We have a house!!!
It is the first, very depressing house we saw, but as I said earlier, it looks a LOT better now. The location is fabulous for us, though it may mean a bit of walking for Regan to get to school.
Our weekend was also fabulous...quite the adventure.
We took the 'AXA' bus, which looks a lot like a bus we would see in Canada. The difference? No bathroom and selling of standing room tickets. We were one of the first on the bus, so we were OK, with seats in the back. After you arrive in Salima (the closest town to the beach), you can take local transport to Senga Bay...this is in the form of a matola (read pick-up truck onto which they pile 21 people). We had the luxury matola on the first leg, with a steel cage over the back of the truck and a tarp over that to keep the rain off us (it is rainy season!).
Sort of perfect in terms of what we were expecting, the matola blew a tire, and we pulled over - instead of an actual jack, a bunch of people picked up the truck and replaced the tire. We were able to pile back in again in a few minutes...five minutes later, the spare blew as well. The driver called 'a friend' to take us the rest of the way. Up pulls the smallest pick up I have ever seen in my life (it only held 16 of us instead of 21).
After a while, we pulled up at our campsite area and it was GORGEOUS. The campsite is on the beach and comes complete with a bar. We had two hours of sun just after we arrived (the only 2 hours of the weekend), so we took advantage and went swimming (in hopefully bilharzia-free water). After dinner it rained steadily, but we were able to head to the hotel bar next door and enjoy a live band while ordering a few bevvies.....nice way to spend an evening.
At the campground, baboons and hyenas are frequently spotted...Regan and I did not see it, but Jules saw a baboon right in the campground - no hyenas this visit though.
In the morning, it was still pretty rainy, so we decided to pack up and head back to Salima to see what there was to do....now we know....there is nothing to do in Salima. We waited around at the bus station for hours, and were getting concerned about the bus ever coming. We decided to take a mini-bus back to Lilongwe, but I started to get cold feet as soon as I got on....to ice the cake, the driver loaded a pail of fish under the back seat (which we were sitting on). That was it for me, and we got off the mini-bus and decided to wait for the AXA bus after all. Then finally the bus came. There is enormous competition in order to get back on the bus to get back to Lilongwe, so elbows came into the situation. We got on, but had standing room - for 2 hours.
Still, all in all, a great first weekend away, and I look forward to many more to come!
I am trying to update flickr, will let you know if I am successful!

Further news...

Hi all!
Thanks for your supportive comments from my last post! Things are looking up - we are getting very close - ew have narrowed it down to three houses - two of which we saw on the first day (they really do look completely different now that we know what to expect)!
Anyways, we are waiting to hear about some crazy domino effect thing - someone in one of the houses we like is moving to another house, but aren't sure if the tenants at that house are ready to move out, and therefore don't know when the house we want is available....
Anyways, we had quite the adventure last night - we went over to Regan's new babysitting job (nope, that didn't take long!) - she will be looking after another volunteer's child after school - helping him to organize his room etc. Anyways, we settled down at Melissa and Shawn's (Melissa is another WUSC volunteer who works with Jules at the farmers union, and Shawn is her husband) after a frustrating day to have a couple of beers on the back patio - as the light began to fade, Melissa suggested we go to dinner. Transportation is a real issue if you don't have a car in Lilongwe (looking for one of those too - also an interesting process!), so we were debating the merits of calling 2 cabs, or trying to borrow a car from one of Melissa and Shawn's friends. Since they were able to locate a pick-up, we travelled in traditional Malawian style, loading into the back for the trip to the restaurant. We went to a place called Four Seasons (no connection to the hotel, but a nice collection of a couple restaurants, a bar and some shops). The grounds are truly incredible, with beautiful gardens and ponds. We dined outdoors and had superb meals - although the prices were high for Malawi, they were much less than in Canada, and the evening was relaxing and fun - time to enjoy the place and stop worrying about all the details!!!
When we went to go though, the pick-up wouldn't start. Shawn tried everything, but after 2 calls to the friend who lent the truck to us, he came out to help. First they thought the battery was gone, so hooked up jumper cables - this improved things somewhat, since we could then hear the truck turn over and sputter, but still no dice in getting the thing started. Then they suggested a rolling start, and that did the trick (second rolling start of the day for Jules and I!). The streets on the way home were eerily deserted and I was glad to make it to our guesthouse without stalling out again....all in all, the evening was terrific, including the car mishap as well as driving along with the wind whipping my hair in the back of the pick-up.
Tomorrow, we start out on a new adventure...off to the beach on the local bus - we are springing for the coach, hoping for additional speed as we heard mini-buses are long trips, as well as being dangerous. Again, wish us luck - will definately bring the camera, so hope to send some photos soon!!!
Thanks again for all your support - hopefully, next update, we may have an address.

