A delicious roadside snack
So worth getting up early for...Sunday, July 19, 2009
Friday, July 17, 2009
Lake Malawi
So, yeah, we just got back from the Lake and it was AMAZING. More like an ocean than a lake really, Lake Malawi (aka: "the Calendar Lake") is 365 miles long and 52 miles across. Which meant that we couldn't even see the shore on the other side and had to content ourselves with looking at canoes, islands, swimming children, and rare types of fish of every kind... really not such a bad deal in the long run. The first day at the Lake a few of us attempted to swim out to a certain "lizard island" about a mile away from shore, but gave up after going approximately 1/117th of the way and returned to come lounge on the beautiful beach instead. Never fear though, for we were later redeemed when we took a boat dubbed BAD NEWS sailed by the very competent "Captain Magic" out to the island and frolicked amongst the large lizards and colorful fish. That night we spent our time chilling around the "Cool Runnings" camp ground (basically a
hippie heaven on earth) climbing trees, playing bao, stalking some especially attractive Danish boys, hunting for books from the lodge library complete with Tolstoy and Hugo, ordering passion fruit Fanta from the bar, and consuming some especially delicious vegetarian fare. The tents we slept in were quite an adventure, as were the ants that seemed to be rather attracted to our sleeping bags and clothes... let's just say that it's gonna be nice to sleep in a real bed again tonight. Anyways, the rest of our time at the Lake was spent in much the same way as the first day, as we continued to enjoy the beautiful landscape and our relaxation time in between our very busy teaching schedules. We also taught one afternoon for a couple hours to a group of students at the lake.(Written yesterday)
PS On the way home, some of the more adventuresome of us tried some of the culinary delights available along the road. Pictures to follow...
hippie heaven on earth) climbing trees, playing bao, stalking some especially attractive Danish boys, hunting for books from the lodge library complete with Tolstoy and Hugo, ordering passion fruit Fanta from the bar, and consuming some especially delicious vegetarian fare. The tents we slept in were quite an adventure, as were the ants that seemed to be rather attracted to our sleeping bags and clothes... let's just say that it's gonna be nice to sleep in a real bed again tonight. Anyways, the rest of our time at the Lake was spent in much the same way as the first day, as we continued to enjoy the beautiful landscape and our relaxation time in between our very busy teaching schedules. We also taught one afternoon for a couple hours to a group of students at the lake.(Written yesterday)
PS On the way home, some of the more adventuresome of us tried some of the culinary delights available along the road. Pictures to follow...
Friday, July 10, 2009
1st day teaching at camp ;)
BLOG
~ First day of camp WHOO!
~ Got off at the wrong school but finally made it about an hour late
~ Having a great time figuring out a group dynamic
~ Long rides with the translators are always fun and interesting, learning more about the Malawian culture
~ Divided into cook groups, planning meals is always exciting ... we've had veggie stir-fry w/ rice, Mac&Cheese w/ baked
beans, tomato soup w/ grilled cheese and fruit salad, and fried rice w/ egg rolls tonight
~ Learned a new game called Bao
~ Anna, Lauren, & Nick went running at the golf course at 6:45 AM :O but Pete read in the car
~ Went to fabric market yesterday and gave material to Lali (tailor) to make skirts/bags/etc
~ Have a nice journey ...
~ First day of camp WHOO!
~ Got off at the wrong school but finally made it about an hour late
~ Having a great time figuring out a group dynamic
~ Long rides with the translators are always fun and interesting, learning more about the Malawian culture
~ Divided into cook groups, planning meals is always exciting ... we've had veggie stir-fry w/ rice, Mac&Cheese w/ baked
beans, tomato soup w/ grilled cheese and fruit salad, and fried rice w/ egg rolls tonight
~ Learned a new game called Bao
~ Anna, Lauren, & Nick went running at the golf course at 6:45 AM :O but Pete read in the car
~ Went to fabric market yesterday and gave material to Lali (tailor) to make skirts/bags/etc
~ Have a nice journey ...
