I feel a bit overwhelmed. We are able to relax right now, however, there are a lot of options as far as volunteering. And there are so many people who need help. Where do we start? Who needs the most help, or whose situation is the most urgent?
Yesterday in my journal, I wondered if we will come back here once we finish our "higher degrees." So can I use speech therapy over here? Would that be a waste of my time? Meg encouraged me to go to school at the same time as Adam, since I will probably finish sooner and can then generate some sort of income. In that case, speech therapy would be helpful in the U.S. and could definitely generate an income...But what about after that?
As you can see, right now I have more questions than answers.
But I do have a book reference for you. Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder is about Dr. Paul Farmer, an infectious disease doctor with a doctorate in anthropology (as well as medicine). Dr. Farmer is no relation, but a huge inspiration to Adam and me; he works tirelessly with the poor to exterminate diseases such as TB in the third world. Go get the book and read it!
Rachel
Saturday, June 30, 2007
It has been a surreal first couple of weeks here in Malawi. Now that our initial "transformational journey" is over, I find myself looking back at all we did with disbelief. We talked to priests, doctors, the Minister of Health, peasants, rural villagers, and lots of children. We visited health clinics, home based care centers, orphanages, Malawi's capitol hill, several villages, and pig farms. Now, Rachel and I find ourselves reeling from the exhausting trip and counting ourselves blessed to have seen everything that we did. We are staying at the Mabuya backpacker hostel, reading a lot, and recovering.
It has been nice, but at the same time I am ready to get out and start working, hopefully being able to make a positive impact in a country that suffers from countless hardships. I still hope to be volunteering in a health care setting, perhaps at Bwaila (formerly known as Bottom) Hospital with Dr. Meguid. Dr. Meguid gave our group one of the most inspiring talks that we heard on our trip. A call for social justice more than discourse on hospital protocol, Dr. Meguid's presentation challenged a world that would allow its poorest people in the most need of health care to suffer under the worst conditions. "Shouldn't the sickest people have the best hospitals?" Anyway, I would love to volunteer at Bawaila but am open to whatever happens. Don and Mary have been staying with Malawi's Minister of Health. When Don mentioned our plans, she had several ideas for us as well.
We really enjoy reading your comments and getting your emails. Thanks for all your support.
Adam
It has been nice, but at the same time I am ready to get out and start working, hopefully being able to make a positive impact in a country that suffers from countless hardships. I still hope to be volunteering in a health care setting, perhaps at Bwaila (formerly known as Bottom) Hospital with Dr. Meguid. Dr. Meguid gave our group one of the most inspiring talks that we heard on our trip. A call for social justice more than discourse on hospital protocol, Dr. Meguid's presentation challenged a world that would allow its poorest people in the most need of health care to suffer under the worst conditions. "Shouldn't the sickest people have the best hospitals?" Anyway, I would love to volunteer at Bawaila but am open to whatever happens. Don and Mary have been staying with Malawi's Minister of Health. When Don mentioned our plans, she had several ideas for us as well.
We really enjoy reading your comments and getting your emails. Thanks for all your support.
Adam
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
from Blantyre to Lilongwe
Stephanie, Adam, and I had our laundry done at the hotel in Blantyre. We received our clean clothes folded in bags...and damp. So we set a line up in our room!
Tuesday morning sunrise in Blantyre.
On the road from Blantyre to Lilongewe.
Luzu and his broilers. Luzu is doing "thumbs up, chest up."
Luzu's younger daughter, Doris, and his great-nephew. Notice anything, OSU people?
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Catching up
Adam wanted me to update, too:) I am more of a cataloguer than he is. In fact, his current bookmark is an old To Do list of mine.
My birthday wasn't terribly exciting. We were in the car for a lot of the day, which is never too fun for me. I got birthday cards from my mom and dad and both grandmas (thanks for the money!). We did get to stay in a nice hotel and take a hot shower, so that was nice :) I think I have had four hot showers since arriving in Africa!
