Day One and Two – Thursday 30th June and Friday 1st July

The 11 Travellers, 2 Malawians, 2 petrol cans and 2 chickens.

Our epic journey began at Glasgow Airport at 2 o’clock on Thursday 30^th June, where 11 of us met and eagerly anticipated what was to come. All bags were checked in with no need for our sob stories and we were on our way! All flights went on schedule and everything was running smoothly –that is of course until we touched down in Malawi.

Waiting on baggage is always a nerve wracking experience and this time after about an hour we had to reside to the fact that we were minus two cases – us girls will all be sharing after poor Monica’s case has gone AWOL (we are assured it shall be brought to Mzuzu ASAP). So after collecting luggage and forcing our way through customs without having to open every case we walked out into the glorious Lilongwe sunshine. Here we were greeted by some familiar faces that made us feel most welcome, Father Wezi Mfume, Mr Banda and Mr Phiri. We were then helped with loading our luggage into the pick up (which Bernadette pointed out looked like we were flitting with the amount of baggage we have) and were shown to the mini bus. Well what an experience – Malawi has a shortage of petrol at the moment so petrol is rationed –when we got on the mini bus what greeted us was the overwhelming smell of petrol. Four hour bus journey and the strong smell of two cans of petrol, brilliant!!

The next port of call was to go into Lilongwe and pay for the safari trips and hotel etc. What struck me was the amount of cars on the road in Malawi now. The road into Lilongwe was so busy it reminded me of the Kingston Bridge at rush hour! Lilongwe itself has also developed, with lots of new shops being built, shout out to John, there’s a new spar shop opened, and cash machines being at nearly every corner (mind you the queues to use a cash machine are miles long). With all business taken care of we were now back on the road heading for Mzuzu. We were running late by now after the luggage debacle and how busy Lilongwe was and had been on the go, with very limited sleep, for twenty-four hours. We were all looking forward to getting some shut eye on the bus as we made our way for a late lunch at Kasungo Inn.

It was on the road to Kasungo that the real African experience began. The bus was rambling along, with the 11 of us all nodding off here and there, when suddenly Mr Phiri pulls the mini bus into the side of the road and Mr Banda opens the window. All of us wake with a start wondering what is going on, when suddenly Mr Phiri and Mr Banda have a group of chicken sellers at each of their windows!! Forget McDonalds drive through when you can have Malawi live chicken drive through!! So after some hard bargaining Mr Banda bought one white and one black chicken which we named The Colonel and Frank. Yes and you guessed it, in the already crowded mini bus with the 11 of us, the 2 Malawians, the 2 cans of petrol we now had in our company 2 chickens – who from all the squawking we took it really didn’t want to be there.

Finally we arrived at Kasungo and quickly ordered our lunch and bought our first round at the bar. Here was our first experience of ‘Malawi time’. There was absolutely no rush in our lunch coming, but after over an hour it arrived and was quickly devoured. Now that we were all fed and watered it was now time for the final leg of our journey to Mzuzu. Climbing in the mini bus, now in the pitch black as the sun had set was an experience – the location of the two chickens couldn’t be confirmed but Mr Banda reassured us that they were somewhere on the bus so we weren’t to worry! This news only worried us all more, and many of us sat with our legs up off the floor.

Another hour or so had passed, with us all nodding off periodically, when Michael N up the front of the bus awoke those around him by saying he could feel something at his leg. Now Michael N was still wearing his kilt at this point, but we very carefully used the light of his phone to peer down into the darkness of the floor of the mini bus. Bad move. Mr Banda spotted that it was in fact one of his chickens that was up against Michael’s leg so proceeded to grab it. This was an even worse move. The chicken then flailed wildly against Michael’s leg, and flapped its wings squawking hysterically in the process. By this point Michael was trying to move out of the way of the chicken which was now directing itself towards Bernadette. Bernadette then went head first into Celia after the chicken managed to get to her and attack her back in the process. Through all this commotion most of the rest of the mini bus managed to sleep and chicken number two was still AWOL.

