Kate as Hamlet

I'm 100% sure Kate doesn't want me to post these photos, but I don't really care..I am very proud of this 13 year old. She participated in a Shakespeare seminar that was put on by the husband of one of the residents that came to visit us. John , who works for the Shakepeare company back home put on a two + week seminar for the kids grade 5-9.. Kate was one of 3 older students that participated... She did great with her part as Hamlet and with her monologue. But I think she did it last night with a heavy heart as all of her classmates from St. Thomas back home celebrated their 8th grade graduation.. She wanted to be there... But, she handled it more maturely than I probably would have at her age.. She has been a gem . And she is ready to to be done with our African adventure and see
her friends and take on high school.  We did celebrate her performance with some Noble China.. which was good. If there was one uncertainty about this year, it was how Kate would handle being here and missing her 8th grade year.. She has taken the year by the reigns and fully embraced her time here.... She must get her positive attitude and sunny disposition from her father.

One of my top 5 things I'll miss here is the sunsets. I've said it before, but they are amazing.. everyday at about 4:45 the light changes, and continues to change until about 6 whrn the sun has completely vanished from the sky.. Here's the clouds above my head as I was loading groceries into my truck.

The photo above is of the morning fog... Weather here has been amazing in the morning..

2nd installment of people I will miss..


Here's Roger. He's my caddy at the golf club.. Yes I have a caddy.. Not by choice, but it's the rules of the club.. Roger accompanied me on my first round of golf back in August and has stuck with me this whole year.. He has asked that instead of tips, that I can assist him in buying maize for his family. I agreed to the deal and he has agreed to help look for my golf balls in the woods. He spends alot of time in the woods.  Roger doesn't look like your average caddy (no shoes, usually a sock hat and a Madonna or Motorhead shirt(very diverse musical taste)  and he knows his golf.. And he is patient and kind and is a scratch golfer.. that's no lie.. He's awesome. I actually think Africans make fantastic golfers.. You must be patient, you must survey and analyse , you must be willing to deal with things never go as planned and you must be willing to do something for a really, really long time..

 One day, when I was struggling to get off the tee on a par 3,  Roger grabbed my 5 iron, and said "Do you mind if I show you something? It might not be a very good shot because my arm is hurting".. He took a swing and put the ball about 10 feet from the pin..  He also tries to tell me to relax.. and recommends I find some Malawi gold to calm my nerves.. Ill let you figure out what that is..

Not much going on this weekend.. some sleepovers, a ballet production by the school and a south african braai at our home on Saturday.. Weather should cooperate as it hasn't rained since March. 

Have a great weekend back home. 

jude eats mini birds on a stick.. video for the day

Not much to report.. We have Kate's Shakespeare program this evening and will celebrate by heading out to Noble China for dinner...  One of the great things about going out to eat here at some of the restaurants is that there is room for the kids to play.. The video below is of the twins playing at the Indian Restaurant down the street from our home..  Thought I'd give you a taste of what the kids do while we try and eat.. It's actually kind of nice.. The one thing you don't see in the video is Maura falling asleep at the dinner table.  Oh, and the Keyboardist at the restaurant playing Phil Collins, Billy Ocean and a beautiful Reggae version of Lionel Ritchie's "Hello"..  They love Billy Ocean here..

As our time here comes to an end , I hope to start a series of snapshots of people who have made a difference in our lives here.. Hopefully I can get some of them to agree to a photo.. Below is the first installment.. It is of our vegetable bagger at our local grocery store.. Not sure of her name, but she always greets us with a smile and a hello.. I was fortunate to get this photo of her sporting some patriotism on Memorial Day.. Actually, I'd like to get a photo of all the women at the grocery store.. They think we are nuts because we spend so much money there every week, but they only talk bad about us in Chichewa, so it's ok.. The other photo is of Jude and his after school snack.. mini birds on a stick.. we were trying to get mice on a stick, but they were "finished". 

Ok, all for now.. 

"I want you to know me"

guess what?!?!?! it's sunny and 75 degrees today in Malawi! There are few clouds in the sky though, which is strange.

Michelle had the opportunity to walk home from work last night and loves the fact that she stands out like a sore thumb on the 25 minutes walk from the hospital to our home.. The Malawian gentlemen she encounters on the walk like to introduce themselves to her ... One of the best lines she got yesterday was "I want you to know me." Im not sure if this is exactly what they meant, but what a great pick up line.

On Monday we had a door put in for the guards.. they sleep outside every night in a small shed that has no door.. It is getting cold and they are constantly getting bitten by mosquitos.. Joseph had malaria just las week and that is what prompted the construction of the door.. I'm not sure why we didn't think about this a long time ago..
Anyway, I had Kam go out and get a quote for a door.. A man in the village built us a screen door for about 30$. Kam and Cosmas installed it, patched the outer frame with concrete and it is complete.. Total cost of the project was around 50$ .
When we wanted to get a quote for a door (well, whenever we need something done around the house) Kam always steps in and says, "it is better if I get the price".. Meaning, you are white and a foreigner, and your quote will be twice as high as what they tell me...

