Oh man. I am terrible at goodbyes. We started off handing out the supplies to John Wesley in Standard 8, the Standard 4A teacher, and finally Katie and Cecilia. We hung up posters during the few minutes left of class instruction and then Katie told us we had to head over to the standard 7 room for the farewell celebration. It was Dr. Kelly, a director from MIE, the Domasi Government School head teacher, all the teachers, and of course, us. It was so cute, they had decorated the board, rearranged all the desks so we were in a big circle, and had a big table in the middle with food and drinks, which we really good. Our teacher, Katie, actually was on this committee and started handing out gifts to all of us. They told us we had to leave and then come back and show them what we got, so we figured it was clothing, and it was! A shirt and wraparound skirt. All of us matched and it was really nice. We clapped, dance and sang our way back into the classroom with the rest of the female teachers that had led us.
Once we were seated again, the head teacher and Dr. Kelly gave speeches, and then it was our turn. I knew it was coming. Jess and I had to stand up there together because we both suck at saying goodbye. Of course we both started crying, a lot. We cried more than anyone else and I’d be shocked if they could actually understand what we were saying to them. This was way harder than I expected it to be. I don’t think you really understand what you’re feeling or how much you’ve been affected until you’re looking all these people in the face and you have to tell them. I didn’t even get out 5 words before I turned into waterworks.
I’ve come here with a group for a purpose that includes teaching and trying to better the Domasi education system. However, it was important that they knew how much I have learned from them. I can sincerely say that I will never forget the teachers, the school, the country. I will never forget those faces, the children, not only at my school but every school, and every village we’ve driven through. Some days I’ve walked out of my classroom feeling defeated, other days I’ve come out feeling like I’ve truly made a difference. I’m coming to realize that it’s not only because I’m in Africa, or because of language and cultural differences, it happens when you’re a teacher, period. But, I appreciate every moment of it. I have grown so much in the short amount of time I’ve been here, and I’m so thankful for this experience. I feel really blessed to have been able to be here. I’ll make sure this isn’t the last time they see me.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Ponchos are done (July 13)
Today we handed out the blanket/ponchos to the youngest students at Malemia, but I unfortunately didn’t get to see. We had the option of getting on the bus to watch and then walk back to the Government school, but Jess and I were both feeling really sick so we stayed on the bus to get a ride. Since we were feeling awful we pretty much observed during class today, we figured tomorrow we will do something with the class. Plus tomorrow is when we’re bringing Katie all the supplies and decorating the classroom.
We went into town today, and of course, to our luck, our posters were too big to be laminated even though the sign says “Lamination – Any Size!”. Apparently any size means 8.5 x 11. The photo place also couldn’t develop our camera and we had a limited amount of time so we didn’t want to be running around Zomba when we had other errands to run. Nothing ever really goes as planned, but this is Africa, I have to keep reminding myself of that. I did exchange money though, and got the rest of my souveniers, so it feels good to finally be done with that.
Back at Annie’s, Jess and I got an early dinner and then decided to start packing. We figured that we would use my big suitcase to fill with supplies and clothes we’re leaving behind for Katie and some other teachers. This worked out well because everything fit perfectly and now I don’t have to bring home that ridiculous suitcase that broke on the first day here! Whatever doesn’t fit in my smaller one is gonna go in Jess’s other one, so it works out great. It feels weird to actually be packed. Everything we need for the next few days until we’re back in the states will just be in our carry-on’s. It makes it easier if we can keep all the big luggage in one place since it takes forever to load when it’s all in different places.
At 7 we decorated the bar area (well mostly Jeff and Todd) with balloons, cards and gifts for Annie. We’ve decided to throw her a farewell party to show her how grateful we are for everything she’s done for us these past few weeks. Quite honestly I’m not sure if my trip would have been every bit this wonderful if it hadn’t been in part to her hospitality and kindness. Not to mention her lodge is fantastic, and her staff is incredible, and so sweet. I will never forget her, or Ronald, or Cameron, Alice, Naomi, Peter, the list goes on. I wish I could just take them all home with me. Annie cried, which means I cried, as well as a few others. I don’t know why being her has made me so crazy emotional.
Now I’ve showered, finished packing, and sitting here typing this. I can’t believe that tomorrow is our last day in the schools. I don’t think I’m quite prepared to leave these kids yet. We’ll see what happens.
We went into town today, and of course, to our luck, our posters were too big to be laminated even though the sign says “Lamination – Any Size!”. Apparently any size means 8.5 x 11. The photo place also couldn’t develop our camera and we had a limited amount of time so we didn’t want to be running around Zomba when we had other errands to run. Nothing ever really goes as planned, but this is Africa, I have to keep reminding myself of that. I did exchange money though, and got the rest of my souveniers, so it feels good to finally be done with that.
Back at Annie’s, Jess and I got an early dinner and then decided to start packing. We figured that we would use my big suitcase to fill with supplies and clothes we’re leaving behind for Katie and some other teachers. This worked out well because everything fit perfectly and now I don’t have to bring home that ridiculous suitcase that broke on the first day here! Whatever doesn’t fit in my smaller one is gonna go in Jess’s other one, so it works out great. It feels weird to actually be packed. Everything we need for the next few days until we’re back in the states will just be in our carry-on’s. It makes it easier if we can keep all the big luggage in one place since it takes forever to load when it’s all in different places.
At 7 we decorated the bar area (well mostly Jeff and Todd) with balloons, cards and gifts for Annie. We’ve decided to throw her a farewell party to show her how grateful we are for everything she’s done for us these past few weeks. Quite honestly I’m not sure if my trip would have been every bit this wonderful if it hadn’t been in part to her hospitality and kindness. Not to mention her lodge is fantastic, and her staff is incredible, and so sweet. I will never forget her, or Ronald, or Cameron, Alice, Naomi, Peter, the list goes on. I wish I could just take them all home with me. Annie cried, which means I cried, as well as a few others. I don’t know why being her has made me so crazy emotional.
Now I’ve showered, finished packing, and sitting here typing this. I can’t believe that tomorrow is our last day in the schools. I don’t think I’m quite prepared to leave these kids yet. We’ll see what happens.
Went to the wall, finally (July 12)
It was so beautiful outside today! Sunshine without a cloud in the sky, and it was really warm. I got up around 8am, had some breakfast and then went into town with Kelsey and Angela around 11:30. I wanted to stop by the internet café to get some things laminated, the picture place to get film developed, and Feg’s to get cardboard, chalk and an eraser, but of course all three places were closed. I’m really going to have to rush to get all those things done tomorrow, since tomorrow is technically our last day of instruction in the schools. Tuesday there is a big farewell from the teachers starting at 10am, so we won’t really have teaching time. That’s when we’ll give our gifts (the rest of our supplies, which is a ton) and that night is the big teacher dinner.
At the wall I bought 10 necklacess for 1000 kwacha which was a pretty good deal. Then I bought 6 napkin holders for 1200 kwacha, a not so good deal. I’m terrible at bargaining though, everyone knows this. That’s exactly why I’ve barely bought anything on this trip, I just can’t seem to get good prices because I settle too easily. I suck. We stopped at tasty bites for lunch, and that was really good, that place is so cheap. Later in the day I walked down to this garden area that has a mini waterfall and creek with the Rachels, DeAnna, Carolyn and Moses. It was so pretty, and I had been meaning to go down there for awhile now. You have to go in a big group though because that place has a real bad history of there being a lot of muggings. It seemed hard to believe for a place so beautiful.
Our last buffet “family” dinner was tonight! It was excellent because there was mashed potatoes! I never thought I’d appreciate them so much, but it was amazing and I had 2 helpings of it. It’s crazy the type of food you crave when you’re in foreign countries. The amount of potatoes and chips ive eaten here is insane, just because it reminds me of home. Only 5 days left!
At the wall I bought 10 necklacess for 1000 kwacha which was a pretty good deal. Then I bought 6 napkin holders for 1200 kwacha, a not so good deal. I’m terrible at bargaining though, everyone knows this. That’s exactly why I’ve barely bought anything on this trip, I just can’t seem to get good prices because I settle too easily. I suck. We stopped at tasty bites for lunch, and that was really good, that place is so cheap. Later in the day I walked down to this garden area that has a mini waterfall and creek with the Rachels, DeAnna, Carolyn and Moses. It was so pretty, and I had been meaning to go down there for awhile now. You have to go in a big group though because that place has a real bad history of there being a lot of muggings. It seemed hard to believe for a place so beautiful.
Our last buffet “family” dinner was tonight! It was excellent because there was mashed potatoes! I never thought I’d appreciate them so much, but it was amazing and I had 2 helpings of it. It’s crazy the type of food you crave when you’re in foreign countries. The amount of potatoes and chips ive eaten here is insane, just because it reminds me of home. Only 5 days left!
Orphanage (July 11)
It was pouring down rain this morning, but I didn’t wake up until the alarm went off, which is unusual. I’m normally up about 15 minutes before. I slept amazing last night, I actually think it was because of the rain. It’s been rainy a lot, but it’s been light showers, nothing like how it was last night and this morning. I had to be ready by 9:30 so we could all head off to the orphanage, but because of the rain we couldn’t go at that time. All the professors were worried that the roads would be way too bad because they’re all dirt. It seems that everywhere we go is down these crazy difficult dirt roads, but that may just be because Malawi doesn’t have many roads that aren’t dirt. Jess and I came back to the room and worked on some school stuff before it was time to leave for the orphanage around 1, for real this time. She stayed because she wasn’t feeling well, and a few others ended up not going either.
