An American Werewolf in Warsaw (there's something we've been meaning to tell you about Charlie...)

Despite the title to this carefully curated and regularly updated blog, we've just made the move to Warsaw! Poland, not Indiana!

And since the last blog post in December of 2016, Charlie was born in Malawi! And we made a summer, and Christmas trip back to the U.S.! And we took a trip to Zambia to safari at South Luangwa National Park! And Kate took a job at the American School of Warsaw! And took a 17 hour flight with a toddler and a dog! And we just spent 6 weeks back in the U.S. spending time with family and preparing for the next big move!

Maybe more on those in the future? Definitely more exclamation points. In the big picture, it's hard to overstate how much Malawi has changed our life, our family, our future. I had always planned on writing more while we were there, more regularly keeping a journal, taking notes on the day to day interactions and reflections, like a real writer could, would, should. Priorities are made, strategies are shifted, and maybe now I will convince myself that our time in our little corner of SE Africa will best be written about with time and reflection. Four years anywhere, doing anything, is a chapter worth memorializing, and when you have the opportunity to spend it in a place that is exotic for most, fascinating and romantic for many, challenging for some, it's going to be a goal of mine to truly reflect back and get some of those thoughts on paper.

For now, though? We've been in Warsaw for 17 days, the first 10 in a single room in a hotel with a crib at the foot of our bed and a 19 month old who definitely wanted to be up from midnight to 4am most mornings cause, jet lag. Like a little werewolf. See what I did there? That doesn't even acknowledge that our toddler is currently into trying to take bites out of our arms, or legs, or necks, or whatever piece of flesh she can get her toothy little mouth on.

10 days in, we moved into our permanent housing, a lovely third floor flat in Old Wilanow. Lots of changes, plenty of mini-brain meltdowns staring at 6 kinds of cleaning spray for 10 minutes and realizing that google translate will only get you so far. We've, generally, figured out the bus system, taken full advantage of Uber, not gone hungry, totally kicking butt, really.

The easiest thing to say or think is that Warsaw is "a different world" than Lilongwe. Just like that was the easiest thing to think or say about Lilongwe compared to Louisville when we first moved there. But it's not, it's the same world, just different places on the map, and remembering that and keeping the privilege of our travels in context, and putting all of the experiences together while focusing on the now and being in the moment, well, that's the rub, right? We're happy to be here, excited to meet new people, conquer new challenges, raise our daughter, live life, all while missing friends, missing the peace and tranquility of our little spot in Lilongwe. The next chapter.

Perspective and Context for Today

It's hard to believe that I've been in Malawi for almost two years. All of the stereotypes, generalizations, what I think I knew, they're all gone. Replaced with new generalizations and stereotypes, but maybe a bit closer to the truth. Now I think I know different things, many are probably wrong and waiting to be replaced again. That's what experience does, I guess.

Malawi as a country in Africa. Malawi as a poor country in Africa. Malawi as a country trying to find its way, trying to overcome history, trying to overcome the inevitable and unchangeable momentum leading to the present reality. Much of the time skepticism and frustration. Sometimes hope and optimism. Drought. Flooding. Corruption. Courage. Life. Death. Beauty. Hope. Happiness.

In the last month of a six-month consultancy contract with UNICEF. Working in their child protection section as a child justice consultant. So much need, so many days filled with confusion about how to move forward. Mostly, though, I'm thankful for the opportunity and for the team I get to work with.

Baby Munro/Scheib should be here in the next 2-3 weeks. That will change everything again, won't it? Bring with her a different perspective and context about life, of course, right? Bring with her true hope and possibility and optimism, and fear and anxiety and renewed purpose. We are exactly where we are supposed to be. Soon she will be, too.

South Africa Trip in pictures -Summer 2015

A short while back, I saw that a friend (who also happens to be an AMAZING photographer) had started blogging. Because she took such amazing photos, the dialogue was short and sweet, and the photos did most of the talking. Check out Kate Thompson and her amazing photography out here -

http://www.bettyclicker.com/blog/

Since I have been struggling to be consistent in writing the blog, I took inspiration and decided to have at least one post that is mostly pictures. These are from the trip last July-August where my Kate's parents met us in South Africa. It was 19 days of exploring, from Johannesburg to Kruger National Park, Capetown through the Winelands, and a brief swing through the Garden Route. Exotic animals, beautiful scenery, fascinating history, delicious food & wine, and good company.