The journey seemed to go on forever. Bernadette started a sing song to lift our spirits, which for the majority of us it did. However poor Paul and Anne were stuck up the back of the bus, freezing, with the two cans of petrol and the bus was beginning to backfire. Finally we arrived in Mzuzu and were greeted by all our good friends. With everyone helping to unload our luggage it took no time. Paul also managed to locate chicken number 2 as he was searching the mini bus for things that we had left behind, that was a shock!!

Finally, after around a day and a half of travelling we were at our second home of Mzuzu, Malawi. All of us climbed into bed exhausted but excited as to what other adventures we will be in store for.

The 11 travellers, 2 Malawians, 2 petrol cans but only one chicken made it safely to Mzuzu (unfortunately the chicken involved in all the commotion seemed to die off with shock).

Bernadette's reflections

Hi,

Having been back a week I now feel ready to post my reflections of the trip. I must admit that I've found it pretty difficult readjusting to life back at home this past week. The more often I go to Malawi the more difficult it is to come back home. Obviously it was great to catch up with friends and family again and especially my delightful 10 month old nephew who has grown a good couple of inches in the last month. However when in Malawi I feel that every day has a purpose (from 6am!) whereas at home it easy to get caught up doing things that really don't matter. I literally came back to earth with a bump when I got a phone call as the plane had just landed in Glasgow saying my mum had a stroke during my last week in Malawi. Thankfully she's doing ok now but is waiting for an operation in the near future. The more eagle-eyed amongst you may have noticed my very brief TV debut on the Hour last Wednesday courtesy of my HCPT group.

Rather than recounting all the experiences of the trip again I thought I would pick my top 10 highlights in no particular order:

1. The ex-seminarians party. Totally bizarre but enjoyable afternoon.

2. The truck breaking down on the mountain track to Livingstonia and being stranded for 2 and a half hours.

3. My one wild night (honest!) in Malawi when I partied at Nkhata Bay to 4am with Siobhan McGuire (Elizabeth's sister-in-law). Everyone needs a blow out now and again!

4. The Black Missionaries concert. Surreal!

5. The 2 orphans' parties. If I had put the list in order this would be number 1. I still get emotional thinking about them and not because I feel sorry for them but because they are so full of life, joyful and thankful for the little they have. I can assure you that every penny we give to these orphan centres is used to the greatest benefit of the kids.

6. The afternoon at the Ilala lodge with our 6 exchange kids. This was more emotional than the orphan centres and I was not expecting that at all. Listening to them reflect on their time in Scotland was so humbling. Paul has fantastic video footage from that afternoon, which we will use during Malawi week this year.

7. Visits to Malawian homes. We managed to fit in visits to the homes of Mr. Banda (HT St Peter's), daphne (DHT St. Peter's), Irene (DHT primary), Alex (HT primary) and Thomas Mvula (primary school board). The hospitality we received in each of these homes was again very humbling. They all went to a great deal of effort to make us welcome. Unfortunately we had to turn down several other invitations due to lack of time. Next year!!

8. Uno night. Playing uno (card game) till midnight by candle light ( due to power cut) with Fr. Chunda, Fr. Joseph and Petros - aided by a box of red wine. It was hysterical!

9. The Masses. Totally uplifting whether it be the 6.30am Masss every morning or the 4 hour ordination Mass. The Mass at St. Joseph's out station was particularly memorable and it was great joining their community for the morning.

10. Fr. Chunda. Our amazing host and travelling companion. Most of the places we visited he had never been to in his life and his excitement and joy added to our experience.

Thank you to all our donors, orphan sponsors and blog readers (best blogger award goes yet again to Bernard Walsh) for all your support. We really appreciate you as do our Malawian friends. With the school donations along with many personal donations for this trip we were able to assist our partners in the following ways:

£500 St. Peter's Secondary for textbooks (from St. Matthew's Academy)
£500 Luynangwa Girls Primary for development project (St. Mark's Primary)
£500? St. Peter's primary for sanitation project (St. Mary's Primary)
£250 Women's Centre to support orphan feeding programme (St. Matthew's)
£100 Women's Centre to support child-headed families (St. Matthew's staff donations)
£50 Women's centre to buy blankets for vulnerable orphans (personal donation)
£20 Women's Centre to buy hotplate to help cook for orphans (personal donation)
£100 Women's centre orphans' party (personal donations)
£300 Mary Martha Orphan care for development project (St. Matthew's & staff donations)
£100 Mary Martha Orphan Care for orphans' party (St. Matthew's staff)
£100 St Joseph's out station for church building fund (personal donations)
Numerous other small donations and gifts for the orphans.

