Have you ever been stung by a scorpion? May I suggest you don't! lol
I was clearing away some leaves that were over a brick I had laid next to a Moringa tree for protection. I have moved leaves and dirt with my hand many times before...but this time....there was a huge sting...and as I pulled my hand away....the sting got worse and worse! As I was shaking my hand and doing a dance....I was saying out loud.... "This can't be good" over and over again.
At the time I didn't know what kind of sting it was..except it was different and worse then any I had experienced before.
I shared the story with the worker on the compound..and he said...oh, that is a scorpion sting. Okay...so I was a "little" panicked and cleaned up a bit, went inside to do some research with the books I had. Not to much talk about this kind of event unfortunately! I tried to use my suction devices, but they can't get into the area that was stung...right next to my nail bed on the side of the finger. BAD SPOT!
So I took some Aspirin to thin the blood and made sure a couple people knew in case I had bigger issues.
The pain went up my arm and by mid day I had a very deep ache in my shoulder. As I am explaining this to a local gardener I knew, he said...oh, that is because you did not kill the scorpion...so you must go back and find it and kill it...or you will have this pain. Hmmmm.....I though, interesting that they believe this.
Then I was talking to a lady about the event a couple days later and she said I had the pain and problems because I didn't kill the scorpion. I just shook my head and asked her if she really though this was possible and she really did. It's interesting what they are taught as Malawian's and take it as word. Educated or not....the same seems to apply. Stories passed down from generation to generation.
Well...I survived...and found out it is really hard to die as an adult from a scorpion bite. For babies and children it is a different story!
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
TO GET A MALAWIAN DRIVERS LICENSE...You will shake your head!!
So this was the process of getting a Malawian Drivers License....
You may get bored of the repetition that this story has...but it is a true life story of getting a Drivers License in Malawi. You will just shake your head in disbelief!
Okay...so the process was like this......hang on!....hehe
Day #1….
I went to Road Traffic (this is like a DMV for those in the states).
I waited in que (line) for about an hour to be told I would have to hike to the nearest copy place to get copies of my required documents. They had a copier a couple of years ago, but it broke. Hmmm.....
So I hiked out to a main road and asked around. Was directed to go to a distance further away and around to another corner to find a place to copy my documents by a security officer. He sent me somewhere that had NO such things.
So I hiked back and went the other direction and asked another security officer what he thought (I didn't have too many options on who to ask). He walked me down to an area that I had ever been to before that had options of where to go.
So I went inside....no body ahead of me...asked for the copies I needed and they took my stuff . I waited a few minutes and saw that their machine was printing mass amounts of something. So asked if it would be long, as there were other options to get this done.....they said it would be just a few minutes, that it would be worth the wait....and to have a seat (they had a couple of tall bar stools). Well that took a while and then it was too late to go back to start any process...as the road traffic closes at 3.
Day #2….
So I was there right after opening the next day and was 3rd in line to room #2. I waited 2 and 1/2 hours before the 1st person was helped because the staff was "in a meeting" (during the normal business hours after they opened their doors....weird). All he did after that long wait, was staple my papers together and then I then was sent to room #1 to another office and waited (a couple men encouraged me to see if they could help me quicker..even though I refused a few times..they didn't give up and I finally went into an area where a few others were already sitting…I was asked what it was I needed....I explained and she took my papers and gave my passport to somebody else that would take it to another private room and then back out to me (I have NO CLUE what they did)…and then I was sent to room #3...and waited in que behind all the others that had waited 2 1/2 hours to get the 1st person started (I think you get the picture). They typed something into the computer and then I was sent to #5a to pay my 1st portion of this process (after standing in a long que of course).
From there I was sent to room #7 where we actually had a seat and waited about 2 hours (well scootched one seat closer each time that one went forward) and watched all the people before us get finger printed (all 10 digits, one at a time by an electronic device) and then their picture taken. This room was very interesting and we all talked and laughed throughout the process….I caused one lady to have to do a retake because I gave her a bad time for not smiling and she looked my way when the camera flashed…everybody chuckled....even the men. The lady taking the pictures groaned when she saw the side view pic … Hehe …....oops!
I was then told to go to Room #5a to pay the 2nd portion of this process.
I was then sent to room #5b to show my receipt that I paid and they typed something into the computer and told me that this is all I can do for the day and that I would have to come back in a few weeks to finish the process……dang…..I have to go through this again!?!?*%@*!.
I asked if I could do it sooner while I was in town and they said the soonest I should try is 2 days out (but no guarantee).
