end of october!

It’s been a good week. I spent the weekend at the lake with some other americans. Miriam I met on the plane on the way here. She works for USAID in lilongwe. She had organized a cottage that sleeps 6 and said she had an extra place if I was interested—I am always interested in going to lake…the others worked with her or with the embassy and they came for varying amounts of time. Miriam and I were there from Friday to Monday…and it still didn’t feel long enough (it never does). She had brought her 3 puppies…mutts from the SPCA here (retriever and maybe ridgeback mix). Sweet dogs but I don’t think they had ever been out of lilongwe…goats and monkeys got lots of barks and the pig just got stared at…they were excited and confused by the lake and the beach but by the end I think they were loving it.
It is getting so hot here. We are moving into summer and at night the winds seem to stop and it is just hot. Not easy for sleeping but not impossible (yet). During the days I often get the feeling I’m melting. But I haven’t actually done that yet. When I got back from the lake I moved into the Jones’ family house as they are gone for a month to visit family in india. Rob is the pharmacist at the hospital. He and Ritu have 3 little girls—2 of whom attend ebenezer. (it is funny/scary to hear them—they go from a proper english accent to malawian english very quickly and easily…they learn things at school and when they come home to share they often do it in the malawian way they learned and then mom says where did my english girls go? And they can then do it in english…) Of course there was a power cut Monday night so I explored the house in the dark and got all settled in…excited for the view in the morning…
Tuesday was epilepsy clinic and it was too hot. And there were a lot of patients…I onlyhad 10 on the list that were scheduled to come…of course there were about 8 more who came because they were either running low on medication or had run out because they were supposed to have come a previous week. And then we had no one to see the patients…and then we found someone who could see them but we had lost our translator…and while I admit to being able to understand some of the answers…I can not translate in any sense of the word or work. But we did finally make it through…I will have to find out what they are going to do with the information I’m recording and keeping…because if it is not going anywhere or going to be helpful—I think I could spend my time much better elsewhere.
Wednesday I was back at school and it was announced (I was consulted beforehand) that I would be moving out of the classroom—we don’t really know if Magrate will ever take full responsibility for her class if I’m still there—and into more of an administrative job. I will be helping with reading in all of the classes (K-3) and other adminy stuff…money taking for school fees, and I don’t really know what else. Ken and Colleen have to go back in December to South africa for Ken to have back surgery so they won’t be back for 3 months and in that time I am to move into acting principal I think. We’ll see how this shapes up.
Helping with the reading is fun…different levels and different ways that the teachers do it…some in groups and some individually…recognizing words (sight words that are just memorized) and sounding out phonically. Of course I also have to work out with teachers when they are doing their reading…as it all seems to happen in each of the classes within the same hour…and try as I might I’ve found it hard to be everywhere at once.
Power cuts have gotten more frequent—almost everyday and at varying times in the day…sometimes from 530am to sometime in the afternoon, or off at 2pm to 6pm, or 530pm to 8 or 9…not usually the same back to back but it is keeping us on our toes. The fuel crisis is getting to be very bad. Both petrol and diesel are very hard to find at the stations…and when they do have the lines are enormous with vehicles and with jerry cans…and there is no order to who gets first or how that all works…Ken was in line for about 10 hours one day and he got to the pump and they put the sign up that they had run out. Times like this I’m ok with not having a car…

i am still here

sorry to have been out for so long. i thought my computer would have been coming sooner and so i waited...and i think it was also just an excuse. so i'll try to catch you up and continue on from here.

