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