I also found out that the receipt’s I had been getting would go back to them in the end to complete the process (?? Why is this??). So I requested a receipt for me, and I was told they don’t give them..that I didn’t need it and it was in their computer….okay…this is not going to work….. and I said that my agency that requires receipts, would not be able to “see” the receipts in their computer…so I need my own. They sent me to #5a….#5a said go to #5b…….#5b said go to the accounting department…….okay…that was one I hadn’t been to….lol
The accounting dept, was empty, so I waited until somebody came back and she understood what I was requesting...so she hand wrote a receipt and then we had to go to room #2 to get it officially stamped.
Day #3…. ARE YOU READY FOR ANOTHER ROUND?? hehe
So I started back in room #3, it looked like he checked something in the computer and sent me to room #5b. Rm #5b guy said to me..”I told you to go to rm #3 when you came back”…..I told him I did (it’s obvious that they can’t tell that I did …because they didn’t “DO” anything). Don’t know if he “did” anything either, but he sent me to room #2...I stood in que….and then was told I was suppose to go to Room #5a to pay the 3rd portion of the process. I was then sent to room #2 and they said I needed to go to Room #5b…and I questioned them, but they said this is where I needed to go. After standing in que for a long duration, this man told me I was suppose to go to room #2..I said “I just came from there and they said I needed to go to you!” He said they were wrong……and he personally marched me back down to the room #2 area…they were out, so he took me into somebody else’s office. He left, the guy in this office looked at my papers and said…go right back to the guy that brought you here and give him these papers. I had to wait a while to get people to let me squeeze back in front of the line to tell him I was told to come right back to him…..this was room #5b. He typed something into the computer and then said you need to go to room #5a to pay the final payment (4th).
While I was in line to pay this final payment..I had lots of time to review the last page they printed out for this part of the process. I saw that somebody along the way made an error in my address…..I knew this couldn’t be good and it would cause more waiting……well, I told the guy in rm #5a…and he said to tell the guy in #5b (of course). So back to #5b...the “last line” and I was told that I would have to go somewhere else to get the address fixed (he pulled his curtain back and pointed to another building door and said “you have to go there….I can’t fix it”…..can you say…….CRAZY!!!!
He decided to help me out and yelled out his window for the guy to come over and take this for me to get it fixed. I waited about 15 more minutes and was then able to sign the corrected paper that would be my temporary drivers license if I were to need it before coming back to this facility to pick up my DL card in 6 weeks (yes 6 weeks)….which I will pick up in Room #3….(hopefully!)
Are you dizzy? So....please, please American’s…don’t complain about DMV and how long it takes……at least once up to the counter……they take care of everything at one counter/room (except your pic) and you don’t spend 3 days doing this process.
Also…this process has a couple more steps for the Malawians….they have to also take their written test and driving test (like we do). I was also told that they have to have 40 lessons/hours with a driving school before they can apply.
Also imagine…what this would be like for a women with a child/baby with her trying to get through all of this……I saw it!
Also…when all of these people are there for the day, trying to get through these process’….they have to stay in que to keep the process going and not go away for meals or drink…..or restroom……etc.
Are you still shaking your head?
You may get bored of the repetition that this story has...but it is a true life story of getting a Drivers License in Malawi. You will just shake your head in disbelief!
Okay...so the process was like this......hang on!....hehe
Day #1….
I went to Road Traffic (this is like a DMV for those in the states).
I waited in que (line) for about an hour to be told I would have to hike to the nearest copy place to get copies of my required documents. They had a copier a couple of years ago, but it broke. Hmmm.....
So I hiked out to a main road and asked around. Was directed to go to a distance further away and around to another corner to find a place to copy my documents by a security officer. He sent me somewhere that had NO such things.
So I hiked back and went the other direction and asked another security officer what he thought (I didn't have too many options on who to ask). He walked me down to an area that I had ever been to before that had options of where to go.
So I went inside....no body ahead of me...asked for the copies I needed and they took my stuff . I waited a few minutes and saw that their machine was printing mass amounts of something. So asked if it would be long, as there were other options to get this done.....they said it would be just a few minutes, that it would be worth the wait....and to have a seat (they had a couple of tall bar stools). Well that took a while and then it was too late to go back to start any process...as the road traffic closes at 3.
Day #2….
So I was there right after opening the next day and was 3rd in line to room #2. I waited 2 and 1/2 hours before the 1st person was helped because the staff was "in a meeting" (during the normal business hours after they opened their doors....weird). All he did after that long wait, was staple my papers together and then I then was sent to room #1 to another office and waited (a couple men encouraged me to see if they could help me quicker..even though I refused a few times..they didn't give up and I finally went into an area where a few others were already sitting…I was asked what it was I needed....I explained and she took my papers and gave my passport to somebody else that would take it to another private room and then back out to me (I have NO CLUE what they did)…and then I was sent to room #3...and waited in que behind all the others that had waited 2 1/2 hours to get the 1st person started (I think you get the picture). They typed something into the computer and then I was sent to #5a to pay my 1st portion of this process (after standing in a long que of course).
