A Year in Africa!!!

My year in Africa ended one year ago. One year ago today I landed in Chicago with two pieces of luggage, really long hair, and many memories to hold dear.

First, an update on a few main things back in Malawi—

- The hall at Grace is finished and looks gorgeous! More and more kids keep coming. Ernest got married right after I left, so his wife is there to help as well.

- The Johnstons, my family in Malawi, are back in the States now. The church in Blantyre now has a national pastor. Please keep the mission in Malawi in your prayers.

- Simon and Amanda (headmaster and his wife) are leaving Sir Harry’s after this term to teach in Thailand.

I’ve been able to keep in touch with a few friends, which has been great. Thankful for the updates from them.

I’ve been asked many times in the past year what I like better- teaching in Malawi or tutoring (teacher/dorm supervisor) here at Luther Prep. There really is no way to compare the two… just so completely different.

So many blessings wherever the Lord puts you.

The past year was full of new experiences as well. What a blessing to be a part of a Christian high school! Teaching freshmen science, coaching tennis, plus being a dorm supervisor. That means a lot of counseling, disciplining, study halls, bed checks, doctor runs, airport runs, skits and obstacle courses, and sitting in the cafeteria. It also means not a lot of sleep. But completely worth it.  

However, there isn’t a single day that goes by in which I don’t think of Malawi. I realized a year ago that I left my heart in Africa, and it’s still there. Don’t get me wrong, I’m so thankful for being here. And, as my sister kindly reminds me in many things in life, the grass is always greener on the other side. But there’s so much to remember…

I miss the fresh fruits and vegetables. I miss shopping in the market. PickNSave just isn’t the same, especially because you can’t barter in Watertown.

I miss taking pictures every day.

I miss all the walking, biking, hiking I did around the country. I miss riding in the back of a pickup truck. I even miss the adventures of the minibus.

The sun setting behind the Zomba Plateau.

I even miss the unpredictability of the electricity! Kept things interesting.

I miss going into the villages. Seeing people who have nothing by American standards, but are still smiling.

Greeting everyone who passes by. Laughing with the kids on the road. My kids at school.

I really miss my kids at Grace… Not knowing how they are doing. Which ones got malaria this year. Which ones will be able to go to secondary school next year. Which one really needs a hug today.

I miss the choirs at our churches. Church there, even though it was sometimes frustrating being the only girl. The missionary family still in Malawi.

Lots to remember, so much to be thankful for, so much to pray about.

Some things are still hard. Lots of things are, actually. When I came back, I didn’t have anytime to adjust or think about the changes because school started right away. Now that it’s summer, I’ve had time to sit and think. Not the easiest thing to do. It took me months before I could look at my thousands of pictures, let alone print some of them out. It wasn’t until a few weeks ago that I read bits of my blog. It does seem like a lifetime ago, a different life. But at the same time it was just yesterday.

I went to Walmart the other day, needing some laundry detergent. I started looking at all the different brands, smells, and prices, and got slightly overwhelmed. In Malawi I would go to Blantyre to get the one powder detergent they had. Now there’s a whole aisle of it staring back at me. So I stood there for literally ten minutes, walking back and forth, smelling, comparing prices, getting confused by the ones that are for special washers… and I ended up walking away without buying any.

I heard on the news that “the whole world is stopping this week to mourn the loss of Michael Jackson.” Really?? The whole world. The women in the villages that carry their water and firewood on their heads and their babies on their backs, they are pausing this week? The people without TVs, iPods, let alone shoes are heartbroken?

Please don’t think that I find myself better than anyone else though. I’ve enjoyed a couple sugar-free vanilla iced coffees from McDonalds this past year. I’ve gone to the outlet mall a few too many times. Because of what I saw last year, this probably makes me a lot worse than most… And I guess that’s a dilemma I find myself in…

I know that going back would never be the same. I know… but that still isn’t stopping me from praying for it. I cannot imagine NOT going back. I have one more year at Prep, and then we’ll see where the Lord takes me.  Good thing He’s in control!

And for now, I am enjoying seeing family and friends, traveling around the States this summer, and am really looking forward to having the kids come back to school. God is good…

Here are a couple websites I like…

http://www.shjzomba.com/grace

http://www.africycle.org/

http://makedesigncompany.com/rideforafricycle-redesign/

http://www.shjzomba.com/index.htm

 A couple more photo albums….

