The Much Anticipated Arrival of Jennifer
Trip Start
May 29, 2007
1
14
41
Trip End
Jul 18, 2007
Blantyre,
Malawi
Saturday, June 9, 2007
"Hold on," I said as I came out of my deep slumber. I sluggishly crawled out from under the mosquito net covering my bed and went to the door. I opened it to find Dr. C standing in suit and tie ready to take on Africa.
In a voice deeper than usual he said, "It is time for your shower." He must have just woke himself because his voice was still hoarse.
Did he sleep in his tie and dress pants, I think to myself as I try to focus on the green light being emitted from my indiglo watch. My eyes came into focus and 5:15 illuminated from the face of the watch in large digital numbers. What is going on in my life?
Church in Blantyre begins at 10:30 every Saturday morning. Ntcheu, which is where the Chiloporas live, is 2 hours away from Blantyre. For unknown reasons we were told we would be leaving the house at 6:30am. Now, it's acceptable to arrive at church early, But 2 full hours early is ludicrous. Long story short we ended up leaving the house at around 7:15. This made us 1 hour and fifteen minutes early. We meet a few of the church members before as soon as we arrived and this justified arriving early. Missing out on sleep should be illegal though.
Church was fine and it was nice meeting all the people in Blantyre. Much like the brethren in Lilongwe, the brethren were very welcoming and kind. Many of the people I met receive support from LifeNets. These people were so thankful for the help LifeNets provides them. LifeNets has saved lives here. One gentleman even gave us a Tupperware full of ground nuts (peanuts) to prove the fruits of his labor. LifeNets, your money has been wisely allocated. You should feel good about this.
While Aaron and I were in church, the Chiloporas traveled to picked up Jennifer Myers (no relation to me, just an awesome last name) from the Blantyre airport. Jennifer is a potential candidate for a grant writing position at LifeNets. Jennifer was picked up safely and we all met back at church.
We spoke with the brethren a little while longer and then began 2 hour journey back to Ntcheu. In the car, Aaron and I got to know Jennifer and the long drive passed quite fast with the help of good conversation. The drive was followed by the typical tea, dinner, and post- meal talking ritual.
We all crashed early. Jennifer had been traveling for 2 straight days and Aaron and I had been up since 5:15. It was best for all to rest. The journey is still unfolding. More to come.
A piece of Malawian news: The first lady of Malawi died of cancer recently. Several weeks ago her funeral date was set for today (6/9) in Blantyre. Because of this, the city of Blantyre was very busy. Hundreds of thousands of Malawians migrated to Blantyre to pay their respects. It was inspiring to see a nation put aside its differences and join as one to morn the death of their first lady. If this were to happen in America, I wonder how we would act?
P.S. Please keep the comments coming! Even though it's difficult for me to respond, it's great to hear from all of you!
Comments
Great blog, Phil!
After I resumed reading this morning, I had to keep going until it was time to go. Then there were the 2 newest entries when I got back. Very interesting writing, and fun to read. Thanks for the effort you put into it. (However, don't sell short any and all documentaries on concrete. As I recall, concrete was used also by the Romans, underwater 2000 years ago, in building the port of Caesarea --and it's still there holding the jetties together today.)
If you would, ask if the old GAF 35mm slide projector from LifeNets is still doing its job for the clinic (whichever one). I'm curious how it's held up.
Til the next episode, don't eat anything called 'nasties' or equivalent. --David