Today was our return from Lake Malawi. The trip there was absolutely amazing. Since my luggage FINALLY came, I was able to pack up my things to take with me (phew!). The place we drove to was about two hours away in Salima, Malawi, and the bus we were on was rented and driven by a Malawian (yikes!) so it felt like we were going about 90 mph on the wrong side of the road (they drive on the left). It’s so amazing to see the villages and people that we pass on the way to the lake, because it’s so different from home. I felt like I was in a movie. Everyone either walks or rides their bikes (few have cars). We passed huts made of almost any easy material you can think of, and there are kids running around herding livestock as they graze. Kids absolutely LOVE to wave at us or hold the thumbs up signal.

After the two hour drive, we made it to the house, which is called ‘Cool Runnings’ (not after the movie). The place is fenced off and very delicately landscaped. The weather was HOT and we all burnt but LOVED it. The three days we were there were spent for orientation, so we could learn the curriculum that we’ll be teaching for the next couple weeks. Orientation usually lasted until about 2pm, so afterwards we would walk outside the gate to the beach and swim in the Lake, which was actually pretty warm. They say you shouldn’t swim in Lake Malawi because of the chance of getting a parasite called Giardia, but the lady who owned the place said it only existed in calm waters (which we weren’t in). So, we’re all going to take an anti-parasite pill before we leave (better safe than sorry!). On the first day, we got bombarded by guys trying to sell us jewelry and paintings and wood carvings (we’re not supposed to buy these because it contributes to deforestation, but most of us had bought some before we knew!) and boat rides to the island in the lake (which apparently has huge lizards). On the second day, four of us walked down the beach and got attacked by little naked kids with HUGE smiles. They wanted to hold our hands and get swung around, and they absolutely loved singing songs with us. We enjoyed it because it gave us a chance to try out our songs that we’d be singing for the schools. They also love getting their picture taken and seeing the picture in the camera. It’s an easy way to gather them all up in to a small, organized group!

The last night we ate Bunny Chow, which is a small loaf of bread with bean curry in it. Apparently back in the day, the rich would make a small loaf and put their leftover food in it for the poor people. Yet again, it was scrumptious. Sam, the owner, told us stories after dinner about a Canadian woman who moved here, created an orphanage, and then just kept all the donations for herself and didn’t care for the kids. It’s sad to think that someone who could do so much good for these people could just turn around and be so cold-hearted towards them.

After dinner, we all had drinks in honor of one of the other volunteer’s 21st birthday, and had skits for entertainment, which led to some awkward dancing and some even more awkward pole dancing lessons for the coordinators by Andrew and Jay. Overall, it was a great start to a hopefully promising Africa trip! Had a pretty good night of sleep (under mosquito nets, of course) and slept again on the two hour drive back. Cool Runnings!

P.S. Sam said Ewan McGregor stayed there while filming a documentary about biking around Africa. Anyone seen it?