End of June in Malawi- my birthday, up on the plateau

http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2007917&l=96f67&id=96100365

The Best Ending- my last few days in Malawi

http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2008007&l=65776&id=96100365

One last time of GRACE-

http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2008418&l=0d705&id=96100365

Final bits of GRACE-

http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2008419&l=34f0e&id=96100365

Well, it’s only been weeks and weeks since I’ve written last, so I think it’s about time. I’ve been wanting to update for a long time now. I can tell I’m going to be much busier this year than last year.

Warning: This blog is full of random thoughts that might not flow very well. Hopefully you can follow.

I apologize if I’m repeating myself with some of the things I say. I could go back and read what I’ve already written, but it’s hard for me to do that. It’s hard for me to look at my pictures too.

I have come to the realization that part of my heart is still in Africa. I don’t know if it’ll ever leave, actually. And I don’t know if I want it to.

One of the missionaries wondered if Africa would just be a dream for me. I was surprised he would say that and hoped that it would never be. But in some ways it is. It is such a drastic change from life in America. Often there is no way to describe the difference. You can’t begin to put into words some of the things you’ve experienced. And even pictures can’t show what you’ve seen.

Does this make me better than anyone here? Of course not. In fact it probably just makes me super annoying to some people here. But do I wish that everyone could see Malawi? Yes, without a doubt.

Some things really bother me now that I’m back. I know that some of these things shouldn’t annoy me, but they do. Oh well. For example…

Don’t tell me that you know Africa and understand its people and culture because you went on a safari in South Africa. Even if I was there for 20 years I couldn’t say that. And please don’t tell me that you’ve seen “real” Africa on that safari either.

Don’t complain to me about how the high gas prices are making it really hard to get the boat out on the lake and making you second guess that third trip to Mexico this year. I heard all about that at a wedding a couple weeks ago. I had to excuse myself from the table and go cry in the bathroom.

Don’t make fun of Zimbabwean athletes in the Olympics.

Don’t make fun of how I can’t remember that a rubbish bin is actually called a garbage can in these parts.

Don’t say that Africa is a country. Continent, people. Continent. 

Wow, this makes me sound like an old bitter person. Hehe. I’m really not. I shouldn’t be upset at people for not knowing. Maybe it’s the not caring to know that bothers me most. Yes, that is definitely it.

There is definitely good and bad in every place. It’s how you react that makes the difference I guess.

The thing I miss most about Malawi is the people—the missionaries and their families, the friends I made, the kids at Grace, the choirs at the village churches, my kids at school. I spend the most time thinking about the kids at Grace. You just don’t know how they’re doing, what’s going to happen to them. They don’t have the resources (families, money, educational opportunities) that the kids at Sir Harry’s have. I know that all I can do for them now is pray. And talk about them. Show their pictures to everyone and let people all over the world fall in love with them just like I did.

Someone asked me if I saw anything while I was there- animals and such. While I did see some beautiful wildlife, that wasn’t why I was there. It’s the people I went for, and it’s the people that left the most impact on me.

I do also miss the beauty of Malawi’s land, the active lifestyle I had there, the delicious fruit, and the weather (I know I’ll miss that even more come December).

If I could show the world two things—

1.       Our village churches. Look at the humble altar and dirt benches. See the church bell, which is actually just a piece of scrap metal hanging from a tree.  Sit and listen to the choirs praising the Lord in the most unbelievable harmonies- sounds you have never heard before. It will make you cry.

2.       Grace. My kids there are the most beautiful kids in the world. Not because of their clothes and shoes (they have none), or because of their intelligence (varying abilities). Rub your hand on their head and see how incredibly dirty they are. Look into their eyes and realize that they’ve been through more hardships before the age of 10 than most of us will deal with in two lifetimes. But see the smiles on their faces. Hear the joy in their laughter. Hug them, hold their hand, play with them. Be changed forever.

Will I go back? YES. Most definitely. I pray the Lord takes me there soon. I dream of helping out with the mission there. But God knows where he wants me. He has me in a pretty incredible place now- being on the faculty and dorm staff at Luther Prep. Such a difference from last year, but another dream come true.  God is good.

