nets stamped

That weekend we asked about getting the nets stamped and were told that the laundry would do it sometime that week. Well rhona and I were still stir crazy so we got the paint and the stencil and had the med students down to help. On the tops of all the nets we painted either mw (male ward) or fw (female ward)…then our laundry room was all blue for the paint to dry…it took 2 days because the room wasn’t big enough to hand them all at once.

nets dipped

Rhona decided to donate mosquito nets to the medical ward in the hospital. She was told that they already had them but they seem to have all gone missing. She was also told that even if they do have them they wouldn’t use them, but she was determined. So we tried to find mosquito nets in town (better price) but they only had 8 and we needed about 45 but we figured it was a start. Then one of the other ladies went to the same store the next week and asked and was able to get the 37 more that we needed…guess it just depends on who and how you ask maybe?! But that meant we had them. They don’t however come with the poison mosquito repellant already on them but with a tablet that you have to dissolve and then soak the net in…so we had to find time for that. After our accident since we had the week we decided that it would be a good time…so that Friday (when we were feeling like we could be a little more active and really needed to get out of the house) we went to the porch downstairs (still no one living there) and started dipping. Our housekeeper, Elizabeth, came down to help because I’m sure she thinks we azungu can’t do anything ourselves. And granted it did go much faster when she got there. Soon our yard was awash with the blue mosquito nets. After they were dry we brought them in.

Go fish

In my family we grew up playing card games and we all know how to shuffle. Here I gt told that I’ve obviously dealt in Vegas with my “skills.” But it did mean that I was able to understand some game that was in the math curriculum for addition…and cards are a huge hit in class. so now we play the add to ten game (use only A-9) and you can only play if your card adds to 10 with the one that is already down. (start with A, 2, 3, 4, 5 in the middle) and take a card if you can’t play. Game 2 is Go Fish! Which teaches pairs and adding doubles (in order to put your pair down you must add the cards). The third one I taught was War (though I didn’t call it anything)…whoever has the greater number must add the cards together (take out face cards) to put them in their stack. We play go fish almost daily and the others get thrown in when there is time…

mouse nest in backpack from before attempt to go to mulanje

team teaching

So esther is now doing half of my class. the first week she said that she would do the math portion. She can do it and is doing it. I have to admit though it seems to go much slower with her up front but it could be because I’m sitting in the back with nothing to do. It was nice the first week though because the cut on my foot from the accident was still a little painful and I didn’t have to walk as much when she was doing the lesson. We are working from an American curriculum which makes some of the pages useless because they talk about pennies, dimes and nickels which aren’t used over here. Here we have the kwacha. And the coins are 1, 5, and 10 so not too bad but not with the same names (or any names really—5kwacha, 10kwacha and 1kwacha) but doable. Supposedly they have the kwacha also divided into 100 tambala but I’ve not seen it and it hasn’t been used in a long time so there is really no need to teach about it (I think). So one of the lessons that Esther was teaching was on money and for some reason she was talking about kwacha and tambala even though the coins she was using (that I had brought in) were all 1 or 10 kwacha…but the kids seemed to answer the questions and understand so I let it go.

schedule

So I’m not too schedule oriented but since we’ve been back at school Teacher Esther who was observing and I believe will be taking over when I leave asks me any time I do anything in class where on the schedule it is and when exactly I do this that and the other. It drives me crazy I must admit because it doesn’t matter how often I tell her that I don’t have a schedule and I just kind of make it up as I go—she asks again if not in 10 minutes then the next day. I started to think I’m a bit defensive because I really have no idea what I’m doing or should really be doing but am trying my best…then I tried to make a rough schedule of each part that I do everyday…math, spelling, language, etc. and then I’ll have etra time before I think I should let them get puzzles and games and I pull out another worksheet and Esther is right there—“where did that come from?” and “how often and when do you do that?” no worries…I still have all my hair and I haven’t said anything rude yet…I just keep remember that I need to calm down. I also find it hard because she is a teacher (was before she retired) so I think that she should already have all the answers and why is she asking me??

http://www.nationmw.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8093:for-the-love-of-others&catid=1:national-news&Itemid=3

the picture is of the wreck on the other side of the road...

