March 12-17
Over the weekend was the first time I felt a little homesick ( it hit me while being in church). We get home about 10am and that leaves a long Sunday, and I had nothing special to do. Maralise, a retired nurse from South Africa who came here 5 years ago after her husband died to do mission work, called me and asked if I would like to go to Dedza with her to sightsee and have lunch. I was thrilled to be asked. Dedza is an interesting town in the mountains (elevation 2198m-high) about 60 miles in the opposite direction of Lilongwe which is in the plains. Dedza is a relaxing place with charming African Art and Craft Shops which we enjoyed browsing through. We had lunch at a really nice restaurant at The Dedza Pottery. The goat meat , carrots and potatoes were very good. On the way home we stopped on the side of the road at one of the many market type settings and bought a bucket of sweet potatoes to divide and wonderful mango fruit. They harvest a lot of other potatoes in this area. In the open air markets all over the area they have their outdoor grills frying French-fried potatoes. They are fried on a large round metal sheet in lots of oil. They scoop up a spatula full of fries and put them in a plastic bag and pour a tablespoon of the hot oil on top of them in the bag – very greasy, kids love them. The day turned out to be one of my best days so far.
Maralisa invited me to go into Lilongwe with her on Wednesday. We stopped on the way there to visit the orphan school complex which she started when she came here. Her Methodist Church in South Africa supports her by paying the salaries of the 3 teachers. The Orphan Project in Nkhoma supports 30 schools for orphans. They provide 2 hours schools daily with a meal at the end of the day. This financially helps the relatives who have taken the children into their homes as well as instills a thirst for education in the children and in the parents. They are doing such a wonderful work with the children on such a limited budget that I was moved to ask the carpenter, Lincoln, to build them the same great sea-saws, balancing beams, and ramps that he has made for Ebenezer and also to make them the same beautiful wooden blocks and flannel boards that the Ebenezer children are enjoying. Lincoln is a wonderful carpenter and a dedicated Christian. He built all the furniture in the school and is helping now to make it fit in effectively with the learning center concept. I am so thrilled with his work. Maralisa has fashioned her school after the orphan schools. Her facility is used by the village for all their public meetings and for church services as well as for school. She is hoping that the Ophan Project will take the school under its support.
Last night Rhona, Jessie, and I went to the Guesthouse to help cook dinner for Ewva (Polish)) who left today to return to her home in Germany. Ewva has been a volunteer nurse for 3 months on the children’s ward. She becomes so attached to those little children. Her plans are to sell her house in Germany and move to where her 3 children live back in Poland. She plans to return to Nkhoma in November for another 3 months.
Ebenezer School has its ups and downs. The main concern is that the 1st grade is moving slowly. At first it appeared to be the class who needed less help, but that has changed partially because the other 2 classes have eagerly made some very conwtructive changes. More time will be spent with the first grade.
Saturday is the big local market day of the week with lots of things to sell. I’m looking for things to use in centers like clothes pins for the pinching exercise to prepare for holding a pencil, dust pan and brush to sweep up the cuttings from cutting exercises and the mud tracked in from outside. They are preparing to lay concrete for ride toys and chalk coloring. The soil is jet black. They have dug up so much grass leaving much black soil to be tracked inside. The playground equipment is about ready to be placed in the ground. Installation has been delayed because of heavy rains – have had trouble with getting the paint to dry. Our playground is covered with water, the trenches are full of water and the workers have been emptying the footings for the wall with buckets. This rainy season is a very wet one so they say.