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.

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I arrived in Malawi this morning at about 2:00 am. The flights were long but I chatted with some pleasant people. Luckily for me my friend Linda sat with me on the way to Amsterdam. That was a great treat. I had arranged for my friend Simon to pick my up with his friend Tony who is a taxi driver.

I may have told them to come at 2:30 or 3:00 because of collecting my bags and going through customs. I was ready to go by 2:05 but unfortunately there was no Simon. A taxi driver approached me and asked if I needed a ride. I told him “No, my friend is coming.” He hung around close by me and a group of other mzungus. At about 2:40 I panicked. Maybe Simon had misunderstood and thought I was arriving in the afternoon. Maybe he got confused about the day. I had no SIM card and no Malawi kwacha. What was I to do? I asked that taxi driver and his friends if I could use one of their phones.

They said in a slow voice, “Yes, we have phones, but you must understand we are low on credits.” I walked away, angry and afriad. Tears came to my eyes and I didn’t know what to do. My anger was going to prevent me from letting this taxi driver take me home if it came to that. Finally, one of them felt bad for me and gave me his phone to use. I called Simon. He said he was coming. I was afraid I’d woken him. Finally at about 3:30 he came. He said they’d had a flat. I was never so happy to see anyone in my life.

When I arrived Sue was here to greet me. Sue is most likely the person who understands me most even though we don’t know each other well. He seems to understand me and to put things in perspective for me. I was very happy to see him. I kept touching him to make sure it was real.

Today I slept most of the day. I ate a few good meals, drank a glass of wine and had a bath. How decadent. I love it here but obviously couldn’t stay here all summer. The first time we were here in 2007 we got a bit bored during the evenings. It is a nice, relaxing spot and when your friends are here with you it is heaven.

The weather here today, from what I saw, was very nice. It was sunny and warm but not hot.

Tomorrow I move to my new home at Chipasula Secondary School. The lluxury will be gone.

I’ll write when I can. Thanks.

Jennifer

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Well, after weeks of gathering clothes and supplies for Malawi I finally took the plunge and began to pack on Friday night. Some women from my parents’ community made 15 quilts which I will take and give to the children and some other friends. They are beautiful and will be perfect for the cool nights of June and July. I myself plan to use one while I am there. The quilts take a great deal of space in my luggage so I have had to be creative with my packing. On the plus side, none of the bags will be over weight. I have had to put some of the donated clothes away to take next year. I am still hoping to get some phones with SIM cards to give to friends.

I have yet to buy oatmeal and tea for my breakfasts. Of course they have tea in Malawi but I want a variety. The food will be lacking in variety so I want at least for the tea to have some flavour.

I have planned some parts of my trip. I will spend one weekend at an elephant reserve. I am very excited about this. Last year I did very little traveling. THis year I want to see as much of Malawi as I can. I plan to travel to the northern region which I have heard is very beautiful. I had hoped to cross over to Tanzania but I need a visa for that. I will take some US dollars and try to buy a visa but if I can’t, that’s ok. Tanzania may have to be an official part of a future trip.

I will be spending very little time with the orphans. I will visit that community for 2 nights early in July. I want to discuss with the cooks and community leaders what has been happening in terms of food, salaries and supplies. I will take the children to Bata to buy shoes. I am happy to see the kids. I am sure they know that the shortfalls in their food have not been because of my neglect but because of mabvuto’s deceit.

Mabvuto still has the maize he planted for the orphans. According to Azikiwe, who has come on board to oversee the operation, the maize is now harvested and piled on Mabvuto’s porch. Mabvuto sent me a message to explain that it is now shelled and ready to be put in sacks. He really dragged his feet on this process. I know there is much less maize than he claimed there was. His wives have indicated to Azikiwe that he has been selling maize and telling them he’s using the money to repay the orphan care. Of course the orphan care has seen none of this repayment.

For several weeks I feared Mabvuto. I no longer do. I now know he is a lying coward who hates confrontation of any sort. I guess that when I arrive in that community he will disappear. He will go stay somewhere else until he is told that I have gone. That’s absolutely fine with me.

All in all I am nervous about my trip but not scared. My nervousness now is normal fear of staying with people I don’t know very well. I am nervous that I might be bored or lonely. I plan to teach in at least one school. the lady I will stay with teaches at an elementary school so I will go with her to work some days. I do have many friends left in Malawi who are excited to see me and who I will be very glad to see. I have learned from last year’s experience the value of looking out for myself. There is always a way home if I need it. I won’t be so concerned about spending money. My safety and happiness comes before saving money. (that’s a tough one for me!)

I will try to write to you all from Lilongwe. I will be reasonably close to an internet cafe but electricity seems to be an issue so I may not get to email as often as I’d like. I promise to be safe and to try to have fun.

Thank you all for your continued support.

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