E C K E R L E S I N M A L A W I : Bus Trip

Made the trek to Blantyre this weekend with the younger group of the swim team. Me, Frances, Jude and Maura went on a 6 hour bus ride packed with students, parents and teachers in a non-air conditioned bus through the Malawian countryside... The heat was relentless and we were all dripping in sweat. We made our destination without a hitch, except for the fact that we were pulled over by police 4 times, had to pay various tickets for various different things, and made a stop at an oasis of a rest area.. The rest area was stocked with the best beer selection in Malawi (what else would you want on a pit stop? ).. they had various south african brews, Mozambiquan brews, Namibian brews and the Malawian staples.. Aside from that they had bottled soft drinks, cold chocolate bars and beef knuckles or something (see photo below) that locals were eating by the plate full.. It had proper running water and thatched roof areas where you could sit and enjoy your beers before hitting the road again..

The kids were great and the scenery was beautiful.. Large massive hills and small villages dotted the landscape. When we arrived at out destination, the kids were immediately put into swim mode and had a great showing at the "All Relay Gala".. The kids swam great, and the gala was run very efficiently in a time of about 2 hours... They played songs to accompany each swim which included 80's hits of Hall and Oates (there you go Scottie!), michael Jackson and a deep cut from the Beastie Boys... what else would you expect!.. We placed 3rd in the gala and lost to Phoenix Academy and Sir Harry Johnson School (no joke there ).

After the gala we retreated to Annie's Lodge, kids showered, I turned on my AIR CONDITIONING!!! and proceeded to freeze out the place.. It was incredible... I slept with a long sleeve shirt.. We hit KFC in the middle of the city and the kids loved it.. Tasted just like home, except there were no green beans on the menu (they were replaced by Nsima balls).. I patriotically ordered up the "Kentucky Meal" and we mowed down about 10 pieces of chicken in 10 minutes... What was interesting about the dining experience was how the kids completely stuffed themselves and then some of them threw up, then continued to eat.. I couldn't believe it! "are you ok?" "Yeah , I'm fine, just ate too much".... and then goes back to the table to eat more.. It was as if these african children , somehow were brainwashed into eating like Americans upon entering the wonderful world of fried chicken... Alot of them got so jacked up on sugar from the sodas and shakes and salt, they didn't know whether to sit or stand... We all got on the bus , which was an experience in itself due to many children begging for leftovers, money, etc... you can't escape and it always catches me off guard.. I had a box of 3 pieces of chicken , and was going to give it away, but remembered a time when we visited Lesotho and gave away a pizza to three boys... as soon as I handed over the box, 8 more children came from nowhere to try and get their hands on some food.. I didn't want to cause a scene so I opted to just keep it.. It is very sad.

We headed back to the lodge, the kids watched a movie, more vomiting ensued and I snuggled in my cold bed with a book and nodded off around 9:30. In the morning, we headed back... this time the drive was only about 4.5 hours, as we were never pulled over.. I've attached two videos as well.. one of them is the procession at the end of the gala... the other is a village that was bustling as we drove through it on our way home.. You can hear our driver beeping constantly as a way to warn pedestrians, goats and bikers to stay clear of the road.. this beeping occurred for the majority of the drive...

When we got back into town, we went swimming at the Tamarind Club , I was able to watch the England v. South Africa rugby match with some friends , then I had to go out for a dinner with ABC administration and faculty.. Before heading to the restaurant , I stopped off for a drink with friends at a bar called Buchanans, and walked into a familiar scene... People gathering to watch sport, dressed in jerseys etc.. Except it was more rugby.. This time New Zealand vs. Scotland.. It was fun to be a part of, but it made me realize how far away we are from home, and how far away the people around us were as well.. It was a bit of mixed bag of emotions.. I felt a part of something unique and it reminded me that I should soak this up.... This is one of the reasons why we made this jump back to this part of the world.. To see, witness and be a part of something different... But it also made me wish I was home, so I could understand what the hell was going on in the game.. And it made me miss the camaraderie of friends..

Sunday morning brings heat, sun and laziness.. We are all enjoying the morning, reading, playing legos, drawing and trying to muster up the energy to go outside and enjoy the warm weather.. I can't think of anything else to do except go swimming.. It is around 10 am here, and it feels like 100 degrees outside..

All for now today.. if by some reason you cannot view the videos, will someone please let me know so I can save the settings?? they kept cutting in and out when I uploaded them so I want to make sure they are ok..