From there I was sent to room #7 where we actually had a seat and waited about 2 hours (well scootched one seat closer each time that one went forward) and watched all the people before us get finger printed (all 10 digits, one at a time by an electronic device) and then their picture taken. This room was very interesting and we all talked and laughed throughout the process….I caused one lady to have to do a retake because I gave her a bad time for not smiling and she looked my way when the camera flashed…everybody chuckled....even the men. The lady taking the pictures groaned when she saw the side view pic … Hehe …....oops!
I was then told to go to Room #5a to pay the 2nd portion of this process.
I was then sent to room #5b to show my receipt that I paid and they typed something into the computer and told me that this is all I can do for the day and that I would have to come back in a few weeks to finish the process……dang…..I have to go through this again!?!?*%@*!.
I asked if I could do it sooner while I was in town and they said the soonest I should try is 2 days out (but no guarantee).
I also found out that the receipt’s I had been getting would go back to them in the end to complete the process (?? Why is this??). So I requested a receipt for me, and I was told they don’t give them..that I didn’t need it and it was in their computer….okay…this is not going to work….. and I said that my agency that requires receipts, would not be able to “see” the receipts in their computer…so I need my own. They sent me to #5a….#5a said go to #5b…….#5b said go to the accounting department…….okay…that was one I hadn’t been to….lol
The accounting dept, was empty, so I waited until somebody came back and she understood what I was requesting...so she hand wrote a receipt and then we had to go to room #2 to get it officially stamped.
Day #3…. ARE YOU READY FOR ANOTHER ROUND?? hehe
So I started back in room #3, it looked like he checked something in the computer and sent me to room #5b. Rm #5b guy said to me..”I told you to go to rm #3 when you came back”…..I told him I did (it’s obvious that they can’t tell that I did …because they didn’t “DO” anything). Don’t know if he “did” anything either, but he sent me to room #2...I stood in que….and then was told I was suppose to go to Room #5a to pay the 3rd portion of the process. I was then sent to room #2 and they said I needed to go to Room #5b…and I questioned them, but they said this is where I needed to go. After standing in que for a long duration, this man told me I was suppose to go to room #2..I said “I just came from there and they said I needed to go to you!” He said they were wrong……and he personally marched me back down to the room #2 area…they were out, so he took me into somebody else’s office. He left, the guy in this office looked at my papers and said…go right back to the guy that brought you here and give him these papers. I had to wait a while to get people to let me squeeze back in front of the line to tell him I was told to come right back to him…..this was room #5b. He typed something into the computer and then said you need to go to room #5a to pay the final payment (4th).
While I was in line to pay this final payment..I had lots of time to review the last page they printed out for this part of the process. I saw that somebody along the way made an error in my address…..I knew this couldn’t be good and it would cause more waiting……well, I told the guy in rm #5a…and he said to tell the guy in #5b (of course). So back to #5b...the “last line” and I was told that I would have to go somewhere else to get the address fixed (he pulled his curtain back and pointed to another building door and said “you have to go there….I can’t fix it”…..can you say…….CRAZY!!!!
He decided to help me out and yelled out his window for the guy to come over and take this for me to get it fixed. I waited about 15 more minutes and was then able to sign the corrected paper that would be my temporary drivers license if I were to need it before coming back to this facility to pick up my DL card in 6 weeks (yes 6 weeks)….which I will pick up in Room #3….(hopefully!)
Are you dizzy? So....please, please American’s…don’t complain about DMV and how long it takes……at least once up to the counter……they take care of everything at one counter/room (except your pic) and you don’t spend 3 days doing this process.
Also…this process has a couple more steps for the Malawians….they have to also take their written test and driving test (like we do). I was also told that they have to have 40 lessons/hours with a driving school before they can apply.
Also imagine…what this would be like for a women with a child/baby with her trying to get through all of this……I saw it!
Also…when all of these people are there for the day, trying to get through these process’….they have to stay in que to keep the process going and not go away for meals or drink…..or restroom……etc.
Are you still shaking your head?
Monday, April 5, 2010
My 1st Malawian Funeral
My 1st Malawian Funeral
Today I attended my 1st Malawian funeral with the Yao.
My friend Hildegard (a 3rd generation German from South Africa) lost her house worker (Dave) Easter Sunday to a sudden onset of illness then death. Very tragic, as 2 days earlier, his wife gave birth to a newborn son (5th child)…and was in the same hospital still that he came to for care and died in.
So the day started off around 9:30 am with arranging transportation for many people….some squeezed into the large vehicle we took and others had to ride in the back of rented the matola (Open bed tuck) out to a far away place in a village. Three of the worker’s children rode with us.