You wouldn't believe how happy Joseph and Cosmas are about the door.. they can't believe it.. Such a simple luxury, and now, as Cosmas puts it, "The mosquitos won't know where to go". Be thankful for your doors.

Kate has been participating in a Shakespearian workshop over the past few weeks and will be performing in a production tomorrow night.. She plays the part of Hamlet and also has a short monologue... Kind of cool

All for now... Things are quickly wrapping up here at school and it is kind of exciting.. The kids are ready to be finished with school..

Photos are from the market in the centre of town as well as a bicycle parked outside of KCH hospital . The door on the left is the one Michelle goes into each day for work.. other photo is me and Michelle at the house.. taken a while ago.. This will be our debut album cover.. The LP will included our first #1 hit entitled "I want you to know me"... not to be confused with Cheap Tricks "I want you to want me."

Hump day is upon us. Let's hope the reds can make it two in a row!

Stamp for the library?? And getting pulled over AGAIN!

A nice weekend here in Lilongwe. It appears this is the season for goodbyes as people prep to leave and go back home. We went to a goodbye party for a couple from the US on Saturday night.  When you hear people talking about leaving, the sentiment is about the same.. ' Yeah I am excited to back home, but I/we enjoy it here. Ill miss it.  The pace of life and the people are great.'  

Michelle and I were able to stream David Letterman's last show and it was probably the best thing we've watched in months. My dad was a huge Letterman fan and it brought back alot of great memories.. It was also kind of sad.. it made me realise I am officially old and it made me realise that that kind of show, that type of format is now gone. Late night talk shows as I knew them when I was younger are done. And now I officially sound old in stating this fact. Not a huge fan of the new fads in Late night talk shows..

A few posts ago, I mentioned that Cosmas wanted to join the library. He needed someone to sponsor him and that person was me.. I wrote on his document my information, etc.. Cosmas took it to the library, but the library stated they needed an official stamp from me.. Well, I don't have an official stamp so I had to have one made.. It has my name, my address and the date.. It is hand made and awesome...

MY OWN STAMP!!

Do you have your own stamp? I doubt it..  It means your somebody around here.. 

I may have a few more made.. 

On Saturday Michelle, Maura and myself went to the Chitenge cloth market.. It's in the main market area in town and is really amazing. Women are selling a ton of variety of different chitenge cloths for anout 2$ per two metres.. The fabric is beautiful and is the traditional garment that is worn here in Malawi and Zambia. Here are some photos.. The woman in the photo was the first seller we passed and she said as soon as we walked in.. "Don't forget to buy something from me before you leave. " How can you pass that up?

On the way back from our visit to the market, we were pulled over by a truckload of police officers.. They flashed their lights at us, told us to park and wait for them.. So I pulled over wondering what i possibly did wrong ... The officer with a chipped front tooth (accompanied by his co worker who was sporting a giant machine gun) said... "You were going down one way street the wrong way, that is an offence... Did you know that?" I told him I did not know.. He said "Ignorance is no excuse". It is a 10,000Kwacha fine. You must go to the office and pay there because we cannot offer you an official receipt.. .. I will take your contacts and you will pay there.. " He took my license, walked across the street to the police truck and came back.. He said, "Ok, you go there and I will give you my phone number.  We will keep your license." I said, "No, give me my license" as I needed it to drive. At this point , Michelle says "Get in the truck and we will take you with us to the office to pay the fine. " She didn't say it nicely , kind of demanded him to get in.. Michelle has learned alot this year about how to talk to people when you know you are getting bamboozled. So, he balked at her attempt and said. "That is not possible as we are rushing to another crime scene." Rushing to a crime scene? You just pulled us over ?  

So , I said.. "Ok, we've been in this country long enough to know 10,000Kwacha is not the fine.. I'll give you 5000kwa and I don't need a receipt." He said, "Ok, you can go." You gotta love it or you'll go nuts here. Now him and his co-workers can buy some lunch.

Happy Memorial Day back home.. We will grill chicken and boerwurst in honour of the holiday.. 

Eckerle Sweeep!!!!!

It's friday here and I was able to attend an awards ceremony this morning for writing awards.. The whole school was given the same assignment---- tweak a fairy tale... Spin it from another perspective.
The kids all wrote stories and each of them got the top winner in their grade.. Well, Franny and Jude tied. Maura took 4th grade and Kate took 8th grade. Not a bad way to start a friday for our kids! I know everyone says their kids are the best, but I firmly believe my kids are the best.

