intense than I’m used to but maybe it’ll grow on me. Tomorrow there is a group run/jog/walk and I’m opting for the walking part. Nicolle is a very persuasive person. (I feel like I’ve been talking a lot about Nicolle but she’s reading these now so I have to mention her J) Hopefully I’ll also be able to get in a shower and if I could get my laundry started that would be the best day ever! We’ll see how tomorrow goes.

I want to tell my brother and sister-in-law congratulations on Rylan’s arrival. So far she is my favorite niece. I wish I could visit with everybody and spoil her but maybe when I come back the new will be worn off and I can have her all to myself! I was showing pictures to everybody here and we had lots of fun. It made my day to have the surprise when I finally was able to check my email and Facebook. I’ve been trying to think of something I could possibly get her while I’m here but there isn’t a whole lot for babies. I guess you’ll just have to share with her.

I love you all. Don’t be afraid to email me. I tried to wifi text my Mom today and it doesn’t work while I’m out of the country, go figure. I got a text back from some confused Malawian. If I have time I’ll see if there’s one that works internationally or maybe I’ll call with Dr. Steele’s wifi phone before he leaves. Be on the lookout.