Malawi Blog 2010: Weeks 1 & 2

Moni nonse!

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We have now been in this amazing country for two weeks and have enjoyed every moment of it, even the training! The first week here was spent training: 3 days in Lilongwe, the capital, and three days on site in the orphanage in Mchinji.

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When we first arrived in Mchinji Boma we were surprised at how lively and bustling it was, it really is a vibrant town full of wonderful people; it didn’t take us long to realise why exactly Malawi is called the warm heart of Africa! The road from the main town to the orphanage in which we are staying is bumpy at best, driving home with eggs is a very dangerous business. However the bumps and the slow pace are made more than bearable by the pumping Malawian tunes that our taxi driver (Will-I-am) blasts out from the radio. It is made more magical still by the bright smiles and frantic waves of the children who run to the road as we drive by. It is incredible how friendly and welcoming everybody has been.

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The orphanage that we are staying in is called The Home of Hope, it is much bigger than we expected and the guest house in which we are staying is much more comfortable than we could have ever asked for. There is a fully equipped kitchen (even a microwave) and a kind gentleman named Mr Banda even does our washing for us! None the less, the frequent, almost daily, blackouts remind us that we are in a remote Malawian village and not England.

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The children were immediately captivated by the arrival of 9 ‘wazungu’ into their home and came up to greet us with big grins and hugs for everyone. They are all so lively and enthusiastic and constantly want to be carried around and hugged, we are like their very own amusement park! The girls and boys alike particularly love our hair, though the girls plait better than the boys!

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Term began on Monday 6th September and brought with it a 5am wakeup call in the form of Morning Devotion. Monday to Friday all volunteers must attend morning devotion along with the children who live here at the orphanage. All 9 of us begrudgingly get out of bed in the dark and throw on warm clothes in order to trek to the chapel; our bad mood instantly evaporates as we are greeted by the incredible singing of the children; their songs are so uplifting and powerful you can’t help but smile even though it’s 5:30am. Their voices are wonderfully harmonised (how they do it will remain a mystery) and the songs are so captivating we can’t help but want to join in- if only our Chichewa was better!

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Since then our days have been quite packed, but more and more interesting now that we are slowly becoming a part of day to day life at school. We are looking forward to what is in store for us in the weeks to come.

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September 9, 2010 at 6:49 pm | Malawi, Projects | No comment