Real estate in Lilongwe…

Sorry it's been a while since my last update - internet access is so limited, it is really frustrating. I can't believe I don't get internet at work (it is on 2 computers there, my boss's and his secretary's)! I get to use them, but since I have been out house hunting every lunch, I haven't had a chance - hopefully once we get settled, things will improve!!!

So an update on our jouney to find a house in Lilongwe.
We have been so unsuccessful, iot is a bit mind boggling…we found out that WUSC used to assist volunteers by finding homes but stopped as it caused the office here too much work. If it’s that hard for a local, I am not sure how tyhey expect a bunch of transplanted mzungus to do any better.
We have already toured a few disappointing houses so far, and today was really frustrating. It started when I picked up Heather (our future housemate (if we ever find a house, that is)) and drove downtown to see an agent. After calling him for directions (to the house, we thought), we went instead to his office. Our driver went up to talk to the agent, then came down and told us we needed to talk with him. We walked up to the third floor of a rickety building and entered the office, where we were told to take a seat (??). Anyways, he spoke with us about two ‘promising’ properties but then let us know we couldn’t view them until the afternoon. After totally wasting our time, we left and called a few houses from the paper. We saw a gorgeous house that was about a 45 min walk to the nearest transport (our driver told us we would definitely need a car while the real estate agent was saying, no, no, transport very close). And a tiny recently fumigated home (cockroaches EVERYWHERE) that was close to transport, but is a bit small for our needs, given that there are 4 of us.
In the afternoon – back to the morning agent, who we had to pick up (seems most agents don’t have their own transport, so you need to pick them up for them to show you around). He took us to the same cockroach house we’d already seen in the morning and then to a house that is double our price range, totally wasting our time again.
We are getting a bit down at this point, and the houses we toured last weekend that we found depressing are looking much better….
On a more positive note, we have met some nice people at our guesthouse and have had nice group dinners on the porch every evening as the day starts to cool down.Wish us luck – hope all is well with everyone in Canada!!!

Well, we are definately in the rainy season here in Malawi - our daily downpour is still going on, but we have camped out at the wireless-enabled restaurant/lodge just down the street from our (not as nice) guesthouse.
Our weekend has been pleasant - after being busy on Saturday, we intended to have a lzy Sunday...but ended up walking downtown to see if we coul dfind fabric for Regan's school uniform (they are out of them and we have to get one custom made!). Anywasy, we learned that most shops are closed on Sundays, but did find where the tailors and fabric are for later.
After a very long walk, we decided to fork out 500 kwatchas each to go in the pool at the lodge down the road (where I now sit), but the rains beat us, and it is no longer hot enough for us to part with the $10, so we just ordered food and a few kuche kuche's (local beer) and are using the free wireless we get as a result.
I am trying to upload an image, but no luck so far, so this might be blank also...
We were at the market both today and yesterday...it is totally great....yesterday for only $900 kwatcha ($6.50) we got a bottle of vinegar and 4 bottles of beer (from the groc store) and 11 mangoes, 2 avacoado, a bag of garlic, 6 carrots and 6 tomatoes.
The market is a busy place, full of friendly malawians and many mzungus (us).
Anyways - I was trying to upload an image (again) but no luck so far - eventually I will find a way to update flickr at least.

Hope all is well - talk to you soon!!!

