Africa Journal: Our Trip and First Week in Mzuzu

Photo by Oleg Magni from Pexels

Since being here, I have done a ton of journaling. For two reasons: one, I want to remember everything about this trip and two, there's really not a lot to do here. (Our main form of entertainment is reading - the books that we brought, some borrowed from a guest house we've stayed at, and some downloaded on our phones.) The following entries are from the first week we were here.

Friday, October 12, 2018

   We are leaving today. Does it seem real? No, it just feels like any other Friday.

   This morning I have been busy checking things off of my to-do list - everyday chores like clean the kitchen and change the cat litter to boxing up our Cutco knives to be sharpened while we're away. I had an opened bag of chocolate chips, so made cookies. I'll freeze them for Andrew while we're away.

I have a lot of last minute before we leave jobs like wash and put away all dishes and wash and fold all dirty laundry, all garbage out, etc. I'm glad Andrew is staying here so can keep an eye on the house.  
   Other things I need to complete - move some boxes to the basement, set up the pack and play and turn the crib to a toddler bed (for Wezi when we get back), pack last minute things, shower and clean the bathroom. At some point I plan to take the knives to the post office.

   The house is clean for the most part. I did want to do more work in the basement, but it wasn't totally necessary.

   It's 11:30 - Kris will be home at the regular time. I'm going finish moving those boxes to the bathroom - hopefully before he gets home.

   Next time you'll hear from me I'll either be in the plane or in Africa. :-)

Monday, October 15, 2018

   Good morning! Back home in Oregon, it's still Sunday. :-)

   We are finally in Africa! We had 2 long days of flying...

Tuesday, October 16, 2018

   I got interrupted yesterday. I'll see if I can finish what I started...

   So our first flight left Portland at 11:30 PM. We thought we had a bassinet for baby K, but it wasn't reserved. So I was stuck in a tight airplane seat holding a baby who would only sleep if I held him tightly against my body. That flight was miserable because everyone around me - including Kris and Mom Langdon - we're asleep (and I couldn't sleep because of the baby). Our layover was in Chicago...

Wednesday, October 17, 2018

   During that layover I was tired and grumpy. I was upset with myself for how much carry-on stuff I had packed. That layover was about four hours.

   When we got on the plane for our long flight, the stewerdess showed us to our seat where there was a bassinet for baby K. There was so much more room, plus a TV on each seat. Though the flight lasted 14 hours, it was 10x better than the last. Baby K loved the bassinet. I was able to relax, sleep, watch a couple movies, and enjoy the ride.

   Our next layover was in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It wasn't very long. We boarded our third and last plane. It was crowded like the first flight (so we didn't get the bassinet for Kristopher). It was a 3 hour flight.

   When we landed in Lilongwe, things were crazy. It took almost 2 hours to get through immigration. Augustine picked us up from there.

   As we were loading the car, some guys showed up and started helping. When the car was loaded they asked for a tip.

   The drive to Mzuzu was about four hours. I was exhausted but captivated and wanted to take everything in. Malawi smells like diesel, smoke, and, when around people, sweaty bodies. There are people walking everywhere and no one seems to be in any hurry. I saw a lot of people just milling around, especially men. Everywhere people are riding tandum bikes - they call them taxis. Women carry loads on their heads - one woman had a load almost as tall as she was! People flock the sides of the road trying to sell stuff. At the market stand, women stack their vegetables attractively - tomatoes, potatoes, etc. in pyrmids. Goats and chickens are everywhere. We even almost hit a pig!

   It was dark when we finally reached Mzuzu. We unloaded our stuff and the nannies came to greet us. They all wanted to hold baby K and laughed and said "he is so white!". All the other babies were in bed, but Mom got Wezi up so we could meet her. She was very shy around us.

   We ate dinner with Augustine's family - rice, chicken, and beans. Back at the nursery, we hung up mosquito nets and went to bed.

   Signing off now, but I will return to finish my story. :-)

Back.

   I've been so tired, so my days here at the nursery are blending together. We usually spend our days playing with Wezi and the babies. Yesterday we all went to town. It was hot, Kristopher was tired so screamed, and I was miserable. But everything was okay once we got back. The first day we were here a group of college students came here and it was fun visiting with them. The guys I talked with had very good English. They asked if it snowed where I was from and other questions about the US.

   Today has been long because we don't have anything to do.

   Wezi has been warning up to us - especially me. She calls me "Momma" and always wants me to hold her. I'm trying to learn words in Tumbuka so I can communicate with her. She is learning English which is good.

   Tomorrow we are going to "The Center" which is an orphanage, school, farm, etc. Kris and Mom say it's very hot, and I'm not looking forward to that. I just want to take one suitcase, so will need to unpack and rearrange.