nice dinner out..

hello all, it's presently 945 here in Lilongwe and very chilly. Tonight I was treated to a traditional Malawian meal at a place that I can't remember the name. But it was on the outskirts of town and seemed far removed from the busy streets of the city. In order to get there, we had to drive off the main road, onto dirt roads through little villages along the way. We were treated to great singing and a dinner that consisted of nsima (a staple Malawian whipped cornmeal that looks like mashed potatoes), beef stew, grilled chicken, cabbage salad and pumpkin leaves(i think). we also had fried bananas for dessert.  It was delicious. Aside from that, the place was rugged and very cool.
As we left the restaurant it was pitch black and the sky was filled with millions of stars..  nothing quite as beautiful as an african sky. I drove home in pitch black darkness, with only a full moon to light the way. I think my night vision is going bad, as I couldn't see a thing on the way home. Here is   a photo of the bar and a traditional malawian dinner

 ... all for now. tomorrow is a big day as I head to the airport to finally retrieve my golf bag!! it just arrived 6 days late.

malawi bar

traditional malawian food. 

Day to day frustrations for first world needs..

I am sitting at the sunbird hotel drinking african tea and trying to access the internet so I can do a little bit of work prior to starting school next week.  A young man named Chimwemwe (which means Happiness) is teaching me some chichewa words .. I am trying to use the language more as it is appreciated if you attempt to learn some of the local language. Last night I tried to say good evening to three little girls and gave them a good laugh.. . Today I have been driving around all over town trying to set up internet at our home.  It is very expensive and unreliable , but we have to have it.
I also have been trying to get DSTV (cable tv) so our family and residents from Cincy Childrens have a little bit of something from home... the only difference is there is little ESPN and instead cricket and rugby.. which I kind of enjoy.

I went to DSTV shop, purchased a monthly subscription.. this comes in a card form, which you slide into a receiver at the house. Unfortunately I needed an AV cord, which the cable company did not sell. I also needed a remote.. which they sold for about 30$. I drove to 8 electronic strores, none of which had an AV cord..

During my drive around town, I was able to get my bearings on the roads , some more driving experience, etc.. there are huge potholes, people riding bikes, people riding bikes while balancing huge mounds of wood on their heads, while carting around another person.. it feels risky to be driving, but if you take your time and keep both hands on the while, you'll manage. Im sure it just takes getting used to.. there are also boys on the side of the road selling cooked mice on a stick as well as live birds, flapping away in their hands..

I also made it to the local golf club.. the Lilongwe Golf Club.. but I haven't received my clubs yet.. no one at baggage answers the phone.. I may have to just make the trek out there and see for myself.
The club is nice.. 18 holes, a swimming pool, restaurant and bar, and clay tennis courts ( or dirt I think) ..  60$ a month to join.  I need my clubs. In a moment of weakness I gave my phone number to a young man who claimed to be the the golf teacher at the club.. big mistake..He has called me 5 times today asking when I am coming for a lesson.

I met Our house keeper Rubina today for the first time. She tends to the home while her husband Kam takes care of our wonderful big dusty yard.. The kids are going to love it. They have a young boy named William that walks around the yard playing or is strapped to her back while she does the laundry or other duties. When I left a few hours ago, William was falling asleep on her back while she was ironing and singing.. It was nice and made me miss my own family.

I think that's it for now. I hope to have photos started soon. It takes way to long to upload from where I am and hope to get a good connection tomorrow.  Hopefully we can locate a router..

Back in Africa

It has been a long journey, but a familiar one. I was able to see my brother in NYC before taking off to Johannesburg.. Flying on South African airlines was a treat because everything came back to me even before landing in Jo’burg. The accents, the attitudes, everything. It was a nice flight and immediately after landing, I boarded my flight to Lilongwe. In classic African fashion, only 3 out of my 4 bags made it..  Still waiting for my golf clubs, which could have been stolen for all i know. 

Upon arrival in Lilongwe, my temperature was taken by a “physician”.. I’m assuming due to Ebola epidemic. I waited around for 40 minutes hoping my clubs would show up.. Then I filled out a form and will have to wait to see if they show up. While waiting for my bags, i was constantly being asked to exchange money by tellers at 3 different locations. 

I was greeted by a gentleman named Michael who works at the school I will be teaching at this year. He was such a great help and even knew how to speak chichewa , which was pretty impressive.  His wife Igna prepared a lunch for us.. It was refreshing to be in a nice home with a huge backyard and the quiet of the neighborhood. When  I stepped out of his van everything hit me at once. The color of this place, the smell, the quiet. It was all very comforting and made me very excited for the next several months. Michael took me around town to get minutes for my phone, enquire about internet for the house, etc.. 

I arrived at our home and was greeted by Kam and Joseph. Joseph is the guard and Kam the gardener. The place is great and very spacious. The kids are going to love the yard. The house is in a great location and close to shops that have the things we will need on a daily basis. 

