everyone here!!

Michelle and the kids are here...  everything went smooth.. no snags to the arrival. took forever for them to get their bags sorted, but everything was here and went without a hitch.. We are hoping to have them assessed and in school tomorrow.. we'll see if it works out.. Michelle and the kids will be coming to school this morning to get their uniforms and gear .. so at least they can wear their uniforms, but not attend school.

A few quick photos.. the airport here has a viewing area.. You pay about 75 cents to get in, then of course there is a bar and a patio where you can watch the airplanes land.. It was kind of fun having a beer and watching my family land right before my eyes.. they have about 6 flights a day arrive form different areas, so there isn't really that much activity..

That is all for now... Lots to do and get work on the next few days. Hope all is well at home.

Watching the plane arrive at Songwe Bar

Back Porch

 

Michelle and the kids have landed in South Africa and..... the saga continues

Got a Skype video call from Michelle and the kids.. By the time you read this at home, they should be in Malawi.. Sounds like the flight was great and the kids were well behaved.. I remember the last time we made this trek, the twins were a year and half, Maura was two and a half and Kate and Jacob were much younger as well. We flew standby and were scattered all over the plane.

I am supposed to pick up my van this morning to go and pick up the family at the airport.. I received a text at 630 am  that stated there was an accident with the car. A gentleman at the school was putting a roof rack on the van for me, and apparently shattered the back right window.. It's totally gone and glass was everywhere. I think I was visibly upset when I went to assess the damage.. As stated many times, things never go like you think they will.. So, I am without a van as that has to be fixed.. The thing is, I don't know who is supposed to pay for this... At home, it's a no brainer.  I have this sick feeling that the only person that can pay for it is me.  Lots of headaches.

On a good note, I went to town center yesterday to pick up a few items and stumbled on some traditional malawian dancing.. Here's a video of the band playing.. They have makeshift guitars and bass.. The video does not do the music justice.. it was great to see.

All for now today as I gain my composure and look forward to reuniting with my family
Here are a few more photos from yesterday..  The bread aisle at the grocery store.. and here's how you buy  bulk beer and soda...they still use the old bring in your bottles and crates for a refund routine (which I love)....

Saturday morning.. early

It's 7 am here.. I got up about 530 due to the fact that the birds were extra loud this morning.. that's too bad as the weather here is perfect for sleeping.. upper 50's, a little breezy..  I thought I 'd post a little early as I am hoping to get some things accomplished today..  Michelle and the kids have made it on their flight and should arrive into South Africa around 11 am Cincinnati time.  Michelle is absolutely awesome with this stuff.. checked 10 bags(I'm sure one of them is just legos for jude) and 4 kids..It is an 15-17 hour flight.. no stops..  Apparently it is the 4th longest flight in the world.. The kids are going to eat it up... they'll each watch 8 movies.  Michelle called from Atlanta and said Jude turned to her mid flight and said..."this is awesome! I could get used to this!" They are spending the night in Johannesburg as I believe there are only a few flights a week that hit Malawi. Johannesburg airport is a culture shock in and of itself.. totally unorganized, but really great.. You are surrounded by people from all over the world.. and, as stated before, the Americans are a breeze to find in a giant crowd.. Luckily they will be staying at a hotel right off the airport site... Jo'burg is notorious for crime and we will keep our fingers crossed that nothing is stolen out of their bags.. When we lived in Botswana , everyone called that area of South Africa "Gangsta's Paradise" as it is located in the Gauteng Province of South Africa (The GP). so Sunday morning they will catch a 10 am flight, arrive here at 12:30. 

 Going to head out for my first run here in Malawi as the air is cool and yes, it's gorgeous outside.  Hope all is well at home. 

here's the flight pattern if anyone wants to make the trek!!! 

enough to make you crazy... and carlos zambrano, ted Lilly and pokey Reese

Let me know say before starting that I love this place.. i really do.. In my short time here and in our years living in Botswana, I love southern Africa.. I can't speak for other regions..Why else would we put ourselves through this again??  The pace of life, the kindness of the people, the absolute beauty....
But at the same time, it is sometimes just too much.. There are moments when you just wish you could get from point A to B without any issues... without seeing things such as absolute helplessness, poverty, illness, etc..   but it comes with the territory I suppose. It is difficult to see some days and it makes you realize how damn lucky we really are.. and I know that the things I encounter barely scratch the surface..

I will never go to the grocery store on a friday at 4 pm again..

I will spare you some of the details, but let's just say I ran around in circles again and got nothing accomplished.. Ill give you a glimpse though.

