Hi All. Barb here. We are in Piet Retief at the Welgekozen Country Lodge en route to Jo'burg. It's been an amazing couple of days. Earlier bloggers wrote about our great school visits with Group 2. We wrapped our school visits with a trip to Matamzana Dube, the high school we visited in Nov 2007. It seems their school has grown alot since we were there. They added three temp classrooms and some of their other structures have collapsed due to poor construction. It was startlingly clear that ECAG's classroom design is really stellar as we noted a significant temperature difference between the room we constructed and the other classrooms. It was sad to see so many kids in just shirts in the freezing weather and the cold classrooms. Again, I am reminded how fortunate we are here.
We traveled on to St. Lucia for hippo-rama on the water safari then up to Hilltop for the jeep safari. It is truly amazing to see these incredible animals, as Lori described. We had an extra treat on the trip. There is a young man named Fred Wynne working for Mark Chennels at his game reserve near Hluhluwe park. Fred will be working on a Books for Africa project for Mark and it turned out that Henry could brief Fred if Fred joined us at Hilltop -- so he did. It was a pleasure to have such a bright and light spirit with us. He is in his early twenties and having an amazing time working for Mark on the reserve. Lots of rhino photo taking and nyala wrestling. He was a great conversationalist and very enjoyable travel mate.
It's now 9/1, we're in Jo'burg. Lori has done a great job posting our details. Most of the gang are out at the Apartheid Museum today. I am taking a hiatus to rest up for Zambia. Gracious thanks to our friend Titus who has handled all our arrangements there. We will be able to visit some Books for Africa contacts.
I am feeling so blessed and grateful for the opportunity to share this work with our good travelers. Our service is simple but has amazing long lasting impact - 40+ kids per classroom for years on years. It's a very good reminder of our good fortune in the United States and how simple action on our part can make a big difference a world away. thanks to to all of you who support our work in the many ways you do. Thanks to our happy travelers for being awesome travel mates and great voices for our work. Blessings. B
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Good morning everyone!
Just a quick note this morning before we head out to St. Lucia. The last couple of days we have spent in Eshowe. Yesterday was our teaching day which we all enjoyed tremendously. The kids were quite interactive, some were shy, all were very interested in us! The primary school put on a performance for us that was just beautiful -- traditional dress and dance. Last night we also sent to Shakaland which I thought was just awesome. There was a performance before dinner -- again traditional Zulu dress and dance. The dance group was incredibly energetic which made it all the more entertaining. One of the dancers paid quite a bit of attention to me...those of you who know me understand how I LOVE to be the center of attention (not). But it was very sweet and pretty funny. Although there was talk about me having to stay in South Africa since I may now be married?? This morning we have the opportunity to visit a hospital with a doctor that we met the other night who does a lot of work with AIDS victims. I'm looking forward to St. Lucia and seeing the crocs and hippos! Really miss everyone -- but we are having a wonderful time. I'm not sure how I'm going to handle my first morning home when there is no one to cook breakfast for me!! Love you all! Lori
Just a quick note this morning before we head out to St. Lucia. The last couple of days we have spent in Eshowe. Yesterday was our teaching day which we all enjoyed tremendously. The kids were quite interactive, some were shy, all were very interested in us! The primary school put on a performance for us that was just beautiful -- traditional dress and dance. Last night we also sent to Shakaland which I thought was just awesome. There was a performance before dinner -- again traditional Zulu dress and dance. The dance group was incredibly energetic which made it all the more entertaining. One of the dancers paid quite a bit of attention to me...those of you who know me understand how I LOVE to be the center of attention (not). But it was very sweet and pretty funny. Although there was talk about me having to stay in South Africa since I may now be married?? This morning we have the opportunity to visit a hospital with a doctor that we met the other night who does a lot of work with AIDS victims. I'm looking forward to St. Lucia and seeing the crocs and hippos! Really miss everyone -- but we are having a wonderful time. I'm not sure how I'm going to handle my first morning home when there is no one to cook breakfast for me!! Love you all! Lori
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Hello everyone -- this is Lori! Here we are in South Africa after traveling from Malawi. I have to say Malawi was unbelievably wonderful, the warmth of the people is intoxicating. In Malawi, which is a very poor country, people walk or ride bicycle everywhere...along the side of the highway...people (children!) walking so close to the very narrow road it is scary. Not to mention the goats...and the cattle that don't necessarily stick to the lane they are supposed to be in! The landscape here is in South Africa is completely different -- very lush and green with sugar cane growing everywhere (out in the country). In Malawi it is very dry with very little green but still beautiful. Yesterday we visited two schools...the first is sorely in need of a proper classroom. Currently the children attend school in buildings that were built to house farm workers and are very small and run down. As we pulled into the school the children ran out singing and started running circles around the car -- they were SO happy to have us visit. They gave us a beautiful performance of song and dance before we left and also a meal of beef and ensema (corn meal). The second school used to hold class in an old church which now is run down and falling apart. Now, they are thankful to have the new classrooms that were donated. Again, the children put on an amazing performance for us. One little girl recited a poem about how thankful they are for the new shelter from the weather. It was pretty heart wrenching. The next two days we visit more schools, hopefully a hospital as well and possibly a guided birdwatching trip, then off to St. Lucia and safari's. All my love to everyone!!
First Trip to Eshowe Schools - Group 2
Hi, this is Dave from group 2. After a week here in Africa we have finally arrived in Eshowe, and we visited our first school today. We went to Malawi during the first part of the trip, and saw a number of schools there -- focusing on the libraries, and we were usually met by the headmaster or a teacher. But today, we were overwhelmed by the enthusiasm we were met with today from the students and staff! The first school we went to was at Mcakwini, where some homes had been turned into classrooms, and they were starting to fall apart. We pulled through the gate, and the students surrounded the van in a surge, welcoming us and singing. We had been getting used to the strange looks a group of white Americans would draw when going through any area in Malawi, but the enthusiasm and gratitude from the students in the Eshowe schools was unmatched!
We had visits with school officials, and after visiting some classrooms at Mcakwini we were treated to songs and dancing by the students of each grade level. The little kids were so cute, and sang songs about a rabbit and some oranges. And the older students did songs and dances where it seemed they were trying to throw their legs over their heads to stomp the bass part of the song. The thump against the ground was loud and as a bass player, I appreciated the low end. They threw their legs so high and stomped so hard, I don't know how they didn't hurt their feet -- and sometimes they would lose their balance and fall over, and the other kids would laugh at them. Some things are the same all over...
The second school we went to was Mathiya which was up in some hilly country. That's where we saw Africa Classroom Connection at work. The old school had been conducted in an old church building that was literally falling apart from the foundation on up. Then up above them we saw shining examples of ECAG classrooms that were nice and new, and divided into smaller rooms for different grade levels. It was a beautiful afternoon, and the kids performed, then mobbed us to wave at cameras and thank Henry for the classroom he had built and adorned with his email address over the door. They were nice enough to feed us, and some of us are complaining about how we thought we might get thinner on the trip...and with all the food we're being offered, that ain't happening. Such an American problem to have. We look forward to seeing more schools tomorrow, and will experience our first attempt at teaching in a classroom. Should be fun, because today was amazing!
We had visits with school officials, and after visiting some classrooms at Mcakwini we were treated to songs and dancing by the students of each grade level. The little kids were so cute, and sang songs about a rabbit and some oranges. And the older students did songs and dances where it seemed they were trying to throw their legs over their heads to stomp the bass part of the song. The thump against the ground was loud and as a bass player, I appreciated the low end. They threw their legs so high and stomped so hard, I don't know how they didn't hurt their feet -- and sometimes they would lose their balance and fall over, and the other kids would laugh at them. Some things are the same all over...
The second school we went to was Mathiya which was up in some hilly country. That's where we saw Africa Classroom Connection at work. The old school had been conducted in an old church building that was literally falling apart from the foundation on up. Then up above them we saw shining examples of ECAG classrooms that were nice and new, and divided into smaller rooms for different grade levels. It was a beautiful afternoon, and the kids performed, then mobbed us to wave at cameras and thank Henry for the classroom he had built and adorned with his email address over the door. They were nice enough to feed us, and some of us are complaining about how we thought we might get thinner on the trip...and with all the food we're being offered, that ain't happening. Such an American problem to have. We look forward to seeing more schools tomorrow, and will experience our first attempt at teaching in a classroom. Should be fun, because today was amazing!
