A real dolly mixture...

Hello again from a Mzuzu that is slowly beginning to warm up!
Here is a picture I took a wee while ago when I was out walking with a friend. It is the dam just outside Mzuzu. It's very peaceful and it's quite difficult to believe that the city is just 5-10 minutes away. It's lovely to be able to find nice places to walk that are not too far away.

I really enjoyed a visit from Jim and Ruth Campbell from Northern Ireland. I think they were enjoying the beautiful sunny weather. They also brought me some lovely shortbread from my Mum and it was good to share it as I had not done any baking that week!

Jim and Ruth



I have enjoyed seeing a bit more of the Northern Region over the past few weeks. This is the view from Chitimba church, not too far from the Gorodi Road that goes up to the mission station at Livingstonia. The views are quite beautiful.

Back to the lakeshore near Nkhata Bay and again the colours of this beautiful region change quickly over the space of a morning...

I would love to be able to paint some of what I see but I just settle myself to taking loads of pictures!

Today I went to my local Girls' Brigade company at St Andrew's church. There were about 30 girls there today and I was told by the captain that there some girls were missing because it was the school holidays... A slight understatement as when I asked how many were in the company during term time she told me that there were 240 girls registered!!

In the last blog posting I asked you to pray for Malawi. Thank you for your prayers. The planned demonstrations on August 17th were postponed to allow dialogue between the government and civil society organisations. Please do continue to pray for this land as things are not yet resolved. Life is not easy for people here as the cost of living is increasing rapidly and fuel continues to be a challenge. However this week I had the experience of driving into the local garage, filling my car and then leaving in less than 10 minutes... (A nice change as the last fill of the tank took 2 days)

Wishing you a good week and to all my teaching friends wishing you a great start to the new term!
Blessings
Fiona

A bit more of life in Mzuzu...

Hello!

Today is sunny and a bit warmer here in Mzuzu and I am taking a minute or two to update the blog. Thankfully a much quieter few weeks have passed here but with more demonstrations planned for next week I would ask you to remember to pray for this lovely country - for wisdom, peace and resolutions to the problems that people are facing here.

What else is happening here? Well for me the new experiences keep on coming. On Friday I was aware of many more vehicles and people than usual outside the office window and wondered what was happening. Also there appeared to be more people outside than inside the office, so I watched and listened.There were some prayers and then some singing began... what was happening? It was maybe time to ask a few questions... So I found out that the cars were indeed new and they were being dedicated for service within the Synod and yes I probably should have been outside with my colleagues to share in the occasion.

I just thought it was a wee extra meeting as these are the Synod headquarters, oops!

 New vehicles for the Synod

I have also had the pleasure of quite a bit of mail arriving over the past while but this parcel was complete surprise. I had been having a very frustrating morning with my computer not really working properly and I was ready to launch it off the desk!  However when the door knocked and Mary from one of the other offices came in with a visitor carrying this box, my computer got a reprieve... Some emergency chocolate in the parcel saved the day for all concerned that morning!!

The visitor turned out to be the postie and I really enjoyed his rather quirky motorbike/van. It's the first time I have actually had a parcel delivered direct to my door as you normally have to go the post office to collect it.

My classroom skills are still being used and I spent some time making books for caregivers that are being trained here in Mzuzu at the moment by our CCAP ECD trainers.This will allow the caregivers to have resources to take back to their Early Childhood Centres when they finish the training this weekend.
My former classroom assistant would be proud of the good training she gave me as I was complimented on the quality of the finished articles. Thank you Rubinea!

My (hopefully) chicken proof kitchen garden

And finally a wee bit of home life so that you don't think it is all work and no play. I am now the owner of a super vegetable garden. Inside are growing pumpkins, broccoli, carrots, butternut squash and I hope also maybe leeks and parsnips. I am told that passion fruits will grow well on the fencing so I will be getting them planted as well as I love them for a snack or for dessert. Not quite 'The Good Life' but getting there..!

So another few weeks pass quickly by. My office work is going well (computer frustrations aside!) the latest version of the database is complete and paused while I wait for more information to arrive. Our programme of visiting all our Presbytery ECD trainers is also paused at the moment because of the scarcity of fuel but this is just how life is at the moment. Even as I do this blog post my car is 'on the line' with one of the drivers and has been since this morning waiting hopefully to get some fuel today.
I am also doing a bit of preparation for some work I hope to be involved in with others here. This hopefully will be to write a Bible teaching module that can be used in the Synod Early Childhhod centres, this is quite exciting and challenging so watch this space...

I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who prays for me, for Malawi and the work we are doing in Early Childhood Development . Thank you also for taking time read the blog, to write letters and keep in touch. All very much appreciated!

Wishing you a good week.
With love

Fiona

What a difference a week makes...

sunset over Mzuzu - calm before the storm

Hello from an unusually quiet Sunday evening in Mzuzu.

This week has been really tough not only in Mzuzu but throughout Malawi as there were mass demonstrations last Wednesday as people took to the street to protest about some of the issues that are affecting everyday lives here. Unfortunately the peaceful demonstrations that were planned became violent and there were many injuries and some fatalities.

