Spent the weekend without a computer or a phone – computer’s locked in the library for the long holiday and my phone got stolen (lame) – so I’ve felt a bit lost. Getting used to it though lol. Just laid around Saturday morning because we were going out that night so I didn’t want to get all tired and everything :)

After lunch Kennedy came over to visit which definitely brightened my day. He claimed he was coming to talk about the shared library project and details for Callaghan and Jeff’s project, but really that lasted all of 5 minutes and then we spent the next couple of hours just chatting. I think I’ve made a new friend :) Which I’m pretty thrilled about because he’s pretty fantastic. Had an awesome time chilling on the veranda, sharing stories about ourselves and our pasts, plans for our futures, and comparing views on various cultural beliefs. ‘Twas lovely.

Unfortunately we had to call it quits eventually though because I had to go track down some teachers and he had an hour and a half bike ride home ahead of him. Headed over to the Zimbabwe line (a line of teachers’ houses) to find Kalua, Banda, Kaunda and Mlotha since they had all given tentative answers about going to Planet that night and yours truly needed a head count to call for taxis. Felt a little strange invading that area since I’ve never gone over there alone before to visit them. I mean we’re friends and all but, you know, cultural expectations of gendered friendships mean that I’m not really supposed to hang out with them. And definitely not alone. So I tried to discretely slip over there but of course Banda made a scene and all of the teachers’ wives spotted me. Grimace. Ended up sitting in their little pow-wow circle with Misters Nkhata, Nyanguru and Mumba which was remarkably fun and I learned to relax a bit. Definitely grinned and felt good when Mumba told me that they’d miss me the most when we go since I’m the only one who still hangs out with them. Really love those guys!

So we did end up going to Planet K.A. that night with Kalua, Banda, Kaunda, Mlotha, and Singuini, along with Jeff and Callaghan. First time that we’ve had a bunch of Chaminade teachers with us…. So that was kinda nice. But it was also kind of overwhelming to have so many people there… everywhere you turned, there was someone. And sometimes that’s a great thing, but when you need a little re-centering time it’s rough lol. But all in all it was a nice time and I’m glad they were along. Made a conscious effort to dance more this time which was definitely the highlight. There was music going in the back-bar section this time so we were out there for quite a while since the inside area was sweltering. Molly and I had a great time dancing with Banda and Kaunda, respectively, as we paired up and had some dance-offs. Both of them were just a hoot so hopefully Kaunda will join us on future outings – he was definitely my favorite dancer of the evening and our go-to partner whenever Molly and I were craving a bit of a dance. I even busted out a new dance move. I liken it to window washing. Didn’t know I had it in me, but it was definitely a hit – that is if the laughter was with me rather than at me?! Who knows, but it was nice to just be goofy and I enjoyed myself :) Also spent a fair amount of time sitting outside in a chair circle chatting with the non-dancers and watching all of the prostitute-john negotiations. Very fascinating how those interactions go down.

Sunday was pretty low-key. Went to mass because it was in English since Father Marty was here, so that was great to actually understand church for once. Afterwards Marty came over for lunch and a chat about our experiences here, the transitioning process, and my coming back. It was all pretty fantastic since he’s been through it himself and had some good insights about each stage. A very sweet man who will hopefully be a correspondence friend to me throughout my time here!

After lunch Molly and I took a walk to Mr. Mughogho’s house to get the library keys from him so I could get my computer back since Miracle was going to be on holiday Monday and Tuesday. We weren’t exactly sure where he lived, so we went about it the Malawian way… basically get ourselves in the general area and then just ask everyone you pass. We got lucky – it only took 2 askings because we ended up at his place! He wasn’t around though but Molly had a brilliant, inspired idea. We had no paper or pen so we left a note in the dirt on his front yard. Had a great time cracking up as we used sticks to carve the message into his freshly swept dirt-lawn. Were so proud of ourselves and were definitely wishing we had a camera!

So as mentioned, Monday was a holiday… for no real reason apparently. Not that I was complaining since I love days off! Relaxed all morning and then decided that I’m going to sew my own sundress. Because Molly and I have been talking about getting one made for ages but I’m a bit wary about the tailors here – the other girls have had some disasters. Plus it would be a nice project lol :) So I spent the morning trying to find patterns online but no luck… so I just found some general instructions. I think it’ll go just fine though don’t you?! :p I’ll keep you updated. The general opinion in our house is that the first one will likely be a disaster (considering I’ve never sewn a thing in my life… small detail) but after that it’ll go just fine.

Was pretty happy that I got to accompany the gang to town for shopping since I didn’t have to work for once. Unfortunately it was one of those irritable days where just about everyone annoys you…. Not good to be in town when that happens. It started out just fine but then there was a man at the bank who decided to give me language lessons. It was okay at first but then he crossed into that line of mocking me and being rude. So that irked me. And then some stranger who was drunk grabbed my arm which spooked me a bit since Malawians aren’t usually aggressive. Others kept asking me for money and yelling at me to buy things and another woman grabbed onto me too. And then the same drunk guy later returned to leap at Molly and me and yell at us. ‘Twas just too much for frayed tolerance on a day when physical and emotional boundaries were just being ignored left and right. It ended up being a long trip into town too because we were looking for chitenjes, myself for the dress and Matt for his own project. I was unsuccessful though I did get a big hug from Allan (favorite E1 student) who happened to be wandering around the fashion district too. Did have another nice moment as we stopped to have a soda while waiting for our other passengers to be ready. We had to go to another stall since our usual place was closed but that turned out well as we were next to a couple of young boys playing Bao and Molly got to play with them. She got demolished – not surprising since they played so often and well that they are able to skip steps – but it was fun to watch their excitement about playing with her.

