SORRY FOR THE LOSS OF THE TEACHER

Indeed, I learnt this morning that you have lost one of the teachers at school. Humanly speaking, we all fear death. The thought about death brings sorrow.

However, for all those who believe in God, this is just the beginning of a new chapter in life. It is a life different from this one.

As you bury our dear teacher, we join you in prayers at mass in the morning.

May the soul of the departed teacher rest in peace.

Fr Andrew Aubrey Chunda

Malawi

GOD BE PRAISED THAT YOU ARE BACK IN SCOTLAND

I am very happy to learn that you made it safe back home in Scotland. We are still nursing the beautiful memories of your stay with us here in Malawi. We are very much looking forward to the day we shall visit Scotland.

Our memories are filled with a lot of joy, happiness etc. The boys and girls on the list keep asking me if it is real. The dream to fly for the first time is not believed. let us wait and see.

Once again, Yewo Chomene.

Fr. Andrew Chunda

Greetings from Dalry!

Monire mose,
Sorry, it’s taken a while to post my final message since returning home. For the first couple of days I was feeling quite down and really missing everyone in Mzuzu. It gets harder to leave each time I visit. I’m still waking up at ridiculously early times in the morning – I think the bells are ingrained in my memory. My body clock will just be getting back to normal when it’s time to go back to work.
Overall I think that this trip was a resounding success and for me it was the most enjoyable one so far. The St. Matthew’s group was a real credit to the school and certainly made me proud. There will definitely be a few more Malawi enthusiasts about the staffroom now and I’m looking forward to sharing the workload of the partnership more evenly with them!
The people of Mzuzu were every bit as welcoming as I expected. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting up with all my old friends, visiting their homes and working and socialising with them. Fr. Chunda was without a doubt an absolute star. He could not have looked after us any better and he provided much humour along the way. I definitely miss both the daily and Sunday Masses. The people at St. Peter’s can teach us plenty about how to “celebrate” the Eucharist.
It was good to see how the school has developed even further since my last visit. It has come a long way since I first arrived in 2002 when they had only 2 quite derelict classrooms and 60 pupils. There is a real buzz about the place nowand a lot of hope for the future. The teaching staff and school board were very open to discussing how they could improve as a school – probably more so than thestaff at St. Matthew’s !
I’m delighted that St. Mary’s P.S., Largs has partnered with St. Peter’s P.S. and there is hope that we will find a partner for Luynangwa Girls P.S. shortly. There is tremendous scope in both primary schools and a partnership will really help them flourish.
The 2 orphan centres are places I hold close to my heart. When I’m struggling to get out of bed on a wet Monday morning I’ll try to think of the kids who constantly battle against poverty, hunger and disease and yet are always smiling. The volunteers who run both centres are an example to us all. They don’t have much themselves; some are even HIV+, but they give their time and effort to care for these orphans, to give them respite and hope for a brighter future.
I’m really looking forward to the return visit in March and I think the group who are coming over will make a tremendous impact on the St. Matthew’s community. Our partnership with St. Peter’s is stronger than ever. Thank you to all of you who helped to fund raise or made donations to make this trip possible. Your support is greatly appreciated both in St. Matthew’s and St. Peter’s. Now we just have to find around £10 000 for the return visit!
Pawemi,
Bernadette

BEST WISHES TO ALL WHO HAD VISITED US AT MARY-MARTHA

I still recall the great day when we were priviledged with 13 visitors from Scoland which was lead by Eric Allan but pioneered by Bernadette Macfaden but due to reasons beyond our control, one deligate failed to come due to a funeral which happened in the family and we are sorry for the loss of a family member.

For those who did not come but represented by the team which came to Malawi, we are saying God should bless you also, as all the gifts and donations which you organize always reach us.

Paul and Anne also came in with a donation to the centre but this went straight to Nursery school and we appreciate for everything including the song you taught the orphans which is sung almost every day ( chic chic chin) wrong spelling )

I and my family Martha, wish you all the best.


Rodrick Kavuta

Paul & Anne's last post

We arrived home yesterday in Glasgow airport. It was sad saying farewell to Fr Chunda at the airport. We have greatly enjoyed his company, with his stories and enthusiasm for everything. He insisted on waiting till the plane took off in case there were problems of delays; we thought he was making sure we left in case we changed our minds about coming home. The flights were fine and there was no hassle with the connecting flights. Even in Nairobi the 5 hour wait passed effortlessly. In fact it was too good to be true: it was. When we reached the baggage recovery in Glasgow airport our luggage did not appear; it was still in Amsterdam. Finally our luggage arrived at our home today (Saturday) delivered by the airport companies.

The last few days have been hectic. We said our goodbyes on Sunday and moved on to Mua. To get there from Mzuzu we took the bus to Salima along the coast road besides the lake. It took 7 and a half hours; we were told it would take 5 hours. We are now experts at travelling on the local transport. We have learned that when you ask a Malawian how long the journey takes you have to add another hour or 2 to their estimate. When you ask when does this bus leave the station you are told, "When it is full." Full mean not just all the seats taken but it also includes many passengers standing n the passageway also. At Salima bus station we changed to one of the minibuses which the locals use to go to Mua Mission. We were told it would take half an hour. The journey lasted an hour and a half. What an experience! They pack the people in. There are no bus stops; people stand at the side of the road and the buses stop. At one point there were 24 people, 2 of which were “mazungus” (us, the “whitemen”) and a chicken in the minibus. Along the way the minibus was stopped several times at police roadblocks. Finally, we arrived at Mua Mission, just as the sun went down (5.50pm). There was a power cut so we had a meal in the candlelight along with one Swedish girl and 2 Dutch people. The food was delicious. Mua mission was well worth the journey. It has a museum which contains fascinating information regarding the coming of Christianity to Malawi and the history and customs of the 3 Malawian tribes. The collection of the dance masks of the Ngoni tribe was fascinating. We stayed in a lovely chalet which looked like something out of Hansel and Gretel. The mission is just across the river from where the village is. We could see the people washing themselves and their clothes in the river. After 2 nights we pushed onto Lilongwe where we met up with Fr Chunda and Bernadette. In Lilongwe we met up with the traders from Nkhata bay and we exchanged a pair of boots (Paul’s) for a wooden chief's chair. We spent a lovely evening at the restaurant and Nelly' s lodge. It was nice to meet Fr Robert again. We also managed one last ride on the back of the pick up truck as we headed off to the airport.

We have enjoyed travelling about in Malawi. While we did not manage to get to the south to see Blantyre and Zomba, we are keen to go back in 2 years time. The country is beautiful, has a lot of potential as a tourist destination with a natural charm. Several parts of the landscape in the north reminded us of Scotland. Nkhata Bay and the lakeside are beautiful.

We have met lots of lovely people both in St Peter's schools, Parish and the 2 Orphanages (Mary Martha & the Women’s Development Centre) and made several good friends. We are looking forward to seeing Fr Chunda and the group in Scotland in March and contributing to making their visit to Scotland, including St. Matthew's and St Mary's as happy and enjoyable as we experienced in St Peter's. Above all, we are looking forward to going back to meet up with everyone again in Mzuzu and to see the development of the eco garden project in St. Peter’s Secondary, the school library in St. Peter’s Primary and the nursery at Mary Martha. Meanwhile now that we are back home our thoughts will be turning to finding ways to help promote and support the Orphan scheme and fundraise for the impending visits. We also look forward to meeting up with all members of the St. Matthew’s group to exchange our stories and photos.

We know several of you in Malawi have access to reading the blog - Fr Andrew, Roderick and Lesley. We will be in touch by e-mail over the next few days.

We think the visit has been a great success. Finally, another big thank you to Bernadette for including us on this visit which has been a rollercoaster of emotions. A truly wonderful experience filled with many memories.

Regards

Paul & Anne

Just in time at the airport.
Bernadette, Paul and Annie just said goodbye. They were whisked away from my looking into the room where they have to be by themselves waiting for the plane. Since I did not sign any Exit card I had to accept it all, otherwise it is illegal to get into the lounge.

The plane will arrive in few minutes time. I am standing at the balcony waiting to see them off. I know they have a long way to go but I place them into the good care of our Lord.

It has been such a lovely time. I have alot of great memories. I never thought that the visit would end at such a short time.

Since the battery is drining, I intend to close down here . The plane is arriving in any minute from now.

New Learning

Wea rae here at Nelly's Lodge with Bernadette, paul and Annie. Tey are busy filling in cards for the airport while at the same time trying to teach me how to blog. It is interesting and wonderful.
It is new adventure each and every day.

