It looks like it's time to revive this blog, and perhaps time for a name change, since we're going to Ghana! While Regan is in Turkey studying next semeseter, Jules and I will be heading to Accra with Uniterra again. I will be working with Child's Rights International and Jules will be working with the Ghana National Education Campaign Coalition.
We'll be leaving in September, but there's a lot to do between then and now...predeparture training, packing, organizing etc.
We'll keep you posted...we're so excited to be heading overseas again!
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
London
I have been trying to post something new about our trip and am not even sure where I left off, but internet is expensive in the hotel and during the day we are too busy soaking up the sights of London to stop at a cheaper cafe!
Anyways, to sum up quickly, we are on our last day here in London. We have really enjoyed the stopover here and have really tried to make the most of our five days.
We went to Kensington Gardens, Buckingham Palace, have taken the Jack the Ripper tour, stopped in numerous historic pubs and also eaten a fair amount of curry.
We rented a car on Monday and drove to Stonehenge (though it was FREEZING and rainy) and Bath (though we arrived just after the Roman baths closed). It was a good day for the car as we didn't really bring winter appropriate clothing with us!
Anyways, tomorrow we will be up at 5:30 am on the tube for the last leg of our journey home!!! We are excited to see everyone in Canada and can't wait until our arrival at 12:20pm tomorrow.
See you soon!!!
Anyways, to sum up quickly, we are on our last day here in London. We have really enjoyed the stopover here and have really tried to make the most of our five days.
We went to Kensington Gardens, Buckingham Palace, have taken the Jack the Ripper tour, stopped in numerous historic pubs and also eaten a fair amount of curry.
We rented a car on Monday and drove to Stonehenge (though it was FREEZING and rainy) and Bath (though we arrived just after the Roman baths closed). It was a good day for the car as we didn't really bring winter appropriate clothing with us!
Anyways, tomorrow we will be up at 5:30 am on the tube for the last leg of our journey home!!! We are excited to see everyone in Canada and can't wait until our arrival at 12:20pm tomorrow.
See you soon!!!
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Now in London...
But before that, let me bring you up to date on the rest of our trip!
On Feb 1 we journeyed to Vilanculos - the journey wasn't the smoothest and involved a half an hour on the back of a pick up, then a 20 minute 'ferry' ride on a diesel glugging old boat loaded up like a minibus...once we arrived in Maxixe, we boarded the slowest Chapa (minibus in Moz) in the world and the four hour trip ended up taking six hours.
We arranged snorkelling the next day, trying for a speedboad but ending up travelling to the reef by dhow. The company was good and the snorkelling was amazing. We also stopped at a huge sand dune that we climbed up - pictures are cool.
The next day we boarded a bus straight to Maputo (yay) as I wanted to celebrate my birthday there - it was a bit of a trying day though as the bus was over ten hours and had a small cockroach problem!
We remaned Feb 4 as my birthday and I was treated to a lovely breakfast and we went to a fancy restaurant for dinner. We really enjoy Maputos vibe but were unfortunately not able to find a great club to go to.
Friday, we travelled to London where we are cozied up in a little hotel...spent yesteday walking around and plan the same for today....it is COLD!
On Feb 1 we journeyed to Vilanculos - the journey wasn't the smoothest and involved a half an hour on the back of a pick up, then a 20 minute 'ferry' ride on a diesel glugging old boat loaded up like a minibus...once we arrived in Maxixe, we boarded the slowest Chapa (minibus in Moz) in the world and the four hour trip ended up taking six hours.
We arranged snorkelling the next day, trying for a speedboad but ending up travelling to the reef by dhow. The company was good and the snorkelling was amazing. We also stopped at a huge sand dune that we climbed up - pictures are cool.
The next day we boarded a bus straight to Maputo (yay) as I wanted to celebrate my birthday there - it was a bit of a trying day though as the bus was over ten hours and had a small cockroach problem!
We remaned Feb 4 as my birthday and I was treated to a lovely breakfast and we went to a fancy restaurant for dinner. We really enjoy Maputos vibe but were unfortunately not able to find a great club to go to.
Friday, we travelled to London where we are cozied up in a little hotel...spent yesteday walking around and plan the same for today....it is COLD!
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Whale Sharks
So yesterday we went hunting the elusive whale shark. Mozambique is quite unique to be hosting (i think) the only permanent resident whale shark population. The marine biologist said there are only about 1300 identified whale sharks in the world.
Anyways, it was a great day for it - sunny and clear and the ocean was relatively calm (though the sight of the large swells on a small craft made me wonder what it is like when it isn't!). The boat was refreshingly modern (especially compared to what we took for the dolphin tour in Tanzania).
We found and swam with two whale sharks...it was pretty amazing (admittedly I only went in the first time).
We are now heading tomorrow to Vilanculos...then back to Maputo for my birthday!
Anyways, it was a great day for it - sunny and clear and the ocean was relatively calm (though the sight of the large swells on a small craft made me wonder what it is like when it isn't!). The boat was refreshingly modern (especially compared to what we took for the dolphin tour in Tanzania).
We found and swam with two whale sharks...it was pretty amazing (admittedly I only went in the first time).
We are now heading tomorrow to Vilanculos...then back to Maputo for my birthday!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
The Arntz-Grays have left Malawi...
Well, it has been a while and this will be a short post (sorry!) as internet is crazy expensive here in Tofo, Mozambique.
We left Malawi tearfully on Sunday January 25th. The last three weeks were a blur that I will hopefully capture better a bit later and featured a fabulous goodbye party hosted by Heather, Patrick and Ellene as well as send-offs from CADECOM and FUM on the last Friday in Malawi. Saturday was a blur of visiting and being visited and endless re-packing.
Although we have left Malawi, we will be travelling for a few weeks before arriving in Canada. First we are spending a couple weeks in Mozambique, which has proved amazing so far - Maputo was loads of fun and we are now in Tofo soaking up the sun on the beach - we will be in the water tomorrow looking for whale sharks...wish us luck. After Mozambique we will be stopping over in London for a few days as we have never been there, then will be arriving back home on Feb 12th!!!
See you soon!!!!
We left Malawi tearfully on Sunday January 25th. The last three weeks were a blur that I will hopefully capture better a bit later and featured a fabulous goodbye party hosted by Heather, Patrick and Ellene as well as send-offs from CADECOM and FUM on the last Friday in Malawi. Saturday was a blur of visiting and being visited and endless re-packing.
Although we have left Malawi, we will be travelling for a few weeks before arriving in Canada. First we are spending a couple weeks in Mozambique, which has proved amazing so far - Maputo was loads of fun and we are now in Tofo soaking up the sun on the beach - we will be in the water tomorrow looking for whale sharks...wish us luck. After Mozambique we will be stopping over in London for a few days as we have never been there, then will be arriving back home on Feb 12th!!!
See you soon!!!!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Brian Cardy
I wanted to post my sincere condolences to the Cardys at this time.
Brian was a tremendous person and will be sorely missed by all of his friends and colleagues.
Being so far away from many of my friends and colleagues during this time is very difficult.
I am surrounded by many friends, but none who knew Brian and can share in stories and grieving.
Brian hired me when I was a lowly 16 with a half finished degree. He was willing to give me a chance and saw potential in me when I was perhaps not the strongest candidate on paper. That belief in me continued throughout my career in the Rural Investments Branch and deeply influenced my performance.
Through the chances and opportunities Brian offered, I grew as an employee and a person. He always supported me in my educational, career and personal goals. He was one of the first people to congratulate me when I was offered this opportunity to come to Africa, even though I would be leaving him. He has been such a supporter of Rural Development for so long, it never occurred to me that I could possibly come back to a workplace that did not include him.