Monday, August 24, 2009
following Group #2
Thanks for keeping us posted about your travels. It is especially interesting to read about the attempts to help young mothers back to school. I don't recall us asking too much about that when we visited the schools in South Africa. I know we had some discussion about it but I don't remember the details about it. It is good to know that your initial travels went well and I hope they continue to do so.
Many people from our church community, Spirit of St. Stephen's Catholic Community, where Henry, Ali and I are members and Kelli has just been hired to coordinate and support our religious education program for children, have asked if we are going to give some type of report back to the community. So I am hopeful that we will be able to do that in some fashion and especially have videos that we can share with the kids in our community. So hopefully there will be a video from this group as well that we can share or put some of our pictures together in some type of presentation.
Be well and keep posting, from "Gogo" Grandma Rosemary
Many people from our church community, Spirit of St. Stephen's Catholic Community, where Henry, Ali and I are members and Kelli has just been hired to coordinate and support our religious education program for children, have asked if we are going to give some type of report back to the community. So I am hopeful that we will be able to do that in some fashion and especially have videos that we can share with the kids in our community. So hopefully there will be a video from this group as well that we can share or put some of our pictures together in some type of presentation.
Be well and keep posting, from "Gogo" Grandma Rosemary
You Go Girls!
Malawi has been a wonderful experience. The schools have been very welcoming. I was so excited that most of them have been initiating programs that encourage young mothers to return to school. One of the schools has even set up a daycare on site so the children have a place to play and eat while their mothers receive their education. It brought tears to my eyes to see all the young women in their matching shirts that campaigned for girls going back to school. Everyone in the community seems very proud of this program, and it was great to see the rallying behind it. Love to you all, Bridget Kennedy
CRECOM schools in Malawi
This is Henry. Maybe I should say Henry Bromelkamp because for the last two weeks in Malawi everyone has been using my full name because we've also been traveling with my Malawian friend Henry Solomon. Henry, if you ever read this, you can know that our travelers very much enjoyed your warm spirit and good humor and engaging discussions. I met Henry in 2005 at a wood carving shop on the top of Mount Zomba. He had dropped out of tenth grade for lack of school fees. In 2007 when I saw him again, we went looking for a secondary school for him to finish high school. Now he's a 22-year-old 11th grader at Zomba Catholic Secondary School, one of the best schools in Malawi. To put it in perspective, the school fees are $355 per year-- that includes instruction, books, and -- a year of room and board! It was hard to say goodbye to Henry yesterday when we sent him back to Zomba on the minibus.
We spent Saturday visiting schools built by CRECOM (sorry I'm going to forget what the acronym stands for, but it's about creating change from community action) in rural villages near Balaka, Malawi. One primary school was constructed with a room for a computer lab, with the intent that developing computer skills in young learners would be very beneficial for future learning. The school hasn't yet been connected to the power grid, and there are no computers yet, but the school is beautifully constructed and the head teacher is still hoping to complete the project. With CRECOM, the village is expected to provide the bricks and labor, then CRECOM finds a donor or the government to provide concrete, wooden roof trusses, and iron roofing sheets. Another school Maye has 1045 students with five teachers! The eleven nearby villages have already made hundreds of thousands of bricks, which were stacked in neat piles in the back of the school, awaiting resources for concrete and trusses and roofing. The headmaster Peter would very much like to have a sister school in Minnesota or California (our traveler Bridget is from Sacramento). Any ideas?
We spent Saturday visiting schools built by CRECOM (sorry I'm going to forget what the acronym stands for, but it's about creating change from community action) in rural villages near Balaka, Malawi. One primary school was constructed with a room for a computer lab, with the intent that developing computer skills in young learners would be very beneficial for future learning. The school hasn't yet been connected to the power grid, and there are no computers yet, but the school is beautifully constructed and the head teacher is still hoping to complete the project. With CRECOM, the village is expected to provide the bricks and labor, then CRECOM finds a donor or the government to provide concrete, wooden roof trusses, and iron roofing sheets. Another school Maye has 1045 students with five teachers! The eleven nearby villages have already made hundreds of thousands of bricks, which were stacked in neat piles in the back of the school, awaiting resources for concrete and trusses and roofing. The headmaster Peter would very much like to have a sister school in Minnesota or California (our traveler Bridget is from Sacramento). Any ideas?
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Lilongwe days
Hi this is Lori,
Hello from Malawi!! We arrived here with (essentially) no mishaps -- safe and sound. We have been having a wonderful time. Ketema and his family have been incredible hosts. Yesterday, our first full day in Malawi was a busy one. Dr. Nyirongo from a medical facility in northern Malawi, has been a visitor at Ketema's house the last few days along with us. Each of us brought with us an extra suitcase filled with medical supplies that are going to the Dr.'s facility. Yesterday he took us on a tour of a hospital here in Lilongwe. The conditions of the hospital buildings and grounds were sobering to say the least -- with broken windows stuffed with rags, different buildings for TB, malaria etc. Also the babies -- several women holding three day old newborns. What really struck me though was the friendliness of the people as the Dr. greeted them and asked about their children etc.
After the hospital we went to an outdoor market filled with fresh produce, beans, rice, just about everything you can imagine and of course the rows and rows of dried fish (yes, dried fish). All of the fish, painstakingly set out in carefully arranged piles (so as to make them look more appealing). Yes, the smell was interesting. Again though, the friendliness of the people is astounding. We managed to take a number of pictures!
Next stop was a craft market with dozens of vendors selling carvings, paintings, jewelry --beautiful things. It was a little overwhelming for me as they are very persistent in their selling techniques! Thankfully the Dr. and another friend, Henry Solomon, were there to help us in the negotiations! This was our first of many buying opportunities on the trip but each of us did pick up a few items as souveneirs. After this was lunch at Mamma Mia's! As a group of 9 we managed to put away 5 pizzas! Mom, you would love the crust -- thin as tortillas!
The culmination of the day was and dinner at an Ethiopian restaurant nearby (Shela) that is actually in a private residence. Not to mention a nice relaxing happy hour prior to dinner! We had 13 people total at dinner -- bigger group since we had even more visitors and Ketema's daughters joined us as well. Dinner was incredible with us getting the opportunity to sample many different dishes.
The things that each of us have been so impressed with since we have been here is first of all the friendliness and warmth of everyone we have met, the opportunity to meet such interesting people, the incredibly high level of service everywhere you go, and for me the stark contrast of the simplicity of life here compared to what us Americans are used too. Extremely refreshing!
Enough of my rambling...today we head out to Lake Malawi which we are all very excited to see! I do not believe we will have internet access for a couple of days but will write again when we have the chance! Love to you all!!
Hello from Malawi!! We arrived here with (essentially) no mishaps -- safe and sound. We have been having a wonderful time. Ketema and his family have been incredible hosts. Yesterday, our first full day in Malawi was a busy one. Dr. Nyirongo from a medical facility in northern Malawi, has been a visitor at Ketema's house the last few days along with us. Each of us brought with us an extra suitcase filled with medical supplies that are going to the Dr.'s facility. Yesterday he took us on a tour of a hospital here in Lilongwe. The conditions of the hospital buildings and grounds were sobering to say the least -- with broken windows stuffed with rags, different buildings for TB, malaria etc. Also the babies -- several women holding three day old newborns. What really struck me though was the friendliness of the people as the Dr. greeted them and asked about their children etc.
After the hospital we went to an outdoor market filled with fresh produce, beans, rice, just about everything you can imagine and of course the rows and rows of dried fish (yes, dried fish). All of the fish, painstakingly set out in carefully arranged piles (so as to make them look more appealing). Yes, the smell was interesting. Again though, the friendliness of the people is astounding. We managed to take a number of pictures!
Next stop was a craft market with dozens of vendors selling carvings, paintings, jewelry --beautiful things. It was a little overwhelming for me as they are very persistent in their selling techniques! Thankfully the Dr. and another friend, Henry Solomon, were there to help us in the negotiations! This was our first of many buying opportunities on the trip but each of us did pick up a few items as souveneirs. After this was lunch at Mamma Mia's! As a group of 9 we managed to put away 5 pizzas! Mom, you would love the crust -- thin as tortillas!
