I am finally home and feeling relatively normal. The last week in Malawi I got a bladder infection, which was not fun, especially while on a 10 hour flight. I am not enjoying this heat and humidity though. I also have jet lag like I’ve never had before.

Because of a workers’ strike at Kenya Air my original return flight was cancelled. I decided not to risk flying through Kenya the following day knowing it would be chaos and fearing I might miss the connecting flight to Amsterdam. Being stranded in Kenya was not something I looked forward to. I got a new ticket home, which was operated by Air France and flew through Johannesburg and Paris. I was happy since the wait times in the airport were much shorter and I’d be able to experience something different. The journey home was actually comfortable and enjoyable. I was very glad to see my parents at the airport. It’s always nice to be welcomed home instead of coming home alone.

I left the Day Care Centre in good hands. As of now we have purchased 150kg of rice, which will feed the kids for about 9 months. We paid about 85 cents per kg. It is always better to buy in bulk.

I’m a bit nervous because we are now feeding the children a more varied diet and the budget my exceed that which I had originally anticipated. I hope to generate some donations again to help subsidize this project. Unlike last year, I am very confident about the project being successful and possibly even growing. I will soon look into getting charitable status.

I am thinking of getting a laptop for the Day Care. It would be used occasionally by the kids to read letters my students write, look at photos and type letters. Of course, Azikiwe would also use it to send financial reports, updates and correspondence. I am hoping that someone out there is willing to sell a used laptop for a cheap price so that I can donate it to the Day Care. It would definitely help with communication between the Board in Malawi and myself.

Anyway, things are feeling very exciting and positive. The children and cooks are happy and hopeful once again. I am finally allowing myself to feel proud of what I have accomplished. I know the Day Care will now be stronger and better than it could ever have been in the past.

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