Brian, you will be sorely missed. My thoughts are with your family.
Brian was a tremendous person and will be sorely missed by all of his friends and colleagues.
Being so far away from many of my friends and colleagues during this time is very difficult.
I am surrounded by many friends, but none who knew Brian and can share in stories and grieving.
Brian hired me when I was a lowly 16 with a half finished degree. He was willing to give me a chance and saw potential in me when I was perhaps not the strongest candidate on paper. That belief in me continued throughout my career in the Rural Investments Branch and deeply influenced my performance.
Through the chances and opportunities Brian offered, I grew as an employee and a person. He always supported me in my educational, career and personal goals. He was one of the first people to congratulate me when I was offered this opportunity to come to Africa, even though I would be leaving him. He has been such a supporter of Rural Development for so long, it never occurred to me that I could possibly come back to a workplace that did not include him.
Brian, you will be sorely missed. My thoughts are with your family.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Trip to Zanzibar! (finally)
So sorry to keep you waiting so long – I have been wanting really badly to get a blog off about our trip, but since we got back it has been a bit of a whirlwind!
Jules and I both submitted concept papers for an EU call for proposal and were both shortlisted to submit full proposals (with a 50 – 60% chance of full funding). Unfortunately due to the legal status of CADECOM, we were subsequently dis-invited, saving me a lot of work, but unfortunately missing the opportunity for funding.
Jules, however, did get to do his whole proposal, and it took pretty much all of our time to try and finish it for the deadline of 4:30 yesterday (I drove him to hand it in at 4:25 and took him directly out for beer afterwards). CONGRATULATIONS JULES!
So, back to our trip; on December 19, backpacks on, we left our house in Lilongwe and boarded the (bathroomless!) bus to Tanzania. The bus was pretty rough, I’m not gonna lie. It was incredibly bumpy (we had chosen seats in the back so all three of us could sit together – NEVER again!), my seat kept falling apart, we had an inexplicable 2 ½ hour wait at the border and it was way slower than expected. We pulled into a city at 10pm (the time people told me the bus would arrive in Dar despite being scheduled to arrive at 7pm) and grabbed all our stuff, only to have the guy beside us explain that we were in Morogoro, 200km and 3 hours away from Dar…I almost cried. Actually, I did well up. Anyways, at 1am (Dec. 21 by that point) we finally hopped of the bus and into a taxi to our hotel. Our stay was brief as we wanted to get to Stone Town on Zanzibar Island as early as possible, so we ate breakfast at 8 and headed down to the Ferry terminal.
At the Ferry terminal, we were overcome by touts trying to sell tickets – haven’t seen anything that bad since Egypt. Apparently they are also really bad in Arusha. The 1 ½ hour ferry took just over two hours – it was pretty rocky and I was a little uncomfortable as the cabin was sealed in and I felt some of my flight anxiety surfacing…then Regan felt a bit seasick, so we headed to the outside front deck and both of us felt immediately better.
Arriving in Stone Town, again accompanied by several touts, we made our way to Bandari Lodge, where we planned to spend the next three nights. Bandari was nice, the staff were good and there was even a TV with DSTV (shared) on the top floor! Stone town is really nice – narrow little alleys you can wander around in for hours/days. We did a lot of wandering and eventually ended up at the night fish market, where Jules ate spiced lobster on a stick and I had calamari. Regan had Zanzibari pizza, which would become our Stone Town staple from that point forward. Zanzibari pizza is a piece of dough, in which veggies are placed and then an egg is mixed in, along with a bit of mayo and cheese. The whole concoction is then fried. It is like an omelette with bread wrapped around it and it totally delicious (and at about $1.20, VERY affordable).
The next day, we did exactly that – wandered around, drank spiced coffee (delicious!) and met our friend Vi, who we hung out with on and off (our travel plans were slightly different but there were lots of places we crossed paths) for the rest of the trip. The next day we went on a spice tour and saw vanilla beans (and bought some – yum!), pepper, nutmeg, cardamom, and more.
After Stone Town, we headed to Jambiani for Christmas. Jambiani is on the east coast of Zanzibar, about a 1 ½ hour dalla dalla (the Zanzibar equivalent of the minibus) ride away. We arrived at Blue Oyster and our room looked gorgeous for Christmas eve. Swimming is only possible at high tide and isn’t the best, honestly – very seaweedy and a bit mushy on the ground, but the water is beautiful and the breeze comes off the Indian Ocean, so it is an amazing spot for beach reading and strolls.
Our hotel hosted a BBQ on Christmas eve and although it wasn’t exactly ‘Christmassy’, it was pretty magical. There were fires started in holes dug into the beach (so they didn’t blow out in the breeze), seafood on the BBQ as well as potatoes with garlic sour cream. The hotel had invited local villagers to come and sing and dance…tons of children from the village came and they were so excited! It really was an amazing night. After the BBQ, we headed back to our room for the traditional opening of the Christmas eve pyjamas. Regan was surprised to find custom made pyjamas made from Bingu chitenge fabric (Bingu is the current president and whenever he makes an appearance, women dressed in chitenges with his face all over them come out and dance for him).
While in Jambiani, we took a dolphin tour. In retrospect, the tour wasn’t really the most ecologically friendly so we feel a little bad about taking it. We went out into the ocean in a small motor boat to find the dolphins. We joined about four other boats in hot pursuit of a few pods of dolphins, with our captain yelling at us to get out of the boat when we got close (so we could swim with them). If we missed them or they turned unexpectedly, the captain would yell get back in, back in! Then Go! Go! Go! as soon as we were near the dolphins again…hardly relaxing and magical. But it was neat to swim with the dolphins. By the end there were about 9 boats all driving around (Regan got knocked by one and our boat hit another swimmer. We called it quits and headed back to the beach.
After Jambiani, we went back to Stone Town for one night before heading to Nungwi for New Years.
When we arrived in Nungwi, unfortunately our hotel had lost our reservation, but luckily a guy from the dalla dalla took us to a new place (in fact, the place wasn’t finished yet but they told us the beds would be finished by the evening) where we were able to secure a room. The beach was GORGEOUS (especially after we the poor swimming in Jambiani). We met up with a few more friends from Lilongwe and went for drinks at the beach bar that night. The next day we wandered down to Kendwa to hang out with Vi – the beach is just as gorgeous, but also WAY bigger than Nungwi. Great beach day! 
(Jules, our friend Christine from Blantyre and Regan on the way to Kendwa)
On New Years eve, unfortunately I ate some bad fish at lunch and was sick. However, everyone else had a great time – we attended a big party at Kendwa Rocks (where Vi was staying). There were tons of people (and by this time we had met up with MORE people from Lilongwe as Patrick and Ellene had arrived) and it was a great party – there were pretty amazing fireworks at midnight also.
January 1 found us back on the ferry (which was fine for me, but a bit rough for all the other people around who had been drinking on New Years eve) back to Dar Es Salaam. We found a Thai restaurant (no Thai food in Lilongwe) so that was pretty exciting, and then we went to an Irish pub. It wasn’t all that Irish-y, but it was a pub and it was on the water so we really enjoyed it.
Rather than taking the bus back, Patrick and Ellene kindly offered to drive us back. Initially we were a bit worried that the back of their Rav4 mini (meant for 2 people) would be uncomfortable, but after the bus experience, we were pretty sure that ANYTHING would be better. And it was. We were squished together, but the bumps were DEFINITELY more comfortable and it was nice to stop where and when we wanted to. We made it all the way to Mbeya (about 2 hours from the Malawi border) on the first day, then back to Lilongwe by 8pm on the second day.
We were exhausted, but also exhilarated by such a great trip. I can’t believe we will be on the road again in two more weeks!