The culmination of the day was and dinner at an Ethiopian restaurant nearby (Shela) that is actually in a private residence. Not to mention a nice relaxing happy hour prior to dinner! We had 13 people total at dinner -- bigger group since we had even more visitors and Ketema's daughters joined us as well. Dinner was incredible with us getting the opportunity to sample many different dishes.
The things that each of us have been so impressed with since we have been here is first of all the friendliness and warmth of everyone we have met, the opportunity to meet such interesting people, the incredibly high level of service everywhere you go, and for me the stark contrast of the simplicity of life here compared to what us Americans are used too. Extremely refreshing!
Enough of my rambling...today we head out to Lake Malawi which we are all very excited to see! I do not believe we will have internet access for a couple of days but will write again when we have the chance! Love to you all!!
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Group 2 is here!
Just a quick note to let all interested parties know that Group 2 has arrived in Lilongwe. They are en route from the airport as I type. I stayed behind so we'd have ample room in jeep for people and bags. Looking forward to seeing them all. We'll be bloggin' about this leg as it gets going. We'll be in Malawi until Sunday with limited access to internet but we'll do our best. Barb
Monday, August 17, 2009
A brief rest for the leaders
Hi All,
The remaining travelers in Group 1 boarded flights from Lilongwe yesterday afternoon. By my calculations, if their flight to the States was on time, they are nearing land with about 2 hours of flight time left. It is a 16 hour whopper on the return flight. Thank goodness Delta has super 777 service between Jo'burg and ATL.
We wrapped up our trip with a stay at Mua Mission and a visit to the Kugoni Center for Culture and Art. It is one of the best museums I (Barb) have been to. They detail all the cultural rituals from birth through death with photos, clothing, masks and other examples. The accommodations there are simple and beautiful. Each of the rooms is animal themed with a story about the meaning of the animals and wood carvings of the animals throughout. We enjoyed dinner in their outdoor dining room and then a rambunctious game of spoons with 13 players. It was hilarious fun, especially for the three Malawians with us who had never played before and who needed to learn how to be more aggressive lest they get too many letters. For the Ryan/Kennedy clan, this group made an addition to the game I had not seen before - after a round, all spoon holders bang their spoon on the table in front of the spoonless person. Not my fave but enjoyed by many. It was great belly laughing and good fun.
Henry and I enjoying a quiet day of regrouping in Lilongwe awaiting the arrival of group two. We are finalizing details, arranging rental cars, and hanging out. I am looking forward to curling up in a barca lounger with Obama's Dreams of my Father. Group 2 departed the US on 8/16. After an overnight in Jo'burg they will be here in Lilongwe for Malawi-rama on Tuesday.
Thanks Colette for uploading pictures. I hope the others from Group 1 will do the same or send a link to online photo files. Bye for now.
The remaining travelers in Group 1 boarded flights from Lilongwe yesterday afternoon. By my calculations, if their flight to the States was on time, they are nearing land with about 2 hours of flight time left. It is a 16 hour whopper on the return flight. Thank goodness Delta has super 777 service between Jo'burg and ATL.
We wrapped up our trip with a stay at Mua Mission and a visit to the Kugoni Center for Culture and Art. It is one of the best museums I (Barb) have been to. They detail all the cultural rituals from birth through death with photos, clothing, masks and other examples. The accommodations there are simple and beautiful. Each of the rooms is animal themed with a story about the meaning of the animals and wood carvings of the animals throughout. We enjoyed dinner in their outdoor dining room and then a rambunctious game of spoons with 13 players. It was hilarious fun, especially for the three Malawians with us who had never played before and who needed to learn how to be more aggressive lest they get too many letters. For the Ryan/Kennedy clan, this group made an addition to the game I had not seen before - after a round, all spoon holders bang their spoon on the table in front of the spoonless person. Not my fave but enjoyed by many. It was great belly laughing and good fun.
Henry and I enjoying a quiet day of regrouping in Lilongwe awaiting the arrival of group two. We are finalizing details, arranging rental cars, and hanging out. I am looking forward to curling up in a barca lounger with Obama's Dreams of my Father. Group 2 departed the US on 8/16. After an overnight in Jo'burg they will be here in Lilongwe for Malawi-rama on Tuesday.
Thanks Colette for uploading pictures. I hope the others from Group 1 will do the same or send a link to online photo files. Bye for now.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Pictures!!
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Hi all, Barb asked me to post some pictures when I returned - well being the technological whiz I am this is about my 5th attempt to figure out - hopefully this will go through and you will onlly receive the pictures I chose and not all of my pictures - hmmm. I think Emily and I are finally on our home time zone - my re-entry was a little slower than my youthful daughters! Our flight home was rather comical - first we were to leave for the airport on the 2:30 shuttle - which they forgot about us and so we left at 3:00 - no big deal since we learned when we got to the airport that the check in gate did not open until 4:30, but it was hilarious to watch the van driver and hotel employees run in circles trying to find the keys to the van - finally they connected and we were off to the airport. Once our bags were checked we did some final shopping and then headed off to find a place to relax prior to our flight - we met this delightful woman named Margie who asked us if we would watch her bag while she ran to the can - she said she would be right back - well 30 min later she still had not returned - Emily and I were wondering if we were on candid camera, if we had just been handed something dangerous or illegal - finally Margie reappeared and she had been crying, apparently she got lost and couldn't find us - we had her join us and she shared that she was going to the states to visit her twin sister so they could celebrate their 70th birthdays together! Hopefully the rest of her travels were uneventful! When Emily and I finally arrived in Milwaukee I went to get my bag and it had been chewed apart by the baggage machine - just one more little detour to take care of before we made it home. Jeff and Steve were both at work when we got home so we both decided that we would sleep and wake up around the time they came home - needless to say that did not happen we both slept through until the next morning - great sleep! I had to get up and go to work and that was a very long day! We had a marvelous time on our trip and we are both looking forward to returning again soon - Barb and Henry safe and fun travels with your next group - Barb watch the potholes in Eshowe! Meredith, Allie, Troy, Kellie, Ellen & Jonah by now you are hopefully on your flight to Atlanta - we wish you safe and uneventful travels! Colette & Emily
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Malawi --how marvelous
Thanks for the visual picture from "Little Miss Sunshine" as I can visualize all the excitement and commotion around getting the van restarted. Sounds like the schedule is much more relaxed and everyone is enjoying it. I can't wait to see your pictures and hear about all the adventures once you return. I know today is the last day of your regular time there and you will all be just probably getting going for the day's activities as it is middle of the night here. I will keep you all in my prayers. At our Spirit of St. Stephen's Catholic Community liturgy on Sunday I will pray for safe and fun return travels for you all and also for continued safety and success for the next group and Henry and Barbara's travels afterwards. Be Welll, Rosemary *GOGO)
Malawi-rama
It’s Friday night (well now it's being posted on Sat morn) and we’re settling in at the Ku Chawe Hotel atop Zomba mountain. It has been an event-filled couple of days. We arrived in Lilongwe on Monday and settled in easily to Annamaria and Ketema’s home. Their daughters, Yodit (age 13) and Pomi (age 12) have been great playmates for our collection of kids. Their house is filled with great things for teens – ping pong, trampoline, window paint, music and movies. We were major loungers on Monday. Tuesday was our day in town, but gettin’ up and at ‘em was not really atop the list. By the time we left the house for our city tour it was 45minutes til lunch time so we wondered through a few shops, ate dessert first and then sat for lunch at a place called Momma Mia where many of us overordered pizza because of a misunderstanding about what “plate—sized” would mean. After lunch, we headed to the Lilongwe market. It is a wonderful maze of shops selling clothes, fish, fruit, live chickens, hub caps and other spare parts, baskets, novelties, and what not. The girls found a Minnesota t-shirt where the vendor was disappointed that they only wanted to take a picture, not by it. We’d hoped to get to the hospital but ran out of time as some of us booked massages for the afternoon and we had to switch out the rental cars (which is a long and funny story I am opting to largely skip at present. I will just say the van we rented from Sputnik car rental did not suit our needs though our redo of the Little Miss Sunshine van starting was very hilarious for all involved.)