Peter lead the way so Charles wouldn’t get lost. It wasn’t at all what I expected but it was nice. It’s a community based orphanage, so it sustains itself through community support, and they’re very good about supporting each other. It houses orphan children as well as sick elderly people. Dr. Kelly explained that places like this are so important because children who lose their parents are oftentimes sent to live with relatives. When this happens, they become one more mouth to feed, and their new home sometimes neglects them. Places like this take those children in and provide food, shelter, health and education. The director welcomed us into his home and gave us drinks and bread, which was so kind of him. He talked to us a bit about the orphanage and ways we could help them, either by monetary donations or donating useful materials. All three universities presented the orphanage with 18,000 kwacha, and they were all so happy. It’s so great being able to see where our money’s going and looking into the faces of all the children we’re helping. It’s so special. The kids were all adorable.
One member, an older gentleman, who I think might have been HIV positive, handed me a note as we were walking. He told me his name, said that he was a member of the orphanage and wished to have a pen pal from out of the country. He also included his address and phone number so that I could contact him if I was willing to be his pen pal. I love getting notes like this. I told him as soon as I get to the states I would write to him. Some others received notes as well. Malawians seem to do this a lot when they meet people from different countries, I really like that.
Once I got back to Annie’s, I worked on more posters for class, and just hung out and relaxed. I didn’t get to go into town but I’ll probably do that tomorrow. I can’t believe that at this time in a week I’ll be at home. I’m so anxious to be back and to see everyone, but I also really don’t want to leave Africa! I’ve pretty much fallen in love with this country and these people. I hope this next week doesn’t go by too fast!
Peter lead the way so Charles wouldn’t get lost. It wasn’t at all what I expected but it was nice. It’s a community based orphanage, so it sustains itself through community support, and they’re very good about supporting each other. It houses orphan children as well as sick elderly people. Dr. Kelly explained that places like this are so important because children who lose their parents are oftentimes sent to live with relatives. When this happens, they become one more mouth to feed, and their new home sometimes neglects them. Places like this take those children in and provide food, shelter, health and education. The director welcomed us into his home and gave us drinks and bread, which was so kind of him. He talked to us a bit about the orphanage and ways we could help them, either by monetary donations or donating useful materials. All three universities presented the orphanage with 18,000 kwacha, and they were all so happy. It’s so great being able to see where our money’s going and looking into the faces of all the children we’re helping. It’s so special. The kids were all adorable.
One member, an older gentleman, who I think might have been HIV positive, handed me a note as we were walking. He told me his name, said that he was a member of the orphanage and wished to have a pen pal from out of the country. He also included his address and phone number so that I could contact him if I was willing to be his pen pal. I love getting notes like this. I told him as soon as I get to the states I would write to him. Some others received notes as well. Malawians seem to do this a lot when they meet people from different countries, I really like that.
Once I got back to Annie’s, I worked on more posters for class, and just hung out and relaxed. I didn’t get to go into town but I’ll probably do that tomorrow. I can’t believe that at this time in a week I’ll be at home. I’m so anxious to be back and to see everyone, but I also really don’t want to leave Africa! I’ve pretty much fallen in love with this country and these people. I hope this next week doesn’t go by too fast!
Katie's House (July 10)
Back at school! Today was cool because after our lessons, Jess and I went with Katie to her home instead of going to MIE for our class discussion. Dr. Kelly said this was perfectly okay and told us before that if anyone ever got an opportunity to go to a teacher’s home it would be a very good idea. So we walked about 30 minutes to Katie’s, it wasn’t a bad walk but I can see how it gets tiring, especially when the sun is beating on you the entire way. One of the children in our class lives with Katie, he’s her nephew, and she also has three children of her own. Her youngest son is adorable, we picked him up from the nursery on the way, and he’s 4 years old. Her oldest daughter goes to Domasi Demonstration Secondary School, so that’s really exciting, and I’m not sure where her other daughter goes to school.
We got there and she has such a nice house, nicer than the one’s we’ve seen, besides Annie’s house of course. Outside there was a little fire pot where she would heat her pots to boil water. She laid out a mat and gave Jess and I skirt wrap things so when we sat on the ground our clothes wouldn’t get dirty. She was teaching us to make Nsima! It’s a lot like grits but I actually really like it. All it is, is flour and water. No joke. It gets really thick and mush like, and then you can eat it. It’s the Malawian national dish, and so everyone eats it for nearly every meal. We helped her make it and got some pictures, it was really cute. We went inside where she served us the Nsima, pumpkin leaves, and goat meat. I never thought I’d try goat, but I did because I didn’t want to be rude. Surprisingly, it was fantastic! Such good meat. Jess and I started eating with forks, and Katie said in Malawi people eat with their hands. So we put away the forks and started eating with our fingers, it was awesome because we never get to do that in the states with food that messy. It felt really nice being so immersed in their culture like that, something that most of our group won’t get the opportunity to do. I learned so much. They also eat a ton, and I was getting so full but I didn’t want to not finish all my food. Afterwards I was so happy that we had the walk back so I could work off some of that nsima. Katie is such an amazing lady, she is so nice, and so is her husband, Ben. I was nervous going into that situation because you never know what the husband will be like, but he was cool. He works in Zomba, and he was so interested in knowing about America. He even asked about Michael Jackson and what we thought of him. It was funny.
We had a buffet style dinner tonight with everyone, it was great as usual. Peter and Brian threw another party, but this time I didn’t stay long because I did not want a repeat of last weekend. We played 5 card draw and the loser had to take a shot. I lost like 6 times. I finally decided around 9:30 it was time to sneak away to bed. So me and Jess told them we were going to the bathroom but just left to our rooms, haha. It was a good night though. I always like when everyone hangs out together.
We got there and she has such a nice house, nicer than the one’s we’ve seen, besides Annie’s house of course. Outside there was a little fire pot where she would heat her pots to boil water. She laid out a mat and gave Jess and I skirt wrap things so when we sat on the ground our clothes wouldn’t get dirty. She was teaching us to make Nsima! It’s a lot like grits but I actually really like it. All it is, is flour and water. No joke. It gets really thick and mush like, and then you can eat it. It’s the Malawian national dish, and so everyone eats it for nearly every meal. We helped her make it and got some pictures, it was really cute. We went inside where she served us the Nsima, pumpkin leaves, and goat meat. I never thought I’d try goat, but I did because I didn’t want to be rude. Surprisingly, it was fantastic! Such good meat. Jess and I started eating with forks, and Katie said in Malawi people eat with their hands. So we put away the forks and started eating with our fingers, it was awesome because we never get to do that in the states with food that messy. It felt really nice being so immersed in their culture like that, something that most of our group won’t get the opportunity to do. I learned so much. They also eat a ton, and I was getting so full but I didn’t want to not finish all my food. Afterwards I was so happy that we had the walk back so I could work off some of that nsima. Katie is such an amazing lady, she is so nice, and so is her husband, Ben. I was nervous going into that situation because you never know what the husband will be like, but he was cool. He works in Zomba, and he was so interested in knowing about America. He even asked about Michael Jackson and what we thought of him. It was funny.
We had a buffet style dinner tonight with everyone, it was great as usual. Peter and Brian threw another party, but this time I didn’t stay long because I did not want a repeat of last weekend. We played 5 card draw and the loser had to take a shot. I lost like 6 times. I finally decided around 9:30 it was time to sneak away to bed. So me and Jess told them we were going to the bathroom but just left to our rooms, haha. It was a good night though. I always like when everyone hangs out together.
Mvuu Camp Safari (July 8 & 9)
I have so many things to say about the past two days I just had. I don’t even know where to begin. We left early Wednesday morning to head out to Liwonde National Park where the Mvuu (means Hippo) Camp safari place was. We pulled up to a river (after driving on a terrible dirt road through tons of really neat villages) where we split up into two groups to get on boats for our river safari. The guides were really nice and they floated us down the river where we would be able to see hippo’s and other animals on the shore. It was the perfect way to start the trip. It was kind of cold and a little rainy but thankfully it cleared up just in time. At first we didn’t see much other than a crazy amount of birds and impala everywhere, but soon we found Hippos!! And a ton of hippos at that. They were all sooo adorable with only their eyes and ears sticking out of the water at first. Hippos stay with their families and theyre called hippo camps or hippo schools. The babies usually cant reach the bottom so when they’re under water they’re resting on their mom’s back. They’re very shy though so mostly you see the older hippos. We found a ton of them laying out in the sun and pretty much all of my pictures are of these hippos. The boat pulls right up next to them, I wanted to just reach out and touch them so badly but we couldn’t. It was incredible being able to see them in their natural environment, not in captivity. They’re so much more beautiful. Oh, and birds really do sit on them in real life. They just hang out on hippo’s backs like it’s no big deal. And the hippos don’t mind it at all.
