experiences............

Hello again from a wet and thundery day in Mzuzu!

Its been quite hectic since I last wrote.  I came back from Liwonde and did office work for a few days before heading off again for the final week of the training.  The day before I left I had some visitors - the children who live around usually come to play in the garden.  It was really interesting to watch and listen as I am doing my dissertation for my MA on play.  As I watched, the children took the three chairs from my khonde and as you can see they put them at the bottom of the tree.  This was the house.  We had a mum, dad and baby, and there is a fourth child but you can't see her - she was the youngest but interestingly she was the boss at the office of the daddy.  They played for a long time (I wonder which family they were acting out!!).  The most interesting thing for me was that although these children are all Chitumbuka speakers, the whole drama was conducted in English!!

Last weekend I headed down the lakeshore road again towards Liwonde, stopping off at Nkhotakota where I met these fine friends..........the vervet monkey's who make a lot noise and generally enjoy themselves.

this one looks really sad as if he is meditating

The reflection of the moon on the lake was stunning.... I always ask myself how many times do I need to take photos like these - I have so many already, but it is so beautiful that its difficult to resist.

One of the few remaining wooden bridges left on the lakeshore road.

and the flame trees which were beginning to appear the week before have certainly blossomed...

I love the majestic Baobab trees found along the lakeshore

The lakeshore area is predominately Muslim, probably due to the slave trade which happened in the past across the lake.  There are many pretty Mosques - this one seemed quite new or else its just been painted.

I arrived in Liwonde hot and sticky after the long journey, and it didn't get any better there - the temperatures were probably late 30's and it was humid.  I was attending the final week of the Early Childhood Development workshop where we were assessing the regional trainers.  We all received t-shirts with this slogan on the back!!

30 caregivers from the local community were invited so that the trainers could teach them and we would assess the process.  I was interested with this young lad (the child of one of the caregivers).  He had a water bottle and played with it for about an hour - he was so good in the midst of all the noise that was going on.

Later on, he got his Mother's chitenje and put it over his head and played peek a boo - it was such a joy to watch.

Here you can see another baby of one of the participants with Mr Sikelo my colleague!

One of the trainers in action with his class........

Myself and three of my colleagues just before we finished!  I think its great the way everyone is wearing the hat differently!!

When I was in Liwonde, I was staying beside the river Shire where many hippo and crocodile are resident.  One evening I was walking outside my room when I heard and noise and there was a rather large hippo eating grass beside me............I moved swiftly on!!

One day in the late afternoon the first rains of the year began - it was a horrendous thunderstorm with great strikes of lightning which I am not so fond of.  I drove my colleagues and myself back to base and went into my room.  The rain was pelting down and the car alarm kept going off which meant I had to go out to put it off.  There was no electricity either because of the thunderstorm.  I got really fed up with the car alarm and decided to brave the weather and see if there was a problem.  Well, as it turned out there was - one of the back windows was completely down and I had a flood inside the car!!  I just closed the window and went to bed!  The upside of the rain however was the the temperature was about 5 degrees cooler the next day which was great!

I arrived back on Saturday after another long journey and was tired on Sunday.  However, it was lovely to be invited with some friends for dinner.  Here you can see me with Sylvia who visits regularly from the US and is so involved in Early Childhood - she has been a great encouragement to me over the years.  She left today for home again!

The most amazing thing happened last weekend.  I had come home from work around 4.45pm and decided to sit in the garden for a few minutes to relax.  I pulled a chair over to the grass and the noise startled something in the tree above.  I got the shock of my life when I saw this beautiful bird taking off - in fact this is not my photograph because I didn't have my camera at the time.  Its a Ross's Turaco and quite rare so it was a real joy to see.   As it flew off the underwings were stunning - bright red!

Amazing colours

So its been a busy few weeks as usual but such fun and really its a privilege to be part of the training programme.  The frustrating things in our country are still going on - the fuel shortage is worse than ever - as I was coming back from Liwonde, just outside the capital city, I got stuck in the worse traffic jam I have ever been anywhere - the tanker had just arrived at a petrol station and the main road was blocked with cars, lorries, buses - you name it and I got stuck in the middle of it all! Every petrol station I passed had a queue of at least a mile long.

Prices are going up daily still but I think the most noticeable thing now is the lack of basic commodities in the shops - it is becoming quite worrying.  Please pray for our country that things might get better.  Its the poorest people who are being hit the most by this crisis - its the worst I have seen in all my years here!  

However, as most people say when asked about the current situation ' we just have to trust in God that He will bring us through this'.

Wishing you a blessed week,

Diane

the beauty of nature and the joys of training............

Hello everyone after a long break from the blog - its not that I didn't want to write but sometimes there is not much to write about - dwelling on the problems we have is not what you want to hear.  We are struggling big time with fuel shortages - it is worse than ever with queues at each and every filling station.  When you go with a car there are twice as many people there with jerry cans, and they are priority for the attendant because they charge K500 for each jerry can filled, so they are making much money!!

