I'm here!

I arrived in Lilongwe, Malawi on Monday after roughly 22 hours of smooth travel! After unpacking a suitcase of gifts for Kirk, we went to Innocent (the founder of There Is Hope, the organization that Kirk works for) and Flo's house for a team gathering. I met almost all of the There Is Hope staff, played volleyball, and tried some Malawian snacks.

On Tuesday, we (There Is Hope staff and I) went to the "Center" which is There is Hope Ministry Center on the edge of the Dzelaka Refugee Camp. At the Center, there is vocational training for refugees. Training includes a brick laying class, a carpentry class, a sewing class, and Bible training.

Also at the Center is a shipping container that Kirk transformed into his laboratory. Kirk is developing two different handmade soap products: one inexpensive soap to sell in the refugee camp and one fancier soap to sell in tourist shops and hotels. He is quite the chemist. Through research, experimentation, and innovation, he has figured out how to cut the cost of soap in half while preserving its quality. Currently he is experimenting with fragrances, coloring, and packaging.

Kirk taught me how to cut soap, prepare molds, stain oils, mix lye, and create the chemical reaction that yeilds soap. We cut 120 bars of soap and poured 120 more bars into their molds.

We ate lunch at Kirk's friend, Chobani's restaurant in the camp. I ordered chipoti mayeye which is like two thin fried tortillas with a thin layer of egg inside. I also tried a mandazi which is like a doughnut. Everything is very tasty!

In the afternoon I got to meet some kids from the camp. Ishmali is 10 years old, from Tanzania, and the only boy who could speak any English. We figured out that the other boys are from Burundi and Congo. We swang on the swings, played tag, and climbed the money bars. I hope to see them again on Thursday.

I so desire to be able to communicate, but am not a very fast language learner, especially because there are several languages spoken by the refugees. One of the most valuable phrases that I have learned is: "Ichi mumati chani?" Translation: "how do you say this?" Now I can point to anything and learn how to say it.

First impressions:

• Driving on the left side of the road with the driver's seat on the right side of the car is bazaar. A few times I was going to correct Kirk when he was driving on the "wrong side," but he was totally right!
• Malawi is beautiful. A rugged country side landscape is dotted with shrubs and the magnificent blue canopy creates the sky above. Red-orange dust covers the ground. The sun rises around 5am and sets around 6pm. Cool breezes in the morning give way to warm sunshine during the day.
• To everyone's amazement, I have had no problems with the 6-hour time difference. The two other girls who flew in this week from the States are very jealous of my lack of jet-lag.

I am so grateful to be here! It is great to be with Kirk, make new friends, and enter in to life here in Malawi. I look forward to helping at the Partners in Hope clinic and getting to know more people at Dzelaka. 

Thank you for your prayers!