Losing a loved one - Miru the Dog

I woke up this morning at 2 am. My throat was sore, tonsils swollen. I haven't been sleeping very well since we got back to Lilongwe. 

I was wide awake, but not thinking clearly about the day ahead. Yesterday I asked Lovemore to dig a hole; he is our gardener. I hadn't looked up close to see how deep it was.

Kate had looked first thing after she got home from work. The hole is in the back yard between the compost pit and the back wall. She asked me to dig it deeper.

Lucy was Kate's first dog ever. Lucy is young and full of energy. Kate has never had the experience of putting a dog down. 

We inherited Milo and Miru when we moved to Malawi. They were guard dogs. We brought them with us to the new house. 

We think Miru is 14-15 years old. We have vet records, but no one is really certain. She is a common Malawi mutt mix.

She has struggled to walk for about six months, and has gotten worse and worse. Her back end seems paralyzed now; she doesn't move much. She has sores all over her ears from where the files have bitten her.

Being away for a month made her deterioration more apparent. We called the Belgian vet who told us to dig a hole 1 1/2 meters deep. She said she would be here Tuesday afternoon at 3 to put Miru to sleep.

I looked for the pick ax and shovel that Lovemore had used. I found them behind the guard shack next to the front gate. They were rusty with splintery handles.

Milo is in the storage room next to the house. Milo senses something is going to happen today. He is not moving from underneath the shelves where he usually sleeps, and won't turn his head to look at me when I call his name.

I dropped into the hole. It was 4 feet long, 1 1/2 feet wide. The first swing of the pick hit rock. 

The bottom of the hole was clay with rocks everywhere. I know why Lovemore only dug it this deep. I didn't want to give Kate anything more to worry about, not even something little. 

I pinged rock by rock, scraping and pulling a shovel full of dirt at a time. My throat didn't hurt while I was digging. I had time to think. 

It is very humid here and I was sweating. The handles of the pick and shovel made it tough to maneuver in the hole. I felt like I wasn't making much progress. 

A knot on the pick handle started blistering my hands; there are not callouses any more. I pulled a tape measure. It would have to do for today. 

Cool Nights on Nyika Pleateau

As per usual, a little longer between posts then I had planned. I am now blogging about the end of July, so only 4 months behind! No bother, keep on plugging away. 

After a quick stop in Lilongwe, we packed up Blanche one more time. We were headed north, to Nyika Plateau. It was a long haul, 6 hours from Lilongwe to the park gate alone. From there, it was only 60km, but that took four hours!

Treated to quaint and lovely accommodations, and a doting staff as we were the only guests there. A small fire place greeted us as we pulled up in the dark that first night. Perfectly delightful.

Over the next few days, we biked, drove and walked and explored the big skies and beautiful views and wildlife. Friends had told us it was like being in the Scottish Highlands. Not sure if that's the case, but it was quite unique to the other places we've been in Malawi.

Lots of beautiful antelope, and plenty of zebra. We didn't see a leopard as we'd hoped, but that didn't take away from our overall pleasure and satisfaction while we were there. Kate and I say it again and again: we are blessed to explore and travel. 

Since we were already in the north, we stopped at Mushroom Farm to stay a couple of days before heading back to Lilongwe. It is a cool backpacker spot situated on top of a cliff on the way up to Livingstonia. It overlooks Lake Malawi, where you can see Tanzania to the north and Mozambique to the east. 

We also explored Livingstonia, which is a fascinating historical town build by Scottish missionaries. I'm reading a book right now called "The Scramble for Africa" which talks about the late 1800's and the imperial powers trying to establish colonies in Africa. It makes me feel a little sheepish that I knew so little of the history here, but I suppose now that we're here it's as good a time as any to learn.

My next post should be the South Africa trip, where Kate's parents, Charles and Melanie, joined us for 18 days of exploring in a really fantastic country. Needless to say I could be better about timely posts, but like anyone, it sure is easy to find ways to fill your time. I have been doing some unpaid work for UNICEF Child Protection here, so maybe a post in the future? I won't make any promises.