Jules and I both submitted concept papers for an EU call for proposal and were both shortlisted to submit full proposals (with a 50 – 60% chance of full funding). Unfortunately due to the legal status of CADECOM, we were subsequently dis-invited, saving me a lot of work, but unfortunately missing the opportunity for funding.
Jules, however, did get to do his whole proposal, and it took pretty much all of our time to try and finish it for the deadline of 4:30 yesterday (I drove him to hand it in at 4:25 and took him directly out for beer afterwards). CONGRATULATIONS JULES!So, back to our trip; on December 19, backpacks on, we left our house in Lilongwe and boarded the (bathroomless!) bus to Tanzania. The bus was pretty rough, I’m not gonna lie. It was incredibly bumpy (we had chosen seats in the back so all three of us could sit together – NEVER again!), my seat kept falling apart, we had an inexplicable 2 ½ hour wait at the border and it was way slower than expected. We pulled into a city at 10pm (the time people told me the bus would arrive in Dar despite being scheduled to arrive at 7pm) and grabbed all our stuff, only to have the guy beside us explain that we were in Morogoro, 200km and 3 hours away from Dar…I almost cried. Actually, I did well up. Anyways, at 1am (Dec. 21 by that point) we finally hopped of the bus and into a taxi to our hotel. Our stay was brief as we wanted to get to Stone Town on Zanzibar Island as early as possible, so we ate breakfast at 8 and headed down to the Ferry terminal.
At the Ferry terminal, we were overcome by touts trying to sell tickets – haven’t seen anything that bad since Egypt. Apparently they are also really bad in Arusha. The 1 ½ hour ferry took just over two hours – it was pretty rocky and I was a little uncomfortable as the cabin was sealed in and I felt some of my flight anxiety surfacing…then Regan felt a bit seasick, so we headed to the outside front deck and both of us felt immediately better.
Arriving in Stone Town, again accompanied by several touts, we made our way to Bandari Lodge, where we planned to spend the next three nights. Bandari was nice, the staff were good and there was even a TV with DSTV (shared) on the top floor! Stone town is really nice – narrow little alleys you can wander around in for hours/days. We did a lot of wandering and eventually ended up at the night fish market, where Jules ate spiced lobster on a stick and I had calamari. Regan had Zanzibari pizza, which would become our Stone Town staple from that point forward. Zanzibari pizza is a piece of dough, in which veggies are placed and then an egg is mixed in, along with a bit of mayo and cheese. The whole concoction is then fried. It is like an omelette with bread wrapped around it and it totally delicious (and at about $1.20, VERY affordable).
The next day, we did exactly that – wandered around, drank spiced coffee (delicious!) and met our friend Vi, who we hung out with on and off (our travel plans were slightly different but there were lots of places we crossed paths) for the rest of the trip. The next day we went on a spice tour and saw vanilla beans (and bought some – yum!), pepper, nutmeg, cardamom, and more.After Stone Town, we headed to Jambiani for Christmas. Jambiani is on the east coast of Zanzibar, about a 1 ½ hour dalla dalla (the Zanzibar equivalent of the minibus) ride away. We arrived at Blue Oyster and our room looked gorgeous for Christmas eve. Swimming is only possible at high tide and isn’t the best, honestly – very seaweedy and a bit mushy on the ground, but the water is beautiful and the breeze comes off the Indian Ocean, so it is an amazing spot for beach reading and strolls.
Our hotel hosted a BBQ on Christmas eve and although it wasn’t exactly ‘Christmassy’, it was pretty magical. There were fires started in holes dug into the beach (so they didn’t blow out in the breeze), seafood on the BBQ as well as potatoes with garlic sour cream. The hotel had invited local villagers to come and sing and dance…tons of children from the village came and they were so excited! It really was an amazing night. After the BBQ, we headed back to our room for the traditional opening of the Christmas eve pyjamas. Regan was surprised to find custom made pyjamas made from Bingu chitenge fabric (Bingu is the current president and whenever he makes an appearance, women dressed in chitenges with his face all over them come out and dance for him).
While in Jambiani, we took a dolphin tour. In retrospect, the tour wasn’t really the most ecologically friendly so we feel a little bad about taking it. We went out into the ocean in a small motor boat to find the dolphins. We joined about four other boats in hot pursuit of a few pods of dolphins, with our captain yelling at us to get out of the boat when we got close (so we could swim with them). If we missed them or they turned unexpectedly, the captain would yell get back in, back in! Then Go! Go! Go! as soon as we were near the dolphins again…hardly relaxing and magical. But it was neat to swim with the dolphins. By the end there were about 9 boats all driving around (Regan got knocked by one and our boat hit another swimmer. We called it quits and headed back to the beach.
After Jambiani, we went back to Stone Town for one night before heading to Nungwi for New Years.
When we arrived in Nungwi, unfortunately our hotel had lost our reservation, but luckily a guy from the dalla dalla took us to a new place (in fact, the place wasn’t finished yet but they told us the beds would be finished by the evening) where we were able to secure a room. The beach was GORGEOUS (especially after we the poor swimming in Jambiani). We met up with a few more friends from Lilongwe and went for drinks at the beach bar that night. The next day we wandered down to Kendwa to hang out with Vi – the beach is just as gorgeous, but also WAY bigger than Nungwi. Great beach day!
(Jules, our friend Christine from Blantyre and Regan on the way to Kendwa)On New Years eve, unfortunately I ate some bad fish at lunch and was sick. However, everyone else had a great time – we attended a big party at Kendwa Rocks (where Vi was staying). There were tons of people (and by this time we had met up with MORE people from Lilongwe as Patrick and Ellene had arrived) and it was a great party – there were pretty amazing fireworks at midnight also.
January 1 found us back on the ferry (which was fine for me, but a bit rough for all the other people around who had been drinking on New Years eve) back to Dar Es Salaam. We found a Thai restaurant (no Thai food in Lilongwe) so that was pretty exciting, and then we went to an Irish pub. It wasn’t all that Irish-y, but it was a pub and it was on the water so we really enjoyed it.
Rather than taking the bus back, Patrick and Ellene kindly offered to drive us back. Initially we were a bit worried that the back of their Rav4 mini (meant for 2 people) would be uncomfortable, but after the bus experience, we were pretty sure that ANYTHING would be better. And it was. We were squished together, but the bumps were DEFINITELY more comfortable and it was nice to stop where and when we wanted to. We made it all the way to Mbeya (about 2 hours from the Malawi border) on the first day, then back to Lilongwe by 8pm on the second day.
We were exhausted, but also exhilarated by such a great trip. I can’t believe we will be on the road again in two more weeks!
Monday, December 22, 2008
Tanzanian Travels...
Well we are finally in Stone Town in Zanzibar!
The journey here was not for the faint of heart...30 hours of being beaten up by our bus (bumpy does not even come close to describing this experience), a 6 hour sleep in Dar, then 2 hour ferry over relatively rough ocean...and it is all worth it!
Delicious spiced coffee and great buildings here in Stone Town
Will try to write more later!
The journey here was not for the faint of heart...30 hours of being beaten up by our bus (bumpy does not even come close to describing this experience), a 6 hour sleep in Dar, then 2 hour ferry over relatively rough ocean...and it is all worth it!
Delicious spiced coffee and great buildings here in Stone Town
Will try to write more later!
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Second week of December
Time is now racing by at unbelievable speed....how did it get to be the second week of December? For that matter, is it actually Wednesday??? Halfway through the week I can't believe we have arrived at already???
We leave for Christmas vacation on December 19 - looking forward to the relaxation, snorkelling, beach time and spice tours we have planned for Zanzibar, but I am really feeling the pressure of the racing time.