I still have more Malawi pictures to put up, so wait for it. I’m having a hard time putting up pictures from my last time at Grace. Too much emotion involved…

Okay, here are the links to all my photo albums in order I posted them from the beginning of my time in Africa. To view them, highlight the http://… address, copy it, and paste it in the address box. It should take you right there, hopefully…

In the Villages- At two bush congregations
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2004770&l=3dd6a&id=96100365

Where I Now Live- Pictures of my house in Zomba
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2004772&l=1d6a2&id=96100365

Around the Town- Around Zomba for the first time
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2004822&l=2c778&id=96100365

Grace- My very first album from Grace! (The orphan organization where I taught English on Wednesday afternoons)
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2004867&l=873aa&id=96100365

Holiday- Nyala Park, aka zebras and giraffes
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2005021&l=7c5f8&id=96100365

Africycle- First time out to the shop where they are selling better bikes for less to help Africa and Grace
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2005028&l=42beb&id=96100365

More Grace- There’s going to be lots of these albums– I love the kids at Grace…
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2005049&l=98d6d&id=96100365

Around Zomba- Hanging out with friends, random amazing pictures
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2005592&l=88456&id=96100365

My Children- My adorable students, including pictures of our Authentic Greek Olympics
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2005594&l=9e88d&id=96100365

In the Field- Going into the village with a nurse who works with HIV/AIDS patients
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2005624&l=5c64e&id=96100365

Elephants, Hippos, and Friends- taking a boat safari on midterm (1st term) break
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2005625&l=c8dd6&id=96100365

Senga Bay- A weekend on Lake Malawi with the girls
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2005818&l=46d19&id=96100365

London Pics for Jenni- Pictures from my one day layover in London
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2005819&l=2bb5d&id=96100365

Here and There- Around my house, Lake of Stars Music Festival, and two village churches
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2005829&l=af7c4&id=96100365

Christmas Holiday #1- Jenni is here to visit!! yay! Pictures from all around the Lilongwe area and the lake
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2006160&l=01e6c&id=96100365

Medical Mission and Christmas- Going out to one of the Lutheran Mobile Medical Clinics. Then Liz arrives!! Christmas down in Blantyre…
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2006161&l=9630b&id=96100365

Mt. Mulanje- Visiting the tallest peak in south-central Africa with Liz and Jenni and the many adventures we had there
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2006162&l=6d430&id=96100365

Village Church- Going out to one of our bush congregations with Liz and Jenni
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2006163&l=27ad9&id=96100365

In our Travels- Random fun pictures
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2006166&l=c14ab&id=96100365

In and Around Zomba- Touring the area with Liz and Jenni, taking them to Grace and on Zomba Plateau
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2006165&l=7757e&id=96100365

Retreat- The Women’s Retreat up in Lilongwe with all the mission ladies
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2006267&l=5645d&id=96100365

Zomba Fun- Pictures from school, including the day I had to wear the nasty uniform
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2006269&l=a62f7&id=96100365

TIA- This Is Africa- Pictures of Malawi…
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2006268&l=d6223&id=96100365

Cape Maclear!- A weekend at Lake Malawi full of snorkeling and trying to dominate a dug-out canoe (harder than it looks!)
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2006685&l=0d154&id=96100365

Weekend on Zomba Mountain- hiking and staying at the US Embassy Cottage with Jen and Terri
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2006686&l=757e6&id=96100365

Easter in Malawi- In Blantyre for Easter, then up to Salima and Lake Malawi for the missionary Easter Retreat.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2006687&l=23e71&id=96100365

My Grocery Store/Outlet Mall- The Zomba Market where I did my shopping!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2006957&l=7bab8&id=96100365

Graceful- My kids… love them so…
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2007062&l=94650&id=96100365

Holiday in Blantyre- pictures from the end of my two week holiday at Easter time
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2007068&l=38cfe&id=96100365

Field Trip on the Mountain!- Taking the older class on a three day field trip up the Zomba Plateau
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2007198&l=140f4&id=96100365

Road Trip to Songa- Awesome weekend, just take a look…
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2007548&l=79496&id=96100365

Field Day!- The Medical Mission had a field day full of agriculture, health, and diet info
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2007556&l=6579f&id=96100365

Hiking Mt. Willy- One of the most fun hikes I took in Malawi, with some pretty awesome people…
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2007565&l=127f1&id=96100365

I Love Grace- Yup.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2007822&l=fc293&id=96100365

And there’s still more to come…

It’s crazy that my year in Africa is over. Lucky (or unlucky) for you, my blog is not over! I do have more I need to tell you, at least for a while. Look forward to hearing from me soon…

Just wanted to let you know that I am spending £3 ($6) to send you this email. Enjoy it, savor it, cherish it forever. And forward it on to others if you want. I can’t really think of who all would like to know that I’ve safely made it to London. Or maybe I’ll just send it to everyone. Might as well, considering how much this is costing me. ha!