We arrived to the location an hour or so later and many people were already there sitting in the dirt, on porches and under trees. The women sat in one area and the men in another….the majority of the children were sent off to another area.
The women that were family and closest to Dave, were in the wailing hut. Dave’s 2 girls that we brought also went in and sat with the women.
This was hard to sit and listen to! I was on the outside wall of it, on the ground. As the ladies and girls would whale and shout pain driven words……you couldn’t help but cry! The poor little girls were balling their eyes out.
We sat for hours listening to this come and go in waves. It was hot and we had to move to under a tree eventually. Then it rained and up went the umbrella’s (also used for the sun later).
They prepared Ugali (corn maize porridge) with small dried fish for the family (all that came to stay for the 3 required days that is tradition, are to be fed by the family village during their stay), so we sat and watched them prepare this over a fire in huge pots. The women worked very hard in the hot sun over those fires to do this and it was very organized.
Then, everybody had a chance to view Dave in his casket before we continued (there were a few hundred in attendance I believe). Many went through and the men went through 1st…most just came out with their heads down…..but then the women and his children went through…and the wailing began again. It was brutal to watch his wife go through. She was the 1st female to go in…and she dropped to the floor wailing and crying out to him. She would not get up and a few ladies had to carry her out (also keeping in mind that she had just delivered their baby just a few days ago). Then his girls came through…oh, not fun to watch their little faces so sad and crying as they came out….that had to be tough to see their daddy like that! All the women that went through from the family, went back into the wailing hut and again went through a time period of wailing as we sat and listened.
Then the funeral began. They had members of the body from the Anglican Church close to their village, who did the ceremonies. They also sang throughout the whole day….very beautiful music! They were dressed in white and blue attire that matched. They did a beautiful job in honoring Dave and they gave him a good burial. They had many processes that I did not understand, but it was done nicely. There was lots of flowers, bamboo grass, crosses, etc. and Hildegard had purchased him a beautiful casket. All this was organized in a half of a day….which amazed me. They had to be working on a lot of this stuff since the moment they got word of his passing. That was yesterday late afternoon (Easter) until early this AM when we arrived.
After the ceremonies, he was taken to the graveyard a ways a way and most hiked there in the rain/mud. After being put down in the hole, many men were around it and buried the 1st layers of the casket by hand (one handful at a time passed from one guy down to the next, down to the next…etc. The dirt was clay dirt and because it was wet…it was a solid pile each time they passed it on. All the men washed from buckets afterwards.
After he was completely buried, a few family members and Hildegard put flower wreaths on his grave and then the women of the church all knelt around his grave and put the bamboo leaves on and sang and prayed for him. He was completely surrounded by these women that were on their knees in the mud in their matching outfits. It was kind of Angelic like.
The next stage was going back to the village and sorting out what part of the family was coming back with us to Mangochi….as the family all stays and grieves the next 3 days usually and they wanted the eldest son (about 13) to stay with the men…..and the wife with the new baby to stay there as well…since she was not in a good frame of mind as you can imagine.
So Hildegard had to address the issue…..what do we do with these little girl if all their support system is up here and they are to be taken back home to be alone?
This was interesting to watch in a cultural perspective.
As we were asking this to the brothers of Dave, the 2 brothers said…..we have an elder brother that will have to make these decisions and brought him. He said….we have an uncle that is the one who makes these decisions, I will get him. So he came and they sorted it all out….but the decision was all this eldest uncle’s, for the well fare of these kids.
In the mean time, the mother of the 3 eldest kids of Dave’s was there (though Dave had custody of them) and she had no say in what to do with her kids. She had to let the Uncle of her ex-husband decide what was best for the kids. It was interesting to watch how this worked and to see how the mom in general, has no say in these issues.
The funeral ended late afternoon…which was a long day….especially as most were not fed or given any drink in the heat of the day. We were gone for 8 hours for this.
So as you can imagine…there is a lot of change ahead for these children…. They now have NO provider, daddy, or idea what will happen over the next month. They live in town now (had just moved in and settled into one of the SIM compounds this past 2 weeks) and are able to attend school. But with no body to provide for them here now, they will likely have to go back to the village and their lives will dramatically change.
In this country, when I women is left behind with the kids and no provider, they do not get food stamps, shelter, welfare..etc. Dave was their sole provider (very few are able to fully provide for their families her due to lack of work) and with this being a mixed family, likely they will be split up….as the new wife will not be able to care for all of his kids…let alone her own 2.
Please pray for these kids if they come to mind and for this situation. Thank you!
The death of a parent or both is very common here, but usually they are sick for a while and it is known it is going to happen eventually. Dave was healthy, laughing and working just the other day. With this being so sudden…..there was no time to plan. There will be lots of planning going on by the extended families in the near future that will affect these kids’ lives dramatically!
