June 26, 2008:
Today was filled with probably one of the most incredible moments of my life. As we approached the first school, children from hundreds of yards away came running towards our bus shouting “mphunzitsi” and “muzungu” which mean teacher and white person. We continued towards the school, and there were hundreds of children crowding around the door of the bus jumping, clapping, yelling and smiling with some of the most beautiful beaming smiles I’ve ever seen. They were excited to greet us, and they all want to shake our hands. We greeted them in return and were delighted in their excitement. I almost felt I had presidential popularity. The students make you feel like royalty with their welcoming faces and kind greetings. The teachers and head master greeted us and showed us to many of the classrooms. In each of the classrooms, the children stood to greet us. They’ve memorized basic English greetings:
The Class: “Good morning madam and sirs, how are you?”
Us: “We’re fine. How are you?”
The Class: “Fine. Thank you madam.”
Sometimes we would go in and say good morning first or how are you, but they would respond with the memorized words they knew in sequence. Their language acquisition is much different from ours. Instead of learning different words and phrases and what they mean, they learn to memorize phrases in response to prompts from teachers. This explains a lot of their difficulties in learning English. Many are never able to master it.
In a single day, I’ve come to the realization that key to survival for the majority of the people here is education. Statistics have shown that those who receive a full education or stay in school the longest have far less diseases and avert the chances of HIV/AIDS. English is the key. English. Our native language is the key to their success. Basically, if you cannot pass the English examination, you cannot move on. If you cannot communicate, you will not get a decent job.
We also visited two other schools. We visited the Domasi Demonstration School where Brian and Nikki will be doing their graduate research and some teaching. Again, the children came running to greet us. Their smiles and cheering was so heartwarming. The government uses this school for teachers from the Malawi Institute of Education. Here, they are able to fill “student teacher” requirements. This school was dramatically different from the first school we visited (Malemia). Many of these students had warmer clothes, shoes and were cleaner. We learned that many of the students are children of teachers, and their parents pay 40 Kwacha a month, so that the girls will not have to clean the toilets.
That’s something I have not mentioned. The girls at each school are required to regularly clean the toilets. Most have no sanitary gloves, and they spend hours on their hands and knees scrubbing. This also contributes to the dropout rate for girls because they’d rather stay home than be forced to clean in such conditions.
Following our trip to the Demonstration School, we finally made it to our group’s (Virginia Tech) school- the Domasi Government School. I was so excited! The children were again so welcoming, but this school already felt like home. The head teacher was eager to greet us, and she welcomed us to her school. We got a quick tour of a few of the classrooms, and the teachers were so friendly. We decided to work mostly in pairs- Lexi and I in Standard 6, Lauren and Sarah in Standard 3, Heidi and Amber in Standard 7, and Brittany is working alone. We thanked the head teacher for her welcoming and told her we’d be ready to teach tomorrow.
We headed to the college, just a few hundred feet away, for our first “class” time. Typically, we’ll congregate as an individual school group at our school locations (Malemia, Demonstration, and Domasi) for about an hour and then the Radford and NC A&T groups will walk to our classroom at MIE. Today, we met as whole group the entire time period. We didn’t do a lot of discussing, but a few really valid points were brought up. Brian, our grad student from NC A&T, really made us all think. So often in our trip, we’ve been generalizing the children we meet as “them” and how “they” reacted, but he reminded us that each is an individual just as we are. He also wanted us to realize that this trip is not or should not be intended to be about how much we can get out of it, but about what we can do and learn with those we meet. He challenged us to cultivate the relationships of those we meet and those within our group. He really made complete sense. The things we can learn from each other are ultimately the greatest lessons. I also didn’t intend on learning from the students I meet, but I really think we learn a lot from them.
We all had nothing but positive things to discuss with one another. Overall, this experience has been incredible. Dr. Barber commented on the validity of biophilia, our affinity to Africa. I agree. Besides home and Virginia Tech, I’ve never felt so drawn to a place. The welcoming attitude of the people and beautiful surroundings just make you fall in love with the country. How could you not? I really could visit here again for a while. Maybe I’ll be able to…
After both a physically and emotionally draining day, Charles drove us back to the center of town in Zomba. We needed to get some water and start to get acclimated to our stomping grounds for the next three weeks. It reminded me somewhat of Zomba. We exchanged some USD for Kwacha, but I still haven’t spent my first 14,800 Kwacha ($100). We weren’t surprised to see vendors approaching us right away even before everyone was out of the money exchange store. Dr. Kelly was right in advising us to buy little or nothing in Lilongwe because they have all of the same items at cheaper costs in Zomba. The only issue is that we’re still new in town, and they think we don’t understand Kwacha yet… oh and that we’re rich. For example, this Noah’s ark today was over 8,000 Kwacha aka over 60 American dollars. It should sell for about $15- $20 after some strong negotiations. Dr. Kelly also explained that if one of us buys a hot item at a certain price, none of us will ever be able to get it any lower. So, the plan is to look through the vendors items each days and in the stores and wait until our last few days to talk down prices, barter and most of all BARGAIN. I can’t wait.
Dr. K pointed out the Internet café, the fabric shop where we can buy beautiful Malawian fabric to have clothes made before we leave, the food market and other places. We stopped in a cheaper grocery store to pick up fresh water. We do have fresh water at Annie’s Lodge, but it is not drinkable. Well, it is if you want to deal with certain side effects… no details necessary. Did you know that you could buy single bottles of beer and single shots of liquor at the checkout in the grocery store? The actually package single shots and put them where you’d normally see mints/gum. I’ve seen some signs trying to prevent people from drinking and driving, but I’m sure this does not exactly help the problem.
As we left the store, I saw the first signs of severe malnutrition. Men with nothing more than skin on their bones and legs skinnier than our arms sat outside the door begging for food. It’s heartbreaking because it’s just too difficult to hand out money to these people. We’ve learned that if you give one Kwacha or even a Tambala (coin that is half a kwacha) to one person, you must give it to the other fifty that’ll swarm around you. Surprisingly enough, I expected more to beg because Malawians are known for their warm hearts but habitual begging. Most people are friendly and content sitting in the street visiting with friends and greeting those passing by.
The fabric store is overwhelming! There are so many choices of fabric to choose from, and knowing my indecisions in the past, this may take a few visits to decide. As soon as we decide, we can buy fabric in increments of 4 meters (plenty for a full outfit) and order whatever type of outfit we’d like. Any suggests? I’m thinking some kind of dress. Peter throws a big party for us on the last night, and we’ll get to wear our new outfits to that.
It was going on 4:45, and we were exhausted! We were going to buy post cards on the way back to Annie’s Lodge (about a mile or so uphill), but we ran into Charles when he was buying some goods. So, Dr. K convinced him to drive us back to Annie’s, and he was glad to do it. We all cheered; we were that exhausted. How are we going to walk back other days with that water? It gets heavy, but I guess we’ll tone up a little.
It was only about 5 when we got back, and the sun was well on its way to setting, so we headed into the dining room to order dinner. Now, Annie’s Lodge dinners are actually very good, but we learned after one night that the cooking takes a very long time. We’re talking an hour or more, but we enjoyed each other’s company waiting for dinner. Oh, and Peter’s grand entrance… He brought us each a Malawi map and told us he’s setting up a movie night tomorrow night. Should be a fun time…
Want to hear some juicy Malawian gossip? Well, to make a long story short, Peter is Annie’s son. She’s a former member of Malawian Parliament, and his father was British. They lived in London for years (hence the knee-bending adorable accent) until Peter’s father died and they moved back to Malawi. Peter basically runs the lodge for Annie, and to everyone’s knowledge, until last year, was happily married to a beautiful European woman and a father of two. So, at the party last year, Dr. Jones told the students that they’d get to meet Peter’s beautiful blonde wife. A little while later, this beautiful blonde woman walks, so the girls go up to her and say it’s so nice to meet Peter’s wife. She responds by saying she’s his girlfriend. They’re confused, but they make small talk and then go dance. Then, another blonde woman walked in, but they decided to wait to talk to her. So in passing they asked, “Oh, how do you know Peter?” She said, “I’m his girlfriend.” Now, they’re really confused. A little later, another blonde woman walks in, and Dr. Jones says that she is his wife. To sum it up, he has two girlfriends, a wife and two children. They all know about one another and are all in agreement with the arrangement. Apparently, it’s an old school Malawian way, but all of these women and Peter are European and Canadian, so it seems strange. No one knows why it’s working out like this, but it sure makes for great gossip!
Dinner was great! We each had different things. They love to serve “chips” (French fries) with a lot. Lots of encima, rice, and vegetables are always served. I had chicken with chips and vegetables. Apparently, the vegetable curry is excellent. We devoured our food tonight!
After dinner, we headed back to the room, and Lexi and I talked about some initial plans for tomorrow’s first lesson. We’re so excited for our first day of teaching! I took a shower to get the day’s dirt and grime off me, and we’ve all been journaling for a couple hours.
I’m not sure how this trip could get any better, but I just know some wonderful surprises are in store for us- the kind of wonderful experiences that we’ll remember for a lifetime.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Finally in Zomba, our Malawian Home!
June 25, 2008:
We woke up early this morning to get ready to leave. Charles and the staff at Korea Garden Lodge packed our little bus full of stuff while we had breakfast, and we headed out. We said bye to Isaac, our incredibly friendly waiter, and took some pictures of the gardens and pool. I wish I could post pictures (the internet is just not fast enough) of the bus packed from floor to ceiling about three rows from the back. It’s funny to see how much luggage we actually have, but considering how many supplies we’ve brought and souvenirs we’ll want to bring home, it makes sense.
We made our way through town, over the river and down the main road towards Zomba. The mountains we saw on the trip were amazing. Who would think that Malawi could have such beautiful mountains? I thought mountains in the Western U.S. were beautiful, but these are the most incredible mountains I’ve ever seen. They’re very different from our mountains. We’ll be driving along the road and not see any for miles, but then suddenly in the distance a few rocky ones shoot up from the ground. They’re all different sizes and shapes, and each one is exciting to see.
It took us about an hour and a half on the bus to get to Dedza. We loved seeing all the beautiful scenery along the way. When we arrived at Dedza Pottery, the flowers and gardens were very inviting. The pottery buildings and café are made of very sturdy brick and secure roofs. We entered the shop and were immediately overwhelmed with the selection! There was too much to choose from, and there was very little organization to it all. I had so much fun looking at everything, but my indecision hindered me from making decisions quickly. I ended up picking out and creating a mini tea set, and I bought a few separate items. A lot of people bought their items and took them with us on the bus, but some of us shipped them. The person that I checked out with gave me a discount, so I definitely decided to ship it home. I asked him why I got a discount, and he responded, “Because you are my customer!” Reason enough for me! Apparently, it may not get there until October, but I took a picture, and it will be well worth the wait. They receive and ship orders from all around the world. I can’t wait for a surprise from Dedza at home!