On Wednesday our offices were closed and I stayed within the Synod compound all day after being told not to go further than the gates. In fact we stayed inside until Saturday. I have to say that nothing would have made me go outside as I could see and hear many people running away from the town centre.
All day on Wednesday there were sounds of shooting and tear gas was being used to try to control the situation. I was able to see where road blocks were burning and could hear sirens as dead and injured people were transported to the hospital. It was not good and quite frightening as the shooting and trouble continued into the evening. These last few days Mzuzu has been strangely quiet - the sounds that shape the days here have either been non existant or very muted. I usually am woken by traffic noise, hooting horns, the call to prayer from the mosque and loud music from market just across the wall from my home but from Wednesday to Saturday the world here was muted.

I took this picture on Saturday morning. The sun still shines but there are dark clouds behind -  a picture of our world at the moment..?

On Saturday after taking advice I went out to the shops to get in some bits and pieces and it was Mzuzu but not as I know it. There were much fewer people out and about than usual, fewer cars and again much less of the city sounds than I would expect. I saw shops that had been destroyed and completely emptied of all their contents. Peoples liveliehoods are affected or just gone. We have been hearing from friends and colleagues that it is much the same in other places.

Please pray for this land - for peace and calm, for those who are injured and grieving the loss of family and friends, for a peaceful resolution to the issues that people were demonstrating about.

But in all of this challenging time some aspects of life are ever the same...

My house 'guests' keep coming - this small lizard took refuge in the sunspot in my bedroom.

There is time to spend with friends...

 and my small neighbours come to play in the garden!

I have really been glad of the texts, phone calls and e mails from family and friends this past week. Thank you for your care and concern.

Wishing you a peaceful week wherever you are.

Love and blessings

Fiona

cars, cold weather and cake..!

My rush hour route to work!

Hello all and greetings from sunny Mzuzu!
Thought it was about time to update my blog and let you know some of what's been happening over the past couple of weeks.

early morning in Lilongwe

First of all I am very glad to be back from Lilongwe. I mentioned in the last post that I was taking someone to the airport  and then I had a few things to do in Lilongwe when I was there. I also added that it may take a little more time than usual to do all that needed to get done and so it did..! I was in Lilongwe from Tuesday til Thursday as we could not get diesel to get home to Mzuzu.
I am very glad that I had one of our drivers with me as he very patiently searched for a filling station that could supply us with diesel. Very often at the moment you hear the expression that people are waiting 'on the line', in other words queuing until fuel becomes available. Please do remember pray for the people here who are finding this time of fuel shortage a real challenge.

flowers in Lilongwe city centre

There is beauty to be found even in the city!

One of the evenings in Lilongwe there was a power cut and I enjoyed the candles that were set out along the hotel corridor floor to guide guests to their rooms. Not sure about the fire safety implications though..!

On the road home we stopped for a snack at our usual place and here is the sight that met us... Fuel was coming and so many people were 'on the line' at the filling station! 

on the line at Kasungu

Look out for the tobacco lorry, as usual well laden and on the way to the auction floor.

There were many beautiful places and lots of lovely scenery to enjoy as we travelled home and having a driver with me meant that I could really soak it up. This just part of the view on the road north to Mzuzu.

Here is the vegetable market at Jenda where we made a brief stop on the way home to buy potatoes. It was quite chilly on this day and the people were well wrapped up. Their produce is so nicely displayed and is always a really colourful display. You buy spuds here by the bucket and not by weight, another new experience for me. I am still eating my way through the bucketful that I bought...

Yet another new experience for me was getting the car serviced. I had had a very basic car maintainence lesson before I left Northern Ireland but I have to say that my knowledge of car parts has increased dramatically since last week. Universal joint, front suspension, shock absorbers, wheel bearings... I do actually now know where to find these on a car -well most of them and understand a bit more about what is their function! The mechanic talked me through all that had been done to the car and another lesson about life in Malawi is learned...

A couple of the most recent visitors to my home

This rather large gecko was trapped in my kitchen sink and had shed it's tail. This can happen when they are shocked so he does look a wee bit shorter than usual. I re-homed it out to the garden and I hope it managed to keep away from the ever hungry chickens...

Last week I celebrated my birthday and had the lovely surprise of not one birthday cake but a whole birthday greeting of cake! Thank you Diane - birthdays shared with friends are always good.

Another few weeks have flown by with all of their ups and downs. There are challenges and frustrations as well as enjoyment and fun but whenever I see the children in our nursery schools I am reminded of the reason I am here. Children are important to God, they have a special place in His plan and it is a privilege to part of a programme that recognises that and is working to make life better for them in His name.

This week I am meeting with some of our presbytery trainers and I am encouraged when I hear all that they are doing in their districts. Please pray for them as they travel to visit, train and monitor the nursery caregivers in each of the CCAP Early Childhood centres within their districts.

Wishing you all a good week.
Love and blessings

Fiona

out & about...

Misty sunrise on Monday morning

Hello!

Life has been a really varied this past week and I have been out and about to some different places and meeting new people. My Malawian driving experience is developing but there many roads yet to be explored!

