Sorry it’s been forever since I’ve posted… life has been a whirlwind here lately with all of the traveling and my parents coming. So I’m going to do those short updates about cool things, which I actually like better anyway :)

So thanks to the Word Cup mania here, my days for the last couple of weeks have pretty much looked like this…. Library work, teaching computer, football after school, home for supper, football after supper, collapsing in bed from exhaustion. Literally every day. Fortunately I’ve been having a great time watching so much football with the Chaminade teachers – lots of joking around now that I’m an accepted member of the group and we’ve really had some fun times!

Other fun moments:

- Watching the Chaminade teachers play football against the students. This happens every few months and is always a source of great entertainment, since the students are always way more talented and fitter. Fun times watching the balls go through their legs and laughing as they faked injuries just like the professional soccer players :)
- We’ve had some great meals lately, courtesy of Callaghan. He’s bought meat for us a couple of times and we’ve had a grand time barbequing it up… made kabobs over the fire and even had hamburgers one night! Yum! As usual, the sitting around the fire together was even more enjoyable than the awesome food.
- Chris and Callaghan went to town one day for shopping (I had to teach) and came home a little bit worse for the wear after they decided to stop at the airport to buy some beer for that night.. and ended up staying there for a couple of bottles. Oh man, I don’t think I have ever laughed so hard as Chris tried to ride Jeff’s bicycle… with the chain broken… and thus just spun the wheels really fast while trying to stay upright. Also great as Callaghan lit a match and lifted up his hands before realizing that he had forgotten to actually put a cigarette in his mouth.
- Had a really fun night in with Kat and Ily… started off with a little community gathering in the boys’ room (a place I usually avoid lol). The girls stayed to eat dinner with us and then we watched a ridiculous collection that the boys bought in town called “Sex of the Animals.” Can you believe they had that in good old conservative Karonga?! So of course the boys had to pay the $2.50 to see what it was. Really just turned out to be a bunch of nature programs spliced together… but it was funny to have that experience. Also watched Robin Williams together. Good times with the girls who we often miss since they stay off campus!
- Dugan arrived too! Dugan used to be a volunteer here (maybe 2 years ago? He was here for the first few months of Matt and Molly’s time) and has returned to travel and see the Chaminade boys’ graduation. It has been awesome having him around… it’s always nice to have a new presence in the house and he’s a pretty cool kid.
- I’ve loved computer class with the Hotel & Catering 2 students lately because they’ve all moved on to Microsoft Word. This means I don’t just get to sit anymore but actually have to teach new skills the whole time, but I’m fine with that because it’s fun to see them advancing! Had a great proud moment with Kelvin as he vastly exceeded my expectations in his computer abilities – could’ve hugged him if it weren’t culturally taboo!
- Have also had some great times during weekly cleaning with my Electrical I class. We have a shortage of cleaning supplies here at Miracle so really – after a short search for supplies – we usually just end up standing around and talking. Good times teasing that group. I’ve also really enjoyed watching the Miracle soccer games during our entertainment time. They’re such a hoot as they traipse around with the drum, supporting their classmates, and running onto the field after goals. I, myself, am predictably calmer and prefer to just sit and chat with my faves. :)
- We distributed all of the books (maybe about 2,000?) that I withdrew from the library months back… these are the books where there are like 40 copies of each, which we simply don’t need. I was a little perturbed at first because the books were supposed to go to various schools around Karonga, but my attitude changed as I saw how excited our students were. Seeing them walking home with bags and boxes of books just made me tear up and love my job. Even typing it now makes my heart swell. So I know some of those books will likely not be used the way I’d hoped (namely they’ll become kindling or toilet paper) but I’ve heard several students talking about sharing the books with their communities and setting up their own little personal-lending libraries. Couldn’t ask for much more than that! That truly was a great afternoon.
- We’ve also had some fun Planet K.A. times. Went to watch football games there a couple of times and ended up dancing away with Chris. Always fun to let loose and he’s a ham-of-a-dancer so it’s entertaining to watch as well. Kat, Ily, and Paul came by later in the evening so (after recovering from the shock of seeing Paul on the dancefloor) we danced a couple songs and then got a ride home from them, complete with our ritual star-gazing. That’s something I’ll definitely miss when I go back to the States… the stars here are just indescribable. Absolutely breathtaking.
- Have caught up on my Dr. Who viewing thanks to the internet. Whoot. Still miss 10 but I do rather enjoy Matt Smith.
- I had a major breakthrough in becoming a Malawian woman the other day (just kidding, but seriously)! I cooked nsima over the fire by myself for the first time! This was a pretty big deal since it’s the staple food here, but since we have 2 lovely cooks 6 days a week, there’s not much incentive for us to cook nsima on their off day. So I was pretty excited about preparing nsima for the boys – Chris and Callaghan – along with greens (basically boiled spinach-type stuff) for lunch! It went okay… had some “oh crap” moments as I had kind of forgotten Alick’s instructions and ended up with a bunch of flour lumps and then it wasn’t thick enough so I had to add more flour too late. Bah. But eventually I got it looking and tasting like nsima. The consistency was a bit off – not as smooth – but I think I just need some practice! Was pretty proud of myself though. Had a lovely picnic lunch outside around the fire pit and then relaxed, listening to Chris’ guitar playing while Callaghan scrubbed his clothes. A perfect Malawian afternoon.
- Molly and Matt finally came back from the World Cup! Really they were only gone for 11 days but the house was definitely quiet without them. So it’s great to have them back and have our community whole again.
- Had a (semi-obnoxious, ok I lied, very obnoxious) showing of American spirit during the USA game… I tried to fade into the background but alas I was there as we went to the airport with a couple of Peace Corps volunteers to watch one of the football games. It was actually really fun sitting there and being goofy with Ily and Chris (instead of watching the game) but couldn’t help but be overwhelmed as the others broke beer bottles and jumped up screaming. Sigh. This is why people love Americans. Did have a fun feast afterwards of hamburgers and sausage.
- Had a farewell dinner with Kat and Ily and they cooked…… SPAGHETTI and MEAT SAUCE! Oh it was amazing. Like being at home lol. Also had a fun evening with them of whiskey pong, at which I performed much better than the first time thank you very much.
- Probably one of my favorite parts about these last couple of weeks. I met this really awesome kid (and by kid, I mean he’s 28) named Johnnie who works at Mabuya, the lodge we stay at in Lilongwe. Had some fun times as he showed Molly and me how to use an awesome crank nutcracker. And then when I went down to pick up my family, he was definitely the one of the highlights of a stressful trip. Especially since he was just so very calm in the midst of all the loud Nkhata Bay friends who were around me… that was great. So I left thinking that I wanted to be friends with that kid. Since then, have had an awesome week of texting questions back and forth, getting to know each other and talking about things that I haven’t even discussed with my friends here who I’ve known for 11 months. And then when I went back a week later to drop the family off at the airport, again it was just really nice to sit and talk… especially since I was sick and not really looking for any drinking or partying (basically all the Nkhata Bay boys know how to do). SO! I’m pretty thrilled that I’ve met him, although sad that 1. He lives freaking 14 hours away by public bus and 2. I’m leaving so soon after meeting him. Quickly became one of my favorite people here though… feels like I’ve known him a lot longer than 2 weeks!

