Joseph called Michelle from outside our home at about 6 am this morning to tell us some bad news.. Foxy (our dog) got a hold of one of our bunnies, killed it and cleanly buried it.. Then, around 11 am this morning, our second bunny was MIA... After searching the yard, we found the 2nd bunny, buried in the garden.. Needless to say, the kids are a little upset.. The rabbits were a really great thing to keep the kids occupied... Not sure if we should get another set.. We have obviously proven that we are horrible at tending to bunnies.. Actually, that's not true.. we just have a dog who enjoys eating them... Kam has informed me that he would like to get 2 more bunnies for the children.. so we may have reinforcements coming this weekend.
Yesterday evening Joseph told me that i was an example to him on how to teach his children respect.. He said that charity comes from the home, and even though "he doesn't remember my name, he appreciates my children always saying hello to him ".. I said I was glad that he thought that way and that he was an excellent example of kindness to my children.. We went back and forth for about 10 minutes telling each other how much we respected each other.. That is how we deal with the language barrier, instead of keeping it short and sweet, we extend the conversation, saying the same thing over and over and over..
Yesterday it rained all day. On top of that, the power went out about 4 and was off until about 9 or so.. We played cards most of the afternoon and the kids played a monster game on Monopoly with two of Cincy's resident visitors Matt and Essi.. I made my first apple pie before the power went out and it was a hit.. The month long vacation has been a nice plus of living in Africa, but I think my kids are so bored , they might actually be excited to go back to work..
Michelle's frustrations at work continue, but she is doing well. Cultural differences seem to be a challenge and this is something I don't really think Michelle knows what to do to solve some issues at .. It's a strange dynamic and I'm not really sure it can be solved. But, it's friday, and Michelle has the weekend off.... which is always nice.
Not sure what we'll be up to this weekend, but I do know it will be warmer here than back in Cincinnati. We have plans to have dinner with friends this evening, then nothing.. We prepare to get back to school and finish out our second half of our time here in Malawi. The photos below.. aspirin that obviously stops pain fast! the kids drawing on our driveway, large snails that litter our lawn, walls, trees, etc.. Franny taking in a sunset and Maura and Kate on a game drive.. Happy Friday everyone, hope all is well.
Well the anniversary celebrations went off without a hitch..We went to a posh little place on the outskirts of town.. It was a very hip place, full of contemporary paintings, IKEA-esque furniture, Hendricks gin(instead of just Malawian gin) and a bunch of young Chinese men watching NBA basketball on the phones with the volume going full blast.. It was kind of surreal. The food was oak, but the company was nice. Our waitress couldn't open the wine bottle we ordered and had to get help from another server. Hard to believe Michelle and I have been married for 19 years..
I have been here for 5+ months and still make the horrible mistake of telling street vendors "maybe next time" when I turn them down. A gentleman at Chipiku sells handmade cards , and each time he sees me, he camps out by my car waiting for me to return after I've done my shopping .. Yesterday he said. "I saw you Sunday and you said 'Maybe next time', and today is Tuesday and also 'next time'".. Needless to say I have a new handmade card.. The other guy that gets me every time is the man who sells CD's at the gas station.. He pulls out a handful of CD's .. yesterday I bought a Lionel Richie and Phil Collins CD.... I need to learn how to properly say no.
Kids are getting lazy really fast here and we are just going to ride this wave until Monday when school gets back in session on Monday.. Below are some random photographs... The one of the dancers was taking place at the Lilongwe Wildlife Center.. We were just about to take a walk with a guide to check out some of the animals they have.. Me and the kids were always the last ones in the group and the tour guide kept having to wait for us.. Michelle overheard him saying "there are some that are too slow.. are they white people??" Yes, we are slow .. The other photo was taken probably about two weeks ago when the land was totally barren and dry. Now it is becoming very lush and crops are beginning to grow..
Hope all is well back home.
Lastly, I've put up a video of a sunrise here.. Nothing really like it.. Check it out!
Take out chicken from MaryLane Chicken.. USA, USA, USA!!!
It's hard to believe that it has been 19 years. The kids vowed to make us "romantic" snacks today, so I'm not really sure what that means.. Michelle and I have tentative plans to go out to eat at the swanky "Latitude13" restaurant on the outskirts of town.. We'll see how it goes. I had to email about a reservation and of 12:40 this afternoon, I have not heard a confirmation.. We may just have to eat at the Chinese restaurant down the street..
Michelle is working right now and I have just fed the kids lunch.. This morning i went down to the local thrift store called "DAP" and found me a great pair of Clark shoes for 5$. I needed a good pair of shoes for our dinner tonight..
Jude and treated ourselves to a few haircuts this afternoon at "Salon Mystique" .. We said yes to the free hair washing.. which is new to us. The women at Great Clips don't offer the washing, so I'll soak it up while I can. Jude really digs it..
I have surrendered to the children of late.. Being a month long Christmas break has wore out my "creative dad" side and turned me into a "why yes of course you can play on your kindles all day!!" We've exhausted solitaire, BS, and several other modes of card playing.. I promise I will pick it back up after today... Kind of looking forward to going back to work.