Monday, July 6, 2009
Mt Nkoma Hike
Today we went to Nkhoma Mountain about 35 kilometers south of Lilongwe. Alongside the other World Camp volunteers living in the "pink palace" (other house), we hiked to the top. Although it was an enervating three hours, the panoramic view at the top was worth all of our hard work. This trip also gave us a taste of life in rural Malawi as we passed many villages along the way. We are excited to observe our first camp tomorrow before we begin teaching on Thursday.
-Lauren, Elise, Karen, Nick, Sam, Kirsten, Mackenzie, and Anna
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Muli bwanji!
Muli bwanji! The long arduous flight to Malawi fortunately consisted of comic reliefs. For example, Kirsten and Nick sat behind an elderly white South African couple who needed “beef explaining”. As soon as we disembarked the plane, we experienced a culture shock. On the ride to our house, for instance, we witnessed a man carrying a stick of dead mice. We also fully appreciate the beautiful scenery.
This morning, everyone slept in. Until Ashley came knocking on the door and awoke us from our deep slumber and disrupted our sweet dreams. Well Elise woke up at 6:30. After being lethargic for the first hour or so, we went to the college house, which was aesthetically pleasing to the eye, and got pumped up by playing games while waiting for the arrival of the translator. Once he arrived, we started reviewing the curriculum for a mock day one at camp. Afterwards, we gallantly rode a Land Rover to the ambassador’s mansion and ravenously devoured the gastronomically appealing culinary delights until we bordered gluttony. The opulence of the party juxtaposed to the conditions of the native Malawians was strange. So many Americans concentrated in a small area! Mackenzie and Lauren volunteered their faces as canvases for patriotic works of art. Sam and Anna exchanged discourses with a UNC Chapel Hill student who volunteers with the Peace Corps. After eating and people-watching, we headed to town and attempted to exchange our money. Most inauspiciously, due to the seemingly erratic bank schedule, it was closed and we were unable to exchange our dollars. Fortunately, World Camp had sufficient amount of spare money for us to do some grocery shopping for food. Afterwards, we came back to our humble abode and continued with our orientation. John provided us with delish food, including fries and quiche. John is the person who so graciously provided us with dinner. Room 1 was assigned to servitude and washed the dishes. However, they made the best of the time and had some fun. Towards the end of the evening, we all sat around and had a good time chatting.
We miss you!
Karen and Nick
(Excuse the superfluous overly ornate words as our choice of diction)
This morning, everyone slept in. Until Ashley came knocking on the door and awoke us from our deep slumber and disrupted our sweet dreams. Well Elise woke up at 6:30. After being lethargic for the first hour or so, we went to the college house, which was aesthetically pleasing to the eye, and got pumped up by playing games while waiting for the arrival of the translator. Once he arrived, we started reviewing the curriculum for a mock day one at camp. Afterwards, we gallantly rode a Land Rover to the ambassador’s mansion and ravenously devoured the gastronomically appealing culinary delights until we bordered gluttony. The opulence of the party juxtaposed to the conditions of the native Malawians was strange. So many Americans concentrated in a small area! Mackenzie and Lauren volunteered their faces as canvases for patriotic works of art. Sam and Anna exchanged discourses with a UNC Chapel Hill student who volunteers with the Peace Corps. After eating and people-watching, we headed to town and attempted to exchange our money. Most inauspiciously, due to the seemingly erratic bank schedule, it was closed and we were unable to exchange our dollars. Fortunately, World Camp had sufficient amount of spare money for us to do some grocery shopping for food. Afterwards, we came back to our humble abode and continued with our orientation. John provided us with delish food, including fries and quiche. John is the person who so graciously provided us with dinner. Room 1 was assigned to servitude and washed the dishes. However, they made the best of the time and had some fun. Towards the end of the evening, we all sat around and had a good time chatting.
We miss you!
Karen and Nick
(Excuse the superfluous overly ornate words as our choice of diction)
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