Some pictures of the guest house where I live... my room, the living area upstairs, the front of the guest house, and the new guest house being built right next to us. :)
Sunday, November 29, 2015
Home Sweet Home
Some pictures of the guest house where I live... my room, the living area upstairs, the front of the guest house, and the new guest house being built right next to us. :)
Friday, November 27, 2015
Turkey-time (Of the Veggie Kind)
11.26.15
So I slept in a bit this morning and then when I got up I excitedly grabbed my personal card entitled “Open on Thanksgivin’” from 3 wonderfully special people in my life and the first words I read said, “So I accidentally drew you a four-legged turkey.” I literally cried tears of laughter and joy. My whole day is brightened instantly. (Not that it was excessively dull). Anyways that may not mean much to most who read it, but for those who know about the letter I want you to know it was the perfect thanksgiving card!
So sitting here, I feel as though I should embrace the thanksgiving spirit and log a few things I’m thankful for (yeah yeah cliché etc. etc. bear with me!) It’s definitely hard being away from family on a holiday like today when every other one you’ve ever spent was with parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins. So the time is appropriate. I’m actually going to fully embrace the cliché and tell whoever reads this to make a list too, even if you read it after thanksgiving! :D Now be a pal and don’t shrug it off. 10 Things. Write it in cursive. Calligraphy. Type it. Print it. Frame it. Read it. Re-read it. :) Ok I’m done I promise! *The following are not in order of importance by any means, my mind isn’t that organized before 9am. ;)
I’m thankful for…
1. So many kind host families in Malawi to share my Thanksgiving with. I love the people here and couldn’t have asked for better people to spend my time in Malawi with. And their pets! I might have to invest in a dog when I get home because I spend so much time with them here. They all find a way of nudging their way into your heart!
2. So many fruits and produce (MANGOS) to eat to my heart’s content. Also the access to peanut butter, yogurt, and I even saw Nutella in Blantyre. That was a happy discovery!
3. The best friends anyone could ask for. Seriously. All of you. You know who you are. I don’t take you for granted and you will always hold a place in my heart. <3
4. An amazing family at home, extended family included, who have been nothing but incredibly supportive every step of the way.
5. The support and care from everyone who doesn’t fall into the category of “close friend” or “family.” Seriously, I am in awe at the love and messages and general support I’ve received. You all are quality people and God used you to touch my heart. You may never know the impact you’ve had on my life but if ever I could show you I would! Thank You from the bottom of my heart!
6. Itunes libraries. Music. It enhances life and can bring back so many memories and feelings. Be it in the car singing duets with Shar to the kids or getting lost in a memory on the road to town as the trees and people pass by, or taking a moment to myself in my room to shake it off with some T-Swift tunes, or falling asleep to Starfield, or relaxing with a book to Mat Kearney… music is good. I know this, and you know this, but it’s important enough to hit the list.
7. Mosquito nets. I do.not.like.bugs. The lizzards that scuttle along my walls? Be my guest! The spider I saw? The golf-ball sized beetle that ran across my floor? The termites that recently began swarming the light after dark? The MOSQUITOS? Yeah, I have nightmares about those. Call me excessive but my net remains tucked in underneath my mattress at all hours except when I retreat beneath it. (If this is a bad idea, please enlighten me!) I sleep better knowing the greater portion of bugs cannot make their beds in mine during the day to creep around at night when I climb under the covers. (Or on top of them, since it’s, you know, hot). Ok you get the picture, I’ve written enough on this topic. Moving on. ;)
8. Internet access, as limited as it is. In fact, I don’t mind it being limited. Helps keep my priorities straight. When it’s available and I have time, I’m able to connect. When it isn’t available, I find something else to do. There’s always something else that can be done. :)
9. Benson, Hudson, and Jett. Those boys are teaching me a lot. Yes, technically I am THEIR teacher and am doing my best (ok Jett doesn’t come to school since he’s 3, but I still spend time with him other times) but those boys are teaching me a lot about myself and about what it must take to be a parent. Trying to teach concepts like kindness, patience, and perseverance intermixed with math and reading is tricky. But they also bring so much joy, like when they ask you when you’ll be back when you’re heading out the door or when they give you the cricket bat for a turn when you KNOW they want to keep batting (yeah… I’m learning cricket! Watch out world!!!). Many reasons to be thankful for those kids.