With Love,

Fr Andrew Aubrey Chunda

Last post from Mzuzu

Monire mose,

Well I’m all packed up and ready to leave Mzuzu tomorrow morning. I’ve been here over a month now yet I can’t believe it’s time to leave already. The thing I’m most looking forward to when I get home is sleep - I feel totally physically and emotionally drained. Obviously I’m looking forward to seeing family and friends again – especially the size of my sister’s bump – but there is truthfully nothing I miss from home. I feel just as much at home here and I very quickly adjust to not having all the material things that I have back home.

We held the interviews for the 2010 exchange trip yesterday. It was really hard choosing but I think we’ve selected a great bunch of kids. The 6 are: Lizzie Ngasula, Kingstone Nyirenda, Emelda Banda, Lillian Chavula, Thumbiko Soko and Harrison Khembo. I spent over 2 hours with them today preparing them and the staff for what to expect on the trip. The staff are Fr. Andrew Chunda, Paul Banda, Daphne Okoronkwo, Margaret Nyirenda & James Mbale from the secondary school along with Alex Shabwa and Irene Jere from the primary. So you can start practising saying the names! Naturally the whole group are very excited about the trip.

I met up with Winnie Mwamsamali and Mercy Wowa yesterday. They were the 2 girls from the 2006 exchange trip and it was lovely to catch up with them. Winnie is now at university and Mercy is a primary teacher. They still fondly remember their time in Scotland and send their regards to all of you who know them as does Sylvia Nhlane.

Lots of people have been coming to say goodbye today and most of them have brought gifts – I’ve had to pack, unpack and repack several times. It still doesn’t feel real at the moment but I’m sure it will hit me at my last Mass tomorrow morning and when I hear the bells for the last time. I’m looking to forward to my last night out in Malawi. Fr. Chunda is spending the night with Anne, Paul and myself in Lilongwe. Hopefully Paul and Anne have had a good couple of days at Mua. We are meeting a good friend of mine, Fr. Robert Mwangulu, for dinner and drinks tomorrow night. Fr. Robert is quite a character so between him and Fr. Chunda we should be well entertained.

This is more than likely my last post from Malawi but I will post a blog when I return home.

Tionanenge sonosono (see you soon),

Bernadette

Mon 27 July

Monire mose,

My last blog ended quite abruptly, so I’ll try to continue where I left off. After the various farewell parties on Friday we went to Daphne Okoronko’s for drinks then headed to the hotel for the infamous Friday night disco with Lesley (Canadian missionary) and James Mbale (St. Peter’s teacher). We impressively managed to last until 1:50am and even more impressively Paul and Anne still went to Mass on Sat morn whereas I just tried my best to ignore the bells and have a lie in.

On Saturday it was party time again, this time at Mary Martha’s orphan centre and another emotional farewell. The kids at Mary Martha would melt the hardest of hearts as they have so little but are always smiling. They danced and sang for us as usual but the icing on the cake was when the nursery class performed various rhymes – they were adorable.

We went for dinner to Irene Jere’s house on Sat night, where we had lovely traditional Malawian food and lots of chat, as Irene never stops talking. She will make quite an impact on the exchange trip to St. Mary’s next year. Anne made a new friend during the meal – you’ll have to wait until we get back for the details but I will say that Roland would be an appropriate name.

You can never get too many Masses here so on Sun morning we went twice, totalling over 4 hours. We were forced up onto the altar during the second one to bid our farewells and I managed to impress the congregation by saying half of my speech in Tumbuka without any notes. After lunch at the Head Teacher’s house I had 4 hours of meetings whilst Anne and Paul enjoyed a rare lazy afternoon. The first meeting was of the school committee and the second one was the orphan scholarship committee.

Both meetings were very encouraging. The school committee were very keen to hear about all my observations of how the school is doing and they were very open to any ideas for improvement. The orphan scholarship committee really impressed me with their dedication in caring for these orphans physically, educationally and socially. We provide the scholarship money but they work really hard here to make the scheme a success. Unfortunately I had to officially inform them that we can no longer afford to keep 100 orphans in school. This has been the only negative aspect of this trip and I feel as if we are failing them. At the same time I feel as though we are constantly appealing for more sponsors at home with little response. Everywhere we go here people go on about what we are doing for the orphans of Mzuzu and it really saddens me to have to reduce our help but this year St. Matthew’s has had to supplement the money from direct debits quite significantly. Probably everyone reading this is already a sponsor but if not please think seriously about becoming one. It costs £12 a month to educate an orphan but we accept any amount from £5. I would love to be able to go back on the decision and keep the number at 100 in January. One addition I have made is to add the eldest son, Wisdom, of the teacher who committed suicide on to the scheme. He is at Nkhata Bay Secondary, which is a Catholic boys boarding school. I’m sure we’ll find the money from somewhere.

Yet another Farewell party on Sun night but this time it was us throwing the party for our hosts. We went out to dinner with Fr. Chunda, Matthias and Steven (seminarians), Mr. Banda (Head Teacher) and Elizabeth (his wife), Boniface Chirwa (school committee chairman), Irene Jere (St. Peter’s Primary) and Miriam and Annie(our housekeepers). We went to our local, the Ilala Lodge, and had a lovely evening together ending with the now Malawian favourite game of OH-SO-KO. Critical Skills has reached Malawi.

On my own again as Paul and Anne have left for Mua. Had the interviews for exchange visit to Scotland but you’ll have to wait until tomorrow for the details.

Pawemi,

Bernadette

Anne's Blog 2

Monire mose

Every day is a busy one here in Malawi. We managed to go to Nhkata Bay at the Lake. The weather is quite different from Mzuzu. It is much warmer, which I am sure the group will remember. For a couple of days, Bernadette, Paul and I chilled out in the bright warm sunshine. We even managed a long lie in and a leisurely breakfast just after 7.00a.m. Believe it or not we missed attending the daily 6.30a.m. Mass and the Malawian food: nsima and beans were nowhere to be seen in Mayoka Village. We did, however, sample pizza, pancakes and toasties. We managed to shop at the stalls for various gifts. Taking tips from the group, Paul has traded his yak boots for a wooden chair (it is currently being carved). The exchange will take place in Lilongwe on Wednesday as we prepare to fly home. I managed to buy a drum, so I hope Celia, you will give me some lessons.

On Friday morning, there was a farewell gathering with St. Peter’s Primary staff and committee members. Bernadette and I were both presented with a chetenje – you should be able to see the photos later. We all enjoyed the samosas made by Sylvia who is one of the secondary school teachers. Unfortunately, Mr Shabwa, head teacher was unable to be present because his mother was still very ill. Sadly this morning after Mass, we were informed that she had passed away. May I ask you to remember his family in your prayers?

I watched the netball match which took place at the end of the school day. The girls were delighted with their new blue bibs and navy skirts. Having purchased the desks and the netball gear we were able to use the rest of the fund to top up money the school had set aside for looking at electricity to be put into a building. Everyone is delighted that now the school is in a position to get electricity for the library and the Head Teacher’s office. This is a great step forward. Establishing a good library for pupils will be the big development for the coming year.

On Friday afternoon we had a great time with the Secondary school staff. They were very happy to show us the different dances relating to the various tribes. We also attended the school disco where many of the pupils were keen to try and help us learn some new steps.

We have attended parties at the Women’s Development Centre and Mary Martha. At both places the volunteers were responsible for getting the food for the parties. The party food is quite different from ours. Here the food for the celebration is meat and rice. For the orphans this is a treat. Roderick explained that the orphans would tend to eat nsima and they may if they are fortunate get meat and rice at Christmas. We enjoyed hearing the children sing and watching them dance at the parties. At Mary Martha I shared with the children the simple rhyme “I know cheeky, cheeky chin. Cheeky, cheeky chin nose eye.” When we left, there were plenty of “cheeky, cheeky chins” waving us off. It was an honour to be able to join both celebrations and to become friends with the children and the grown ups who give so much of their time and love to them.

It is sad to be leaving but it is exciting to know that everyone is committed to developing a partnership with St. Mary’s staff and pupils. I can see the difference that the partnership with St. Matthew’s is making in the schools and the community. Bernadette is very modest but I have to say that it is truly amazing how she has managed to get everyone’s support at home to help make a difference to lives of the children here, yet ensure that the people from Malawi are still in charge of their own destiny. I am grateful to Bernadette for giving Paul and I the opportunity to be here in Mzuzu and to become more directly involved. For us it has been a rollercoaster of emotions and a life changing experience.

