Giving Thanks a day early...

OOh, after much ado, I'm finally posting a new blog entry for you... (Ya, starting off with a little rhyming couplet--er, triplet!--sorry the meter's a bit off--a poet, I'm not, and I know it...)

So, did anybody notice I did not post yesterday? Well, the free gin is still a-waitin, and only one winner so far. Lucky for me, no one reads this blog too often (well, at least none of the gin-lovers--Whew!) I do have a good excuse though... my internet connection seems to be very slow lately. I've been using my very rudimentary computer skills to try to troubleshoot the problem, and now it seems to be better. I think most of the problem is due to firewall settings on the network here at Domasi College. I believe I've managed to override the "Windows Firewall" which was automatically blocking some internet usage on the network. Luckily, I have my own firewall program, so my faithful readers won't have to worry about a nasty computer virus attacking my laptop anytime soon. Never fear, 'Malawi'n me' can always be found here! (ooh, rhyming couplet no. 2!! --or 3, if you count that lame take on 'I'm a poet, and I know it' written above... ;-)

As for yesterday, the major event for me was another trip to visit Deliwe's uncle's wife (her 'aunt' by our standards, but the expression is different here for non-blood relatives) who has been very sick for a couple of months now. The faithful readers may remember me mentioning another trip a few weeks ago, during which I drove Deliwe, her mother, an aunt, and a niece to visit her. Unfortunately, since then, she's had at least to 2 more hospital visits, but seems to have taken a turn for the worst. She's very frail, thin, and currently bed-ridden. The doctors seem to be giving her some medicine, but it only seems to help for short periods of time, and then she begins to suffer all over again.

My gardener Harold was with us when we dropped Deliwe and her family off at the house, and says she seems to be showing the same symptoms as his brother-in-law, who's suffering from Tuberculosis. Ya, one of the many horrible diseases we have vaccines for back home. It was also one of the many vaccinations I received before I came here. I just wish I could help her somehow.

For now, I've offered to help them take her to another hospital if they so choose, but as always, financial issues are the greatest concern here, and I'm not sure whether they'll feel comfortable asking me to help with payment. Though I made a sincere offer to Wilson (Deliwe's uncle) to help in any way I could, I still did not hear from him today, and upon asking Deliwe, she wasn't sure what he had decided. Perhaps there is a feeling that there's nothing more to be done. I hope to be able to talk with him again and see if there's any way I can help. I'm very concerned, as you can imagine.

Today brought much better news, as I went to visit the 'Village to Village' orphanage to take a look at the progress of our reading room project. It's definitely coming along, with several shelves installed, and the basic framework for the small half-wall partition. Upon looking at it, however, Alfred (the director) and I decided to extend the partition all the way to the front wall of the classroom, rather than ending it a couple of feet before that wall, as it would add considerable more room for both books and kids. This took a small bit of negotiation, but we all agreed, so it looks like our room will be a bit bigger than the original plan (and hopefully stay within budget...we shall see...).

The other nice thing about our visit was that I got to meet some of the volunteers who work with the kids at the orphanage, and was happy to see the involvement and interest they had in our project as well. Alfred seems to really have 'rallied the troops,' so to speak, to get this project underway, involving several members of the community in its construction...(watch for pix of progress/volunteers soon!) In the end, we decided to start the next phase of the project, which is to install glass and fixtures into the windows. For this, three of the women volunteers working with the orphanage will go to a special market in a nearbye village called Songani tomorrow (The market comes together on Mondays and Thursdays each week) in order to purchase the materials for the windows, as Alfred assures me they can get a good price.

So, it looks like the project is underway, and going well. In addition, after our meeting, we ended up walking a fair distance back to the main road from the orphanage in the hot sun (Deliwe and I walked to the orphanage earlier, but took the shortcut, and it wasn't quite as hot). This walk really made me appreciate the difficulty most people in Malawi face every day, as they walk along the roads for long distances, carrying all manner of goods on their heads (especially the women, and often the children). I, on the other hand, was walking for a mere 30 minutes or so, carrying only my camera, a small purse, and a bottle of water (which amazingly, people usually do NOT carry), and really thought I might not make it. I really have no idea how people here do this every day. They truly are amazingly strong and resilient, in ways I cannot imagine. It was certainly an enlightening and humbling experience for me.

The other irony to that experience was the fact that I remembered that tomorrow is Thanksgiving back home, during which we enjoy a huge meal with our family and/or friends, while the weather is getting cooler, and it's even snowing, according to the latest reports from my boyfriend. Ya, I normally loathe the cold weather, but right now I'm actually missing it!! With this in mind, I really started to feel like I'm in another world. I can't even imagine cold weather and snow right now. It seems so distant and fictional somehow. Perhaps I'm a bit homesick, but I'm still glad that I'm here, and giving thanks for all the wonderful people I continue to meet and the experiences I've had. I certainly also give thanks for the relative comforts I've enjoyed for most of my life, especially as I witness the hardships faced by most people here, but also the grace and dignity with which they manage to face them. I truly do have much to be thankful for.

So, for all these reasons, I'd like to extend a (very) warm Happy Thanksgiving!!! to all my loyal Malawi 'n Me readers, one day early... Tiwonana mawa!