my job with the youth department doesn't seem to be happening...of course the week i finally admit that to myself i get a phone call from one of the staff with 3 different events going on around nkhoma so i agree to do that but i (and he) also knew that as of september 1 he would not be working for the youth dept either. but i went to a kids day and did a lot of dancing with the kids...then a sports day which was just utter chaos and too hot and i went home early with a massive headache. and then the next day was an overnight to see a world vision (ngo) work site where they had been operating for 15 years as world vision has set up in nkhoma only a year ago. so we took about 40 people--youth and adults to see it and ask questions and see what is hopedd to be accomplished in community development here. of course it was all in chichewa so i didn't get too much of it until about halfway through someone started translating for me--but not in a discreet quiet manner, he was loud and stopped everything else to make sure i was following. i still think i need a little more background info on world vision in general before i really get what they are doing but everyone else seemed to know more and get a good days talk out of it. the excitement of the trip happened the night before all the talks as our coordinator walked through the glass window at the restaurant we were using for dinner...it shattered and cut his face and hands and then we had to drive to find the hospital and then the doctor and take them back to the hospital as it was really just a clinic and not usually staffed at night. but he is fine now though unemployed and waiting for God to lead his way.

so as that is most of the youth work i'd done in quite a while and so the plan now is to work part time at Ebenezer school again--helping the new second grade teacher Magrate get used to the ciriculum. and part time at the hospital doing whatever is going on...folders, computer work, baby feeding. it is going well and i am keeping very busy.

when i get introduced to new people now i still don't really know how to answer the question what do i do here because it really is a little bit of everything. someone once called me a chameleon and after getting to know me Colleen, who is acting principal-headmistress at ebenezer says that is very fitting. the other question to answer is how long i've been here...a year and a half but not consecutively as i was home for 2.5 months in between. but it is going well. and i hope to write more and do a much better job at keeping up. thanks for all the love and support!

week 21 mozambique

Long drive to get to the beach…but that’s normal. Full day and when I first saw the ocean it as flat as a lake…there were more waves in the lake last week. But the colors were beautiful. My first sight of the Indian ocean. Drove further down the coast to arrive at Nascer Do Sol and an amazing resort area…very isolated with great chalets, beautiful views and the ocean acting like the real ocean—salt, waves, current and sand…I felt that I had made it and really there was no need to leave…Reinette and I jumped in without a second thought. Well, still fully dressed there was a second thought but it didn’t stop us. We fought the current and the waves and had huge smiles on our faces the entire time…and the wind was blowing which just made us not want to get out as then we would be cold…we stayed two nights with many walks on the beach and dips in the ocean though we did warn the kids about not going in without an adult because the rip current was serious but the kids were fine with that with the waves being much bigger than they were. Walking along during low tide we found sea anemones and men o’war (little blue bubbles with tails that sting) brought back memories of walking the beach in Hawaii and stepping on the bubbles to pop them…so I passed that along and then promptly got stung…my foot was beautiful—greeny blue from the sprain and red from the sting…
When we left we continued south to Maputo the capital…that was where we were splitting ways—they would continue to South Africa and I would head back north and return to Malawi. Having lunch with some people they knew there my wellbeing was being taken into consideration—mostly in Afrikaans so I didn’t get most of it but was aware that they were worried about my safety and traveling on my own and while I tried to tell them that I would be fine…I also had no concrete plan that would put their (and my) minds at ease…I was left in the care of dirk as they continued on and his plan was to get me to the bus station to buy a ticket back to Malawi then leave me with a friend who would get me to the station the next day…that didn’t sit too well with me as that would mean I would see nothing more of Mozambique except a really long ride back to Malawi immediately…so I convinced him to take me back to Xiaxia where I stayed with a pastor’s family he knows—Pastor Antonio—they were so nice and welcoming, his wife, two kids (Gladness was 1 and not scared of azungu at all), and two nieces who had very good English. My portugese still isn’t too great but we could communicate. They took me to the minibus the next morning and wished me well. I sat down and we took off—the guy behind me offered me a sweetie—turned out to be a halls throat lozenge, a bit later the guy next to me offered me some cassava that they eat raw as a filler…not too tasty but a very nice gesture and when we got off in Maxixe he made sure I knew where I was going (not an easy thing as I didn’t really know where I wanted to go)…to the dock to take a ferry across the bay to Inhambane. My guide book mentioned an out of the way hostel that was just gorgeous but of course I could no longer figure out how to get there as it involved another dhow or water taxi and I just got blank looks when I asked about it. So I settled in at a hostel I did find and wandered around town—didn’t take long and since I wasn’t where I figured I wanted to be I came to the conclusion that I didn’t like it and would leave the next day…