With this family being a Christian family, this will be even more difficult for the kids as they are Yao and the majority of Yao are Muslim.
~Tammy~
Today I attended my 1st Malawian funeral with the Yao.
My friend Hildegard (a 3rd generation German from South Africa) lost her house worker (Dave) Easter Sunday to a sudden onset of illness then death. Very tragic, as 2 days earlier, his wife gave birth to a newborn son (5th child)…and was in the same hospital still that he came to for care and died in.
So the day started off around 9:30 am with arranging transportation for many people….some squeezed into the large vehicle we took and others had to ride in the back of rented the matola (Open bed tuck) out to a far away place in a village. Three of the worker’s children rode with us.
We arrived to the location an hour or so later and many people were already there sitting in the dirt, on porches and under trees. The women sat in one area and the men in another….the majority of the children were sent off to another area.
The women that were family and closest to Dave, were in the wailing hut. Dave’s 2 girls that we brought also went in and sat with the women.
This was hard to sit and listen to! I was on the outside wall of it, on the ground. As the ladies and girls would whale and shout pain driven words……you couldn’t help but cry! The poor little girls were balling their eyes out.
We sat for hours listening to this come and go in waves. It was hot and we had to move to under a tree eventually. Then it rained and up went the umbrella’s (also used for the sun later).
They prepared Ugali (corn maize porridge) with small dried fish for the family (all that came to stay for the 3 required days that is tradition, are to be fed by the family village during their stay), so we sat and watched them prepare this over a fire in huge pots. The women worked very hard in the hot sun over those fires to do this and it was very organized.
Then, everybody had a chance to view Dave in his casket before we continued (there were a few hundred in attendance I believe). Many went through and the men went through 1st…most just came out with their heads down…..but then the women and his children went through…and the wailing began again. It was brutal to watch his wife go through. She was the 1st female to go in…and she dropped to the floor wailing and crying out to him. She would not get up and a few ladies had to carry her out (also keeping in mind that she had just delivered their baby just a few days ago). Then his girls came through…oh, not fun to watch their little faces so sad and crying as they came out….that had to be tough to see their daddy like that! All the women that went through from the family, went back into the wailing hut and again went through a time period of wailing as we sat and listened.
Then the funeral began. They had members of the body from the Anglican Church close to their village, who did the ceremonies. They also sang throughout the whole day….very beautiful music! They were dressed in white and blue attire that matched. They did a beautiful job in honoring Dave and they gave him a good burial. They had many processes that I did not understand, but it was done nicely. There was lots of flowers, bamboo grass, crosses, etc. and Hildegard had purchased him a beautiful casket. All this was organized in a half of a day….which amazed me. They had to be working on a lot of this stuff since the moment they got word of his passing. That was yesterday late afternoon (Easter) until early this AM when we arrived.
After the ceremonies, he was taken to the graveyard a ways a way and most hiked there in the rain/mud. After being put down in the hole, many men were around it and buried the 1st layers of the casket by hand (one handful at a time passed from one guy down to the next, down to the next…etc. The dirt was clay dirt and because it was wet…it was a solid pile each time they passed it on. All the men washed from buckets afterwards.
After he was completely buried, a few family members and Hildegard put flower wreaths on his grave and then the women of the church all knelt around his grave and put the bamboo leaves on and sang and prayed for him. He was completely surrounded by these women that were on their knees in the mud in their matching outfits. It was kind of Angelic like.
The next stage was going back to the village and sorting out what part of the family was coming back with us to Mangochi….as the family all stays and grieves the next 3 days usually and they wanted the eldest son (about 13) to stay with the men…..and the wife with the new baby to stay there as well…since she was not in a good frame of mind as you can imagine.
So Hildegard had to address the issue…..what do we do with these little girl if all their support system is up here and they are to be taken back home to be alone?
This was interesting to watch in a cultural perspective.
As we were asking this to the brothers of Dave, the 2 brothers said…..we have an elder brother that will have to make these decisions and brought him. He said….we have an uncle that is the one who makes these decisions, I will get him. So he came and they sorted it all out….but the decision was all this eldest uncle’s, for the well fare of these kids.
In the mean time, the mother of the 3 eldest kids of Dave’s was there (though Dave had custody of them) and she had no say in what to do with her kids. She had to let the Uncle of her ex-husband decide what was best for the kids. It was interesting to watch how this worked and to see how the mom in general, has no say in these issues.
The funeral ended late afternoon…which was a long day….especially as most were not fed or given any drink in the heat of the day. We were gone for 8 hours for this.
So as you can imagine…there is a lot of change ahead for these children…. They now have NO provider, daddy, or idea what will happen over the next month. They live in town now (had just moved in and settled into one of the SIM compounds this past 2 weeks) and are able to attend school. But with no body to provide for them here now, they will likely have to go back to the village and their lives will dramatically change.