We headed out of Lilongwe on Wednesday morning on our way to Lake Malawi. This country lacks road signs so finding the right road out of town proved challenging. Luckily, we had Henry Solomon with us. He speaks the local language – chechewa (sp) -- and could help us understand the directions that the gal running the roadside stand gave. We ended up on a dirt road more often traveled on foot than by car. It had good sightseeing, challenging driving and the first of several dirt road detours we would take. Finally atop the tar road, we headed for the lake. What was supposed to be a 3 hour drive extended longer and longer - yes a bit like Gilligan’s island, but without being marooned. Finally, we got to the shores of Lake Malawi and enjoyed a late lunch at the Sun and Sand resort. We stayed the night at the Florence Guest House which is run by a friend of Henry’s named Charles. We lounged in his seaside gazebo, star-gazed and crashed early.
This morning Meredith, Alli, Pomi and I got up early to see the fisherman coming in with their catch from the night fishing (we’d listened to them singing all night on the water while they fished). We hit the beach at 6:30 and discovered the boats had already been moored, the catch of the night was in. We needed to have been there about 45 minutes sooner. The beach was busy with net untangling, fish buying and the village ladies doing their laundry. Tonight is a big night in the village as their young men will be circumsized. This was the cause of much singing by the laundry ladies.
We headed down the road to Zomba and had a great, but short visit with the family of Henry Zimpita. He is a friend of Henry and Barb’s friend Titus who lives in the States. Henry Z passed away last June. His sister, Vivian, mother, Catherine, and daughter, Tamara, live in Zomba village. It was a wonderful visit under the trees. We strolled down to the family cemetery. Catherine’s mother had just passed in May at the age of 99. She was the village chief. There are two wonderful wise owls keeping watch with the spirits there. They took flight as we entered the graveyard – it was very cool. Catherine also provides day services for orphans in the area. Like many other countries, Malawi has been hit hard by HIV/AIDs so many children are without parents. The kids were darling, the area beautiful and this village also was preparing for a circumcision celebration.
Then finally, after a quick visit to Crecor, a local NGO that received a book shipment from Books for Africa and dropping Henry Solomon near his home, we headed up the mountain to our lovely accommodation for the evening. Henry S suggested a short cut – a dirt road that shouldn’t be too bad. As we travelled along this tiny dirt road with lots of rocks and humps and holes, we are reminded that our insider information is provided by a man who walks everywhere. It was eventful and surprising, especially when we came upon a large soccer game in the middle a colletion of huts. It seems cars are a rare sight and the gobs of kids came running to the car. It was at this point that the lead car (Barb, Henry, Meredith and Alli) became confused about the instructions we’d been given – turn right here or after we get to the tar road. Our attempt to back up was hampered by the gobs of kids all around the vehicles. We were grateful when the coach/ref came over to clarify which road went to the Ku Chawe. It’s the stuff trips are made of.
So tomorrow we will head to Mua town and the mission there. It is the last stop on our grand Africa adventure for Group 1. Mua is a beautiful area with wonderfully designed accommodations and good simple food. We’re hoping to attend African Sunday services before heading back to Lilongwe to put our happy Group 1 travelers on their long flight home. While they travel back to the States, Henry and I will be regrouping for our second group of travelers who arrive in Lilongwe on August 18. More later.
We headed out of Lilongwe on Wednesday morning on our way to Lake Malawi. This country lacks road signs so finding the right road out of town proved challenging. Luckily, we had Henry Solomon with us. He speaks the local language – chechewa (sp) -- and could help us understand the directions that the gal running the roadside stand gave. We ended up on a dirt road more often traveled on foot than by car. It had good sightseeing, challenging driving and the first of several dirt road detours we would take. Finally atop the tar road, we headed for the lake. What was supposed to be a 3 hour drive extended longer and longer - yes a bit like Gilligan’s island, but without being marooned. Finally, we got to the shores of Lake Malawi and enjoyed a late lunch at the Sun and Sand resort. We stayed the night at the Florence Guest House which is run by a friend of Henry’s named Charles. We lounged in his seaside gazebo, star-gazed and crashed early.
This morning Meredith, Alli, Pomi and I got up early to see the fisherman coming in with their catch from the night fishing (we’d listened to them singing all night on the water while they fished). We hit the beach at 6:30 and discovered the boats had already been moored, the catch of the night was in. We needed to have been there about 45 minutes sooner. The beach was busy with net untangling, fish buying and the village ladies doing their laundry. Tonight is a big night in the village as their young men will be circumsized. This was the cause of much singing by the laundry ladies.
We headed down the road to Zomba and had a great, but short visit with the family of Henry Zimpita. He is a friend of Henry and Barb’s friend Titus who lives in the States. Henry Z passed away last June. His sister, Vivian, mother, Catherine, and daughter, Tamara, live in Zomba village. It was a wonderful visit under the trees. We strolled down to the family cemetery. Catherine’s mother had just passed in May at the age of 99. She was the village chief. There are two wonderful wise owls keeping watch with the spirits there. They took flight as we entered the graveyard – it was very cool. Catherine also provides day services for orphans in the area. Like many other countries, Malawi has been hit hard by HIV/AIDs so many children are without parents. The kids were darling, the area beautiful and this village also was preparing for a circumcision celebration.
Then finally, after a quick visit to Crecor, a local NGO that received a book shipment from Books for Africa and dropping Henry Solomon near his home, we headed up the mountain to our lovely accommodation for the evening. Henry S suggested a short cut – a dirt road that shouldn’t be too bad. As we travelled along this tiny dirt road with lots of rocks and humps and holes, we are reminded that our insider information is provided by a man who walks everywhere. It was eventful and surprising, especially when we came upon a large soccer game in the middle a colletion of huts. It seems cars are a rare sight and the gobs of kids came running to the car. It was at this point that the lead car (Barb, Henry, Meredith and Alli) became confused about the instructions we’d been given – turn right here or after we get to the tar road. Our attempt to back up was hampered by the gobs of kids all around the vehicles. We were grateful when the coach/ref came over to clarify which road went to the Ku Chawe. It’s the stuff trips are made of.
So tomorrow we will head to Mua town and the mission there. It is the last stop on our grand Africa adventure for Group 1. Mua is a beautiful area with wonderfully designed accommodations and good simple food. We’re hoping to attend African Sunday services before heading back to Lilongwe to put our happy Group 1 travelers on their long flight home. While they travel back to the States, Henry and I will be regrouping for our second group of travelers who arrive in Lilongwe on August 18. More later.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Colette,Emily, Adia and Gogo girl return safely
The four of us arrived safely back in the states and I trust Colette and Emily returned home safely to Wisconsin as did Adia and I to Minneapolis. It is 2:15 in the AM went to bed at 9:30 PM and slept till 1:00 so not sure if it is my "regular" insomnia which acts up sometime and the jetlag I am experiencing but now I am wide awake.
It is great to read the blog and learn that the rest of the group is relaxing and safe in Malawi. Sounds wonderful altho our decision to return early was a good one; confirmed by the 2 block long run down the airport hallway by Adia to her mom and dad once she spied them. It was just like in the movies--her running to jump into their arms--brought tears to my eyes. And thank goodness there was plenty of room in the hallway as she was still running with her swivelling carry on bag...wished I had had my camera going but my attempt to recharge my battery b/4 leaving Joberg fizzled so I was out of juice. Yes, some of us "pensioners" are still technically challenged by all the electronic operations. I was identified as a "pensioner" several times at the museums--but it did get me Sr. Citizen rates which helped save money for the admissions so that was good.
Even though we returned early she learned a lot and she had quite the conversation with one of our airplane travellers explaining to them about the conditions of the schools and the toilets and how much the children like to learn. She was so impressed with the fact that even when the teacher is out sick the children still come to school, do their work and behave--not like what she experiences when they have a substitute teacher! This is one of the facts she repeatedly tells others about what she learned.
Our travels back were uneventful, thank goodness after having to run through the Atlanta airport to make our plane to Joberg and getting on as the last 2 passengers and then the doors closed and we were off. So no excitement this time.
Adia and I had a great time travelling back played cards, visited about our trip and we both slept on plane this time she for about 5 -6 hours and myself a couple. We took Henry's advice on how to deal with jetlag as her mom/dad/ grandpa and Aunt Melissa and I all went to have a pasta lunch at her favorite Noodles restaurant and then came home to crash. However, as it turned out neither of us slept in the afternoon as we were both still so pumped from the trip.