Besides the 4 hour delay in Blantyre (not a good start), things have gone smoothly. Unfortunately, my 5 hour layover in Joburg, in which I was going to do some African shopping for presents (amazing stores) turned into a 5 minute layover, just giving me enough time to use the toilet. I mean bathroom. British talk is so rude.

The food on Air Malawi was disgusting and was a smaller meal than the snack you get on the bus ride from Bt to Lilongwe. It was good that we didn’t eat much, though, since we hit some MAJOR turbulence. Like people were screaming type turbulence.

I’ve already been freaked out numerous times from 1st world civiliazation. Seeing all the lights and traffic in Joburg. AH! Seeing Gloria Jeans coffee shop in Joburg airport. The smells of Heathrow airport. It smells really weird, like plastic, things to buy, and cleanliness. Kind of like what a mall smells like in my memory. It makes me catch my breath. ha. The Starbucks caramel frappachino sitting next to me and the fact that, not only can I not spell its name, but also that it’s probably going to make me really sick. HA.

It’s now 9:20 London time. I leave for Chicago at 11:40 and get there 8 hours later, at 2:00 Chicago time. Oh! One other thing- on the plane we had like 4 pages of newly released movies to chose from to watch on our personal screens. I have not heard of ANY of them. I do believe my new excuse for anything is, “Sorry, I’ve  been in Malawi for a year.”

“Sorry Mum, I can’t do the dishes, I’ve been in Malawi for a year.”

“Sorry Officer, I didn’t know the speed limit, plus I’ve been in Malawi for a year.” haha just kidding considering I don’t think I’ll go over the speed limit on my bike.

Alrighty, that’s all for now. I hope you all are doing well! I look forward to seeing you all very soon. Call me- 262-327-1472  Had to look that up.

God’s blessings! oo and pray that my luggage arrives safely!

Cheers!

Rach

Monday 30 June 2008

Yikes, it has been a crazy week. I don’t even know what to write, it’s all just a jumbled mess. I’m going to try to keep this one short because I have a million and one things to do.

Let’s see, last week was filled with three main things.

1. Writing reports. Yay fun stuff.
2. Musical practices, then performances. More fun than the reports. However we all got pretty sick of the songs. When you start to sing them in your dreams, you know it’s gone on for too long.
3. Packing. Also a blast.

In a little more detail, Thursday and Friday we had our musical performances. My class and the older class performed “Hoodwinked”, based on the Robin Hood story. I got to play piano for it, which was a lot of work but a lot of fun too. They did a great job, especially on Friday night.

Thursday was my 23^rd birthday. My kids were so excited about it, which was cute. I’ve never been in school on my birthday, so that was different. I walked into my classroom to find a bottle of champagne, a cake for the class, and some little gifts from Simon and Amanda. So nice of them! That night at the musical the whole crowd sang Happy Birthday, which wasn’t embarrassing at all. Haha. After the musical, the Africycle boys plus some EI people had a birthday party at the house! It was great. The boys brought out the Meier’s records which kept us occupied for hours.

On Friday night the chair of the board gave a goodbye speech, said some really nice things about me, and gave me this book that Amanda and the kids had put together. They had all written a little letter and put in a picture of themselves. So sweet, made me cry. Can’t wait to show it to people back home.

Also on Friday, Missionary John Holtz from Lilongwe and Josephine (working at the medical mission for the summer) came down to help pack up the house. I’ve been staying in the Meier’s beautiful house this year, but it was sold and we (meaning all the Meier’s stuff and myself) had to be out by the 1^st of July. So, a moving company came and packed up everything. They were suppose to come on Friday, but didn’t come til Saturday. (Yay Malawi!) They just finished up today. It was strange seeing my house for the last year get packed up in boxes. Sad. It’s been great having John and Jo here though!