In this country, when I women is left behind with the kids and no provider, they do not get food stamps, shelter, welfare..etc. Dave was their sole provider (very few are able to fully provide for their families her due to lack of work) and with this being a mixed family, likely they will be split up….as the new wife will not be able to care for all of his kids…let alone her own 2.
Please pray for these kids if they come to mind and for this situation. Thank you!
The death of a parent or both is very common here, but usually they are sick for a while and it is known it is going to happen eventually. Dave was healthy, laughing and working just the other day. With this being so sudden…..there was no time to plan. There will be lots of planning going on by the extended families in the near future that will affect these kids’ lives dramatically!
With this family being a Christian family, this will be even more difficult for the kids as they are Yao and the majority of Yao are Muslim.
~Tammy~
Sunday, April 4, 2010
MY NEWSLETTER CHALLENGE
I hope you all have received my newsletter by now...as I thought I would share how crazy it was to send it from Mangochi, Malawi to the States via internet. You just have to shake your head!
Well.......things continue to be a challenge here in Malawi and the last was trying to get my newsletter emailed to my agency. I had been trying to send it since the 1st week of March. I had tried to convert it to another file format (actually many), reduce the file sizes, separate the pages into 2 separate emails, have a friend try to send it from the big city when she went...and finally, after I went to an internet shop (NOT like ours in the states, hot and costs per minute to use) and attempted to send it many ways as well, for 4 hours..I had to give up and think of another plan. It was very frustrating and in the 3rd hour, I received and email from my agency saying they hadn't received my newsletter yet...hmmmm.....I had to hold back on that one......wanted to cry or write a sarcastic email by that time....hehe Of course I did not.
I then went home..took about an hour break from it, and then started over.
I dissected my 2 pages and removed all but one of the pics (total of 9), sent each page individually without the pics with the written part only, and then sent each pic individually to my agency as well as jpegs (picture format) of the 2 page newsletter so they could see how to put it back together again.....it was 14 emails! The total time that I was working on trying to send it that day...was 8 hours…...CRAZY Huh!?! To boot, the internet would not work even for the simplest email until late last night....and when it finally opened up (the window to send)...I was frantic trying to get them all sent before the window closed again. The internet had been really bad again that week with the Sat and Sun following it with no access (on occasion, my mac mail would pull an email through from gmail even though gmail or skype would not open and it would send an occasional email...very weird!.
Anyway, Paula at Equip, had been trying to put it back together for me with another program and had to do some adjustments........I was hoping it turned out okay after all the work I had done on it. I will definitely do it differently next time...I knew it would be hard, but NOT this hard!
I figured I had spent a total of over 20 hours just trying to send it since the 1st of March (not including the hours my friend tried to send one of my original files before I made it smaller....she said many hours).
Last time I tried to do my blog...it took a really long time to get it to post and it wouldn't let me post any pics...
That stress is no fun...when it constantly kicks you off in the middle of it loading and trying to send and receive files.
Not including the cost to send them out once finished...that newsletter figured out to be about $25 USD for emailing, by the time I was done paying for all the prepaid units and the internet shop....... NOT GOOD!
I will try harder to do short updates…I have plenty of stories…just do not like the crazy costs and stress it causes almost every time I try to upload anything.
Have a blessed day in the Lord!
Well.......things continue to be a challenge here in Malawi and the last was trying to get my newsletter emailed to my agency. I had been trying to send it since the 1st week of March. I had tried to convert it to another file format (actually many), reduce the file sizes, separate the pages into 2 separate emails, have a friend try to send it from the big city when she went...and finally, after I went to an internet shop (NOT like ours in the states, hot and costs per minute to use) and attempted to send it many ways as well, for 4 hours..I had to give up and think of another plan. It was very frustrating and in the 3rd hour, I received and email from my agency saying they hadn't received my newsletter yet...hmmmm.....I had to hold back on that one......wanted to cry or write a sarcastic email by that time....hehe Of course I did not.
I then went home..took about an hour break from it, and then started over.
I dissected my 2 pages and removed all but one of the pics (total of 9), sent each page individually without the pics with the written part only, and then sent each pic individually to my agency as well as jpegs (picture format) of the 2 page newsletter so they could see how to put it back together again.....it was 14 emails! The total time that I was working on trying to send it that day...was 8 hours…...CRAZY Huh!?! To boot, the internet would not work even for the simplest email until late last night....and when it finally opened up (the window to send)...I was frantic trying to get them all sent before the window closed again. The internet had been really bad again that week with the Sat and Sun following it with no access (on occasion, my mac mail would pull an email through from gmail even though gmail or skype would not open and it would send an occasional email...very weird!.
