Yesterday afternoon we had our language lesson. The ladies seemed to enjoy finally learning some simple greetings and a few important words. This group caught on more quickly than many other volunteers I’ve had. Smart ladies and really good at language!
The morning started with lost of quizzing from the staff here. Everyone trying to greet each other using the Chichewa they had learned.
Day 2 of volunteering at Adziwa was eventful. We started the morning organizing concrete and gathering the supplies need to mix the cement, rocks, sand and water together. Each of the volunteers took a turn mixing and pumping water. A few even attempted carrying the water on their heads. It’s SO much harder than it looks!
The children were up in the main center today because there was a funeral happening near the Learning Center. We needed to set the frames for the TippyTaps in concrete as early as possible so they had time to dry before tomorrow. All 4 frames were set and then it was on to the next task.
We had some finishing up to do in the store room. All the ladies went to help and Tovia. Stella (our head teacher) was also involved. The volunteers wanted to meet with Stella and figure out what her challenges are. Stella is amazing, but is dealing with 55 children all of different ages. We are lucky enough to have 3 teachers on this trip so they were excited to come up with strategies to help make Stella’s job easier. At the same time these strategies will also benefit the students.
The volunteers have really been enjoying the walk to and from Adziwa. Lots to see and so many people to meet. The weather has been cold in the mornings, but warmer throughout the afternoon. Once the sun goes down it gets cold again. We have all been huddled around a fire in the mornings and evenings.
We had our culture expert coming to do his presentation at 5pm. This is always one of my favorite evening programs. The volunteers learn so much and also get the opportunity to ask questions. We do this early on in the itinerary in order for the volunteers to gain an understanding of the culture and traditions. All the ladies seemed to really love the lesson and all asked tons of questions! After the talk our guest speaker joined us for a traditional Malawian meal. To my surprise this group liked the food 🙂 (there have been some picky eaters on this trip so having them eat so well made me very happy)
After dinner we all sat and talked until the generator went off. This was the latest we have stayed up since the volunteers arrived. A few of us went to bed and a couple stayed up to see the stars. Seeing shooting stars is common here and it’s sounds like those who stayed up enjoyed quite a show!
The group is getting along well and getting to know each other little by little. Everyone seems to be really enjoying their experience and is excited to see what is to come. This group asks lots of questions about the schedule and wants to know what’s coming next and when we are doing what. Some groups tend to go with the flow and other groups thrive on a schedule. This team is defiantly the later 🙂
I hope to write again tomorrow. Thank you for keeping up with us here and please know that we are all happy, healthy and learning so much.