So now I’m staying up at the Jones’, who are the leaders of Emmanuel International. They are so welcoming, and always have people staying with them. The Africycle boys are staying here too, so that’s fun.

This week is going to go by so quickly. I hate goodbyes. Ugh. Wednesday is my last day at Grace, and I’m really not looking forward to that. But keep looking forward, as Dad says.

Sunday 22 June 2008

So I was just counted for the Malawi Census. I told her that I was leaving in two weeks (oh my goodness I’m leaving in two weeks!), but she didn’t seem to mind. And it wasn’t just a tally for the azungus. She asked me every question on a four page scantron (fill in the circles) survey. Who do I live with? Am I married? Kids? Disabilities? Do I have a radio? Motorcycle? Mosquito net? Does my toilet flush? (At first I thought she was asking if I had plumbing problems, but then I realized it was a question of actually having indoor plumbing at all.) Anyway, kind of funny.

Great weekend. One of my German girls, Joy, lives in Songa, which is 3 hours away. During the week she lives with my German twins and their family here in Zomba. Joy’s parents are missionaries in the village. They told me months ago that I should come out for the weekend, and it finally happened! I knew it was in the village, but I didn’t realize how village-y it is.

I got a ride with the twins and their dad, Michael. Ben, Jon, and Mike (Africycle) came with too, which was great fun. We drove north to Balaka, about 1 ½ hours, and then another 1 ½ hours on dirt roads to Songa. Bumpy dirt roads.

Joy’s parents started a huge children’s program in the village. There is a kindergarten and a playground next to their house, and they have different children’s groups, activities, etc during the week. They also have leadership training on the weekends. The program has done really well, and has actually been handed over to Malawian leaders, which is the goal of all missions… So, they’re starting a new site thirty minutes further down the road.

When we got to their house (complete with grass roof!), Joy showed me around the compound. I got to pet Skippy, the donkey she got as a Christmas present, and hold one of her baby geese. She was so proud showing me around. We went inside the kindergarten building but it was hard to see because it was already five o’clock (no electricity in the village). Johannes (Joy’s dad) figured out that it was the shortest day of the year… longest day for you folks, but down here in the southern hemisphere, it’s officially winter! Oh! Side note: I found out that instead of the “man on the moon”, here we have the “rabbit in the moon”! And it actually looks like a rabbit! Crazy southern hemisphere!

Then Johannes took us on a walk past the secondary school, the teachers’ houses, the maize mill, and past the cotton fields. For some reason I didn’t have my camera with me. Kicking myself for that one. Grrrr. The cotton had already been harvested, but there was still quite a few um, cotton puffs (?) on the plants. So cool! Don’t worry, Mom, I’m bringing some home. Then we watched the sun set behind the mountains and huge baobab. Arg! Camera! It was gorgeous.

After dinner we sat around talking by solar lights. It had been a rather cloudy day, so the lights were pretty dim and the water wasn’t too warm. It was wonderful talking with Johannes and Veronika. We learned so much about their children’s programs, future plans, and lots about life in the village.

Being the only azungus in the area, I was wondering how security was for them. They have no gate, wall, or dogs. They have night guards, but Johannes said it was more of “social job” than anything, and that they definitely get a good night’s sleep while on duty. Ha when Johannes’ parents came to visit, they kindly asked if the guard could sleep under a different window- his snoring was keeping them awake.

They only had one theft issue in the ten years they’ve been here. Right away the first few months they were here, their solar panel was stolen. They knew who had done it, and the whole community went after the guy. Now, being caught for stealing is not a good thing- many people are tortured/killed for it, and they were really going to beat up the guy but Johannes asked them not to. But all the area chiefs said they were there to protect them, and if anyone tried anything like that again, they would be chased out of the area. So, no problems since then.

On Saturday morning we went with Johannes and Michael to a distribution of blankets to the elderly. It was suppose to start at 8 so we got there at 9 and it didn’t start til 10. Gotta love Africa Time. While we waited for it to start, we drove down to the new site for the mission. Construction had just started for the houses, but the brick water tower was almost finished. Except that there was no water to be held in it. The bore hole (wells that you pump) company came out twice to dig to find water, but both times they drilled in the wrong places- oops, no water there! So the mission finally hired a different geologist to come and find water. Good thing he did find some, otherwise they’d have to find a different place to build. There were workers there mixing concrete and two women standing there by two barrels of water. Johannes said that they had to go down to the river to get water, a five minute walk.