convalesence

Not much to say other than we slept a lot and watched quite a few movies in between visits from everyone who heard. By Wednesday (that’s being quite generous) we were going stir crazy being laid up. We keep trying to push the limits and come home more sore than we should probably be but it is getting better each day. found out that the wreck had made the newspaper—the nation—and we were referred to as two hitchhikers of European descent having to swim to safety. Also found out that another truck (semi carrying fertilizer) went off the other side of the road evidently to avoid all the onlookers. Not good. But no serious injuries there either.

dedza hospital

Thanks to Tom, Tove, and Anne for their help and support as we were pretty shaky after our adventure. Rhona was put on a stretcher and we went right in. they started cleaning us up and checking us over. Rhona first: cleaned the bigger cut on her left arm and then looked at the other cut. Much smaller but stretched so they said that it needed stitches which she vehemently denied even though she couldn’t see the cut. Called in for a second opinion and then tried to get a picture to show her. Then she finally agreed—so 3 stitches. I’ve never seen stitches being put in and as many of you know I don’t handle the medical/blood/whatever without becoming the patient myself but the shock had me able to watch and be fascinated. They really pull at the skin. Rhona was laughing watching my face as I was intrigued but then trying to hold still at the same time. Then they came to clean my foot (I was sitting right next to her). And I wasn’t nearly so happy just knowing it was going to sting. But they started with the saline solution to just clean it out and it didn’t hurt at all (well anymore than it was already stinging. So I went back to chatting and feeling ok with this cleaning. I’d stopped paying attention when they came with the iodine or whatever the orange stuff is that stings and I almost jumped out of my seat and onto rhona. Malawians in general are quite stoic so we were a scene I do believe. It didn’t help that I was doing big gestures and giving them the option to just cut it off and be done with it. I’m good for entertainment if nothing else. Then it was over and we went outside to await our chariot back to nkhoma. Dr. Barbara Nagy came in the car (with a driver) to get us and we made it home safely and have been laid up for the week watching movies and being waited on hand and foot from our wonderful guardian isabelle. (patients at the hospital come with at least one guardian to feed and take care of them—we didn’t have to go to the hospital though)

beginning/end

Remember we’re fine:

Left early after getting the sleeping bag that had been left in the last vehicle we’d taken (stuffed into a smaller bag to carry). Minibus to Kamphata…there was almost a fight outside the hospital between 2 minibus “companies” but we got in and had an easy 20 minute transport. Then since we wanted to go south (not to Lilongwe) we had to get out and flag down another ride. We tried minibuses but none were going right where we wanted to go and then they would decide not to take us. the big busses that were going to Blantyre wouldn’t stop as they were already full. We kept trying…then a truck stopped and I heard him say Blantyre. When I asked he said that yes but they had to make a stop on the way…off the road a bit but I said they could take us that far and if on their way back we were still there they could pick us up again. so in we got. Turns out they weren’t going that much farther before stopping to pick up what turned out to be a minibus that had broken down last week and needed to be towed to Blantyre. They hooked it up and we continued on. Looking around at the dusty dry landscape I was hit by the fact that it is still beautiful and breathtaking. The next thing we know the minibus is going from side to side and then taking our truck with it off the road and this is not looking good. Down what we thought was a small ditch but that just seemed to keep going. I felt myself coming out of the back and suddenly was underwater. We have no idea where the water came from but that we need to get away from the truck as we don’t know if it is still moving or turning or what. both of us were worried about the other because of course we lost each other when we went under. The truck ended on its side in the water. the driver was around and helping us before we knew what was going on. Got out of the water and there were already at least 100 spectators. I have no idea where they come from. Lost: 3 flipflops and one pair of sunglasses. Not bad. Of course any of our electronics have just gone for a swim as well…so 3 cell phones, 2 ipods and 1 camera. Not so good. Out of the water and on the shore and trying to figure out what to do next. I remember the questions: should we keep going? No. where should we get to. All we want to do is go back to nkhoma but we’re closer to dedza and actually get an offer of a drive there and I figure that the hospital there will have a phone number for someone in nkhoma hospital. So we go for that. Injuries: I had a good scrape on one foot, small scrape on the other leg, rhona had a shallow gash and already a good bruise on one arm, small cut on the other side, and her back was hurting some. So into the car with Tom, Tove and Anne (Danes who were going to Dedza for cheesecake and didn’t mind a detour to drop us at the hospital). Rhona laying in the laid out front seat with me anne and tove in the back. They thought of trying our sim cards (memory card for the phone) in their phone and we were able to get the number from the medical director at nkhoma and I told him we’d been in an accident and could he come pick us up or arrange it. no problem he’s on it.