So there are a ton of these birds that live in these palm trees at one part of the river and they are absolutely obnoxious. I don’t remember their name but there’s hundreds of them and theyre loud and they poop on everything. No exaggeration, we asked the guide why half of the trees and bushes and everything over there was white, the other half green, and he said the birds had “painted them”. If that’s not a sign of overpopulation then I don’t know what is. Anyway, tons of hippos and birds. But also big crocodiles. We saw them a lot swimming around us in the river, but also some massive ones out on land. It was so creepy. There were also a lot of impala, water buck, warthogs and guinea fowl that we saw running around on land behind the hippos and stuff. It was very cool. So after a two hour river safari we headed to where the lodge was for tea, coffee, and lunch! Which was free! I was starving and the lunch was so good. Oh but first, the lodge. It was all out in the open, extremely beautiful, overlooking the river. The animals here aren’t in captivity, they just roam wild, so apparently it was not uncommon when we saw a huge baboon walk across the grass in front of our lunch table. Amazing, and very frightening at first. Those things get way bigger than the little things I’m used to seeing around Annie’s. For lunch we had Macaroni Bolognaise, Vegetable lasagna, bread and tomatoes, cucumbers, and olives with feta cheese which was great because we normally can’t eat the vegetables.
After lunch we were able to go to our rooms. We were split up into four different groups, so both Rachels, Dr. Kelly, Jess and I were in room 8. Actually, not really room, but Chalet. They were these cute little hut/tent/cabin things that sat right on the river. The bottoms were stone, or wood, can’t remember, but the whole surrounding top wall area was just net, so it felt like we were really outside. It got extremely cold in there at night but the view was so beautiful. And you could hear the hippos all the time!! Dr. Kelly said in the middle of the night they usually come right up by the chalets and sleep. We had about an hour to check out our rooms, and everyone was so thrilled. It’s seriously like the perfect honeymoon spot. All the beds had wooden posts with white draped canopy thing around it, with flowers resting on our pillows and walls made of stone. It was very rustic but romantic, haha. The bathroom was all dark stone, with an open shower, and a beautiful sink, mirror, toilet, etc. I wish I was doing this more justice. So all of us were hanging out by the river hoping to spot some elephants or hippos, but all the monkeys came over and they even chased Beth, which was pretty hilarious. We found an elephant way in the distance laying in the water and with Carolyn and Kelsey’s nice cameras it made for some good pictures.
At 3 we had to be back in the main lodge area for the Afternoon safari. They served us more coffee and tea and this time pound cake which was of course delicious. We split into groups again but this time got onto these safari jeep things. It had 4 different rows of seating at different heights and it was completely open. No doors or windows, nothing except a roof, typical safari style. We paid extra to be taken into the enclosed rhino area, so that’s where we were headed first. This area is fenced in by an electric fence only because rhinos, zebras, buffalo and other animals that live in there are endangered, and they don’t want the elephants getting in and eating all of their food. Just driving to this area was really dry, with not much grass and tons of knocked down trees. Partly because of the dry season but also because elephants eat so much, and they push down trees to eat those as well. Mvuu has about 700 elephants on the property but only about 7 rhinos and a dozen zebras, so you can see why they wanted to keep them in an area to themselves.
The most amazing thing happened during the afternoon safari. All of us were told to keep a look out for animals so that George (our guide) could stop, get us closer and tell us about it. James thought he saw an elephant. George said it’s not common to find them in the rhino area but it was possible. This was about 10 minutes into our drive, so we backed up and started looking. We drove into this little area, and out of nowhere, there was a mother elephant with a baby. We were about 10 feet from this thing.. and it was gigantic.. and I was scared. It’s not at all like being at the zoo. African elephants are impossible to tame, the one’s everyone usually sees and the ones that people can ride are always Indian elephants, and those are smaller. This thing was huge and it was staring right at us. George told us to be really quiet. All of a sudden it started mock charging us! It would flap it’s ears, make noise, back up, run towards us and then suddenly stop. George said they usually do this to see what we will do, to see if we’re scared, they do this a lot if another animal, or something, is threatening to them. I think it was because there was a baby elephant close by. She did this a few times and it scared the crap out of me. Although it was incredible, I was convinced she would actually charge at the jeep, which was parked, and had nothing to protect us, especially me, beth and james, who were all sitting along the edge closest to the elephant. Our driver radioed the other jeep so the rest of the group could come and see it, but once they got there the elephant was leaving. It was by far the most amazing thing I’ve seen on this rip. My heart was pounding even like 15 minutes after we had drove on.
I could sit here and tell you about every animal we saw on the safari, but it would take me all night long. We did see a water buffalo, it was huge, very close to us and even crossed the road in front of us while we were driving. Dr. Liz said she had never once seen that in all the safari’s she’d come on here. It’s very endangered, so that was really cool to have seen, especially so close! George and Byson (the driver) got us so close to some of these animals it was amazing. We saw lots of impala and antelope, and some other cool horned thing I don’t remember the name of. Impala are everywhere though and we saw them most times of the day in most areas. The warthogs were so fun. They look just like Pumba! They’re very skiddish though so we never got terribly close to them because they always ran away. It was kind of disappointing because we never did see a rhino or a zebra and I really wanted to. But given the fact that there are sooo few of them, and the park is sooo big, it’s very rare that people get to see them. Dr. Kelly still hasn’t seen them. The jeeps typically drive around the perimeter of the enclosure and those animals are probably way on the inside where there aren’t many roads. It’s okay though because that one elephant charging at us was enough to satisfy my wild animal need for a good while.
Around 5:30 we were finishing up our afternoon safari and drove down to the river. Here we got off the jeeps and they gave us our drinks we had ordered after lunch. I had a beer, and we all got to watch our first African sunset! Well, our first one that set over the river and mountains, surrounded by Impala, warthogs, hippos, waterbucks and crocodiles. It reminded me so much of the Lion King. The sunset was such a deep red color, and there were animals all around us. I loved it. They provided blankets too because it gets so cold and night and especially on the jeep when the wind is always blowing. Once we finished up our drinks after the sun went down, we loaded back up and it was time for our night safari before dinner.
George had a huge flashlight that he shone while we drove to catch the eyes of the night animals. We eventually found an entire family of elephants, all different sizes, even a little tiny baby that George said was less than a year old. They were so cute, and much more calm than the charging elephant we found before. We couldn’t take pictures with flash because it makes them angry, so I tried my best to get them in the dark and they didn’t come out so great. It was such a cool thing to see though. We also found a mom and a baby hippo at one of the watering holes. They were cute too, but we had seen enough hippos. I was really hoping to see some hyenas but none really came out.
Dinner was incredible. They had it set up in a different area outside in a sandy area with a huge bonfire in the middle. It was our group plus a few others that were staying there. They served everyone tomato soup first and it was sooo good, and I hate tomato soup but I wanted more. There was traditional dancing and music around the fire as well, it was insane. I wish my camera hadn’t died because I would have gotten a nice video of it. For dinner there was chicken, beef, pork, goat, vegetables, cheese potatoes, bread, rice, vegetable kabobs and coleslaw. It was so good. We were all exhausted and we had to get up the next morning at 4:45 so everyone pretty much called it an early night.
Day 19
July 9
We got up and it was raining but they were still having the morning guided walk that started around 5:30 I think. This was so you could actually walk around on the park grounds and see different animals that would just be waking, etc. George led my group, and Lawrence was behind us with a gun, just in case. I learned a lot about different types of trees that they had which was really cool. The yellow river tree cures malaria if the branches are boiled in water. There is also wild jasmine and basil and lemon grass that grows out there, its so neat. I learned a lot about elephant crap which was gross but pretty interesting, same with impalas. We saw a ton of guinea fowl, impalas, warthogs and monkeys. Sadly, no elephants were walking around. I was really hoping to see more of them. The walk lasted about an hour and then we went back for breakfast. Of course, it was just as good as the other meals. Muffins, French toast, omelets, bacon, sausage, fruit, cereal, etc.
During breakfast we met Jillian. She is the executive director and founder of H.E.L.P (hope, education, love, protection) Malawi. It’s a non-profit organization that is pretty well known and that I had actually done research on during my senior research proposal. Needless to say, I was absolutely thrilled that we actually got to meet her. She came up to our table because she noticed we were a bunch of Americans, and shes from New York. She told us about her school, Nanthomba, that is just across the river that she started under HELP Malawi. It provides schooling for mostly orphans and the children of the workers at Mvuu Camp and surrounding areas. Dr. Kelly agreed to let us stop there on the way home, and I was so excited. Jillian also has a medical clinic and maternity ward that focuses on trying to lower the maternal and infant mortality rates, which was what my entire paper was based on. I was so grateful she took the time to tell me all about it, and I got her contact information.
We left breakfast for another river safari and it was pretty much the same as the first one. The other boat saw two herds of elephants, and we didn’t see anything but a bunch of hippos and crocs so I was kinda upset. But it’s okay. So we got on the bus and headed towards the school and it was phenomenal. I feel bad saying it, but it was definitely my favorite school I’ve visited this entire trip. They are working on being able to sustain themselves as a school so that they no longer need support from donors and other foundations. It was kind of like a combination between a primary school and Freedom Gardens. The kids were so smart, and the staff was amazing. Matt gave us the tour. He is a graduate from University of Wisconsin – Madison and is the HELP Malawi International Project Coordinator. He studied International Relations and is planning on going back to the states next year to pursue a masters. I got his information too and he was so helpful. It’s exactly the kind of thing I’d love to get involved in. After visiting the school he took us to see the clinic, and it was well under construction. It’s coming along very nicely.
Once we headed home, we stopped at Liwonde, the authentic wood carving place. I bought a few things but it was pretty much like every other place we had been to. Finally, we were home, and so tired. I pretty much just showered, got ready for Friday’s lesson and went to bed. It was such a good past few days though. Much more than I ever expected it to be.