We still do not know exactly where we are going to live or volunteer, but there are concrete options. There are a couple of bike shops in Lilongwe, so we can easily buy bikes (which we will sell back in September) if cycling is the best form of transportation. Luzu, the Malawian who has been driving our group around these past two weeks, offered to get the bikes for us, since he informed Adam that there is a price for white people and a price for black people. This only makes sense--one can always make more money off of tourists! Sunday night we ate in the home of Fletcher and Clara, who have 16 orphans living with them. In addition to those kids, one of their own children is a cyclist and one is studying in Norway. Their oldest child died three weeks ago from kidney disease. I got to sit by Clara during dinner, and when she mentioned this, she simply said, "The health care is not good in Malawi." Later Adam commented on how depressing that is--to know that better health care is available in other parts of the world, yet not accessible to your own family.
So in addition to feeding over 20 people who normally move throughout their household, Fletcher and Clara hosted 12 of us! The first course was soup--mmmm, beef stew. I was sitting on one end of the living room, and Don said, "Rachel, it looks like you are the closest. Do you want to start?" So I grabbed a bowl and took a ladle full of the soup...and ended up with the bone. Ugh. I took a couple more spoonfuls, and Adam agreed to take only one and switch with me. That was a blessing, only having to eat a bit of beef soup! The rest of the meal was amazing, but I got caught again, this time by Fletcher. I went through the line first, took all sorts of veggies, when Fletcher said, "Have a piece of chicken!" I had to fess up--I told him I don't eat "much meat" (and my family members are thinking "HA!"). My meal was comprised of rice, nsima (the staple here, made from maize flour), cole slaw, potatoes, peas, cauliflower, and bananas. When I finished the food on my plate, Clara leaned over and said, "There is plenty of food left!" Dutifully, I got up and filled my plate again. Oh, the dangers of eating in a person's home!
It was lovely, though, especially when the children came out and sang several songs. The last was a version of "Father Abraham," and it was hilarious! The words are:
Sing a melody in my heart,
Sing a melody in my heart,
Sing a melody in my heart,
To the king of kings!
And the different motions are: thumbs up, knees bent, chest out, head bent, tongue out, turn around.
Imagine sixteen kids standing in two rows, their tongues out, hopping in circles:)
Monday we visited a piggery (which sounds like a Mother Goose term, doesn't it?) where a village woman has been given a grant, raises the pigs and sells them, then donates the money to orphans in the village. That was a bit disturbing to some of the people in our group for various reasons. I already felt a bit queasy, so the grunting and squealing made me want to vomit (my mother coming out in me!) and I did not stay in the pen too long. Next we went to visit a Home Based Care patient and her children. They are HIV+ and taking ARVs. The patient spoke great English and was very personable. It is strange visiting people like this. One member of our group put her finger on it--it feels a bit voyeuristic, going to visit, and basically look at, sick people. We went back into town and ate lunch, which also ended up being interesting. A Malawian woman sat down in the unoccupied chair at the end of our table. After a bit, her food came and she started eating. We were all waiting for our food (we opted for pizza, needed a bit of home:) and each wondering if the group was going to get stuck with her bill. Adam surmised (to me) that maybe it was simply culturally acceptable to sit with strangers. Yet our cynicism was correct; she asked if we would pay for her lunch. That was hard. We obviously were not going to say no. And the meal came up to about $2. We could all afford to buy this woman's meal--or the same meal for ten more people--and we are instructed to feed the hungry. I guess it just feels off, weird, to be duped into paying for someone's meal. Yet if we are supposed to take care of the poor, should she have needed a meal in the first place? I am still trying to figure it out. In the afternoon, I got to go to Open Arms, which is like the Crisis Nursery that we visited last week. It was such a happy environment, kids everywhere, wanting to be played with and held. The children we played with were as old as two years. It was a lot of fun interacting with them. Near the time that we left, one of the caregivers started chanting something, and these one-and-a-half and two-year-old children started picking up the toys and putting them away! I marveled at this--it took Shea and I fifteen minutes to help the Climbers clean our room! That brings us up to now. As I type, we are driving from Blantyre, which is the biggest city in Malawi, to Lilongwe, the capital.
I typed that earlier today. Upon arriving in Lilongwe, we drove to Luzu's house. He and his wife sell chickens and eggs, so they have hundreds of chickens! It was neat to meet his younger daughter and some of his extended family.
We are at Wendel's right now, which is the hotel where most of our group is staying. Adam, Stephanie, and I opted for a hostel (so we are paying something like $5 a night there). The rest of the group is leaving on Thursday, but Don and Mary and Stephanie are all staying longer.