We all stopped to enjoy lunch right next door at the café. They had excellent food! We sat outside on the patio and had fun discussing our pottery selections and taking pictures of the mountains in the distance. We had to hurry though because we still had to make it to one last stop in Dedza.
Our last stop in Dedza was this man’s recycled paper making place and small shop. We had to rush here, so we could see a demonstration and buy some souvenirs. Dr. Kelly did and overview for us of how he makes his products. Basically, he is able to make a living by collecting trash and used paper products, cutting them up into little pieces, soaking them in water and making a “porridge” of the materials, spreading them out on a flat wired surface and them letting the pieces air dry. He also makes paper out of elephant dung in the same way. What a creative man! He uses what he has and what he can find to make a living. We bought all sorts of gifts created from the paper, and he was even disappointed that we arrived so soon because he didn’t have time to create as much as he wanted! His wife also hand makes dolls. I was able to buy one of them, and I think it’ll make a great souvenir to remember our time there.
As I left the shop, others were still inside and some of us were talking with the children outside. They love to play football (soccer) here, but many children are unable to afford or find real balls. They are creative and make them from tied up plastic bags. I watched one child kick his around for a while. Then I thought, “Wow, I wish I could get to my bag.” I’ve brought about 15 plastic globes to blow up that help teach about the countries of the world and make great balls. I went on the bus to see if I could search through the suitcases to find my bag. Well, I didn’t even have to do that. Mine was the first one I saw. I don’t know if I truly believe in “signs”, but if this weren’t a sign, I’m not sure what is. The globes were right on the top of my opened suitcase. Dr. Jones saw what I was doing and was just as delighted as I was to find one. She commented that many of these children do no attend school and rarely are given anything for pleasure or even survival from outsiders. I took the ball outside and began to blow it up at the excitement of the children that were now surrounding me. To be honest, I could barely breath. My heart was beating so fast, and I was filled with such emotion that it was difficult to blow up the ball. After a few seconds, they began to realize what this flat plastic was becoming- a ball. I then showed them where Malawi is located on the map and how they can play with it just like a football (soccer ball) that they already have. It was definitely one of the best moments of my life. Something that simple meant so much to them, and I hope they’ll remember that day forever because I surely will.
We all loaded back on the bus, and one child asked Heidi for a pen for school. She had one in her pocket and was happy to give it to him. We all waved goodbye and some even wanted to get on the bus. We would have loved to take them with us, but that’s obviously something we couldn’t do. Down the road, Charles pointed out that the road is actually the border between Malawi and Mozambique. Basically, we were in limbo between the two. It was really neat, but then again there’s little security that way. We stopped at this market that is half way on the Malawi side and half way on the Mozambique side. It was overwhelming! There were people and goods coming from all sides, and we didn’t know how to react. The people from Mozambique seemed different from the Malawians, but many of them acted similarly. I videotaped what I saw for a bit, but then a few minutes later, Alicia ran up to us and said to put our cameras away. We were confused. Charles had told them that if you take a picture on the Mozambique side, they’d arrest you and take you to jail. You better believe we put our cameras away! We continued to look around, but just hearing that turned me off. That had all sorts of goods, and medicines packaged in small plastic bags also seemed popular.
We all came back to the bus in about 20 minutes and the women on the Malawi side were crowed near the door trying to teach us some Chichewa words. We responded in English. It’s surprising how much you can learn from someone who speaks nothing of your language.
As we continued on to Zomba from the Market, the mountains continued to glow in the sunlight, and the varying angles made for some incredible pictures. I can’t wait to share later. Along the way, Charles pulled off the road to show us a traditional Malawian village. The children came running up from the village to greet us on a higher level than them on the road. They were excited and some spoke a few Chichewa words with us. As we were stopped on the side of the road, a few cars passed by. Despite the fact that the speed limit is 50 in some areas, cars tend to well exceed this speed. You also have to be careful to look both ways because they don’t stop! Mandy played a game with the children before we had to leave, but their excitement quickly turned to anger when we did not give them any money. It was if the game was them “working” for a “dollar” as they said. But to us, we were trying to be friendly and enjoy a moment with them. They became hostile and we quickly got back on the bus. Even the sweetest girl during the game had the angriest face when we left without giving them money.
Across the road, we were able to take some pictures of the mountains on the Mozambique side. I can’t wait to show Polanah, my African Studies professor, the pictures when we return to school. He’ll probably act disgusted that I’d take pictures of his Mozambique, but I know he’ll be delighted deep down inside. He just will not give me the gratification of knowing so.
Zomba was still about two hours away from this area, so we had to continue on. It was a lot to pack in before dark, but Charles always makes sure we get places when we need to. As we traveled through a busier area along the road, we came across a very sad sight. The car in front of us had hit a dog, but it didn’t die on impact. Its companion dog ran out to see it and they both were yelping in the road. I’m not sure if I became emotional at the sight of the hurt dog or at the sight of not one person going to help this animal. I’ve come to realize it’s not the culture. Animals are food, and there is little that anyone could really do for it. We drove on, but I wonder what happened to him.
About an hour down the road, we drove past the end of the Mozambique line. There was very little “border control” but we did have to stop. We saw similar small towns and villages. There were even a few markets off the side of the road.
We made it to Liwonde where a Malawian National Park is located. We didn’t stop, but this is where our safari night will be. It sits right on the edge of the Shire River (which we passed) that feeds into Lake Malawi. Many people were on the banks of this beautiful sight fishing, washing, and visiting. Within Liwonde National Park is Mvuu Camp where our safari will be. “Mvuu” is Chichewa for hippo.
It was almost dark, and we finally arrived at Annie’s Lodge. We cut it very close, and it gets dark around here with little warning. Apparently, the unspoken word is to be in no later than 6 EVER. It’s just not safe.
Annie’s Lodge is the idyllic place to stay in Zomba. The pictures online do not do this place justice. Basically, Zomba sits at the foot of the Zomba plateau and Annie’s Lodge is a little ways up the hill of the plateau. The grounds are on different levels with beautiful foliage, trees, colonial-style buildings, and excellent accommodations. I feel like I need to re-write the content on their website. I honestly feel like there is no way I’m in Africa. I feel as though I’m in the mountains of a European country. It also gets chilly very early, so we’re wearing sweatshirts by dark. It’s the perfect temperature after a warmer day.
So, we’re supposed to be in Africa right? Well, we all thought we’d died and gone to British heaven when we got off the bus. One word: Peter, a name that I predict will continue to come up in conversations for weeks to come. This man is beautiful. Brian told us later that night that he was the last one of the bus and he and Peter had a “moment” where they realized without speaking that all of us were schoolgirl giggling at Peter, and he just knew it. Peter knew we were smitten with him, but he continued to beam and welcome us to our home away from home. The funniest part was seeing Dr. Jones (the youngest and probably most precious professor from Radford here with us) falling all over herself with excitement to see him. Dr. Kelly, more than a few years her senior, was right there with her. They love Peter and even admitting to taking pictures of “scenery” on grounds last year that just “happen” to have him in it as well.
We walked down to our room which is a somewhat separated from many of the other students, but Peter assured us we could move this weekend once this government conference leaves. “Brilliant”: my new favorite word.
Amber and Heidi do not have a room until Saturday, so Amber is staying with us. We haven’t been able to unpack anything, but it won’t be much longer until we move and really get settled. As Amber, Lexi and I started to relax on the beds in our room, the power went out. If you think it’s scary when the power goes out a home, try being in an area that has NO outside light at all. Because we just got there, we had no idea where our flashlights were, and it took a lot of commotion and scared shrieks before we found one. All was well after this. It didn’t come back on right away, so we decided to head out. We headed towards the dining room, but we didn’t see anyone there, so we started to walk around in the dark and saw some of the light from the backup generator.
We walked toward the bar and found Dr. Kelly, so we decided to chat with her while we waited for others. She said that Peter had looked for her to get her first drink at Annie’s this year, but she beat him to it. Before we could order, Peter came up and said everyone’s first drinks were on him. “Cheers”. It was the perfect time to try the Kuche Kuche, Malawian beer found only in Malawi and our new favorite catchphrase. Don’t worry, we got a picture. The three of us sat with Dr. Kelly for a while and just reflected on the day and how unexpectedly beautiful Annie’s Lodge and Zomba really are. She told us about some of her past experiences, a grant she’s working on for work in Ethiopia on a new five-year teacher education program and the history of Annie’s lodge. She said how hospitable Annie and Peter have been over the years and why she keeps coming back. She went into some detail of Annie’s political background as a former member of parliament and how she planned to run again this past year. Apparently, Annie’s church members advised her not run because they were afraid that she’d be killed. Despite the fact that she is a former member of parliament, it’s still a huge risk for a woman to run for such a position. Dr. K also went into detail about how Annie runs and owns an orphanage and how she wants to have a whole day with us to let us visit. Peter also wants to plan a Jazz night. We have so many activities planned, it’s almost overwhelming!
Liz (Dr. Barber from NC A&T) then showed up at the bar, as others approached and said, “Now this is graduate school: learning at the bar.” We all laughed. Most of her comments and insights are meaningful but always with a bit of humor or pizzazz- just like Liz. She’s wonderful. The five of us continued to talk, especially about Dr. Kelly’s background and how she has really inspired the following of herself and Dr. Jones. They talked about their other trips and we said how cool and exciting this one has been in just a few short days. Dr. Liz replied, “Pat Kelly wrote the book of cool.” We have so much to learn from her.
Eventually everyone showed up and enjoyed a Kuche Kuche on Peter. It was really great despite the fact we didn’t have electricity. We headed down to the dining room really enjoying each other’s company and proceeded to order dinner by candlelight. They will cook food with the generator or over hot coals when the power goes out. It takes a while, but it’s all about the experience. We continued to chat already reminiscing about the first few days (especially Ethiopia), and she filled us in a little more about the schools and the safari. I really want to see a Black Mambo. Apparently, they’re the most dangerous snakes in the world, but I’m dying to see one. Everyone thinks I’m crazy, but if I were at a safe distance, I’d totally be worth it. She said we could even hear hippos outside our tents munching all night and get fairly close to elephants. I’m so excited!!!
So far Zomba is greater than we ever expected it to be, and I can’t wait to see what else is in store!
We woke up early this morning to get ready to leave. Charles and the staff at Korea Garden Lodge packed our little bus full of stuff while we had breakfast, and we headed out. We said bye to Isaac, our incredibly friendly waiter, and took some pictures of the gardens and pool. I wish I could post pictures (the internet is just not fast enough) of the bus packed from floor to ceiling about three rows from the back. It’s funny to see how much luggage we actually have, but considering how many supplies we’ve brought and souvenirs we’ll want to bring home, it makes sense.
We made our way through town, over the river and down the main road towards Zomba. The mountains we saw on the trip were amazing. Who would think that Malawi could have such beautiful mountains? I thought mountains in the Western U.S. were beautiful, but these are the most incredible mountains I’ve ever seen. They’re very different from our mountains. We’ll be driving along the road and not see any for miles, but then suddenly in the distance a few rocky ones shoot up from the ground. They’re all different sizes and shapes, and each one is exciting to see.