Anyway, Paula at Equip, had been trying to put it back together for me with another program and had to do some adjustments........I was hoping it turned out okay after all the work I had done on it. I will definitely do it differently next time...I knew it would be hard, but NOT this hard!
I figured I had spent a total of over 20 hours just trying to send it since the 1st of March (not including the hours my friend tried to send one of my original files before I made it smaller....she said many hours).
Last time I tried to do my blog...it took a really long time to get it to post and it wouldn't let me post any pics...
That stress is no fun...when it constantly kicks you off in the middle of it loading and trying to send and receive files.
Not including the cost to send them out once finished...that newsletter figured out to be about $25 USD for emailing, by the time I was done paying for all the prepaid units and the internet shop....... NOT GOOD!
I will try harder to do short updates…I have plenty of stories…just do not like the crazy costs and stress it causes almost every time I try to upload anything.
Have a blessed day in the Lord!
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Malawian adventures - Feb 2010
Here's an update...
Projects that I have been doing with some of the people here in Malawi.
I have come across a program called ANAMED and it deals with the use of what God has created in the way of trees and plants that can be used to better ones health.
I have made ointment that is healthful to the skin with a couple of groups.
There are soo many trees around us here that have many uses. Most of the locals do not understand their use beyond shade or for wood to burn here and it is very sad!
They have really enjoyed making and using the ointment and have had good results/benefits on their skin. Those that were not in attendance when we made it, have asked for some as well. I am making another batch of Neem ointment this week, to give to those that missed out and share with others as needed. Neem has an anti-fungal agent in it that helps a lot of the skin issues here. Many have stated that it has calmed their irritated skin and stopped itching as well.
I continue to work at the language (this will be clearly a lifetime adventure) and adjusting to the extreme heat (trying).
I have been to the BIG city multiple times this past month trying to get the required processes completed and in order with one more trip soon to complete my TEP VISA process (my 2 year work VISA). It has been approved and paid for, I just have to wait for the person the types up the “completed” letter so I can get that stamped in my passport!
This trip is a long adventure and often takes days to deal with each issue. I am getting familiar with the roads and some of the area in Blantyre (the Big city).
I do not have my own transportation yet, so I try to catch rides with the other local missionaries when they head that way. I have also had to take the local busses and mini busses to the big city and around. That is an adventure in itself!
It is about 3 ½ to 4 hours one way and is where we all do most of our shopping for supplies and groceries.
My garden is doing well and we are beginning to enjoy the produce from it.
I have tried to upload pictures a few times with no success (even very small ones), so will try to do it at another time. Sorry! The internet here is not good! It is very expensive and it still doesn't give you what you have paid for.
PLEASE PRAY:
For my continued work in learning the Yao language and to not be discouraged.
For the local M..lims, that they would seek the truth and for many to see visions and dreams from our Lord!
For my cottage to sell. This has been a BIG distraction and costly.
For continued good studies for both of my kids (Danielle and Rob) as they are furthering their education.
THANK YOU!
Projects that I have been doing with some of the people here in Malawi.
I have come across a program called ANAMED and it deals with the use of what God has created in the way of trees and plants that can be used to better ones health.
I have made ointment that is healthful to the skin with a couple of groups.
There are soo many trees around us here that have many uses. Most of the locals do not understand their use beyond shade or for wood to burn here and it is very sad!
They have really enjoyed making and using the ointment and have had good results/benefits on their skin. Those that were not in attendance when we made it, have asked for some as well. I am making another batch of Neem ointment this week, to give to those that missed out and share with others as needed. Neem has an anti-fungal agent in it that helps a lot of the skin issues here. Many have stated that it has calmed their irritated skin and stopped itching as well.
I continue to work at the language (this will be clearly a lifetime adventure) and adjusting to the extreme heat (trying).
I have been to the BIG city multiple times this past month trying to get the required processes completed and in order with one more trip soon to complete my TEP VISA process (my 2 year work VISA). It has been approved and paid for, I just have to wait for the person the types up the “completed” letter so I can get that stamped in my passport!
This trip is a long adventure and often takes days to deal with each issue. I am getting familiar with the roads and some of the area in Blantyre (the Big city).
I do not have my own transportation yet, so I try to catch rides with the other local missionaries when they head that way. I have also had to take the local busses and mini busses to the big city and around. That is an adventure in itself!
It is about 3 ½ to 4 hours one way and is where we all do most of our shopping for supplies and groceries.
My garden is doing well and we are beginning to enjoy the produce from it.
I have tried to upload pictures a few times with no success (even very small ones), so will try to do it at another time. Sorry! The internet here is not good! It is very expensive and it still doesn't give you what you have paid for.