So, we walked down to the river, which was completely completely dry. It wasn’t even a creek. During the rainy season, there was major flooding in this area- 75 farmers lost their entire harvest of maize. And now there is no water. The ladies had dug down in one area and found some water, which they carried back in huge buckets on their heads. Johannes said that hole would be dried up pretty soon, so they’d have to dig down somewhere else and hope for water. Oh, and the water was really dirty. And this was the water they washed with, cooked with, drank, and of course mixed concrete with.

Back at the site, we met the gravel makers. These would be the guys that sat with a homemade hammer, all day, pounding rocks into gravel. In the States there are machines that do this. Here, we have men who make gravel.

After a while we headed back for the distribution. It was at a hospital that the government had built a few years back. The small building was built. And there it stands. No doctors. One nurse, certified after a two week training course, lives behind the hospital and administers vaccinations once a week.

Of course the whole distribution took about 2 hours longer than planned, time mostly spent sitting on a bench in front of the crowd with the boys, Johannes whispering an English translation to us. There were some prayers, a song, and a devotion, then some of the chiefs spoke. There was a big hubbub because there weren’t enough blankets for everyone to get one. All the over 70s were to be registered to get one, but many of the over 70s don’t know how old they really are- no written records. Johannes said they usually ask them questions about politics to figure out how old the people are. Can you imagine? The crowd was 75% women- the men die sooner than the women. (Largely because of more HIV/AIDS cases…)

About a month ago there was a distribution of these blankets for the orphans in the area. Since then, a large group of children have become orphans, so they were at the distribution on Saturday hoping for a blanket as well. Felt really sad for them.

We all got to help hand out the blankets. Village by village the elderly were called up, sat on the ground, and waited for a rolled up fleece blanket. As they left the meeting, they wrapped the blanket up in a chitengi, trying to keep it nice for as long as possible. One lady carried it away balanced on her head.

It was a wonderful trip. So great to be able to see all that. Won’t ever forget it. God has given me so many amazing opportunities this year. A few other things that stick out from the weekend…

-          We passed by two primary schools on the way to the distribution. They both had about 700 kids in each of them. The first school had 4 teachers, the second only had 3. Can you imagine having 230 kids in your class? Oh my goodness. And most of these teachers only have a high school education and no teacher training. So sad.

-          Sorry, this one is kind of gross, but I found it fascinating in a horrible sort of way. Johannes said at the kindergarten they were trying to train the kids to use the outdoor toilet for all types of bathroom needs. Traditionally, there is a small brick outhouse for um, number two. For number one, they just go to a small grass building without a roof. There’s no hole. This is the same building they do their bathing in. There are some rocks that they stand on while washing, but otherwise they just do their business all over the ground. How awful is that?

-          It was so neat to see Joy in her home, playing with her Malawian friends, walking around barefoot, eating nsima. This was where she has lived her whole life (9 years), this is her home. So cool.

Sunday 15 June 2008

Guess what? We have power! So I can use my computer! We had major power outages last week, Monday through Thursday. All day at school, and since my house is on a different line, all night at home. Nice. So, I have to take advantage of it!

This afternoon I hiked up the mountain behind Grace! I went with Jon, Mike, and Ben (Africycle), Mike from EI, and Vi (pronounced Vee, new girl in town). Jon and Ben climbed it on Saturday, to check it out for us. All Saturday night they talked about how hardcore the path was that they took, complete with dangling from vines while scaling boulders. The guys picked us up and we drove out to Grace- got to ride standing up in the back again—love that. We met up with Willard, our “tour guide”, who works out at Grace as a guard. Of course he showed us all up by going barefoot.

It was a great hike. The way up was pretty intense, or “gnarly” as Ben called it, but not as much as the one he and Jon had been on the day before. It was reminiscent of Ernest’s “Potato Path” that I went on with Lynsday and Ruth. There wasn’t much of a path for much of it, but tall grass and lots of prickers. There were a couple times where I thought, “Why do I do these things??” which made it even sweeter reaching the top. The final part actually was scaling a boulder, and Vi and I appreciated Jon’s hand for a foot hold.