Janna

Arrival in Lilongwe

Well, I am writing here from an internet cafe in Lilongwe, quite dissapointed that the blog I worked on in draft on our lap-top from the guesthouse is totally corrupted (and it was complete with photos too!). Anyways, to add a bit more detail to my original arrival email, our stopover in Dubai was fun...we slept well on the flight and were disappointed that we had booked a $245 hotel room (that we are only eligible to receive $125 remibursement for). Anyways, we went to the hotel and they were nice enough to cancel our booking. On the advice of the adventurous Regan, we headed for the taxi stand to go into town. The taxi area was beyond any concept you may have of crowded....we waited over an hour in line to get a cab. We ate at a very nice restaurant and took pictures of the Burj.
Back at the airport on time for our next flight, we boarded an Air Ethiopia plane to Addis Ababa - though the planes are older and the service not as nice as the Emirates flight, the journey was pleasant, and after a brief visit to the duty free, we were off again, and finally landed in Lilongwe.
We were greeted at the airport and had lots of helpful boys to assist with unloading our 11 checked bags (and all arrived, which we now know is a bit of a rarity).
Lilongwe is much more like many villages than a big city and is very lush and green.
Hopefully pics will follow later!

Now that we have been here for a few days, we are getting more of a feel for the city and have gone through our first mini-bus ride alone (the first was assisted). A mini-bus is like a dub van with 4 rows of seats and they don't move until there are at least 4 to a seat...much like the collectivos we rode in Mexico.

Anyways, we are off to buy some mangoes - apparently, you can get them for about 7 cents a piece!!!

ARRIVAL!!!

We have arrived, happy and safe in Malawi!
Our journey was long, but uneventful...
All I can say about Emirates as an airline is...WHAT AN ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM!

We were picked up at the airport and are staying at a guest lodge - pictures to come soon I hope!

'See you later' Bash

We were amazed and very touched by the number of people who came out to wish us well on our journey at our farewell gathering last night. We reserved the upstairs of a local pub, and had people dropping by all night. It was a wonderful opportunity to see all of the people in our lives in one spot.

My mom helped out by taking pictures...

Regan's closest friends came out to wish us well too.

My mom even managed to get someone else to play photographer so we could have a photo of here as well.

At the end of the night, the last few remaining guests somehow convinced us to head over to the local country bar to ride the bull - fortunately (actually, fortunately), the bull was out of action, and no bull-riding occurred.

Milestones...

So another big milestone was completed yesterday...my last day at work! Strangely, I didn't even cry once. Well, actually, when I was in early (desperately trying to clean off my disorganized desk), I wrote a few goodbye emails and completed a few last 'to-do's' and found myself tearing up a bit and feeling pretty fragile and thinking, whoa - I am going to be in for a hell of a day...but then it passed. The same thing happended when we moved out of the condo - no tears whatsoever! Partly I think it is because many of my close friends from work will be attending our 'See you later' bash tonight, so I will still be seeing them, but partly it is because this move feels so right.

Throughout the planning for the trip, I (and my patient, listening friends) have suffered through several different anxious phases - first concerned about health, then security, then Regan's school, length of our contracts, the flight etc - plus all the anxiety about how to take care of the condo, cats etc - but I have never really questioned going. I have wanted to do something like this for such a long time, and it just feels right.

So now we are getting more excited with each passing day! Everytime someone new sends me a link to their pictures of their own experiences in Malawi (many friends have managed to hook me up with people who have been there), I just can't believe we will get to live there!

Cat Custody...

In an update on our cats, despite initial worries about not finding a home for them at all (I even started looking into how to import them to Malawi), there ended up being a custody battle...now that we are so near to our departure, my mom decided she didn't want to let them go live with our friends, so 'the girls', as she refers to them, with be staying with their Gran.

In other news, we have confirmed our flight and will be flying Toronto-Dubai-Addis Ababa-Lilongwe...I only wish we were arriving at a better time in Dubai - not sure we will be able to really see much when we arrive at 7:45pm and take off at 4:45am...though I did confirm that our luggage will be checked all the way through despite changing airlines in Dubai.

