Quiet weekend here in Lilongwe.. Not much to report except that we did not do much to write about.. It was a nice weekend for me and the kids… Michelle was on call all weekend , so was at the hospital all day and night both Saturday and Sunday.. I do think Sundays are a tough time for everyone involved.. It’s hard to relax and do absolutely nothing..Things here are closed or have strange hours, so there isn't much to plan.. As someone coming from our culture of never stopping, having nothing to do and enjoying it is hard.. But we are trying. 

Friday I took the kids out for smoothies after school. Place is called “papayas” and apparently was started here by a local who visited Chipotle when he went to the U.S. and thought that Malawi needed a similar restaurant.. Every country needs a Chiptle , right?? I’ve gone once and can tell you it isn’t Chipotle , but it isn’t bad either.. Cucumbers and carrots on a wrap just doesn't jive with me. They do have good smoothies (except for the vanilla)..  

Saturday was a day Kate was very excited about because she was supposed to hike Mount Nkhoma with her soccer team. Unfortunately, the bus driver’s brother passed away and they had to cancel the excursion. So , they stayed on campus, hung out , had pizza and painted finger nails.. Mid afternoon , we were invited to visit a place called “The Tamarind Club” that is located at the British High Commission.. It was a great place, very much to our liking and I think we are going to join.. Members are of course predominantly from the U.K., but they do allow us Yankees to join as well.. The annual cost for membership is very cheap, which I also like.. They have a small restaurant, tennis courts, playground, beautiful swimming pool, etc… On Saturdays, they play all the Premier league soccer matches , which is nice to watch with fans of the sport.. also, South African rugby is aired… Jude and some of his friends ended up watching WWE wrestling after their swim, and that turned out to be their highlight of the trip to the pool..  I love the parts of our culture that seep through the cracks.. People here (and in Botswana) love wrestling.. 

Sunday has brought a beautiful day filled with Monopoly and Canasta… I am teaching the kids Canasta and they are quick learners.. Next thing will be Euchre..  the power has been out all day… On Friday evening there was a truck driving around the neighborhood announcing over a loud speaker that they were going to turn off the water from Monday- Wednesday... It was surreal as the message was in Chichewa.. I was outside hanging laundry and thought to ask our guard what they were saying.. He casually said they were planning to turn off the water for a few days... So, we filled several large buckets of water in preparation for the beginning of this week.

Not much else to say.. As stated earlier, Sundays are tough.. you feel the distance apart from all the comforts of home.. your mind tends to linger on.. things such as electricity, nacho chips, pandora, Cincinnati Reds... Then , I went to pick up Michelle from work around sunset and see how beautiful the sky is and how different this place is compared to home and am happy that we have the opportunity to be here...  I pick up Michelle just outside the hospital, she agrees with my sentiment , then says... "get me away from this hospital as fast as possible." This place is a roller coaster.... But our kids are doing well and really bucking up and taking it all in stride.. They are about a month in to their time here and they feel like things are normal..   I think they like it alot.. I remember a month into our time in Botswana was a lot worse.... It was rough.. But this is going very well.. 

I apologize for the lack of interesting stories lately.. things really have settled down.. We are planning another trip outside the city next saturday, so hopefully I'll have a little something different for you then...  

Tomorrow, Kate has her first soccer match at the rival school in town.. So Ill have that coverage for you.. Below is a small video of a soccer match at our school that was being played by two local teams... A photo of milk at the grocery store.. Yes, it is sold in bags.. Our local 7-eleven... Maura and a weaver bird nest.. which are absolutely amazing.. they hang in trees like a basket, and the whole for the opening of the nest in on the bottom.. .. and the pool we hope to join... Ok, that's it.. I have to prepare for my nursery school class... I have no idea what I'll do with them today, so I best get ready... hope all is well at home..

soccer stands

7-eleven!! where we buy our water

Milk in a bag

Maura and a weaver bird nest.. 

Tamarind Club

a few thoughts

Frances went down for the count this morning so I took an early leave from my work. She was complaining about a stomach ache and was running a slight fever.. So, she is currently chilling on the couch watching cartoons.. It has really been enjoyable being at the same school as the kids.. Makes it very convenient.

One of the great things about being home from work so much this past week+, is that I've been able to see the family that takes care of our home and how the interact, work together... I'm not sure how to describe it, but i think the best word is quiet.. Rabina and Cam go about their work all day, while their son William (photo below) plays.. He goes into the yard, tows around an old laundry basket with a string, plays with a few toys we've given him and seems to help his dad "water the yard". Rabina ties him to her back as she irons the clothes, and he seems to fall asleep every time..  She sings to him quietly as she goes about her work.. William is absolutely adorable and every time we pull into the driveway he yells.. "Azungu, Azungu!!" which in Chichewa means "White person, white person!" there aren't many of us here, and it's heard quite often as we go about our day. At noon or so, Rabina will boil water, pick some vegetables from the garden and prepare lunch for the three of them. they sit outside in the yard on a grass mat and eat together..  Rabina today made spinach with peppers.. Once she is finished for the day, she catches a mini bus back to their village (which is about a 10-15 minute drive).. She saves everything and uses everything... She reuses sandwich bags... cleans them, turns them inside out and clips them to the window drapes to dry.. I always feel bad throwing items away...