week 20

So I went to the lake with ute, mark and maretta…and then I stayed and came home with the veitches. Nothing like a long weekend and I’ll do just about anything to stay longer at the water. But it will be my undoing too. Monday morning swim with waves like the ocean I jumped over one and came down to soon…or too shallow and I landed wrong on my left foot…bent the wrong way and I felt it. But I stayed in the water as long as I could—using it as an ice pack…and then limped around for the rest of the time. When I got home, jane put me on the couch and told me not to move…I don’t take to that very well but limping around is hard to do. So I stayed on the couch when I had to but then I would get up and go places and then come back for more time with my foot up…
While important at the clinic I know that I’m dispensable but as I was already going stir crazy, Loes told me I could come and take the notes while she did the running around with the patients…so I sat in the exam room on the patient bed (not used except for certain cases on these mornings) and was even able to elevate my foot. Good thing because it was swelling more and turning a pretty shade of blue…
Wednesday was Jane’s birthday…so we had a good breakfast (bacon, eggs and toast) and then she had to go to Lilongwe to work at the big hospital there for the day. I was ordered to stay on the couch…so I went for a slow walk around nkhoma to get some pictures for Barbara before she left for the US…and made sure I was back on the couch when my roomies came home. Cake party when Jane got back from town—she’d told me not to tell anyone that it was for her birthday but of course I did…it was a fun gathering on our front lawn.
I was walking better on my foot by the end of the week though after being up for any time it was still a little blue but as it was hurting much less and I had an offer of a ride to the coast of Mozambique I decided to take it…left early Friday morning with the Veitch family and James on their way to South Africa by way of the beaches of Mozambique…

week 19

Sunday afternoon we decided to walk to the Linthepe…after church I told some of the people up at the guesthouse that if they were interested they were most welcome. About 2 oclock there were 12 girls from the guesthouse ready to go. Of course we get looks as we walk but whether we are one or 12 the looks are the same…I used to think that it changed with respect to numbers but now I don’t think so. It was good to have the group because we walk at different paces and there was someone for all to walk with (especially me since I found out I live with 2 power walkers). Nice breeze at the river and a group gathered when we stopped so we didn’t stay too long.
Got a trip to town on Monday. Dropped off some for a safari in zambia—wished I were going too but then I did go last year (and I wasn’t invited). It was quite early since they have such a long way to go so I had plenty of time to run any errands I had before picking up another traveler coming to visit Barbara and nkhoma. Even had time to sit and have a cup of tea and was home before noon so I felt extremely productive with half a day to still do things around here.
I’d been told that I had 2 packages sent to me in march and they still hadn’t arrived so we’d all given them up as lost. And then they did arrive! So I got to celebrate my birthday again! Only 4 months late…very exciting!
Clinic was of course very busy since everyone who had missed their appointments the week before came as well as those who were supposed to come (at least most of them) came and then there were new patients who had heard about the clinic either for blood pressure and diabetes (david’s normal clinic) or the epilepsy (which is actually funded by Africa burn relief—as epilepsy often is a direct cause of burns especially in third world countries). It is so nice to see patients coming back (on time) who haven’t had any other episodes and know that the medication is working. It is also very nice to watch david as he sees patients and shows his passion for medicine because he loves to explain cases (and while I don’t really understand anything) there are usually medical students in observing and you can tell that he is a teacher and doctor because he loves it.
Wednesday was malawi’s independence day and thus a public holiday here in Malawi (july 6). We jumped in the car and headed for lunch at Dedza. Only about 45 minutes away and very picturesque. We ate at the pottery place, well known for their pottery and their cheesecake. The car felt that it was pulling when we got on the dirt road so we got out and walked…it was a beautiful day and not a far walk from the main road (about 1 km according to the sign but I think it is longer)…
Thursday and Friday were the last days of the school year for ebenezer so I went to see the sports day on Thursday…sadly they started earlier than I had been told and it was all over when I got there…but it sounded like everyone had a great time. And then Friday I was on time (well a little late) but they had just started the ending assembly. It included a presentation of some sort from each class, either recitation of poems or songs or reading. The first grade recited some poem about the days of the week that had to do with someone eating something on Monday, getting sick on Tuesday, going to the doctor on Wednesday, something else on Thursday, died on Friday, funeral on Saturday and heaven on Sunday…so a days of the week but a bit morbid…and second grade sang “what a friend we have in Jesus” and danced a Scottish dance (one of the volunteers is Scottish). Then there was graduation from kindergarten and presentation of awards for each of the classes. It was very special.
And a get away to the lake for the weekend—staying at the cottages that the synod keeps up. A nice place that is not on the regular tourist area so less vendors coming to sell their wares of wooden carvings and baskets…very windy and cool but of course we swam anyway regardless that it is winter here…