My van is almost ready, but apparently they put the wrong type of liquids in it, and it'll cost me another 100$ to change out..

Then , I went to the cable company, waited 25 minutes (the whole time being cut in line, but what are you going to do?) to pay my bill and ask for an upgrade(thought it would be a treat since the kids are arriving ).. When I got to the window, the man said he didn't think it was possible to upgrade today, because they were very busy... note: all he had to do was take my giant wad of Kwacha and I would call when I got home, and they would update my system..
He asked if I could come back tomorrow.. .. I laughed, said no problem, and went on my way.. I went to the shop to pick up a few things in anticipation of the family arriving.. The store had nothing.. there was not a single thing that I thought about purchasing on the shelves.... so I bought a bag of lays potato chips and some corn on the cob.. On a good note, they did have our favorite beer in stock (Windhoek ) so I did grab that... I actually couldn't believe it.
When I went out to the car, I was asked by a man walking on his hands (he had shoes on his hands ) for some food... You are advised not to give out money, because many of the people are told to beg for money,, then have to give up the money to another person.. and if you do give money, next time you may be asked by a bigger group.. I kindly said no, then was asked by a young boy for money or food as he was starving. i kindly said no, then was asked to buy bananas as I got into my car.. Then as you pull out of the store, the middle of the road is littered with siblings walking with their handicapped or blind relatives asking for money.. It feels like a war zone some days, and I think today was one of them.. Who can help these people?  The health care here is so bad, disease is rampant, and all i hear is.. just wait until malaria season...
But somehow, the people here are kind,  and seem very peaceful. I do love this place...but it is sometimes hard not to miss home.

 oh yeah, then I got pulled over again and was harassed about the fact that I didn't know when my driver's license expired. I told him " I can tell you when it expires if you let me see my card."  then he said, "are you going to drink all those beers by yourself (looking in the backseat)?"  I said, " not right now, but eventually."
He laughed and told me to speak kindly to others about his country...  I told him I would..

There is a certain swagger here by the locals.. I don't have it, and you can point an American out of the crowd like a sore thumb... we have backpacks, nalgene bottles and usually wearing a nice pair of sunglasses.  The Malawians carry themselves with confidence and can pull off clothing like nobody's business.. It's a different style from Botswana... less stylish, expensive clothing and more of a thrift store appeal.. but they look great ... This morning, I saw a Cubs Carlos Zambrano jersey, a Pokey Reese jersey, a Ted Lilly jersey,  Michigan Wolverines, Kentucky Wildcats, Hannah Montana , a Kool Aid man tshirt, all worn by adult men.. and looking cool as all get out. I'm sure none of them are fans of National League Central Division early 2000's baseball.

Ok, I need to stop. It is getting dark and I need to grill some food.  I am anticipating the arrival of my family and am obviously very excited. It also means one day closer to when Ill see Jacob over the Xmas break.  I just received a text (thanks Katie!) that they are on their way to the airport.. The adventure begins for my kids... they may poop their pants when they get off the plane.. the drive to town from the airport is a giant sensory overload and immediately you know  you are no where near Fort Thomas, Kentucky..

Thanks to all those who have helped Michelle these past several weeks.. There are alot to thank and it makes us realize what great people we have been fortunate to have in our lives.. Please stay in touch and know how much we appreciate your friendship..

No photos today. Hope all is well at home

Another beautiful day here in Lilongwe.. Sunny , bright and mid 70's during the day.. I teach with my windows and my door wide open... Not necessarily by choice,  they just installed a great new door but it doesn't close.. so,  I just keep it open.. something wrong with the way they installed it..
 People who see the room love it and rightly so.. it's a great classroom.. but they wonder whether they will put bars in front of the windows to keep robbers out.. People who have lived here long enough know that anything is fair game if not protected.. and a giant glass/ see through window is probably not a great thing.

Not much going on today.. headed to a neighbors for dinner.. and awaiting my family to arrive on Sunday. I have arranged for a flatbed truck to pick up all the bags from the airport... We have purchased a van here as well and that will hopefully be ready by sunday.

Things here feel very normal and I apologize for the lack of anything very exciting happening.. but things will probably change when the kids get here...

did I mention I had to go out and buy another bulb for the outside lights today??? you want to here about it??? everything is an adventure here.. and this time... it only took me 3 stores to get it right.  First store was closed (not sure why) , second store did not have light , but the third one I got it right.. I'm learning.

