By Bradley Roseberg

Many first time co-op students at Northeastern are nervous about going to the office for the first time, though they may only face a day of answering phones and other small tasks until they get their feet wet. Lily Mercogliano’s “office” was quite different from most co-op students’ experiences, but she jumped right in … into Africa. Instead of answering phones, writing e-mails or running errands, she was teaching English to children whose parents had died from AIDS in a hospital in Malawi, a country in the southeastern portion of the continent.

From June 5 to August 15 of 2002, Mercogliano, a sophomore history major, worked for the Malawi Children’s Village (MCV), an American-funded orphan care program. The program originated because of the country’s high number of children who were orphaned because of the AIDS virus. While in Malawi, Mercogliano found herself teaching English, biology, and HIV education to approximately 50 Malawian orphans.

“My students were amazing,” she said. “They were incredibly motivated, intelligent, dedicated … on a scale of one to 10, they were a 12.”

Still, though, she couldn’t help but be saddened by the conditions of Malawi. It’s the 19th poorest country in the world, according to the CIA World Fact Book for 2002, and also one of the most AIDS-ravaged countries. While none of the children she taught had AIDS, most of their parents did.

“The reality of the country, with so much hardship, was always with me,” Mercogliano said. “It was intense to be there and see the disparity between the U.S. and other countries. The exchange rate there is one American dollar to 84 of their currency, so a loaf of bread, for me, was 10 cents.

“Also, the director [of MCV] said that the number of the adult population affected with HIV was 40 percent. I was able to see that, when you have a virus that affects the adult population, you’re losing the most productive part of the population. But working with the organization and their positive work made [the experience] positive.”

MCV provides clinical and healthcare services to the people of Malawi. They pay for the school fees, clothes, blankets, and food for more than 3,600 orphans.

“They have such a rich and warm culture that I certainly wouldn’t say that American life is better,” Mercogliano said. “They have the warmest demeanors, their smiles are larger than life, their spirits are so strong … I was glad to be there.”

This seems to be a bold co-op choice for any student, not just someone going on a co-op for the first time. But Mercogliano knew she wanted to work in Malawi long before the opportunity arose.

Ever since the NAMES Project AIDS Quilt visited her hometown of Albany, N.Y., she felt a sense of duty to make as many people as she can aware of HIV and AIDS. NAMES Project AIDS Quilt is a massive quilt emblazoned with more than 84,000 names of AIDS victims in order to help the world comprehend the enormity of the AIDS epidemic. She became involved with such programs as the AIDS Walk, NAMES Project Peer Education, and a local AIDS education group, Teens Offering Understanding and Compassion for HIV/AIDS (TOUCH). After speaking with Megan Schmidt, her boss at TOUCH, Mercogliano started to think about volunteering in Malawi at the Children’s Village. She began to meet with her Northeastern co-op adviser, Lester Lee, about the possibility of doing her first co-op in Africa. Mercogliano applied for a grant from the Center for Experiential Education and Academic Advising and, with the help of Lee, her wish came true.

“The grant covered travel expenses and living expenses,” Mercogliano said, “and even covered a few expenses when I got back.”

Suddenly realizing that she was about to get her wish, Mercogliano began to prepare. She made sure to get all the necessary shots and make flight arrangements quickly.

“I was really excited beforehand, but I was also nervous,” she said. “I was entering into a different culture and I didn’t want to offend anyone.”

Once she was there, however, it didn’t take long for the NU sophomore to lose her apprehension. Soon, she began to enjoy the scenery, the thrill of being in a new land, and her students.

Mercogliano found her living conditions to be quite comfortable, despite the fact that “sometimes the shower water came out red.” She said did not feel awkward living in another culture, as she initially feared. In fact, the Albany native found herself adapting to the culture quite well, learning much of the basics of the Malawian language, Chichewa.

“It’s such a difficult language,” she said, “but I got really good at greetings. I probably got too good, because people would begin to talk to me too fast and I’d have to say, ‘I’m sorry, that’s all I know.'”

Mercogliano will be going back to work for MCV in the spring, but with a more experienced feeling. She brought back with her a great knowledge of the Malawian culture, as well as a few souvenirs, but she feels that the most important thing she gained was the experience.

“It’s in a category of its own,” she said. “I would certainly encourage others to go … when I look back at my experiences, I find it hard to come up with reasons not to. I would hope that people find different ways to branch into the unknown. It can be an amazing way to learn about yourself.”