Yesterday we stocked up on some fresh vegetables at one of my favorite shops in Lilongwe. It is attached to a gas station near our school, and I usually stop in once a week.. They don't have alot of variety, but what they have is local and delicious.... And most importantly .. very cheap.  I bought fresh strawberries, cucumbers, broccoli , tomatoes, banana fritter snacks for the kids , bananas and green peppers.. cost me 5$.. Malawi is one place that eating fresh vegetables and fruits will not cost an arm and a leg..the photos below are of the shop.. one of them has a smoked fish displayed.. This was a huge portion for about 2$.. I wanted to try it, but will probably wait until another day..

It's Friday here and we have no real plans for the weekend. We opted not to go out of town this weekend, but may try a short drive outside the city to take in some village life.. other than that, we'll head to the pool and lounge around.

Lastly,  I mentioned all the noise that can wake you up in the morning here.. About 4 this morning, but local mosque started its morning prayers... the link below is the prayer heard from our bed.. I don't how the quality is, but it was very loud this morning... Hope all is well at home.. have a great weekend everyone!!!

William on our side porch

smoked fish

Local fruit and vegetable shop

losing patience... kids are pooped

I had arranged to see a vehicle today after making arrangements , but as it turns out , the  only time i can view the vehicle will be tomorrow morning at some point in time.. I don't know what time and where, and will have to make arrangements at work to go see the vehicle. At the same time, the van we bought needs an estimated cost of 2800$ of work done on it.. We are debating which way to go on this thing.. Any way you slice it, it stinks.. Our thinking right now is to buy another vehicle, try and sell the van (as is) at a lower cost , sell the newer vehicle when we leave and cut our losses.. Oh well, it's just money right?? I am losing patience though, as it is taking a very long time to get this settled and we are no closer to resolving the problem.  I have made the mistake of buying this thing in the first place and am definitely paying for it. This headache comes with moving to another country, trusting in others  and hoping that things work out.. 

On another note, I think I mentioned it yesterday, but my kids are exhausted in the evening.. They are all ready to cash it in by about 7:30 every night. Last night was ridiculous.. Everyone was ready as soon as we got home.. I stayed after school today to watch Kate's swim practice and I have to admit.. they are doing an awesome job of coaching the swimmers.. Kate is getting a serious workout and some great tips on her strokes. 

I have attached a video that shows you how each morning at school starts. This is at 7:10 am when the school day starts.. every child is out playing on campus until they ring a bell. Franny is in this video somewhere. This is also the view from my classroom. 

I don't know if it's true or not, but the light here is unbelievably beautiful. It could just be a psychological thing.. (i'm in Africa therefore it has to be pretty), but every evening from about 4-6pm, the light is stunning. same with the morning.. the problem with the morning is that the birds in our yard wake up about 3 am. And it seems like there are hundreds of them...This, coupled with the local mosque broadcasting their prayers over an intercom, makes for some restless moments at night..

Kate's soccer team is heading out to hike Nkhoma Mountain this Saturday morning as a team building exercise. I think it's a great idea and a great way to get the kids out of the school setting. She'll leave early saturday morning at 9.

We ate at Pensacola Spur last night and this may be the last time you read those two words together on this blog.. It was without a doubt the worst dining experience I've had in a long time. First of all, they didn't have any beer.. I'll spare you the rest.. We all felt ill afterwards( that skyline chili feeling, but instead of feeling awful but happy you had skyline, you just feel awful)..  Not much else to say except that other than the van situation.. things are good. We are still getting pulled over at least 4 times a week for nothing in particular, there are still mice on a stick being sold on the street corner, and the weather is still amazingly beautiful.  

on the doorstep of my classroom

School begins

Native Americans would not be proud of this establishment

Lake of Stars music festival this weekend..

Huge Music Festival in country this weekend.. apparently it is one of the best on this continent.. I was thinking initially we'd try to go to it , but it may just be way too much for us.. If it was me and Michelle I'd say we'd be there.. but not knowing the country all that well and the overall makeup of the festival.. I think we'll have to skip. It is called the Lake of Stars Music Festival and it takes place on the lake. it's a 3 day event and it looks fantastic..  Here's a link if you want to check it out

http://www.lakeofstars.org 

Instead, I thought I'd give you a taste of the local radio stations instead.. This is what you'll hear if you turn the dial on a afternoon in Lilongwe.  Aside from Malawian music, you get a great mix of predominantly 80's music thrown in..

No one is ill today in our home, but I received a call from Rabina this morning saying she was feeling ill today and was taking the day off. So now we've successfully infected another family.
No word yet on our van, so we continue to limp along with one vehicle. Michelle walked to work this morning, you can imagine how she sticks out like a sore thumb as she walks through town..
Tonight we head out to eat!!!! There's a South African chain of restaurants that likes to take it's names from various Native American tribes/ places.... In Botswana, we ate at "Apache Spur", while here we will be eating at the "Pensacola Spur".... no idea what that is all about, but it's like the TGIF's of Southern Africa.... they offer burgers, beer and the infamous "monkey gland sauce"(still haven't tried it). It's an awesome place if you have little kids.. the have staff who will play with your kids while you eat... We ate there at least once a week while in Botswana.
Tonight is KIDS EAT FREE!.. so we'll take advantage.