Anne

Sat 25 July

Monire mose,

I’ve finally got sometime to write up the last few days, even though it’s 10:10pm and I’m in bed.

Wee returned from the lake early on Thurs morning when Mr. Kavuta came to have breakfast with us before driving us back to Mzuzu, where we it the ground running and haven’t stopped since. We spent the morning in school catching up with the staff and finishing off bits and pieces.

In the afternoon we had a party with the orphans at the women’s development centre – another tear jerker. The maths dept had a whip round to pay for a party at each orphan centre, so I was able to give them 15000 kwacha each to fund it. When you think of a children’s party it probably conjures up images of jelly, ice-cream, sweets, pass the parcel etc. but not in Malawi. The biggest treat you can give these children is a hot meal of beef and rice. One of the organisers remarked that it was just like Christmas for them. Anne and I were asked to dish out the food, which both of us found quite heart wrenching. The kids queued up holding there plates as we dished out beef, rice, nsima and cabbage. I was giving out the beef, trying my hardest to give each child the same amount whilst making sure I didn’t run out. Thankfully I had enough left to offer seconds. One of the orphans was sick straight after the meal as she wasn’t used to eating as much. To finish off the meal each child had a bottle of coke or fanta, which was a real treat for them. I went round every orphan to clink bottles and say cheers. They chanted”, Long live Bernadette! Long live Paul! Long live Anne! Long live St. Matthew’s Academy

Unfortunately I had to leave the party early to meet with the Artisan staff (Greenwood’s partner school) and Mr. Banda (Head Teacher of St. Peter’s) to provide them with partnership training. The meeting went really well and I was very impressed with Mr. Banda’s input. He really has a sound understanding of what a true partnership entails. They’re coming back on Mon for some internet training so that they can improve communication links.

Afterwards we had another very emotional experience when we visited the family of the primary teacher who committed suicide 2 weeks ago. It’s still totally incomprehensible even to his wife who told us that they did everything together and she can’t find any reason for him to have taken his own life. They have 4 beautiful children as well as an orphan they had taken in a few years ago. We donated 20000 kwacha (about £80) from St. Matthew’s to help care for the children and pay school fees as well as giving the kids some toys. The youngest, Martha, is only 4 and the eldest, Wisdom, is in 1st year at secondary school. I also gave Mrs. Munthali an article on suicide that Bernard Walsh had sent and she was really appreciative. She asks that we all continue to pray for her and her family.

To chill out after an emotionally draining day we went out for pizza and then to a bar with 2 Canadian missionaries Lesley and Sr. Anne.
Friday was the last day of term and so it was time to say goodbye to the staff and pupils and to distribute our development fund. We had a reception with the St. Peter’s Primary staff at 10am, film show with the secondary pupils at 11am, staff party 2pm-4pm and then a school disco until 5:30pm. It was a whirlwind of a day. The highlight for me however was when we presented the girls’ primary school with mattresses for the boarders. The reaction of the girls will always stay with me. You may recall the story of the whole group visiting the girls school 3 weeks ago and all of us being appalled by the living conditions where 3 girls had to share a single straw mat. I was able to give 50000 kwacha from St. Matthew’s as well as 30000 kwacha from personal donations from staff to buy the mattresses. It was quite a sight when Anne, the Head Teacher and I carried in the first mattress on our heads with the girls carrying the rest behind us whilst singing songs of thanks. When we laid them on the floor the girls went absolutely hyper.

Phepani, I’m going to have to call it a night as I can’t keep my eyes open any longer. More tomorrow!

Message from Rodrick Kavuta

Monire mose,

This is Mary Martha reporting that we have 3 visitors: Bernadette, Paul and Anne with a very beautiful presentation to the orphans. We have enjoyed a meal together with the orphans donated by St. Matthew's Academy Maths Dept.

The orphans are very happy and it's a rare opportunity to have a dish of rice and meat in the village because it is expensive to afford but with you it has been possible today. For your information we eat meat once or twice a month and we are very grateful for what our fellow students and teachers from St. Matthew's Academy have done for us at Mary Martha Orphan Care.

We have nothing to pay back but we continue to pray for you so that you can continue to support the orphans in need.

God bless you all,

Rodrick

Fri 25 July

monire mose,

Just checking in to let you know that we are still alive. Already our 3 days at the lake are a distant memory as we have had a very busy programme since we returned with some really touching and rewarding experiences. I don't have time today to write about them all but I plan to do so tomorrow - so watch this space.

We had a really relaxing time at the lake with plenty of rest, sunshine & good food - they cocktails weren't bad either. The three of us were pretty exhausted and needed some down time to recharge our batteries.

I'm taking Paul and Anne out clubbing tonight in Mzuzu. If we last to 10pm we'll be doing well. Mass at 6:30am every day certainly hampers your social life!

Pawemi,

Bernadette

Carolines Malawi Experience :)

Monire Mose!!

Sorry I haven't written this sooner but my internet was broken.

Even now ,nearly 3 weeks after arriving home from Malawi, I still can't believe that we have been and gone .
Looking back on photos im like, Did that really happen!?

At the beginning of the week, I think most of the group were wondering what we had got our selves into and curious to see what the group dynamic would be. Fortunately we all fell in love with malawi, most of us wondering how we can get back, and thankfully the group gelled well.
(Some more than others, *cough* monica in jens bed *cough*) haha

Malawi has seriously been the best experience of my life and probably the most life changing event i will ever have. So i have to thank all the teacher that went especially Mrs Mcfadden! Who was my allocated teacher, this was good right up until she mocked me for not being able to swim in the lake!

I think the biggest surprise about Malawi was the fact that the people were so friendly! Every where you went people would greet you and we were completely accepted into the St peters community. I don't think i've shaken so many hands in my life! Malawi truely lives up to its reputation as the warm heart of africa.

Eventually getting up for church at six was easy and eating nothing but rice was normal. Now i feel guilty if i sleep in until 10.
I would just like to thank every one involved i have made so many new friends and it has been such a humbling experience!

Caroline xx

Paul's blog

This is the 1st chance I have had to post my thoughts on the experience of coming to Malawi. The programme has been exhausting, even for Anne and myself after the group left. Where do I start? What will be my lasting memories of the trip?

I have been completely overwhelmed by the welcome we as a group received from everybody we have come into contact with. I have never shaken so many hands in my life as I have in the past couple of weeks. I have still not mastered the language pronunciation, especially the greetings. I still can not get beyond "Monire" and "Yewo", despite the people's attempts to educate me. But, my efforts to speak the greetings have caused hilarity. I love to see the children smile; their whole faces seem to light up. The Malawians like to call their country the "Warm Heart of Africa". For me their reputation is well justified. I have felt very much at home here. When Anne and I returned from our trip to Victoria Falls it felt like coming home.

When we 1st arrived I was moved by seeing the conditions of the girl’s boarding school, the living conditions of many people and the working environment for the pupils and teachers. In a country where a pencil or a pen is a desirable item for many children it is difficult not to make comparisons with the amount of possessions we have back home and realise we take a lot of things for granted e.g. hot running water, flushing toilets. However, I didn’t feel sorry for the Malawians since they have a great enthusiasm and happiness, which makes you feel they have a lot more than we have back home with regards to possessions. I was struck by their enthusiasm for their faith. A highlight for me on the trip has been attending the Masses which are very lively with singing and dancing; the people really know how to celebrate their faith. Recently Anne and I were privileged to attend an ordination which was an unforgettable experience. It lasted 4 hours but felt like 1 hour.

The trip has made me a lot more aware of the great difference the efforts of Bernadette, the staff from St Michael’s and now St Matthew’s have made to a little corner of Malawi in helping both the orphans and St Peter’s school. I was very moved to hear a lady from one of the Orphanages humbly show appreciation for all the help they had received and explain how they wouldn’t have been able to give the children Christmas dinner this year without the help from St Matthew’s. Again, it was very moving to see the joy of the orphans when they received the gifts which our group had brought over from Scotland. The pupils made me aware of how great a struggle it is for many to get an education where they have to pay fees and provide their own learning materials.

Despite Bernadette’s scare stories about the food, I have eaten very well, enjoyed trying the different Malawian dishes and even getting to like the nsima. I still don’t like chicken but have got by on their various vegetable dishes. Anne and I intend to buy a Malawian cook book to try out on our return to Scotland.

Lastly, it was a great pleasure to be part of the group which came out from St Matthew’s. I was amazed at how easy our students fitted so well into the school life at St Peter’s and were a big hit with the Malawian pupils. A big highlight for me was the farewell concert, seeing Michael N leading the group in playing the bagpipes and our group performing the Scottish country dances in front of the whole school.