Quiet friday here.. Nothing else to report.. All is good.  If you'd like to see a video of the three little kids getting their awards, watch the video below. Happy friday folks!   Yes Kate is holding a cinnamon bun with white icing.. One of the many nice snacks you can get here at school.

1 soccer ball

A friend of mine (Mr. Nathan Sheets) sent over a couple soccer balls to be given  children in some local villages. I decided to go out to Mkanda village, where I have been before and know some of the children.  I took a Malawian gentleman named Prince with me who could negotiate and help "make a plan " for the ball.
One ball and lots and lots of children that want a ball =  problems.. So we met with some of the elders  and discussed how to deal with the new soccer ball. It was decided that it would be shared between two groups of children (2 different football clubs) and then given to a gentleman , who is considered the equipment manager for the teams when the ball is not in use.. The excitement about the ball was really amazing and a little concerning at the same time. If I would have gone into the village by myself and handed a ball to a bunch of children, that would have created mass chaos.

On the way back into town , we went through a police check point .. I noticed one of the officers had a gun .. it kind of looked like an old tommy gun from the olden days. I asked Prince.. "Are those things loaded?" he said.. "No, why would they be? No one here causes any problems."  And for the most part he is correct.. Malawi is very, very peaceful.

A few minutes later we hit a police checkpoint.. Prince was in the front seat with me and looking at photos on his phone.. He had  it up in front of him about eye level and it looked like he was taking a photo.. Well, taking photos of police here is illegal and the police officer at the checkpoint thought he was taking a photo of him.. From in front of the car, the officer pointed at Prince and said in a very stern and angry voice "Why are you taking photos of me! You were not permitted to take photos of me, you were advised!!!"  The officer walks over to the passenger window and asked to see his phone.. Prince looks at the officer and says.... "Why would I take a photo of you? Look at you!" Then they start cracking up.. I was about to pee my pants in fear and here are these two Malawians yucking it up at what appeared to be a serious problem. As we were driving away Prince saw a female officer and said the same thing to her .. "Why would I take a photo of you too!?!?" It is obvious that Malawian have a good sense of humour .. I regret not studying the language more than I did... but I still don't think I would have the guts to tell an officer he was not worth a photograph..

It was amazing to me how important this one soccer ball was to the community.. It was important for us to go through the proper channels and get advice from the elder gentleman and the village chief prior to handing the ball over.. Everyone met in a large group to discuss the ball and how to properly handle the situation. We wanted to stress that the ball was for the community. So, the Mkanda Football Clubs (there were 2) were advised that they schedule two separate practices. Thus, each team had their time to use the ball.  The video below is the kids about 30 seconds after I handed the ball over to them. Most soccer balls in the village are tied up plastic bags..  Plastic bags are a big deal here and nothing is thrown away as it could be used for a ball.

original soccer ball

I had promised the kids in the village a ball a few months ago.. They didn't forget because as soon as I pulled up into the middle of the village they surrounded the truck, grabbed my hands and asked for the ball... The kids stroked the hair on my arms and didn't let go of my hand for the duration of my stay. Felt kind of like a rock star... They told me I had too much hair on my arms.. I gues they are right...  The trips to the village are really wonderful.

I am piecing this together as my Nursery school kids draw rocket ships. I have a little boy in the class who asks every single class.... "Can we cut?" For a while I always said no.. But now, after seeing the joy in his face when I tell him he CAN cut, I let him regardless of the project.. He loves "to cut".. he cuts everything.. Sometimes he cuts artwork for the other kids.. whether they like it or not.

Happy hump day everyone.. Sunny and beautiful in Malawi this morning.

Me with the Mkanda Football Club and their new ball. 

Mother watching the meeting about the ball

More from the weekend

Sorry for all of the photos.. but I am having a hard time with internet and posting a slideshow is taking a long time.. For some reason , uploading all of the photos separately worked better...Needless to say, it was a great trip. .. One I think the kids will remember for a long time.

We went on two game drives and saw everything that makes up the animal kingdom except the elusive  leopard . We did see a "leopard kill" which was a dead antelope perched high in a tree . You know you have had a successful game drive when kids are uninterested in the herd of elephants that are eating  30 feet from your truck . Geoffrey our guide took us out early in the morning and in the evening . In the evening, a gentleman named Godfrey joined us as he manned the spotlight while we searched for animals in the dark . We had coffee in the morning on the edge of a river as hippos snorted in the background . In the evening , we had "sundowners " by the edge of the same river just after we saw 5 wild dogs and a pair of lions . Not a bad way to spend a few hours . At night we were surrounded by a sky full of  stars in the middle of a vast land ,filled with animals and trees and birds that I know nothing about . It was amazing . And I think the kids would agree . They are going to be a pain to go to the zoo with when we return . No one will want to accompany them as they'll constantly say "I've seen that in Africa." It'll be annoying .