Other than that, all is good here..I snuck in a swim during my break this morning, and it felt great to get in some physical activity during the day. You either work out  at 430 in the morning, or you don't at all due to the fact that it gets dark here around 530.. I haven't been able to muster up the energy to get up that early.  Kids have soccer games today, and Kate will have her first big match next Tuesday. Swimming has kicked in and we will be busy for a while.. I really think this is the most physical activity my kids have seen.. they are exhausted by 5 and asleep by 8 or 830... We watched the Simpsons last night (they have them on 2x in a row from 7-8.. yeah, we get FOX here. Michelle is on call all weekend at the hospital... Thinking of taking the kids on an overnight near the city.. there are some really great places to visit between 1-2 hours outside of the city.. might head here for the night..

http://www.ntchisiforestlodge.com ... all for now, hope all is well at home.

Power outage

Local boys on the beach

Mom's birthday, more illness = another day at home.

Today is my mom's birthday.. She would have been 77 today. I am the worst at remembering birthdays and I was on Facebook briefly today, when a birthday notice came up that Patricia Finneran Eckerle's birthday was today... I don't whether I am sad or happy that Facebook notified me of my mom's birthday.  I will toast her at around 5 pm today with a good old Gin and Tonic.. Join me if you'd like.. it'll be 11 am your time.  She was a wonderful person and I miss her everyday.

Everything here is good except for the fact that Maura now has the bug.. Her and Michelle got the intestinal virus, but not accompanied with a serious temperature... so that is good.

the kids got all of their swim gear yesterday at school and I have to say, we may be over our heads.. The kids got new caps, suits, shorts and sweatsuits.. Kate got the coolest suit I've ever seen with a giant sun on it and the flag of Malawi. Practice starts today.

We are camped in the living room sorting bills, scanning receipts and watching 80's music videos on VHI Classic... Currently playing is "modern Love" by David Bowie.. love that song.

Michelle's work is very busy but going in the right direction.. She is being pulled in multiple directions by the hospital and her current research project. She is putting in long hours but doing well. I'll have to have her write about her experiences when she gets a chance.

Ok, all for now.. sorry for the dull post.. Maybe we are getting settled?
Photos include my mom and dad, A giant Baobab tree on the way to the lake, Malawian gin and a huge katydid on our door last evening

Monday

Our kids were up and ready to tackle the day today. I couldn't believe it. When we got to school they were cracking jokes, running around, laughing and screaming.. I had no idea what came over them. I realized that this is probably finally starting to feel normal for them. The days will begin to get very busy for them.. which is nice. The three little ones will have soccer practice 2 days a week and swimming 3 days a week.. Kate will have soccer 3 days a week and swimming 4 days a week.. Everything is finished by 4:30... the sun sets at 530 and the evenings are ours.. This city shuts down at dark.. there is nothing going on after sundown.. Of course, you can go out to eat, grab a drink, etc.. but the hustle and bustle of the day is over.

I have picked up the kids swim gear for the year... includes caps, suit and sweatsuit, etc.. it is serious here.. and expensive.

Yesterday we had a wonderful lunch at a friends' home, which was fantastic for the kids.. Their yard was just a big as ours, but included a trampoline and a pool.. plus loads of toys.. I love the layouts of many of the homes here.. they are very open and well landscaped.. Most homes feel like beach homes... a good sense of bringing the "outside- in"..

Not much else to report today.. I had the girls help me with laundry yesterday. Since we don't have a washing machine, hand washing is the way to go... The photo is our version of the spin cycle... the girls then helped pin up the clothing to dry.. I miss my washer/ dryer and my dishwasher, but it was fun to hang laundry... Reminded me of my mom and helping her put up clothes.

Several people were asking about how to send us mail/ packages, etc...  there are two ways I know of currently that may be the best..  Cincinnati Children's Hospital has a P.o. box as well, but I can't seem to get the key to work..

1. DHL- this is the most efficient, but the most expensive.. I have been advised that you ship the stuff from a DHL office in the U.S. with specific instructions for the office here in Lilongwe once it arrives here.. They will call our cell phone number (which you can get from us if you want it, and I will pick it up).

2. You can send it to
ABC Christian Academy
ATTN: ANDREW ECKERLE, ART TEACHER
P.O. Box 1028
Lilongwe, Malawi

the problem with this method is that it does take a while,  but is the cheapest.. But they will inform us  that there is a package available for us to pick up by sending a very small receipt slip. It can get lost, etc. and then there's no way to receive the package.. But, it will save some money and the trip to the post office to retrieve the package makes for a great blog post.. Those were some of the best trips into town while living in Botswana..

My cell phone number here is +265 0994081569.... Michelle's number is +265 0993367993
we can receive Skype over our cell phone number.. I think that is all for now today..  We love to hear from everyone..
All for today... My planning period is almost finished here at school.

Hope all is well at home.

P.O. Boxes

spin cycle

Lazy weekend.

    One thing I knew for sure when we found out we were moving here was that the weekends would be different than the ones at home.. There is not much to do here, so there's alot of together time for the family. This is a great thing , but it can also be tough. I think the weekends are wonderful here, but they can make you homesick.. Our kids were able to speak to friends last night, some were really happy and some were in tears.. These first couple months will be tough until we can establish a pattern and maybe get in a safari.. The kids keep asking about safaris and think we can hop in our car and make a left and we'll be there.. It takes an hour or so to get to a legitimate safari site.  

