Shawna's Malawi Update

I hope all is well. I've made somereally good friends.I like it here. Chichewa is the language it's nottoo hard so that's good. I don't know that much, but that's fine.There are 7 other girls than me. We hit it off quickly. Tessa, Sara, and Monica and I are one group. Monica and I (she's the oldest 27)always stay up the latest and get up first. We've laughed a ton. Butwe're kinda split. I'm with one group and there's another group. We'reteh ones who laugh. There seems to be problems with teh split for some people. I think it's fine but oh well.It's fun here though. It's really pretty. The people here are thenicest people I've ever met and there are so many beautiful peoplehere too. Africa's not at all what I imagined. The landscape is kind of plain like few trees. But the sky is huge! I don't know why it's sobig. The big dipper is upside down from us. And teh moon is differenttoo-instead of being half on teh side, it's on the bottom so it lookslike it's smiling at us. I told everyone what Greg said and theylaughed. There aren't that many animals here in Malawi. There are aton of ants. You can get them all of you in a second. But they don'tbite or anything so it's not bad-just annoying. I'm staying in a house on the top bunk. We have running water. I haven't gotten sick at allsince we've been here. I've learned how to knit and crochet and wecook from scratch a lot. One of the girls Tessa and I made bananabread for breakfast. A lot of things remind me of Memaw and how she does it. O yeah, we have done a lot of dishes. The short term teamscome and it appears that we are the maids. But it's fine. We drinkwarm tea in the mornings and night. We have guards and I make it forthem at night. I take a bath at least every other day. Children of the Nations since we didn't really know before hand hashouses with house parents and aunties where around 20-30 kids live.These kids were the worst of the worst. Now they are healthy looking.They were the ones who were abused the most and had worms coming outof their nails. But I'm not sad around them cause they are always sohappy and nice. I love being around them. I should have wrote this outbefore I came to the internet cafe. We just got a schedule. On Mondays and Wednesdays we'll be teaching. The books look so old. I'm teachingmath, english, and general studies which tomorrow will be aboutanimals, what they're for and how to take care of them. My first dayis tomorrow. And each classroom is a small building with even smaller windows. I chose a class because of the brightness of it. They don'thave electricity in them. The younger kids don't have chairs. Themiddle grades have chairs. The oldest have some desks. I don't reallyknow what to do tomorrow. I'm by myself. But I'm sure it will be fine. These kids are the most well behaved kids I've ever seen. They arealways dirty. In the outer villages the kids have flies swarming themlike on the commercials. We got out there and help the widows, I'vefed pigs, ducks, got water from teh well which teh Malawian interpretators said I did a very good job cause the other people'swater came very slow. ha. When we do that kind of thing the kids andadults will stand around us and laugh at us. That part is kind ofuncomfortable. But they kids just love us. not to sound boastful but they want to touch you and play with you. They sweep their dirt floorsalot with brooms made from twigs. To be so dirty and dusty,everything's kept clean. and I've washed clothes by hand and shuck tehcorn kernels off of the cob to make ufa for nsema which is like really thick grits or corn meal with water. That's their staple food. It'sall right. The second night we were here we went to church where theyhad dinner. You wash your hands with just water. then roll nsema intoa ball and pick up beans or this relish stuff up and eat it. So Ithought o good getting sick right off the bat, but we didn't. And Idon't drink the water, but I brush my teeth with it and wash fruit/vegwith it so it's not bad. I've used the squatty potty once. it's a whole in a concrete floor that you squat over. I try to not drink toomuch if I'm going ot the villages. If you have extra time with thekids they expect you to tell them a story or teach them a song. So meand another girl told Jonah. that skit from church helped me out ha. People can't say my name here very well. and I laugh and talk in mysleep, but I knew that. One day we went to an outer village and Ihelped water the garden which they said I was a professional haha. Iguess I did it just a little less awkwardly than the other girls. But we tried sugar cane. You just bite off teh outer layer and then take achunck and chew on it for the juice tehn spit it out. Everyone herealmost always has a piece in their hand. It was really good. It waslike watermelon but sweeter. One day we went on a scavenger hunt at the market which is like anopen market with different things and you barter with them but theycharge white people a lot more money. It's really really crowded. Iliked, but then I didn't. BUt we got food to take home to make like a Malawian over fire. WHile we were there a boy on my team took apicture of a woman with her baby which she said was fine. Then thehusband said no we need to receive money for it. So a huge crowdgathered around and a Malawian intern with us talked to him and we ended up going to the police b/c the man wanted money. Nothinghappened, They just said no he deleted the picture you're just tryingot get money. So that was kinda funny. Then we were riding in this buslike vehicle with too many people so three of us were sitting up front in two seats. they have police stops a lot on the roads to checklicenses and insurance and I got in trouble for sitting up there andthey were going to give us a fine so i moved in the next sit behindwhich was already too full so i sat on someone's lap and the policeman just looked at me and said no. so i squuzzed in. that was funny too.and the Malawain men who were with us were in the back kinda hiding!ha. They're really nice.The kids gave us welcoming programs where they introduced themselves and sang and danced. I love dancing with the kids. It's so great. THeysaid Bible verses too. I think they know more than most of us. Thehead guy over cotn is here-chris. I don't really like him. He seemsvery prideful. I like the rest of his familty though. There's this guy here Quamie from Sierra Leone, he just left actually, but they speakKreol and it's so funny. Thank you is tankee and so he taught us asong in Kreol that said tell'em tankee tell'emTell papa god tankeewhathedo for me i go tell'm tankee and stuff like that that sounded exactly like english except for funnyand tehn someone said will you translate that for us? So me and monicaand tessa were laughing so hard and then no one else thought it wasfunny but that's probbly the funniest thing ever. I should have waitedto tell you that but i just couldn't.I've met a lot of Malawian because we're on the campus of AfricanBible College alot like for lunch and dinner. Oh yeah we kinda eat the same stuff here as in america. And most people gain weight when tehycome here because we eat alot of high calorie starchy foods. so forgetthat idea about coming back thin. ha. .It's cold here at night and in the moring or anywhere there's not sunshine. I didn't bring enough warm clothes. I keep wearing onethat's so dirty. But we have a washing machine we can use periodicallyso it's fine. I'm really glad for my sleeping bag though.Thank you for your prayers! I love you all. Forward this to any other people who may want to know what's going on.Shawna