It took us about an hour and a half on the bus to get to Dedza. We loved seeing all the beautiful scenery along the way. When we arrived at Dedza Pottery, the flowers and gardens were very inviting. The pottery buildings and café are made of very sturdy brick and secure roofs. We entered the shop and were immediately overwhelmed with the selection! There was too much to choose from, and there was very little organization to it all. I had so much fun looking at everything, but my indecision hindered me from making decisions quickly. I ended up picking out and creating a mini tea set, and I bought a few separate items. A lot of people bought their items and took them with us on the bus, but some of us shipped them. The person that I checked out with gave me a discount, so I definitely decided to ship it home. I asked him why I got a discount, and he responded, “Because you are my customer!” Reason enough for me! Apparently, it may not get there until October, but I took a picture, and it will be well worth the wait. They receive and ship orders from all around the world. I can’t wait for a surprise from Dedza at home!
We all stopped to enjoy lunch right next door at the café. They had excellent food! We sat outside on the patio and had fun discussing our pottery selections and taking pictures of the mountains in the distance. We had to hurry though because we still had to make it to one last stop in Dedza.
Our last stop in Dedza was this man’s recycled paper making place and small shop. We had to rush here, so we could see a demonstration and buy some souvenirs. Dr. Kelly did and overview for us of how he makes his products. Basically, he is able to make a living by collecting trash and used paper products, cutting them up into little pieces, soaking them in water and making a “porridge” of the materials, spreading them out on a flat wired surface and them letting the pieces air dry. He also makes paper out of elephant dung in the same way. What a creative man! He uses what he has and what he can find to make a living. We bought all sorts of gifts created from the paper, and he was even disappointed that we arrived so soon because he didn’t have time to create as much as he wanted! His wife also hand makes dolls. I was able to buy one of them, and I think it’ll make a great souvenir to remember our time there.
As I left the shop, others were still inside and some of us were talking with the children outside. They love to play football (soccer) here, but many children are unable to afford or find real balls. They are creative and make them from tied up plastic bags. I watched one child kick his around for a while. Then I thought, “Wow, I wish I could get to my bag.” I’ve brought about 15 plastic globes to blow up that help teach about the countries of the world and make great balls. I went on the bus to see if I could search through the suitcases to find my bag. Well, I didn’t even have to do that. Mine was the first one I saw. I don’t know if I truly believe in “signs”, but if this weren’t a sign, I’m not sure what is. The globes were right on the top of my opened suitcase. Dr. Jones saw what I was doing and was just as delighted as I was to find one. She commented that many of these children do no attend school and rarely are given anything for pleasure or even survival from outsiders. I took the ball outside and began to blow it up at the excitement of the children that were now surrounding me. To be honest, I could barely breath. My heart was beating so fast, and I was filled with such emotion that it was difficult to blow up the ball. After a few seconds, they began to realize what this flat plastic was becoming- a ball. I then showed them where Malawi is located on the map and how they can play with it just like a football (soccer ball) that they already have. It was definitely one of the best moments of my life. Something that simple meant so much to them, and I hope they’ll remember that day forever because I surely will.
We all loaded back on the bus, and one child asked Heidi for a pen for school. She had one in her pocket and was happy to give it to him. We all waved goodbye and some even wanted to get on the bus. We would have loved to take them with us, but that’s obviously something we couldn’t do. Down the road, Charles pointed out that the road is actually the border between Malawi and Mozambique. Basically, we were in limbo between the two. It was really neat, but then again there’s little security that way. We stopped at this market that is half way on the Malawi side and half way on the Mozambique side. It was overwhelming! There were people and goods coming from all sides, and we didn’t know how to react. The people from Mozambique seemed different from the Malawians, but many of them acted similarly. I videotaped what I saw for a bit, but then a few minutes later, Alicia ran up to us and said to put our cameras away. We were confused. Charles had told them that if you take a picture on the Mozambique side, they’d arrest you and take you to jail. You better believe we put our cameras away! We continued to look around, but just hearing that turned me off. That had all sorts of goods, and medicines packaged in small plastic bags also seemed popular.
We all came back to the bus in about 20 minutes and the women on the Malawi side were crowed near the door trying to teach us some Chichewa words. We responded in English. It’s surprising how much you can learn from someone who speaks nothing of your language.
As we continued on to Zomba from the Market, the mountains continued to glow in the sunlight, and the varying angles made for some incredible pictures. I can’t wait to share later. Along the way, Charles pulled off the road to show us a traditional Malawian village. The children came running up from the village to greet us on a higher level than them on the road. They were excited and some spoke a few Chichewa words with us. As we were stopped on the side of the road, a few cars passed by. Despite the fact that the speed limit is 50 in some areas, cars tend to well exceed this speed. You also have to be careful to look both ways because they don’t stop! Mandy played a game with the children before we had to leave, but their excitement quickly turned to anger when we did not give them any money. It was if the game was them “working” for a “dollar” as they said. But to us, we were trying to be friendly and enjoy a moment with them. They became hostile and we quickly got back on the bus. Even the sweetest girl during the game had the angriest face when we left without giving them money.
Across the road, we were able to take some pictures of the mountains on the Mozambique side. I can’t wait to show Polanah, my African Studies professor, the pictures when we return to school. He’ll probably act disgusted that I’d take pictures of his Mozambique, but I know he’ll be delighted deep down inside. He just will not give me the gratification of knowing so.
Zomba was still about two hours away from this area, so we had to continue on. It was a lot to pack in before dark, but Charles always makes sure we get places when we need to. As we traveled through a busier area along the road, we came across a very sad sight. The car in front of us had hit a dog, but it didn’t die on impact. Its companion dog ran out to see it and they both were yelping in the road. I’m not sure if I became emotional at the sight of the hurt dog or at the sight of not one person going to help this animal. I’ve come to realize it’s not the culture. Animals are food, and there is little that anyone could really do for it. We drove on, but I wonder what happened to him.
About an hour down the road, we drove past the end of the Mozambique line. There was very little “border control” but we did have to stop. We saw similar small towns and villages. There were even a few markets off the side of the road.
We made it to Liwonde where a Malawian National Park is located. We didn’t stop, but this is where our safari night will be. It sits right on the edge of the Shire River (which we passed) that feeds into Lake Malawi. Many people were on the banks of this beautiful sight fishing, washing, and visiting. Within Liwonde National Park is Mvuu Camp where our safari will be. “Mvuu” is Chichewa for hippo.
It was almost dark, and we finally arrived at Annie’s Lodge. We cut it very close, and it gets dark around here with little warning. Apparently, the unspoken word is to be in no later than 6 EVER. It’s just not safe.
Annie’s Lodge is the idyllic place to stay in Zomba. The pictures online do not do this place justice. Basically, Zomba sits at the foot of the Zomba plateau and Annie’s Lodge is a little ways up the hill of the plateau. The grounds are on different levels with beautiful foliage, trees, colonial-style buildings, and excellent accommodations. I feel like I need to re-write the content on their website. I honestly feel like there is no way I’m in Africa. I feel as though I’m in the mountains of a European country. It also gets chilly very early, so we’re wearing sweatshirts by dark. It’s the perfect temperature after a warmer day.
So, we’re supposed to be in Africa right? Well, we all thought we’d died and gone to British heaven when we got off the bus. One word: Peter, a name that I predict will continue to come up in conversations for weeks to come. This man is beautiful. Brian told us later that night that he was the last one of the bus and he and Peter had a “moment” where they realized without speaking that all of us were schoolgirl giggling at Peter, and he just knew it. Peter knew we were smitten with him, but he continued to beam and welcome us to our home away from home. The funniest part was seeing Dr. Jones (the youngest and probably most precious professor from Radford here with us) falling all over herself with excitement to see him. Dr. Kelly, more than a few years her senior, was right there with her. They love Peter and even admitting to taking pictures of “scenery” on grounds last year that just “happen” to have him in it as well.
We walked down to our room which is a somewhat separated from many of the other students, but Peter assured us we could move this weekend once this government conference leaves. “Brilliant”: my new favorite word.
Amber and Heidi do not have a room until Saturday, so Amber is staying with us. We haven’t been able to unpack anything, but it won’t be much longer until we move and really get settled. As Amber, Lexi and I started to relax on the beds in our room, the power went out. If you think it’s scary when the power goes out a home, try being in an area that has NO outside light at all. Because we just got there, we had no idea where our flashlights were, and it took a lot of commotion and scared shrieks before we found one. All was well after this. It didn’t come back on right away, so we decided to head out. We headed towards the dining room, but we didn’t see anyone there, so we started to walk around in the dark and saw some of the light from the backup generator.
We walked toward the bar and found Dr. Kelly, so we decided to chat with her while we waited for others. She said that Peter had looked for her to get her first drink at Annie’s this year, but she beat him to it. Before we could order, Peter came up and said everyone’s first drinks were on him. “Cheers”. It was the perfect time to try the Kuche Kuche, Malawian beer found only in Malawi and our new favorite catchphrase. Don’t worry, we got a picture. The three of us sat with Dr. Kelly for a while and just reflected on the day and how unexpectedly beautiful Annie’s Lodge and Zomba really are. She told us about some of her past experiences, a grant she’s working on for work in Ethiopia on a new five-year teacher education program and the history of Annie’s lodge. She said how hospitable Annie and Peter have been over the years and why she keeps coming back. She went into some detail of Annie’s political background as a former member of parliament and how she planned to run again this past year. Apparently, Annie’s church members advised her not run because they were afraid that she’d be killed. Despite the fact that she is a former member of parliament, it’s still a huge risk for a woman to run for such a position. Dr. K also went into detail about how Annie runs and owns an orphanage and how she wants to have a whole day with us to let us visit. Peter also wants to plan a Jazz night. We have so many activities planned, it’s almost overwhelming!
Liz (Dr. Barber from NC A&T) then showed up at the bar, as others approached and said, “Now this is graduate school: learning at the bar.” We all laughed. Most of her comments and insights are meaningful but always with a bit of humor or pizzazz- just like Liz. She’s wonderful. The five of us continued to talk, especially about Dr. Kelly’s background and how she has really inspired the following of herself and Dr. Jones. They talked about their other trips and we said how cool and exciting this one has been in just a few short days. Dr. Liz replied, “Pat Kelly wrote the book of cool.” We have so much to learn from her.
Eventually everyone showed up and enjoyed a Kuche Kuche on Peter. It was really great despite the fact we didn’t have electricity. We headed down to the dining room really enjoying each other’s company and proceeded to order dinner by candlelight. They will cook food with the generator or over hot coals when the power goes out. It takes a while, but it’s all about the experience. We continued to chat already reminiscing about the first few days (especially Ethiopia), and she filled us in a little more about the schools and the safari. I really want to see a Black Mambo. Apparently, they’re the most dangerous snakes in the world, but I’m dying to see one. Everyone thinks I’m crazy, but if I were at a safe distance, I’d totally be worth it. She said we could even hear hippos outside our tents munching all night and get fairly close to elephants. I’m so excited!!!