One sadness is that we discovered that we somehow lost Adia's camera at the hotel in our last hour or so of being there. I have called the hotel and they are looking but I am afraid it is gone...but we are praying to St. Anthony to find it-- Colette, please send me that funny little verse you "Ryan" girls had about St Anthony as I was trying to tell my family about it and would like to get it correct. email address is rjfroehle@gmail.com, so when you get a minute I would so appreciate it. Thanks and hoping we can meet again.
Be well, Rosemary
It is great to read the blog and learn that the rest of the group is relaxing and safe in Malawi. Sounds wonderful altho our decision to return early was a good one; confirmed by the 2 block long run down the airport hallway by Adia to her mom and dad once she spied them. It was just like in the movies--her running to jump into their arms--brought tears to my eyes. And thank goodness there was plenty of room in the hallway as she was still running with her swivelling carry on bag...wished I had had my camera going but my attempt to recharge my battery b/4 leaving Joberg fizzled so I was out of juice. Yes, some of us "pensioners" are still technically challenged by all the electronic operations. I was identified as a "pensioner" several times at the museums--but it did get me Sr. Citizen rates which helped save money for the admissions so that was good.
Even though we returned early she learned a lot and she had quite the conversation with one of our airplane travellers explaining to them about the conditions of the schools and the toilets and how much the children like to learn. She was so impressed with the fact that even when the teacher is out sick the children still come to school, do their work and behave--not like what she experiences when they have a substitute teacher! This is one of the facts she repeatedly tells others about what she learned.
Our travels back were uneventful, thank goodness after having to run through the Atlanta airport to make our plane to Joberg and getting on as the last 2 passengers and then the doors closed and we were off. So no excitement this time.
Adia and I had a great time travelling back played cards, visited about our trip and we both slept on plane this time she for about 5 -6 hours and myself a couple. We took Henry's advice on how to deal with jetlag as her mom/dad/ grandpa and Aunt Melissa and I all went to have a pasta lunch at her favorite Noodles restaurant and then came home to crash. However, as it turned out neither of us slept in the afternoon as we were both still so pumped from the trip.
One sadness is that we discovered that we somehow lost Adia's camera at the hotel in our last hour or so of being there. I have called the hotel and they are looking but I am afraid it is gone...but we are praying to St. Anthony to find it-- Colette, please send me that funny little verse you "Ryan" girls had about St Anthony as I was trying to tell my family about it and would like to get it correct. email address is rjfroehle@gmail.com, so when you get a minute I would so appreciate it. Thanks and hoping we can meet again.
Be well, Rosemary
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Happy in Lilongwe
Hi all, Barb here. We've arrived in Lilongwe and are lounging away at Annamaria and Ketema's home. We are so grateful for their generous hospitality. Dinner is being prepared. The adults are lounging on the veranda and the kids are playing ping pong, volley ball and jumpin' on the tramp.
I, personally, am extra happy to be here because I nearly spent another eve in Jo'burg. We had a bit of a scramble at the Jo'burg airport - long time to return rental cars, wrong credit card given by HB to the gang to check in and then the surprise reminder that my ticket was on a separate record. "I am sorry but the flight is closed. you cannot fly, Ms. Ryan. You are too late." Whaaaatttt???!! It was a wonderful gift from our guardian angels that, after some serious persuading by Henry, and the fortunate fact that my bag had been checked, that they re-opened the flight so I could join my gang. Whew!!!!
The flight went smoothly. You gotta love South African air that still gives you a meal on short flights like this one - just over two hours.
We moved through passport control and customs well, fetched money (except for me cuz my card is denied), got new SIM cards for our cell phones and went to inspect our van from Sputnik rentals. More on that later. Mostly just wanted to let you all know we are here happy and safe.
We will be here in this city for a couple of days before heading out to Lake Malawi, Zomba Mountain and then Mua Mission. It's great to be here - easy pace and mouse kebobs! More later. B
I, personally, am extra happy to be here because I nearly spent another eve in Jo'burg. We had a bit of a scramble at the Jo'burg airport - long time to return rental cars, wrong credit card given by HB to the gang to check in and then the surprise reminder that my ticket was on a separate record. "I am sorry but the flight is closed. you cannot fly, Ms. Ryan. You are too late." Whaaaatttt???!! It was a wonderful gift from our guardian angels that, after some serious persuading by Henry, and the fortunate fact that my bag had been checked, that they re-opened the flight so I could join my gang. Whew!!!!
The flight went smoothly. You gotta love South African air that still gives you a meal on short flights like this one - just over two hours.
We moved through passport control and customs well, fetched money (except for me cuz my card is denied), got new SIM cards for our cell phones and went to inspect our van from Sputnik rentals. More on that later. Mostly just wanted to let you all know we are here happy and safe.
We will be here in this city for a couple of days before heading out to Lake Malawi, Zomba Mountain and then Mua Mission. It's great to be here - easy pace and mouse kebobs! More later. B
gogo (grandmother Rosemary) and Adia
Hello to all. This is my first time back for several days. We have been very busy; toured many wonderful museums and had great safari's (punctuation--and my husband is a retired English teacher--but I'm not so i get a pass because of age and fatigue).
Last night we had a ceremony releasing "Speedy" the gecko Jonah and Adia caught and nuturued for 2 days and released him in hotel patio.
The last few days have been sobering with visits to Apartheid museum and the Hector Pierson museum in Johannesburg and Soweto. Our tour of Soweto was great....again more and more learning. Spent Monday afternoon in Pretoria--Adia saw a museum with a giant dinasour skeleton in front and that's where she wanted to go. She could have cared less about the Africans monument about the "Great Trek" but once there got into the immensity of it and the echoing that was possible in the rotunda and the many steps and marvelous garden surrounding it. She has taken lots of pictures of the fauna for her mom as her mom is a florist. She has taken that responsibility very seriously.
Adia and I are the last at the hotel as we are not going on to Malawi as originally planned. Collette and Emily are also returning per their plan on the flight tonight. They have gone onto the airport and I wanted to do this last blog from South Africa before we left and figured 5 hours hanging at the airport was sufficient for us. Adia is playing games on the computer and is in 7th heaven.
I remember when the Soweto uprising happened and had followed so much of the history of the liberation struggle throughout the last 40+ years so it was maravelous to visit the museums and to actually see the places where this sad but couragous struggle occurred. Part of my desire to take my grandaughter to see South Africa was to help her learn more about the world than just the U.S and also to hopefully learn about the power that young people and women hold when they fight injustice and to learn such lessons of courage. And i think she is learning that. She spent a lot of time at the Apartheid museum in the political cartoon section and we had a great talk about what a political cartoon was and the purpose. She and Jonah had great times together and she also at times enjoyed listening into the conversations of the adults and the "older girls" on the trip. Emily, Meredith, Ellen and Aly, you were all great role models for her so I thank you and wish you all well in your future studies and careers. I look forward to a reunion of the group sometime this fall where we can swap pictures and maybe fix a South African meal together.
Sunday was South African's Women's Day commerating the interacial march by women in 1956 protecting the injustice of the Pass Laws. So since it fell on Sunday. Monday was an official holiday and we were able to glimpse a couple of celebrations which we passed as we travelled. We also heard singing and saw a group of women celebrating this at the Catholic Church we visited in Soweto.
I thank all of our fellow travelers for their hospitality to Adia and I. We will keep them in our hearts and prayers as they journey onto Malawi and ask for your prayers for safe travels for Colette, Emily, Adia and myself.
Be Well, With love and much gratitude The "Gogo Girl and Adia.
Last night we had a ceremony releasing "Speedy" the gecko Jonah and Adia caught and nuturued for 2 days and released him in hotel patio.
The last few days have been sobering with visits to Apartheid museum and the Hector Pierson museum in Johannesburg and Soweto. Our tour of Soweto was great....again more and more learning. Spent Monday afternoon in Pretoria--Adia saw a museum with a giant dinasour skeleton in front and that's where she wanted to go. She could have cared less about the Africans monument about the "Great Trek" but once there got into the immensity of it and the echoing that was possible in the rotunda and the many steps and marvelous garden surrounding it. She has taken lots of pictures of the fauna for her mom as her mom is a florist. She has taken that responsibility very seriously.
