Wow, I’m sitting here reading my notes and realizing that baking cookies for Beams seemed like forever ago.  Has it really been that long?  Sorry for the gap.

As mentioned in the last post, I broke a luvre and sliced my hand.  The resulting pain lasted for a good 6 days, the first 3 of which were so bad that I couldn’t even move my fingers without it throbbing.  So of course hair-washing was out.  And after a couple of days I was feeling gross.  It might have been easier to get Laura to wash it for me, but both of us knew it’d be way more amusing to force Banda into it.  So we pulled a chair up to the kitchen sink and after a quick tutorial from Laura, set him free.  We were a bit worried that he’d tangle my hair into a big knot since mzungu hair is waayyy different than Malawian hair, but he did a marvelous job!  Very gentle and was very meticulous – I kept telling him that he could be done and he kept saying he wanted every piece of hair to enjoy the shampoo.  Of course a photoshoot occurred.  And we like to think that he had a fun time!  Good man that one. 

Update on the hand:  It has now healed.  It took about a week to finally close up and for the pain to subside.  Cool scar though. And grateful that I avoided infection! 

Dr. Who in Malawi:  Laura and I decided (for some unknown reason) to have a Doomsday photoshoot one night.  For you non-Whovians, it’s from a Dr. Who episode where Rose and the Doctor get separated in different universes.  But there’s a shared wall that they lean against and can feel each other’s presence.  Judge all you like, but it’s a very heart-wrenching moment.  I’m not even sure why we came up with the idea since we weren’t even watching Dr. Who at the time, but we positioned a confused Banda on one side and myself on the other.  Photoshoot a success.  Banda still confused so we made him watch the episode.  Bad idea.  He remained indifferent and Laura and I ended up depressed lol. 

Cooking adventures:  We made vegetable tacos one night just like the ones Alick and Vicki used to make!  Oh Matt, you would have been proud – they were so tasty!  Laura also mastered the art of chipati making since my hand was messed up.  You Georgetownians are in for a treat with all of the new things she’s learned to make here!  Although I don’t know how thrilled ya’ll will be about nsima :)

Ash Wednesday:  Ash Wednesday was a holiday for us since we’re a Catholic school.  We made the most of it since Laura’s time is drawing close to an end.  We went to Lusubilo to hang out with the kiddos which was fun as always.  We also went to the museum which I’ve wanted to do ever since coming.  It is a beautiful space with lots of neat animal remains and interesting information about Malawi’s history and peoples.  Definitely a fun time!  Laura and I had lunch at the museum and then wandered through the market, buying chitenjes for my house and for her friends.  We also got a hold of some of those beads that Madame Mwalweni was talking about (Molly).  Successful journey.  We also went to check on my house, which turned out to be even more fun than usual as the Gondwe children and their friends accompanied us first to the house and then all the way back to campus, carrying our bags for us.  A lovely day all around! 

House update:  The walls are up!  Had a moment of difficulty as we realized that one of the windows was on the wrong wall (in terms of a breeze making it inside – vital, especially during the hot season!).  But Cosmas was wonderful and agreed to knock down one of the walls in order to fix the mistake.  They put the roof beams on yesterday and today they are putting on the iron sheets (roofing material)!  So basically the structure of the house is done.  Now we just need a plumber and electrician to come in.  And then they’ll plaster the walls and pour the concrete for the flooring.  And then the house is done!  Just remaining with the septic tank and pit latrine to build.  So maybe another week or so.  Exciting! 

We finally got to spend time with Ms. Kim, the Korean opera singer who has moved into the former volunteer house.  She invited us over for lunch and it was definitely one of the best days here!  She made such wonderful food.  She knew we were tired of Malawian meals, so she made us European foods.  The best pumpkin/butternut squash soup I’ve ever tasted, lemonade, salad with lettuce, another cold vegetable salad with olives, spaghetti, pizza, and banana bread.  Oh my goodness, I haven’t tasted food so flavorful in such a long time!  It was marvelous.  Laura and I just kept eating and eating.  Ms. Kim brought all of the non-perishable things with her from Korea.  So she basically only buys the vegetables from the market and then she also drives down to Lilongwe once a month to pick up other supplies. Laura and I did have some problems with our table manners, though not from lack of trying.  It’s just that, especially with eating lunch at school now, we’re much more adept at eating with our hands than with a fork.  Turned to look at Laura at one point and she had strings of spaghetti hanging from her mouth.  Now instead of biting them off onto the plate like most people (uncivilized ones of course, myself included) would do, she tried to shove it sheepishly into her mouth with her hand.  She failed and thus turned away to try again.  It took a good 30 seconds of struggling before she got it, all under the watchful eye of Ms. Kim and my hysterical laughter.  Not only was the food amazing, but we had a wonderful time chatting with her.  What am amazing lady!  She is 66 years old, single, and has decided to come spend her “retirement” in Malawi.  She traveled to several different African countries before deciding that Malawi was the one. She randomly met Peter, deputy director of Lusubilo, while visiting some Korean friends in Lilongwe and instantly knew that her calling was to open a music center at Lusubilo.  So she’s done that and is teaching lessens to a dozen students – voice, piano, drums, trumpet, violin, guitar.  So amazing!  She’s also opened 4 new CBCCs (is that what they’re called, former volunteers?) which are community centers in surrounding villages – places where kids can go for recreation, libraries, nutritional supplements, etc.  We also loved hearing about her life as an opera singer.  She has lived such an interesting life and we loved her perspective of time – she cannot even say what was her favorite place to live because she feels that at each moment in time, that was the best. And when it was no longer right for her, she moved on to the next adventure and happiness. Laura and I were pretty much in awe of her.  We hope we can say such things when we were older.  We also were treated to her playing the piano, watching videos of her son’s orchestra and her singing, as well as albums of her in all of her opera costumes.  Such an amazing day! 

Ms. Kim invited us to come visit the music school the next day to check it out and listen to her students rehearse for an upcoming Easter concert.  It was great to see the building and all of the instruments and see Ms. Kim coaching the kids.  It’s pretty apparent that virtually everyone loves her!  After the rehearsal we headed over to Lusubilo because it was Peter’s birthday, so Ms. Kim wanted the kids to sing for him.  We ended up getting invited to his work birthday party.  Haha I love how often things like that happen in Malawi.  When we went to town we had no idea that would be a part of our day and yet it turned out to be the best part!  Had a fun time chatting with people, dancing, and holding little Agnes (one of the babies).  Our cheeks hurt from smiling so much! 

Sad news:  Laura is going home early because she can feel herself getting sick again and none of us want her to ruin the next year for the sake of a few weeks.  So she’s leaving in 2 days.  I’m still in denial.  As is she.  Don’t really want to think about her not being here!