So there are a ton of these birds that live in these palm trees at one part of the river and they are absolutely obnoxious. I don’t remember their name but there’s hundreds of them and theyre loud and they poop on everything. No exaggeration, we asked the guide why half of the trees and bushes and everything over there was white, the other half green, and he said the birds had “painted them”. If that’s not a sign of overpopulation then I don’t know what is. Anyway, tons of hippos and birds. But also big crocodiles. We saw them a lot swimming around us in the river, but also some massive ones out on land. It was so creepy. There were also a lot of impala, water buck, warthogs and guinea fowl that we saw running around on land behind the hippos and stuff. It was very cool. So after a two hour river safari we headed to where the lodge was for tea, coffee, and lunch! Which was free! I was starving and the lunch was so good. Oh but first, the lodge. It was all out in the open, extremely beautiful, overlooking the river. The animals here aren’t in captivity, they just roam wild, so apparently it was not uncommon when we saw a huge baboon walk across the grass in front of our lunch table. Amazing, and very frightening at first. Those things get way bigger than the little things I’m used to seeing around Annie’s. For lunch we had Macaroni Bolognaise, Vegetable lasagna, bread and tomatoes, cucumbers, and olives with feta cheese which was great because we normally can’t eat the vegetables.
After lunch we were able to go to our rooms. We were split up into four different groups, so both Rachels, Dr. Kelly, Jess and I were in room 8. Actually, not really room, but Chalet. They were these cute little hut/tent/cabin things that sat right on the river. The bottoms were stone, or wood, can’t remember, but the whole surrounding top wall area was just net, so it felt like we were really outside. It got extremely cold in there at night but the view was so beautiful. And you could hear the hippos all the time!! Dr. Kelly said in the middle of the night they usually come right up by the chalets and sleep. We had about an hour to check out our rooms, and everyone was so thrilled. It’s seriously like the perfect honeymoon spot. All the beds had wooden posts with white draped canopy thing around it, with flowers resting on our pillows and walls made of stone. It was very rustic but romantic, haha. The bathroom was all dark stone, with an open shower, and a beautiful sink, mirror, toilet, etc. I wish I was doing this more justice. So all of us were hanging out by the river hoping to spot some elephants or hippos, but all the monkeys came over and they even chased Beth, which was pretty hilarious. We found an elephant way in the distance laying in the water and with Carolyn and Kelsey’s nice cameras it made for some good pictures.
At 3 we had to be back in the main lodge area for the Afternoon safari. They served us more coffee and tea and this time pound cake which was of course delicious. We split into groups again but this time got onto these safari jeep things. It had 4 different rows of seating at different heights and it was completely open. No doors or windows, nothing except a roof, typical safari style. We paid extra to be taken into the enclosed rhino area, so that’s where we were headed first. This area is fenced in by an electric fence only because rhinos, zebras, buffalo and other animals that live in there are endangered, and they don’t want the elephants getting in and eating all of their food. Just driving to this area was really dry, with not much grass and tons of knocked down trees. Partly because of the dry season but also because elephants eat so much, and they push down trees to eat those as well. Mvuu has about 700 elephants on the property but only about 7 rhinos and a dozen zebras, so you can see why they wanted to keep them in an area to themselves.
The most amazing thing happened during the afternoon safari. All of us were told to keep a look out for animals so that George (our guide) could stop, get us closer and tell us about it. James thought he saw an elephant. George said it’s not common to find them in the rhino area but it was possible. This was about 10 minutes into our drive, so we backed up and started looking. We drove into this little area, and out of nowhere, there was a mother elephant with a baby. We were about 10 feet from this thing.. and it was gigantic.. and I was scared. It’s not at all like being at the zoo. African elephants are impossible to tame, the one’s everyone usually sees and the ones that people can ride are always Indian elephants, and those are smaller. This thing was huge and it was staring right at us. George told us to be really quiet. All of a sudden it started mock charging us! It would flap it’s ears, make noise, back up, run towards us and then suddenly stop. George said they usually do this to see what we will do, to see if we’re scared, they do this a lot if another animal, or something, is threatening to them. I think it was because there was a baby elephant close by. She did this a few times and it scared the crap out of me. Although it was incredible, I was convinced she would actually charge at the jeep, which was parked, and had nothing to protect us, especially me, beth and james, who were all sitting along the edge closest to the elephant. Our driver radioed the other jeep so the rest of the group could come and see it, but once they got there the elephant was leaving. It was by far the most amazing thing I’ve seen on this rip. My heart was pounding even like 15 minutes after we had drove on.
I could sit here and tell you about every animal we saw on the safari, but it would take me all night long. We did see a water buffalo, it was huge, very close to us and even crossed the road in front of us while we were driving. Dr. Liz said she had never once seen that in all the safari’s she’d come on here. It’s very endangered, so that was really cool to have seen, especially so close! George and Byson (the driver) got us so close to some of these animals it was amazing. We saw lots of impala and antelope, and some other cool horned thing I don’t remember the name of. Impala are everywhere though and we saw them most times of the day in most areas. The warthogs were so fun. They look just like Pumba! They’re very skiddish though so we never got terribly close to them because they always ran away. It was kind of disappointing because we never did see a rhino or a zebra and I really wanted to. But given the fact that there are sooo few of them, and the park is sooo big, it’s very rare that people get to see them. Dr. Kelly still hasn’t seen them. The jeeps typically drive around the perimeter of the enclosure and those animals are probably way on the inside where there aren’t many roads. It’s okay though because that one elephant charging at us was enough to satisfy my wild animal need for a good while.
Around 5:30 we were finishing up our afternoon safari and drove down to the river. Here we got off the jeeps and they gave us our drinks we had ordered after lunch. I had a beer, and we all got to watch our first African sunset! Well, our first one that set over the river and mountains, surrounded by Impala, warthogs, hippos, waterbucks and crocodiles. It reminded me so much of the Lion King. The sunset was such a deep red color, and there were animals all around us. I loved it. They provided blankets too because it gets so cold and night and especially on the jeep when the wind is always blowing. Once we finished up our drinks after the sun went down, we loaded back up and it was time for our night safari before dinner.
George had a huge flashlight that he shone while we drove to catch the eyes of the night animals. We eventually found an entire family of elephants, all different sizes, even a little tiny baby that George said was less than a year old. They were so cute, and much more calm than the charging elephant we found before. We couldn’t take pictures with flash because it makes them angry, so I tried my best to get them in the dark and they didn’t come out so great. It was such a cool thing to see though. We also found a mom and a baby hippo at one of the watering holes. They were cute too, but we had seen enough hippos. I was really hoping to see some hyenas but none really came out.
Dinner was incredible. They had it set up in a different area outside in a sandy area with a huge bonfire in the middle. It was our group plus a few others that were staying there. They served everyone tomato soup first and it was sooo good, and I hate tomato soup but I wanted more. There was traditional dancing and music around the fire as well, it was insane. I wish my camera hadn’t died because I would have gotten a nice video of it. For dinner there was chicken, beef, pork, goat, vegetables, cheese potatoes, bread, rice, vegetable kabobs and coleslaw. It was so good. We were all exhausted and we had to get up the next morning at 4:45 so everyone pretty much called it an early night.
Day 19
July 9
We got up and it was raining but they were still having the morning guided walk that started around 5:30 I think. This was so you could actually walk around on the park grounds and see different animals that would just be waking, etc. George led my group, and Lawrence was behind us with a gun, just in case. I learned a lot about different types of trees that they had which was really cool. The yellow river tree cures malaria if the branches are boiled in water. There is also wild jasmine and basil and lemon grass that grows out there, its so neat. I learned a lot about elephant crap which was gross but pretty interesting, same with impalas. We saw a ton of guinea fowl, impalas, warthogs and monkeys. Sadly, no elephants were walking around. I was really hoping to see more of them. The walk lasted about an hour and then we went back for breakfast. Of course, it was just as good as the other meals. Muffins, French toast, omelets, bacon, sausage, fruit, cereal, etc.
During breakfast we met Jillian. She is the executive director and founder of H.E.L.P (hope, education, love, protection) Malawi. It’s a non-profit organization that is pretty well known and that I had actually done research on during my senior research proposal. Needless to say, I was absolutely thrilled that we actually got to meet her. She came up to our table because she noticed we were a bunch of Americans, and shes from New York. She told us about her school, Nanthomba, that is just across the river that she started under HELP Malawi. It provides schooling for mostly orphans and the children of the workers at Mvuu Camp and surrounding areas. Dr. Kelly agreed to let us stop there on the way home, and I was so excited. Jillian also has a medical clinic and maternity ward that focuses on trying to lower the maternal and infant mortality rates, which was what my entire paper was based on. I was so grateful she took the time to tell me all about it, and I got her contact information.
We left breakfast for another river safari and it was pretty much the same as the first one. The other boat saw two herds of elephants, and we didn’t see anything but a bunch of hippos and crocs so I was kinda upset. But it’s okay. So we got on the bus and headed towards the school and it was phenomenal. I feel bad saying it, but it was definitely my favorite school I’ve visited this entire trip. They are working on being able to sustain themselves as a school so that they no longer need support from donors and other foundations. It was kind of like a combination between a primary school and Freedom Gardens. The kids were so smart, and the staff was amazing. Matt gave us the tour. He is a graduate from University of Wisconsin – Madison and is the HELP Malawi International Project Coordinator. He studied International Relations and is planning on going back to the states next year to pursue a masters. I got his information too and he was so helpful. It’s exactly the kind of thing I’d love to get involved in. After visiting the school he took us to see the clinic, and it was well under construction. It’s coming along very nicely.
