Month: August 2012

elephants

How do you hide an elephant?  It is amazing how quiet and elephant can be.  If it lies down and is still it looks like a gray stone.  A large one for sure but they are not so easy to see.  When they are moving in a big group they are easy to see.  One…
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Act of Kindness

Came back from town and said hello to the keeper of the guesthouse.  He is a kind man who cooks and fixes almost everything. (He is like a family doctor for the house.  Takes care of over 90% and calls for a specialist for the other issues that require specialty training.)  He greets you as…
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Think tank

Think tank The guest house hosts doctors and other professionals from all over the world.  During the first week we had meals with a physical therapist born in Zimbabwe, now working in South Africa, an anatomy professor from Dar es Salam Tanzania, a pharmacist from South Africa, an OB-GYN from Cameroon an the UK and…
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Springtime in Malawi

People are wearing sweaters here while we are sleeveless.  They find it cool while I find it perfect!  The flowers are starting to bloom and there are many varieties.  I wish I had a botany book.  I can identify some of the plants, poinsettia, frangipani and geraniums but there are so many more flowers! It…
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Big Orange

The People’s Party of Malawi is the political party of the current President Banda of Malawi.  She is a woman and I a fascinated to be a country with a woman president.  The party members and supporters wear UT orange.  Some wear it in solid colors while others wear printed fabric made into skirt wraps…
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Sabbath

Sabbath Blantyre has many religions.  Many seventh day Adventists observe the Sabbath on Saturday.  Many other Christians here observe the Sabbath on Sunday.  Most shops are closed today.  There are many Presbyterians and we met a catholic bishop while we were traveling who lives here.  There are Muslims and Hindus here as well.  We have…
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Plugged

Why are we here?  Work and school are the reasons.  Off to meet the boss and headmaster before the jet-lag cobwebs have cleared.  The new boss had bigger fish to fry the day after we arrived.  The secretarial staff at the University was on strike.  The changes in the economy have limited how far a…
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Arrival

The Check-in for the flight included reassurance that all the bags were headed to Malawi.  There were many Americans on the flight.  Met a clergyman who had been fishing in Alaska and a farmer who grows macadamia nuts, coffee and tobacco.  The farmer seemed a bit embarrassed that he was telling a doctor he grew…
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Planning

What would you take with you if you were leaving your house for a year?  It would likely depend on if you are going to work or play or both.  School would be another sort of planning. There are packing lists on the web that suggest what to take for business and what to take…
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Jetting off

Today we leave. Wow I have been thinking about this day for at least 4 months now and it is finally here. I can’t tell how much I will miss everyone but I know that I am so excited to finally get to where we’re going. We’ve got all our bags packed, we’re ready to…
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