Regan is desperate for cash, so she is helping me at work now that she has finished school, so her assistance is greatly appreciated. I have an ambitious plan, which, if executed smoothly, might actually enable me to finish everything by the 19th.
On other topics, our car is FINALLY fixed...yippee!!! Just in time to sell! Originally we were planning to sell in December, but now I think we will post the signs now and see if we can put a January availability date....so much to do before we go!
Since it is sunny and warm, there is no mall/coffee shop/store to listen to piped music in and there are no Christmas concerts and parties going on (though there is a party this weekend), it feels decidedly un-Christmassy, which I guess should have been expected. We are trying to remedy this situation tonight with a Christmas movie night at home...trying to think of what to cook to make it seem Christmassy this evening...any ideas?
We leave for Christmas vacation on December 19 - looking forward to the relaxation, snorkelling, beach time and spice tours we have planned for Zanzibar, but I am really feeling the pressure of the racing time.
Regan is desperate for cash, so she is helping me at work now that she has finished school, so her assistance is greatly appreciated. I have an ambitious plan, which, if executed smoothly, might actually enable me to finish everything by the 19th.
On other topics, our car is FINALLY fixed...yippee!!! Just in time to sell! Originally we were planning to sell in December, but now I think we will post the signs now and see if we can put a January availability date....so much to do before we go!
Since it is sunny and warm, there is no mall/coffee shop/store to listen to piped music in and there are no Christmas concerts and parties going on (though there is a party this weekend), it feels decidedly un-Christmassy, which I guess should have been expected. We are trying to remedy this situation tonight with a Christmas movie night at home...trying to think of what to cook to make it seem Christmassy this evening...any ideas?
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Updates
NOTE - JUST REALIZED THIS NEVER POSTED...WAS SUPPOSED TO POST DEC 2
Just wanted to post somethig quickly since it has been a while...
I have been travelling a lot in the last month and will continue to do so for a bit more time...I am doing follow up training for all of the staff that attended my first M&E workshop back in August in Zomba. First up was Mzuzu, way back in the first week of November. After that, I was in Kasungu, not for the follow up training but for my second workshop, this one on Participatory M&E. During the third week of November, I went to Dedza and last week I ended up going to Blantyre and Zomba. So this week I will be travelling to Mangochi Thursday and Friday and Jules and Regan and some friends will be joining me there on Friday evening for a much needed weekend of relaxation on the beach.
Our car is still not fixed...the saga continues! First the story was that it was just the engine...the engine was fixed while we were in Cape Town. Then it was the gear box...and noone in Lilongwe (or Malawi actually) had the part. We had part suppliers looking in South Africa and Mozambique for the stupid thing....eventually (two weeks ago) someone found the part, so we agreed that the mechanic should come to our place and look at the car. Apparently we have engaged the services of the famous dissappearing mechanic. He does occasionally answer his phone (maybe once a week) and when he does, he promises to come and then doesn't show. Eventually he did come and take the part - now we are trying to see how he is doing....anyways, eventually we hope it may work again...my initial optimism definately suffered a setback.
On the 20th and 21st of November we went away for the weekend without a car...it was a fun-filled trip featuring HOURS on the minibus and a 4k walk in the heat, but eventually we arrived at Nkhotakota Pottery and Lodge. I can highly recommend the food and the accommodation was nice, the beach gorgeous, but DO NOT go there without a car! It is 4km off the road and then they charge extortionate prices just to get to the road (not even the closest town!).
Thats all for now...will try to keep posting - lately things have just been crazy. Even though we won't be back to Canada until February, our last day of work will be more like Jan 22, so we are both working at a crazy pace to try and finish up work from our mandates.
Just wanted to post somethig quickly since it has been a while...
I have been travelling a lot in the last month and will continue to do so for a bit more time...I am doing follow up training for all of the staff that attended my first M&E workshop back in August in Zomba. First up was Mzuzu, way back in the first week of November. After that, I was in Kasungu, not for the follow up training but for my second workshop, this one on Participatory M&E. During the third week of November, I went to Dedza and last week I ended up going to Blantyre and Zomba. So this week I will be travelling to Mangochi Thursday and Friday and Jules and Regan and some friends will be joining me there on Friday evening for a much needed weekend of relaxation on the beach.
Our car is still not fixed...the saga continues! First the story was that it was just the engine...the engine was fixed while we were in Cape Town. Then it was the gear box...and noone in Lilongwe (or Malawi actually) had the part. We had part suppliers looking in South Africa and Mozambique for the stupid thing....eventually (two weeks ago) someone found the part, so we agreed that the mechanic should come to our place and look at the car. Apparently we have engaged the services of the famous dissappearing mechanic. He does occasionally answer his phone (maybe once a week) and when he does, he promises to come and then doesn't show. Eventually he did come and take the part - now we are trying to see how he is doing....anyways, eventually we hope it may work again...my initial optimism definately suffered a setback.
On the 20th and 21st of November we went away for the weekend without a car...it was a fun-filled trip featuring HOURS on the minibus and a 4k walk in the heat, but eventually we arrived at Nkhotakota Pottery and Lodge. I can highly recommend the food and the accommodation was nice, the beach gorgeous, but DO NOT go there without a car! It is 4km off the road and then they charge extortionate prices just to get to the road (not even the closest town!).
Thats all for now...will try to keep posting - lately things have just been crazy. Even though we won't be back to Canada until February, our last day of work will be more like Jan 22, so we are both working at a crazy pace to try and finish up work from our mandates.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Car Rally
So the weekend after my last post...
On November 7th, our friends (we refer to them collectively as 'the pilots') had a goodbye braai, since they are leaving Malawi. Since they are an entire house of all boys, I must confess that we actually ate before going as a precautionary measure - what a mistake. Two of the pilots had their parents there and the food was fantastic. Jules and I made the mistake of going out after the braai (which ended at 2am) and went dancing at Synergy. My only comment is...it seemed like a good idea at the time.
At 11am on Saturday we were up and ready for Claire's car rally (organized for our friend Garry's birthday). The idea is that it is sort of a scavenger hunt, but in a car....and Lilongwe offers a lot of interesting challenges...
The highlights:
Regan had to sell bananas with a banana seller
We had to get a photo with each member holding a live chicken
Jules shaved his head for an extra 65 points!
The team in a mini-bus with one team member as the driver (well, she is 16 now!)
(and Jules is yelling 'town, town' and banging on the side of the bus) 
The entire team had to switch clothing with each other - Heather and I switched, Terri is wearing Regan's outfit, Jules is wearing Terri's and Regan is wearing Jules's...
Anyways, the whole day was a total riot and in the end, team HAG-Q (the normal AGQ household augmented by Terri Hancock) won! Half the winnings were donated to charity, so we chose to give the money to MacDonald's family (MacDonald worked with WUSC Malawi and passed away in July at 29 leaving behind his wife and two small children).
Later in the evening we returned to Claire's for Garry's birthday party, but the AGQs were so wiped out by the hectic day (and the late night before) that we didn't last long.
Sunday featured lots of relaxation (and work for me) and recovery.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Whoa...
NOTE THIS WAS WRITTEN A FULL ON WEEK AGO AND NOT POSTED DUE TO TECHNICAL ISSUES...
Don't know how almost three weeks has gone by since I last blogged...have been in a work-obsessed fog....may be emerging some time soon depending on how this week goes.
Anyways, back to Oct 23 - Jules's pub night was a great success...we deep fried mars bars, cheese, zuchini, onions, tasty soya pieces and I think a few other things...most of our friends were able to make it and we had a great time.
Our car is still in a non-mobile state...apparently the gear box is totally wrecked and there are no automatic gear boxes in Malawi - we have sources looking in Mozambique and South Africa, but no luck so far! We now have to decide if we should replace the automatic gear box with a standard one but I am worried about it affecting the resale value - any comments on this one? We are mechanical idiots so no idea what we should do about it.