School's Out- Time for some travel and adventure

Despite my best intentions, here we are, three months after the last post. There was a conscious attempt at posting a video of one of my motorcycle day trips, sped up a few frames a second and with some music added. I thought it would be a good chance to get a feel for what the countryside is like as I ride along, the colors, the faces. Copyright issues per Youtube with Led Zeppelin's "Over the Hills and Far Away" stopped the completed product from making an appearance in July, perhaps another time.

So much has happened, but it doesn't feel that much different here in August than it did in May. Life just flying by. It is solidly in the dry season now, and the lush countryside of Malawi has lost its rich green hues and shrunken into a variety of browns and yellows.

Kate finished her first year teaching at Bishop Mackenzie in the middle of June, and her second year just started last week. I believe I can safely say she is very happy she is teaching here. I think she really likes her kids and the curriculum at the school. It's always nice to see anyone really enjoying going to work every day. During her break, however, it was time for some exploring. Mujete Wildlife Reserve was first on our agenda.

While there were other more expensive lodging options, Kate and I chose to pitch a tent at the campground at Mujete. It was my first chance to use my campstove that my sister Kara got me for Christmas, so that was exciting! You can also see some of the safari tents the campsite offered in the background. .There were a bunch of volunteers at the reserve helping a team from South Africa with some of their research counting wildlife. Pretty cool way to spend 6-8 weeks I'd say.

It's pretty interesting that when you talk to people who've had the chance to go on many safaris while living in Africa, whether it be here in Malawi or somewhere else, many people will talk about how seeing certain animals is very boring or passe to them now. Unless they are seeing a lion making a fresh kill or a leopard dragging an antelope up into a tree, the heart doesn't quite get to pumping like they want. Even elephants, zebra, giraffe, nothing seems to get them that excited.  Not me; even the small stuff brings back the child in me.

I can only begin to describe how special is is to see these animals in their native habitat. Also, tough to grasp how awesome it was being within 5-10 feet of a full grown elephant. I didn't even know that was acceptable to be that close to these giant beasts. My assumptions were clearly based on some sort of distorted reality, because while there is an absolute gravity to being this close to such a behemoth their personality tends to be more gentle and rambunctious than aggressive in any way. They have their moments (and I may or may not have completely lost my cool one particular time), but it's mostly just the pomp and circumstance of them trumpeting who the boss really is.

Absolutely massive. It's always hard to have perspective about how close we really were, so the picture on the right helps a bit. This was while we were on a game drive with a professional guide, in this case Jimmy who was one of the B.A. Baracus guides we had the fortune of learning from.

One nice thing about Mujete is that you were able to drive yourself as well, during the day anyway. It was our first chance to try out Blanche, our new (ancient) Rav-4. She handled herself well, even when Kate and Jon accidentally took a wrong turn and drove for three hours on the worst roads I have ever seen. Thinking back I am still shocked we didn't get a flat, or destroy the suspension, or simply never be heard from again.

As far as the total animal viewing experience, between our self drives and the guided drives we took, we were covered.  While Mujete boasts a small number of lions as well as a small number of rhinos, no luck with either of those two (perhaps a little later...) We did see lots of beautiful creatures: warthog, hippos, crocodile, zebra, tons of different types of antelope, as well as a cape buffalo. The goal on safari seems to always be Elephant, lion, leopard, cape buffalo, rhinoceros-traditionally referenced as the Big 5 not for their size but for the degree of difficulty and danger involved in hunting them on foot. No desire to hunt these majestic creatures, but I'd say seeing two out of five on the first go round was not too shabby.

On the way back to Lilongwe, we had the chance to see how long Blanche's fuel light could stay on while driving through the middle of nowhere, and made it to a filling station on the far side of a mountain pass on fumes. We headed back to Lilongwe to get ready for Nyika Plateau, Livingstonia, and the next leg of our summer adventure. Next post (hopefully not three months from now), the solitude of the Malawi-Zambia Transfrontier and the epic view from Mushroom Farm.

Lake Malawi is gorgeous! (aka Kate and Jon toiling away in Africa!)

Easter weekend (almost six weeks ago already!) Kate and I took the time to head down to Cape Maclear, a beautiful village right on the southern shores of Lake Malawi.  We had originally planned on a different itinerary for the week, including three days on Mt. Mulanje and then staying at Cape Maclear the weekend after, but because of the advocacy training I helped with we had to adjust our plans at the last second.