Not bad considering this was supposed to be just a holiday! As our Malawian friends always say, "We have no words to thank you, it is only God who can thank you for what you do for us!"

Pawemi,

Bernadette

Travels South

Here are a few pictures from our last week spent in Malawi. After saying our last goodbyes we set off south visiting Mua, Zomba, Blantyre, Cape Maclear and Dedza before returning for our flight at Lilongue. Our journey took us over 2,000 kms. The 1st picture shows Mr Banda (head teacher), Thumbeko, Kingston, Lilian and Immelda who came to see us off from St Peter's.




Here are the merry group at St Peter's who made our stay in Mzuzu a very enjoyable one: Fr. Joseph, Petrus, Paul & Tobias (the cooks) and the watchmen.







1st stop was at Mua, where the 1st Catholic Missionaries came to Malawi. Now it is a cultural centre with a fantastic display of exhibits, artifacts and information regarding history of the Catholic Church in Malawi, tribal history and customs.














At Zomba we stayed in Malawi's top hotel for one night: the Ku Chawe (Sunbird hotel), our biggest extravagance on the trip, but well recommended for the food, facilities and views overlooking Zomba, the old capital .

This picture shows the market in Blantyre, Malawi's 2nd largest city. Blantyre was a complete contrast to Mzuzu. In Blantyre we went to hear the Black Missionaries playing: a fantastic experience and one of the many highlights of the trip.





The Black Missionaries are Malawi's top band, playing Reggae. The locals at the concert were very eager to show us some of the dance moves.

At Cape Maclear we spent 3 nights recharging our batteries. The 3 pictures are an attempt to show what it looks like. However, they don't do it justice; it was very beautiful and very unspoiled; apart from a few lodges for the passing backpackers and a few tourists there were few facilities. We stayed at Gekko Lodge. Despite the area having a population of 15,000 it was unbelievably very peaceful and relaxing.

The water of the lake was inviting but we were put off swimming here by the fact it is one of the worst areas for catching bilharzia. The island in the picture is Thumbwe; it is one of 2 islands closeby, the other is Domwe.

Finally on the 28 July we arrived in Lilongue, spending the customary night at Nelly's Lodge with dinner at Don Brionne's in the centre. For our farewell dinner we were joined by Frs. Chunda, Charles and Robert. Our flights via Amerstdam and Johannesburg back to Glasgow passed without incident with us arriving safely on the 30 July.



Paweme

Paul, Bernadette, Celia & Anne

Tuesday 20

Monire

Today was our last full day in Mzuzu. The morning was spent doing last minute shopping and saying our final goodbyes to the staff at St. Peter's Primary and Secondary. Bernadette handed over 100,000 kwachas and a lap top computer from St Matthew's Academy. The money will help to purchase very much needed textbooks while the lap top will be put to good use for admin purposes. In the afternoon in the lounge of the La La hotel we met up with the 6 students who came to Scotland in March to reminisce about their experiences. Each of the students recorded a separate video message for each of their host families back home in Scotland. They also produced several short films about their experiences which we hope to make use of during Malawi week in St Matthew's. It is very hard to express in words how great the impact the trip to Scotland has had on them; as a group they have forged such a strong bond of friendship with each other. We wish them well with their studies and hope to keep in touch. In the evening as a big thank you to Fr. Chunda, Fr. Joseph and Petros, the seminarian, we took them to an Indian restaurant, the "A1", in Mzuzu for their 1st taste of Indian food (perhaps not the best idea since we were travelling south the next day). The food was excellent with no after effects the next day; we certainly would recommend the restaurant to anyone staying or visiting Mzuzu.