Adia and I are the last at the hotel as we are not going on to Malawi as originally planned. Collette and Emily are also returning per their plan on the flight tonight. They have gone onto the airport and I wanted to do this last blog from South Africa before we left and figured 5 hours hanging at the airport was sufficient for us. Adia is playing games on the computer and is in 7th heaven.
I remember when the Soweto uprising happened and had followed so much of the history of the liberation struggle throughout the last 40+ years so it was maravelous to visit the museums and to actually see the places where this sad but couragous struggle occurred. Part of my desire to take my grandaughter to see South Africa was to help her learn more about the world than just the U.S and also to hopefully learn about the power that young people and women hold when they fight injustice and to learn such lessons of courage. And i think she is learning that. She spent a lot of time at the Apartheid museum in the political cartoon section and we had a great talk about what a political cartoon was and the purpose. She and Jonah had great times together and she also at times enjoyed listening into the conversations of the adults and the "older girls" on the trip. Emily, Meredith, Ellen and Aly, you were all great role models for her so I thank you and wish you all well in your future studies and careers. I look forward to a reunion of the group sometime this fall where we can swap pictures and maybe fix a South African meal together.
Sunday was South African's Women's Day commerating the interacial march by women in 1956 protecting the injustice of the Pass Laws. So since it fell on Sunday. Monday was an official holiday and we were able to glimpse a couple of celebrations which we passed as we travelled. We also heard singing and saw a group of women celebrating this at the Catholic Church we visited in Soweto.
I thank all of our fellow travelers for their hospitality to Adia and I. We will keep them in our hearts and prayers as they journey onto Malawi and ask for your prayers for safe travels for Colette, Emily, Adia and myself.
Be Well, With love and much gratitude The "Gogo Girl and Adia.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Tuesday 8/11
Hello from Colette for the last time on this trip. Emily and I are leaving today to return the the states - because of work commitments. The rest of our travelers will be heading to the airport this morning to head off to more travelin' adventures in Malawi! We will be hanging out in Jo'burg for a little while today and then heading off the the airport for our travels home! It has been a wonderful trip filled with much joy and many different emotions etc. Much laughing was done, some crying for either joy or sadness of a situation, Emily and I are so thankful to have been part of this journey - safe travels to our group heading to Malawi. Jeff and Steve, Emily and I will see you soon! We love you! Julie will talk to you soon!
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Sunday 8/9
Hello from Colette! We are in Johannesburg tonight and tomorrow night - we had a wonderful and exciting time at Hilltop and we saw a wedding when we arrived at our location in Piet Ritief (sp) - we spent most of the day in the car today - Barb, Ellen, Emily, Meredith and I traveled together in the car, little scary when our gas light went on ( Dad I told Barb she should have know the mpg or kpg before she started driving but she didn't listen :-) Anyhoo we took a leap of faith and got off at an exit we thought we saw a gas station at from the hwy and AMEN - Ellen and I had to use the loo - lets just say the accomodations were quite interesting and I knew we were in trouble when she handed me a key - we went to the aparthied (sp) museum this afternoon, sorry about my spelling I am just really tired tonight - just incredible to see - Emily and my time is running out, we are not heading to Malawi, we leave on Tuesday to head back to the states! More later! Shout out to Julie T and a very happy birthday to Michael Johnson (24 today) and Dave Tantillo (49 i think)
Saturday, August 8, 2009
movie stars
Here's 8 minutes of video we assembled from our school visits this week, it was used at our Minneapolis fundraiser on Thursday night-
safari animals!
Hi this is Henry. We spent the last few days out of Internet range. These were our safari days.
Wednesday we said goodbye to our friends in Eshowe and travelled to St. Lucia, on the Indian Ocean, where we checked into the cute-as-heck Umlilo Lodge and took some time to shop for African jewelry and carvings. For dinner we had a traditional South African "potjie" which is like beef stew cooked in one pot over an open fire.
Thursday we took a two-hour boat cruise on the St. Lucia Estuary, where there are hundreds of hippos and plenty of crocodiles and birds. Later we drove to Hluhluwe-Umfoloze Game Reserve, where we've stayed for two nights at Hilltop Camp (not camping, but it little "rondeval" huts). Each day, we took a very early (6am) and later (5pm) game drives. We saw a pride of four lions twice! Lot of beautiful zebra, giraffes, warthogs (only the male warthogs think the females are cute), hyena, elephants (one mama with her LITTLE baby in the river), and lots of antelope and birds. Our guide was Xolani, a warm gentle-hearted guy from the town of Hluhluwe, the "X" in his name is pronouced with a "click" in the back of the mouth, sort of like when you're clicking to tell a horse to get moving.
Friday mid-day between safari drives we left the park to visit nearby Nykaniso High School, where my friend Jesper and I sponsored classrooms two years ago -- so now the 11th graders don't have to walk 10km (6mi) each way to go to school in another village! The students there are great dancers and singers -- they won the district and regional competitions, and went to Johannesburg (a mighty journey!) and won seventh in the nation! Hooray! The kind principal gave me a beautiful zulu basket.
At Hilltop Camp the night before last I was up half a dozen times trying to mouse-proof our rondeval (hut) from the devil mouse - kept getting into the trash can, or our backpacks, or the groceries... BUT last night in a flurry I caught him by stepping on his tail, picked him up, and swinging him by the tail I sent him into orbit out the door. He didn't come back! Flying lessons! The rest of the travelers are thankful they didn't have to deal with him.
Tonight we're sleeping in Piet Retief on a stopover as we drive to Johannesburg for a few days learning history and Apartheid.
Wednesday we said goodbye to our friends in Eshowe and travelled to St. Lucia, on the Indian Ocean, where we checked into the cute-as-heck Umlilo Lodge and took some time to shop for African jewelry and carvings. For dinner we had a traditional South African "potjie" which is like beef stew cooked in one pot over an open fire.
Thursday we took a two-hour boat cruise on the St. Lucia Estuary, where there are hundreds of hippos and plenty of crocodiles and birds. Later we drove to Hluhluwe-Umfoloze Game Reserve, where we've stayed for two nights at Hilltop Camp (not camping, but it little "rondeval" huts). Each day, we took a very early (6am) and later (5pm) game drives. We saw a pride of four lions twice! Lot of beautiful zebra, giraffes, warthogs (only the male warthogs think the females are cute), hyena, elephants (one mama with her LITTLE baby in the river), and lots of antelope and birds. Our guide was Xolani, a warm gentle-hearted guy from the town of Hluhluwe, the "X" in his name is pronouced with a "click" in the back of the mouth, sort of like when you're clicking to tell a horse to get moving.
Friday mid-day between safari drives we left the park to visit nearby Nykaniso High School, where my friend Jesper and I sponsored classrooms two years ago -- so now the 11th graders don't have to walk 10km (6mi) each way to go to school in another village! The students there are great dancers and singers -- they won the district and regional competitions, and went to Johannesburg (a mighty journey!) and won seventh in the nation! Hooray! The kind principal gave me a beautiful zulu basket.
At Hilltop Camp the night before last I was up half a dozen times trying to mouse-proof our rondeval (hut) from the devil mouse - kept getting into the trash can, or our backpacks, or the groceries... BUT last night in a flurry I caught him by stepping on his tail, picked him up, and swinging him by the tail I sent him into orbit out the door. He didn't come back! Flying lessons! The rest of the travelers are thankful they didn't have to deal with him.
Tonight we're sleeping in Piet Retief on a stopover as we drive to Johannesburg for a few days learning history and Apartheid.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Wednesday 8/4
Hi all, Colette again- today's travels were uneventful, thank goodness, we have the car back, minus one hubcap. As we were driving today Barb commented on the fact that Troy, the driver of our other vehicle was speeding, we made fun of him the night of the flat for going so slow - I told Barb no mocking of Troy's driving because that only leads to trouble. We are here in St. Lucia tonight, the girls, Emily, Meredith, Allie and Aunt Barb, Kelli, Ellen and Rosemary went shopping in town, Henry worked on the video presentation and Troy was in charge of Adia and Jonah at the pool and Ellen who is 13 hung back to help her Dad. - we did some bartering and found some interesting things - Jeff look out I found you a wonderful gift to celebrate our 25 years of marriage - Emily, Meredith, Kelli, Alli, Rosemary and I visited the hospital in Eshowe today. To see the patients with no privacy from us and the difference between our health care in America and the health care here - there is a great need to educate people on personal hygiene, AIDS, etc. We visited the Boardwalk in Eshowe which is a nature preserve ( being the city girl I am I thought the Boardwalk meant shopping! We are having a marvelous time here - everyone is so friendly and king - tomorrow we will be visiting another school and taking a boat ride safari. Jeff and Steve, Emily and I miss and love you - Julie do you still have the smock??????
