Keep taking the pills

Breakfast

Well I woke up this morning so happy I could let my wind go freely!

It’s only blog 2 and I’m already late but I have a reasonable excuse, I don’t think Africa likes me.

The week before last I wasn’t feeling to great, weak, dizzy, wobbly, I had to look at my feet to make sure they were doing what my brain said. Eventually I went to the clinic and was diagnosed with Malaria, a mild case apparently because I am taking malaria prophylaxis. So I stay home (mostly), take the pills and by the end of the week I’m good to go.

Two days feeling good and then something’s not right with the digestion. I ignore it as you do, it’ll pass, but then after 24 hours going from bed to bathroom with crippling cramps I felt ridiculously weak, so heavy I thought I would go through the mattress and find myself in a pool on the floor, unable to rise like Mrs Twit with the dreaded shrinks.

Back to the clinic. Blood pressure very low, 80/52 (means nothing to me but apparently not good) the doctor puts me on an IV drip to rehydrate. Blood tests reveal an intestinal bacterial infection so antibiotics now go through the drip too.

About an hour blood pressure has risen to a satisfactory level and I’m allowed to go home with a bag full of pills.

That was Sunday, it’s now Tuesday, it’s mid day and I haven’t been to the bathroom since about 7.00 a.m., I’ve been awake all morning, pottering about and writing my blog! This is a happy day J

Just before I finish sharing the unfortunate state of my health I would like to say that the medical treatment I have received from the Malawian doctors and nurses has been marvellous (apart from perhaps the mosquitos on the ward) and the support from my VSO colleagues in people driving me, arranging taxis and checking I’m ok has also been great. I’m being very well looked after.

In between sicknesses I have managed to do a bit of this and that on the work and social front.

I went to support Sean, my neighbour and fellow VSO volunteer, deliver training for teachers at one of his schools. 

Teachers get to grips with the ipads in the learning centre.

This is the school in an idyllic rural setting about 40km outside the main city. Most people live off the land here and ox and cart is a common sight.

I thought it might be interesting to take some shots along the way to give an idea of general Malawi life.

The men at the front of this picture are waiting for customers with their bicycle taxis. It's a common form of transport but I can't quite bring myself to have someone cycling me up and down the Lilongwe hills.

There is not a lot of street food here but a popular delicacy is inside the plastic tub the person on the right of this picture is carrying. I forget what they are called but they're just like our doughnuts without the jam and sugar. They sell for around 100 Kwacha which is about 11p

I love the signposts and the school bell on this tree.

Grade 8 exams taken at the end of primary school are national exams and as many children do not go any further with their education, if indeed they get this far, they are taken very seriously. You wouldn’t want to be caught cheating!

I already posted this photo on Facebook but I think it deserves a second airing. This is a year 1 class of 240 children at Nkukulu primary school where we will be opening a learning centre next week. In the classroom they have absolutely nothing except a chalkboard and the displays, nearly all learning is done by rote. The teacher is incredible, she stands in front of the class and speaks and all sets of eyes follow her, the chorus response from the children appears to be unanimous. I have no idea what they are saying of course - I am trying to learn Chichewa but it’s a slow process.

This experience gives me faith in the project. Even if the only thing that comes out of it is that children get an individual learning experience for half an hour a week then I think it’s worth it. Obviously I want to think that greater outcomes will be achieved but as of yet I don’t know, I need more time (and better health) to decide what I think.

If you’d like to know more about the project as a whole follow the link;

https://www.vsointernational.org/fighting-poverty/improving-education/accelerating-learning-through-tablet-technology

Dancing chiefs

Not the best photo but it does have Yesani in it! (In the African type shirt)

Lastly for now I had the opportunity to experience a bit of Malawian tradition. Yesani, the project manager whom I’m working with, invited us to his cousin’s engagement party. It was quite an event about 200 people in the gardens of the house belonging to an ex Miss Malawi who was one of the relatives on the woman’s side. There was a marquee with seats for guests and then a smaller marquee in front for the couple and what I assume to be the equivalent of a best man and woman kind of thing.

Loud music and a master of ceremonies invited people to come up to the smaller marquee dancing and throwing money into the air which was then collected in dustbin lids. When they had thrown all their money people sat down again and a different group of people would advance. This continued to happen intermittently throughout the afternoon interspersed with other traditions such as swapping live chickens from one family to the other and the breaking in half and distributing of a cooked chicken.

People then paraded gifts and laid them in front of the couple, these included various items that would be needed to set up home, cups, plates, axe, mat, bucket etc.

The highlight of the proceedings was the man giving the woman the engagement ring.

Apparently it is common for people to get engaged and live together for many years before getting married. After such a grand reception I couldn’t help but thinking what if they change their minds!

Well that’s all for now, let’s see what the next fortnight brings

Zikomo

Papa Kate