10. God. Plain and simple he’s the one who brought me here and he has fully come through for me every step of the way. He’s shown himself to me in ways I’d forgotten. Going through college and summer jobs can do great things for your relationship with God, or they can hurt it. Or some combination thereof, as was the case with me. But being here, seeing God come through every step of the way, I’m dumbfounded. It isn’t just the big things that you assume he’ll help with, but it’s the little things. Meeting a Malawian girl on my way to church who needs a friend just like me. A sim card that starts working when I need it to. An invitation to dinner when you really don’t feel like making anything. “Yum Yum” peanut butter. (The brand is somewhat presumptuous in its name but I gotta say, it isn’t bad!) God remembers the little things.
Anyways, if ever I was thankful for anything on thanksgiving, everything on my list would fall under the category of a gift from God. So really this list could have a hundred things, or it could have one. And both lists would say essentially the same thing. As I’m spending more time here and the honeymoon phase wears off bit by bit, I want to take a moment to appreciate all the things that are fresh on my mind so that later when everything starts to become routine and less-special, I’ll have something to look back on. It’s funny how quickly things can become routine in life, for better or for worse. Maybe that’s why today is so important, to look a little less superficially and find the things that inadvertently drive us in life.
Ok I’m totally letting my sentimental side take over, but thanks for bearing with me. This is as much for me as it is for you. So wherever you are today, Happy Thanksgiving. I’m thankful for you! Now go eat some food and watch some football for me! Cheer loud but don’t get cranky if your team loses. There are plenty of other days to be cranky over that. Like when your team passes to the enemy in the endzone on the play that could win you the superbowl. But I’m not bitter… *she tells herself mock-convincingly*
So I slept in a bit this morning and then when I got up I excitedly grabbed my personal card entitled “Open on Thanksgivin’” from 3 wonderfully special people in my life and the first words I read said, “So I accidentally drew you a four-legged turkey.” I literally cried tears of laughter and joy. My whole day is brightened instantly. (Not that it was excessively dull). Anyways that may not mean much to most who read it, but for those who know about the letter I want you to know it was the perfect thanksgiving card!
So sitting here, I feel as though I should embrace the thanksgiving spirit and log a few things I’m thankful for (yeah yeah cliché etc. etc. bear with me!) It’s definitely hard being away from family on a holiday like today when every other one you’ve ever spent was with parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins. So the time is appropriate. I’m actually going to fully embrace the cliché and tell whoever reads this to make a list too, even if you read it after thanksgiving! :D Now be a pal and don’t shrug it off. 10 Things. Write it in cursive. Calligraphy. Type it. Print it. Frame it. Read it. Re-read it. :) Ok I’m done I promise! *The following are not in order of importance by any means, my mind isn’t that organized before 9am. ;)
I’m thankful for…
1. So many kind host families in Malawi to share my Thanksgiving with. I love the people here and couldn’t have asked for better people to spend my time in Malawi with. And their pets! I might have to invest in a dog when I get home because I spend so much time with them here. They all find a way of nudging their way into your heart!
2. So many fruits and produce (MANGOS) to eat to my heart’s content. Also the access to peanut butter, yogurt, and I even saw Nutella in Blantyre. That was a happy discovery!
3. The best friends anyone could ask for. Seriously. All of you. You know who you are. I don’t take you for granted and you will always hold a place in my heart. <3
4. An amazing family at home, extended family included, who have been nothing but incredibly supportive every step of the way.
5. The support and care from everyone who doesn’t fall into the category of “close friend” or “family.” Seriously, I am in awe at the love and messages and general support I’ve received. You all are quality people and God used you to touch my heart. You may never know the impact you’ve had on my life but if ever I could show you I would! Thank You from the bottom of my heart!
6. Itunes libraries. Music. It enhances life and can bring back so many memories and feelings. Be it in the car singing duets with Shar to the kids or getting lost in a memory on the road to town as the trees and people pass by, or taking a moment to myself in my room to shake it off with some T-Swift tunes, or falling asleep to Starfield, or relaxing with a book to Mat Kearney… music is good. I know this, and you know this, but it’s important enough to hit the list.