So far Zomba is greater than we ever expected it to be, and I can’t wait to see what else is in store!
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Our own Garden of Eden...
Day 3:
This morning started off fantastic. Lexi and I had showers (it was my first since home… finally) and we had decent water temperature/pressure. We got ready for the day and headed down to breakfast. Breakfast was great! We had toast/jam, fruit, juice, and I even made myself an egg with tomatoes. We all were warned to eat a lot just in case we did not like the food from the Freedom Gardens (traditional Malawian food). We also took toilet paper and some bread.
The drive to Freedom Gardens was about an hour. We enjoyed driving along the dirt roads and waving to the children and adults passing by. The landscape, as I mentioned before, is breathtaking. There are random mountains everywhere in the distance, and despite the fact that it’s the dry season, much of the vegetation is beautiful. Imagine what it must be like in the rainy season.
When we arrived at Freedom Gardens, we were greeted by Mrs. Chinkhuntha, the wife of the late honorary Dr. Chickhuntha, who started the garden project in 1982. What started as “madman’s” project to onlookers and a 10X10 meter plot of land with surrounding swamp, is now a 20-acre property with endless variations of vegetation. It’s completely sustainable with dammed fresh water from the rainy season, irrigation throughout the varying crops, no wasted space and a plan for the future. The best way to describe the philosophy of the creators is that they have their own Garden of Eden- they use only what God has given them and the land that is there. They have learned irrigation and how to use EVERYTHING they have to create a sustainable lifestyle. Their property and the sustainability they’ve maintained were incredible. If everyone in the world could live like that, we could eliminate so much hunger and the need for pesticides and chemical fertilizers used could be reduced on so many of our foods leading to health issues. I may be going Organic when we get back!
The honorary Dr. Chickhuntha died two weeks after the group left last year, but his son Daniel has taken over since then. Daniel was adorable! We all wanted to take him with us. He was so hospitable and very proficient in all of his explanations. He greeted us with saying that Freedom Gardens is our new home in Africa and we could even make it our home before our real homes if we wanted. He gave us a complete tour of all of the gardens. This took a couple hours, but it was well worth it. Even in the dry season, they continue to harvest all that they can. Some of the crops included bananas, sugar cane, maize, cabbage, lettuce, cucumbers, curry, papaya, lemons, onions, limes, chamomile, and much more. I told Daniel as we were walking that I really liked chamomile tea, so he picked the flower buds off the top of a bunch of them and gave them to me to keep. He said, “Here you are- nice and fresh to keep.” They smelled amazing, and I pressed them into a book for safekeeping. He also gave each of us a cucumber. We all questioned eating them straight off the ground, but we knew that due to the fertile land and complete absence of pesticides, they’d be perfectly fine. They were delicious, and it was a great snack before lunch.
We saw the many crops, two of the six ponds they created, the dammed river, all of the irrigation systems, storage units, and their one pump for drinking water. This is the only pump on the 20 ACRES of farmland. Incredible. The most intriguing part of it all is that with little to no technology in use, the basics of farming dating back to even Egyptian times can be used for little to no cost. Just think of how much farmers in the U.S. pay for water usage, pesticides, etc. We’d have more money for stupid gasoline, and we could stop importing so many food products from all over the world. Just think of the jobs it would create and how we could become less dependent on foreign goods. Daniel kept referring to how these ideas could change the face of African starvation, but really they’re lessons to teach the world. They challenged us to take these ideas and share them with many others.
Dad, you’ll get a kick out of this: Your favorite plant and the one mom strongly dislikes, the “elephant ears” were widespread below a lot of the banana trees. Apparently, its real name is Paro (sp?) and the root is supposed to be very tasty if you’re interested in digging up a piece from the garden outside. Can’t wait to show you pictures- they look just like yours.
We asked Daniel about how often stealing occurred from neighboring villages. He said that in the past, his father would forgive the people and not severely punish them. Instead, he would say instead of stealing, come work the land and receive food in return. They hire different people that are able to work for food or for money, whatever they may need. Mrs. Chinkhuntha said they also have children show up to work during the day work. They send the children away if it’s during the time they should be in school with some sugar cane, and then they are allowed to return following the end of the school day. The farm has about 18 people employed regularly. Children receive 10 Kwacha a day for working (remember 148 Kwacha is one dollar) and adult workers receive 100 Kwacha (a very good amount for Malawi). And I complain about $8.40 an hour…
We were able to try some sugar cane when we got back to the home of the Chinkhuntha’s. Daniel’s nephew, Gift, showed us how to do it. If you haven’t tried sugar cane, I’d suggest getting iron teeth before trying to strip it. It’s very tough, and you have to use your canine teeth to strip it. Needless to say it’s hard to do, but if you can do it, the treat is a sweet juice that you get from chewing the inside pieces and then spitting them out. It’s a treat for children there.
The women workers there even spent all day cooking food for us- it was actually pretty good too! We had rice, maize porridge (encima), chicken, and fruit. We spent all day at the gardens, and we learned so much.
Mrs. Chinkhuntha asked three people to follow her to the bathrooms so they could tell us about them and where to go. As expected, they were all porta-potty style. There were three bathroom stalls- brick outsides with tin/straw roofs. I was fortunate enough to get to use them twice (sarcasm?)! The first time, I played it safe with your standard latrine style- toilet seat over a hole (and the smell is free!). The second time, I felt a little adventurous and decided to use a different bathroom stall with simply a whole in the ground. When you go in, there is a concrete plug of sorts with a handle covering the varying substances below. You can use your imagination as to how one uses this type of toilet… The Girl Scout in me said go for it, and I’m pretty sure I’m the only one that did use it. Ah, the memories of Malawian latrines…
We all finished visiting with our hosts and signed the guest book to receive more information from Daniel in the future. We were so grateful for the wonderful day they had provided for us and all their hospitality. We didn’t want to leave Daniel, but we had to get back to town. They waved us on, and wished us well in our studies. Mrs. Chinkhuntha even gave us her business card that she recently made and gives to vendors in town. What an incredible day! In total we spent over three hours touring the gardens and another three visiting, eating and traveling. I never knew I could enjoy learning about agriculture so much.
After leaving, we drove the hour back to town. Again, we saw many different peoples, huts, stands, children, and fires along the way. The children are precious. It lights up my life every time they smile and wave. Many of them love to pose for the camera and dance around for attention. Not so different from American kids really… We also saw some animals along the way. Goats are found often and some cows, chickens and dogs.
Charles, our bus driver, dropped some of us off in town (the 7 VT ladies) at the post office near the craft market before taking the rest of the group back to our lodge. I went into the post office and bought 40 stamps (2 stamps per post card, 40 Kwacha each). The total came to 1,600 Kwacha= about 10 dollars. Stamps are expensive in every country! But look forward to some post cards once I get to Zomba tomorrow.
We then proceeded to the craft market where the dozens of vendors were quick to whisk us away to their sales plots. Some remembered us from yesterday. It’s interesting how they do it. They’ll be four or five of them coming in really close with their goods; they’ll never touch you, but they definitely invade your space to get your attention. Most of us just looked around, joked with the vendors, and responded with many “oh yes, I’m just looking” or “I have to talk to my friend about it first.” With just too days in Lilongwe we’re already getting good at bargaining and talking down outrageous prices. Just because we’re American doesn’t mean we’re stupid. My favorite part of our “window shopping” was when Lauren and Sarah were talking to this one vendor about theses beaded Zebras. We learned the best technique is to seem somewhat interested, ask the price, respond with disgust that the product could possibly be that expensive, say you’re not interested and then walk away. I swear- I would have died to get this act on tape; it was so funny! So these proceedings shortly lead to dramatic negotiations. What went for 6.000 Kwacha originally ended up selling for 1,500. Great job girls!
Heidi and I got interested in a small item to start out. They were making key chains with one side carved with an African animal, and they could put your name on the other side. So for 200 Kwacha (basically $1), we agreed to purchase two giraffe key chains and the vendors said they would be ready soon. We said “ok” and continued to look around. Well, after a while we needed to leave in time to get back before dark. Where the key chains ready? Oh definitely not- despite the fact that they insisted on how quickly they could make them. Good thing we didn’t pay for them… We couldn’t even find our vendors when we left, so who even knows at this point…
We walked back in a group to the lodge, discussing our purchases/ experiences with vendors and our goodbyes with “James Bond” and “Chicken Legs”. A group of teenaged school girls were walking behind us, and I heard them talking/whispering, so I turned around and greeted them with a simple “hello.” They responded in chorus with “hello” and beautiful beaming smiles. I tried to strike up a conversation with one, and she was trying very hard to use perfect English she had been taught. It was great, and she was so friendly.
We returned to the lodge, and this is where one of the best moments of the day happened! I got my ichat with VIDEO to work from the dining area and in my room. Stephen, my brother was online and we were able to get the video chat to work from half way across the world. It was incredible… Thanks for being online, Stephen! I was so excited, and Lauren also got hers to work with her family at home. Then Stephen called my dad and he came home to chat as well! I was so happy to talk to and see them! Sorry you weren’t home, Mom and Aunt Diana. My Internet will probably not be as fast in Zomba, so it may not work there.
Dinner was great, again. The Tech crew sat outside with laptops typing/im’ing/using the Internet while we waited for dinner. We’re already starting to get pretty close. It’s been great experiencing everything with everyone. We all have so much in common while retaining our differences. We’ve even started a list of inside jokes and phrases we’ve had so far. For dinner, I ate lighter than last night with just small dumplings and spring rolls and some fried rice. We all stuck to the chicken-based dishes that we ordered last night because we knew they were good. We just decided to choose another dish someone else had ordered the night before. There are a lot of Europeans staying at the lodge. It must be a popular place for Lilongwe. They don’t exactly speak to us though… problem the American vibe we send from about a mile away. The Malawians are great though!
Lexi and I spent some time before bed documenting our day and returning some emails. We won’t have Internet access as frequently in Zomba as here, but we’ll try to update a few times a week.
So far so good in Malawi… I can’t believe it’s only been three days. I’ve already gotten so comfortable here, and I hope it continues to be this way. We’re leaving in the morning and traveling about 5 hours on our bus to Zomba. We’ll be stopping at Dedza Pottery on the way, and I’m excited to see all the different products they produce. I’ll definitely be shipping some home! Mom, I thought it’d be there in a month, but Dr. Jones from Radford said she didn’t get hers until OCTOBER last year. So, don’t get too excited yet! We’ll also be traveling to a paper-making place where they conserve and recycle by making paper from elephant dung! Should be interesting… can’t wait to share this experience!