My birthday wasn't terribly exciting. We were in the car for a lot of the day, which is never too fun for me. I got birthday cards from my mom and dad and both grandmas (thanks for the money!). We did get to stay in a nice hotel and take a hot shower, so that was nice :) I think I have had four hot showers since arriving in Africa!
We still do not know exactly where we are going to live or volunteer, but there are concrete options. There are a couple of bike shops in Lilongwe, so we can easily buy bikes (which we will sell back in September) if cycling is the best form of transportation. Luzu, the Malawian who has been driving our group around these past two weeks, offered to get the bikes for us, since he informed Adam that there is a price for white people and a price for black people. This only makes sense--one can always make more money off of tourists! Sunday night we ate in the home of Fletcher and Clara, who have 16 orphans living with them. In addition to those kids, one of their own children is a cyclist and one is studying in Norway. Their oldest child died three weeks ago from kidney disease. I got to sit by Clara during dinner, and when she mentioned this, she simply said, "The health care is not good in Malawi." Later Adam commented on how depressing that is--to know that better health care is available in other parts of the world, yet not accessible to your own family.
So in addition to feeding over 20 people who normally move throughout their household, Fletcher and Clara hosted 12 of us! The first course was soup--mmmm, beef stew. I was sitting on one end of the living room, and Don said, "Rachel, it looks like you are the closest. Do you want to start?" So I grabbed a bowl and took a ladle full of the soup...and ended up with the bone. Ugh. I took a couple more spoonfuls, and Adam agreed to take only one and switch with me. That was a blessing, only having to eat a bit of beef soup! The rest of the meal was amazing, but I got caught again, this time by Fletcher. I went through the line first, took all sorts of veggies, when Fletcher said, "Have a piece of chicken!" I had to fess up--I told him I don't eat "much meat" (and my family members are thinking "HA!"). My meal was comprised of rice, nsima (the staple here, made from maize flour), cole slaw, potatoes, peas, cauliflower, and bananas. When I finished the food on my plate, Clara leaned over and said, "There is plenty of food left!" Dutifully, I got up and filled my plate again. Oh, the dangers of eating in a person's home!
It was lovely, though, especially when the children came out and sang several songs. The last was a version of "Father Abraham," and it was hilarious! The words are:
Sing a melody in my heart,
Sing a melody in my heart,
Sing a melody in my heart,
To the king of kings!
And the different motions are: thumbs up, knees bent, chest out, head bent, tongue out, turn around.
Imagine sixteen kids standing in two rows, their tongues out, hopping in circles:)
Monday we visited a piggery (which sounds like a Mother Goose term, doesn't it?) where a village woman has been given a grant, raises the pigs and sells them, then donates the money to orphans in the village. That was a bit disturbing to some of the people in our group for various reasons. I already felt a bit queasy, so the grunting and squealing made me want to vomit (my mother coming out in me!) and I did not stay in the pen too long. Next we went to visit a Home Based Care patient and her children. They are HIV+ and taking ARVs. The patient spoke great English and was very personable. It is strange visiting people like this. One member of our group put her finger on it--it feels a bit voyeuristic, going to visit, and basically look at, sick people. We went back into town and ate lunch, which also ended up being interesting. A Malawian woman sat down in the unoccupied chair at the end of our table. After a bit, her food came and she started eating. We were all waiting for our food (we opted for pizza, needed a bit of home:) and each wondering if the group was going to get stuck with her bill. Adam surmised (to me) that maybe it was simply culturally acceptable to sit with strangers. Yet our cynicism was correct; she asked if we would pay for her lunch. That was hard. We obviously were not going to say no. And the meal came up to about $2. We could all afford to buy this woman's meal--or the same meal for ten more people--and we are instructed to feed the hungry. I guess it just feels off, weird, to be duped into paying for someone's meal. Yet if we are supposed to take care of the poor, should she have needed a meal in the first place? I am still trying to figure it out. In the afternoon, I got to go to Open Arms, which is like the Crisis Nursery that we visited last week. It was such a happy environment, kids everywhere, wanting to be played with and held. The children we played with were as old as two years. It was a lot of fun interacting with them. Near the time that we left, one of the caregivers started chanting something, and these one-and-a-half and two-year-old children started picking up the toys and putting them away! I marveled at this--it took Shea and I fifteen minutes to help the Climbers clean our room! That brings us up to now. As I type, we are driving from Blantyre, which is the biggest city in Malawi, to Lilongwe, the capital.