week 18

Jane’s friend Rosy came to visit for the week. Good fun to have her and show her around nkhoma. Monday we went to the village of Nguluwe where a school is being built with donations and sponsorship from some dutch friends and from the charity that Jane and Rosy started called Positive Steps. The building had started—at least the foundation but they were having an official groundbreaking ceremony. Many speeches by abusa, orphan project, and village heads and Mark and Jane and Maralise…I was asked to come as photographer and they did try to get me to say a few words but I didn’t know enough about what was going on…The school now is being held under a tree nearby and the school will be simple but there will be protection from the rains and more extreme weather. hopefully this will be the start that has been needed to really get the construction going.
Tuesday we climbed the mountain. Left early to escape the heat and we did that…even in the sun the breeze was pretty cool. But it was beautiful and we enjoyed our climb. I came down for 11 because I was going to go with a South African group to distribute bibles with the youth department and was tole that was when they would leave. I called when I got down and was told that they had already left…the only time things are on time (or early) in Africa…oh well.
Wed and Thursday I went to Ebenezer to say hello. They were getting ready for their closing day activities and finishing up the year. (next week) read a story in the first grade class. Things seem to be going very well.
The official opening for the Burns and Surgical Wards were on Friday. Some speeches in which it was emphasized that we have these new buildings and we need to keep them clean and give good care in them or there is no reason for having them. New buildings won’t heal people but it is good to work well in them and that the combination in much better for the patients. Ribbon cutting and tour of the wards and more speeches. Jan and Trudi who had been here for 5 years working on the hospital reconstruction had sent a video with their sentiments of wishing they could be there for the opening and their hopes for the good use of the facility.

week 17

Spent 3 days helping at the hospital. First day was in the clinic which was busy but not as busy as we thought it would be. Many patients didn’t come in and it took us quite a while to figure out why…there was a funeral that many of the patients went to. It is very cultural to go to funerals. If you don’t go it is seen as disrespect and then you also have to worry that people won’t come to your funeral. It is a big social event as well—full day of gathering. Which doesn’t do well for the patients who will then run out of medication and possibly start having seizures again. Some came in the next day to get refills and others will probably come next week.,. the second day I went in to make patient charts for the different wards. They were very low so I was kept pretty busy…75 for adults and 75 for pediatrics and then we just have to see how long that will last them. The third day was with Jane on the burns ward doing inventory of the stores. Lots of dressings and bandages—at least that is what it seems like now as the ward isn’t open and there are plenty. But once there are patients I don’t know how long it will all last.
And of course more power cuts…however this week we had a self imposed power cut. Didn’t know it (of course) but one day the power sharing had gone on all day and then come back in the late afternoon. The next thing we know we had no power once again. Sat around complaining and moaning between the two of us—how can they have it out all day and then all evening too?! but got our dinner cooked and eaten and then decided to climb into bed and watch something on the computer (hoping that the battery will last)…it is very early but we are just out of options…so blow out the candles and start a movie…about an hour later james comes over for a visit…walks up the stairs and asks why we are in complete darkness and that it is a little creepy. Well, with a power cut what do you expect? And he then tells us that there isn’t a power cut…at least everyone else has power…he checks our fuse box and it had tripped so once reset we were brought back to the 21st century…we did feel a bit like helpless girls at that point but quite ok with being rescued and lights restored to the cottage…