Good night from Lilongwe…
This morning started off fantastic. Lexi and I had showers (it was my first since home… finally) and we had decent water temperature/pressure. We got ready for the day and headed down to breakfast. Breakfast was great! We had toast/jam, fruit, juice, and I even made myself an egg with tomatoes. We all were warned to eat a lot just in case we did not like the food from the Freedom Gardens (traditional Malawian food). We also took toilet paper and some bread.
The drive to Freedom Gardens was about an hour. We enjoyed driving along the dirt roads and waving to the children and adults passing by. The landscape, as I mentioned before, is breathtaking. There are random mountains everywhere in the distance, and despite the fact that it’s the dry season, much of the vegetation is beautiful. Imagine what it must be like in the rainy season.
When we arrived at Freedom Gardens, we were greeted by Mrs. Chinkhuntha, the wife of the late honorary Dr. Chickhuntha, who started the garden project in 1982. What started as “madman’s” project to onlookers and a 10X10 meter plot of land with surrounding swamp, is now a 20-acre property with endless variations of vegetation. It’s completely sustainable with dammed fresh water from the rainy season, irrigation throughout the varying crops, no wasted space and a plan for the future. The best way to describe the philosophy of the creators is that they have their own Garden of Eden- they use only what God has given them and the land that is there. They have learned irrigation and how to use EVERYTHING they have to create a sustainable lifestyle. Their property and the sustainability they’ve maintained were incredible. If everyone in the world could live like that, we could eliminate so much hunger and the need for pesticides and chemical fertilizers used could be reduced on so many of our foods leading to health issues. I may be going Organic when we get back!
The honorary Dr. Chickhuntha died two weeks after the group left last year, but his son Daniel has taken over since then. Daniel was adorable! We all wanted to take him with us. He was so hospitable and very proficient in all of his explanations. He greeted us with saying that Freedom Gardens is our new home in Africa and we could even make it our home before our real homes if we wanted. He gave us a complete tour of all of the gardens. This took a couple hours, but it was well worth it. Even in the dry season, they continue to harvest all that they can. Some of the crops included bananas, sugar cane, maize, cabbage, lettuce, cucumbers, curry, papaya, lemons, onions, limes, chamomile, and much more. I told Daniel as we were walking that I really liked chamomile tea, so he picked the flower buds off the top of a bunch of them and gave them to me to keep. He said, “Here you are- nice and fresh to keep.” They smelled amazing, and I pressed them into a book for safekeeping. He also gave each of us a cucumber. We all questioned eating them straight off the ground, but we knew that due to the fertile land and complete absence of pesticides, they’d be perfectly fine. They were delicious, and it was a great snack before lunch.
We saw the many crops, two of the six ponds they created, the dammed river, all of the irrigation systems, storage units, and their one pump for drinking water. This is the only pump on the 20 ACRES of farmland. Incredible. The most intriguing part of it all is that with little to no technology in use, the basics of farming dating back to even Egyptian times can be used for little to no cost. Just think of how much farmers in the U.S. pay for water usage, pesticides, etc. We’d have more money for stupid gasoline, and we could stop importing so many food products from all over the world. Just think of the jobs it would create and how we could become less dependent on foreign goods. Daniel kept referring to how these ideas could change the face of African starvation, but really they’re lessons to teach the world. They challenged us to take these ideas and share them with many others.
Dad, you’ll get a kick out of this: Your favorite plant and the one mom strongly dislikes, the “elephant ears” were widespread below a lot of the banana trees. Apparently, its real name is Paro (sp?) and the root is supposed to be very tasty if you’re interested in digging up a piece from the garden outside. Can’t wait to show you pictures- they look just like yours.
We asked Daniel about how often stealing occurred from neighboring villages. He said that in the past, his father would forgive the people and not severely punish them. Instead, he would say instead of stealing, come work the land and receive food in return. They hire different people that are able to work for food or for money, whatever they may need. Mrs. Chinkhuntha said they also have children show up to work during the day work. They send the children away if it’s during the time they should be in school with some sugar cane, and then they are allowed to return following the end of the school day. The farm has about 18 people employed regularly. Children receive 10 Kwacha a day for working (remember 148 Kwacha is one dollar) and adult workers receive 100 Kwacha (a very good amount for Malawi). And I complain about $8.40 an hour…
We were able to try some sugar cane when we got back to the home of the Chinkhuntha’s. Daniel’s nephew, Gift, showed us how to do it. If you haven’t tried sugar cane, I’d suggest getting iron teeth before trying to strip it. It’s very tough, and you have to use your canine teeth to strip it. Needless to say it’s hard to do, but if you can do it, the treat is a sweet juice that you get from chewing the inside pieces and then spitting them out. It’s a treat for children there.
The women workers there even spent all day cooking food for us- it was actually pretty good too! We had rice, maize porridge (encima), chicken, and fruit. We spent all day at the gardens, and we learned so much.
Mrs. Chinkhuntha asked three people to follow her to the bathrooms so they could tell us about them and where to go. As expected, they were all porta-potty style. There were three bathroom stalls- brick outsides with tin/straw roofs. I was fortunate enough to get to use them twice (sarcasm?)! The first time, I played it safe with your standard latrine style- toilet seat over a hole (and the smell is free!). The second time, I felt a little adventurous and decided to use a different bathroom stall with simply a whole in the ground. When you go in, there is a concrete plug of sorts with a handle covering the varying substances below. You can use your imagination as to how one uses this type of toilet… The Girl Scout in me said go for it, and I’m pretty sure I’m the only one that did use it. Ah, the memories of Malawian latrines…
We all finished visiting with our hosts and signed the guest book to receive more information from Daniel in the future. We were so grateful for the wonderful day they had provided for us and all their hospitality. We didn’t want to leave Daniel, but we had to get back to town. They waved us on, and wished us well in our studies. Mrs. Chinkhuntha even gave us her business card that she recently made and gives to vendors in town. What an incredible day! In total we spent over three hours touring the gardens and another three visiting, eating and traveling. I never knew I could enjoy learning about agriculture so much.
After leaving, we drove the hour back to town. Again, we saw many different peoples, huts, stands, children, and fires along the way. The children are precious. It lights up my life every time they smile and wave. Many of them love to pose for the camera and dance around for attention. Not so different from American kids really… We also saw some animals along the way. Goats are found often and some cows, chickens and dogs.
Charles, our bus driver, dropped some of us off in town (the 7 VT ladies) at the post office near the craft market before taking the rest of the group back to our lodge. I went into the post office and bought 40 stamps (2 stamps per post card, 40 Kwacha each). The total came to 1,600 Kwacha= about 10 dollars. Stamps are expensive in every country! But look forward to some post cards once I get to Zomba tomorrow.
We then proceeded to the craft market where the dozens of vendors were quick to whisk us away to their sales plots. Some remembered us from yesterday. It’s interesting how they do it. They’ll be four or five of them coming in really close with their goods; they’ll never touch you, but they definitely invade your space to get your attention. Most of us just looked around, joked with the vendors, and responded with many “oh yes, I’m just looking” or “I have to talk to my friend about it first.” With just too days in Lilongwe we’re already getting good at bargaining and talking down outrageous prices. Just because we’re American doesn’t mean we’re stupid. My favorite part of our “window shopping” was when Lauren and Sarah were talking to this one vendor about theses beaded Zebras. We learned the best technique is to seem somewhat interested, ask the price, respond with disgust that the product could possibly be that expensive, say you’re not interested and then walk away. I swear- I would have died to get this act on tape; it was so funny! So these proceedings shortly lead to dramatic negotiations. What went for 6.000 Kwacha originally ended up selling for 1,500. Great job girls!
Heidi and I got interested in a small item to start out. They were making key chains with one side carved with an African animal, and they could put your name on the other side. So for 200 Kwacha (basically $1), we agreed to purchase two giraffe key chains and the vendors said they would be ready soon. We said “ok” and continued to look around. Well, after a while we needed to leave in time to get back before dark. Where the key chains ready? Oh definitely not- despite the fact that they insisted on how quickly they could make them. Good thing we didn’t pay for them… We couldn’t even find our vendors when we left, so who even knows at this point…
We walked back in a group to the lodge, discussing our purchases/ experiences with vendors and our goodbyes with “James Bond” and “Chicken Legs”. A group of teenaged school girls were walking behind us, and I heard them talking/whispering, so I turned around and greeted them with a simple “hello.” They responded in chorus with “hello” and beautiful beaming smiles. I tried to strike up a conversation with one, and she was trying very hard to use perfect English she had been taught. It was great, and she was so friendly.
We returned to the lodge, and this is where one of the best moments of the day happened! I got my ichat with VIDEO to work from the dining area and in my room. Stephen, my brother was online and we were able to get the video chat to work from half way across the world. It was incredible… Thanks for being online, Stephen! I was so excited, and Lauren also got hers to work with her family at home. Then Stephen called my dad and he came home to chat as well! I was so happy to talk to and see them! Sorry you weren’t home, Mom and Aunt Diana. My Internet will probably not be as fast in Zomba, so it may not work there.
Dinner was great, again. The Tech crew sat outside with laptops typing/im’ing/using the Internet while we waited for dinner. We’re already starting to get pretty close. It’s been great experiencing everything with everyone. We all have so much in common while retaining our differences. We’ve even started a list of inside jokes and phrases we’ve had so far. For dinner, I ate lighter than last night with just small dumplings and spring rolls and some fried rice. We all stuck to the chicken-based dishes that we ordered last night because we knew they were good. We just decided to choose another dish someone else had ordered the night before. There are a lot of Europeans staying at the lodge. It must be a popular place for Lilongwe. They don’t exactly speak to us though… problem the American vibe we send from about a mile away. The Malawians are great though!
Lexi and I spent some time before bed documenting our day and returning some emails. We won’t have Internet access as frequently in Zomba as here, but we’ll try to update a few times a week.
So far so good in Malawi… I can’t believe it’s only been three days. I’ve already gotten so comfortable here, and I hope it continues to be this way. We’re leaving in the morning and traveling about 5 hours on our bus to Zomba. We’ll be stopping at Dedza Pottery on the way, and I’m excited to see all the different products they produce. I’ll definitely be shipping some home! Mom, I thought it’d be there in a month, but Dr. Jones from Radford said she didn’t get hers until OCTOBER last year. So, don’t get too excited yet! We’ll also be traveling to a paper-making place where they conserve and recycle by making paper from elephant dung! Should be interesting… can’t wait to share this experience!
Good night from Lilongwe…
Am I Really in Africa?
Dates: June 21- June 23
June 21 finally came, and our trip began at 5:30 PM in Washington, D.C. I couldn't believe it!
Day 1:
Checking in at Dulles seemed very chaotic with 18 people and 36 bags to check, but we did it and got through security with no problems. It was so hard to say goodbye in the airport (Dad, I love you!), but it was reassuring when I looked around to a lot of tear-filled faces. It's not that any of us were having trouble leaving, but it was just hard not knowing when we'll talk again. We were all so excited though! Our Malawi 2008 shirts made a great impression on those that surrounded us, as many onlookers asked where we were traveling and for what reason.
