Well time is ticking away and it's almost time to come home. What an awesome experience!! :)
We are currently at Club Makokola on Lake Malawi. This is a true vacation! I just finished watching the sunset into beautiful purple and blue skies. We are preparing for dinner and traditional dancing in about one hour. This place is the most "touristy" place in Malawi. I'm not allowed to swim in the lake because of "parasites" so I had to settle for a pool! I guess that will do for now!! We arrived here at about 1pm after touring a small village in Mangochi. We were greeted with fresh juice and then went to our rooms to put down our stuff. We all immediately changed into our swim suits and hit the beach!
The past few days have been very busy!! Yesterday was our last day in the schools and it was an emotional day for all. Saying goodbye to my kids was so hard. They were so great, and I'll miss them very much. After class the teachers held a goodbye meeting for us in the office. Everyone said tearful thank you's and shared experiences. After everyone who wanted spoke, they presented us with gifts. This was very unexpected and unnecessary. We all were so surprised and grateful... we each received a traditional chitenje... except Jeff of course! A chitenje is a long wrap skirt that most women in Africa wear. Our's are a teal blue color with large brown circles. I can't wait to wear mine at the beach!
I also wanted to share one day in Mr. Chitenje's class. Each day Mr. Chitenje and I agreed that I would teach a lesson on science and technology. Last Friday the lesson was on indegenous technologies. I brought in pipecleaners to allow the stuents to create a 3-D version of the techonolgy of their choice. They worked in groups to create 8 different technologies. (hoe, morter, bow and arrow, and my favorite... cell phone!) I cannot even begin to explain how excited these kids were. They had never seen a pipe cleaner, but I think they were even more blown away that they were allowed to do it by themselves. The sculptures turned out so amazing and I hung them up in the classroom. One thing that blew me away more than anything was when I brought the objects into the teacher's office. The teachers were astonished that the kids were able to make them by themself. Frankly, I don't think they did believe they made them. It was a big shock to me that these people had so little faith in the talents of their students. I truely think this simple lesson made a big impact on these kids, and I hope it boosted their confidence in their abilities quite a bit!
Tomorrow we will head to Lilongwe and then Friday we will fly home! We are all tired and worn out. I think everyone is a little tired of each other as well because there has been a little bickering... but I guess that is expected when 18 people have to spend so much time together with no break. I'm excited to go home, but will defienently miss Malawi!
Anyone who misses me... I really, really, really miss American food... especially Matt's Dad's ceasar salad ;) I would love other food as well! :)
Love, Beth
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Saturday, July 11, 2009
CAMP MVUU
On Wednesday we woke up early, had breakfast and loaded the bus at 8am. Charles picked us up and drove about two hours for camp Mvuu (Hippo camp)! The bus ride wasn’t too bad… to get there we drove for a few hours and then went down a 16km dirt road… which was very bumpy. We passed a lot of villages and at each the children would run to the bus yelling “money, money!”. I think these kids see a lot of tourists who give them money on the ride so begging is all they know.
When we arrived at Mvuu we loaded two boats and our guides took us on a mini tour of the river. We saw a lot of different animals… especially lots and lots of hippos! We arrived in camp, and let me tell you, it was not camping. We stayed in these beautiful cabin/tents. The whole camp was like a rustic resort, and it was gorgeous. When we got to our cabins I guess the monkeys were curious of who we were so they came over to check us out. I made the mistake of going behind the cabin alone. About 5 monkeys surrounded me and scared me half to death. I sprinted as fast as I could into the cabin and they tried to come in the door with me! (When I later asked the workers if they would ever hurt me they laughed hysterically… apparently monkeys just want to play!) They served us the best lunch we have had so far in Malawi and then we went on our safari. We rode in big suv’s with no sides. They had three rows of seats in the back and were able to sit about 12 people in each. This was so great. Within the first five minutes we spotted some elephants. The driver took us so close to them that one mock charged us twice, just to see if we would leave. Talk about having your heart racing!
After our safari we were invited to a campfire dinner where they cooked over a huge grill. Traditional dancers and drummers came and it was a lot of fun. In the morning we woke up at 5am for a morning walk and we then had a boat safari. The other boat got to see over 50 elephants right beside the water, but unfortunately my guide took us to a different place where there were no elephants. Mvuu was an awesome place and I hope one day i can go back!
Can you believe this time next week we will be landing in Dulles?! I sure can't! This has been such an awesome experience and I'm excited for my last week!
I hope all is going well at home! I miss you guys! Thanks for checking on me!
I love and miss you!