October 30 was a momentous occasion - Regan turned 16! We had a double celebration planned - dinner out on her actual birthday - it was really nice. On November 1, we hosted a party at our place with a DJ and tons of roasted meat (very Malawian). Most of Regan's friends from school were able to make it and the teens had the run of the house and front yard while we hid out in the back with some friends, doing occasional walk-throughs to ensure we provided some level of supervision. I think I can say that it was an unqualified success.
Last week from Monday to Wednesday I was working in Mzuzu doing follow up from my M&E workshop. I was scheduled to do the same thing in Lilongwe on Thursday and Friday, but only made it on Friday. On Thursday I attended my first funeral in Malawi - for my friend and co-worker Chris's dad. He was ill for some time and finally diagnosed with lung cancer. It was sad, but not unexpected. The funeral was in Chris's home village and was an interesting experience.
We were very late in arriving - we were supposed to take a mini-bus but somehow it left without us. Luckily we were able to catch a ride with the Health Secretary who had a meeting first...however we were quite late in leaving. In addition we got totally lost on the way, so arrived at 12:30 when the mass was supposed to start at 10. Being a popular family there were many many people there to pay their respects, so in fact, the mass didn't even start until 1:30 or so. We had some food, then listened to people make speeches and then headed to the church for mass. There were so many people we wouldn't fit in the church so we sat on the ground outside. The mass was all in chichewa, so no details about what was said...sorry! After mass, people accompany the body to the graveyard...my colleagues were in a hurry to get home at that point, so we just left after the mass.
This past weekend was relatively eventful but deserves its own blog...more later
Don't know how almost three weeks has gone by since I last blogged...have been in a work-obsessed fog....may be emerging some time soon depending on how this week goes.
Anyways, back to Oct 23 - Jules's pub night was a great success...we deep fried mars bars, cheese, zuchini, onions, tasty soya pieces and I think a few other things...most of our friends were able to make it and we had a great time.
Our car is still in a non-mobile state...apparently the gear box is totally wrecked and there are no automatic gear boxes in Malawi - we have sources looking in Mozambique and South Africa, but no luck so far! We now have to decide if we should replace the automatic gear box with a standard one but I am worried about it affecting the resale value - any comments on this one? We are mechanical idiots so no idea what we should do about it.
October 30 was a momentous occasion - Regan turned 16! We had a double celebration planned - dinner out on her actual birthday - it was really nice. On November 1, we hosted a party at our place with a DJ and tons of roasted meat (very Malawian). Most of Regan's friends from school were able to make it and the teens had the run of the house and front yard while we hid out in the back with some friends, doing occasional walk-throughs to ensure we provided some level of supervision. I think I can say that it was an unqualified success.
Last week from Monday to Wednesday I was working in Mzuzu doing follow up from my M&E workshop. I was scheduled to do the same thing in Lilongwe on Thursday and Friday, but only made it on Friday. On Thursday I attended my first funeral in Malawi - for my friend and co-worker Chris's dad. He was ill for some time and finally diagnosed with lung cancer. It was sad, but not unexpected. The funeral was in Chris's home village and was an interesting experience.
We were very late in arriving - we were supposed to take a mini-bus but somehow it left without us. Luckily we were able to catch a ride with the Health Secretary who had a meeting first...however we were quite late in leaving. In addition we got totally lost on the way, so arrived at 12:30 when the mass was supposed to start at 10. Being a popular family there were many many people there to pay their respects, so in fact, the mass didn't even start until 1:30 or so. We had some food, then listened to people make speeches and then headed to the church for mass. There were so many people we wouldn't fit in the church so we sat on the ground outside. The mass was all in chichewa, so no details about what was said...sorry! After mass, people accompany the body to the graveyard...my colleagues were in a hurry to get home at that point, so we just left after the mass.
This past weekend was relatively eventful but deserves its own blog...more later
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Pub Night Tonight!
So since we went AWOL last week we rescheduled Jules's birthday pub night to tonight...I am pretty excited as it has been a while since we have had company and I do love to entertain.
The plan is for people to bring drinks or food that you would find in a pub, so I made chicken wings this morning and will be firing up a big pot of oil to deep fry everything in sight tonight...
In other news, both Jules and I are heavily back into work...I know we still have three months left but it just feels like time is FLYING by and I can't believe how fast everything is going. My next main challenge is to complete the draft of the M&E Framework for my organization - I have lots of ideas, but as usual, big tasks where you have to start from scratch really throw me for a loop...I have lots of ideas of what should be included and how things should work, but just need to sit down and pull it all together.
I am getting some research done while in the office, but I think this task is going to call for a full on weekend of immersion in work, the method I employed in pulling my workshop together...so even though the weather is great I have big plans to hole up on the weekend at home and just get it done. Part of the pressure is self-induced as I couldn't change my workplan to accommodate the extra week of vacation so the three weeks I left aside for drafting the framework shrunk to two. In addition, I am TERRIBLE at saying no to assisting my colleagues, so I have difficulty getting much done while in the office, as it is easy, fun and rewarding to assist them when they need it.
With the car still out for the count and no sign of when it might be operational again, we have returned to the car-less life we had before...it's not all that bad really, but things just take a lot of time...and dropping Regan anywhere can be a chore since we don't feel comfortable with her taking a cab on her own, so we have to get the driver to drive out and back everytime.
Luckily, my work has been accommodating and I am leaving early today so I can walk to pick up last minute items we need for the party - with the amount of hours I will be putting in this weekend, I don't need to worry about making up the time!!!
Anyways, wish me luck with the framework, as well as with my entertainment plans for tonight!!!
The plan is for people to bring drinks or food that you would find in a pub, so I made chicken wings this morning and will be firing up a big pot of oil to deep fry everything in sight tonight...
In other news, both Jules and I are heavily back into work...I know we still have three months left but it just feels like time is FLYING by and I can't believe how fast everything is going. My next main challenge is to complete the draft of the M&E Framework for my organization - I have lots of ideas, but as usual, big tasks where you have to start from scratch really throw me for a loop...I have lots of ideas of what should be included and how things should work, but just need to sit down and pull it all together.
I am getting some research done while in the office, but I think this task is going to call for a full on weekend of immersion in work, the method I employed in pulling my workshop together...so even though the weather is great I have big plans to hole up on the weekend at home and just get it done. Part of the pressure is self-induced as I couldn't change my workplan to accommodate the extra week of vacation so the three weeks I left aside for drafting the framework shrunk to two. In addition, I am TERRIBLE at saying no to assisting my colleagues, so I have difficulty getting much done while in the office, as it is easy, fun and rewarding to assist them when they need it.
With the car still out for the count and no sign of when it might be operational again, we have returned to the car-less life we had before...it's not all that bad really, but things just take a lot of time...and dropping Regan anywhere can be a chore since we don't feel comfortable with her taking a cab on her own, so we have to get the driver to drive out and back everytime.
Luckily, my work has been accommodating and I am leaving early today so I can walk to pick up last minute items we need for the party - with the amount of hours I will be putting in this weekend, I don't need to worry about making up the time!!!
Anyways, wish me luck with the framework, as well as with my entertainment plans for tonight!!!
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Back in Malawi!!
We are finally back into our normal lives here in Lilongwe after a fabulous trip to Cape Town.
I can't believe how much the time spent in Lilongwe influenced our vacation plan!
I don't think I would normally even deign to GO to a mall while on vacation (Edmonton Mall excepted because it is pretty much the only tourist destination there (just kidding edmontonians!)). Anyways, how that changed in Cape Town!!!