I typed that earlier today. Upon arriving in Lilongwe, we drove to Luzu's house. He and his wife sell chickens and eggs, so they have hundreds of chickens! It was neat to meet his younger daughter and some of his extended family.
We are at Wendel's right now, which is the hotel where most of our group is staying. Adam, Stephanie, and I opted for a hostel (so we are paying something like $5 a night there). The rest of the group is leaving on Thursday, but Don and Mary and Stephanie are all staying longer.
Monday, June 25, 2007
It's Been a While...
It seems like so long since we were able to sit down and find an Internet connection. Our days have been quite packed, but they have been so beneficial. Rachel successfully turned 24 on the 20th which was great. The other group members found a "cake" (I'm pretty sure they used salt instead of sugar) with a candle and sang to her, while Uncle Don bought us a great meal at the Hippo Lodge. The next day we went on a small excursion down the Shire River, seeing hippos and other wildlife. We've been able to have great conversations with different speakers along the way. Everyday we learn more about the huge problems facing Malawi, namely the HIV/AIDS virus coupled with extreme poverty. However, an underlying theme seems to be that things are getting better. Many more people are now on ARVs (antiretrovirals) and more programs combating the effects of poverty are being created all the time. As of right now, I am convinced that the only way Malawi will rise up out of their current condition is through community based efforts with IGAs (income generating activities, such as pig farms, raising bees, growing mushrooms, etc...) operated by groups of women. I understand that that might sound strange, but the projects we have seen seem so promising.
We have also been able to be a part of three worship services. The music has been amazing and once we get over the initial awkward feelings of walking into an unfamiliar place, the services have been great. We were able to share the Eucharist with one small congregation in the country in a mud church (mud walls, mud pews, mud altar), as humbling and enlightening an experience as you can have.
Here's a photo of Rachel and me at Lake Malawi. It was beautiful and we really enjoyed our stay at the Carolina.
-Adam
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Monday, June 18, 2007
Oh! Before I forget, I want to tell you all what an AMAZING friend I have in Bob Chicago (that's not his real last name:)
The night before we left for Africa, I called Bob to say goodbye. He asked when we were flying out of Cleveland and told me that he was going to be flying into Cleveland right at that time. Just enough time to miss each other!
So Adam and I are headed toward our gate an hour and a half before our flight to DC when this man said something to Adam. I was prepared to keep walking, but I looked over and it was BOB! He had called the taxi driver to pick him up earlier than planned, gotten up at 3:45 a.m., and taken an earlier flight so he could send us off in style--with Cleveland Sunrise bagels!
Thank you Bob! You deserve some recognition for that! (Even if it is on this blog:)
Rachel
The night before we left for Africa, I called Bob to say goodbye. He asked when we were flying out of Cleveland and told me that he was going to be flying into Cleveland right at that time. Just enough time to miss each other!
So Adam and I are headed toward our gate an hour and a half before our flight to DC when this man said something to Adam. I was prepared to keep walking, but I looked over and it was BOB! He had called the taxi driver to pick him up earlier than planned, gotten up at 3:45 a.m., and taken an earlier flight so he could send us off in style--with Cleveland Sunrise bagels!
Thank you Bob! You deserve some recognition for that! (Even if it is on this blog:)
Rachel
Lilongwe Home Based Care
These are children in the community of the first HBC we visited--Friday, June 15th.
Sorry there are not more pictures--it takes so long to download them!
So much to write!
We have seen so many new things and met so many people and travelled all around--I have no idea where to start! Yesterday I typed up a review of the weekend:
Saturday:
We got a late start (this will be commonplace with the group I am sure), but headed out of Lilongwe at 9:30. We drove an hour or more and arrived at SASO (Salima AIDS Support Organisation), where were tons of kids running around.