Once we headed home, we stopped at Liwonde, the authentic wood carving place. I bought a few things but it was pretty much like every other place we had been to. Finally, we were home, and so tired. I pretty much just showered, got ready for Friday’s lesson and went to bed. It was such a good past few days though. Much more than I ever expected it to be.
TALULAR (July 7)
I am feeling much better and we were back in the schools today after a nice weekend, for the most part. Our class is having their review for an end of term exam, and we are really nervous about confusing them or putting them off track, so we let Katie teach today. We went around to check papers and teach them if they didn’t understand but that was the extent of it. They had music today and I absolutely love that. They sang and danced for us but at the last few minutes Jess and I sand the ants go marching one by one again for them. We’re really trying to get them to get the words down.. slowly but surely.
Afterwards, instead of having our usual class discussion, we went into one of the MIE labs to talk to with Baxton who’s incharge of teaching TALULAR to teachers and others who come to learn. TALULAR is Teaching And Learning Using Locally Available Resources. This was fascinating. When I did my senior research proposal I came across some research on TALULAR but never really got to see anything. He had tonnnss of things to show us! There were teaching materials made of anything you could possibly think of. This is great because it doesn’t allow teachers to use the excuse of not having materials available to them, because they can use everything around them. There were posters made from sacks, recycled paper, reeds, etc. Small supply holders (for paperclips, rubber bands, erasers, thumbtacs) made from match boxes that were glued together. Sentence makers made from cardboard and strips of paper. Maps drawn out in different colored beans that were glued to paper or whatever could have been used. Shapes made from rope. It’s so hard to explain. I took a ton of pictures and I learned so much. It gave Jess and I great ideas about what to contribute to our classroom before we leave.
The sad part was that Baxton told us he had just retired a few days ago and this was his last lecture. He has traveled all over Africa and even into the united states teaching about TALULAR and how it can positively impact education and the quality of teaching. It’s so important especially in an area like this where schools struggle as it is with attendance and even just trying to find qualified teachers. The guy who is supposed to be replacing him hasn’t even come to look at all the things Baxton has so that he knows what to do, it’s pretty sad.
It got us really excited though and we got a good amount of our school projects done tonight so that we could get stuff laminated this weekend once we get back from the safari. The safari that we leave in the morning for!! Yay!
Afterwards, instead of having our usual class discussion, we went into one of the MIE labs to talk to with Baxton who’s incharge of teaching TALULAR to teachers and others who come to learn. TALULAR is Teaching And Learning Using Locally Available Resources. This was fascinating. When I did my senior research proposal I came across some research on TALULAR but never really got to see anything. He had tonnnss of things to show us! There were teaching materials made of anything you could possibly think of. This is great because it doesn’t allow teachers to use the excuse of not having materials available to them, because they can use everything around them. There were posters made from sacks, recycled paper, reeds, etc. Small supply holders (for paperclips, rubber bands, erasers, thumbtacs) made from match boxes that were glued together. Sentence makers made from cardboard and strips of paper. Maps drawn out in different colored beans that were glued to paper or whatever could have been used. Shapes made from rope. It’s so hard to explain. I took a ton of pictures and I learned so much. It gave Jess and I great ideas about what to contribute to our classroom before we leave.
The sad part was that Baxton told us he had just retired a few days ago and this was his last lecture. He has traveled all over Africa and even into the united states teaching about TALULAR and how it can positively impact education and the quality of teaching. It’s so important especially in an area like this where schools struggle as it is with attendance and even just trying to find qualified teachers. The guy who is supposed to be replacing him hasn’t even come to look at all the things Baxton has so that he knows what to do, it’s pretty sad.
It got us really excited though and we got a good amount of our school projects done tonight so that we could get stuff laminated this weekend once we get back from the safari. The safari that we leave in the morning for!! Yay!
A sick Independence Day (July 6)
Happy 6th of July! Haha, today is the Malawian Independence Day. I am not out celebrating. This is largely due to the fact that I have spent the entire day in bed, and hovering over the toilet. I’ve been throwing up since I got up this morning, not like you really wanted to hear that. I thought it was a hangover, which that was probably a part of it, but now I’m thinking it’s some kind of stomach virus. Hopefully it passes, because it really sucks and I’d like to eat at some point. The up side to this is that after today I probably won’t resemble a walrus anymore. But I’m sure I’ll be back to that standard in a few days. Everyone else has been gone to Annie’s house for a holiday lunch, but of course I had to stay here. It’s probably best because I doubt Annie would appreciate me hanging out in her bathroom the entire time. Exciting day, I know. Hopefully tomorrow will be better. We’ll be back in the schools so I’m looking forward to it.
Mt. Mulanje (July 5)
We hiked Mt. Mulanje today. I wish all of you could have been there because none of my pictures are going to do it justice. It was absolutely beautiful. The drive there was 2 and a half hours so that kind of sucked but I listened to my ipod the whole way. Once we pulled in to the mountain area to start our hike everyone was coming up to our bus selling cedar walking sticks. They were beautiful, but I didn’t get one. They smelled amazing. Dr. Kelly said this is the only place in the country to get cedar, it comes off the mountain and only certain people are allowed access to it. So pretty much everything they try to sell you in the Mulanje area is cedar. We paid for a guide, his name was Lucius, and he was awesome. He didn’t talk very much but when he did he was pretty knowledgeable and knew the mountain very well.
I kept hearing the hike was really difficult, but it wasn’t bad at all. I actually thought it was even easier than hiking the cascades back at school. However, the cascades have nothin’ on Mt.Mulanje. At certain points you could see out over miles and miles, so we stopped a few times just to take it all in. Myself, Angela, Jess and I pretty much led the hike, so we got a few nice rests in there while we waited for others to catch up. Lucius took us up to the waterfall, which actually does resemble the cascades. Only in size though. This waterfall was moving much faster, and at the top in the distance was a huge mountain looking rock. Can’t find that in Blacksburg. There was a flat rock overlooking the lagoon and waterfall area where we all sat and ate lunch. It was so nice. And the weather was perfect. We couldn’t go in the water though, not because of parasites like in most areas, but because a lot of people live on the mountain and use the bathroom there, so we thought it safer not to swim. Some people went in up to their knees but that’s about all. We were all so fearful it was going to rain, and if it had, then the hike really would have been difficult.
On the way we met some pretty interesting people. One couple was hiking up at the same time; they were in the Peace Corps here, went to William and Mary and were from the Virginia Beach area. The one guy said he had always loved visiting and partying at Virginia Tech. What a small world. Also, these kids kept following us. They were a bunch of little boys that lived on the mountain. It amazed me that even in that area, with all the rocks and wooded areas and poisonous things that they still walked around barefoot. They knew all these crazy shortcuts and beat us to the waterfall. I got a bunch of pictures with them because they were cute, but towards the end all they wanted from us were our bottles, food, money and pens. I swear its like they’re all taught to ask for the same things no matter where you are. It’s really hard to say no, but you kind of have to.
We stopped at the little shop on the way out. Dr. Kelly gave us 15 minutes to look at things and find out prices on things we liked but we were told not to buy anything. Then we got back on the bus. All the craftsmen came up to the bus windows and their prices dropped a lot because they knew we were leaving and not coming back. I wanted two cedar picture frames, and the man wanted 750K for them. I wanted 2 for 200, and he laughed in my face. But, once on the bus, I totally got my two frames for 200 total. Dr. Kelly and Dr. Liz said it would be this way when we go to Liwonde (the wood carving place) on Wednesday, and to do the same thing so we can get the prices we really want. I had a seat to myself on the bus ride back so I laid down and took a small nap, but the roads in Africa are terrible. It’s so rocky that it became pointless because the bus kept tossing me around in my seat. We pulled over at a market, a few of us stayed on the bus because we didn’t need anything, but I regret that decision. They were selling PINEAPPLES. For cheap! So many people got them, and I couldn’t exactly go in there by myself once I realized. Especially not after a drunk man tried to get on our bus, but James scared him away with his walking stick, haha. We also pulled over on the side of the road to get pictures with the kids selling rats on a stick. This is not a joke, they actually sell rats and mice on sticks in some places out in the middle of nowhere. Clearly, no one was going to buy or eat one of those things, but we paid the little kids so we could take pictures of them. It was crazy, and pretty disgusting.
We had one of our “family” dinners again, buffet style where everyone sits together. Those are the best. The food is always sooo much better too. Peter, Annie’s son, and Brian (a PHD student at tech) showed up tonight as well. They threw this big party for us, and they did not disappoint. Unfortunately, my streak of not getting drunk in Africa definitely ended. Peter was giving out free liquor, and of course I had to try Malawian vodka. They had this stuff that he was giving us all shots of that tasted just like kahlua. It was way too creamy so I just kept handing mine off to other people. It was pretty cool for the most part. Jess and I were still the grandma’s of the group and came to bed around midnight. It’s a step up from our usual 8:45 though!
I kept hearing the hike was really difficult, but it wasn’t bad at all. I actually thought it was even easier than hiking the cascades back at school. However, the cascades have nothin’ on Mt.Mulanje. At certain points you could see out over miles and miles, so we stopped a few times just to take it all in. Myself, Angela, Jess and I pretty much led the hike, so we got a few nice rests in there while we waited for others to catch up. Lucius took us up to the waterfall, which actually does resemble the cascades. Only in size though. This waterfall was moving much faster, and at the top in the distance was a huge mountain looking rock. Can’t find that in Blacksburg. There was a flat rock overlooking the lagoon and waterfall area where we all sat and ate lunch. It was so nice. And the weather was perfect. We couldn’t go in the water though, not because of parasites like in most areas, but because a lot of people live on the mountain and use the bathroom there, so we thought it safer not to swim. Some people went in up to their knees but that’s about all. We were all so fearful it was going to rain, and if it had, then the hike really would have been difficult.
