First off, New Year’s Eve was enjoyable. There was a party on campus so I went to that. Laura was exhausted so she slept through it. The party was pretty tame. Just people sitting around listening to music. But it livened up with about an hour to go though and I had a fun time talking and catching up with people who I hadn’t seen yet during my campus wanderings. A good sign of things to come in 2011!

Upon waking up in 2011, Laura and I decided to take our first trip to Gondwe’s Shop for a cold mineral and some adorable children time. Well it turned out to be very satisfying for the first goal and a gold mine for the second!! It started off well when a 13-year-old girl named Elina sat down next to us on the bench. Now, this alone was a huge act of bravery. And then she proceeded to chatter on and on! I have never heard such fluent English from such a young person and especially (unfortunately) from a female child. It was a fabulous time and we exchanged email addresses to keep in touch while she is away at secondary school. I do hope to hear from her!

While we were sipping on our sodas, we also noticed a grumpy looking fellow lying close to us. His 3-year-old face was perpetually in a scowl, even though he was clearly interested in us. Lots of staring but no reaction to our usual smile-inducing antics. Even Chitumbuka (the vernacular language) could not coax a response from him. We were at a loss. So I decided a sneak attack was in order. Finished my mineral, walked casually past him, and then doubled back to scoop him up. He was on my lap before he knew what was going on! A few more moments passed of surliness until I opted for the last resort – tickling. And out popped his beautiful, adorable grin! And even a giggle or two. Success. After that, we were buds. Tried the horsy game (courtesy of The Cosby Show) but he was not a fan. Despite all of my questions in Chitumbuka, he remained silent. The best I got was a grunt when I asked him if we could dance together. We thought he was mute.

So after a good while of playing with him and the others and chatting with Elina, we decided to call it a day. Our little friend suddenly became braver, following and then running to hold our hands. Great excitement was had as Laura and I swung him in the air between us. His mother, in particular, thought that was hilarious. A short ways later we reached his house. “Tamala?” I asked, meaning “Are we finished?” A quick nod was what I got. So we said goodbye and started our hike up the hill to the Chaminade campus. But we soon realized that he was hustling after us, just as fast as his little three year old legs could carry him. I would like to note that this is a huge feat – I’m usually worn out by the time I get to the top of the hill! So we stopped and waited for him, where he regrabbed our hands and contentedly trotted along. We figured we’d bring him as a present for Banda. Might I note here, how much I LOVE that in Malawi it is totally acceptable to wander off with someone else’s child. No one freaks out. Everyone knows that they’ll be taken care of and will return when they’re hungry or tired. Love it. So anyways, we wander down Zimbabwe Line. Passersby asked me where I got a child. To which I respond, “Meet my son, Vitu.” (We’d previously learned of his name – meaning Blessings - courtesy of his chattier friends.) Funny, no one seemed to see a resemblance.

We made it to Banda’s palace, where I swung Vitu into my arms and presented him. Banda turned out to be the right person to visit because the four of us sat happily on his porch with Vitu on my lap and listened as Banda asked a steady stream of questions and finally managed to crack his quietness. Heard all about his family and his school and was charmed as he counted to 10: “1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 2, 1.” Too freaking cute. Of course I was in love by this point. Especially when he said that he wanted to come live with me. And I am proud to report that I actually understood most of the conversation. Go me – having the Chitumbuka vocabulary of a 3 year old! After a good hour, Vitu started to fall asleep on my lap, so we swung him onto my back and carried him back down the hill to his house. Banda came with us so we could tell his mum how much we enjoyed him and that we’d be back again for another visit. Although knowing Vitu’s persistence and endurance, he might just show up at Banda’s door one day and get escorted to us. Laura’s said she’s going to teach him the way to MIRACLE so he can come visit her and be her play date while I work. :) Not going to lie, one of my best moments in Malawi. Just another reason why I love this place – the freedom to make friends with random children!