Explanation: There are centers like this where kids come for "Children's Corner" one day a week. They get two meals, play games, sing songs, receive religious instruction, HIV/AIDS information, and sometimes receive clothing donations. The people who help manage these things are volunteers. Another service that these sort of organizations offer is Home Based Care (HBC), where people with HIV/AIDS are visited in their homes and given medicine such as antiretrovirals (ARVs). Another service is Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT), which is where an individual is able to go to the center, get an anonymous HIV test, and receive subsequent counseling. These volunteers are trained by the Malawian government to be VCT volunteers. Oh, another phenomenal service these people do is set up guardians (often a family relative) to take care of children if their parent dies.
Okay, so tons of kids. This particular center, SASO, has its children's corner on Saturday afternoons. We learned more about HBC (this was a little unclear to me on Friday) and then drove quite a distance to another children's corner. These children sang for us and told us what they enjoy about being there. Some answers included gathering with friends, having lessons, and eating. This was all spoken in Chichewa and translated to us. Then one child stood up and said "Shoes." Everyone chuckled, but if you looked down at his feet, he indeed had a nice pair of boots, whereas most of the other children were barefoot or wore deteriorating flip flops. Talk about heartbreak. The children sang another couple of songs for us (one about Zaccheus?), which was beautiful--they really sang out loud.
Next we drove to visit a HBC patient B. She is 28, has two kids (6 yrs and 2 yrs), and is HIV+. When she got sick from the virus, her husband left--he thought she would never get better. Thankfully, GAIA (Global AIDS Interfaith Alliance) is helping people like B through these HBC programs--she has a guardian who helps take care of her. There was a funeral in her village, so we met her on a path on the way to the village.
Then we drove to our hotel, which is right on Lake Malawi. It is beautiful here--you can see so many stars at night, and the lake is so big that there are waves crashing on the sand.
Sunday:
We went to mass at Our Lady of Fatima at 800. Some of the people in our group attend a Catholic church in Los Angeles that supports Our Lady of Fatima, so they were very excited to be there and see the church and worship with the parishioners. The whole service was in Chichewa, but we were able to enjoy the eucharist and offering (where people brought food for the priests for the week and laid it on the stage--wheat, some fruits and vegetables, bottles of Coke, a live chicken bundled up!, and more) and the singing was SO great. The harmonies are simply amazing, and they seem so natural--all the parts blend and none of them overpower any others. It was great. It made us think of Second Sunday Singers at Hopwood--Craig, you would have loved it!
After mass we met with Paul, who told us about the center there. We were given hot tea and popcorn popped from the maize piled up in the back yard! It was such a neat gesture and a good treat:) Then we met the people who attend VCT, some counselors, and a young man who receives financial aid from GAIA so he can attend school. As most of the people in attendance (in a group of 30 or 35) were there for counseling (theirs is set up like a support group & has been in place since May 2001), a majority of them are HIV+ or have AIDS. We exchanged information about ourselves and listened to their well-prepared and -read statement of their purpose and needs.
After meeting them, we talked for a bit and one of the volunteers said, "which one is Rachel?" He was interested in me because his wife is named Rachel. He was a pleasure to talk to--he speaks seven languages (most of them African languages that we have never heard of) and is trained in pastoral care. He got our address and wants to tell his wife about us and send us a drawing (he said picture, I think maybe he meant a photo?).
Next we went to a Baptist Clinic that is very organized and well-run. It included a pharmacy, delivery room, a counseling facility with HIV tests and rooms in which to receive counsel, and more. The clinic has brought down the incidence of cholera by providing clean water to the local residents. Fortunately it was a slow day--there were no women there:)
We are enjoying the hospitality of the Malawians. They are so friendly. Their custom is to say "Hi. How are you?" and it is expected for the other person to reciprocate. We are slowly practicing our Chichewa...today Rachel said "Zikomo (thank you)" and the lady said, "oh, you speak Chichewa?!" Well, maybe five words/phrases:) The other group members are enjoyable to be around and interesting. We are also glad that we get to spend this time with Don and Mary (Adam's great uncle and his wife).
Wow, that was nice to just copy that into the blog! Of course I spent a long time typing it last night. While I was typing, Adam read...and got bitten many, many times by mosquitos, despite the fact that we were under a net. One of our group members assured us that this is not the season for malaria-mosquitos, so we do not have to worry too much. Moms, don't worry, okay? We are taking our medicine!