    Yesterday everyone was up early.. It was crazy. everyone was up around 7 and up to a variety of things.. Michelle and I exercised and around 11 we headed to a local international school for a dog show... It was hot, dusty and loud.. the kids took some local sights, grabbed lunch and pet a few dogs. We decided that if we get another dog in my lifetime, we ll go with the Rhodesian Ridgeback.

After the dog show, we headed back home. Wiped out by the sun, everyone laid around for an hour.. Jude immersed himself with Legos while the rest of us took it easy.. The sun will totally zap you of all energy here.. The girls and I set up a volley ball/ bad mitten net, then I proceeded to watch them argue over who was winning/ who was playing/ where the boundaries were, etc.. some things never change.. 

    Then we headed to the Sanctuary Lodge (local hotel) to take a dip in their pool. The water was too cold to swim, so the kids lounged around with mom and dad.. It was a beautiful place and sits right next to the Wildlife sanctuary... The guide book for Malawi states to never stay out too late at the Sanctuary lodge because many inebriated locals have been eaten by hyenas that are in and around the area.. We left at sundown.. While at the lodge, the kids managed to chase away a Duiker(look it up, african antelope) , jump on a trampoline and Kate had a following of local Malawian boys interested in her hair(she's going to get that here). Some of the girls in Kate's class told her they loved her hair and asked her to cut it off and make weaves for them..  She could make some serious cash. The evening involved Michelle and I going to an Ethiopian restaurant to celebrate a birthday for one of Michelle's co-workers, and then a movie with the kids. 

    I learned that Ill need to be patient with my kids as we live here.. they may not find it all that easy to enjoy the lazy days of the weekends here, as it will be tough to keep their minds off of what they are missing at home.. But, we'll need to have a sympathetic ear, and maybe a few soft drinks around the house to lessen the blow. 

Today is about the same. We are planning to go to a family's house for a Braai, but Michelle may have caught what I had earlier this week.. We'll see.  

The photos.. a small portion of our back yard... the kids eating lunch at the dog show(the beef burgers here are awesome), trampoline time and Cam and Joseph.. Joseph has the bright orange shirt on and Cam is the shorter man.. Ill have to grab a photo with Cosmas and Rabina as well. 

All for now.. Missed the annual gold outing and the first night of bowling back home.. Im hoping Lilongwe constructs a bowling alley soon.. Have a good Sunday at home. 

Keep your fingers crossed as we try to resolve the van issue.. The mechanic I am working with is shopping around for us for another vehicle, while also possibly finding a replacement part for our van.. Either way, I hope to have wheels in the next week or so. I just hope it all works out and I can salvage some of the money we have sunk into it already. 

happy friday

It's getting hot.. and we are only in September. We have no air conditioning at school or at home.. fortunately we have access to many , many swimming pools.. In Lilongwe, there are of course, no swim clubs or a Coney Island.. But you can pay about 1$ per person and enjoy the comforts of a nice hotel pool. Also, as mentioned, ABC school has one we can access any day.  The heat here is oppressive.. as Matthew Broderick says in Biloxi Blues.. "It's Africa hot!"... and we just started spring. I have been here since the beginning of August and have not seen a rain drop..  The temperatures don't appear to be bad, but the sun is so bright, there's no clouds in the sky, etc. You will see several people huddled under one tree to escape the sun.

Kate may turn into a muscle machine after this year.. She is practicing soccer three days a week and swimming at least an hour a day for 4 days a week.. they are putting her through some serious workouts.

I was able to step out of class today and catch Maura lead Jude in a dance during chapel here.. they go once a week to chapel, so I was invited to check it out.. Video is below. .

The saga of our van...... Well, we are screwed.. that's it.. But I am working with a reliable guy who has advised me to... sell my van "as is" and purchase a new one.. or replace the gear box with a new one... which will cost about 1500$.... Michelle and I are shopping both options. Mario Real is the guy I am working with now, and he is a family friend of the interim principal of the school. If you are ever in Lilongwe and need work on a car.. I would recommend him. He's great and is very honest. He deals with the ex-pat community, puts buyers in touch with sellers, handles the cars himself, and helps make the deal. In return, he hopes you 'll patronize his garage and then use him to sell your car when you leave. He's had a business here for 28 years..We may splurge, buy a sweet African style vehicle and have a reliable car for our time here.. then have him sell it when we leave..  We realized last weekend that it is probably important to have a all terrain vehicle.. alot of the places to go and see this beautiful country are either on dirt or sand.. When the rainy season comes, it may be rough to get to in a van.

We have several people working to sell the van for us, and the good thing is, is that the van is not yet in our name... so , if need be, I could just walk away from this debacle if I wanted with no strings attached.. just losing a significant amount of money.. Mario told me he sees this happen all the time to foreigners and said it's difficult for ex- pats to find a quality car, etc. ..without strings attached. I have learned my lesson. Ok, no plans at the Eckerle Malawi Abode this evening, but we have to go to the Lilongwe SPCA dog show tomorrow from 9-1 pm ... it should be awesome .. With nothing else in the whole city going on , this should be the social highlight of the weekend... maybe the month!. full bar and food starting at 9am.. gotta like it..

All for now. Happy friday!

Michelle finds yoga, beer festival, and getting back on track

Going to head into work later today.. Want to make sure i can hold down some toast, make sure all the pipes are clean and no leakage will occur(know what I'm saying?). but I slept well and the pain and aches have diminished. While on the mend i have been reading "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" an Indian History of the American West..  It is a rollicking tale about how our forefathers destroyed the lives of all Native Americans in this country.... Makes you feel very proud of your ancestry.. It is an excellent book, but one I wouldn't recommend if you're looking for a pick me up..  Some great stories. I am making a list of places to visit out west. 