We've learned from the beginning how savvy our director, Dr. Pat Kelly, is with finagling and talking her way through stuff to what we need (aka getting us to walk through Customs in Malawi in about 2 minutes)! We started to board at 7:45, but we didn't take off until almost 10:00! It was frustrating, but they were good at distracting us with "goodies" from Ethiopian Airlines. We switched our seats around a little bit so we could sit with people we knew, so Sarah, Lauren, and I ended up with the seats that are right at the split between sections where we had about triple the leg space! It made the 8 hour flight to Rome, layover on the plane, and 6 hours to Addis Ababa so much easier! I really enjoyed chatting with this Ethiopian woman and her daughter who were traveling from their home in Maryland to Addis to visit family. They were my translators when I couldn't understand the language from the crew on board over the loudspeaker. I've never felt like such a foreigner!
As soon as we reached cruising altitude, we had our first meal. It was surprisingly good, and it was the best meal we had from Dulles until now in Malawi. Oh, and alcohol was included- what a difference from the high prices of U.S. in flight costs. So, I enjoyed an individual bottle of red wine from France with my beef, vegetables, salad, crackers, bread, cheese, and delicious cheesecake! They took great care of us on the plane. We all tried to relax and sleep some following dinner, but it was hard.
I was surprised by the route we took to Rome. It seemed to me that we would take a direct route across the Atlantic, but we actually traveled all the way past Maine, up to Canada, over to Greenland, and then made a descent down. While I loved looking down over Europe, it was upsetting that I was finally so close but I couldn't visit there! One of the cool features on the plane included overhead and personal television screens to track our flight altitude, temperature, time, and route as we crossed across the map. We all chatted on the plane and started to get to know the people from Radford and North Carolina A&T. A few laps around the plane every couple hours also helped with the length of time. We also received a nice breakfast onboard and lunch later ( a similar beef meal but not as good as before).
Rome was beautiful! I must admit we were unable to see any major landmarks or even leave the plane, but it was breathtaking flying into the area. With villas, fields, hills and red roof homes, it was picturesque. More than ever I wish I could have spent a day or two there! Maybe someday... We had a layover on the plane for close to two hours, and we even got to see some Italian airline workers on board.
The Ethiopian children were so beautiful and well behaved on the plane. Their parents let them roam all around, but it provided some adorable entertainment. Of 6 lavatories, 2 worked by the end of the flight, so the lines were long!
We flew over the Sahara for hours. I had no comprehension of how large it actually is! We also flew over the Nile River and other landmarks, and the flight tracker on the plane television showed us our exact flight path.
Aunt Diana, you'd be so proud of me and my newly acquired traveling skills! You know those big bottles of water they use to pour into cups for individual passengers? Well instead of paying for water in the airport/ hotel at a hefty price, I waltzed right back to the airline attendants and basically persuaded this man to give me a whole 1.5 liter water bottle. Everyone was envious of this idea, but it was too late to haggle for some more! Lexi and I shared it at the hotel as toothbrushing and face washing water.
We had a six hour flight to Addis Ababa (which they pronounced as Ahh-dehs Ah-beh-bah). We continued to chat with everyone around us, but I know we were all ready to just land! Flying into Ethiopia was so pretty at sunset, but we got into Addis at dark just in time to go through Customs in about two hours time. We were all EXHAUSTED, and we didn't get to leave the airport til after 10:00 PM. One of the funniest moments was watching the Ethiopians entering the country move right in the middle of our group to cut and then pointing and laughing at us. Dr. Kelly was not going to take this so she figured a way to get us in a separate line to then go through customs muck quicker. I got my first stamp on my passport! After we went through customs, we had to wait around for about 45 more minutes for our bus to the hotel. Little did we know how... interesting.... Addis Ababa would be after dark.
Have you ever felt like you were a spectacle? That's what it seemed as we walked through the airport to our bus. We traveled for about 30 minutes all over Addis until we reached Semen Hotel for the evening. We met a couple from Minnesota visiting family in Djabouti and a man from Chad traveling to Egypt. We were all overnight transit passengers staying at hotel waiting for our next flight out of Addis the following morning. With few street lights, tons of people on the sidewalks and rundown buildings everywhere, the best way to describe the capital city is to compare it to the worst part of NYC times about 3. While I understand it's a third world country, it was truly shocking and somewhat nerve-racking to travel through this area. Safe and sound, we arrived at our hotel for the night at about 11:00 PM. It was quaint and definitely a high class place for Westerners, but it was also very different an older than we're used to. The lights went off twice when we checked in, and of course Lexi and I were prepared with flashlights in hand right away! Thanks for the Girl Scout preparedness, Mom- it helped! Dad, your LED Christmas flashlight came to good use...
We were all assigned to the fifth floor, but with the power going out, the elevator was a big "no." We were exhausted walking up those stairs! Not a good sign... haha
We had a very late dinner. Well, make that a very late snack due to the nature of the food. We had orange soda ( I saved the really neat bottle) and we were able to get various meats and rice. To be honest, the smell of curry and interesting meats was not appealing, but that's were granola bars came in handy! Lexi and I headed up to our shared double bed, and we chatted for a few hours. Funny part of the night- I apparently was having a crazy dream, woke up yelled to Lexi, "Oh my God, oh my God", and dived off the bed and down onto the floor. All I remember was thinking/dreaming that a plane was going to land on us. WEIRD.... Guess I should warn people of the random occurrences that may occur while sleeping with me.
There was music and noise outside into all hours of the night. It was really different. You could see city lights for miles, and the windows were so thin that I felt we were actually outside. We had a solid four hours of sleep, and it was glorious! We woke up freezing though, as temperatures fell into the low 50's.
Day 2:
Morning in Addis was breathtaking. The fog rolling out in front of the mountains, the crisp air and the beautiful colors gave us a great start to the morning. As we stared to get ready, our wake up "call" came with a pounding on the door. When we packed our maid came in, and we talked to her for a little bit. She said she was also 20 years old and a lifelong resident of Addis Ababa. She was very sweet and helpful in getting us out the door. I told her if we forgot anything to just keep it! I also took some video off the balcony of the morning and the call to prayer from the nearby Mosque.
We had light eggs and toast with jam for breakfast. Orange juice was different, but it was satisfying. We left Semen Hotel at 6:30 and went through security at the airport by 7. You can take whatever liquids and shoes you want straight through. I guess their concern is weapons. We went through departure customs, and that took a few minutes. We've gotten accustomed to filling out the entrance/exit slips for each country.
We waited for about an hour for the plane to arrive. We took two airport busses out to the plane. Heidi, Amber and I were the last ones of the first bus to board the plane, so we struck up conversation with an ground attendant. Believe me, if we had all day, we'd still be there talking to him. He individually introduced himself to each of us, and told us all about how we should return to his country with great hospitality. He even did somewhat of a bow for us. Then he took a picture of us before we boarded. We wished him well and said maybe we'd see him soon.
The plane was pretty full. I sat in a center seat in the middle of Brian and Vandy. Brian is the grad student from NC A&T and Vandy is an education major from Radford. Vandy and Lauren had not been feeling well all morning, and we think it was due to the high altitude. A large group of students and teachers from the Lusako Italian School in Zambia boarded shortly after us. The final destination of our flight was Lusako, Zambia. The other group from New York on mission trip was also on the plane. We chatted with them and they also showed us pictures of freshwater wells their fellow Presbyterian Church members had created. The children in the pictures looked so joyful!
The flight was only three hours long, but it felt like forever! As we left Addis, the surrounding mountains were BEAUTIFUL! I couldn't believe they were real. About an hour into the flight, I started to feel nauseated, but I think it was due to the frequently changing altitude and lack of food. Then came "breakfast". Brian and I decided that the questionable look, texture and taste of the quiche-like substance was not worth the trip to the bathroom that might incur from consumption nor was the lime green watery pudding. So we stuck to the roll, muffin and ginger ale.
I moved up to sit with Lexi for a while, and I showed her some tips on changing the settings of her mom's camera for taking better pictures in Malawi.
Flying into Lilongwe (the capital of Malawi) was so exhilarating! As we descended, we could see a lot of the surrounding areas, and we finally felt like we were in Africa. We were welcomed with warm faces and smiles as we entered the airport. Luckily all of our baggage arrived on time! I don't know what I would have done if something didn't get there. Especially after all that work packing the essentials... We finally made it!
Customs in Lilongwe was a breeze thanks to Dr. Kelly. She is such a whiz at all of this- it's great! We all just walked straight through customs with no problem. We do have three other fabulous professors with us, and it's been great getting to know them so far and learning from their previous experiences. We waited outside for our bus to the Korea Garden Lodge, and it arrived shortly. During that time, Dr. Kelly and Dr. Barber (from NC A&T) were reunited with a couple of their friends from Malawi. One was our bus driver, Charles, whom they greeted with hugs and kisses remembering how helpful and spirited he had been on previous trips. He arrived in the Malawi Institute of Education bus we'll be traveling on throughout our trip. The other man present was another friend who actually received a PhD from Tech.
Let me just remind you of how much luggage we have: 18 people, 36 checked bags, 36 or more carry on items= more than 72 articles total!!!! So, imagine a 22 passenger bus arriving with limited space and all of that luggage and all of us having to fit on it. Needless to say it took a while to fit it all in, but we made it.
We traveled about 30 minutes from the airport to the Korea Garden Lodge. Charles got us there safely! Along the way, we saw so many different people sitting, walking and sleeping along the road. Some had things for sale right off road and others were burning some of the brush. I asked Patty, one of our professors, why they did that, and Dr. Jones nearby said it's to kill off some of the bugs that ruin the plants. The landscape is beautiful. The roads are filled with trash and so are the outskirts, but the surrounding areas with trees, fields, some housing and distant mountains were pretty. We passed groups of children, and they waved with excitement. We traveled into the outskirts of Lilongwe seeing some of the newer government buildings and lots of people.
We arrived at the Korea Garden Lodge which is surrounded by concrete barrier walls and barbed wire. The front metal gate is guarded and only opened for guests. After we got settled in our rooms, we grabbed cameras and tightened money belts before walking about a mile into town. I had to get accustomed to the cars driving on the opposite side of the road. We were surprised to see so many different cars.
As we walked, we took in the sites of different lodges, lots of trash surrounding the roads and people out and about. As we entered town, we were immediately greeted by venders of the Lilongwe market. We needed to exchange money first! I exchanged $100 at an exchange rate of 148 Kwacha to 1 USD. So, I ended up with 14,800 Kwacha. I felt so rich with all those bills!!! The Kwacha are significantly larger than American dollars, but they fit great in our money belts.
After we all exchanged money, we were of course greeted by venders and young children asking for money, but as Dr. Kelly advised us, you just act friendly and explain that "you're looking" or " will think about it." It was a lot of fun. One man introduced himself as "James Bond" and another as "Chicken Legs." We played along, and they were good at striking up conversation.