7. Mosquito nets. I do.not.like.bugs. The lizzards that scuttle along my walls? Be my guest! The spider I saw? The golf-ball sized beetle that ran across my floor? The termites that recently began swarming the light after dark? The MOSQUITOS? Yeah, I have nightmares about those. Call me excessive but my net remains tucked in underneath my mattress at all hours except when I retreat beneath it. (If this is a bad idea, please enlighten me!) I sleep better knowing the greater portion of bugs cannot make their beds in mine during the day to creep around at night when I climb under the covers. (Or on top of them, since it’s, you know, hot). Ok you get the picture, I’ve written enough on this topic. Moving on. ;)
8. Internet access, as limited as it is. In fact, I don’t mind it being limited. Helps keep my priorities straight. When it’s available and I have time, I’m able to connect. When it isn’t available, I find something else to do. There’s always something else that can be done. :)
9. Benson, Hudson, and Jett. Those boys are teaching me a lot. Yes, technically I am THEIR teacher and am doing my best (ok Jett doesn’t come to school since he’s 3, but I still spend time with him other times) but those boys are teaching me a lot about myself and about what it must take to be a parent. Trying to teach concepts like kindness, patience, and perseverance intermixed with math and reading is tricky. But they also bring so much joy, like when they ask you when you’ll be back when you’re heading out the door or when they give you the cricket bat for a turn when you KNOW they want to keep batting (yeah… I’m learning cricket! Watch out world!!!). Many reasons to be thankful for those kids.
10. God. Plain and simple he’s the one who brought me here and he has fully come through for me every step of the way. He’s shown himself to me in ways I’d forgotten. Going through college and summer jobs can do great things for your relationship with God, or they can hurt it. Or some combination thereof, as was the case with me. But being here, seeing God come through every step of the way, I’m dumbfounded. It isn’t just the big things that you assume he’ll help with, but it’s the little things. Meeting a Malawian girl on my way to church who needs a friend just like me. A sim card that starts working when I need it to. An invitation to dinner when you really don’t feel like making anything. “Yum Yum” peanut butter. (The brand is somewhat presumptuous in its name but I gotta say, it isn’t bad!) God remembers the little things.
Anyways, if ever I was thankful for anything on thanksgiving, everything on my list would fall under the category of a gift from God. So really this list could have a hundred things, or it could have one. And both lists would say essentially the same thing. As I’m spending more time here and the honeymoon phase wears off bit by bit, I want to take a moment to appreciate all the things that are fresh on my mind so that later when everything starts to become routine and less-special, I’ll have something to look back on. It’s funny how quickly things can become routine in life, for better or for worse. Maybe that’s why today is so important, to look a little less superficially and find the things that inadvertently drive us in life.
Ok I’m totally letting my sentimental side take over, but thanks for bearing with me. This is as much for me as it is for you. So wherever you are today, Happy Thanksgiving. I’m thankful for you! Now go eat some food and watch some football for me! Cheer loud but don’t get cranky if your team loses. There are plenty of other days to be cranky over that. Like when your team passes to the enemy in the endzone on the play that could win you the superbowl. But I’m not bitter… *she tells herself mock-convincingly*
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
A Thank You to Modern Cinema, Power Outages Continued, and Mulanje
11.23.2015
Even though it’s thanksgiving week we’re still having class in the morning for the first two days. School is going well still, we’re all still getting used to it but the structure is slowly getting settled. I had quite the time today though. Never have I been so thankful for the stories I’ve read and the movies I’ve watched. Strange thing to say right? Well school was over and I was sitting with Huddy and Jett playing with magnetic squares that you could build with, and Huddy hands me some square shaped ones he’d fashioned into a “book” and told me to read, so I jokingly made up a few short lines and turned the “page” and such, and we laughed and then Jett handed me one and told me to tell that story too, and soon enough even Benson was on the couch as I made up stories to “read” to them from the magnetic books. The thing is, I’ve never considered myself to be very creative when it comes to story-telling so it was kind of a miracle that I was able to keep them entertained, but I was thankful for their age because it meant that I could draw from many movies and stories that they’ve never known before and they wouldn’t catch on. (Ok, they caught on when I used Bug’s Life, but I learned my lesson after that about drawing from Pixar films.) They now know a very shortened, altered version of your typical princess story (once upon a time… tower… dragons… prince… rescue… happily ever after), Second Hand Lion’s (there was hidden treasure and the lion saved the day), a Bob Ross turned treasure hunter (basically the guy had an afro and got bored and found a treasure map, etc etc.), a story of my cousin and I (thank you Renee!), Phantom of the Opera (I omitted the phantom) and a few others. They say to tell a story, draw from what you know, so I did and somehow they found it entertaining. Thankfully when I’d all but run out of ideas lunch was ready, but it was quite the experience!
We might finally be getting into rainy season, which is a blessing because it has been SO hot and muggy the last few days, and the rain brings the temperature down a bit. Also, all the tea farms and every other farm needs water for obvious reasons. Even the daily power outages are due to the lack of water because the hydro plants can’t produce enough electricity to power the country, so they literally shut off the power to whole areas for 8+ hours a day, and not during the late night when you wouldn’t care if it was off. Everyone just kind of expects it, when the lights all go off we all sort of groan and laugh and such. It does really affect things like laundry though. It’s hard to do laundry when you don’t know if your machine will stop working halfway through a cycle and then not turn on again till hours later. The internet and sometimes telephone lines don’t work either. Or, cooking can be difficult when the fridge, microwave, oven and stove don’t work. I’ve been very lucky and haven’t really suffered much from the outages, but these are what a lot of people around are having to deal with. Thankfully the hospital has a generator because they need to keep people alive and such but unfortunately that doesn’t help any of the other buildings around. It’s amazing how much we rely on power these days.