Eshowe Hospital
Hi everyone this is Ali, I've been convinced by Barb and co to blog for my poor fathers sake, hi dad. We left Eshowe this morning after visiting the hospital and shopping a little downtown. The hospital was quite a place, I've never been anywhere like it. In no way does it compare to the hospitals in MN, there was someone sweeping up at least three big piles of dust in every room. We saw about two single person rooms, the rest were designed for four patients. Each ward smelled so strongly of sanitizer it was hard not to cover my nose and mouth, in some rooms it felt like I was tasting the chemicals. Although the building was falling apart and the equipment was outdated, the staff there seemed determined to overcome those obstacles. Most were very friendly and caring with the patients, it was hard to imagine working so hard everyday in such a sad place.
Sorry to cut off so abruplty but its time to eat here in St. Lucia in our beautiful resort-like hotel. Sam, I can't wait to see your beard. Bye everyone
Sorry to cut off so abruplty but its time to eat here in St. Lucia in our beautiful resort-like hotel. Sam, I can't wait to see your beard. Bye everyone
African Classroom trip-Rosemary the Gogo
Hello, this is Rosemary blogging for the first time and this is the first chance since Saturday in Durban that I have had to get near a computer. I am having a wonderful and very busy time as I'm sure you can tell by reading all the others messages. \at first I found it almost overwhelming to see the enthusiasm and energy of the children when we stopped at the schools. They are so excited and have so much energy. I think it was also overwhelming for Adia(she doesn't want to write tonight as she is busy playing with Jonah, the other 10 year old traveler, and another girl at the Lodge plus 3 dogs s0 she is in 7th heaven) altho becoming homesick. We hope she can talk with her mom tonight and maybe her dad.
Back to the trip--it is amazing and so inspiring to hear the stories of the children and how much they and their families sacrifice to have them go to school. Many of them get up at 4AM and walk for a couple of hours each day in the morning and then again in the afternoon back to their homes. AT one high school the children actually board there and sleep 50 to one room...sometimes 4 in a bed--head to toe, head to toe to make room for each of them. In this high school one of the learners as they are called here--not students, said--the fee to attend that particular school was courage. This school has won several awards---for academic achievement and the students actually run the school--they decide the budget, handle discipline issues, provide outreach to the local community, etc. It was awesome. I know I am using these superlative adjectives but that is what this trip is--Superlative.
It is sobering to see and learn about the dire needs of the families. their communities but also great to see the progress that is being made. This morning some of us toured a hospital (450 beds) in Eschowe with the tour led by a physician who was from Poland and has been working there for about 20 years I believe. Because of my hospital work I enjoyed that very much.
Tonight we are staying in a lovely lodge near the beach on the western coach near St. Lucia's.
It is our first night of "downtime" and much needed. We have had many presentations, singing and dancing from the students and speeches from both students and community leaders --all has been marvelous and the hospitality shown us is so warm and genuine.
Adia and Jonah have been great pals for each other--yesterday we got to teach in some of the classrooms and Adia taught with Colette and myself. She did a great job of holding up the poster and was very creative in her approach in giving clues to help the 5th graders with their answers in English. At one point Colette was trying to help them realize that some words were very similiar, such as sat, mat, and looking for others when Adia went over, picked up my hat from the table and put it on and pointed at her head so the children would get the word.
The Zulu language is most challenging but the 1 word I have no trouble saying is Grandmother--it is gogo --So goodbye from the
Gogo girl and Be Well. Love to all
Back to the trip--it is amazing and so inspiring to hear the stories of the children and how much they and their families sacrifice to have them go to school. Many of them get up at 4AM and walk for a couple of hours each day in the morning and then again in the afternoon back to their homes. AT one high school the children actually board there and sleep 50 to one room...sometimes 4 in a bed--head to toe, head to toe to make room for each of them. In this high school one of the learners as they are called here--not students, said--the fee to attend that particular school was courage. This school has won several awards---for academic achievement and the students actually run the school--they decide the budget, handle discipline issues, provide outreach to the local community, etc. It was awesome. I know I am using these superlative adjectives but that is what this trip is--Superlative.
It is sobering to see and learn about the dire needs of the families. their communities but also great to see the progress that is being made. This morning some of us toured a hospital (450 beds) in Eschowe with the tour led by a physician who was from Poland and has been working there for about 20 years I believe. Because of my hospital work I enjoyed that very much.
Tonight we are staying in a lovely lodge near the beach on the western coach near St. Lucia's.
It is our first night of "downtime" and much needed. We have had many presentations, singing and dancing from the students and speeches from both students and community leaders --all has been marvelous and the hospitality shown us is so warm and genuine.
Adia and Jonah have been great pals for each other--yesterday we got to teach in some of the classrooms and Adia taught with Colette and myself. She did a great job of holding up the poster and was very creative in her approach in giving clues to help the 5th graders with their answers in English. At one point Colette was trying to help them realize that some words were very similiar, such as sat, mat, and looking for others when Adia went over, picked up my hat from the table and put it on and pointed at her head so the children would get the word.
The Zulu language is most challenging but the 1 word I have no trouble saying is Grandmother--it is gogo --So goodbye from the
Gogo girl and Be Well. Love to all
BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN
Hello Blog Followers,
Kelli here. We are all having a phenomenal time and our hearts are getting fuller by the minute. Everyone is very loving, welcoming, beautiful, and a true joy to be around - the travelers, too!! Today, several of us visited the local hospital and that was a very profound experience, to say the least. I was able to see a few of the babies in the nursery and they were so tiny and cute!
Also, I drove the van/bus for the first time today and didn't kill it once! (I did turn the windshield wipers on instead of the turn signal...but that only happened one time.) Driving on the left side has its challenges!
We are all VERY comfortable tonight in our wonderful Umlilo Lodge. It is a beautiful spot and we are all excited for the safari to begin tomorrow. I am glad that we will go on to visit one more school, though - I could spend the ENTIRE time visiting with the children - especially the high school learners. They sang "We are the World" and "Heal the Human Race" for us and I do believe that we were all moved to tears.
Jonah and Ellen are having a fabulous time - Ellen is enjoying getting to know the high school girls/graduates and Jonah and Adia get along very, very well.
So, all is well and good and we wish that you all may "Go Well" in the next several days until we meet again.
Love+Peace
Kelli
P.S. Have you ever heard the phrase, "Time is Jealous?" It's very cute and was used by one of the learners when we had to leave her school.
Kelli here. We are all having a phenomenal time and our hearts are getting fuller by the minute. Everyone is very loving, welcoming, beautiful, and a true joy to be around - the travelers, too!! Today, several of us visited the local hospital and that was a very profound experience, to say the least. I was able to see a few of the babies in the nursery and they were so tiny and cute!
Also, I drove the van/bus for the first time today and didn't kill it once! (I did turn the windshield wipers on instead of the turn signal...but that only happened one time.) Driving on the left side has its challenges!
We are all VERY comfortable tonight in our wonderful Umlilo Lodge. It is a beautiful spot and we are all excited for the safari to begin tomorrow. I am glad that we will go on to visit one more school, though - I could spend the ENTIRE time visiting with the children - especially the high school learners. They sang "We are the World" and "Heal the Human Race" for us and I do believe that we were all moved to tears.
Jonah and Ellen are having a fabulous time - Ellen is enjoying getting to know the high school girls/graduates and Jonah and Adia get along very, very well.
So, all is well and good and we wish that you all may "Go Well" in the next several days until we meet again.
Love+Peace
Kelli
P.S. Have you ever heard the phrase, "Time is Jealous?" It's very cute and was used by one of the learners when we had to leave her school.
Moving on from Eshowe with one more school to visit
Hi all, Barb again - Barbs to the Eshowe friends. We've arrived safely in St. Lucia. We had quite the shuffle ball change in our itinerary today. It's great to travel with such flexible chaps (not sure that this includes all the ladies). The gals are all shopping at the street vendors and practicing their haggling skills. We're not so good at it, but it's fun. The weather is warm and sunny though I understand the swimming in the pool here is refreshingly chilly. The sun is on it's way down and we have a potje dinner tonight in the courtyard. This inn is wonderful and the travelers are enjoying its amenities.