On a more serious note, things at Michelle's work seem to be getting busier and serious.. The other day, the had 10 children die, mostly due to malaria. the season has just started, so I'm sure it will get worse.. Last night Michelle was called in to the ward because they had a total blackout.. The power went out, the generator didn't kick in , so the Pediatric department was completely and totally without power.. Again, be thankful for what we have.
Not much else to report.. cloudy and cooler here in Malawi but apparently not as cold as home. Stay warm folks!!
Happy Anniversary to us!!!
The photos below are of Jude relaxing prior to his trim, and a photo of the side of our home.. We have dozens and dozens of snails climbing the walls of our home.. Apparently these are the small ones.. The normal ones are as big as your hands..
Today I officially joined the Lilongwe Golf Club.. I'm not sure why it took me so long, but I bought my clubs over with me and finally just decided to commit to golfing as much as possible before we leave in June.. the club (as written about earlier) is a cool place that sports an 18 hold golf course, a driving range, bar and restaurant, swimming pool, squash and cricket courts as well as a cricket pitch..
for about 250$ I bought a membership for the family and I plan to golf as much as I can before I depart... The course was really rough when I golfed back in August, but with the rain it actually looks pretty good. I went out today and hit balls off the range and may try to get out a few times before school starts back up.
Other than that, not much else going on.. another rainy day here is Malawi.. Michelle is on call today, so she will be gone until late this evening..
This morning I was able to go out to Kam and Rabinah's home and take family portraits for them.. As a Christmas gift I told them I would take portraits of their family, get them printed and framed for them.. I drove about 10 minutes outside the city and when I arrived, everyone was dressed and ready for a photo session.. They have 4 children... Bilirani (oldest son), Elizabeth, Daniel and William(the youngest)... They were so sweet and kind to me when I arrived. William jumped up in my arms and immediately cheered "Mzungu!!" (white man)..
It was a really nice morning spent with them and I think there will be plenty of opportunities to make more photos of the families in the surrounding area... Once the photo shoot was finished, We all packed into my truck to take about an 8 minute drive to see the land that we helped them purchase. It was a good size plot that they had already planted maize on and are planning on building their home first, then another to rent to others.... I think the land itself cost about 350$ and we were happy to help finance their purchase.. They are so excited to begin building a home they can call their own (as opposed to renting).. When I asked Kam and Rabinah who would build it, they told me they both would.. But they plan on making bricks from their land first to save money on supplies.. They think they can have one home built in a year's time... After we visited the plot of land, we took their daughter Elizabeth to to the bus station to catch a bus back to school. She attends a school outside the city about an hour away....
This was a nice way to spend the morning.. After the departure of family, I think it is natural to get a little down and miss home.. The visit to Kam and Rabinah's home was a nice kick in the ass..
Rain has moved into Lilongwe and the countryside is turning a brilliant green.. Crops are starting to show their face, which is a good thing.. The past two nights have brought serious rain storms with serious African lightning and thunder.. This allows me the luxury of lying in bed wondering when I'll be struck by lightning and/ or when the ceiling boards will give way to the weight of the water and flood us out of our house... Not much on the agenda today... Probably will hit the pool and try to listen to the Bengals game this evening.. If anyone knows how I can stream the game via my computer please let me know!! Would love to watch some football.. Happy Sunday everyone.
A special thanks for the Kreutzjans family for sending a care package our way!! Inside were wonderful processed food that we can't get here.. Pringles and Nacho chips!!! Also enclosed were cards for the kids from their friends at St. Thomas.. It was greatly appreciated and the kids were so excited to hear from friends.. They look forward to returning to their old stomping grounds..
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neighbors surrounded by a yard full of budding maize
Woke up this morning without a houseful of relatives.. It was a bit sobering.. My bladder is thankful their departure, but it seems a little empty around here.. The kids are sawing logs and will probably sleep a few more hours to catch up on some much needed sleep.
Yesterday as we were just sitting around waiting to go to the airport, we all became very excited about watching a bit of TV prior to departure... Believe it or not, we have cable TV... DSTV is what the option is here, and it is the only option.. Since streaming Netflix is difficult / slow, etc.. we pay for cable.. And it is kind of nice.. one of the perks for me personally is the fact that we have TCM(Turner Classic Movies)... I love old movies and we were treated to a classic yesterday morning... "The OMEGA Man" with Charleton Heston was on and the we all took in the cinematic masterpiece... The kids were riveted and were discussing the excellent quality throughout the whole screening.. This is what happens when your winter break last for a month..
Not sure what we are up to today.. Michelle is on call which means she will be working most of the day.. I am happy to be home and not think about traveling for a few days, so we will probably hole up in Lilongwe for a few days. Might hit the lake one more time before the break is up..