On the other side of the ocean, Michelle found a lodge that offers free yoga classes. She went last night and said it was the only yoga class she's ever been to that mentioned "security lights" in the mediation segment.. The instructor told them to (and I'm paraphrasing ).. " rise above your body, float over the city, notice the home security lights on, the night watchman hovering over their fires".. she thought it was strange. Michelle also said there were no African woman in the group. She noticed as they were doing headstands, a bunch of Malawian women standing in the doorway laughing at them.I asked why she thought no African women did yoga,   she said, "because they don't need to" . They have perfect posture from walking all day with objects on their head , and they don't stress over silly things like we do. Their outlook on life is different than ours and don't need  to make time to have out of body experiences... Plus, their too busy collecting firewood, stacking it on their head , making dinner while carrying a young child on their back.

On October 25th, a beer festival hits town.. I have no idea what this will mean, but I have it on my calendar.. As a bit of beer snob, this is exciting.. There is one choice of beer here.. Carlsberg.. There are three choices of different Calrsbergs.. Green, Chill or Stout.... all of them are average.. better than some of the light beers at home, but not an Oberon. Anyway, there will be home-brews there and food stalls.. I"m not going to get my hopes up, but this could be a good day.. What are the chances that Madtree or Christian Moerlein will have a booth? 

Kids are doing great and enjoying school. They are required to learn bible verses and this is becoming somewhat of a challenge for some of the kids... Hopefully they'll learn how to cope. The little ones had soccer games yesterday.. Jude lost 2-1 , Maura's team won over Franny's team 2-1.. 

Side note.. someone just drove down my street at 7am pumping Miley Cyrus.. 

Ok, all for now.

 Photos attached are Jude's soccer team( silly face mode),  A drawing from Maura's African journal (awesome) and a great sign hanging up in the administrative offices at school.. 

still stuck in bed...

last night I thought for sure I was getting better. I remember emailing a few people saying yes I would be back to work and feeling good! But I was wrong.. I thought I could eat,... i did eat... but that just put me back on the path to the bathroom.  Honestly I think I have lost 20 pounds since arriving here.. We call it "the African diet".  Nothing taste right, nothing is right, and things are their actual size here.... so you eat less or get sick and eat nothing at all except drink coke and suck on "now and laters"...
What's great is how Michelle is prepared for this... Last night as I started to feel ill again, she gave me  medication for a infection that she said I should be on for the next five days... I took it...As I was sitting on the toilet, she came in and said.."take this... it's for diarrhea "... as I was hugging the toilet later she said .... " take this, it's for vomitting." thanks honey..

We have to religiously take our malaria meds and that is an easy one to remember to take. Upon arrival we spoke to the kids about a few important rules while here in Malawi.

1. don't drink the water, and don't use the water for things that go in your mouth (toothbrushes, etc)
2. be careful where you walk... there are holes everywhere.. michelle and I were walking the other day into a store and there was a giant hole in the concrete that I could have easily fallen into..(lawsuit waiting to happen back home)
3. take your pill everyday... this point was mostly for our daughter Frances who abhors taking medicine and the first night she put up a huge fight... when we looked her in the eye and told her how important it was to take medicine, she's bucked up and takes it every night.. Is it bad to tell your kids honestly that if you don't take your pill, you could get malaria , get very sick and potentially die???
In this case, I thought it was a good source of motivation and we haven't had an issue since... she's actually done a complete 360 and is the first to ask to take the pill.

kids have a soccer game today after school and Kate has swimming tip 4:30.. michelle and I are contemplating taking Argentinian tango lessons(of all things) at some place in town and need to focus on exercising.. it is hard here..
We are finding out that there are quite a few nice things to do here in town on the weekend... there's a place called "harry's bar" that is kid friendly, plays kids movies on a big screen outside on saturday nights... and on friday nights has a viewing of classic rock concerts on the big screen.. this weekend is  "AC/DC live at Donnignton"..  it's the little things that make it ok here..

Cutltural note..... BIKES....... they are the key to employment here.. at least that's what I gather.. It was said in Botswana that if you had a wheelbarrow you could get a job.. here, if you have a bike, you can get a job... Bikes are used for mobility and as a wheelbarrow. On sunday I met with Cam and Rabina (they take care of our home)... we are helping them buy a plot of land to build their own home.. she took me to her home village which was bustling with activity.. shops, bars, etc.. when I was leaving their home, Cam told her to drive back with me to the main road.. he was concerned I would get hassled driving down the main road by myself.. since I am white.. She agreed and told me it was no problem.. she'd just grab a bike ride back home.. guys charge 100 kwacha for a bike ride (25cents) and they have padded seats on the back of them.. the bikes here are amazing... they are rigged with shelves, flatbeds, everything.. they are used to transport all kinds of items and the little the street when you drive anywhere..