As it was a holiday weekend, our options were limited, but we did get a room at the Gecko Lodge.  Little did we know, that the Gecko was to be the site of a two- night, all-night dance party, with bumping bass until four in the A.M.  The accommodations were very nice, but we didn't sleep that well :/

 Even so, we had a chance to enjoy each other's company in a beautiful setting, and eat some fresh chambo as well!  We took a whole day and rented kayaks, getting a little too much sun in the process.  Really, really gorgeous here!

Plenty of wildlife included uncommon birds (to us!) such as fish eagles, and of course lots of tropical fish. Apparently, Lake Malawi has one of the best freshwater ecosystems in the world for tropical fish.  It's really cheap to get scuba certified here, so maybe that's something we should do next time?

 Every evening at sunset, the local fisherman paddled home while the sky behind them offered up the beautiful canvas you would expect in such a tropical paradise.  Even in my wildest dreams, I never could have guessed moments like this are what Malawi held for us.  Peaceful, tranquil- you would have to work hard to convince me at that moment that there is anything more beautiful on this entire earth.

It's pretty easy to always blog on the positive, the beautiful, the adventurous, the exciting.  Certainly most days don't hold that much excitement once you get settled here, but I will say I am struck almost every day by the beauty of the country here.  It's also easy to say things such as life is short, stop and smell the roses, etc., but I am really thankful that I have the opportunity to really appreciate what a splendid country I get the chance to live in.  Also, was pretty sure we could have found Kong on that island to the right had we looked!

Family and friends always inquire how I'm doing, or if I'm happy.  Kate's colleagues here are always asking, "How's Jon getting on?" It seems like a common inquiry, and if I'm not careful it's pretty easy to always be in my own head, questioning and asking about the decisions I've made to leave my career for a while and head here.  Purpose in my life and what I do is important to me, and simply living a vacation lifestyle is something that gets old (see Steamboat, Hilton Head, etc.)

Some days I miss my job, some days I don't.  I'm sad that I wasn't there for Sean  Pharr's two (two!) Walkers, as well as the opportunity to keep Fred Moore humble after he picked one up as well.  I'm bummed that I wasn't there to see my classmate Adam Braunbeck try his first Circuit case, and from what I hear do a good job with really, really tough facts (I mean, what else?).  I can't believe I'm not there to keep Carlos Wood in line now that he's back at the office, and miss my daily bull sessions with Aaron Dyke. I miss the heck out of each and every person at that office, because I believe in what they are doing with their lives, and enjoy the people they are.  I know that there is endless work to be done at the Louisville Metro Public Defender, and every other PD office for that matter.  I know I love that work, and it was tough leaving it.  I believe I will do that work again some day, just not right now.

I have picked up some freelance legal work through a couple of websites I am on, which doesn't sound like much except for when you account for some money coming in when you haven't had any income for three months. I'm very proud to say that one client I did some work for has asked for some additional, so that makes me believe I can do some of the civil stuff I had tried to forget.

Is it my dream job to work on trusts issues from Utah, and civil procedure questions from Illinois? Clearly not.  But I can say I feel more balanced than I have in a long time.  It's been great to work out more, play things like Gaelic football, and be more healthy.  Kate and I seem to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables in a week here than we did all year when we were home.  I have really, really enjoyed having time to read, watch movies, and catch up on lots of good music.  And sweet Lucille is providing more and more adventure by the day (btw, RIP BB King, what a morbid coincidence!).

After the initial newness of Lilongwe wore off, after my terror that I wouldn't be able to pay the bills started to subside, after I learned not to worry about how I would fill my days, after taking some time to build perspective on this entire adventure....life is good. Am I happy?  What an odd question.  Do you mean at this exact moment?  Do you mean generally satisfied with life?  Is anybody happy all of the time?  I would be skeptical if someone said they were.  Am I happy?  Most of the time, yes.  I am really happy that I took the chance to move here, am thrilled that the seven months away from Kate is over, and am excited to see what else Malawi has to offer that the first three months haven't already produced.

Will I always be happy living far away from family and friends, doing freelance legal work while a career I care about is waiting back in the States?  Not sure: ask me in six months, or a year, or five. And if you happen to feel a little down, a little lost, and little confused about what's important in life, there are always scenes like this to offer a little perspective.