On another note, I joined the Haytons, Graybils and one other family on a hike to the falls at Mt. Mulanje. (I think it’s classified as a mountain. Apologies if I’m quoting wrong.) The mountain is truly spectacular with trees abounding giving it a lush look. We didn’t take a particularly long hike, but it was mostly uphill and the ground is quite uneven so we went a bit slower to account for the small girls trying to keep up. I didn’t mind the slower pace though since I’m still adjusting to the higher elevation here and it also gave me time to take a few pictures. The waterfall was really crowded but the water was clean and clear and COLD so it was incredibly refreshing to actually swim. You could swim right up to the waterfall and tread water where it came down so it was pretty neat! Then we went for lunch which we waited 2ish hours for (Malawi time for you ;) ) and while we were waiting there was a pool there so the kids played for a bit then we moved to another area for our food. I definitely recommend a trip to Mulanje for any future Malawi travelers! Also, public service reminder that sunburns hurt.
Oh! Random fact! I kept hearing that we were near “Cholo” but could never find it on any signs, I only saw Thyolo on signs. Turns out Thyolo is pronounced like Cho-lo. Now go ace that pop quiz on Malawian pronunciations you won’t be given. :)
Even though it’s thanksgiving week we’re still having class in the morning for the first two days. School is going well still, we’re all still getting used to it but the structure is slowly getting settled. I had quite the time today though. Never have I been so thankful for the stories I’ve read and the movies I’ve watched. Strange thing to say right? Well school was over and I was sitting with Huddy and Jett playing with magnetic squares that you could build with, and Huddy hands me some square shaped ones he’d fashioned into a “book” and told me to read, so I jokingly made up a few short lines and turned the “page” and such, and we laughed and then Jett handed me one and told me to tell that story too, and soon enough even Benson was on the couch as I made up stories to “read” to them from the magnetic books. The thing is, I’ve never considered myself to be very creative when it comes to story-telling so it was kind of a miracle that I was able to keep them entertained, but I was thankful for their age because it meant that I could draw from many movies and stories that they’ve never known before and they wouldn’t catch on. (Ok, they caught on when I used Bug’s Life, but I learned my lesson after that about drawing from Pixar films.) They now know a very shortened, altered version of your typical princess story (once upon a time… tower… dragons… prince… rescue… happily ever after), Second Hand Lion’s (there was hidden treasure and the lion saved the day), a Bob Ross turned treasure hunter (basically the guy had an afro and got bored and found a treasure map, etc etc.), a story of my cousin and I (thank you Renee!), Phantom of the Opera (I omitted the phantom) and a few others. They say to tell a story, draw from what you know, so I did and somehow they found it entertaining. Thankfully when I’d all but run out of ideas lunch was ready, but it was quite the experience!
We might finally be getting into rainy season, which is a blessing because it has been SO hot and muggy the last few days, and the rain brings the temperature down a bit. Also, all the tea farms and every other farm needs water for obvious reasons. Even the daily power outages are due to the lack of water because the hydro plants can’t produce enough electricity to power the country, so they literally shut off the power to whole areas for 8+ hours a day, and not during the late night when you wouldn’t care if it was off. Everyone just kind of expects it, when the lights all go off we all sort of groan and laugh and such. It does really affect things like laundry though. It’s hard to do laundry when you don’t know if your machine will stop working halfway through a cycle and then not turn on again till hours later. The internet and sometimes telephone lines don’t work either. Or, cooking can be difficult when the fridge, microwave, oven and stove don’t work. I’ve been very lucky and haven’t really suffered much from the outages, but these are what a lot of people around are having to deal with. Thankfully the hospital has a generator because they need to keep people alive and such but unfortunately that doesn’t help any of the other buildings around. It’s amazing how much we rely on power these days.