We arrived on Sunday night and spent the first two nights at Ashanti Backpackers. It was clean and the beds were comfy. If you are not in a party mood, I wouldn't recommend staying there on a weekend, but the Sunday and Monday nights we spent there were fairly quiet.
On Monday, I went for an early explore and had one of the best cups of coffee I have had in MONTHS at a place called Arnolds, where we later returned for breakfast before heading to our number one destination THE MALL.
We went to Canal Walk, arriving only 20 min after opening (and only that late as we got lost), and headed directly to Cinn-a-bonn....heavenly. We then took in some shopping - Regan was pretty excited about that part of the trip! We then scoped out the movie theatre and decided to see one of the first showings at 12....we went to see Tropic Thunder - I have to say, it was pretty funny. After the movie, we went to my new favorite restaurant, the Cape Town Fish Market (it is actually a chain) - it was DELICIOUS....and so nice to have so much selection!!! This was followed by more shopping and then we went to see another movie at 7 - Jules saw the Dark Knight while Regan and I chose House Bunny (better than it sounds).
We actually left the mall after 9, having been there for the entire day and for almost 12 hours.
It was fabulous. I feel like I should be writing some heartfelt post about how much waste goes into a mall like that, but I am sorry to say it was just so nice to be there, I didn't feel that way (then). After the whole week away, those thoughts definately crept in.
The second day was supposed to be sightseeing, as we romped up and down Long Street - we went to the Slave Lodge - very emotional experience. We also did some more shopping and ended up finding a great pub (what we have been SO missing) called the Dubliner - the food and KILKENNY were great.
On Wednesday we planned to go to Robben Island, but the tours were completely booked and we were unable to go. We spent the day by the waterfront - it wasn't what I expected, more or less another giant mall, but it was nice. Regan nosed out the Hagen Daas store (delicious!) and we had lunch at Belthezar (known for its wine menu). The food was excellent, but the service and therefore the whole overall experience, was not as nice as the fish market.
On Tuesday we had moved from the Backpackers into the Ritz for a few nights in luxury. Unfortunately the pool was broken, no air-con was available and although they did have satellite, it didn't have So You Think You Can Dance - but they let us watch in the Executive lounge, so we didn't miss it (whew!).
On Thursday, we had booked an eco-friendly bike tour of the wine regions. To get to the wine region, you meet your guide downtown and then take a train. We met the guide, but then Jules ran to change some money and disappeared! We missed the train and the guide was getting worried...Regan and I were also completely freaked out by the time Jules returned almost 20 min later! Glad to have him back safe at any rate, I guess he was held up by a teller that took his passport and then disappeared into a back room and didn't come out again. Forsaking the eco-friendly train, the guide agreed we should just drive out to the region with him, so that is what we did. The wine tour was great - tastings were plentiful and it was SO nice to ride a decent bike again! The day was gorgeous and warm (up until Thursday, the weather had actually been quite chilly) and our guide was really helpful. Since we had driven, he recommended a scenic drive on the way home that was spectacular - taking us up to Gordon's Bay before returning to Cape Town and having dinner at a THAI restaurant (we have two chinese restaurants here and that is the extent of the asian selection in Lilongwe) called Yindees...it was delicious.
On Friday, we did the 'Cape Drive', driving most of the way around the southern cape...again, a ride loaded with amazing views. We stopped at Boulder Beach to see the famous Penguin colony, but unfortunately for us, penguins were not out for some reason, though we did view two poor little guys huddled up against a rock.
We also stopped for a little beach time - the waters are supposed to be a bit warmer than the freezing Atlantic waters closer to Cape Town - but 'bit' would definately be the operative word - it was pretty chilly! We ended the day by going back to the waterfront to go to the famous Mitchells pub, where they brew their own beer....and then went to movie #3 (My Best Friends Girl for Regan and I and an action flick for Jules).
On Saturday, we packed up our stuff and checked out of our hotel and then double checked the time on our tickets, realizing only then that we had in fact bought tickets leaving Sunday, not Saturday. Two hours of confusion and phone calls later, we finally managed to let everyone know that we would be back a day later than planned...unfortunately it wasn't really possible to change our tickets. We spent the afternoon in Clifton hanging on the beach. It was the first really hot day we had experienced in Cape Town, so it was a perfect day for it - it was even hot enough that we ventured into the freezing Atlantic for a dip. Although cold, the beaches in Cape Town are spectacularly gorgeous. We ate a late lunch at Wang Thai for a second taste of Thai food (I have to say, it was even better than Yindees). It was a great day lounging around in the sun. To save money, we booked into another backpackers, Cape Town Backpackers. It was nice and in a good location, but the blankets were a bit mildewy smelling...
We returned to the Dubliner for a late pub dinner, which was a great place to spend the last day.
Sunday morning we spent a few hours in the lodge while Regan studied and then returned to the Canal Walk mall for some last minute purchases and to sneak in another movie....The Love Guru - Mike Myers - cute, but I would have to say that I would rate the movies we say from best to worst in the exact order we saw them.
We arrived at the airport really early since we had to return the rental car (Budget - amazing, and SUCH a good deal!), and report that our jack knives were stolen from our luggage (only mishap of the trip besides Jules's brief dissapearing act). The check in guy laughed at us for being so early.
We flew Sunday night from Cape Town to Joburg, spent the night at another backpackers - Shoestring Airport Lodge - great value for money, and then from Joburg to Lilongwe on Monday (yesterday).
We were tired but refreshed after a fabulous trip and a nice break from reality....now....back to work!!!
Anyways
I can't believe how much the time spent in Lilongwe influenced our vacation plan!
I don't think I would normally even deign to GO to a mall while on vacation (Edmonton Mall excepted because it is pretty much the only tourist destination there (just kidding edmontonians!)). Anyways, how that changed in Cape Town!!!
We arrived on Sunday night and spent the first two nights at Ashanti Backpackers. It was clean and the beds were comfy. If you are not in a party mood, I wouldn't recommend staying there on a weekend, but the Sunday and Monday nights we spent there were fairly quiet.
On Monday, I went for an early explore and had one of the best cups of coffee I have had in MONTHS at a place called Arnolds, where we later returned for breakfast before heading to our number one destination THE MALL.
We went to Canal Walk, arriving only 20 min after opening (and only that late as we got lost), and headed directly to Cinn-a-bonn....heavenly. We then took in some shopping - Regan was pretty excited about that part of the trip! We then scoped out the movie theatre and decided to see one of the first showings at 12....we went to see Tropic Thunder - I have to say, it was pretty funny. After the movie, we went to my new favorite restaurant, the Cape Town Fish Market (it is actually a chain) - it was DELICIOUS....and so nice to have so much selection!!! This was followed by more shopping and then we went to see another movie at 7 - Jules saw the Dark Knight while Regan and I chose House Bunny (better than it sounds).
We actually left the mall after 9, having been there for the entire day and for almost 12 hours.
It was fabulous. I feel like I should be writing some heartfelt post about how much waste goes into a mall like that, but I am sorry to say it was just so nice to be there, I didn't feel that way (then). After the whole week away, those thoughts definately crept in.
The second day was supposed to be sightseeing, as we romped up and down Long Street - we went to the Slave Lodge - very emotional experience. We also did some more shopping and ended up finding a great pub (what we have been SO missing) called the Dubliner - the food and KILKENNY were great.
On Wednesday we planned to go to Robben Island, but the tours were completely booked and we were unable to go. We spent the day by the waterfront - it wasn't what I expected, more or less another giant mall, but it was nice. Regan nosed out the Hagen Daas store (delicious!) and we had lunch at Belthezar (known for its wine menu). The food was excellent, but the service and therefore the whole overall experience, was not as nice as the fish market.