For your perusal today is a photo of a billboard that welcomes all visitors to the beautiful city of Lilongwe ...In front of it are signs for various shops, etc.. this is the mode of advertising.. Most signs I see around town are hand painted... I think the large Lilongwe Billboard speaks for itself.. so much to do here..

The other photo is a beautiful bar/ restaurant on the outskirts of town.. On sundays they have jazz and set up lawn chairs for people to sit and relax with a cold beverage.. I don't know if i've posted this photo..

Also  is a photo of two co-workers.. the one in the red jacket is the best dressed man on campus.. The other is a teacher from the US... both great people,, The Malawian just knows how to dress better than all of us..

And lastly, bars on my living room windows.... all our windows are covered in these bars.. sometimes you feel a little caged in.. but it is there to keep intruders out.
Hope all is well at home...

School co-workers

WELCOME!!

Chameleons bar

getting things accomplished???

I took the day off yesterday from blogging as I was busy heading around town and being productive!! actually two days in a row.. Of course, my afternoons have been taken up with errands that would take 20 minutes back in the US.. When you move here, people tell you that whatever time something took you at home to accomplish, multiply it by 3 here.. and that's very true. 1 trip to Lowes to get paint, a paintbrush and a outside bulb for the house = 30 minutes at home.. It actually took about 5 hours here and at least 6 stores.. One of the stores I can't take what i purchased back (too  much of a hassle), the other stores did not have what I needed... Today I found paint, a brush, a bulb and i found a grocery store that 1) takes visa and 2) has an excellent wine selection!!! What a day.  I have been busy at school and very excited to reunite with my family... Apparently Jacob is doing well at UC and rarely texts me, but he is in touch and seems to be doing great.. No news is good news ,right?

One side note... at the paint shop, I asked the guy at the counter if they had swatches of paint.. at home, there are 800 types of white paint.. I looked at the swatches and asked if they had white ( i didn't see any on the brochure he showed me.. he said "why would we have white? white is white.. " sold!!! After purchasing the paint, I came home and started touching up some of the walls that have red dust, marks etc on them..  I noticed that most of the walls have small turds on them near the base of the ceiling.. not many, but just a few on each wall. I started to freak out thinking there was a severe bat problem here (which wouldn't be bad since mosquitos here are deadly).. but it turns out, they are turds left over by the geckos that sneak in and out of the crevices.. they're cute turds... just like the geckos that leave them.. now they are painted over..

School is going well. I am really enjoying teaching my high school students.. they seem to enjoy my class and are eager to learn..

I have gotten into a routine of taking a walk each evening to watch the sun set. Tonight was like most nights.... absolutely beautiful ..
Each evening as the sun goes down, the mosque in the middle of town sings and it resonates throughout the city... attached is a sound clip of what my street sounds like as I walk at night. Not sure of the quality... Not much else to report.. all is well.

Kindergarteners

JOKE OF THE DAY IN LOCAL PAPER

shopping for light bulbs and of course, public urination

Great day of teaching, only to be soured by a trip to the store for light bulbs and paint.
Ill spare you the details because it is the same song and dance.. I have scoured Lilongwe looking for a particular bulb for the outside of my house.. The guards have asked for it for the past 5 days and I thought today would be the day.. But it wasn't.. and now I have to take the item back and return it.. That will be fun. I also bought a can of paint today, trying to touch up some areas in the house... much to my discouragement, the paint was an oil base and it was high gloss.. I didn't want either of these things....
I did manage to grill out and had a nice dinner.. the veggies and some of the fruits here are amazing.. just take precaution and either wash them well or peel them. There is fresh cauliflower and broccoli, as well as pineapple, paw paws, mangoes , bananas, avocados and more.. All available on most sides of the road or via a woman walking down the street with a basket on her head.. the other thing that can be found in mass quantities is Mandasi... I believe that is what it is called.. all through the city, people will have giant plastic tubs full of Mandasi.. it is a deep fried ball of dough... basically their version of a doughnut.. I had a few today for a snack at school..

 Aside from the frustrations of trying to find things that are so easy to come by at home... one of the great perks of living in Malawi is the fact that you can pee wherever you please... I took a walk to the cable company tonight (another fun story) and witnessed at least 10 people peeing on the side of the road... what a sight.. something they don't really tell you about in the guide books..

Not much else to report.. except that the routine officially feels normal. I have fallen into place here, and that is a good thing.. I ll be ready to help the kids with the transition once they get here.. I'm sure Jude will love the fact that he can pee wherever he pleases..
Happy Labor Day.. Here's some photos of a few shops near our home.

Cell phone repair shop/ booth

some shops near our home

Mandasi in my greasy mitt