It has been a truly unforgettable experience. I am really looking forward to the group from St Peter’s coming over to Scotland in 2010.


Paul

Sun 19 July

Monire mose,

The ordination was really special and it was a privilege to be part of it. It was great meeting up with so many Malawian friends whom I haven’t seen for a couple of years. For those of you who have been before, I met: Fr. Mwangulu, Fr. Philip Nkunika, Fr. Cosmas Mwanjabala, Fr. Chinula, Sr. Kaunda, Fr. Albert Chirwa (my least favourite Malawian but at least we shook hands) Fr. Steven Bulambo and of course the 3 new priests Frs. Daniel, Cecilio and Joseph. It was announced at the end of the ordination that Joseph will be appointed here at St. Peter’s, which Fr. Chunda was ecstatic about. We also met some fellow Masungu at a dinner party on Friday night, which was arranged by Fr. Chinula. There were 2 Irish and 2 English who were out working with various projects/parish links.

The journey to Msiku was nothing short of spectacular if a little scary. Imagine the Alton towers rides Oblivion, Nemesis and air mixed with an off road driving experience and that would come close to the drive up a mountain track. We got stuck at one point and all had to get out of the car and swap drivers. Chris McLeod did a lot of the driving but when we hit the really difficult terrain Fr. Chunda took over. Fr. Chunda is a superb driver and at no point did I feel unsafe, even when looking over the side of the track to the lake thousands of feet below!! The breathtaking scenery and the ordination itself more than made up for the treacherous journey.

I’m actually managing to sneak off with Paul and Anne for 3 days at the lake from tomorrow so my next blog will be on Thurs. I’m really looking forward to lying in the sun and recharging my batteries before the last hectic week here. All being well Paul should manage to post his blog later today.

Anne's Blog

Monire mose.

Being here in Malawi is a wonderful experience which I really cannot describe fully. Bernadette has said a long time ago that you really have to experience coming to the country that words do not fully convey the experience and I totally agree. Being here stirs up emotions you never knew you had.

I have been very touched by the warm and sincere welcome from everyone in Malawi and particularly here in St. Peter’s Mzuzu.

My visits to St. Peter’s Primary have been most enjoyable and educational for me. We are looking forward to developing a meaningful partnership like the one that has been established between St. Matthew’s and St. Peter’s Secondary. Mr Shibwa, the head teacher and all the staff have been most welcoming. The children, as you can imagine, get very excited when they see us (asungu). I was taken aback by the number of children in the classes; ranging from 50 to over 70 pupils. It was overwhelming the other day when we entered one of the closed classrooms only to look down and see many faces looking up in the darkness at us. The classroom did not have electricity or desks. The young children were sitting on the floor with their paper on their laps, keen to learn about new things. A few of the classes for the older children have desks for the children to sit at. Standard 8 pupils are currently sitting exams for the secondary school.

Every day there is an assembly for the children. This is a gathering together time to hear the news of the day. Children are expected to communicate the news to their homes at the end of the day – perhaps we should try this instead of all the letters we send out? I love hearing the drum beat calling everyone to the assembly point which is outside near the outdoor classes. Music and singing is part of daily life here. It great to hear the children singing and see them dancing in school and at Mass. This morning we attended the Children’s Mass. Unlike, Scotland, there were very few adults at this Mass; older children brought their siblings to Church. There is a great feeling of happiness and community spirit everywhere you go, which deeply touches me. There is much we can learn from our friends here in Malawi.

Our donation from our fundraising is being used to kit out a classroom (standard 6) with desks which will mean 90 children will be able to sit. Already some of them have been made locally and this week 30 children were using them. Our donation is also being used for netball strips for the school netball team which has won some matches and leagues within the local area. The tailor is busy running up the bibs, he is using the bibs St. Matthew’s brought over as a template. Next week before we leave for home, we have been invited to watch the team play, wearing the new bibs.

There is so much I wish to share with you, but time is limited at the moment with our full schedule. Today we intend to visit the family of the teacher (there are 4 children) who committed suicide. Please remember them in your prayers.

Finally, my thoughts and best wishes to all of the group who are safely back home – Eric, Celia, Ally, Frances, Dominic, Michael N, Michael D, Jennifer, Monica and Caroline – wish you were still here, we miss you lots. You were all great company and I look forward to catching up with you on our return.

Anne Carmichael

Friday 17 July

Just a quick monire to let you know we are still alive. Not enough hours in the day or days left in the country to fit everything in. We were on the go from 5:30am until 9pm last night without a break with Mass, school, shopping, bank, visit to Marymount Catholic Girls boarding school and dinner party at MR's house (school board member). Paul has started to type up his Zambian adventures in the 5 mins he had free this morning and I've promised him at least an hour off on Sunday, so hopefully he'll get it on the blog then.

We are leaving in 10 mins for an overnight trip to the very north of the country for an ordination of 3 priests tomorrow. One of those, Daniel Kamanga, was on placement at St. Peter's when I first arrived with Marianne in 2002 and we got to know him pretty well. Tomorrow is bound to be quite a spectacle with probably a at least a 4hour Mass. Tonight we are staying in Karonga and we'll leave at 6am to reach the ordination for 9am. Soon after the Mass we will begin the 7 hour journey back to Mzuzu. Everyone is scaring us about the state of the roads we will be travelling on, so it's bound to be quite an adventure.

Pawemi,
Bernadette

Wed 15 July

Monire mose,
I am delighted to announce that I am posting this blog whilst sitting up in bed. No, they have not put beds in the internet cafe! From our development fund we have installed wireless internet access to be shared between the parish and the school. To say that Fr. Chunda is ecstatic would be a complete understatement. The two of us installed it ourselves about 5pm yesterday and last night he sent more than 40 emails! If any of the exchange group wish to drop him a line his e-mail address is: aachunda@gmail.com. He would be delighted to hear from any of you.

The other good news is that Paul and Anne are back safe and sound but exhausted from Zambia. They're having an early night, which is just as well considering the programme I presented them for the next 2 weeks. Paul will blog tomorrow about their adventures.

The student exchange selection process is going well. I met with the exchange committee today and we whittled down the 40 applicants to 15 for interviews. The reasons for eliminating some students were quite novel: 1 because she faints and therefore might faint at the airport and another because he is satanic!! Speaking of satanic - the front page of yesterday's newspaper had the headline story of a woman giving birth to a 3lb stone tied with black cloth, which has been attributed to witchcraft. Worryingly, all the teachers at St. Peter's believe it.

The bad news today is that I'm not very well. I usually succumb to some sort of illness out here and this time it's a stomach bug. I'll spare the gruesome details but the last 2 days have not been pleasant. I feel much better today due to the fact I've only eaten 2 bread rolls and a spoonful of rice and loads of water. I had managed to cover up the fact that I haven't felt 100% since Friday but I couldn't keep going at the same pace today when I had been up most of the night, so I missed Mass and breakfast. News of course travels fast and by the time I reached school one of the nuns was interrogating me on whether I had eaten yet as she heard I hadn't taken breakfast. Then when I also didn't appear for lunch Fr. Chunda thought I had malaria. I've promised him that I'll eat tomorrow.

Pawemi,
Bernadette

Tue 14 July

Tues 14 July

I spent most of the day yesterday with Maggie Frame, a support for learning teacher from Greenwood Academy. When I came here 2 years ago Alison Scott, maths teacher at Greenwood but formerly St. Michael’s, came out for a couple of weeks to find a partner school. That school is Mzuzu Artisan Secondary School, which is a fairly new school with just about 100 students.

Maggie’s son and daughter-in-law have been out in Malawi for 1 year as volunteer workers and she and her husband are visiting them for 2 weeks. They are based in Blantyre, which is at the other end of the country but came to Mzuzu for 1day to try and improve the partnership links with Artisan. They are experiencing most of the problems we encountered when starting our partnership and I was glad to be able to advise on how best to move things forward.

The staff at Artisan were very receptive to new ideas and they are keen to come to St. Peter’s to learn about how a partnership can operate in Malawi. I think it is tribute to the St. Peter’s staff that they can now offer training to other Malawian schools on partnerships, just as we often do in Scotland.

Of course we had the usual Malawian welcome at Artisan with Singing, poems and drama and of course the obligatory speeches. I thought I would be spared this time but no such luck!