Matt and Molly were house-sitting for Kat and Ily (who’d gone to Zambia) that night so Chris and I had the house to ourselves. Was a pretty fun evening since our movie tastes were aligned… namely he picked out a dance movie collection and I was thrilled lol. So we ended up watching “Honey” while enjoying some marvelous BBQ and mashed potatoes. Was pretty awesome – I haven’t had that much meat in one sitting since being here! After the movie we decided to watch one episode of “Arrested Development” which of course turned into us watching a whole disk until midnight. Was a great night but then he went to bed and I had a moment of homesickness so I ended up doing my usual when that happens – watching Dr. Who until 2 am. But even with that event, it was still a quality evening :)

Tuesday was also a holiday (Bishop’s Day – hey at least it was a real holiday this time) which was lucky for me as I was able to sleep in until 10. Spent the morning researching grant opportunities for INCOS because I’d really like to help boost them onto the path of sustainability. So we’ll see how that goes. Also went and hung out in the marking room at Chaminade for awhile since I’ve missed the teachers. This always happens when they’re on holiday because they all get holed up in that room and no one’s ever in the summer hut. So that was nice to see all of them again!

I woke up on Wednesday pretty excited, despite the fact that it was 4:45 in the morning… I had to get up that early because I was escorting Callaghan to his first day of working at INCOS. It was quite the early and long morning but I was looking forward to seeing Kennedy as well as getting started on INCOS stuff, so it all evened out. Left by 5:30, wrapped in a sweater since the morning was blessedly (and uncharacteristically) chilly, and began my 45 minute walk to the hospital. Enjoyed myself along the way, appreciating Karonga’s beauty and the company of our dogs who followed me. This turned out to be a bit of a problem eventually though as they didn’t turn back once I caught a bike taxi. Normally they get tired and go home but this time 4 of them just kept going. So that was stressful since they almost kept getting hit by cars and ended up coming all the way to the bus depot. Whoops. My bike taxi was great though – definitely the best one ever. He spoke fluent English (not so common for a bike taxi) and so we were able to banter back and forth the whole way. Thoroughly enjoyable way to start the morning.

I ended up getting to the bus depot early so I had a while to just sit there and watch the action. Callaghan eventually arrived so we hopped on a bus which ended up driving in circles for 20 minutes, trying to collect more passengers. :) Love the public transportation system here. Cracks me up. But once the bus left, it was a fast one and we had a quick journey to Lupembe. I had a moment of fear as we got off the bus at the Lupembe stage and didn’t recognize it at all since usually it has a huge clothes market and is packed with people. But obviously at 7:30 in the morning, that was not the case. Eventually I noticed the large poles standing around where the clothes are displayed so we knew we were in the right spot. Collings (one of INCOS’ staff) was there to greet us but we were early so we settled down on a bench to wait for everyone to arrive.

While we were waiting there, I felt some of those ominous rumblin’s in the stomach. Groan. So not the best time for this. But it was coming whether I liked it or not so I ran over to ask Collings where I could find a toilet. He directed me towards the community chimbuzi, while trying to convince me to wait so he could find a nicer one for me to use. I, thinking that he just wanted to do so because I’m a white visitor, assured him that I was fine with the community pit latrine. Well no. He was saying that because there was neither a door nor a chitenje hanging there to give you some privacy. So I’m sorry, but there’s no way I’m baring my behind to the world while crouching over a hole in the ground. Rather distressed now, I turn away. Fortunately some ladies were sitting in their backyards and, seeing my problem, called me over and offered up their own chimbuzi. All of this was done in vernacular of course so I’m sure I missed some of their meanings, but I understood the important parts clearly! So after many thanks I was ushered to a lovely chimbuzi, very spacious and complete with a wooden door. Was very grateful that I never travel anywhere without a roll of toilet paper :) Whew what a crazy start to my morning in Lupembe.

Returned from that little adventure to learn that Kennedy had arrived so we went into their little one-room office to wait for the others to arrive. I was impressed that they were even able to afford a place in town, as opposed to out in the country. This is fantastic because the Lupembe stage is always swarming with people, so they’re really accessible to their beneficiaries. Spent the next few hours having a meeting to learn about INCOS, their current projects, their ambitions, and their financial systems since that’s what the boys will be working on. I think it was a bit overwhelming for Callaghan because they have a lot of things that they need help with, but I believe that if he finds a couple of small things to work on, that’s just fine and will help them immensely. So I’m hoping that he adopts that view too rather than just looking at the big picture and being overwhelmed. And I think they’ve set up a good pattern… Callaghan gives them “homework” to do in the interim of his visits and then they review it and make corrections while he’s there. But anyways, I had a great time – had a fun morning meeting the others who work at INCOS and am still very impressed by them and their objectives. Finished off the meeting with some minerals and biscuits. Then headed up to the road to find transportation home. Was grateful that all of the Malawians came with us, as they were quickly able to find us cheap transport home in a comfortable car. So much nicer than a minibus ride! Got dropped at the airport junction and started our hour-long walk home. It wasn’t too bad – talked the time away – though we were pretty tired by the time we made it back to Chaminade. Went back to Miracle after lunch where I discovered that I was teacher-on-duty this week. Whoops! Got “fired” for not being around…. Which kind of annoys me that no one ever recognizes the fact that I was still working – fulfilling my ETHOS liaison duties – whereas I’m willing to bet that 50% of the other teachers on campus just spent their morning sitting around. But yet, they’re the ones who are seen as working while I was seen as slacking off. Bah. But I digress. None of the prefects had names of lawbreakers for me so I just got to sit in the library and do call numbers like it was any other day. Also spent some quality time with my Electrical 1 class before calling it a day.