On the way we met some pretty interesting people. One couple was hiking up at the same time; they were in the Peace Corps here, went to William and Mary and were from the Virginia Beach area. The one guy said he had always loved visiting and partying at Virginia Tech. What a small world. Also, these kids kept following us. They were a bunch of little boys that lived on the mountain. It amazed me that even in that area, with all the rocks and wooded areas and poisonous things that they still walked around barefoot. They knew all these crazy shortcuts and beat us to the waterfall. I got a bunch of pictures with them because they were cute, but towards the end all they wanted from us were our bottles, food, money and pens. I swear its like they’re all taught to ask for the same things no matter where you are. It’s really hard to say no, but you kind of have to.
We stopped at the little shop on the way out. Dr. Kelly gave us 15 minutes to look at things and find out prices on things we liked but we were told not to buy anything. Then we got back on the bus. All the craftsmen came up to the bus windows and their prices dropped a lot because they knew we were leaving and not coming back. I wanted two cedar picture frames, and the man wanted 750K for them. I wanted 2 for 200, and he laughed in my face. But, once on the bus, I totally got my two frames for 200 total. Dr. Kelly and Dr. Liz said it would be this way when we go to Liwonde (the wood carving place) on Wednesday, and to do the same thing so we can get the prices we really want. I had a seat to myself on the bus ride back so I laid down and took a small nap, but the roads in Africa are terrible. It’s so rocky that it became pointless because the bus kept tossing me around in my seat. We pulled over at a market, a few of us stayed on the bus because we didn’t need anything, but I regret that decision. They were selling PINEAPPLES. For cheap! So many people got them, and I couldn’t exactly go in there by myself once I realized. Especially not after a drunk man tried to get on our bus, but James scared him away with his walking stick, haha. We also pulled over on the side of the road to get pictures with the kids selling rats on a stick. This is not a joke, they actually sell rats and mice on sticks in some places out in the middle of nowhere. Clearly, no one was going to buy or eat one of those things, but we paid the little kids so we could take pictures of them. It was crazy, and pretty disgusting.
We had one of our “family” dinners again, buffet style where everyone sits together. Those are the best. The food is always sooo much better too. Peter, Annie’s son, and Brian (a PHD student at tech) showed up tonight as well. They threw this big party for us, and they did not disappoint. Unfortunately, my streak of not getting drunk in Africa definitely ended. Peter was giving out free liquor, and of course I had to try Malawian vodka. They had this stuff that he was giving us all shots of that tasted just like kahlua. It was way too creamy so I just kept handing mine off to other people. It was pretty cool for the most part. Jess and I were still the grandma’s of the group and came to bed around midnight. It’s a step up from our usual 8:45 though!
4th Of July!! (July 4)
Happy 4th of July!! Sadly, there is no American pride here in Malawi, but we’re making it work. Dr. Kelly talked about putting up an American flag at some point. I think we are the only American’s in this area right now because every one else we’ve seen are British, European or South African. So yeah. I miss fireworks and barbeques and the lake, but I can’t really complain because I’m in Africa. However, Monday there will hopefully be some kind of Malawian Independence Day celebration.
It’s very cold today, and raining. Usually this doesn’t happen. It’s rained more on this trip than every before, Dr. Kelly said. It normally happens when the temperature drops like it has been, and we might be heading into the rainy season a little early this year. I wish I had brought my rain jacket, I wasn’t supposed to need it!
So far I’ve done pretty much nothing today, it’s great. Jess and I went to bed last night around 9:30, and got up this morning around 10am. We’re considered the grandmas of the group, but I don’t know how anyone else stays up and parties like they do so much. We had breakfast and then a big group of us went into town around noon. The food market was open so I bought some oranges for pretty cheap. It’s real sketchy in there, and it’s common to be robbed so we had to be really alert. We also stopped at the internet café and in 30 minutes I was only able to get out an email to my Mom, I’m not used to internet that slow. But it was nice to have it even for a little while. It rained on our walk back but it wasn’t too bad.
Jess and I started on our school posters, its coming along pretty nicely, it’s probably all we’re doing tonight besides going down to the restaurant for dinner.
It’s very cold today, and raining. Usually this doesn’t happen. It’s rained more on this trip than every before, Dr. Kelly said. It normally happens when the temperature drops like it has been, and we might be heading into the rainy season a little early this year. I wish I had brought my rain jacket, I wasn’t supposed to need it!
So far I’ve done pretty much nothing today, it’s great. Jess and I went to bed last night around 9:30, and got up this morning around 10am. We’re considered the grandmas of the group, but I don’t know how anyone else stays up and parties like they do so much. We had breakfast and then a big group of us went into town around noon. The food market was open so I bought some oranges for pretty cheap. It’s real sketchy in there, and it’s common to be robbed so we had to be really alert. We also stopped at the internet café and in 30 minutes I was only able to get out an email to my Mom, I’m not used to internet that slow. But it was nice to have it even for a little while. It rained on our walk back but it wasn’t too bad.
Jess and I started on our school posters, its coming along pretty nicely, it’s probably all we’re doing tonight besides going down to the restaurant for dinner.
Harold and the Purple Crayon & Painting (July 3)
In class today we were able to teach our own lessons, not from their books. I figured this would give them a bit of variety since they’re so used to working out of the same books all of the time. Jess and I read Harold and the Purple Crayon during our English lesson. It’s about a little boy who has a purple crayon and draws everything he wants or needs, like a boat, and a mountain to climb, and pies to eat when he’s hungry, etc. While I read, Jess drew out the story (like she had a purple crayon) on paper that we hung on the board. Katherine, our teacher, had to translate the story after each page in Chichewa so they would understand it better. I’m glad she did that because they all really liked the story and thought it was funny. Afterwards we had them take out their notebooks and draw for us the one place in the world they wanted to go. We hung a few of their pictures on the board with ours (I drew the beach, so did Jess, but she also drew NYC). We collected all of their pictures so we can make a big poster out of them to hang in the classroom next week. Most of the kids drew pictures of different cities and villages in Malawi, but some drew Ameleka (America) and Japani (Japan), haha. It was so interesting to see their perception of what the United States would be like. Some of them looked just like Malawi, others drew big cars, people with guns, and even girls with huge boobs (couldn’t believe that). I was talking with a few of the other people on this trip, and we’ve realized that some people here have a very violent view of America. This guy, KZ, he told Jeff that he was so afraid to come to the states because he was worried he wouldn’t be safe. Jeff asked why and he could only refer to movies like Bad Boys, I Know What You Did Last Summer and other violent/horror type movies. Surprisingly, Bad Boys came on last night! It was great to watch something we were familiar with, but I can definitely see why some people would get that impression of Americans, especially if that’s all they’re used to seeing. For math we took yarn and cut pieces that showed how tall each person in the class was. After, they had to measure their piece of yarn and write down how many centimeters tall they were. It was an exhausting exercise but they had fun.
Around 11 we started paining blackboards! This was great. Jess and I were the only two of the VT group that painted for the entire time and we got every classroom done in only a few hours. The kids kept coming into the rooms to watch us and talk to us, so it was a nice experience to bond with different kids in different standards. Half way through a little boy ran up to me while I was painting and handed me a crumpled up piece of paper. He said it was from a little girl, and then he ran away. It was a note that said, “Hie. First of all I would like you to be my pen pal. I’m a girl in Standard 4B. Please try to answer me tomorrow. I love you. By by.” We got the kids to find the girl and bring her to us, because she was in our class, and she was adorable! We told her that we would both be her pen pals and that we would see her in class on Tuesday (Monday is their independence day). I saved the note, of course, and I was really excited that she wrote to us. All the teachers were anxious to speak with us while we were paining and they were really grateful we could do this for them. I really wish we could have done more, but Jess and I will be laminating a bunch of posters for our class so hopefully that helps brighten the room a bit.
So the Internet still sucks. Luckily, Noel at the front desk called the people and they agreed to reset our Internet cards so we could get back all the minutes we’ve lost since they’re so expensive. Hopefully one of these days I’ll be able to get online, but until then I’m going to try to see how well the Internet café in town works. We have off tomorrow! I’m so glad, we all need a break and some rest. It’ll be my first 4th of July away from home and not doing something totally American, but I think I’ll survive, considering I’m in Africa and that’s pretty incredible. J
Around 11 we started paining blackboards! This was great. Jess and I were the only two of the VT group that painted for the entire time and we got every classroom done in only a few hours. The kids kept coming into the rooms to watch us and talk to us, so it was a nice experience to bond with different kids in different standards. Half way through a little boy ran up to me while I was painting and handed me a crumpled up piece of paper. He said it was from a little girl, and then he ran away. It was a note that said, “Hie. First of all I would like you to be my pen pal. I’m a girl in Standard 4B. Please try to answer me tomorrow. I love you. By by.” We got the kids to find the girl and bring her to us, because she was in our class, and she was adorable! We told her that we would both be her pen pals and that we would see her in class on Tuesday (Monday is their independence day). I saved the note, of course, and I was really excited that she wrote to us. All the teachers were anxious to speak with us while we were paining and they were really grateful we could do this for them. I really wish we could have done more, but Jess and I will be laminating a bunch of posters for our class so hopefully that helps brighten the room a bit.