On our way out of town, we looked through this huge craft market at the corner of the street. Mom, the book you gave me had such great tips for this area- it explained (and Dr. Kelly expanded) that the prices of this craft market is about 8-10 times the true price of the products. They have so many different types of carvings- it's incredible. The good thing is that we should be able to find almost all of the items in Zomba (where we're staying for 3 weeks of our time), and if we do not find what we want, we can buy it on our way out of Lilongwe when we leave in July. Some of the items included carved masks, Nativity scenes, Noah's arks, frames, spoons, bowls, figurines, animals... basically the possibilities were endless. They were so good at trying to suck you in by introducing themselves, getting your name, then saying, "Krista, I'll see you tomorrow, ok? What's my name again, Krista? You come see me tomorrow, Krista- we'll talk." While they were somewhat pushy, they were all friendly and we had fun looking through their items.
We made our way back right at dark. The sun sets at 5:30. It got cooler outside, but it's so pleasant.
Dinner was delicious! We hadn't eaten for about six hours, so anything sounded good. We had traditional Korean food, and most of us ordered spring rolls, fried rice, and chicken dishes. I had a bottled Coke to drink. Some people ordered bottles of beer at just one dollar a piece. Beer is cheaper than soda! My total cost was 1,648.66 Kwacha (not dollars!) which amounted to about eleven US dollars. All our meals here are covered, but we have to pay for dinner. Dr. Kelly said that these would be our more expensive dinners. We had to wait a while for food, but the dining area is outside under a huge canopy by the pool with really neat lamps and decorations, so we really enjoyed it. During dinner, Brian our lone male from North Carolina A&T (who happens to be African American) went to his room for a bit, and when he came back he said that a woman who worked there asked him in Chichewa to take a guest's bag to their room right away thinking he was a Malawian who worked at the lodge. We all thought it was hysterical.
After dinner, Lexi and I used our free 5 minute wireless internet to check email and send a quick update out. Then I figure out that if you chose the other wireless option, you could get another 5 minutes on the internet. After that, you have to pay per hour. It's 600 Kwacha per hour aka about 4 USD. Lexi and I are sharing our first card.
So that's all for my first update! I know it was long, I just have so much I want to share and remember. It's been incredible so far, and we've just been traveling! I'll update soon...
Miss and Love You All,
Krista
June 21 finally came, and our trip began at 5:30 PM in Washington, D.C. I couldn't believe it!
Day 1:
Checking in at Dulles seemed very chaotic with 18 people and 36 bags to check, but we did it and got through security with no problems. It was so hard to say goodbye in the airport (Dad, I love you!), but it was reassuring when I looked around to a lot of tear-filled faces. It's not that any of us were having trouble leaving, but it was just hard not knowing when we'll talk again. We were all so excited though! Our Malawi 2008 shirts made a great impression on those that surrounded us, as many onlookers asked where we were traveling and for what reason.
We've learned from the beginning how savvy our director, Dr. Pat Kelly, is with finagling and talking her way through stuff to what we need (aka getting us to walk through Customs in Malawi in about 2 minutes)! We started to board at 7:45, but we didn't take off until almost 10:00! It was frustrating, but they were good at distracting us with "goodies" from Ethiopian Airlines. We switched our seats around a little bit so we could sit with people we knew, so Sarah, Lauren, and I ended up with the seats that are right at the split between sections where we had about triple the leg space! It made the 8 hour flight to Rome, layover on the plane, and 6 hours to Addis Ababa so much easier! I really enjoyed chatting with this Ethiopian woman and her daughter who were traveling from their home in Maryland to Addis to visit family. They were my translators when I couldn't understand the language from the crew on board over the loudspeaker. I've never felt like such a foreigner!
As soon as we reached cruising altitude, we had our first meal. It was surprisingly good, and it was the best meal we had from Dulles until now in Malawi. Oh, and alcohol was included- what a difference from the high prices of U.S. in flight costs. So, I enjoyed an individual bottle of red wine from France with my beef, vegetables, salad, crackers, bread, cheese, and delicious cheesecake! They took great care of us on the plane. We all tried to relax and sleep some following dinner, but it was hard.
I was surprised by the route we took to Rome. It seemed to me that we would take a direct route across the Atlantic, but we actually traveled all the way past Maine, up to Canada, over to Greenland, and then made a descent down. While I loved looking down over Europe, it was upsetting that I was finally so close but I couldn't visit there! One of the cool features on the plane included overhead and personal television screens to track our flight altitude, temperature, time, and route as we crossed across the map. We all chatted on the plane and started to get to know the people from Radford and North Carolina A&T. A few laps around the plane every couple hours also helped with the length of time. We also received a nice breakfast onboard and lunch later ( a similar beef meal but not as good as before).
Rome was beautiful! I must admit we were unable to see any major landmarks or even leave the plane, but it was breathtaking flying into the area. With villas, fields, hills and red roof homes, it was picturesque. More than ever I wish I could have spent a day or two there! Maybe someday... We had a layover on the plane for close to two hours, and we even got to see some Italian airline workers on board.
The Ethiopian children were so beautiful and well behaved on the plane. Their parents let them roam all around, but it provided some adorable entertainment. Of 6 lavatories, 2 worked by the end of the flight, so the lines were long!
We flew over the Sahara for hours. I had no comprehension of how large it actually is! We also flew over the Nile River and other landmarks, and the flight tracker on the plane television showed us our exact flight path.
Aunt Diana, you'd be so proud of me and my newly acquired traveling skills! You know those big bottles of water they use to pour into cups for individual passengers? Well instead of paying for water in the airport/ hotel at a hefty price, I waltzed right back to the airline attendants and basically persuaded this man to give me a whole 1.5 liter water bottle. Everyone was envious of this idea, but it was too late to haggle for some more! Lexi and I shared it at the hotel as toothbrushing and face washing water.
We had a six hour flight to Addis Ababa (which they pronounced as Ahh-dehs Ah-beh-bah). We continued to chat with everyone around us, but I know we were all ready to just land! Flying into Ethiopia was so pretty at sunset, but we got into Addis at dark just in time to go through Customs in about two hours time. We were all EXHAUSTED, and we didn't get to leave the airport til after 10:00 PM. One of the funniest moments was watching the Ethiopians entering the country move right in the middle of our group to cut and then pointing and laughing at us. Dr. Kelly was not going to take this so she figured a way to get us in a separate line to then go through customs muck quicker. I got my first stamp on my passport! After we went through customs, we had to wait around for about 45 more minutes for our bus to the hotel. Little did we know how... interesting.... Addis Ababa would be after dark.
Have you ever felt like you were a spectacle? That's what it seemed as we walked through the airport to our bus. We traveled for about 30 minutes all over Addis until we reached Semen Hotel for the evening. We met a couple from Minnesota visiting family in Djabouti and a man from Chad traveling to Egypt. We were all overnight transit passengers staying at hotel waiting for our next flight out of Addis the following morning. With few street lights, tons of people on the sidewalks and rundown buildings everywhere, the best way to describe the capital city is to compare it to the worst part of NYC times about 3. While I understand it's a third world country, it was truly shocking and somewhat nerve-racking to travel through this area. Safe and sound, we arrived at our hotel for the night at about 11:00 PM. It was quaint and definitely a high class place for Westerners, but it was also very different an older than we're used to. The lights went off twice when we checked in, and of course Lexi and I were prepared with flashlights in hand right away! Thanks for the Girl Scout preparedness, Mom- it helped! Dad, your LED Christmas flashlight came to good use...
We were all assigned to the fifth floor, but with the power going out, the elevator was a big "no." We were exhausted walking up those stairs! Not a good sign... haha
We had a very late dinner. Well, make that a very late snack due to the nature of the food. We had orange soda ( I saved the really neat bottle) and we were able to get various meats and rice. To be honest, the smell of curry and interesting meats was not appealing, but that's were granola bars came in handy! Lexi and I headed up to our shared double bed, and we chatted for a few hours. Funny part of the night- I apparently was having a crazy dream, woke up yelled to Lexi, "Oh my God, oh my God", and dived off the bed and down onto the floor. All I remember was thinking/dreaming that a plane was going to land on us. WEIRD.... Guess I should warn people of the random occurrences that may occur while sleeping with me.
There was music and noise outside into all hours of the night. It was really different. You could see city lights for miles, and the windows were so thin that I felt we were actually outside. We had a solid four hours of sleep, and it was glorious! We woke up freezing though, as temperatures fell into the low 50's.
Day 2:
Morning in Addis was breathtaking. The fog rolling out in front of the mountains, the crisp air and the beautiful colors gave us a great start to the morning. As we stared to get ready, our wake up "call" came with a pounding on the door. When we packed our maid came in, and we talked to her for a little bit. She said she was also 20 years old and a lifelong resident of Addis Ababa. She was very sweet and helpful in getting us out the door. I told her if we forgot anything to just keep it! I also took some video off the balcony of the morning and the call to prayer from the nearby Mosque.
We had light eggs and toast with jam for breakfast. Orange juice was different, but it was satisfying. We left Semen Hotel at 6:30 and went through security at the airport by 7. You can take whatever liquids and shoes you want straight through. I guess their concern is weapons. We went through departure customs, and that took a few minutes. We've gotten accustomed to filling out the entrance/exit slips for each country.
We waited for about an hour for the plane to arrive. We took two airport busses out to the plane. Heidi, Amber and I were the last ones of the first bus to board the plane, so we struck up conversation with an ground attendant. Believe me, if we had all day, we'd still be there talking to him. He individually introduced himself to each of us, and told us all about how we should return to his country with great hospitality. He even did somewhat of a bow for us. Then he took a picture of us before we boarded. We wished him well and said maybe we'd see him soon.
The plane was pretty full. I sat in a center seat in the middle of Brian and Vandy. Brian is the grad student from NC A&T and Vandy is an education major from Radford. Vandy and Lauren had not been feeling well all morning, and we think it was due to the high altitude. A large group of students and teachers from the Lusako Italian School in Zambia boarded shortly after us. The final destination of our flight was Lusako, Zambia. The other group from New York on mission trip was also on the plane. We chatted with them and they also showed us pictures of freshwater wells their fellow Presbyterian Church members had created. The children in the pictures looked so joyful!
The flight was only three hours long, but it felt like forever! As we left Addis, the surrounding mountains were BEAUTIFUL! I couldn't believe they were real. About an hour into the flight, I started to feel nauseated, but I think it was due to the frequently changing altitude and lack of food. Then came "breakfast". Brian and I decided that the questionable look, texture and taste of the quiche-like substance was not worth the trip to the bathroom that might incur from consumption nor was the lime green watery pudding. So we stuck to the roll, muffin and ginger ale.
I moved up to sit with Lexi for a while, and I showed her some tips on changing the settings of her mom's camera for taking better pictures in Malawi.