Meanwhile at St. Peter’s there are 36 applicants for the exchange visit next year. I thought it would have been higher but the teachers told me that a lot of students are too scared to travel as they have never been out of Mzuzu and others would be worried that their English isn’t good enough. Also we did not allow form 4’s to apply as they leave school in November this year. Although for the selection process I’m glad that the number isn’t higher – it’s a hard enough task! Tomorrow I will meet with the exchange committee to select up to 15 for interviews.

Paul and Anne are due back in Mzuzu tomorrow. I’m looking forward to hearing all about their Zambian adventures.

Pawemi,

Bernadette

Monday 13 July

Hard to believe that I have only been back from Malawi for one week- seems like so much longer!
Already missing being out there, and already looking forward to any other opportunities to visit the area.
So sorry to hear about the Primary School Teacher - this will be a very difficult time to be in the school. As with all of the other 'blog-ees' my thoughts are with the man's wife and children at this time.
Good to hear that things are going well for Paul and Anne - we will need to have a photo evening on your returns. Difficult to believe that the roads could be any worse than some of those that we travelled on!
Running out of people to 'bore' with my Malawian exploits, although I have been very touched to hear that so many people followed our adventures on the blog when the group was out.
Sure you're not telling the truth re. the full day power and water cut - yet another scary story for the next unsuspecting exchange group to fret about!??
Hope all continues to go well.

Celia

Mon 13 July

Apologies for not blogging for a few days due to the following reasons: Fri – too tired to walk into town, Sat – too busy & Sun - Internet café closed.

On Friday there was a minor miracle when I actually slept through the bells and missed Mass. I think the exhausting schedule from the previous week plus the daily 6am starts had finally caught up with me - at home I can’t even sleep through a text message beep. As a result I had a long lie (until 6:30am!!) and took it easy for the rest of the day with my usual couple of hrs in the staff room in the morning and a visit to St. Peter’s orphan group in the afternoon. I really enjoy my time chatting with the teachers each day. They tell me fascinating stories about Malawian culture including witchcraft, circumcision, child marriages and death rituals. On Fri evening I set up the laptop and projector to watch a DVD with Fr. Banda and the seminarians. I chose Jerry Maguire thinking there were no “dodgy bits” – I was wrong!

I visited Mary Martha Orphan Care Centre again on Saturday. I had planned on a very informal visit to spend some time with the orphans but even with the little notice I gave them they still managed to prepare a really nice welcome ceremony with singing, poems, games and speeches from the Director, village headman, the founder Mr. Kavuta and myself (due to absence of Big Head!) We planned a party for the orphans on 25^th (funded by St. Matthew’s Maths dept.) and I asked them to think about a proposal for the donation from St. Matthew’s, which I’ll present at the party. I asked Mr. Kavuta about how prevalent HIV is among the orphans and unfortunately there is a large number. Celia – you would have found it hard to cope when he pointed out certain kids, including his own grandson, who were HIV+. It was heartbreaking but as usual they had smiles on their faces. Even some of the volunteer workers there are positive.

On Saturday evening I was invited to dinner at Daphne Okoronko’s. Daphne is Nigerian, married with 2 gorgeous kids, Chukes 5 and Ingo 3, and was formerly Head of St. Peter’s but she gave it up due to Cultural differences. We had a really lovely meal followed by a very interesting chat about Malawian culture compared to Nigerian culture.

Sun was a bit of a non-event due to no water and electricity for the whole day. Welcome to the real Malawi! This is a weekly occurrence but when the whole group was here unfortunately it only went off for 10 mins. I worked on the statistics project for a couple of hours, which is almost at completion. The general knowledge quiz was fairly close with St. Peter’s scoring 47% and St. Matthew’s 58%. However 91% of St. Peter’s students answered 23 x 12 correctly compared to only 58% of St. Matthew’s - shocking!

Thanks for all the blog comments. They mean even more to me when I’m here alone and it’s been great reading about all the kid’s experiences as well. I think they haven proven without doubt that Celia, Eric and & I couldn’t have picked a better group of kids to share this experience with us.

Busy day today as Maggie Frame from Greenwood Academy is visiting for the day - details tomorrow.

Jenny's Experience In The Warm Heart Of Africa

I really don't where to start to be honest as I could sit on this computer chair for days talking about Mzuzu. I can hand on my heart say that it is now my favourite place in the world and am already thinking about when I can go back.
At the beginning of the week I actually thought I was dying on having to rise at 6am with crazy dogs disrupting my dreams as a result of some unexpected morning bells. However as the week past, although I may still have looked and felt shattered, I truly realised that there wasn't actually the slightest thing wrong with me and I was perfectly capable of rising at this time to attend mass and it wasn't actually the end of the world if I had to experience a bit of tiredness.
I was amazed to discover that such a warm, welcoming place really did exsist in this world as I had never came across anywhere with such genuinely friendly people in it in Scotland. The inhabitants of the area we were based really did go out of their way to welcome our group when we arrived and continued to help us feel most at home throughout the whole stay.
At St.Peter's Secondary School I have made friends for life and will never forget my good friend Patience as she looked after Caroline, Monica and I so well and is such a lovely person. I'll always remember the day we all ended up making up a dance routine when we were supposed to be playing netball and they are all such INCREDIBLE dancers!
I don't think any of us could have done it without the support of each other. I have to thank the teachers for everything and just for making the trip possible. They were all such amazing company - even if they didn't let me forget the embarrassing 'passion fanta' comment I made to the Bishop - and we had so many laughs that I lost count of how many times I ended up crying with laughter. I think Miss McFadden is an absolute star for being so committed to helping the schools and Orphanages and I know I'm speaking on behalf of all 6 of us pupils when I say that we are so grateful that you would choose us to share this experience with you.
Of course, I couldn't forget to mention my homies :- Caroline, Michael N, Michael D, Monica and Dominic - who are all awesome people who are so full of life with decent banter that I think I might just have to stay friends with them ...heehee !!
On seeing the extent of the poverty in Mzuzu I have become evenmore determined to continue raising money and maintain this link between the schools as I didn't realise how much they depend on our contributions and didn't even comprehend how much I would learn from them!
I have a sneaky suspicion that this is only the beginning of our relationship with Malawi and that it will continue grow and grow as we help them and as they teach us
that it's perfectly possible to be happy without countless possessions.

Michael D's Malawi Blog

When I found out that I had been chosen to go on the trip to Malawi I was excited but also a little aprehensive. I tried to prepare for the trip by talking to others who had visited the country before but looking back now I realise that nothing could have prepared me for this experience.

Since I have returned, people have been asking me about the trip and one of the questions that has stuck out is, "What was the best part of the week?" There were so many highlights through the week and so i find it difficult to pick only one, but the warm welcome and the friendly people will stay with me forever. Even though they live in difficult conditions, they are so happy and this really makes you appreciate what we've got and gives you a different outlook on life. Going into the schools and meeting the pupils was great. A few friends in particular that I made were Frank, Hastings, Montford and the head girl, Pilirani. I will never forget them as the hand-carved giraffe that Montford gave me will always remind me of them.

The whole experience was enriched by the fantastic group of pupils and teachers. A special bond was developed through having this experiance and new friends were made.

I'm very grateful and proud to have been chosen to go to Malawi and I'd like to thank Mr Allen, Miss McFadden and Miss McArthur for giving me this opportunity. I'd also like to thank the rest of the teachers for having put up with us through the week. It really was an honour to represent St Matthew's and I now appreciate the difference our fundraising and support can make.

I am now looking forward to the return visit in March when we will be able to return some of the hospitality shown to us. I hope that we can make their experience as great as ours.

Malawi and its people now have a special place in my heart and hopefully I will one day be able to return.

Before Finnishing, I would like to say thanks for all the support and help that everyone has given us through the past six months.
Michael D xx

Monica's Malawi Blog

It's so hard to put my experience of Malawi into words. It's taken me a couple of days to build up the courage to actually write this - I get all teary when I think about my time over there. Tears of happiness though, of course :). The one word that I keep using to describe the trip is 'incredible'. I had no idea what to expect from the trip before going out but it was definately the best 10 days I've ever spent out of the country - even if there was no air conditioning on our bus!!

The people of Malawi are some of the friendliest and most welcoming people I have ever met. I was made to feel right at home and that they were happy to have me there. I miss them all already. They provided us with so many laughs + are without a doubt the best dancers in the world! I think it was their smiles that kept me going through the week. I had no time to be upset or miss home too much with everyone around.
Even though I was only there for 10 days, I can definately say that I have fallen in love with Malawi and it's people - The Warm Heart of Africa indeed :D.
It totally baffled me when I first witnessed the happiness of everyone despite the fact that they lived in a very poor country and literally had nothing..but it soon became clear to me that family, friends and faith is all that is needed to keep your spirits high - not the latest ipod or wardrobes full of nice clothes!
Maybe its not for me to say, but I feel like my attitude to almost everything has changed for the better - I even tidied the kitchen while my mum was at work today!