Beth
When we arrived at Mvuu we loaded two boats and our guides took us on a mini tour of the river. We saw a lot of different animals… especially lots and lots of hippos! We arrived in camp, and let me tell you, it was not camping. We stayed in these beautiful cabin/tents. The whole camp was like a rustic resort, and it was gorgeous. When we got to our cabins I guess the monkeys were curious of who we were so they came over to check us out. I made the mistake of going behind the cabin alone. About 5 monkeys surrounded me and scared me half to death. I sprinted as fast as I could into the cabin and they tried to come in the door with me! (When I later asked the workers if they would ever hurt me they laughed hysterically… apparently monkeys just want to play!) They served us the best lunch we have had so far in Malawi and then we went on our safari. We rode in big suv’s with no sides. They had three rows of seats in the back and were able to sit about 12 people in each. This was so great. Within the first five minutes we spotted some elephants. The driver took us so close to them that one mock charged us twice, just to see if we would leave. Talk about having your heart racing!
After our safari we were invited to a campfire dinner where they cooked over a huge grill. Traditional dancers and drummers came and it was a lot of fun. In the morning we woke up at 5am for a morning walk and we then had a boat safari. The other boat got to see over 50 elephants right beside the water, but unfortunately my guide took us to a different place where there were no elephants. Mvuu was an awesome place and I hope one day i can go back!
Can you believe this time next week we will be landing in Dulles?! I sure can't! This has been such an awesome experience and I'm excited for my last week!
I hope all is going well at home! I miss you guys! Thanks for checking on me!
I love and miss you!
Beth
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
A few favorites from the past few days...
We haven’t been able to use the internet now for several days so sorry I haven’t updated my blog! Everything in Malawi is going well, yesterday was their Independence Day so there was no school. There were no celebrations in Zomba either which was weird after thinking about our celebration in the states!
I thought for this blog I would give you some of my favorite moments of the last few days…
*The day Mr. Chitenje did not come to school (he had to go retrieve his paycheck because it was a month late!!!! Crazy, huh?!) so I was left with 80 kids who barely speak English. The day turned out to be a lot of fun because we played a lot of games… duck duck goose, relay races, simon says, and sang a lot of songs too. They love “Head, shoulders, knees and toes!” You can see my class spread out throughout the school yard singing it.
*The day we painted the school’s blackboards. The teachers were so thankful and we had a lot of fun doing it! The same day, David and Chimwemwe finished the paintings on the walls of the school. They look so good and I think we have made a permanent difference!
*We stopped at a local market on the way home and a drunk old man tried to get on our bus. One of my fellow trip goers, James is a big african american man. He stood up with his walking stick he purchased at Mount Mulanje, and told the man to get off. The man jumped so fast and so far off the bus that he ran into a group of children! We all laughed for about 5 minutes because of this! :)
*The hike to Mount Mulanje. We did about an hour long hike to a huge waterfall. It was beautiful and peaceful. It reminded me a lot of Radford and hiking there. The views were AMAZING!
* On the way back fom Mount Mulanje we stopped to take pictres of some boys with "rats on a stick". The boys catch rats, cook them, and hold them on a long stick for people to buy. Just wait till you see the pictures!!
*The night Peter, Annie’s son threw us a party… he brought in a DJ and lights and we danced all night. It was so much fun!
*The night Todd was too scared to sleep in his room because there was a lizard in there they couldn’t get out, so he knocked on the window to wake Kelsey up and sleep on her floor and he broke the window. Oops!!
*Today Annie invited us to her house for lunch. It turned into dinner because Malawian time is always about 2 hours later. I played hide and go seek with Peter’s sons and fell in love with his 4 year old, Christian. :)
Also, here are some of my fellow trip goers blog sites… You might like to read their experiences as well!
My advisor, Ann
www.annmaryroberts.wordpress.com
My roommate, Kelsey
www.kkelsa.blogspot.com
Tech’s Advisor, Pat
www.malawistudyabroad.com
A tech student, Todd
www.toddmalawi.blogspot.com
A Radford student, Carolyn
www.utkelizabeth.blogspot.com
A tech student, DeAnna
www.hacklerhash.blogspot.com
I can’t believe there are only 11 days left... the trip is flying by but has been so wonderful. On Wednesday we are going on our overnight safari and everyone is very excited! I’m also sad because we only have 4 days left in the schools, and that has been my favorite part of the trip!
I’ll try to update again soon! I love and miss you all!
Beth
I thought for this blog I would give you some of my favorite moments of the last few days…
*The day Mr. Chitenje did not come to school (he had to go retrieve his paycheck because it was a month late!!!! Crazy, huh?!) so I was left with 80 kids who barely speak English. The day turned out to be a lot of fun because we played a lot of games… duck duck goose, relay races, simon says, and sang a lot of songs too. They love “Head, shoulders, knees and toes!” You can see my class spread out throughout the school yard singing it.
*The day we painted the school’s blackboards. The teachers were so thankful and we had a lot of fun doing it! The same day, David and Chimwemwe finished the paintings on the walls of the school. They look so good and I think we have made a permanent difference!
*We stopped at a local market on the way home and a drunk old man tried to get on our bus. One of my fellow trip goers, James is a big african american man. He stood up with his walking stick he purchased at Mount Mulanje, and told the man to get off. The man jumped so fast and so far off the bus that he ran into a group of children! We all laughed for about 5 minutes because of this! :)
*The hike to Mount Mulanje. We did about an hour long hike to a huge waterfall. It was beautiful and peaceful. It reminded me a lot of Radford and hiking there. The views were AMAZING!