On another note, I joined the Haytons, Graybils and one other family on a hike to the falls at Mt. Mulanje. (I think it’s classified as a mountain. Apologies if I’m quoting wrong.) The mountain is truly spectacular with trees abounding giving it a lush look. We didn’t take a particularly long hike, but it was mostly uphill and the ground is quite uneven so we went a bit slower to account for the small girls trying to keep up. I didn’t mind the slower pace though since I’m still adjusting to the higher elevation here and it also gave me time to take a few pictures. The waterfall was really crowded but the water was clean and clear and COLD so it was incredibly refreshing to actually swim. You could swim right up to the waterfall and tread water where it came down so it was pretty neat! Then we went for lunch which we waited 2ish hours for (Malawi time for you ;) ) and while we were waiting there was a pool there so the kids played for a bit then we moved to another area for our food. I definitely recommend a trip to Mulanje for any future Malawi travelers! Also, public service reminder that sunburns hurt.
Oh! Random fact! I kept hearing that we were near “Cholo” but could never find it on any signs, I only saw Thyolo on signs. Turns out Thyolo is pronounced like Cho-lo. Now go ace that pop quiz on Malawian pronunciations you won’t be given. :)
Friday, November 20, 2015
Back To School
11.18.2015
Well this week we started school with Benson and Hudson, while Jett eagerly tried to join whenever he found the opportunity (welcomed or not). It’s a learning opportunity for me as much as for the boys, but we’re all doing alright I think. It’s definitely interesting trying to have activities that will engage a kindergartener as well as a 2nd grader while not being above the younger one’s head, but I’m having fun! Hopefully they are too haha. :) We transition from worship and the pledge of allegiance to the date/time to math, and then possibly my favorite part where we go outside first to feed the two turtles and then on to the garden plots the boys have been given to build up and plant. Each boy got to choose 4 things to grow and they even gave me a plot and gave me zucchini to grow, so if our garden skills (more likely the gardener’s skills, thank you Maxwell!) are good, we’ll have a bumper crop of produce ranging from pumpkins to watermelon to goose berries to beetroot and cucumber. That isn’t an all-inclusive list but it has a good portion of their choices! I don’t know what will grow well for this season but those were the crops they dearly wanted so it’ll be an adventure finding out what produces a crop. Anyways, after gardening and cleaning up, we go inside and work on things like reading/writing/spelling/etc. and somewhere in there we fit a P.E. class and of course either history or science, depending on the day. I think if the boys could decide, they would only ever do science or art projects and maybe some easy math worksheets (because if it’s easy it’s fun I guess?) but hopefully we’ll be able to find a good balance of fun as well as learning. That will be my challenge.
Looking back on my first week here I still feel incredibly blessed to be here. Everyone has been so kind and open to me. Every time I catch a ride anywhere, I’m like a kid in a candy store staring out the window at the scenery. Between the macadamia nut trees, eucalyptus trees, and tea bushes the landscape looks quite lush and it’s indescribable. And then there’s the roads. They still crack me up a bit because they are SO BAD around the mission. The pavement will only be half there, the other half where it should be is potholes and dirt. It makes for quite the ride though and amazingly, it puts the kids to sleep. Seriously. They were awake the whole time on the smooth roads but getting to the bumps put them to sleep! I’m hoping to make it to the Makwasa Market tomorrow (Friday) again so that will be nice if it happens! I’m a terrible barterer though so that will be something I potentially will work on unless I’m content being swindled consistently. Since being here, there have been three times where I came to the guest house to find someone waiting with their goods spread right next to the front door baiting me to buy something. Some of them will wait all day for one of us residents to come look. “It’s free to look,” they’ll say. True, but as nice as that ebony is I really have no use for an elephant to sit on my dresser. Maybe if it was a really really nice elephant, but I just got here… I can’t spend all my kwacha in my first month! If anyone has a great desire for me to buy them an ebony elephant do let me know! :) (If I’m being honest though, I have bought a few small things so I guess them coming isn’t a total waste)
Well next week will be a bit of an easier week for school work what with thanksgiving happening. We’ll probably take Tuesday and Wednesday to just do crafts or work on a thanksgiving skit to perform for the group coming to eat thanksgiving dinner together. Should be fun! Now I just have to refresh myself on what happened so I can help with the skit! Also, a wonderful thing happened this week: Carla and Mindy were able to visit Malamulo from Blantyre and they brought me a package and card from the SM office that went to their post office. In it were various crushed food items such as popcorn and fortune cookies, but in it was also a polaroid from some of my favorite people. I value that photo more than anything else in the package. Even from around the world, friends can make such a difference. Life today is very good. I know challenges will probably come, but for today I’m very thankful for where I’m at!