On Tuesday we had moved from the Backpackers into the Ritz for a few nights in luxury. Unfortunately the pool was broken, no air-con was available and although they did have satellite, it didn't have So You Think You Can Dance - but they let us watch in the Executive lounge, so we didn't miss it (whew!).
On Thursday, we had booked an eco-friendly bike tour of the wine regions. To get to the wine region, you meet your guide downtown and then take a train. We met the guide, but then Jules ran to change some money and disappeared! We missed the train and the guide was getting worried...Regan and I were also completely freaked out by the time Jules returned almost 20 min later! Glad to have him back safe at any rate, I guess he was held up by a teller that took his passport and then disappeared into a back room and didn't come out again. Forsaking the eco-friendly train, the guide agreed we should just drive out to the region with him, so that is what we did. The wine tour was great - tastings were plentiful and it was SO nice to ride a decent bike again! The day was gorgeous and warm (up until Thursday, the weather had actually been quite chilly) and our guide was really helpful. Since we had driven, he recommended a scenic drive on the way home that was spectacular - taking us up to Gordon's Bay before returning to Cape Town and having dinner at a THAI restaurant (we have two chinese restaurants here and that is the extent of the asian selection in Lilongwe) called Yindees...it was delicious.
On Friday, we did the 'Cape Drive', driving most of the way around the southern cape...again, a ride loaded with amazing views. We stopped at Boulder Beach to see the famous Penguin colony, but unfortunately for us, penguins were not out for some reason, though we did view two poor little guys huddled up against a rock.
We also stopped for a little beach time - the waters are supposed to be a bit warmer than the freezing Atlantic waters closer to Cape Town - but 'bit' would definately be the operative word - it was pretty chilly! We ended the day by going back to the waterfront to go to the famous Mitchells pub, where they brew their own beer....and then went to movie #3 (My Best Friends Girl for Regan and I and an action flick for Jules).
On Saturday, we packed up our stuff and checked out of our hotel and then double checked the time on our tickets, realizing only then that we had in fact bought tickets leaving Sunday, not Saturday. Two hours of confusion and phone calls later, we finally managed to let everyone know that we would be back a day later than planned...unfortunately it wasn't really possible to change our tickets. We spent the afternoon in Clifton hanging on the beach. It was the first really hot day we had experienced in Cape Town, so it was a perfect day for it - it was even hot enough that we ventured into the freezing Atlantic for a dip. Although cold, the beaches in Cape Town are spectacularly gorgeous. We ate a late lunch at Wang Thai for a second taste of Thai food (I have to say, it was even better than Yindees). It was a great day lounging around in the sun. To save money, we booked into another backpackers, Cape Town Backpackers. It was nice and in a good location, but the blankets were a bit mildewy smelling...
We returned to the Dubliner for a late pub dinner, which was a great place to spend the last day.
Sunday morning we spent a few hours in the lodge while Regan studied and then returned to the Canal Walk mall for some last minute purchases and to sneak in another movie....The Love Guru - Mike Myers - cute, but I would have to say that I would rate the movies we say from best to worst in the exact order we saw them.
We arrived at the airport really early since we had to return the rental car (Budget - amazing, and SUCH a good deal!), and report that our jack knives were stolen from our luggage (only mishap of the trip besides Jules's brief dissapearing act). The check in guy laughed at us for being so early.
We flew Sunday night from Cape Town to Joburg, spent the night at another backpackers - Shoestring Airport Lodge - great value for money, and then from Joburg to Lilongwe on Monday (yesterday).
We were tired but refreshed after a fabulous trip and a nice break from reality....now....back to work!!!
Anyways
Monday, October 13, 2008
Quick update!
And I mean quick! I have 4 min left of this session!
OK - our trip started out really nicely - we flew to Cape Town on SAA. I wasn't experiencing anxiety before the flight (most of you know I HATE flying), so decided that maybe I was miraulously cured and didn't take my medication....BIG mistake. The first half hour of the flight was terribly unpleasant (only to me) while I waited for the pill I took after take off to kick in.
Anyways, Cape Town is lovely and we are staying at a backpackers hostel now but moving to a hotel tonight.
I will provide more details when not so rushed - but I can report that the showers I took yesterday morning and today were pretty much worth the price of the flight....
OK - our trip started out really nicely - we flew to Cape Town on SAA. I wasn't experiencing anxiety before the flight (most of you know I HATE flying), so decided that maybe I was miraulously cured and didn't take my medication....BIG mistake. The first half hour of the flight was terribly unpleasant (only to me) while I waited for the pill I took after take off to kick in.
Anyways, Cape Town is lovely and we are staying at a backpackers hostel now but moving to a hotel tonight.
I will provide more details when not so rushed - but I can report that the showers I took yesterday morning and today were pretty much worth the price of the flight....
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Cape Town here we come!
So we booked a last minute trip to Cape Town for this week and we leave this afternoon!
We are really looking forward to seeing a movie...and going to a Thai restaurant...and shopping in a mall...and airconditioned hotels...and...
Also, we are excited to be doing some sight seeing in Cape Town - everyone who has been there has told us how gorgeous it is!
Anyways - will try to update the blog while we are away if I get the chance - otherwise, I will post all about the trip when I return to Lilongwe Oct 19th.
Yippeeeee...........
We are really looking forward to seeing a movie...and going to a Thai restaurant...and shopping in a mall...and airconditioned hotels...and...
Also, we are excited to be doing some sight seeing in Cape Town - everyone who has been there has told us how gorgeous it is!
Anyways - will try to update the blog while we are away if I get the chance - otherwise, I will post all about the trip when I return to Lilongwe Oct 19th.
Yippeeeee...........
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Changes....
So last time I updated, I indicated that I would be at the lake, in Senga Bay for the next 11 days.
Apparently not.
We arrived in Senga Bay in the evening on Tuesday Sept. 30. The meeting that was supposed to start at 2pm started instead around 5, so I got to my hotel room around 7pm. The hotel I stayed at is called Horizons, and was really quite nice - very clean and new....though the ceiling fan didn't really make a dent in the muggy heat.
For some reason, it is much hotter by the lake than it is in Lilongwe (which makes for a great weekend there, but isn't so nice for a conference or training). Anyways, our participants were a bit sluggish in the hot conditions (no air-con or fans), but the conference went well. On Thursday we started wondering if the facility was really the best for the upcoming week, since it was so hot and most of our lunches and breaks were an hour (or more!) later than scheduled.
So at the last minute, the conference for this week was moved to Zomba, where it should be much cooler - in fact it is the same venue we used for my M&E workshop.
So instead of staying at the beach, the plan was that I should return to Lilongwe after camping with Jules and Regan and on Sunday afternoon drive to Zomba.
Heather was also in Senga Bay, so when we were both done our workshops early Friday afternoon we headed to Livingstonia beach to sit by the pool and relax until the rest of our camping group arrived.
Jules, Regan and Terri finally arrived just after dark, and we set our tent up and went out for dinner. The next morning was beautifully warm and we were up early reading books on the lounge chairs. We camped at a place called Cool Runnings, and I would definately return there - the grass for the tents was nice and soft and the prices were reasonable and facilities quite nice.
On Saturday morning, we were joined by more friends, Carmen and Francesco, and in the afternoon, Bryce (my volleyball captain) and Marie arrived. After an afternoon in the sun, we dragged ourselves up and made a delicious BBQ meal - baked potatoes, salad and steaks...it took a while to finish everything up at the same time, but it was well worth the wait!