midterm break

Friday night was the beginning of our first term midterm break. The hospital has recently gotten a Malawian doctor who I believe has just finished training and some work at the hospital in Blantyre (Queens). He is 25 and seems vry nice. There are also 2 malawian medial students here and so we had them over for dinner. Floor (Dutch med student) and Anthony (Aussie med student) and Maria (Swedish nurse) came as well. It was great fun. We served egg fried rice and of course there was a power cut and so we ate by candle light and shared stories. They seemed to be surprised that the children at the hospital were scared of us azungu. Couldn’t remember ever feeling that way themselves but then I’m pretty sure they didn’t come from the village. Told them that we were planning to leave and climb Mount Mulanje on Saturday and they warned us that people get lost there often and that we should really come back. Stories that the ancestors take the people and that they don’t come back. We assured them that we would get a guide and be back probably on Wednesday night.

After dinner and everyone leaves we start/finish packing. Stuff had been laid on my bed but none of it near finished or sure. Well the tennis shoes for hiking have to go so I pick up my backpack, go to put my shoes in and it (backpack) squeaks! I don’t believe it but it has been living on the porch since we got back from Nyika and sure enough there is a nest in the bottom compartment. I got rhona’s attention when I found it and took it back to the porch. Turns out there were 2 baby mice living in the nest. Very cute but what am I supposed to do with them?! Took some pics and then took them downstairs and tried to set them out with the nest…returned to the wild and they weren’t there in the morning…finished packing with no more excitement.

creativity

I found some notebooks that are blank on the top and lined on the bottom. Perfect for drawing and then writing about the drawing. When I found them I thought they were great but didn’t know what we were going to put in them…one of the other teachers asked if we use them for weekend updates. No, but what is that? Because we might. She said that on Mondays you ask what they did over the weekend. And so we started. After our math lesson we did our weekend. Pictures of playing and going to people’s houses. Cute. Then on Wednesday I gave a sheet with a drawing on it of a person sitting at a table so we drew foods we like on the platters and then wrote about it. sausages, rice (rayce), cece (cake), and more. Then Friday (as we were going on holiday) I started the sentence: Tommorow I want to…play with (insert name here) was a common sentence. I hope this will get more elaborate as time goes on. Esther asked what it was and where I got the sentence beginnings and seemed worried when I told her that I made them up.

changes

At school things are changing. Obviously as things are always changing and especially since the school is still new and we’ve just hired 3 new teachers and moved so many around and created the new classes…we’ve found that our kindergarten teacher Esther has only ever taught older children and while she is open to the learning centers way of teaching she doesn’t really get it and the class gets more and more didactic if Dorothy isn’t in with her. Our first/second grade teacher Gift is getting worried for when I leave as he will then have both classes and as I’ve explained some of my challenges when I had both, he’s not really looking forward to it. so the powers that be are trying to decide what to do and how to maybe move people around so that things are all covered and it is best for the school and the kids.

The 3 year old teacher (Rebecca) and 4 year old teacher (Patience) have been asked to observe and try out the kindergarten class. they do a great job in their classes and it will be a shame to move them, it will be easier to move them and get a new teacher in one of their classes than to get a new kindergarten teacher altogether (is the thinking that I hear happening). Esther has been observing me in my class with the thought that she could move to be the 1st/2nd assistant. I was asked many times if that would be ok with me and I don’t mind at all. she seems to be good with the kids at this age and has no problem asking questions of how I do things and where I get my ideas and curriculum and who will make copies if I’m gone. I think that it might work. She observed Thursday and Friday and each day after sending the kids home she grilled me with what I do and when exactly and where my schedule was. I had to tell her that I didn’t have a schedule—everything I did was a rough estimate of what needed to get through. We need a schedule and everything has to be on it. (I have no idea how to put everything on a schedule) but I told her I would try. When we get back from midterm break (next week) I think she will teach some of the subjects but she doesn’t want to take the whole day just yet. We’ll see how it goes after break.

this is the day

At school this week I learned a new song…well new verses to an old song:

This is the day (repeat)
That the Lord has made
We will rejoice
And be glad in it.