So, not to dwell on the negative but on the beauty of life!  Last week I found this lovely chap having a rest on my door - very beautiful!!

 One morning I was wakened by the sounds of a puppy and when I looked out the window of the bedroom this is what I found - a lovely picture of Mum feeding pup!

That day and for the next two days, we had torrential rain - in fact we thought the rainy season had come to stay.  As I was going to work, I looked across the garden and spied these bedraggled puppies - they had made their home under my hedge.  I was surprised that they survived the two days being completely soaked through.  I realised that I had four pups now!

After the rains, I found Mother dog feeding her pups and counted no less than seven.  The mother is not very big and she was really feeding these pups and looking after them well as they were growing fat and gorgeous!

How could you resist this cute face??

As you can see all the pups are really doing well - they are so cute!

Dry season is one of my favourite times in Malawi - its dry and dusty but we always have so much colour like the Jacaranda trees which are in bloom right now - stunning...

more colour from my garden

sunflowers as their name suggests, enjoying the sun

and so many granadilla (passion fruit) ready to ripen in the garden

Last week at school I found the children really busy - as you can see this young lad was busy cooking............ with leaves and sand and mud, creativity at its best!

Saturday week ago I set off for Liwonde which is near Zomba, as part of the National Training Team for Early Childhood that is going on at present.   I came back yesterday and am really tired, both because of the long journey and the heat (and of course the work that was involved!!).  The Principal Secretary for the Ministry came to open the meeting (the one of the right).

I was working with a lovely team, here you can see Mr Sikelo and Nellie, two of the facilitators......

and Foster and myself...........

Participants were from all over the country and they have a tough time as they are doing a lot of theory and a lot of practical work,  but its just so hot and humid that in the afternoon it was difficult not to fall asleep!

I loved this - learning to knit a teddy bear!!

While I was in Liwonde, I took the opportunity to meet with Gift a young lad who has been helped through school by Marion and her friends (you know who you are!).  The results of Form 4 exams are out (equivalent of GCSE) and unfortunately Gift failed two subjects, but I am hoping he will repeat them to get his certificate.  I first met Gift as a small boy when he was selling strawberries in Zomba because as an orphan he had no one to support him with school fees.  He has come a long way since that!

Going through Lilongwe on the way home, I also met up with Fidelis who is a student at Africa Bible College.  I met this young man in Chitipa some years ago when he was involved in Early Childhood work, and by the grace of God, some friends and myself have been able to put him through college (he is now in third year of four).  Fidelis hopes to work in children's ministry when he completes his study.  It was a pleasure to have a chat with him!

As I began the drive north, I noticed few vehicles on the road, and many broken down vehicles (some which had run out of fuel).  I noticed that the land is extremely dry and shades of autumn are on the trees.  As I came up through the Viphya mountains, the air was smoky as many trees were on fire and visibility was poor.

However, the Jacaranda purple colour was striking...........

and the red flame trees are just about to come out as the Jacaranda flowers fall...........

Its truly a beautiful time of year, with the vibrant colours in what is quite a dry and barren place at present!  

On the way home I was conscious that I had forgotten to bring water to drink, so I stopped in Kasungu to buy some - only to find that there was no water, no coke, no drinks of any kind for sale (probably due to fuel shortage).  So I went on to the next town Nkhamenya where I found the local supermarket closed for stocktaking!!!  What a relief to find a small shop selling warm/hot water........!  We take water so much for granted but as we are often told here 'water is life', and I was grateful to find some even if it was hot!


Thanks for the comments both on and off the blog - look forward to many more!!

Wishing you a week full of blessings and wonder,

Diane

By the way, I only have one pup left - when I was away they were all taken by people who wanted dogs!

more travels............

Hello everyone,

Its been a great week in many ways, so many new experiences and a bit of travelling.  A few weeks ago, I was facilitating training for Mphatso Children's Foundation which is on the lakeshore near Kande.  Last Thursday I was invited to the main centre to witness the graduation of the participants for the second time.  The first time was in Mzuzu but this time in the village with some friends and families attending.  I went with Nicolas and its at the lake and guess what......we got stuck in the sand, but I will not bore you with another picture of the car being dug out!  I was thankful for so many of the participants pushing the car out!

Kamoza, our trainer from Bandawe Presbytery was with us - here you can see us as we listen to a speech.  It is boiling hot at the lake side and we were in a building with a tin roof so you can imagine!!

The guest of honour was the Village Headman and you can see him here giving out one of the certificates.  He made a very good speech where he said that he would inform all his fellow chiefs in the district to support the CBCC's (Community Based Childcare Centres) especially in sustainability.