So the Internet still sucks. Luckily, Noel at the front desk called the people and they agreed to reset our Internet cards so we could get back all the minutes we’ve lost since they’re so expensive. Hopefully one of these days I’ll be able to get online, but until then I’m going to try to see how well the Internet café in town works. We have off tomorrow! I’m so glad, we all need a break and some rest. It’ll be my first 4th of July away from home and not doing something totally American, but I think I’ll survive, considering I’m in Africa and that’s pretty incredible. J
Malika Catholic Church! (July 2)
I forgot to mention this before, but in Malawi, they serve Pineapple Fanta. I don’t know if you realize how amazing this is, but it’s heavenly. I would take as many back with me as possible but I’m afraid the glass bottles would break in my bag when they’re thrown into the plane’s cargo compartment.
We had another easy day of teaching, Katherine had to help us a lot with our English lesson still, but Math was great. We had P.E. for the first time, so Jess and I taught Red Light, Green Light and Duck Duck Goose. Red Light Green Light was hard because they didn’t totally understand the concept so we used more of hand motions than anything, but they had so much fun and wanted to play over and over again. Duck Duck Goose was crazy because there were over 90 kids in the class today and we decided to have them form one giant circle instead of a few small ones. Let me tell you, those kids can run. Jess and I picked the goose for a few times before we let them pick each other, and we got tagged every single time. We even stopped slowing down for them and they caught us at our fastest. They thought this was hilarious. By the end we were so tired and out of breath but I think it was the most fun they’d had the entire week! Next week we’re playing Twister and teaching them the Hokey Pokey. I also want them to learn some kind of VT cheer too so I can get it on tape.
After class, instead of having our usual class discussion we walked about 45 minutes to a village church. It was Malika Catholic Church and they performed beautiful singing and dancing for us! I used my entire memory card on my camera just from pictures and videos of this event. Even little tiny children were up there singing and dancing, it was adorable. And, the walk sounds long, but we all need it! It’s a great work out and the scenery is beautiful. The mountains looked bigger than ever on this particular walk, and there was so much green grass, which is rare to see. Jess kind of caused a bike accident, which was scary but kind of hilarious. The bikers here are crazy and we never know what side of the dirt to walk on. The two girls rang their bell for us to get out of the way but they were going way too fast and as Jess ran to move, they hit her backpack and went flying. She was fine, but the women were so mad. They weren’t very nice about it either, but we made sure to help them up and everything. After that, every time we heard those bike bells we cleared the entire path, haha.
I’m getting sick, we all are. I’m also exhausted and it’s only 8:45pm so I had better get to bed. Hopefully the internet starts to work because this is so annoying, paying for it but not being able to have access. Oh, in town, DeAnna and Caroline bought 75 blankets that we spent a lot of our night cutting into 4’s. All of us are trying to come up with 300 blanket squares that we’re cutting neck holes in and giving to the children at Malemia as blankets/jackets. Those poor things looked freezing yesterday, and they’re worse off than the other two schools, in that respect atleast. On Saturday we’ll have the edges hemmed so we can hand them out. What a fantastic gift. I’m glad they thought of it! Tomorrow we’re paining blackboards for all the classes, at all of the schools, I’m really excited about that too. Being able to do these type of things for the schools is my favorite part of this experience.
We had another easy day of teaching, Katherine had to help us a lot with our English lesson still, but Math was great. We had P.E. for the first time, so Jess and I taught Red Light, Green Light and Duck Duck Goose. Red Light Green Light was hard because they didn’t totally understand the concept so we used more of hand motions than anything, but they had so much fun and wanted to play over and over again. Duck Duck Goose was crazy because there were over 90 kids in the class today and we decided to have them form one giant circle instead of a few small ones. Let me tell you, those kids can run. Jess and I picked the goose for a few times before we let them pick each other, and we got tagged every single time. We even stopped slowing down for them and they caught us at our fastest. They thought this was hilarious. By the end we were so tired and out of breath but I think it was the most fun they’d had the entire week! Next week we’re playing Twister and teaching them the Hokey Pokey. I also want them to learn some kind of VT cheer too so I can get it on tape.
After class, instead of having our usual class discussion we walked about 45 minutes to a village church. It was Malika Catholic Church and they performed beautiful singing and dancing for us! I used my entire memory card on my camera just from pictures and videos of this event. Even little tiny children were up there singing and dancing, it was adorable. And, the walk sounds long, but we all need it! It’s a great work out and the scenery is beautiful. The mountains looked bigger than ever on this particular walk, and there was so much green grass, which is rare to see. Jess kind of caused a bike accident, which was scary but kind of hilarious. The bikers here are crazy and we never know what side of the dirt to walk on. The two girls rang their bell for us to get out of the way but they were going way too fast and as Jess ran to move, they hit her backpack and went flying. She was fine, but the women were so mad. They weren’t very nice about it either, but we made sure to help them up and everything. After that, every time we heard those bike bells we cleared the entire path, haha.
I’m getting sick, we all are. I’m also exhausted and it’s only 8:45pm so I had better get to bed. Hopefully the internet starts to work because this is so annoying, paying for it but not being able to have access. Oh, in town, DeAnna and Caroline bought 75 blankets that we spent a lot of our night cutting into 4’s. All of us are trying to come up with 300 blanket squares that we’re cutting neck holes in and giving to the children at Malemia as blankets/jackets. Those poor things looked freezing yesterday, and they’re worse off than the other two schools, in that respect atleast. On Saturday we’ll have the edges hemmed so we can hand them out. What a fantastic gift. I’m glad they thought of it! Tomorrow we’re paining blackboards for all the classes, at all of the schools, I’m really excited about that too. Being able to do these type of things for the schools is my favorite part of this experience.
An easier day, sorta (July 1)
I woke up this morning in the exact spot I had fallen asleep in, which hadn’t happened at all since I’ve been in Africa. Despite the fact that I slept so heavily, I still managed to be absolutely exhausted all day and fell asleep for a little bit in the teacher’s lounge after class. It was freezing today and it rained, same as yesterday and last night. It’s crazy. I just want it to be warm again!
Our lesson today was a lot easier than yesterday, but I came to realize that the majority of these kids really do not understand what we’re teaching them. We use the teacher’s lesson plan so when she teaches them, they don’t even really understand. And I start thinking about how they got to this point. Today we had to re-read the story from yesterday so they could listen, and answer the questions we had written on the board. The first problem was: Birds use _______ to fly. They had to select their answers from a word bank. While we walked around to check answers, a lot of children had written “warm” “nests” “eat” or “useful” instead of wings. I don’t think they know their English vocabulary yet, so how are they able to teach them these stories? I was amazed. But once again, we stopped at each child to explain the correct answers, and this took awhile. Jess and I are planning a few of our own lessons to really focus on comprehension because we want so badly for them to be able to understand the material and succeed. After all, Standard 5 is taught entirely in English, so we worry how they will do once they move up in a few months.
Math was successful! It has been really consistent. They understand numbers much better than English. This lesson went pretty fast, we focused on length. The groups had to measure different objects in centimeters and then come up to the board and write the lengths of each object. Everyone got the correct answers! I was very proud of them. In their down time they sang to us again, I’m beginning to think that’s my favorite part of my day. We left early and walked with Dr. Kelly to Malemia because the Radford group is working on painting the classrooms there. It’s coming along great, and I really love that school. It was feeding day, so we got to see the food program at work. The youngest kids are fed first, and the oldest are fed last. It’s sad though because if the kids come without a cup, they don’t get fed. This is an unfortunate reality for many kids there. A bunch of them just sat along the walls of the school buildings playing together or watching everyone else eat. I made it a point to spend some time with them, as much as I could spare anyway, so it took their mind off it for a while. All the kids are so adorable though, at every school, so I pretty much love wherever I’m at for the day.
Early dinner at Tasty Bites tonight, it’s cheaper and we were starved. It was alright, half of it was cold. I was thinking about it today, American’s are so used to instant gratification. Everything is much slower here. It’s like we’ve gone back a hundred years. It takes forever for food to come out and when it does it’s not guaranteed to be what you ordered, or even warm, but you eat it anyway because it will take too long to fix. The power goes out everyday, sometimes multiple times, so when something needs to be done we make sure to take advantage of our time with electricity. The Internet has been really bad lately, when we want it, we can’t have it, when we don’t need it, it works perfectly, of course. Phone calls don’t transfer through too well. The shower isn’t always hot. Our cable doesn’t work very often and when it does our choices are Soccer, a channel in Chichewa, or some crazy American movie too shitty to play in the states. We can’t even get a drink of water when we want it, or eat an apple, or make a salad.
But that’s what I mean, we have so many expectations, naturally, so being here is a challenge for most of us. Don’t get me wrong, this has been an incredible experience so far, but I’m already looking forward to being able to open my mouth in the shower, at the very least. If you think about it though, we lose so much in America spending all our time perfecting ways to make our lives easier, that we lose focus on some pretty amazing things. The people here have a greater appreciation for everything you can imagine, because of the amount of time they put into everything. I also feel like I’ve met more genuine people since I’ve been here than some of those I’ve know for years at home. If anything, this makes me want to travel more, meet more people, see more places, I’m glad I’ve chosen this major after all.
