I enjoyed about 36 hours of luxury at Heuglin’s Lodge. I slept on beautiful sheets under a duvet and had about 3 baths. I watched satellite TV and used wireless internet access until I was bored. It was heaven. My friends Simon and Sue were there to welcome me. I was so glad to see them I almost cried. Given the anxiety and mistrust I have been feeling about my return to Malawi it was wonderful to be greeted by two of the people I still trust in this place. I was very sad to learn that Tami, the mother of the guest house, has been fired. She was the heart and soul of that place and made everyone feel welcome and cared for. While she was on her holiday the bosses called her and told her she was no longer needed. Now the cooks and cleaning staff are also doing the job of managing the place. They are not happy and I’m sure it wasn’t a wise move for the operators of Heuglin’s. Of course they are trying to save money but I think they will lose business. Now, Tami, like so many others is unemployed. It is sad to think of where she will end up.
Late yesterday afternoon Kalirani came to Heuglin’s to meet me. He was so excited to see me that he did a little jump and ran to hug me. I met Kalirani at the teacher training in 2007. He was an English teacher. He is now the assistant headmaster of a large community day school. There are two sets of students, those who attend classes in the morning and those who attend in the afternoon. There are 1700 students in all from grades 9 to 12.
When we arrived at his house, Kalirani’s wife, Florence came out and hugged me and said in typical Malawian fashion, “You are welcome,” I felt welcome. Kalirani showed me around the house and told me to be free and take this as my own home. The place is more comfortable than my accommodation last year. The toilet and bathroom are inside the house. There is a kitchen with a gas stove and a charcoal burner. There is a freezer and I think a fridge. There is a table for eating at and a colour television. Unfortunately I hate Malawian television. It’s all either sports, Nigerian soap operas or religious programming. I am glad I brought many movies.
Kalirani has three boys staying with him. I think one is his son, one is a nephew and the other is an orphan. They are all in their late teens or early twenties and are very polite and helpful.
Kalirani has given me this strange little modem that looks like a USB key. He told me it would allow me to connect to the internet without a phone line. I was skeptical. I was wrong. It connects and uses credits just like the cell phones do. I am told that it is about $1 an hour or so. I have used it a bit today and am trying to conserve by using all the old tricks from our days of dial-up. I go online to open the mail, go offline to read it and reply then go back on to send it. So far it has worked. I am very happy about this. It is slow but it works.
I was also lucky to get a warm blanket for my bed. It was the warmest night of the three I’ve spent in Malawi this year. This place can get very cold at night. I’m glad the facilities are inside.
Many people have told me I am brave. I didn’t feel brave until I arrived here yesterday and saw the place I’d be staying. I was pleasantly surprised to find rather comfortable accommodation but more surprised at the warm welcome. I could have faced an unfriendly family, people who don’t speak English, sharing a room, being hungry or having to use outdoor facilities. I was lucky but I suppose it was brave of me to take this on without really knowing.
I am sure this summer will renew my faith in this place.