I cannot wait to return to Malawi in the near future. I haven't decided what I will return to do but I know for definate I will be going back. Such a beautiful country with beautiful people.

Just want to thank everyone I went to Malawi with. You were a fantastic group to be with. Thank you for the incredible memories.

Also a quick Hello to Lesley (hope I spelt that right). All the best for the remainder of your visit.

Monica xxxxxxxx

Thu 9 July

Monire mose,

I was woken up around midnight last night with a commotion outside my room - it was Fr. Banda shouting Fr. Chunda. I then heard a car driving away and knew something was wrong in the parish. Fr. Chunda informed me before Mass this morning that a teacher in St. Peter's Primary had committed suicide. It's very sad as he has left a wife and children and nobody knows why he did it. He was at school as normal yesterday. After school he went for a drink, went home, had his supper and then when his wife went to bed he went into the kitchen and hanged himself. The group who were here may remember him as he was the only male teacher apart from the Headmaster.

Unfortunately there is not a lot of sympathy for him among the people but the priests have been very supportive. Usually the neighbours would gather outside the house for prayers straight away but they refused because it was suicide. It is very much frowned upon here and as a result his wife will not be treated very well by his relatives. I tried to explain that to be in that state of mind means he was not mentally sound and that it should be treated as any other illness. I told them that at home the family would receive even more support from relatives and friends because of the circumstances. It led to a very interesting discussion about cultural practices and burials. They told me that in the villages is someone hangs himself from a tree then a pit would be dug below and he would just be cut down to fall in the pit with no proper burial or funeral.

Ive just been to visit my old neighbours the Mhangos. It was a good 50 min walk, mostly over rough terrain, into a very poor area where they are not used to seeing mazungu. It was a bit disconcerting walking through the village with everybody staring and shouting azungu! Thankfully I managed to find the primary school where the mum works but she wasn't there so another teacher took the youngest,Emmanuel, out of class to take me to their house. Can you imagine a total stranger arriving at a primary school in Scotland and being allowed to take a 7 year old child away? I felt like Madonna walking through the village with Emmanuel holding my hand - cue even more stares! It was good spending time with the kids and giving them their gifts from Scotland. If I can remember Eric's instructions I'll try to add some photos tomorrow.

Tonight I have Irene and one of the nuns coming to watch my sister's wedding DVD. There will be much laughter when they see Fr. Naz in a kilt!

Pawemi,
Bernadette

Wed 8 July

Monire Mose,

I must admit that I found yesterday quite tough as it was my first full day in Mzuzu without the rest of the group. I was tired, extremely cold and pretty homesick. I'm much better today - but still tired and cold! The torrential rain woke me up at 5am this morning so I didn't need my 6am alarm call in the form of the church bells. Mass this morning was offered for Robert Johnston's dad whose funeral was today. It was really nice that they made a special effort especially when it is for someone they didn't know. Fr. Banda was due to say the Mass but last night he asked if I would mind if Fr. Martin said it as he needed the Mass offering more, so they concelebrated together. It is lovely how they help each other out.

My social diary is filling up nicely. It sounds ridiculous but I'm now using an appointment system to try and fit everyone in as I've had numerous invites over the past 24 hours. Of course as soon as Irene heard I was booking people in she put herself down for 4 evenings!

I have to rush as MR has booked an appointment to visit at 4pm, which will probably lead to another dinner invitation! Obviously I'll expect the same celebrity status back at St. Matthew's!!

Pawemi,
Bernadette
p.s. The fridge has now been filled with beer!

Tuesday 7 July

Monire mose,

I’m now back in my second home Mzuzu. I arrived last night to find that my room, which was previously inhabited by Eric, has been upgraded – it now has a fridge, kettle and hotplate! Fr. Chunda was apologising that they forgot to put beers in the fridge for me! They have gone out of their way to make me feel welcome at the priests’ house, which I’m sharing with 4 priests and 2 seminarians. My constant appeal to live simply as a Malawian is falling on deaf ears. Dinner last night consisted of chicken, beef, rice, nsima, chips, beans and vegetables but this meal was outdone by breakfast this morning of vegetable omelette, boiled eggs, toast, cassava, sweet potato and bananas. I was hoping to lose weight in Malawi not put it on!

Last week the school employed 2 housekeepers and 2 guards to take care of us all and Paul, Anne and I have decided to keep them on. It’s not really necessary but it gives them some much needed cash while giving us some extra security - and clean clothes! During my meeting with the head teacher this morning I asked how much they were being paid. I was shocked to find that they are getting about £10 a week each for a minimum 12 hour shift 7 days a week. I especially felt sorry for the night guard who stood outside our house in very cold weather from 6pm to 6am for just over a £1 a day.

The process has now started to select the 6 St. Peter’s students who will come to Scotland next May. The deadline for applications is on Fri with a written exam next week followed by interviews. It was hard enough choosing the St. Matthew’s pupils but this is much more difficult. This really is a chance in a lifetime for these young people, who most likely will never have been on a plane or even travelled outside Malawi. The ones who are not chosen will be very disappointed.

I was relieved to hear that the rest of the group are now safely back home in Scotland. Hope you are all enjoying your long lies without the 6am bells!!

Pawemi,

Bernadette

Dominic Sharkey - After Malawi

Now I’m back home I’m finding it hard to face going back to normal life after my wonderful experience in Malawi. Before the trip, I couldn’t wait to get to Malawi. During it, I couldn’t wait to get home. And now it’s all over, I wish I was back there.

No words of mine can really do any justice to our time in Malawi – the stories we can tell, and the hundreds of photos we have, will only reflect a shadow of what we experienced.

The most effective and (I hope) life-changing part of the trip was the people of Malawi. The way in which they celebrate their faith, live in great optimism, and laugh, despite their apparent poverty, made me think that although we have so much more materially; they really have a greater quality of life than us. We have worked hard to give them money, new buildings, Christmas presents, water pumps, but they just lived their normal lives, and gave us so much more.

I very much hope that in the future I will have the opportunity to return to Malawi, and help in any way that my career in Veterinary Medicine will allow.

I must take this final opportunity to thank all of the teachers for their superb organisation and management of the entire trip, from when the planning first began, for selecting me as one of the 6 pupils to represent St. Matthew’s Academy, and for being such a pleasure to be around and share my experience with.

Finally I would like to acknowledge my good friends: Michael N, Michael D, Caroline, Jennifer and Monica. I feel privileged to have been part of this with all of you. You have made it so memorable and enjoyable for me (despite the nasty chilli trick), and we had such a good laugh.

All the best to everyone!

Dominic x

P.S. – If anyone wants to see my photos or journal (yes – I’ve typed it up – I’m that sad) – dom.sharkey@hotmail.co.uk

Tired But Enriched

Now that we are back in Scotland, I just wanted to say to all our readers/followers how much we appreciated the efforts you made to keep in touch with our progress. I can't tell you the number of people I have spoken to today who said they dipped in and out of the blog during the course of the last week or so eve if they weren't official followers or commenters.

Our journey home was tiring but the bond we had developed while in Malawi kept us going - even when the bad security men in Amsterdam confiscated the drink which we had bought as presents for our families and friends! Supposedly, this was because we weren't supposed to go through more than one security check with any liquids which had been bought at duty free and despite the fact that all the bags containing the bottles were sealed - we think it was just because the security people were looking for some drink to take to a party tonight!

It was great to see all of the parents/family members at Glasgow Airport - cue tears, hugs and fond (if temporary) farewells. Please keep in touch with what is happening in Mzuzu throughout the rest of the month by dipping into the blog from time to time to see what Bernadette (and Paul & Anne) are up to.

Best wishes to you all for a great summer holiday.

The (ex-)Blogmaster

Michael (Corky) Northcote Shares His Experience!

Obviously i cant share everything with you because you would be here for days but i will give you a brief summary of my travels.

I feel so privelleged to have been picked to travel to Malawi with 5 students and 8 other teachers. (Although my good friend Mrs Shiell's never managed to accompany us, i felt that she was with us and supporting us throughout our journey) The total travel time was roughly an excrutiating 25-35 hours and all of the travellers began to bond extremely well.