The Village Headman, Nicolas, myself and Kamoza - I felt rather small!!

On the way back to Mzuzu, we took one of the participants Kankholosa with us.  He is a lovely man full of fun and I am sure the children in his centre really enjoy it.  Kankholosa wanted me to take some bananas from his home so while we waited for him to fetch them, Nicolas took the opportunity to collect some stones to use in the classroom!!

Kankholosa arriving with the bananas

The bananas are beginning to ripen and I had one for lunch - they are the small sweet bananas - delicious!!

Then on Sunday, I had to travel to Chitipa in the far north of Malawi to do interviews for three Presbyteries, Chitipa, Wenya and Misuku.  We are still interviewing for ToT's - Trainer of Trainers for each Presbytery.  On the way I planned to stop in Chilumba where 8 new nursery schools have just opened, to give them some advice on the way forward,  the next stop was Karonga where I was delivering some utensils to Lucy (our ToT in Karonga Presbytery) for some of the nursery schools for hygiene and feeding the children.  We have to thank God for the interest in Early Childhood Development in Malawi, and for the development that is happening.  Here you can see some of the utensils before they were packed in the car.

and when the car was packed......

As many of you know we have a fuel problem in Malawi, and poor Mr Singini had queued for 4 days to find enough fuel to go to Chitipa.  Here you can see him filling the car from a jerry can.  We also carried a jerry can with us so that we could get back home again.  And as I am supposed to travel tomorrow to Luwerezi, Mr Singini is again queueing at the petrol station - diesel arrived this morning but there is no guarantee that he will get any.  The Chitipa trip had been postponed twice due to lack of fuel and the trip to Luwerezi has also been postponed twice so I am hoping and praying that we find enough fuel so that we don't disappoint them again!

I have been to Chitipa many times and the thought of the journey does not fill me with joy!  The road is really bad and takes about two and a half hours to travel just over 100kms.  However, I got such a pleasant surprise on this trip.  The road is being constructed by the Chinese and they are really doing an amazing job. It has all been smoothed - rocks taken out and its a wide road now. The workers were busy making drains at the sides of the road and the last stage will be tar.  The road has also been shortened as many bridges have been constructed.

The view from the road is always amazing - its a hilly part of Malawi and very beautiful.  Its the dry season and many leaves are changing colour - much like autumn in UK without the rain and about 15 degrees hotter!!

As we approach Chitipa there are many palm trees and it was approaching dusk and it was beautiful.  This part of the road was terrible in the past but as you can see its a good dirt road!

People in Chitipa are so hospitable and friendly so I always enjoy my stay there.  I stay in the CCAP guest house which is basic but clean.  I thought I would let you see my accommodation.  This is the room where I like to stay.  You can see the firewood piled up outside!!

Here is the inside of my suite.......

The rooms are not en suite but there are communal toilets and bath rooms.  This is the hot water heater which is next to my room!

When you want a wash you mix hot water with cold water until its the right temperature...

and take it to your bathing room...  simple, but effective to wash off all the dust!

As I was there to conduct interviews, I was waiting early in the morning to start, when some children came around.  They ignored me and seemed to be on a mission very busy looking at the ground.  They went behind the car and I followed them and found them all looking for ants!!

The children were funny - one of them was carrying a backpack so I assumed he was going to the nursery school just across the compound in Chitipa, but when I asked them they said no they did not go to school.  A few minutes later the caregiver came looking for them - I think the ants were more fun than school!!

It is always a privilege to visit our trainers in their homes, and I had to go and see Foster's family and new baby.  I know that the teachers  team who came last year will be interested to know that Foster now has a baby girl called Favour.

It was a short visit, as soon as the interviews were over (we found two new ToT's, but still no one for Misuku Presbytery), we had to come back to Mzuzu as I have a full programme this week and had no time to waste!  On the way home again, the views were spectacular....... what a beautiful country this is!

When I got home (after a 5 hour journey) I was tired and hot, and so I opened the fridge to get some cold water and the fridge was overrun with these lovely creatures inside - can you imagine.  There were many dead and many living - I forgot about taking a picture before I had most of them removed!!  Ants get everywhere - I found today that they have eaten every scrap of my strawberry plants in the garden too!!

Just now as I was coming from the office I saw movement in front of me.  Mr Nyirenda who works in my garden had just cleaned the car (after the Chitipa trip) and so there was water on the ground.  Its dry these days and so birds take any opportunity to get some water when they can.  This is a Jameson's firefinch - its beautiful, brown and red and was taking the opportunity to have a drink!

In fact there were two of them but due to the light the camera did not pick them up with colour - I think this is a stunning picture anyway but then again, I am biased!

Wishing you all a week full of blessings,  

Diane


PS.........thanks for the comments - look forward to more this week!!


PPS............ just had a phone call from the petrol station - fuel has finished and we have none!!  Joy to the world!!