A funny note: I am trying to multi-task, since the internet connection is not fast-fast here at the hotel, so I am checking my email as I work on this. Dad sent me an email and said something exactly like what Uncle Darryl wrote in a note to us! I thought that the Jones family would appreciate that:)
Today (Monday) we left the lake and tried to go to several child care centers to no avail--we could not find them. Actually, we did drive way away from the main road on a dirt hill to a Presbyterian feeding center for orphans, but it was not one we planned to go to, so we had to leave after a few minutes. After we got back to Lilongwe, we ate lunch, hung out downtown for a bit, then headed to an Infant Crisis Home.
This place keeps infants up to a year old. They are either found abandoned in a public place (thinking about Jing, that brought tears to my eyes...I had to avoid those thoughts the rest of the time or I would have broken down) or the home keeps the babies until their relatives can take care of them better than when they were tiny infants. These children are either returned to their relatives or placed in foster care or adopted. One baby there is on ARVs, which is great for that child! There are currently 17 babies, but they can have up to 30. There are 5 full-time workers at a time (15 total, doing 8 hour shifts of nights, days, or resting for three days before switching to another three-day rotation) who have up to 6 babies in their care. We all got to hold at least one baby, which I have wanted to do since Dr. Abner's Child Dev. class in the fall of 2001:) This might be a place a volunteer weekly or something.
We stayed at a fairly nice hotel our first two nights in Lilongwe, but tonight Adam, Stephanie (the other 20 something), and I are staying at a hostel--much more up our alley!
We love you and are thinking of you at home! Keep us in your prayers!
Rachel
Saturday:
We got a late start (this will be commonplace with the group I am sure), but headed out of Lilongwe at 9:30. We drove an hour or more and arrived at SASO (Salima AIDS Support Organisation), where were tons of kids running around.
Explanation: There are centers like this where kids come for "Children's Corner" one day a week. They get two meals, play games, sing songs, receive religious instruction, HIV/AIDS information, and sometimes receive clothing donations. The people who help manage these things are volunteers. Another service that these sort of organizations offer is Home Based Care (HBC), where people with HIV/AIDS are visited in their homes and given medicine such as antiretrovirals (ARVs). Another service is Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT), which is where an individual is able to go to the center, get an anonymous HIV test, and receive subsequent counseling. These volunteers are trained by the Malawian government to be VCT volunteers. Oh, another phenomenal service these people do is set up guardians (often a family relative) to take care of children if their parent dies.
Okay, so tons of kids. This particular center, SASO, has its children's corner on Saturday afternoons. We learned more about HBC (this was a little unclear to me on Friday) and then drove quite a distance to another children's corner. These children sang for us and told us what they enjoy about being there. Some answers included gathering with friends, having lessons, and eating. This was all spoken in Chichewa and translated to us. Then one child stood up and said "Shoes." Everyone chuckled, but if you looked down at his feet, he indeed had a nice pair of boots, whereas most of the other children were barefoot or wore deteriorating flip flops. Talk about heartbreak. The children sang another couple of songs for us (one about Zaccheus?), which was beautiful--they really sang out loud.
Next we drove to visit a HBC patient B. She is 28, has two kids (6 yrs and 2 yrs), and is HIV+. When she got sick from the virus, her husband left--he thought she would never get better. Thankfully, GAIA (Global AIDS Interfaith Alliance) is helping people like B through these HBC programs--she has a guardian who helps take care of her. There was a funeral in her village, so we met her on a path on the way to the village.
Then we drove to our hotel, which is right on Lake Malawi. It is beautiful here--you can see so many stars at night, and the lake is so big that there are waves crashing on the sand.
Sunday:
We went to mass at Our Lady of Fatima at 800. Some of the people in our group attend a Catholic church in Los Angeles that supports Our Lady of Fatima, so they were very excited to be there and see the church and worship with the parishioners. The whole service was in Chichewa, but we were able to enjoy the eucharist and offering (where people brought food for the priests for the week and laid it on the stage--wheat, some fruits and vegetables, bottles of Coke, a live chicken bundled up!, and more) and the singing was SO great. The harmonies are simply amazing, and they seem so natural--all the parts blend and none of them overpower any others. It was great. It made us think of Second Sunday Singers at Hopwood--Craig, you would have loved it!