Well this week we started school with Benson and Hudson, while Jett eagerly tried to join whenever he found the opportunity (welcomed or not). It’s a learning opportunity for me as much as for the boys, but we’re all doing alright I think. It’s definitely interesting trying to have activities that will engage a kindergartener as well as a 2nd grader while not being above the younger one’s head, but I’m having fun! Hopefully they are too haha. :) We transition from worship and the pledge of allegiance to the date/time to math, and then possibly my favorite part where we go outside first to feed the two turtles and then on to the garden plots the boys have been given to build up and plant. Each boy got to choose 4 things to grow and they even gave me a plot and gave me zucchini to grow, so if our garden skills (more likely the gardener’s skills, thank you Maxwell!) are good, we’ll have a bumper crop of produce ranging from pumpkins to watermelon to goose berries to beetroot and cucumber. That isn’t an all-inclusive list but it has a good portion of their choices! I don’t know what will grow well for this season but those were the crops they dearly wanted so it’ll be an adventure finding out what produces a crop. Anyways, after gardening and cleaning up, we go inside and work on things like reading/writing/spelling/etc. and somewhere in there we fit a P.E. class and of course either history or science, depending on the day. I think if the boys could decide, they would only ever do science or art projects and maybe some easy math worksheets (because if it’s easy it’s fun I guess?) but hopefully we’ll be able to find a good balance of fun as well as learning. That will be my challenge.
Looking back on my first week here I still feel incredibly blessed to be here. Everyone has been so kind and open to me. Every time I catch a ride anywhere, I’m like a kid in a candy store staring out the window at the scenery. Between the macadamia nut trees, eucalyptus trees, and tea bushes the landscape looks quite lush and it’s indescribable. And then there’s the roads. They still crack me up a bit because they are SO BAD around the mission. The pavement will only be half there, the other half where it should be is potholes and dirt. It makes for quite the ride though and amazingly, it puts the kids to sleep. Seriously. They were awake the whole time on the smooth roads but getting to the bumps put them to sleep! I’m hoping to make it to the Makwasa Market tomorrow (Friday) again so that will be nice if it happens! I’m a terrible barterer though so that will be something I potentially will work on unless I’m content being swindled consistently. Since being here, there have been three times where I came to the guest house to find someone waiting with their goods spread right next to the front door baiting me to buy something. Some of them will wait all day for one of us residents to come look. “It’s free to look,” they’ll say. True, but as nice as that ebony is I really have no use for an elephant to sit on my dresser. Maybe if it was a really really nice elephant, but I just got here… I can’t spend all my kwacha in my first month! If anyone has a great desire for me to buy them an ebony elephant do let me know! :) (If I’m being honest though, I have bought a few small things so I guess them coming isn’t a total waste)
Well next week will be a bit of an easier week for school work what with thanksgiving happening. We’ll probably take Tuesday and Wednesday to just do crafts or work on a thanksgiving skit to perform for the group coming to eat thanksgiving dinner together. Should be fun! Now I just have to refresh myself on what happened so I can help with the skit! Also, a wonderful thing happened this week: Carla and Mindy were able to visit Malamulo from Blantyre and they brought me a package and card from the SM office that went to their post office. In it were various crushed food items such as popcorn and fortune cookies, but in it was also a polaroid from some of my favorite people. I value that photo more than anything else in the package. Even from around the world, friends can make such a difference. Life today is very good. I know challenges will probably come, but for today I’m very thankful for where I’m at!
Saturday, November 14, 2015
Settling In
I feel as though I’ve been here forever and at the same time I feel like I got here just yesterday. I’m slowly learning things but yet have so much more to learn. I’m trying to pick up as much of the Chewa language as I can, but so far my vocabulary consists of saying, How are you, I’m fine, and thank you. It’s been a good week though! On Friday I was able to tag along on a town trip to Blantyre for groceries, and I was able to buy my own groceries using the Malawi Kwacha which is an experience in itself because the highest bill is 1000 Kwacha, which is equivalent to about $2, so to buy groceries you end up having to carry around wads of cash. It was great to see the town again and the scenery on the way was amazing.
When we got back from town and unloaded, I went with two of the guys who also live in the guest house and we walked to the village market around a mile away. I somehow didn’t feel out of place at all but we were definitely the only white people there and we got a lot of stares, but it was fun walking through and seeing all the goods set out. We ended up buying a cold soda and some mangos before heading back. That night for dinner I joined the Hayton’s at the house of one of the other doctors who made fresh Ethiopian food for us and it was wonderful! I have definitely eaten very well since arriving, which I’m thankful for. Since it’s summer here there’s plenty of fruits and other produce to be had.