Yesterday I wrote about our wonderful sunset cruise experience.. Here's a photo of us getting in our "cruise ship" and heading out to take in a sunset... (Note: the captain is the gentleman wearing the green jacket... He was also sporting Pajama shorts.. which is the symbol of a great captain)
Also below is a photo of John, a local artisan... We made his day by buying some carvings/ bracelets , etc from him on our last day at the lake... The photo is him making a carving for Bob..
I have just returned from the airport. After several hugs and goodbyes, our family has left. It was a very successful trip and we are sad to see them go... I can't tell you how great it was to see everyone.. .. I think they left on a good day as we are headed into our second day with no water and I don't see it getting turned on any time soon, due to the fact that it is a holiday and I don't think anyone in this country plans to work on a holiday...
I think we did a pretty decent job of showing off the country to Bob, Rebecca and Jacob.. We celebrated Christmas here with friends and really just laid low during the holiday.. Prior to celebrating Christmas, we packed into our truck and headed about 4.5 hours south to Liwonde National Park. We stayed in a very surreal camp that was out in the middle of nowhere.. Everything was in the bush, surrounded by wildlife.. The air was filled with bugs that decided to swarm Maura's food. The ground spotted with millipedes, scorpions and we think, a green mamba.. (jacob saw it while loading up the truck).. We did witness one of the most spectacular sunsets we've ever seen, and found giant crocodile and hippos on a boat safari... Our guide was about about to head out for the boat drive, then stopped and went back on land to fetch the life jackets... there were 8 of us, and they brought 4 life jackets.. We were surrounded by hippos and crocodiles, and a part of me wondered what would happen it we had a problem with the boat.. The river although heavily populated with crocs and hippos, was being used for fishing and washing laundry by the locals... Our guide said that just the day before a man was killed by a bunch of crocs while fishing..
In Liwonde we also took a disappointing game drive (sorry guys) and met a very eccentric young man named Frederick who was the owner of the lodge.. He enjoyed his wine, cigarettes and not wearing a shirt.. the place had skulls laying all over the place, ( check out the buffalo head below)
After Christmas, we headed to the lake... First we drove to Kuti Game Reserve for another night in the bush, before pushing up to a small town called Ngala, which sits right on Lake Malawi.. We stayed at Ngala Beach Lodge, enjoyed three delicious meals a day, cold beers , good gin and tonics and a great lake view from a swimming pool that our family kind of took over during our three days there.. In classic African fashion, we tried to organize a snorkeling trip with the kids that did not go down the way we hoped.. Sandy, the owner of the lodge called ahead for us to arrange a snorkeling trip at another lodge..She said it was arranged, no problem... When we drove to the place, the American gentleman running the business said he didn't know anything about it, and didn't have any gear for the kids.. That same day we organized a sunset cruise.. A lovely jaunt around the lake to take in the sights and sounds of a beautiful night... When we met the captain of the boat, we found out that it was a inflatable motor boat that only had room for 6 of us.. There were no life jackets, no noodles (which we were told would be available) and no drinks.. We just took off in this little boat out to the middle of the lake and were expected to relax off this raft and enjoy the sunset.. After about 20 minutes in the boat, I told the captain(who was wearing PJ's) that we wanted to go back and were finished with our "cruise"... he laughed a bit and we headed back ashore.. I had visions of us being stranded in the middle of the lake, in a deflated boat, with no life jackets for the kids.. And the water was very rough, much like the ocean..
We decided to hit the pool instead , where we spotted snakes, monitor lizards and monkeys all over the place.. Knowing that the deadliest snakes in the world were a distinct possibility while staying at the lodge was a very frightening experience.. But something you just have to get over and realize the chance of getting bit of hurt by a black mamba(even though they are seen in the area) very rare..
Needless to say, we had a great time.. Michelle had a few needed days off and we were able to relax for a few days with the kids and Bob and Rebecca.. We traveled through beautiful countryside, had no major problems on the road and just enjoyed being in Malawi.
I will say sleeping was rough.. The heat during the night hours was oppressive, and sometimes sleeping under a mosquito net while bugs, lizards and other creatures climb and crawl around you, makes it difficult to relax. I have never sweat so much while sleeping..
The last few days back at our home in Malawi, were classic Malawian days ..... I took Bob and rebecca around town to shop for cloth and other things.. Half the stores were closed, or were open , but closed( we didn't understand that one)...I took them to see where Michelle works and we all agreed that she is great and the work she is doing is something I'm not sure any of us could do..
New Year's Eve was "white guys dressed like African" night... We found some giant sparklers, ordered some Indian food and played Euchre.. A nice finish to the 10 days spend.
It's been great to connect with family and it comes at a good time. We are at the halfway point in our stay here, and now the kids can start the countdown to our date of departure.. We'll enjoy and savor our time here, but I think having family visit made everyone anxious about getting back to our home..
But, if I could say anything to anyone reading this blog... My suggestion would be to visit this part of the world.... It comes with its challenges and you have to be willing to roll with it and accept the fact that things will never, ever be the way you want them to be.. But you will meet some of the most wonderful and kind people in the world..