After mass we met with Paul, who told us about the center there. We were given hot tea and popcorn popped from the maize piled up in the back yard! It was such a neat gesture and a good treat:) Then we met the people who attend VCT, some counselors, and a young man who receives financial aid from GAIA so he can attend school. As most of the people in attendance (in a group of 30 or 35) were there for counseling (theirs is set up like a support group & has been in place since May 2001), a majority of them are HIV+ or have AIDS. We exchanged information about ourselves and listened to their well-prepared and -read statement of their purpose and needs.
After meeting them, we talked for a bit and one of the volunteers said, "which one is Rachel?" He was interested in me because his wife is named Rachel. He was a pleasure to talk to--he speaks seven languages (most of them African languages that we have never heard of) and is trained in pastoral care. He got our address and wants to tell his wife about us and send us a drawing (he said picture, I think maybe he meant a photo?).
Next we went to a Baptist Clinic that is very organized and well-run. It included a pharmacy, delivery room, a counseling facility with HIV tests and rooms in which to receive counsel, and more. The clinic has brought down the incidence of cholera by providing clean water to the local residents. Fortunately it was a slow day--there were no women there:)
We are enjoying the hospitality of the Malawians. They are so friendly. Their custom is to say "Hi. How are you?" and it is expected for the other person to reciprocate. We are slowly practicing our Chichewa...today Rachel said "Zikomo (thank you)" and the lady said, "oh, you speak Chichewa?!" Well, maybe five words/phrases:) The other group members are enjoyable to be around and interesting. We are also glad that we get to spend this time with Don and Mary (Adam's great uncle and his wife).
Wow, that was nice to just copy that into the blog! Of course I spent a long time typing it last night. While I was typing, Adam read...and got bitten many, many times by mosquitos, despite the fact that we were under a net. One of our group members assured us that this is not the season for malaria-mosquitos, so we do not have to worry too much. Moms, don't worry, okay? We are taking our medicine!
A funny note: I am trying to multi-task, since the internet connection is not fast-fast here at the hotel, so I am checking my email as I work on this. Dad sent me an email and said something exactly like what Uncle Darryl wrote in a note to us! I thought that the Jones family would appreciate that:)
Today (Monday) we left the lake and tried to go to several child care centers to no avail--we could not find them. Actually, we did drive way away from the main road on a dirt hill to a Presbyterian feeding center for orphans, but it was not one we planned to go to, so we had to leave after a few minutes. After we got back to Lilongwe, we ate lunch, hung out downtown for a bit, then headed to an Infant Crisis Home.
This place keeps infants up to a year old. They are either found abandoned in a public place (thinking about Jing, that brought tears to my eyes...I had to avoid those thoughts the rest of the time or I would have broken down) or the home keeps the babies until their relatives can take care of them better than when they were tiny infants. These children are either returned to their relatives or placed in foster care or adopted. One baby there is on ARVs, which is great for that child! There are currently 17 babies, but they can have up to 30. There are 5 full-time workers at a time (15 total, doing 8 hour shifts of nights, days, or resting for three days before switching to another three-day rotation) who have up to 6 babies in their care. We all got to hold at least one baby, which I have wanted to do since Dr. Abner's Child Dev. class in the fall of 2001:) This might be a place a volunteer weekly or something.
We stayed at a fairly nice hotel our first two nights in Lilongwe, but tonight Adam, Stephanie (the other 20 something), and I are staying at a hostel--much more up our alley!
We love you and are thinking of you at home! Keep us in your prayers!
Rachel
Monday, June 11, 2007
Comments, anyone?
Okay, now you can make comments without having a blogger or gmail account. Comment away:)
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Here one day...
Our near-future travel schedule:
Sunday, June 10--leave Johnson City after church at Hopwood--drive to Bellville, OH
Tuesday, June 12--leave the U.S.--fly from Cleveland to D.C. to New York to Johannesburg, South Africa
Thursday, June 14--leave Johannesburg and fly to Lilongwe, Malawi
Then, unless our plans change, we will live in Malawi until September 20th.
Sunday, June 10--leave Johnson City after church at Hopwood--drive to Bellville, OH
Tuesday, June 12--leave the U.S.--fly from Cleveland to D.C. to New York to Johannesburg, South Africa
Thursday, June 14--leave Johannesburg and fly to Lilongwe, Malawi
Then, unless our plans change, we will live in Malawi until September 20th.
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