Well today being Sabbath I got up to go to the 7:30 English church service where most of the college students go. I got there a little early and the music had already started and the seating was almost full already! As with the market, I was the only white person there, and I was ushered to the right side of the church where the females sat. This was the first service I’d been to where the boys and girls sat on opposite sides. When announcements were being made, they asked all the visitors to stand so I had the pleasure of being the only one standing and having everyone look at me. Not my favorite position to be in but it was nice of them to welcome me. After church I got to lounge around a bit which is nice because it is really quite warm out. Supposedly the rain is supposed to get here tomorrow (based on the yearly average) but honestly there isn’t a cloud in the sky so I’m guessing we’ll wait a bit more before we get any rain.
School starts on Monday so tomorrow will mostly be spent doing last minute preparations and lesson plans. Hoping this next week goes well! Oh, we named the ever-crowing rooster Gus and the little lizard that lives behind the Malawi wall hanging in the hallway Benny. Not quite the same as having a cat or dog but it’s something. :)
When we got back from town and unloaded, I went with two of the guys who also live in the guest house and we walked to the village market around a mile away. I somehow didn’t feel out of place at all but we were definitely the only white people there and we got a lot of stares, but it was fun walking through and seeing all the goods set out. We ended up buying a cold soda and some mangos before heading back. That night for dinner I joined the Hayton’s at the house of one of the other doctors who made fresh Ethiopian food for us and it was wonderful! I have definitely eaten very well since arriving, which I’m thankful for. Since it’s summer here there’s plenty of fruits and other produce to be had.
Well today being Sabbath I got up to go to the 7:30 English church service where most of the college students go. I got there a little early and the music had already started and the seating was almost full already! As with the market, I was the only white person there, and I was ushered to the right side of the church where the females sat. This was the first service I’d been to where the boys and girls sat on opposite sides. When announcements were being made, they asked all the visitors to stand so I had the pleasure of being the only one standing and having everyone look at me. Not my favorite position to be in but it was nice of them to welcome me. After church I got to lounge around a bit which is nice because it is really quite warm out. Supposedly the rain is supposed to get here tomorrow (based on the yearly average) but honestly there isn’t a cloud in the sky so I’m guessing we’ll wait a bit more before we get any rain.
School starts on Monday so tomorrow will mostly be spent doing last minute preparations and lesson plans. Hoping this next week goes well! Oh, we named the ever-crowing rooster Gus and the little lizard that lives behind the Malawi wall hanging in the hallway Benny. Not quite the same as having a cat or dog but it’s something. :)
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
The First Days
11/11/15
Well, I’m finally here! Malamulo in Makwasa. After spending the last two days either in an airplane or in an airport, it is SO nice to be in my own room with all my luggage accounted for. I couldn’t be more grateful to God for walking me through my travels, it went as smoothly as I could have hoped for! I have my 30-day traveler’s visa (which will hopefully be extended later this month) and my own room in the guest house here which houses a few others who work at the hospital.
Yesterday was a whirlwind of new things for me, from navigating a foreign airport and obtaining a visa and such by myself was a little daunting, but in reality it’s mostly in my head because there are these lovely things called signs and if you read them you’ll usually be able to find your way around, especially if you pay attention to the announcements as well! (Go figure.) The roads here are more rugged than those in Walla Walla (although the WW roads are finally being fixed) but anyways you definitely want to have a car that can handle the huge potholes and ruts and such if you want to live here, but wow I like it here so far! Shar gave me a mini tour of Blantyre while running some errands after picking me up at the airport, and it is all really eye opening! I can see I have a lot to learn here about the language and the people but I'm looking forward to it! There are lots of tea plantations around (among other major export crops) and they are such a bright green that they really stand out against the reddish dirt. It also was pretty interesting riding passenger on the left front seat of the car! This was my first official ride in a car oriented for driving on the left side of the road so I enjoyed the new perspective :) It’s a seemingly small thing but isn’t it the small things that make each culture so rich? Anyways, I had a blast yesterday (the 10th) and I am now working on unpacking and making the room mine.
Of course, it’s only 6:30am-ish here. I woke up around 4am with the rooster, which strangely enough is STILL singing the song of its people! I’ve never spent any great length of time around chickens and roosters before so this will be interesting! I probably wouldn’t have woken up with it except that my internal body clock has no idea what day or time it is, so I was pretty wide awake when I got up. Jetlag... what a joy! Oh well, mornings are a good time to be productive, which is why I’m writing this now. Although, I don’t have internet access yet so who knows when this will actually be posted!
Anyways, everyone that I’ve met here has been really welcoming and kind and I adore the boys I’m going to be teaching! I’m pretty scared for the unknown still but that’s normal and I’ve got good people here and a God that cares so whatever happens will be ok somehow. He even allowed me to only see the huge spider outside my room when I was being given a tour, and thus someone else kindly disposed of it for me. (Thank goodness!)