The views were amazing from the top! It was cool to be able to see Zomba town, Mt. Mulanje , and the plateau- usually the views come from Zomba plateau, so it was cool to see that. The top was pretty spread out and there were some huge huge rocks on the top, so we climbed those to get different views. Lots of fun. Willard was amazing at climbing up. We had been looking for a name for the mountain, and the boys came up with Mt. Willard , or Mt. Willy for short. Fit very nicely.

The way down was a lot easier, which was nice. We walked through a little village on the way back to Grace, and then Willard showed us his house. He lives in the same little village as one of the gardeners from school- the one who cleans my room every afternoon. He’s one of the older workers who doesn’t know much English, but we chatted a little. I met his wife too, which was neat.

When we got back to Zomba we went to school to play volleyball, but by that time (5:00) it was rather cold out. Kinda slowed me down.

Vi and the Africycle boys are over right now watching a movie. And here I thought I’d be lonely the last few weeks I was here.

Moving backwards, Saturday I went to Blantyre with Vi. She hadn’t been on the minibuses to Blantyre yet, and asked me to go with. It was great seeing her reaction when we walked into Game (the only Walmart type store in the country). It was just like my reaction 11 months ago. But you should have seen MY reaction when we went to the new pizza place there. I saw a sign up at school about Jungle Pepper pizza place, new in Blantyre . The pizza on the picture looked just like American pizza- amazing. So we decided to check it out. We walked into the building and it smelled absolutely amazing. Oh man. Real pizza! The pizza was amazing. A medium (8 slices) was only 1000 Kwach- $7! Not a bad price for real pizza! Totally made our day.

Saturday night a group of ten came over for dessert and a movie, which was lots of fun. Friday night we had the Annual General Meeting at school. It was cool to hear a review of the year from Simon- reminded me of a lot of stuff we did- the Greek Olympics, the Icarus and the Sun play, swimming galas, the field trip on the plateau, Sports Day. Simon and Ewen, the head of the board, said some really nice things about me, including how it’s easy to see that my kids love me. I was thinking about how much I love them, and of course I started to tear up in the back of the room. I’m going to be a blubbering mess in three weeks. Holy cow. Only three more weeks.

After the meeting I went over to Vi’s house- she lives with Emma and Esela Gondwe. They had a little get together which was lots of fun. The youngest Gondwe, Junior, goes to Chancellor College and had some of her 17 year old friends over, and they were all dancing. Made us feel old and very white. Man, they can dance.

Continuing backwards, school last week was good. Our musical, “Hoodwinked”, based on the story of Robin Hood is in two weeks, so we have been practicing every day for that. I’m playing the piano for it and am trying to master the eight songs.

Wednesday at Grace was good. Africycle Mike was interested in helping me with some lessons, so he wrote a story with the kids. That gave me some alone time with the 12-13 year old girls, which was really nice. They are really timid in talking to me in front of the boys, so it was great to be able to talk with them.

I rode my bike out to Grace, and Mike and Jon were already there. Ben was going to pick us up later, but didn’t get there til 4:45. It gets super dark by 5:15 now, since it’s winter. So it was getting pretty chilly waiting for him to get there. As soon as he pulled the truck into the compound, it died. They were having problems with the carburetor flooding, and sure enough, it had done it again. There was a mechanic that happened to be there, but he was drunk and kept saying it was a problem with a filter. So we left the truck there and started walking back toward Zomba town. It would have taken us quite a bit more than an hour to walk back to town, and it would have been pitch black. Even riding my bike I wouldn’t have gotten back before dark- not safe to walk outside after dark…

Some of the kids wanted to ride my bike, so I walked with Ernest and the boys. Some little girls from the village came running up, giggling. We chatted a little in Chichewa, and then they grabbed my hands and walked with us all the way to the lower market. Don’t think they stopped giggling the whole way. Thankfully, Helen Jones met up with us halfway through the lower market and drove us the rest of the way home, which was so nice of her.

So all in all, a great week! Up on Mt. Willy this afternoon, looking out over the land… so beautiful. I said, “Man, I love this country.” Everyone agreed. I love this country.