I left this trip feeling very torn . Even Kate was feeling the same way . This type of place , this type of experience can only be found here . I am very lucky.. well, we are very lucky...  It is so different from anything at home.. No fences, no boundaries, no waivers to sign in case you do get attacked by a lion.. It is beautiful.

.. as we come to a close here, I realise that this part of the world is something I truly and dearly love. It's difficult to explain, but I think it is just our speed.. I think Michelle and I would agree that its a place that we can feel at home.. But, it isn't home.. and it's difficult to be here when there are so many roots in other places... And the kids are getting older, and I am getting older(and grayer) and have feelings of wanting to settle with no hassles... I don't know, I feel pulled in many different directions..  Malawi comes with hassles(I can't stream Spotify without it buffering !!). But it also comes with amazing people and new places.. and it is peaceful.  Plus, Michelle does good work here.  exhausting .. So what do you do? what do you feel? how do you adjust? how do you process this experience and move on? I'm not sure.. But I think we agree that we have no regrets about this experience ..  It's been a challenge, but we've immersed ourselves in another place, and we are going to come out better people... well, Michelle and the kids will, I'll just be a bit tanner. And even though I might want to have some time where I live hassle free,  I've learned that it IS good to be hassled, to step out of your box and see things through a different lens.  It's good to be inconvenienced, to be uncomfortable and to learn patience. It's also good to question what makes you happy and to realise that things really aren't that bad.. So I'm torn.

 It's confusing and difficult to digest. It won't be easy  to just say... "ok, let's go home." It's been a crazy year..  sometimes really tough, sometimes too easy.  But I'm excited to get back to friends, family and my home. Plus, Im getting tired of feeling like I look like a dirty, spotty mangy old white man... Malawi has really beautiful people, and white skin doesn't do so well in the African sun.. So, it'll be good to get back with my peeps. But,  I will miss this place.. And if you ever get a chance to come here.. do it..

Small disclaimer-I had all of these existential thoughts while watching the sun set over the african bush while sucking on a cold beer.. This stuff just doesn't write itself..

This theme (existential nonsense, confusion, etc. ) may be repeated over and over these next few weeks as we adjust ourselves and get ready for US culture shock.  So I'll say I'm sorry in advance.

Ok, on to the photos... Hope all is well back home. sorry for the rambling. Kids are good, and of course it is sunny and beautiful here.. same as usual. Happy tuesday.

Notice the giant gash on the back of the zebra.. survived an attack

leopard kill

hippos, crocs, snakes, elephants in this thing.. 

wild dogs

Kids with their friends and guides Geoffrey(left) and Godfrey(right)

Family portrait #1- taken 5 minutes after seeing lions

A little worried about lions, crocs , hippos , etc.

African landscape

trip to zambia...

Lots of things to write about and lots of photos to post, so I'll do it in waves..

First off, we are back in Malawi safe and sound. No one was eaten and we all have our limbs. We had a wonderful few days on safari and relaxing at our home on the edge of the bush. I thought I would post photos of the house today and post the animals tomorrow.. Too many photos to upload and it takes way to long to do here.

We had some problems getting across the border though.. Long story short, all of our paperwork for working in Malawi is not fully processed (go figure) so there were some issues getting through to Zambia and getting back into the country.. We made a phone call, the people at the border control seemed happy so we were able to go through....  Traveling from country to country can get a bit stressful here as you never know what kind of hassle you are going to encounter. But once we went through the border post, things were great.

The home we stayed in was a private home on a beautiful plot of land that overlooked a wide open space. There was elephant dung scattered across the lawn and baboons jumped all over the top of the house and in the ebony trees near the home. Rabsom, our night watchman told us it was ok to use the pool, "but elephants walk up to the pool to drink. If you see one, don't be alarmed, just go into the pool house and wait they are finished. We also have lion and antelope and baboons.. " The first night we were there we were trying to braai and the baboons came up and surrounded the property and were fighting 20-30 feet from our braai stand. Rabsom appears with a slingshot and some rocks and starts shooting at them...  Just like your Holiday Inn.

As we lounged by the pool, we could spot giraffe, families of elephants and lots of antelope grazing in the distance. Not a bad way to spend the day.
The home itself was gorgeous.. .very open, well decorated.. Felt very African while having all the amenities of a nice place back home.. It was great to get out into the bush for a few days...
Below is a video from our pool.. You can see the elephants walking across the bush in front of us.. Pretty amazing to be sitting on a lawn chair watching elephants ... Tomorrow I'll post more.. Hope all is well back home.

Elephants from the backyard

view from dining room

animal viewing deck (kate took a nap here)

Pool 

the mess that is the corder checkpoint.. Michelle in line

Maura and Jude with friends

one of the hallways of the hallways

master bedroom

frog on the handle of the door.. It is a real frog and I almost crushed it grabbing for the handle