My aim for this trip was to make and strengthen new friendships with different people and to become more interactive. I feel as if i have accomplished my goal to the highest ability and this will cause me to never forget my life changing experience.

I must admit that the food we were given was extremely well prepared and kept us going throughout the week - even though i was tricked into believing (by Ms Mcfadden) that chicken and rice was our staple diet.

I have several videos and photos which i would like to share with all blog members - so "if you fancy a gay gordans bishop" email me on the following - mick15north@hotmail.com.

Both St. Peter's Primary/Secondary school were packed to the nearest brim of students enticed to learn for a future career in medicine, law, e.t.c
I have to mention two teenagers who i got attached to when i travelled to Malawi:

Hastings-who looked after me in our fourth form class
Pilirani-who was extremely welcoming

i will never forget them and hopefully, destiny will bring us back together.
i will keep in touch with them.

I MUST ADMIT THAT FR CHUNDA WAS THE HIGHLIGHT OF MY TRIP! He was always so happy and we had good laughs together. I have to see him again - one day.

Finally, I would like to say thankyou to Ms Mcfadden/Mr Allan for organising the trip and having the upmost trust in us. I find it really satisfying that they know how life changing this event has been for me and I HAVE FALLEN IN LOVE WITH MALAWI. I must go back lol.

cheers!
For all the good times!
have a green on me!

Michael Northcote xxx

Monday 6th July

And now there are 3!!

The 6 of us had a lovely meal out in Lilongwe last night talking about our experiences and favourite memories of the past week. We were surprised and humbled to hear Fr. Chunda say that it has been one of the best weeks of his life and that he has enjoyed our company so much, as well as the singing and dancing. To us it feels as though he has just been running after us all week - he has certainly been the perfect host. Eric presented him with a Glenfiddoch miniature and hip flask and a laptop for the parish. Last night he tasted whisky for the first time ever.
We gave him a night off as our chauffeur and used taxis, which was quite an adventure for the men. As we ladies climbed in to our comfortable taxi a total boneshaker came spluttering round the corner to pick up the guys. Fr. Chunda had a go at the driver asking if he thougt his taxi would make it to Nelly's to which the driver took great offence saying, "Are you disrespecting my taxi?" Anyway it did make it back with smoke coming from it and a very strong smell of petrol!!
This morning we got up before 7am to wave off Paul and Anne on their Zambian Adventures and I'm just about to go the airport to see off Frances and Ally. It's quite emotional (even for me!) saying all these goodbyes after becoming so close to everyone over the past week but I'm definitely in safe hands with Fr. Chunda. For those of you who are more concerned about my health and wellbeing than I am, you will be glad to know that Fr. Chunda has insisted that I move in to Eric's room in the the preists house for the rest of my stay rahter than staying myself in the house next door.
The firstt group will just have arrived home in Scotland by now. Sorry to hear about your drink embargo at Amsterdam!

Looking forward to hearing from you all soon.
Bernadette

Sunday 5 July

Monire mose,

This is your new blogmaster reporting for duty due to the previous one leaving the country. So, now for the real story about what happened last week ...only joking!

Today we had our first lie in of the trip - 7:45am!! I know it sounds ridiculous to think that 7:45am could possibly be considered a lie in on a Sunday. Fr. Chunda said a lovely Mass at 8:30am where he prayed for a good journey home for the travellers and also for Michael N who had his 17th birthday today. After Mass we had a fry up then birthday cake before heading off to the airport where Eric , Celia and the kids set off for home.

It was strange this afternnoon walking around Lilongwe without our big group in tow. It has been a truly fantastic week and I couldn't have asked for a better group of staff and pupils to share this experience with. There has been much laughter and tears (thanks to Celia!). It was great for me to see everyone falling in love with Malawi and its people just as I did 7 years ago.

Well I'm off to an Italian restuarant now with the remainder of the group before we go our separate ways tomorrow. Ally and Frances head home, Paul and Anne go off on safari and I will return to Mzuzu to continue working on the partnership for a couple of weeks.

I will try to blog most days to keep you all up to date but I can't promise to be as good as Eric!

Pawemi,
Bernadette

Saturday - Our Last Post!

After morning Mass on Friday (that’s 6.30 a.m. – remember!), Eric presented Fr Chunda with a certificate to commemorate our visit to St Peter’s but, fortunately, he didn’t inflict the Chitumbuka speech on us again – it’s last outing was earlier today at Galamala village which we visited on our way to Lilongwe earlier today (more details later on).

The final assembly at school was delayed until 7.30 a.m. so that we could get breakfast (porridge again) after Mass. Dominic led the whole St Peter’s school community in prayer including some Chitumbuka – nice one, Dominic!

After a few words of thanks and an indication of our hopes for the future of the partnership from Eric, the Head Girl from St Peter’s spoke; this was followed by stirring renditions of both the Malawian national anthem and “Flower of Scotland” before we presented more of the gifts which had been so generously donated to us before our departure. The school received a laptop, a multimedia projector, netball bibs and tracksuits and football strips and boots while the pupils were given pencils, pens and toothbrushes. The resultant excitement meant that no classes took place for most of the day – although the Head Teacher did tell the pupils that anyone caught dogging school would have their pen/pencil/toothbrush taken from them!

We quickly nipped into town before lunch so that the pupils could buy their nearest and dearest some more gifts – bet you’re all on the edge of your seats now and unable to contain your excitement about your presents! If it helps, part of the shopping spree took place in the Tanzanian market – if there was a picture in the dictionary next to the word grotty, it would be Mzuzu’s Tanzanian market!

After lunch, we marched behind our piper, Michael N, from the house to the church hall to the strains of “Highland Cathedral” for a farewell concert. After we had been entertained with a variety of dances, songs and sketches from the pupils (and staff) of St Peter’s, we inflicted – sorry, performed – our own cultural items on the audience. These included “Flower of Scotland”, “Loch Lomond” and “500 Miles” as well as the Gay Gordons, the Dashing White Sergeant and the Strip the Willow. Members of the Malawian staff were invited to take part in the dancing with varying degrees of success! We were also presented with T-shirts by the school to commemorate our visit –the 3 spelling/grammatical mistakes in “St Matthew’s Academy” did upset Mr Banda just a little although we all thought it added to the whole atmosphere of our visit! The concert finished with the whole audience singing the two National Anthems – this proved just a little emotional for some of our staff! To finish off a wonderful afternoons, Eric, Michael D and Caroline were interviewed by the local radio station – although how much sense the listeners will be able to make of their unprepared responses is open to question.

Our two “dodgy wee guys” (© Bernadette 2009) from Nkhata Bay, Bob and Tosh (yes – really!), duly appeared with our carved key fobs and whole lot of other high quality (?) souvenirs. While Michael D managed to get rid off a wide variety of items such as his binoculars and some batteries, Captain Trading (i.e. Dominic) again reigned supreme by trading his school blazer for goods! As Paul said, “Dominic – the man who put the ‘shark’ in Sharkey!”

We finished Friday off with a final visit to the Ilala Lodge; several staff from St Peter’s Secondary, St Peter’s Primary and Mary Martha Orphan Care also came along and joined in a great evening of dancing and singing – both Malawian and Scottish – and including, believe it or not, “Old Macdonald’s Farm” (initiated by Irene from St Peter’s Primary School), “The Hokey Cokey” and “The Slosh”.

And so to this morning, when it seemed as if half of Mzuzu turned up to wave us off at shortly after 8.00 a.m. Again our luggage was packed into a pickup while we settled into our seats for the trip south. Celia was a bit overcome with emulsion but soon recovered although tended to suffer a relapse when anyone spoke to her.

On the way to Lilongwe, we had a diversion to make to Galamala village (home of Fr Nazarius). To get there we had to journey for many kilometres on very bumpy dust tracks but, on our arrival, we were greeted with all of the ceremony normally reserved for special guests. Ngoni warriors performed tribal dances but proved to be less fearsome than they looked when they posed for photographs with us afterwards. We presented the head of the village with K100000 (about £400) from the project fund which will be used to carry out some gardening initiatives in the village to help them become more self-sufficient. The locals showed us some of their traditional houses as well as one of the water pumps which were installed during our previous visit as part of our joint project with Irvine Seagate Rotary Club.

From Galamala it took the best part of 6 hours (much of it spent sleeping) to reach the luxury of Nelly’s Guest House in Lilongwe by which time various parts of our anatomy were aching. However, the promise of a shower, a hot meal and a beer or two was enough to overcome our discomfort.