PLEASE PRAY:
For my continued work in learning the Yao language and to not be discouraged.
For the local M..lims, that they would seek the truth and for many to see visions and dreams from our Lord!
For my cottage to sell. This has been a BIG distraction and costly.
For continued good studies for both of my kids (Danielle and Rob) as they are furthering their education.
THANK YOU!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
ADJUSTING TO MALAWIAN LIFE
Well......I have been here for over 2 months now and am adjusting to my life in Malawi.
It is still very hot here (upper 90's to 100 by day and 80's by night), but rain season has come in full force. The storms are amazing with so much power behind them. The massive amount of water that is dropped in a quick time frame from the skies and flows among the earth is baffling. The lightening, wind, and thunder that accompanies this rain is intense.I have been studying and practicing the language (Chiyao) and learning more every day...but far from knowing the language. It is a challenge, but am excited to understand and recognize a few more words each day. I have a language helper that comes at least twice a week for a couple hours each time to keep me going forward. I met her back in 06 when I was here and she speaks better English now....so that helps a lot!
In general, the people here are friendly and kicked back. Most of the people that live in the Mangochi city area speak Chichewa though (Chewa are the main group in the country), so it is harder to practice the Chiyao as I get around.
As I have chances to go with others to the villages, I am able to hear the language more and practice what little I do know. I may have to go and stay in a village in the future for a while to be able to practice enough to get a better base of understanding and use. I am not ready for that yet, and would have to find a chief that would allow me to do this as well as find one that I feel safe enough in..... Others have done this in the past. I would have to sleep on the ground with the critters.......and I am still getting to know the ones here in the Mangochi area that I'm not quite ready to be that close to.
Just the other day I walked across the kitchen floor and felt something beneath my foot that I stopped myself from fully stepping on........it was a scorpion and I had to chase it down to squish it. That was one critter I was hoping I would never get to meet!!
I of course took many
pictures of him.A couple of weeks ago I was sitting at a desk in the little room I was staying in and I saw a very large critter run across the floor. I did notice that it had many legs and was a very large black spider the size of a small rodent. Sooo....of course since I was in a small room and it was me, the bed, and the spider......I had to take him out too....BUT............... my worst nightmare on this one......when I hit it to stop it from running under my bed, a mass quantity of little baby spiders jumped off her back and ran all directions...........AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! So I was jumping all around trying to step on all of those and trying to remain calm...haha...riiiight!
So I ran for the bug spray and had to spray that nasty stuff all over to make sure they weren't going to visit me that night in bed right above them all.
Soo......I am meeting all kinds of critters here...many I just look at and take pictures of...as long as they are not in my bedroom or poisonous. The rain storms bring all kinds of cool critters right to your doorstep. GREAT photo ops.
I am currently renting a house and house sitting for a family that has gone on home assignment until June. This is a blessing..and I have a full kitchen, a clothes washer and a bath tub...woohoo! They even have two cats that keep me company...well they bring me company too....last night was a large bat that the male cat had to tell me about for about 30 minutes at 3:30 in the morning......he finally took it away from my bedside after I acknowledged his catch with a light and talking to him.... Then the call to pray speaker blasted out at 4 am load and clear. I was way to awake for that time of day!
I put in a raised bed square foot garden in the lot next door to me where my friends the Steiner's stay, since I do not have a permanent place to stay yet. Their worker/gardener Ganizani has been a blessing in helping me build these beds with bricks. We have 8 4 x 9 beds and 4 4x4 beds. I was able to buy a bunch (hundreds of packs) of vegetable seeds at the end of season before I left the states. Most seem to be doing really well! PTL! He (the gardener) has learned a lot, and many missionaries and their workers are watching this closely to see if they can be encouraged to do the same. A couple of the missionaries have asked if Ganizani would be willing to show their workers and village friends, how to do these.
This would be AWESOME...as many only grow Maize (corn that isn't sweet) and sometimes beans. The main issue is access to water and being able to get them to germinate if they don't have rain (this is the way they grow everything in the rural areas...as water is not piped to them and they have to go get it somewhere). So we will see how this may work.I also put in a large sweet corn patch is another area. It is looking really good!
I have grown a nice bunch of Moringa trees and have given out many seeds (both vegetable and tree seeds) to many people.
I will try to update more often, but the internet here is very unpredictable and extremely expensive! Many days no access.....one week with out access even.
Please pray that I will keep pushing forward and be excited about learning the Yao language no matter how difficult it is.
Also to know when certain people here are being really friendly, to be able to tell if they are just looking for friendship or something more. Discernment!
Also for my son, as he is in California in his new school (Wyotech) and learning many new things..... as well as adjusting to a very different lifestyle around him.
And for my daughter as she is also adjusting to her brother and mother being so far away.
Thank you for your prayer support.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
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