These are the friends
That the Lord has given
We will rejoice
And be glad in them

Christ is the way
That the Lord has made
We will rejoice
And be glad in Him.
A very nice continuation to a song I’ve always loved.

burning trash

For the first 6 months of being here (while I lived at Barbara’s house and had 5 workers) I had no idea what happened with the trash. One of those day to day things that I didn’t have to deal with. It was there in the trash can and then it wasn’t. we did have 2 different bins—one for compost and one for trash but they never overflowed and I never thought about it. when we moved into the cottage it was something that we had to think about…we let it go on a little too long but finally we had to deal with it…we knew that people burn it. (asking questions gets you no end of answers) but where? There were burn patches everywhere and not in out of the way places but it just seemed so exposed. We thought that our downstairs neighbors might use a corner of the yard and that we could too so we asked one day and as it turned out it was not in the yard but just behind our fence. So early on a Saturday morning rhona and I ventured out to do it for the first time. Not too many people around but of course those who were out found us to be interesting. Now we have a housekeeper and so we don’t burn our own trash (very often). Last weekend we had the public holiday and then we were leaving town so we did it ourselves…not too interesting for pics but it is what has to be done.

linn(Norwegian nurse), isabelle (Luxembourgian optician), rhona (english doctor), floor (dutch med student)
burundi drummers

lake of stars

This weekend was a big music festival at the lake so we got tickets and headed down. it was in monkey bay and it was a very good thing that it was at the lake because it was really really hot this weekend. Friday was a public holiday (mother’s day) so after a ward round (rhona sees the patients and tries to discharge them if she can) we packed up and took off. Leaving nkhoma around noon with a quick stop in dedza for a bank and some groceries. Down one of the steep windy roads called the galimoti road which on a clear day gives great views of the lake and surrounding countryside…right now it is too dusty to see the lake and everything is brown and dry but still beautiful. And the temperature rose as we descended the hill.

Arrival at Nanchengwa lodge where we set up our tents and decided on a swim (ok no decision really just the next step). Weedy but the water was cool and therefore worth it all. I even thought I didn’t need to go to the festival…I was at the lake…I’m good. But then of course we had to check it out. Another large group had arranged a bus to go and we would all just split the cost and we could even arrange for it to pick us all up again at the end of the evening. So on we went and away we go another 15kilometers to the festival grounds.

Things we found strange (but good):
 The food prices were not inflated as at home—we could get fish and chips for 600kwacha ($4) or curry for 800K ($5.50) and drinks-$1 for soft drinks and <$2 for beer.
 Once you paid for parking it was for the whole weekend…not day by day.
 Advertised shuttles didn’t actually exist. Well I guess that isn’t too strange we are in Africa. (and not so good)

The music was good. Lots was African along with some british…Oliver Mtukudzi was a great performer…really loving the energy and dancing. There were Burundi drummers who put on a great performance as well. Also heard were Tinashe, Marko Sadiki, AlyKeita, Nomfusi and Khethi, Peter Mawanga (rasta xylophone player) and many more. It was a great atmosphere right on the beach and music going on all night. We didn’t know that and weren’t prepared (mentally) so we packed up and headed back to our tents and sleep each night. We didn’t really get to sleep in though as many people came back in the early morning hours and made lots of noise. There were also some dogs who didn’t like the “intruders” and the sun that heated up the tents to saunas by 730. only one bad sunburn between the 7 of us and it was a very bad sunburn (she fell asleep on the beach and was awakened by concerned strangers offering sunscreen).

i love my mom because of my family. my family is kind

monday

ABC (African Bible College-private school in Lilongwe where most of the azungu children go) is on their midterm break and so the Ter Haar older children and the Veitch children are home for the week and they often come in to the school to help in the classes. I had one each day in the room to help. It keeps the kids attention better as they are something new and since they know the information maybe it is relevant and they should learn it. one of the new things we learned or are in the process of learning is the doubles +1 facts. Something I’d never really heard of and when I read about I thought that it sounded much more confusing than just learning it but maybe that is because I already know the info. so we’re learning addition…slowly but surely and we have timed minute tests on 25 problems every day. So far we have done the +0, +1, +2 and doubles (4+4, 2+2, etc). so doubles +1 is taking 2+2 and making it 2+3. that is one they can already do but when you get to 7+8 they have problems. The strategy I’m supposed to teach them is to find the smaller number, double it, and then add 1. this seems very odd and round about to me but I’ve noticed that it does work as the kids mostly know their doubles. And it is faster than counting your fingers. Though on Thursday I also noticed that on occasion they were not picking the small number but doubling the big one and adding one. More practice needed…

watermelon on the floor before rhona's party
in our malawian suits