For those of you who contributed to the 2007 trip, I wanted to mention our visit to the classrooms built with those donations. It was an amazing moment to meet these children and their principal again, to see these gorgeous classrooms filled with students. When we visited here in 2007, the kids were crammed into just a few classrooms - it was a rainy and gray day - miserable except for their beautiful singing and dancing (though they'd waited more than 3 hours for us to arrive). On our return yesterday, the sun shined, the kids smiled and danced. I took a picture with Pretty in the doorway - both of us smiling wide. It is a feeling I hope you will all have. It motivates me to continue the work we do raising money for these classrooms. And Mrs. Qwabe, their principle is now the Deputy Chair for ECAG in South Africa. She joined in our school visits and evening festivities - it was a pleasure to have her.
And on the matter of my fine driving acumen which landed our little Toyota Avanza in the shop with two flats, I must say it was a flippin' deep pothole. I later learned that there are often cartoons in the paper showing a giraffe's head sticking out of the pothole - so really, we've had an authentic South African adventure with our flats. It was good, too, that we were a group of 12 as each played a role in the tire changing extravaganza.
I will give good credit to Budge Rent-a-Car and Yusef at the Total minimart gas station in Melmoth. Obviously, we could not drive the car with the second flat so we left the car and the keys with Yusef until we could talk with Budget. Then we all crammed into our mini van and head back to Eshowe. The next morning, Henry called Budget's roadside assistance. They drove to Melmoth with two new wheels (yes the rims were mighy bent) and replaced them. Yusef kept the car and it's keys safe through the whole event. After school visits yesterday and before dinner, Emmanuel, Henry and I drove back to Melmoth to pick it up. It was nighttime and being a bit skittish of the surprise potholes, not to mention the many peds alongside the highway, I drove rather slowly. Gracious thanks to Emmanuel who generously followed us home, never once tailgating me and keeping other tailgaters at bay. Noting how quickly we arrived in Melmoth, I know he could have been home a lot sooner if he'd driven the speed of his choice.
Back to that shuffle ball change in the schedule. We were to have visited a school on our way to St. Lucia today but we learned it is neared to where we will be tomorrow for the jeep safari, so we changed schedule and will tuck it in tomorrow, which now will be a big day == 10am boat safari, 2pm school visit, 4pm jeep safari and move into Hilltop camp. We like to keep 'em busy.
This seems enough for now. I would expect more posts as we have a nice internet set up in this inn.
For those of you who contributed to the 2007 trip, I wanted to mention our visit to the classrooms built with those donations. It was an amazing moment to meet these children and their principal again, to see these gorgeous classrooms filled with students. When we visited here in 2007, the kids were crammed into just a few classrooms - it was a rainy and gray day - miserable except for their beautiful singing and dancing (though they'd waited more than 3 hours for us to arrive). On our return yesterday, the sun shined, the kids smiled and danced. I took a picture with Pretty in the doorway - both of us smiling wide. It is a feeling I hope you will all have. It motivates me to continue the work we do raising money for these classrooms. And Mrs. Qwabe, their principle is now the Deputy Chair for ECAG in South Africa. She joined in our school visits and evening festivities - it was a pleasure to have her.
And on the matter of my fine driving acumen which landed our little Toyota Avanza in the shop with two flats, I must say it was a flippin' deep pothole. I later learned that there are often cartoons in the paper showing a giraffe's head sticking out of the pothole - so really, we've had an authentic South African adventure with our flats. It was good, too, that we were a group of 12 as each played a role in the tire changing extravaganza.
I will give good credit to Budge Rent-a-Car and Yusef at the Total minimart gas station in Melmoth. Obviously, we could not drive the car with the second flat so we left the car and the keys with Yusef until we could talk with Budget. Then we all crammed into our mini van and head back to Eshowe. The next morning, Henry called Budget's roadside assistance. They drove to Melmoth with two new wheels (yes the rims were mighy bent) and replaced them. Yusef kept the car and it's keys safe through the whole event. After school visits yesterday and before dinner, Emmanuel, Henry and I drove back to Melmoth to pick it up. It was nighttime and being a bit skittish of the surprise potholes, not to mention the many peds alongside the highway, I drove rather slowly. Gracious thanks to Emmanuel who generously followed us home, never once tailgating me and keeping other tailgaters at bay. Noting how quickly we arrived in Melmoth, I know he could have been home a lot sooner if he'd driven the speed of his choice.
Back to that shuffle ball change in the schedule. We were to have visited a school on our way to St. Lucia today but we learned it is neared to where we will be tomorrow for the jeep safari, so we changed schedule and will tuck it in tomorrow, which now will be a big day == 10am boat safari, 2pm school visit, 4pm jeep safari and move into Hilltop camp. We like to keep 'em busy.
This seems enough for now. I would expect more posts as we have a nice internet set up in this inn.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
School visits
Today we visitesd three schools, two primary and one secondary! The first school we visited today was full of the cutest kids ive ever seen!! It was very difficult to see the conditions that the children had to learn in. Even though these conditions were so horrifying the children still had the will to come to school and get an education! The younger ones didnt understand us, but they still were really excited to see us. They greeted us with traditional zulu dancing and beautiful singing with astounding harmony! Not one kid was off pitch! WOW!!! : 0 The bathrooms were in really bad conditions, meaning we had to hold our pee! Everybody at the schools were very welcoming and friendly! They are the kindest people that you could ever encounter! Love emily and mere-- SHOUT OUT to JULIE and her drug town smock!! ya look good!
Saobonani from the Feld
Ellen, Em and Meredith here. We've been having a splendid adventure! We have created a new reality show--Barb and Colette's African Adventure. Yesterday, caravanning home from one of the schools, we added an episode to the new hit reality show. As Barb was zipping along the road, she bounced her little white vehicle through quite a large pot hole--popping 2 of the tires and losing 2 hubcaps. MIchael and Troy, the adventurers, hiked up the road to fetch the lost hubcaps. In the meanwhile, the ladies had to potty. We took an adventure of our own across the road into the sugar cane. We then proceeded to drop and squat. In the act, Ali and Barb were quite surprised by headlights of passing cars. Ellen got trapped by barbed wire around her feet. Yet, she escaped--Thankfully!
That was an exciting episode 1 of Barb and Colettes African Adventure. Stay tuned for more of the jawdropping journey.
That was an exciting episode 1 of Barb and Colettes African Adventure. Stay tuned for more of the jawdropping journey.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Tuesday 8/4
Good Morning from South Africa - It is Tuesday morning here and it is a beautiful sunny day - our first real sign of the sun since we have arrived! Yesterday was a full and wonderful day for us! We intended to visit 3 schools but because of the rain and the fact that the roads to the schools are mud/clay we couldn't visit the first school. Our trip to the second school became quite eventful when our van, driven by our skillful driver Troy started to slide down a hill on the mud - we were watching from the car behind and it was quite a harrowing thing to watch, Barb, myself (Colette), Jonah and Adia from our group were in the car behind. Our visit to the first school was overwhelming for me, the kids were all so excited to see us - they sang for us (I am a little nervous because I am suppose to share songs today and I am hopeful they can deal with my crooning). It was very emotional for me to see the conditions that these children learn in, broken windows,only 4 very full classrooms, toilets that we in the U.S. would never use and a building that the parents of the students built out of scrap lumber - it leaks when it rains and has many areas where the wind blows in - yet through all this adversity the students still make it to school everyday to learn - Our second school visit was just as emotional and amazing - they are a high school that is run by a student parliment - these kids are incredible - since I am on a time crunch I will have someone else share that - one more tidbit from out traveling adventure - we were running late it was getting dark, none of us (girls) had gone to bathroom all day because of the toilet conditions so we were desperate to get to the can man ASAP - unfortunately that was not God's plan - Barb hit a whopper of a pot hole and blew off two hub caps and flattened our front tire - after we read the manuel and changed the tire we discovered that we had a second flat - way to Barb!!!! I will end my blog with a quote from my sister over 25 years ago - "We are having some fun now!" I would also like to put a shout out to Julie and Barb wants to know if you are wearing your Drug Town smock!!! Love Colette
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