Once I got to the home, I tried to use the internet service i purchased, but with no luck. It was about 5 pm and the sun goes down at 6.  I walked down the hill, looked for a internet cafe, settle for a local hotel and tried to reach michelle. I couldn’t because I was emailing from a foreign IP address, so every email service I use I was blocked from using. Even facebook asked me to do a name recognition thing in order to access my account.  It took me longer than I expected and I left the hotel at 630.. it was pitch black out and I walked right past my house.. I kind of freaked out, but fortunately Joseph was on the look out for the only white man walking the streets. 

So far , so good. Having spent some time here helps the adjustment.  on first glance, Malawi is much less developed that Botswana…  It will be a more rugged time here, but I think it will be great.  It is much poorer, but I think the people (first impression) are very kind and respectful. 

I have made small gains in the last few days... I was able to drive again on the opposite side of the street, I found the school , was able to refill our water container for the house (at a 7-11 of all places) and went grocery shopping for the first time with no glitches. It is a cash economy here, and there are only a few places that take credit cards.. Chipiku is the grocery store near our home, and they take cards.. the currency here is called the Kwacha.. currently the exchange rate is 396KWA - 1 USD.. 

awaiting boarding to lilongwe

our street

our home for the next 10 months

my first purchase.. biltong

all for now. 

In Lilongwe, Malawi

Hello all. I am sitting at the sunbird hotel near my home and having a cold beverage..
This will be short but followed with more detail tomorrow. I arrived in Malawi on thursday and have been trying to access internet for the past day. It's amazing how much I rely on it. All is well and I am safe here.  The people here are kind and helpful and all is well. Did my first grocery shopping trek in town at the only shop that takes credit cards... they were playing Debbie Gibson over the PA.... Even Malawians appreciate the genius of Debbie Gibson.

Ok, that's all for today, but wanted to let you know I am here and ok.. for now, my hotmail has been suspended because they thought I was a hacker trying break in from malawi.. if you want to contact me via email, try gmail at andrewecks@gmail.com
my number in Malawi is  +2650993367993 ... Skype my if you are bored..
Some pics tomorrow.

Thank you

A quick thank you to everyone that took  time to say goodbye yesterday. We will miss our great friends and family over the next 10 months. I will be leaving next Wednesday August 6 and will begin blogging again shortly after that.  I'll just need to secure an internet service... That may only take 6 weeks if I'm lucky. Otherwise, I ll be hanging in internet shops .
Thanks again for taking time out of your sundays to bid us farewell.  We have great friends and family

Moved in and making stupid moves!

It's been a while.... But without videos to post from game drives and undiscovered territories, posting blog entries doesn't seem so exciting.

We have moved into our home in Fort Thomas.. My dad is probably cursing me from his grave, but I'm sure it would be all is good fun. It is great to be in our own place, where the kids can wander the neighborhood. walk to school and be closer to friends.

Whether or not getting a dog and a cat were a good idea remains to be seen.. but that's what we did yesterday.. Maura got a cat and Kate picked out a dog.. Maura named the cat "snoofy" b/c she can't say snoopy for some reason..
Jacob pitches this morning in his first ballgame since before we moved to Botswana.. Hopefully it goes well and he doesn't take it too seriously.

Needless to say, we are feeling more normal again.. But there isn't an hour of the day where my mind thinks of Africa. I think that's a good thing. But I miss it.

My mom has moved back to her own home which is wonderful news.. She is adjusting to a new sense of normalcy, driving and doing everything else. We got together with her to celebrate st. patty's day and it was great to see her back at home.

One quick note... Jude and Franny have moved to toddler beds which is nice, but also makes napping a bit of a problem.. 2 days ago, I went to check on them and Frances was sound asleep in her bed, while Jude was nowhere to be found..

After some investigation, I noticed him sitting up in a stuffed animal toy bin fast asleep. You had to be there.

It's a beautiful chilly morning here, i'm going to enjoy my coffee, head for a long run later and check the house to see what the cat has ruined.. Kate is pulling Frances around by a leash and collar. Should I be concerned that Frances plays a convincing dog?

adjusting

Life is settling down.. I knew it would but I just wasn't sure when. We've gotten into a groove, the kids seem to have adjusted back to their old school and my mom is doing very well. It's funny how things seem to always work themselves out. SOmetimes, you just have to give it 3 months or more...

that doesn't mean we don't think about Botswana every waking hour.
Michelle was working in the hospital yesterday and took care of an African woman and her child. Once they were finished with the meeting, the woman took a cloth and strapped her child on her back..
Michelle asked her where she was from, she said Zimbabwe. Immediately there was a connection and a sense of togetherness.. In true African fashion, the grandmother wants to babysit for us... She told michelle..." i can come on Friday and stay til Sunday."

We've purchased a house and if all goes well will be moving in late March.. That's good.
All for now, the kids are wakin up.