* On the way back fom Mount Mulanje we stopped to take pictres of some boys with "rats on a stick". The boys catch rats, cook them, and hold them on a long stick for people to buy. Just wait till you see the pictures!!
*The night Peter, Annie’s son threw us a party… he brought in a DJ and lights and we danced all night. It was so much fun!
*The night Todd was too scared to sleep in his room because there was a lizard in there they couldn’t get out, so he knocked on the window to wake Kelsey up and sleep on her floor and he broke the window. Oops!!
*Today Annie invited us to her house for lunch. It turned into dinner because Malawian time is always about 2 hours later. I played hide and go seek with Peter’s sons and fell in love with his 4 year old, Christian. :)
Also, here are some of my fellow trip goers blog sites… You might like to read their experiences as well!
My advisor, Ann
www.annmaryroberts.wordpress.com
My roommate, Kelsey
www.kkelsa.blogspot.com
Tech’s Advisor, Pat
www.malawistudyabroad.com
A tech student, Todd
www.toddmalawi.blogspot.com
A Radford student, Carolyn
www.utkelizabeth.blogspot.com
A tech student, DeAnna
www.hacklerhash.blogspot.com
I can’t believe there are only 11 days left... the trip is flying by but has been so wonderful. On Wednesday we are going on our overnight safari and everyone is very excited! I’m also sad because we only have 4 days left in the schools, and that has been my favorite part of the trip!
I’ll try to update again soon! I love and miss you all!
Beth
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
July 1st!
Today was so great! We decided to paint some drawings of various things on the walls of our school (shapes, maps, animals, etc.) and we started today! I am so excited! They look soooooo good! The teachers also requested for us to put the names of the subjects on the walls… mathematics, bible study, Chichewa, English, etc. We hired two men from town who are professional painters and are doing such a great job!! I can’t wait to show pictures. (Anyone who gave me money… I want you to know you are helping with this project as well!) DeAnna and Carolynn (fellow trip goers) decided they wanted to get 300 blankets/ponchos made for the children as well. (Money will be going for this project as well). In Malawi it is their “winter” months, and it is pretty chilly. Today was about 60 degrees and the nights get down in the 40’s. The children are so cold at school, so I can only imagine what night time is like for them.
Today was my second day I tought at Malemia Primary School. Mr. Chitenje, my teacher has asked me to teach science and technology. The government issued books (paperback 100 page books) so I am teaching from it. I am teaching a unit of food and nutrition. I think the children are enjoying it. I teach in standard 5 (grade 5). Mr. Chitenje has been teaching over 50 years and is a very wise and respected man. The kids love him! He gets them so excited about learning and he is over 70 years old! I hope I’m as great as a teacher someday as he is…
While I am here I am working on my Capstone project for the honor’s academy of RU. I decided to do it on Special Education. Today I interviewed the first special education teacher to come to this area. He just came 3 days ago… talk about Devine intervention! We talked for TWO HOURS and are planning to talk again on Friday. He is so smart and such a great person. I am so impressed with his education. Unfortunately the people of Malawi are not as educated as him when it comes to special education (but I guess the same is true for the US).
We saw about 20 monkeys yesterday!! They were so brave they would even take food right out of our hands… but we were advised not to do that in case they bite. Some of them have babies and they are so cute. They live right here at Annie’s Lodge so now that they see we won’t hurt them I bet they will come around a lot more often.
Thanks for reading this! We’ve had very very limited email/ internet access but I love to receive emails!
Love, Beth
Today was my second day I tought at Malemia Primary School. Mr. Chitenje, my teacher has asked me to teach science and technology. The government issued books (paperback 100 page books) so I am teaching from it. I am teaching a unit of food and nutrition. I think the children are enjoying it. I teach in standard 5 (grade 5). Mr. Chitenje has been teaching over 50 years and is a very wise and respected man. The kids love him! He gets them so excited about learning and he is over 70 years old! I hope I’m as great as a teacher someday as he is…
While I am here I am working on my Capstone project for the honor’s academy of RU. I decided to do it on Special Education. Today I interviewed the first special education teacher to come to this area. He just came 3 days ago… talk about Devine intervention! We talked for TWO HOURS and are planning to talk again on Friday. He is so smart and such a great person. I am so impressed with his education. Unfortunately the people of Malawi are not as educated as him when it comes to special education (but I guess the same is true for the US).
We saw about 20 monkeys yesterday!! They were so brave they would even take food right out of our hands… but we were advised not to do that in case they bite. Some of them have babies and they are so cute. They live right here at Annie’s Lodge so now that they see we won’t hurt them I bet they will come around a lot more often.
Thanks for reading this! We’ve had very very limited email/ internet access but I love to receive emails!
Love, Beth
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