Tomorrow, the 6 pupils along with Celia and Eric will begin the trek home, leaving here at around 10.00 a.m. to head for Lilongwe Airport – assuming all of the connections go according to plan, we will see you all at Glasgow Airport at 7.50 a.m. on Monday morning – unless, of course, you are a loved one of Frances or Ally who return a day later at the same time or Anne, Paul or Bernadette who don’t come back until the end of the month.

It’s been a brilliant week and we want to thank everyone for keeping in touch via the blog. Although this is the last entry for this part of the visit, Bernadette (and Anne & Paul when they get back to Mzuzu from Zambia) will be posting from time to time – so keep logging on to find out how Malawi is managing without us!

See you bright and early (although quite late for us!) on Monday morning.

Why Is It Friday So Soon?

We were joined at morning Mass yesterday (6.30 a.m. in case any of you had forgotten!) and at breakfast by Chris, who was teaching in St Peter’s in 2005 when we were last here, and Dominic and Anne-Marie Sutherland both of whom are teachers from Scotland, with Dominic being the driving force behind the St Maurice’s link with Nkhamenya Girls’ School. Chris is doing some work with an organisation out here in Mzuzu this summer while Dominic and Anne-Marie are on holiday and are visiting all the people they know throughout the length and breadth of the country.

Thursday was a pretty busy day with pupils in class, working with groups of Malawian pupils on projects and, in the case of the three girls, spending time with Anne in the primary school interviewing pupils on video. Meanwhile, Eric and Mr Banda (Head Teacher of St Peter’s) completed the last of a successful series of meetings by signing the official Partnership Agreement between the two schools. Arrangements were also initiated for the return visit to Scotland by a party of Malawian staff and pupils next March – we are planning to fund a party of 10 so get your fundraising hats on again!!

During the morning Form 1B were spotted digging a pit behind the science block. On closer investigation, it transpired that this was punishment given to the whole class by the Head Teacher for being noisy – food for thought for the St Matthew’s school behaviour procedures! The whole punishment thing kind of collapsed when we took their photograph, however, as they were all vying to get into the shot wearing their widest smiles!

After lunch, Paul and Ally took a staff training session which was a great success with Malawian and Scottish teachers working closely together to identify priorities which could be addressed by the Malawian staff once we have left and do not necessarily rely on additional resources being made available. Mr Banda has indicated his intention to continue to look at the themes identified with a view to making some of the improvements which had emerged from the initial workshops with staff and pupils which we had carried out earlier in the week. All in all a very successful move into staff development and one which was greatly appreciated by our Malawian colleagues.

We headed off to Mary Martha Orphan Care Centre in mid-afternoon. This centre is located out in the countryside to the south of Mzuzu and the difference between the orphans there and the ones in Mzuzu town is really noticeable because of the poverty and lack of facilities in the countryside. Because we were coming, the 50 or so orphans were supplemented by around another 50 “hangers on” but all of them got some kind of gift, even if it was only a pencil and a sweet. Apparently, after our last visit some of the youngsters had asked the centre volunteers how they could become orphans so that they could get nice presents! Enough to bring a tear to a glass eye, as they say - no wonder Madonna keeps coming back for more!

On the way back from Mary Martha we called in to see Bishop Zuza – a highly hilarious experience because he is the funniest man, has no airs and graces and one of the most infectious laughs in Western civilisation. Unfortunately, he wasn’t wearing his usual brightly coloured (almost Hawaiian) shirts because he was feeling the cold but he was so pleased to see us and provided us all with a welcome drink. The offer off a drink led to two of the most unlikely statements ever made to a Bishop:
Celia – “Can I have an Elephant please?” (It’s a type of beer!)
Jennifer – “Passion please, Bishop” (It’s a flavour of Fanta!)

However, the hilarity caused by these requests was eclipsed by Paul who, in the context of describing our input to this afternoon’s cultural exchange experience (or concert, as it is more commonly known), said to Bishop Zuza “If you fancy a Gay Gordons, Bishop, you know where to come.” Cue much falling about by all and sundry – although we weren’t sure if Bishop Zuza and Fr Chunda were entirely sure what they were laughing at. It’s not often you can say that going to meet a Bishop would be light relief, but it certainly provided us with the perfect antidote to the emotion of spending a couple of hours with the orphans at Mary Martha.

A final word today to the parents of our students – we are really proud to have them here as representatives of St Matthew’s Academy. They have been an absolute credit to themselves, to the school and, of course, to you. We couldn’t have picked a more fantastic group of young people – they have got on so well with each other and with the staff and have conducted themselves so well in everything that they have done that we feel very privileged to be with them.

Tomorrow we head off back to Lilongwe via Galamala village (where Fr Nazarius is from) and should be able to post our blog from Nelly’s Lodge Guest house as long as their internet connection is working. Keep posting comments – and, if there’s anyone out there who is reading but not posting, please do post because all of us really appreciate your comments. Michael D gets very emotional every day when we bring the previous day’s blog and comments back to the house!

Tiwonanenge namachero! (You’ll need to find out for yourselves what it means.)

Thursday Already!

Day Two of the new austere catering regime dawned with a traditional Malawian breakfast of – wait for it – cornflakes (Kelloggs) with hot milk, rolls, boiled eggs and avocado!! Even Bernadette was bemused by that combination – and, by the way, cornflakes taste (much) better with cold milk!

While St Matthew’s staff were back at the chalk face (literally given that a blackboard is the only teaching resource available in most classrooms) to get started with their curricular projects, Anne was at St Peter’s Primary School continuing to work with staff there to set up a link with St Mary’s Primary School in Largs. She has been involved in meetings but has also been in classes and has been making a big hit with the pupils if the smiles on their faces are anything to go by.

Following 4 periods of teaching classes, interviewing Malawian pupils, undertaking surveys and, in the case of pupils, following the timetable, we beat a hasty retreat and headed to Nkhata Bay for our afternoon off. Nkhata Bay is an hour’s drive down from the high land where Mzuzu is located to the shores of Lake Malawi. The spectacular scenery along the way is surpassed only by the beauty of the lake which was shimmering in the hot African sun by the time we arrived – it had been very cool although mainly dry in Mzuzu in the morning.

We stopped briefly at stalls selling traditional Malawian “tat” but were advised by Bernadette only to look because she would arrange for one of the traders to come to the Mayoka Village restaurant after we had lunched and she would negotiate a good deal. She had also advised us that the stallholders liked to trade their goods for named or designer gear and some of our number had brought items for this purpose – more on this later!

After an excellent lunch, we relaxed in the sun (plenty of Factor 15 for Ally’s head), explored the coastline around the restaurant, got excited by the Compost Toilet (can you believe that 3 separate female members of staff took a photo of the instructions for use?!) and failed miserably to buy any souvenirs because the “wee dodgy guy” (a direct quote from Bernadette) turned up with nothing although he did take orders for about 50 hand carved wooden key rings which he promised to deliver to Mzuzu on Friday – guess what you are all getting from Malawi, folks!

Before we left Scotland, we had asked our pupils to get written permission from their parents before they could go into the water at Nkhata Bay because the lake is not totally clear of the water snail which causes bilharzia. Only Michael D had received this permission – although Caroline did spend most of the afternoon trying to persuade Eric that her mum had accidentally ticked the “No” box when she really meant to tick the “Yes” box. Eric eventually snapped and tried to shut her up permanently – but don’t worry, McCourts, he didn’t leave too many bruises on her neck and, no, she didn’t get in the lake! Michael D’s attempts to stay reasonably dry on the dugout canoe proved to be unsuccessful – so he will have to take the giant tablet required to ensure that he doesn’t catch the dreaded bilharzia!

And so to the undoubted highlight of yesterday. Darkness was falling as we left Mayoka but the market traders had kept their stalls open in anticipation of our bonanza shopping spree. In almost pitch darkness, our intrepid shoppers plundered the stalls of rings, bracelets, necklaces, wood carvings, paintings and so on with much bartering going on (usually preceded with shouts of “Bernadette, how much should I be paying for this?”). A certain amount of “trading” of designer gear did take place but the supreme champion in this regard was definitely Dominic who even traded the trainers (and socks!) he was wearing – this was in addition to the other 3 pairs of trainers he had brought with him, his baseball cap and his sweatshirt! Fortunately, we had to leave otherwise there was no telling what state of undress he would have returned to the bus in! Definitely our trading hero!

Back to a full day of work today – first of all in school and then a visit to Mary Martha Orphan Care Centre which will undoubtedly tug the heartstrings. We are printing off your comments on each day’s blog at the internet café in Mzuzu and this is proving to be a very popular read each evening so keep it up. See you tomorrow.