 I was back to the lakeshore again this week except this time I was the driver and not the passenger! The road to the nursery is very sandy and I was very thankful not to get stuck. Nicolas and Paul who were with me were also very glad as they would have been out pushing!

However they did have to help me by moving a tree that had come down across the road!

The children at the nursery were very pleased to see us and we were pleased to see them and to have got there without too many adventures!

Last week I saw cassava plants growing and this week I saw it out on mats drying in the sun. This week I should be experiencing my first taste of cassava nsima as we have our end of bible study celebration and Mrs Phiri has said that she will bring it especially! Will update you next week...

 My next door neighbour Ruth invited me to visit a craft group that she has set up for some of the local ladies near her home. It is a venture that allows them to sell what they make and to have a small business enterprise. I was the official photographer as they  showed off their completed work.

Spot the visitor!

The ladies were not the only ones busy making beautiful things - I saw many many spiders making magnificent webs in the trees above where the ladies were working.

On Saturday I took a visitor from Northern Ireland down to the lakeshore to enjoy a bit of sunshine and to soak up the scenery. What a beautiful afternoon...

Another day trip this weekend to Vwaza Marsh, where I met the elephants last year... It was a beautiful day and I am glad to report that the elephants were in another part of the park! We did see many hippos, kudu, warthogs and baboon as we enjoyed a 2 hour walking safari with our guides though. God's creation is truly amazing!

On the drive home we were behind this lorry with a very large load of tobacco heading to the auction floor. Some of the loads are really quite heavy and the trailers are loaded to capacity and then some more bales are added! You can maybe spot the bicycle taxi passenger, wonder how she feels about passing such a large load?

This week I am taking a visitor back to the airport and will do a couple of things that I have to get done in Lilongwe. This trip could take a little longer than usual as fuel continues to be scarce. Watch this space...

Wishing you all a good week.
Love

Fiona

PS the database is very nearly completed!

Enjoying new things...!

Hello and greetings from Mzuzu!This has been a week of many more new experiences and opportunities. It has also been quite a varied week and so progress with my new database has been a bit slower than usual but thankfully there have been no major hiccups. However the deadline for completion of a first draft is approaching and that may speed things up a little. Thank you for your prayers as I learn how to make ICT work for me rather than against me...!

I was invited this week to visit the home of my watchman Mr Gondwe so that I could greet his wife and family. It was lovely to go and meet them and they said that I should also be in the photo to remind them that I had been with them!

Mr Gondwe has many members of his extended family living with him in the family home so we tried to fit in as many as wanted to be in the photo. Some if his grandchildren were a bit scared of the 'azungu' (white person) who was in their home so they stayed outside..! Mr Gondwe told me that he has 25 grandchildren. I smiled when he told me that 'only' 8 stay in the family home in Mzuzu.

Saturday was a really beautiful day. The sky was bright blue and it was really warm. I was able to be out in garden and enjoy my book and coffee in the sunshine. As this is the cold season this was a day really to be enjoyed especially as Mzuzu can get cold and cloudy quite quickly.

However it was the sound of the pouring rain that woke me on Sunday morning. Here are a couple of the pictures I took from my window at about 6.15 am.

I can be woken up with quite a start on days like this as I think that I have left the bath taps on but it is normally just the water gushing off the roof. It looks and sounds just like the stream of water from a tap. I hope you are able to see it in the photo.

So Sunday was cold, wet and very dull all day and the special bonus was that the electricity was also off! But at about 5.45pm it came back on so it meant that I was not spending the evening in the dark as well the cold! A friend of mine often just looks at me,smiles and says "This is Malawi!" and so it is...

I was able to visit a nursery school down on the lakeshore in the middle of the week and as you can see it is quite literally on the lakeshore. We had to be careful where we parked the car so that we would not get stuck in the sand. There are about 60 children attending this nursery and the caregivers are hoping to have some training later this year to help them as they work with the children.

The caregivers are actually sitting on an upturned canoe in the nursery block. The little boy in the stripy t-shirt was singing his wee heart out when we popped in to say hello. I'm surprised you couldn't hear him where you are!

Here are Diane and Kamoza, the trainer for this presbytery, having a meeting on the move! It is important to make the most of every opportunity when you meet with people you don't see very often.

 I love being out and about and finding out about new things that I see. I spotted many of these plants growing as we travelled along the lakeshore. They are cassava and they grow very well in the sandy soil there. The roots are dried and eaten in different forms. One of the ladies from my bible study has said that she will make me cassava nsima (a sort of porridge) for our next end of study celebration, watch this space...

On they way back to Mzuzu we stopped to deliver some letters to a local congregation and I was treated to lots of singing and dancing from the children who were happy to stop and have their picture taken!

But I have been saving the best til last...

This week we have been enjoying very much and celebrating the safe arrival of my friend's new baby boy. He arrived on Sunday evening and came home on Monday. His 2 sisters are thrilled with their new brother and anyone holding him is monitored very carefully in case they might be tempted to 'borrow' him...!

So again another week has just sped past with it's ups and downs. Lots to enjoy and also lots to learn.
Hoping you enjoy a peaceful weekend and maybe even a little summer sunshine too!

Blessings

Fiona