We still need to make a few purchases, but everything is mostly under control...now the next hurdle will be finishing work - can't believe what I hope to accomplish in the next 2 days!!! Speaking of...I'd better get in there and get at it.

Step One - Complete

Well, we are now moved out of the condo!
It took us all weekend, including working through the night on Sunday until 7:15am Monday morning - brutal!
At any rate, we are now done and are living out of our 14 bags in my parents house.
We were pretty tired Monday (especially since we had to drive to Toronto that night for our last bout of innoculations), but got some sleep last night...still, I was tired today as well...takes longer than it used to to get past the all-nighters!
We had dinner with a fellow volunteer last night and I must say, every time we do things like that, this whole Malawi thing seems a little more real (I know, it should seem real by now, but sorry, that's just not the case). Anyways, I am getting more and more excited!!! In a week, I will be in Malawi!
On another note, our Nairobi, Kenya flight was re-routed, but now i am facing a 13 hour flight from Toronto to Dubai...yikes for the anxious traveller!

Three Cs

On the brighter side of things...we took care of the second C today....our three major concerns prior to leaving were our three Cs...our Condo, Cats and Car.

We have sublet the condo, and aren't overly concerned about the car - either it will sell or we will store it....whatever....but we were pretty concerned about a home for our dearly beloved cats.

Our first cat, Willow, who tends to be shy...

And our second cat, playful Clio....

Anyways, we had a very kind confirmation from a friend who will take care of them...so whatever happens with C number three, I don't care....the two most important things (well three I guess) are taken care of (though we will miss our kitties very much while we are away, it is very comforting to know they will have a good home).

Chicken...

OK, I am clearly not the experienced world-savvy adventurer I thought I was. I found out our flight information yesterday and we are being routed through Nairobi - with a 12 hour overnight layover. Due to the current political situation there, I am more than a little freaked out.When I expressed concerns, I got a blasé 'it will be fine' response from the organizers....wish I could be more blasé about it myself, but I must admit to being concerned...

At any rate, I asked if they could possibly re-route us, but it turns out they can't, so I am putting my faith in the very reputable airline (KLM), and assuming they wouldn't put us in danger!!! I also had a reassuring email from a friend in Nairobi who offered to take us around the city during our layover (I believe I will pass, but since she offered maybe the violence is localized?). At any rate - not for personal reasons, if you want to do something about the situation, there is a petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/kenya08/

Nayways, I am hoping the situation there improves for the sake of the people who are affected directly by the situation.

Confessions of 'stuff'

As I sit here, completing my annual holiday tradition of sucking back some wine and watching Bridget Jones' Diary, I am contemplating 'stuff'. To provide some background, I should let you know that our Malawi journey really started with the epihany I experienced when in Paris in May 2006. We travelled there due to a fortunate larger than expected tax return, and it just felt so right...I decided then and there that we needed to make some changes to travel more and provide more experiences for Regan. The first step was completing my degree (I had been pursuing it part time for over a decade) - by shortening to a three year degree, I was able to finish that very summer. Then came the selling of our beloved (but very work-heavy) 97 year old home, and the purchase of a lower maintenance condo (and we even managed to find one in a historical building!). Thanks to the clean up needed to sell our home, we ended up giving away approximately 75% of our 'stuff'. We decided to take an aggressive approach to not purchasing so much 'stuff' (this has been met with some sucess, though not a complete triumph, in the furnishing department). Despite my new eschewing of 'stuff' and the drastic decision to move our whole family to Malawi, I must admit to giving in to a bit of a 'stuff' craving today in our luggage purchase. After a well intentioned Sorry - Bridget is attending the 'smug married couples' dinner - really one of my fave scenes.... At any rate, after a well intentioned visit to purchase used luggage at Value Village, we visitied Zellers to compare (Value village did have one sad little suitcase).

At any rate, I can guarantee that these really did offer the maximum size luggage in the store for a very reasonable price.....right????

Oh...now for my absolute favorite line....'nice boys don't kiss like that' 'oh yes, we ^%$&^%do' (true).
OK - I put this line in anticipating my favorite line....and it didn't come!!! Censored for TV? Seriously???