Hello everyone! It’s Lauren. We had such a busy and incredible day, Mom wanted me to blog today.
Today, Friday, was our last day at the orphanage. The opening ceremony was scheduled for around 1:00 p.m., and the group had some finishing touches we wanted to do before the playground and building were ceremonially revealed to the village. We got to the site and decided we had enough time to add some details. David had the idea of building a bench out of bricks for the teachers and caregivers to sit on while the children are playing, so that was built along with the playground. It was covered in cement; too plain and grey for our colorful playground!! I gathered some of the paint and makeshift paintbrushes and painted the With Change in Mind logo. It looks great and serves as a reminder, not only for the orphanage, but for all of us. When we see pictures of the playground, the WCIM handprint will be clear and present to remind us of all the hard work we accomplished 🙂
Then, the ceremony. The caregivers and the chief of the village gathered at the Learning Center with all the children. Some women performed traditional songs and almost brought us to tears. Their voices are so beautiful and harmonious it’s hard to believe they’re standing right in front of us. There were lots of prayers and speeches of gratitude, and Sai did a great job translating between Chichewa and English for us. The Chief’s speech was absolutely the most memorable. He is has an eccentric and grand personality which makes listening to him so interesting. In the middle of this loud and passionate speech, he stopped to thank Erin. Before we all knew it, Mom was named as another chief of the village!! The women started the “Cheif Clap” and Mom was brought out to the middle to dance with Moses, the Cheif, and be honored. It was incredible!! We were all laughing at the time, but in perspective it is a rare and special honor. I’m always emotional, but David (my grandpa) said he was teary eyed, as well. It’s overwhelming to sit and listen to person after person thank us so passionately. It was beautiful.
The parents got a “tour” of the playground after that. They were enthralled by the Market Stall, mostly because their children can be taught how to sell goods for their families early on! The kids were let loose for a test run. The swings were the most popular, but all the attractions had their moments :-). Today was the last day for the group to soak in all the love from the kiddos and be on the work site, but Mom and I still have about a week left here in Malawi.
We had another great walk back enjoying the rickety bridge, little ones pleads for sweeties, and each other’s company. This group was so special to me– I’ll be sad to see them all go. Phil was the communicator and photographer, Taylor was always there to make us laugh and take great photos, David calmed us down, Sherrie acted as the group’s “Nana,” Kyle was a driving force physically and emotionally, Jack pumped us up and made everyone excited for the day, Jan gave us perspective, and Mom was an incredible leader for us. This group is irreplaceable, and we have memories and jokes to last a long long time. We have a night filled with traditional dancing, a live band, good food, and more laughing ahead of us before we say goodbye.
Your loved ones will be back soon and ready to talk all about the adventures we had here in Malawi!! Thanks for reading!