Not so fun moments, but still important moments:

- Had to say my first goodbye to someone that I truly adore… Brother Beams. He was leaving early to go to Nairobi and France, we had to part ways earlier than anticipated. Oh that was a hard one. Not my first goodbye, but my first one for someone who I just love dearly. Beams has always been my favorite and when Molly makes me pick who are the “Top 3 People I’ll Miss,” Beams is always there. So I wasn’t looking forward to parting with him at all, but we had a nice chat, a good hug and I walked away crying of course. Chris put in a valiant effort to comfort me, treating me to one after another of his guitar songs while I curled up on the couch and had my therapeutic cry. Not looking forward to the coming month that will be full of difficult goodbyes.
- I’ve been sick a lot lately… not sure what’s going on with my body these days. Had a couple of days a while back where I didn’t even get out of bed. And then I was sick for the whole week of my parents’ visit and still am. Let me tell ya, being sick in Africa is not a fun experience between the heat and the days-long transportation issues and the homesickness that inevitably ensues. Molly also got malaria really bad and Chris was sick too for a few days… poor Matty having to run around like a mother hen, taking care of all of us at once!
- My fellow librarian has left Miracle. Now, I may have had my moments of being frustrated with him, but I am genuinely sad that he won’t be around anymore, since he really was a sweet man. Plus the library will just be in shambles during the 5 months that I’m gone because they won’t open it unless I’m there. So that sucks for the students too.
- Kat and Ily left Karonga. For good. Oh the house is starting to disperse. So strange. I’m still in denial a little bit.