Well I think I hit on all the main points for now, hopefully I’ll have some interesting stories in the future to put up and hopefully some pictures too! Thanks for checking out my blog and for all the prayers that got me here! I couldn’t be more ready for this new stage in my life!
Until later!
Later same day:
The rooster is still at it. It’s 3:06pm. I wish I had that kind of vocal stamina! He’s currently sitting right outside my window… new friend? Probably not. It’s my second day and I’ve had fresh papaya, and three other new fruits(one that reminds me of a kiwi berry, one that you bite the top off and squeeze the insides into your mouth, and one yellow one that is really sweet) that I can’t remember the name of, and yesterday I tried fresh lychee for the first time! It’s funny though because here, people often add the ending “ee” to the ends of words, but words that already have that they will sometimes omit that ending, so it isn’t uncommon to hear locals asking if you want to buy a leech. Sounds appetizing right? But in reality they are quite good! I’ve also been warned that since I go by Nikki, I will probably be called Nick sometimes for the same reason. Anyways, that's my life at the moment! Thanks for reading! :)
Well, I’m finally here! Malamulo in Makwasa. After spending the last two days either in an airplane or in an airport, it is SO nice to be in my own room with all my luggage accounted for. I couldn’t be more grateful to God for walking me through my travels, it went as smoothly as I could have hoped for! I have my 30-day traveler’s visa (which will hopefully be extended later this month) and my own room in the guest house here which houses a few others who work at the hospital.
Yesterday was a whirlwind of new things for me, from navigating a foreign airport and obtaining a visa and such by myself was a little daunting, but in reality it’s mostly in my head because there are these lovely things called signs and if you read them you’ll usually be able to find your way around, especially if you pay attention to the announcements as well! (Go figure.) The roads here are more rugged than those in Walla Walla (although the WW roads are finally being fixed) but anyways you definitely want to have a car that can handle the huge potholes and ruts and such if you want to live here, but wow I like it here so far! Shar gave me a mini tour of Blantyre while running some errands after picking me up at the airport, and it is all really eye opening! I can see I have a lot to learn here about the language and the people but I'm looking forward to it! There are lots of tea plantations around (among other major export crops) and they are such a bright green that they really stand out against the reddish dirt. It also was pretty interesting riding passenger on the left front seat of the car! This was my first official ride in a car oriented for driving on the left side of the road so I enjoyed the new perspective :) It’s a seemingly small thing but isn’t it the small things that make each culture so rich? Anyways, I had a blast yesterday (the 10th) and I am now working on unpacking and making the room mine.
Of course, it’s only 6:30am-ish here. I woke up around 4am with the rooster, which strangely enough is STILL singing the song of its people! I’ve never spent any great length of time around chickens and roosters before so this will be interesting! I probably wouldn’t have woken up with it except that my internal body clock has no idea what day or time it is, so I was pretty wide awake when I got up. Jetlag... what a joy! Oh well, mornings are a good time to be productive, which is why I’m writing this now. Although, I don’t have internet access yet so who knows when this will actually be posted!
Anyways, everyone that I’ve met here has been really welcoming and kind and I adore the boys I’m going to be teaching! I’m pretty scared for the unknown still but that’s normal and I’ve got good people here and a God that cares so whatever happens will be ok somehow. He even allowed me to only see the huge spider outside my room when I was being given a tour, and thus someone else kindly disposed of it for me. (Thank goodness!)
Well I think I hit on all the main points for now, hopefully I’ll have some interesting stories in the future to put up and hopefully some pictures too! Thanks for checking out my blog and for all the prayers that got me here! I couldn’t be more ready for this new stage in my life!
Until later!
Later same day:
The rooster is still at it. It’s 3:06pm. I wish I had that kind of vocal stamina! He’s currently sitting right outside my window… new friend? Probably not. It’s my second day and I’ve had fresh papaya, and three other new fruits(one that reminds me of a kiwi berry, one that you bite the top off and squeeze the insides into your mouth, and one yellow one that is really sweet) that I can’t remember the name of, and yesterday I tried fresh lychee for the first time! It’s funny though because here, people often add the ending “ee” to the ends of words, but words that already have that they will sometimes omit that ending, so it isn’t uncommon to hear locals asking if you want to buy a leech. Sounds appetizing right? But in reality they are quite good! I’ve also been warned that since I go by Nikki, I will probably be called Nick sometimes for the same reason. Anyways, that's my life at the moment! Thanks for reading! :)
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