Flying into Lilongwe (the capital of Malawi) was so exhilarating! As we descended, we could see a lot of the surrounding areas, and we finally felt like we were in Africa. We were welcomed with warm faces and smiles as we entered the airport. Luckily all of our baggage arrived on time! I don't know what I would have done if something didn't get there. Especially after all that work packing the essentials... We finally made it!
Customs in Lilongwe was a breeze thanks to Dr. Kelly. She is such a whiz at all of this- it's great! We all just walked straight through customs with no problem. We do have three other fabulous professors with us, and it's been great getting to know them so far and learning from their previous experiences. We waited outside for our bus to the Korea Garden Lodge, and it arrived shortly. During that time, Dr. Kelly and Dr. Barber (from NC A&T) were reunited with a couple of their friends from Malawi. One was our bus driver, Charles, whom they greeted with hugs and kisses remembering how helpful and spirited he had been on previous trips. He arrived in the Malawi Institute of Education bus we'll be traveling on throughout our trip. The other man present was another friend who actually received a PhD from Tech.
Let me just remind you of how much luggage we have: 18 people, 36 checked bags, 36 or more carry on items= more than 72 articles total!!!! So, imagine a 22 passenger bus arriving with limited space and all of that luggage and all of us having to fit on it. Needless to say it took a while to fit it all in, but we made it.
We traveled about 30 minutes from the airport to the Korea Garden Lodge. Charles got us there safely! Along the way, we saw so many different people sitting, walking and sleeping along the road. Some had things for sale right off road and others were burning some of the brush. I asked Patty, one of our professors, why they did that, and Dr. Jones nearby said it's to kill off some of the bugs that ruin the plants. The landscape is beautiful. The roads are filled with trash and so are the outskirts, but the surrounding areas with trees, fields, some housing and distant mountains were pretty. We passed groups of children, and they waved with excitement. We traveled into the outskirts of Lilongwe seeing some of the newer government buildings and lots of people.
We arrived at the Korea Garden Lodge which is surrounded by concrete barrier walls and barbed wire. The front metal gate is guarded and only opened for guests. After we got settled in our rooms, we grabbed cameras and tightened money belts before walking about a mile into town. I had to get accustomed to the cars driving on the opposite side of the road. We were surprised to see so many different cars.
As we walked, we took in the sites of different lodges, lots of trash surrounding the roads and people out and about. As we entered town, we were immediately greeted by venders of the Lilongwe market. We needed to exchange money first! I exchanged $100 at an exchange rate of 148 Kwacha to 1 USD. So, I ended up with 14,800 Kwacha. I felt so rich with all those bills!!! The Kwacha are significantly larger than American dollars, but they fit great in our money belts.
After we all exchanged money, we were of course greeted by venders and young children asking for money, but as Dr. Kelly advised us, you just act friendly and explain that "you're looking" or " will think about it." It was a lot of fun. One man introduced himself as "James Bond" and another as "Chicken Legs." We played along, and they were good at striking up conversation.
On our way out of town, we looked through this huge craft market at the corner of the street. Mom, the book you gave me had such great tips for this area- it explained (and Dr. Kelly expanded) that the prices of this craft market is about 8-10 times the true price of the products. They have so many different types of carvings- it's incredible. The good thing is that we should be able to find almost all of the items in Zomba (where we're staying for 3 weeks of our time), and if we do not find what we want, we can buy it on our way out of Lilongwe when we leave in July. Some of the items included carved masks, Nativity scenes, Noah's arks, frames, spoons, bowls, figurines, animals... basically the possibilities were endless. They were so good at trying to suck you in by introducing themselves, getting your name, then saying, "Krista, I'll see you tomorrow, ok? What's my name again, Krista? You come see me tomorrow, Krista- we'll talk." While they were somewhat pushy, they were all friendly and we had fun looking through their items.
We made our way back right at dark. The sun sets at 5:30. It got cooler outside, but it's so pleasant.
Dinner was delicious! We hadn't eaten for about six hours, so anything sounded good. We had traditional Korean food, and most of us ordered spring rolls, fried rice, and chicken dishes. I had a bottled Coke to drink. Some people ordered bottles of beer at just one dollar a piece. Beer is cheaper than soda! My total cost was 1,648.66 Kwacha (not dollars!) which amounted to about eleven US dollars. All our meals here are covered, but we have to pay for dinner. Dr. Kelly said that these would be our more expensive dinners. We had to wait a while for food, but the dining area is outside under a huge canopy by the pool with really neat lamps and decorations, so we really enjoyed it. During dinner, Brian our lone male from North Carolina A&T (who happens to be African American) went to his room for a bit, and when he came back he said that a woman who worked there asked him in Chichewa to take a guest's bag to their room right away thinking he was a Malawian who worked at the lodge. We all thought it was hysterical.
After dinner, Lexi and I used our free 5 minute wireless internet to check email and send a quick update out. Then I figure out that if you chose the other wireless option, you could get another 5 minutes on the internet. After that, you have to pay per hour. It's 600 Kwacha per hour aka about 4 USD. Lexi and I are sharing our first card.
So that's all for my first update! I know it was long, I just have so much I want to share and remember. It's been incredible so far, and we've just been traveling! I'll update soon...
Miss and Love You All,
Krista
Saturday, June 21, 2008
adios america
Tonight's my last night in the U.S. I drove up to D.C. with my dad and grandma this afternoon. We're staying at the Navy Lodge near Bolling Air Force base. We had dinner in Alexandria- Italian seemed like a perfect "last supper". Wow, I act like I'm never coming back or something haha... but who knows I may just love it!
We're spending the day sightseeing tomorrow. Grandma hasn't been here in about 40 years she said! Dad's excited to see a few things, and I think I'll be getting a dose of Americanism before I leave. Wish you were here mom!
Lexi and I talked today, and we're both so excited! Hopefully we have everything now, but I guess I'll get there and find out. I'm actually looking forward to the 18 hour flight, so we can catch up and do some planning for our teaching.
We're meeting Dr. Kelly and the Malawi crew at Dulles at 5:30, and our flight leaves at 8:30! Next stop: Addis Ababa then Malawi!
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Last Day in Virginia Beach
Today is my last day in Virginia Beach before we drive up to D.C. tomorrow. My dad and grandma (who is still in town from my brother's high school graduation) are going up with me, and we're going to spend part of the weekend in D.C. sightseeing before I leave. My flight leaves out of Dulles International Saturday night! We're flying on Ethiopian Airlines... sound sketchy? It might be. I'll let you know.
I'm starting to get nervous about our trip, but I think my excitement is outweighing it. I'm basically packed, and by basically packed, I mean I'm sure I'll take things out and move them around about five more times before I leave. We're allowed to take two suitcases of 50 pounds each, but we have to reserve 25 pounds and half of a bag for these backpacks from the National Conference on Social Studies for the Mwanje School in Malawi. We're also taking children's books from a Blacksburg church. As far as we know, everything we're bringing will be put to good use in Zomba at the schools!
I still need to do some more lesson planning and reading before I leave, but I'm basically set to go. I also need to stop by my bank and get money for the trip. Just to give you an idea of the exchange rate: Malawi uses Kwacha (see the picture above). The current exchange rate is 143 Malawian Kwacha to $1 U.S. dollar. Total, I'm bringing $400, and this should be plenty of money for all of my food and lots of souvenirs! If you want anything specific (Malawi is well known for tea, nuts, pottery, carvings, paintings, etc.) let me know! I'll have lots of room on the trip back.
I had dinner at P.F. Changs last night with Curtis (thanks babe!), and I think my fortune was accurate for once:
"Your eyes will soon be opened to a world full of beauty, charm and adventure."
He commented that he didn't think it would be beautiful, but I disagree. While some of the elements we may encounter may not appear to be beautiful, from what we know of Malawi, the people and their warm hearts I believe will be beautiful.
Friday, June 13, 2008
9 days to go!
Our trip to Malawi is quickly approaching! I'm getting so excited and anxious, but I still feel like I have a million things to do before I leave plus working everyday. Packing will probably be the worst part because I can only take two suitcases of 50 pounds exactly in each. Yes, I know I'm traveling to Africa and I do not need to over pack, but I am also bringing an entire suitcase of supplies for the school where we will be teaching. It's definitely going to be hard to decide what goes and what stays!
Here is the basic itinerary for our month stay in Malawi. Most days will be spent in Zomba where we will be teaching students in the morning and studying in the afternoon at the Malawi Institute of Education.
June 21: Leave Dulles Airport on Ethiopian Airlines at 8:30 PM. Arrive in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on June 22 at 7:40 PM (7 hours difference in time). Overnight in Addis Ababa.
June 23: Leave Addis Ababa at 9:30 AM. Arrive in Lilongwe, Malawi at 12:10 noon (capital of Malawi). Sightseeing in the capital city. Korea Garden Lodge for the night.
June 24: Freedom Gardens (sustainable village setting, an experimental project)
June 25: Travel to Zomba. Dedza Pottery. Paper Making Facility (makes art paper from elephant dung) Village Trips. Annie's Lodge
June 26: Travel to Domasi for classes at Malawi Institute of Education (MIE). Orientation at teaching sites (Domasi Government School, Domasi Demonstration School, Malemia Primary School)
June 27: School assignment (First day of teaching!) MIE classes in the afternoon.
June 28: Orientation to Zomba, town exploration, etc.
June 29: Annie's Lodge, Zomba town, local church, studying and class meeting
June 30: School assignment. MIE classes in the afternoon and project work.
July 1: School assignment. MIE classes in the afternoon and project work.
July 2: School assignment. MIE classes in the afternoon and project work.
July 3: School assignment. MIE classes in the afternoon and project work.
July 4: School assignment. MIE classes in the afternoon and project work.
July 5: Travel south to Mt. Mulanje. Tea Plantation. Hiking on Mt. Mulanje (the third highest mountain in Africa!) Annie's Lodge and other sightseeing.
July 6: Local church and surrounding towns. Studying/Planning.
July 7: School assignment. MIE classes in the afternoon and project work.
July 8: School assignment. MIE classes in the afternoon and project work.
July 9: Travel to Mvuu Camp for safari. Overnight at camp. River safari, afternoon and evening safari.
July 10: Morning guided walk. Liwonde wood carvers. Return to Annie's Lodge in Zomba.
July 11: School assignment. MIE classes in the afternoon and project work.
July 12: Orphanage visit. Annie's Lodge/Zomba.
July 13: Local church. Studying.
July 14: School assignment. MIE classes in the afternoon and project work.
July 15: School assignment. MIE classes in the afternoon. Farewell Dinner for teachers.
July 16: Leave for Mangochi. Village visit. Club Makokola on Lake Malawi. Village dancing.
July 17: Departure after breakfast. Mua Mission. Korea Gardens in Lilongwe.
July 18: Leave Lilongwe on Ethiopian Airlines at 1:50 PM. Arrive in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia at 8:10 PM. Flight to Dulles at 10:15 PM.
July 19: Arrive in Dulles at 7:20 AM.
9 days until we leave!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