Ok.. i think that is all for now... another beautiful , breezy, sunny warm day in Africa.. as seen from my bed.. hope all is well at home.

bike taxi

bike for hauling goods.. in this case a chicken coupe

my view today

stuck in bed

Not much to report yet today.. I am staying home from school.. I feel like a train wreck, but getting better.. I hope to be back on track tomorrow.. I have not been sick in probably 2 years... and an African illness is awful... Plus there's that worry that it might be something serious that could really lay you up for a while. Thanks to my sister who sent about 80 movies over, I hope to watch a few this morning... We found a store the other day that was selling diet cokes, so I should be set this morning.. There's a great little shop up the road from us where we buy our jugs of water and bread.. they also have a good supply of American candy.. Yes, you guessed it... it's a 7/11..

 I am learning to be more African in my waiting in line.. I have learned that there really is no line.. and you have to just push up and demand help.. it's the way here.. I have spent many hours cursing under my breath as people cut line, go right past me and get service, as I stand there with arms folded and steam coming out of my ears.  I went to the cable company again yesterday to see about our service.. On Thursday of last week I prepaid for 3 months service so I could use my VISA card as opposed to cash.. Well, it all went down without a hitch except that the whole weekend the cable was out.. I went in yesterday, the kids were dancing off on the side of the store , and waited, waited ,waited.. then pushed ahead and demanded service.. the guy looked at me if I was crazy, consulted another employee and told me that the reason my cable didn't work is because they don't process credit cards over the weekend.... AH!!!. I see..  I asked if I should come in on a Wednesday next time I want to pay with a credit card, he said a monday or tuesday would be better.

Yesterday since we are down to one car, I went to drop Michelle off at the hospital where she is . it is call Kamuzu Central Hospital... Maybe she should put up a post regarding work.. It was surreal and I really wasn't expecting it... As we were dropping her off there was a family of Malawians following a hospital worker who was pushing a flat bed looking crate across the parking lot.. there was a white sheet over a small object, and Michelle informed me that they had just lost a child..

I guess I shouldn't complain about my illness.

I don't have any photos yet today, but I stumbled upon this gem.. it'll give you a sense of the language here while also offering a little comic relief.. It is a video of Malawian standup comedy.. by none other than Mr. Jokes... ( I love mr. Jokes).. what I love most about this video is the laugh track..
Ok, off to watch a movie, puke my brains out and moan and groan..

 mr. jokes

Sick..

Ill keep this post short and sweet as I am under the weather today.. My initial concern is of course.. malaria.. but I think we 'll think that anytime one of us is ill.. Made it through school today, Michelle picked us up and I have been on the couch the past hour .. got to catch the last 30 minutes of the "Blues Brothers" and a half hour of Looney Tunes.. sometimes it pays to be in a place that is 20 years behind everyone else.
Other sickening news... the van we purchased I took to a reputable mechanic (who was recommended after the fact) and he stated that I should sell the van I just bought "as is" and hope to break even.. it has serious issues and he doesn't think it ll be worth fixing.. I am in a serious pickle.. We have to sort this one out ... Others have stated that we could potentially take it to another mechanic who knows this type of vehicle.. so we have to figure out what to do.. Im not sure what the right thing to do is here and I totally and completely regret ever getting into this situation.. I have a vehicle with a beautiful roof rack that I am being told I shouldn't drive... I've had it for 2 weeks....  I have learned my lesson.. What seemed to be too good to be true is in fact just that..

Oh well.. on a good note.. the kids are doing well and had a nice day at school.. Here's a photograph of Frances making flowers at school.. Hope all is well at home. Hopefully Ill be back on track tomorrow. Also attached is a picture of a boat being towed in by a giant John Deere tractor.. Each boat that needed to be brought in or put out during the day was done by this man and his tractor.. kind of cool

First Family outing..

Happy Sunday back home. We are wrapping ours up this evening.. I am sitting at the desk listening to locals drum outside.. pretty far off in the distance but still very nice.. My stomach is feeling a little tight right now, and I 'm hoping it will pass. Hopefully i didn't eat something to make me sick.

We took the kids to Senga Bay yesterday and got back about 3 pm this afternoon..
Senga Bay is about 2 hours drive from Lilongwe and goes through some beautiful country .. Lots of hills, lots of villages, lots of real Africa. The kids had an enjoyable drive to the lake.. I am sharing a slideshow and most of the photos were taken by Maura and Kate.. Thought they were worthwhile to share..

Anyway, due to the fact that there are no road signs, no nothing , you have to take down directions from people the old fashioned way... write them down.. We got lost, drove through miles of sand in a little hatchback, drove through the middle of tiny villages only to make it to our destination about 1 hour late.. When we arrived I think we were all very happy .. The place was gorgeous and the accommodations (at 30$ for a lake front room with a pool and  a bar ) was awesome... There was no power the whole day, so as the sun set , the candles came on. The lake itself is gorgeous and looks like the ocean.. The kids played all day and we played scrabble in the evening..  Instead of grilling here, it is a called "braaing"  .. and it's a big deal.. there was a community braai set up and everyone just through the meat and vegetables on the braai and stood around in darkness drinking beer by the lake.. not a bad way to spend the evening... shortly after the braaing started, the electricity came back on.. which meant lights, water, cold drinks... life was good.  All in all it was a great trip to the lake and we plan to head up there at least once a month.. the drive wasn't bad and honestly , there's nothing else to do...