Our lesson today was a lot easier than yesterday, but I came to realize that the majority of these kids really do not understand what we’re teaching them. We use the teacher’s lesson plan so when she teaches them, they don’t even really understand. And I start thinking about how they got to this point. Today we had to re-read the story from yesterday so they could listen, and answer the questions we had written on the board. The first problem was: Birds use _______ to fly. They had to select their answers from a word bank. While we walked around to check answers, a lot of children had written “warm” “nests” “eat” or “useful” instead of wings. I don’t think they know their English vocabulary yet, so how are they able to teach them these stories? I was amazed. But once again, we stopped at each child to explain the correct answers, and this took awhile. Jess and I are planning a few of our own lessons to really focus on comprehension because we want so badly for them to be able to understand the material and succeed. After all, Standard 5 is taught entirely in English, so we worry how they will do once they move up in a few months.
Math was successful! It has been really consistent. They understand numbers much better than English. This lesson went pretty fast, we focused on length. The groups had to measure different objects in centimeters and then come up to the board and write the lengths of each object. Everyone got the correct answers! I was very proud of them. In their down time they sang to us again, I’m beginning to think that’s my favorite part of my day. We left early and walked with Dr. Kelly to Malemia because the Radford group is working on painting the classrooms there. It’s coming along great, and I really love that school. It was feeding day, so we got to see the food program at work. The youngest kids are fed first, and the oldest are fed last. It’s sad though because if the kids come without a cup, they don’t get fed. This is an unfortunate reality for many kids there. A bunch of them just sat along the walls of the school buildings playing together or watching everyone else eat. I made it a point to spend some time with them, as much as I could spare anyway, so it took their mind off it for a while. All the kids are so adorable though, at every school, so I pretty much love wherever I’m at for the day.
Early dinner at Tasty Bites tonight, it’s cheaper and we were starved. It was alright, half of it was cold. I was thinking about it today, American’s are so used to instant gratification. Everything is much slower here. It’s like we’ve gone back a hundred years. It takes forever for food to come out and when it does it’s not guaranteed to be what you ordered, or even warm, but you eat it anyway because it will take too long to fix. The power goes out everyday, sometimes multiple times, so when something needs to be done we make sure to take advantage of our time with electricity. The Internet has been really bad lately, when we want it, we can’t have it, when we don’t need it, it works perfectly, of course. Phone calls don’t transfer through too well. The shower isn’t always hot. Our cable doesn’t work very often and when it does our choices are Soccer, a channel in Chichewa, or some crazy American movie too shitty to play in the states. We can’t even get a drink of water when we want it, or eat an apple, or make a salad.
But that’s what I mean, we have so many expectations, naturally, so being here is a challenge for most of us. Don’t get me wrong, this has been an incredible experience so far, but I’m already looking forward to being able to open my mouth in the shower, at the very least. If you think about it though, we lose so much in America spending all our time perfecting ways to make our lives easier, that we lose focus on some pretty amazing things. The people here have a greater appreciation for everything you can imagine, because of the amount of time they put into everything. I also feel like I’ve met more genuine people since I’ve been here than some of those I’ve know for years at home. If anything, this makes me want to travel more, meet more people, see more places, I’m glad I’ve chosen this major after all.
Teaching (June 30)
Even in the short amount of time I’ve been here, I’ve learned a lot about people, and humanity in general. It’s difficult to express how I felt today standing in front of all these kids trying to teach them about birds in English, and having them stare with all the interest in the world. When they didn’t understand what we were saying, they pretended they did, or gave it one hell of a try to come up with the answer that they thought we wanted. When we bent down to show them the correct way to measure a line in our Math lesson, they would all crouch around us to see how we would position the ruler and count our numbers. They went above and beyond what we asked just so they could get a few extra check marks next to their problems, not necessarily because of the work they had done, but because they wanted our attention. It amazes me how much influence we can have on these kids by being here. At this point, we can’t do any harm. We are teaching in English, a language that is so incredibly valuable to them that without it they may never be able to have a shot at education beyond Standard 5. Simply hearing us speak, and them working to understand us, is a lesson in itself. I’m hopeful for their future, and I have a lot of faith in all the kids I’ve met here even if I haven’t been able to form close relationships yet.
For English we read a story about birds, and taught them vocabulary pertaining to birds. When it was their turn to read aloud, it was a struggle, because they mostly read by repeating, but we were able to get through to a good amount of them towards the end. Fortunately they were able to actually understand what we read to them, because they could answer our questions about the story, in English! I think at this point they’re not very used to Jess and I standing in front of the class instead of Katherine. It took a little bit for them to do the things we asked them to do without looking to their teacher for approval. They’re definitely getting used to having us around though, and when they are more comfortable, we sure are too. In math we taught about measurement. Not all of the kids have rulers so they had to share, and some didn’t really get the concept. After class we went into town and bought them a class set of rulers to give them tomorrow, I’m sure they will be excited. Anyway, while Jess and I went around to grade their work, each time a student got an answer wrong, we would sit with them and explain to them why. We taught them the correct way, had them re-do it, and came back to check off the correct answer. In America, this is something we’re accustomed to. It’s how we learn. Here in Malawi, this is unheard of. To have a student being paid individual attention and to be told why something is not correct is rare. Teachers here simply do not have the time with classes so large. Consequently, some children don’t learn, some never will. It took way more class time doing things how we did, but I could tell in just one lesson that the kids were actually learning. I felt amazing, and I was so incredibly proud of them. It took a few kids multiple times to do it the right way and when they did, they were so happy! They were proud of themselves, and that’s so important.
Katherine let us teach music. This was interesting. Jess and I taught a few songs, including Old McDonald Had A Farm and The Ants Go Marching 1 by 1, or whatever it’s called. They LOVED the ant song, because they got to beat on the floor, and in Africa they’re all about percussion. It was so cute because we have awful voices, we don’t exactly sing during every occasion in the states, so we’re totally off key, but they wanted to us to keep singing over and over. We got them to sing with us and that was fun because they caught on quick and they were so excited to be learning some of the songs that we had learned when we were young. During free time the class sang to us, and let me tell you, I may never hear anything more beautiful once I leave this country. It always makes me emotional listening to the kids sing around here because the happiness they have when they’re singing radiates through absolutely everything. It’s like they wouldn’t rather be any other place in the world than singing to us. You can’t help but feel amazing and touched afterwards. I can’t wait to go home to share the videos I’ve acquired from the singing at all the different schools. Hopefully they’ll sing to us everyday during their downtime if we continue to teach their music lesson! Needless to say, I can’t wait for class in the morning. J
By the way, I saw the monkeys today! Tons of them. Adults and babies, everywhere. They take bananas right out of your hands! So adorable, they are tan colored with little black faces. They get so close too, but it’s neat because they aren’t that afraid of us. I have tons of pictures to show everyone.
Goodnight!
For English we read a story about birds, and taught them vocabulary pertaining to birds. When it was their turn to read aloud, it was a struggle, because they mostly read by repeating, but we were able to get through to a good amount of them towards the end. Fortunately they were able to actually understand what we read to them, because they could answer our questions about the story, in English! I think at this point they’re not very used to Jess and I standing in front of the class instead of Katherine. It took a little bit for them to do the things we asked them to do without looking to their teacher for approval. They’re definitely getting used to having us around though, and when they are more comfortable, we sure are too. In math we taught about measurement. Not all of the kids have rulers so they had to share, and some didn’t really get the concept. After class we went into town and bought them a class set of rulers to give them tomorrow, I’m sure they will be excited. Anyway, while Jess and I went around to grade their work, each time a student got an answer wrong, we would sit with them and explain to them why. We taught them the correct way, had them re-do it, and came back to check off the correct answer. In America, this is something we’re accustomed to. It’s how we learn. Here in Malawi, this is unheard of. To have a student being paid individual attention and to be told why something is not correct is rare. Teachers here simply do not have the time with classes so large. Consequently, some children don’t learn, some never will. It took way more class time doing things how we did, but I could tell in just one lesson that the kids were actually learning. I felt amazing, and I was so incredibly proud of them. It took a few kids multiple times to do it the right way and when they did, they were so happy! They were proud of themselves, and that’s so important.
Katherine let us teach music. This was interesting. Jess and I taught a few songs, including Old McDonald Had A Farm and The Ants Go Marching 1 by 1, or whatever it’s called. They LOVED the ant song, because they got to beat on the floor, and in Africa they’re all about percussion. It was so cute because we have awful voices, we don’t exactly sing during every occasion in the states, so we’re totally off key, but they wanted to us to keep singing over and over. We got them to sing with us and that was fun because they caught on quick and they were so excited to be learning some of the songs that we had learned when we were young. During free time the class sang to us, and let me tell you, I may never hear anything more beautiful once I leave this country. It always makes me emotional listening to the kids sing around here because the happiness they have when they’re singing radiates through absolutely everything. It’s like they wouldn’t rather be any other place in the world than singing to us. You can’t help but feel amazing and touched afterwards. I can’t wait to go home to share the videos I’ve acquired from the singing at all the different schools. Hopefully they’ll sing to us everyday during their downtime if we continue to teach their music lesson! Needless to say, I can’t wait for class in the morning. J
By the way, I saw the monkeys today! Tons of them. Adults and babies, everywhere. They take bananas right out of your hands! So adorable, they are tan colored with little black faces. They get so close too, but it’s neat because they aren’t that afraid of us. I have tons of pictures to show everyone.
Goodnight!
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