WEEK 0 (PREPARATIONS AND THE JOURNEY)
After being picked to do the internship program the preparations started right away. Firstly we had our passports made at Immigration Office in Blantyre City. Then filled some forms on Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS) website for the paperwork to enable us to apply for a VISA. And then the VISA interviews followed but after some hiccups which we managed to sort out with the help of two amazing Rice professors, Dr. Veronica Leautaud and Dr. Brittany Allan. We were missing the DS-160 form and SEVIS fee receipt which we thought was not required at the embassy and this led to the flights being delayed to the following week. We were dissapointed when this happened becuase we were anxious to get to Houston and experience a new culture and meet new people because it was the first time I would ever be outside Malawi, we however made light of the situation by telling each other a week is not that long and that it might be a blessing in disguise. The VISAs were issued to us after the interview happened the following week and the four of us, Micah Baleya, Doreen Thotho, Isaac Mwalabu and myself departed on 29th September and arrived in Houston the next day. It was a tiring flight but an enjoyable experience because it was our first time aboard a plane.
WEEK ONE (NEW FACES AND ADJUSTING)
We were welcomed to our new awesome home by Dr. Veronica Leautaud. After she showed us the apartment, she took us to a Mexican restaurant and bought us Burritos, one of the best meals I have ever had in my entire life. I went to bed right after we had our dinner because I was super tired from the trip, being in three continents in just two days, Africa, my first time in London (Europe) and America the final destination.
Dr. Veronica Leautaud took us to the Bioresearch Collaborative(BRC) on Monday where we were introduced to the charming people we would be working with and we all had lunch together and also the projects were introduced to us. I was partnered with Isaac Mwalabu to design and fabricate a first stage dust filtration system for an Oxygen Concentrator. Oxygen concentrators are devices that draws air from the atmosphere and purifies it to give a continuous supply of clean oxygen for Oxygen therapy. The filters however were clogging very fast which lead to inefficiency of the device and also breakdowns hence the need for the project we were handed.
On Tuesday, our project time plan was given to us. In the afternoon, we were taken to the Rice Police Station where our Identification cards were produced for us to be able to access the BRC rooms and facilities. Tuesday through Thursday we were reading project descriptions. On Friday we did not go to work because people were busy packing at the office, getting ready to move to new office space within the building. On Friday, we went grocery shopping in the morning and the RICE students that came to Malawi (Karen, Angella, Akshaya and Sajel) took us for an amazing dinner at a Chinese restaurant.
They also took us to the museum on Saturday after which we had lunch together. In the evening, we were visited by one of the Malawians staying in Houston. It was refreshing to talk to someone in our native language (Chichewa).
The first week was very tough because we had not yet adjusted to the time in Houston due to the 7 hour difference with Malawi. We would therefore feel so sleepy during the day and sleepless at night. Houston is also so Humid in comparison with Malawi and this took a little getting used to also. Houston is a very beautiful city, with amazing scenery and very friendly people.