Even though the lake was wonderful, I think some homesickness crept through this afternoon. For all of us.. On the way home, we stopped at a gas station and they had Pringles.. I splurged and bought the 4$ container which lasted about 2 minutes.. The kids are doing great, but you could sense a bit of a cloud over the lot of them this evening. .. Below is a video of the lake front and a slideshow.. Again, most of the photos were taken by the kids... Check out the baobab trees that scattered the landscape as you head eastward.. they are of another world...  Also for a laugh is my photo with a woman who gave me a free Carlsberg Tshirt on friday.. I walked out with a crate of beer and she was doing some type of giveaway.. she said I had bought the most beer of anyone at the grocery that day, so I deserved a free tshirt... I didn't argue..

friday here too!!!

The weekend is upon us. Kids have survived their first four days of school and haven't cursed our name yet for moving them 8000 miles away from everything they know.. I was able to teach Maura, Jude and Frances today for the first time and have to admit, they are perfect.  They sat and worked diligently for the whole class period and probably had the most creative pieces of artwork I have  ever seen.. I'm a bit partial.  In all honesty, they were good. We are at that age where they will still hug you and give you a kiss in front of their classmates without a hitch.. Kate's a different story.

Our van------- oh how much fun this is!!! After having the window busted out the other day, I was driving it yesterday and it started to sound as if it was stuck in low gear. Not sure what the problem is, but taking it to get looked at this afternoon. Waiting in line for 40 minutes to pay my cable bill , plus the problem with the van pushed me over the edge yesterday.. I let my guard down for about an hour and finally shed a few tears  for about five minutes.. Malawi 1- Me 0.. I just wanted things to go smoothly.. I kept my cool with everything else.. but yesterday made me miss normalcy..  It's good to have family here.. Michelle came home, I told her my state of mind and she talked me back up..  She's great that way.
You reach breaking points every once in a while, and for some reason I hit mine .. that was the first time since I've been here..  You sometimes wonder if you have to psyche yourself up for this place..
No , it's great waiting in line forever !!! it's great that the power goes out!! it's great that the Wii almost burst into flames the other day when I plugged it in (even though it was on a power converter and surge protector (this is true).... the Wii is dead now.., it's great that the water quality is poor and you can't take a reliable shower.. All those simple things in the US are not here and yesterday my enthusiasm for this place hit a wall... But, nothing a few minutes of solace, grilling some chicken and a cold beer can't fix. It is nice here and I do enjoy it..I sat outside, watched the sun go down,  assessed the situation, listened to my wife and realized this stuff isn't really a big deal.  But man it can be trying when you're used to life at home.

We are going to try to head to the lake tomorrow but not sure for how long.. We had a place rented , but may have to break the reservation due to the fact that we don't have our van.. but We may give it a shot.. We have to drive through sand and i'm not really sure where we are headed.. but we have nothing else to do and these are the reasons you come to places like this. Have to take advantage of the opportunities.. As many people have said.. if you get stuck, there will be plenty of locals willing to help you get out (for a small fee).

One last note.. the kids made the swim team.. Kate made the "A" team while the little ones made the "b" team.. practice is 4 days a week.. I have to commend Kate again.. I don't think she necessarily wants to swim, but she realizes its an opportunity to be active and social... They have several "galas"dduring the year and potentially some travel.. Apparently there is a big meet here later in the year vs. teams from Tanzania and Zambia..

Picture of the day is a photo of your standard Malawian broom.. I think it similar to most in this part of the world.. Our gardener Cam uses it to gather leaves and the rake the dirt..  Most gardeners routinely rake the dirt to make it looked manicured.. It's very good looking, especially when there is no grass to be seen.

A little sense of normal.

Nothing very exciting to post today, which I will think is a good thing... Seems like things are settling down.

I have to brag on my children though.. they are making this transition very easy. Kate , after being moved away from all of her great friends and an excellent school continues to amaze me in her ability to deal with adverse situations.. This situation I know is not easy for her, but she is coping very, very well. I'm sure there will be some difficult times ahead as the school year continues, but these first three days have been very good. Her horse riding lesson the other day was a bit rough as it was very different from home.. She was visibly upset, did not like the way her instructor talked to the men who were working with her, but pulled it together and in the end. After settling herself down, she took a deep breath and said she'd think about whether or not she would want to continue taking lesson from this particular stable.  The twins and Maura are doing well. I am able to see the playground from my classroom and I notice them playing with groups of peers throughout the day. Jude apparently had 3 dance offs in his classroom yesterday, so I guess he'll be fine. 

One of the very fortunate things that have happened for us here that is different from our last experience in Botswana, are the contacts we have made through the school. People have been so willing to make calls for us,  make suggestions, name drop, etc... We are planning to go to the lake on Saturday and I had several people put me in contact with owners of cottages,etc at the lake.. A gentleman at the school called several people and found a place for 30$, on the lake with a pool(many of the hotels are at least 150$ per night).. he told the owner of the cottage that we were Americans, but had lived in Africa before.... so we know what to expect.. 

The kids are trying out for the swim team today, and Kate has soccer after school... Everything here happens after school. We are done with sports, extracurricular stuff everyday by 3:30.. I love this about Africa.. no practices at night, no carting around to different places... no games on Saturday or Sunday.. This takes alot of the pressure off me and Michelle as we are notoriously late to any sporting event at home... This type of schedule allows every night to be a family night.. what a novel idea!!