Paweme

Paul, Bernadette, Celia and Anne

Monday 19

Monire

Today was our 2nd last full day in Mzuzu. In the morning Celia and Anne went to visit a coffee factory in Mzuzu arranged by Fr. Eugene. They both came back brimming with information about the process of coffee and also honey to entertain Bernadette. During our stay we have all enjoyed the Mzuzu coffee and we were interested to learn that it should be on sale in Scotland very shortly under the Fair Trade arrangements. In the afternoon we paid our last visit to the Mary Martha Orphans Centre to say our goodbyes. 3 of the orphans from the senior youth section entertained us with a short comedy play about modern life in Malawi; this was followed by the orphans in the nursery singing some songs. Bernadette gave the Centre 100,000 kwachas from donations from people back home in Scotland. On behalf of Mary Martha Roderick Kavouta assured us the money would be put to very good use in finishing the Centre's new building and helping to fund the various services provided. In the evening we were invited to Irene Jere's home for a delicious traditional Malawian meal.

Paweme

Paul, Celia, Bernadette & Anne

Sunday 18 July

Monire

We are all going to try and update you with our travels. On Sunday it was another wonderful day. The day began with the English Mass at 7.00 a.m. It was wonderful to get a lie in. At the Mass we said farewell to everyone. Although we all feel sad about leaving Mzuzu because we have had a fantastic time we know that God willing we will all return next summer. Our next Mass of the day was scheduled at one of the parish outstations (St. Joseph's) at 10.00 a.m. with Father De Chen. Bernadette did very well driving over the rough ground to get there. The Church at this outstation is a large wooden shed, although the Parishioners have been fundraising along with the support from the other Parishes in the area to build a new brick Church which will accommodate 500 people. By next year this should be completed. Once again we received a very warm welcome, despite the rain. Thankfully Celia chose not wear Bernadette's polythene poncho! Mass was a joyful occasion; a full Church of happy singers and dancers. Even although we do not speak or fully understand the language you can feel the love and the depth of the people's faith. The children were very eager to sit beside or at least get a close look at us. Bernadette and Anne came to the rescue of one little child who was outside looking in. He put his arm through the slatted wood and got stuck.

After Mass we were invited to share a meal with Father and the helpers. Sharing a meal here is a sign of welcome, just like we give visitors to our home a cup of tea. Today we had 2 lunches since we had already accepted an invitation to Daphne and Emmanuel Okoronkwo. Both meals were delicious (chicken, nsima, meat, beans and greens) despite the electrical power being off all day. For the first time the group was introduced to alcohol free Guinness. We spent a wonderful few hours at Daphne's catching up on all the news since she had been in Scotland. It has been a sad time for the family as Daphne's dad had died. However, now the family is looking forward to a new addition.

In the evening we still did not have any electricity therefore dinner was by candlelight. The special treat for dinner was a few of Father Chunda's pigeons. Needless to say we all decided to stick with the nsima, rice and vegetables. Afterwards we all had fun playing Uno with Fr. Chunda, Fr.Joseph and Petros (the seminarian) until bedtime.

Paweme

Anne, Celia, Paul & Bernadette

Internet access at last!

Monire mose,

Sorry to all our intrepid followers for not keeping you up to date with our recent adventures. We had no electricty all day Sunday and then our last 2 days in Mzuzu were hectic, trying to see everyone before we left. We are of course on tour at the moment and I'm writing this post in the very posh Mount Soche Hotel in Blantyre. Obviously that is not where we're staying - only popped in for a drink and flushing toilet!

It was my turn to write last Saturday's blog so I'll perform my duties in as few lines as possbile.

We attended the ordination of Deacons Kondwani & Tony in Nkhamenya. This involved getting up even earlier than usual and driving for 2 and a half hours to reach Nkhamenya before 9am. The ordination Mass was only 4 hours - the shortest one I've been to! It was of course a fantastic celebration with lots of colourful singing and dancing. Afterwards we had dinner with all the priests of the diocese before heading back to Mzuzu.

That doesn't do the Mass justice at all but it will have to do. Hopefully my travelling companions will manage to post over the next day or two to fill in the rest of our adventures. Heading to Cape Maclear tomorrow for a few days total relaxation before returning home.

Pawemi,

Bernadette, Celia, Paul & Anne