 It appears some of my little errands that caused so much grief prior to the arrival of my family , are complete and I don't have much else to do except report on the kids. I promise for some comedy relief soon.. My light bulbs just have to burn out so I can go searching again.. We are still driving around without a window on the right side, but Jude seems to enjoy it. I stole some photos from Maura's ipod today, so enjoy.. they are a few pictures from the plane ride.. the other two photos are ... Joseph are night watchman making Ntsima in our backyard (a staple Malawian meal)... He is doing this in our yard while 10 yards away I am grilling a giant chicken..  the other photo is the kids swinging in a beautiful african yard outside of town .. this was where Kate had her horse lesson..  

I do have to go pay our cable bill and our internet bill... so stay tuned...  Hope all is well at home.. 

adjusting... all in good time

Well, we pushed our kids to the limit yesterday and I think everyone did really well.. All the kids really enjoyed their first day (even Kate) and I think the school will be a good fit for the kids.. The difference between here and there is probably just the vast space the kids have here. Things are organized and run very similar to home, but the atmosphere is different. This is a campus and there are places for the kids to play , run around and be social.. On that front, it is better..  On the other hand, a place like this is probably tough to be in for a long period of time.. people here are transient.. good friends leave after a year or two, and I hear students talk about that alot.. It has to be tough to go to school here for a long period of time, always seeing friends go back home.. It isn't like home where you know everyone... which is a great thing about home.

Kids were up and at them today (except Kate who had a very difficult time sleeping last night) and back at school today.. We have a day of soccer practice , an open house night amongst other things.. It wouldn't feel so busy if the city didn't shut down at dark.. We have to get items from the store and it is tough to do when everything closes immediately at 4:30 or 6. You don't really want to be doing too much traveling around after dark.. driving as stated earlier,, is a disaster.

Attached are our African mini-van(with animal viewing roof rack!) , a group of weaver bird nests (notice how they are upside down).. and a random photo of a local hardware store.( hard to find exactly what you need anywhere around here).. all for today...

We hope to go to the lake this weekend.. probably will head back to Senga Bay.. I'm sure all of you will be waiting anxiously to find out whether or not that happens.. don't worry, Ill let you know.

Local hardware store

Mini van!!! missing window but a sweet roof rack!!

First day of school

Well, I'm not sure how rested the kids are for the first day, but they've been out of school too long.. so we thought it best to jump in feet first. Up and getting dressed at 545, out the door at 645.

 Maura probably slept 45 minutes last night and was in and out of our bed for most of the night..Kate didn't sleep well and Jude said he "probably slept for 3 hours". Franny was the only one that jumped out of bed and was ready to tackle the day.. she urged Jude to get up, got his belt for him , ate, brushed her teeth and put on her backpack and was ready to go.. Amazing. They all had cereal they hated, a "jungle bar", hard boiled eggs and bananas for breakfast.. Too much information??

The kids have been great so far.. I know this is a tough transition for them... And even though everything seems so strange, they are rolling with the punches.. On the way to school today they marveled at the amount of things people can pack on their bikes and all the little children walking to school. It was of course, a gorgeous and breezy day... Kate has horse riding lessons right after school as well, so we'll see how that goes... other than that, not much to report.. Thanks to Mike Delaney for handling the selling of our car!! we really appreciate the help.. I owe you. Lots to do and manage as the kids begin their new adventure.. I have Kate for art in a few hours, so Ill be able to see how she is coping.. All for now.. have students coming in the door in a few minutes.

early rise... sleeping under nets

First day!! at our home with Foxy

everyone here!!

Michelle and the kids are here...  everything went smooth.. no snags to the arrival. took forever for them to get their bags sorted, but everything was here and went without a hitch.. We are hoping to have them assessed and in school tomorrow.. we'll see if it works out.. Michelle and the kids will be coming to school this morning to get their uniforms and gear .. so at least they can wear their uniforms, but not attend school.

A few quick photos.. the airport here has a viewing area.. You pay about 75 cents to get in, then of course there is a bar and a patio where you can watch the airplanes land.. It was kind of fun having a beer and watching my family land right before my eyes.. they have about 6 flights a day arrive form different areas, so there isn't really that much activity..

That is all for now... Lots to do and get work on the next few days. Hope all is well at home.

Watching the plane arrive at Songwe Bar

Back Porch

 

Michelle and the kids have landed in South Africa and..... the saga continues

Got a Skype video call from Michelle and the kids.. By the time you read this at home, they should be in Malawi.. Sounds like the flight was great and the kids were well behaved.. I remember the last time we made this trek, the twins were a year and half, Maura was two and a half and Kate and Jacob were much younger as well. We flew standby and were scattered all over the plane.

I am supposed to pick up my van this morning to go and pick up the family at the airport.. I received a text at 630 am  that stated there was an accident with the car. A gentleman at the school was putting a roof rack on the van for me, and apparently shattered the back right window.. It's totally gone and glass was everywhere. I think I was visibly upset when I went to assess the damage.. As stated many times, things never go like you think they will.. So, I am without a van as that has to be fixed.. The thing is, I don't know who is supposed to pay for this... At home, it's a no brainer.  I have this sick feeling that the only person that can pay for it is me.  Lots of headaches.

On a good note, I went to town center yesterday to pick up a few items and stumbled on some traditional malawian dancing.. Here's a video of the band playing.. They have makeshift guitars and bass.. The video does not do the music justice.. it was great to see.

All for now today as I gain my composure and look forward to reuniting with my family
Here are a few more photos from yesterday..  The bread aisle at the grocery store.. and here's how you buy  bulk beer and soda...they still use the old bring in your bottles and crates for a refund routine (which I love)....