Sunday morning was relaxing - more reading on the lounge chairs for me and Regan and a sleep in for Jules. We left at around 1 for Lilongwe, as I was supposed to meet my colleagues at 2:30. Alas, it was not to be, as the Arntz-Gray mobile decided to break down completely on the side of the road about 35 km from Lilongwe. Thank goodness for the help of friends!!! Carmen and Fran and Bryce were about an hour behind us, so Jules and I played yahtzee on the side of the road (to the delight of an audience of about 10 children), while Regan and Heather read and slept in the car. Fran is a mechanic and was able to tell us it didn't look good. A few minutes later, Bryce pulled over, just as Fran was saying 'It's too bad we don't have a tow rope', and guess what? Bryce had one.
We made an interesting caravan back to Lilongwe, Jules steering our Pajero while being towed behind Bryce, with the rest of us piled into the back of Carmen and Fran's pick up. We all made it home at least, though unfortunately Bryce's tow rope broke at the last minute (only 3 blocks from our house!). We tied it up and made it home in the end....but the engine needs a total overhaul, so we are back to the tight budget we experienced in September again - except this time, it will last for TWO more months....ah well, such is life!
Needless to say, I missed my ride to Zomba with my colleagues, but one co-worker has a father that is quite ill, so he ended up staying in Lilongwe also and will be driving up to Zomba tonight, so he has saved me from a 6 hour mini-bus ride.
Of course, that is if things go as planned....apparently we might leave tomorrow...
Life here just keeps you guessing!
Apparently not.
We arrived in Senga Bay in the evening on Tuesday Sept. 30. The meeting that was supposed to start at 2pm started instead around 5, so I got to my hotel room around 7pm. The hotel I stayed at is called Horizons, and was really quite nice - very clean and new....though the ceiling fan didn't really make a dent in the muggy heat.
For some reason, it is much hotter by the lake than it is in Lilongwe (which makes for a great weekend there, but isn't so nice for a conference or training). Anyways, our participants were a bit sluggish in the hot conditions (no air-con or fans), but the conference went well. On Thursday we started wondering if the facility was really the best for the upcoming week, since it was so hot and most of our lunches and breaks were an hour (or more!) later than scheduled.
So at the last minute, the conference for this week was moved to Zomba, where it should be much cooler - in fact it is the same venue we used for my M&E workshop.
So instead of staying at the beach, the plan was that I should return to Lilongwe after camping with Jules and Regan and on Sunday afternoon drive to Zomba.
Heather was also in Senga Bay, so when we were both done our workshops early Friday afternoon we headed to Livingstonia beach to sit by the pool and relax until the rest of our camping group arrived.
Jules, Regan and Terri finally arrived just after dark, and we set our tent up and went out for dinner. The next morning was beautifully warm and we were up early reading books on the lounge chairs. We camped at a place called Cool Runnings, and I would definately return there - the grass for the tents was nice and soft and the prices were reasonable and facilities quite nice.
On Saturday morning, we were joined by more friends, Carmen and Francesco, and in the afternoon, Bryce (my volleyball captain) and Marie arrived. After an afternoon in the sun, we dragged ourselves up and made a delicious BBQ meal - baked potatoes, salad and steaks...it took a while to finish everything up at the same time, but it was well worth the wait!
Sunday morning was relaxing - more reading on the lounge chairs for me and Regan and a sleep in for Jules. We left at around 1 for Lilongwe, as I was supposed to meet my colleagues at 2:30. Alas, it was not to be, as the Arntz-Gray mobile decided to break down completely on the side of the road about 35 km from Lilongwe. Thank goodness for the help of friends!!! Carmen and Fran and Bryce were about an hour behind us, so Jules and I played yahtzee on the side of the road (to the delight of an audience of about 10 children), while Regan and Heather read and slept in the car. Fran is a mechanic and was able to tell us it didn't look good. A few minutes later, Bryce pulled over, just as Fran was saying 'It's too bad we don't have a tow rope', and guess what? Bryce had one.
We made an interesting caravan back to Lilongwe, Jules steering our Pajero while being towed behind Bryce, with the rest of us piled into the back of Carmen and Fran's pick up. We all made it home at least, though unfortunately Bryce's tow rope broke at the last minute (only 3 blocks from our house!). We tied it up and made it home in the end....but the engine needs a total overhaul, so we are back to the tight budget we experienced in September again - except this time, it will last for TWO more months....ah well, such is life!
Needless to say, I missed my ride to Zomba with my colleagues, but one co-worker has a father that is quite ill, so he ended up staying in Lilongwe also and will be driving up to Zomba tonight, so he has saved me from a 6 hour mini-bus ride.
Of course, that is if things go as planned....apparently we might leave tomorrow...
Life here just keeps you guessing!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Away again...
This afternoon, I am departing for Salima...or more accurately, Senga Bay (the beach) for 11 days. Don't get too jealous - I will be working for 9 of them.
We have two workshops in the same location so I thought we could tie the two together with a weekend of camping for Jules's birthday. I will be doing my best to access internet while I am away, but don't expect that it will be all that frequent.
In the first workshop, I am facilitating an M&E section, but in the second I am mainly a partcipant and am looking forward to being immersed in Disaster Risk Reduction concepts.
I will miss two volleyball games, which I am not excited about, though I do wish my team luck!
And also I might miss (but will be trying my damnedness not to) So You Think You Can Dance. For those that watch at home, I am sure you realize that the show has already shown in North America, but it just started a few weeks ago here, so I am avidly watching every second.
Wish me luck in finding a place in Senga Bay that will allow us to watch on DSTV!
We have two workshops in the same location so I thought we could tie the two together with a weekend of camping for Jules's birthday. I will be doing my best to access internet while I am away, but don't expect that it will be all that frequent.
In the first workshop, I am facilitating an M&E section, but in the second I am mainly a partcipant and am looking forward to being immersed in Disaster Risk Reduction concepts.
I will miss two volleyball games, which I am not excited about, though I do wish my team luck!
And also I might miss (but will be trying my damnedness not to) So You Think You Can Dance. For those that watch at home, I am sure you realize that the show has already shown in North America, but it just started a few weeks ago here, so I am avidly watching every second.
Wish me luck in finding a place in Senga Bay that will allow us to watch on DSTV!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Life in Lilongwe
I just realized that I haven't posted since last Friday! How does time pass so quickly?
Anyways...last weekend was a lot of fun. On Friday we had a chill night in. I have started watching Buffy again (SO addictive) so we watched a few episodes.
On Saturday we got up to go for a walk. Jules had a coffee while Regan and I had some beauty treatments at the salon and then we did some grocery shopping at the market. Since we have been walking everywhere lately, this whole procedure took quite a bit of time, so luckily we ran into Heather, who offered to drive us home. Before we went home though, we found a new restaurant (well, new to me - Jules's colleague had taken him there before). The restaurant is called Amina's take-away and serves local fare. What was remarkable about it was the size of the servings...Jules and I had decided to split a t-bone and rice - when they brought out the t-bone, it was the size of the whole plate! And the rice, veggies and beans were on a separate plate! Between us, we couldn't finish it all and we were stuffed. The whole meal cost $4, so it was $2 each....I don't know how they can stay in business.
After I got home I had to bake some cookies and arrange some flowers to add to my Martha Stewart costume for the Alter-Ego party. Before we left in the morning, I had sewn my apron and looked up Martha's actual number to put on a black and white striped shirt. Once the cookies were ready, I helped braid Heather's hair so that it looked crimped for her 80s rock-chick costume and helped Jules get his hair to stand up for his Einstein costume. I haven't downloaded my pics yet, so check out Heather's blog if you want a preview.
Sunday was sweet - we relaxed by the pool at the Capital Hotel (where the water is NOT green), while Regan spent the day hanging out at ABC and playing frisbee.
This week has been busy so far - I was able to work from home for two days (Monday and Wednesday) to try and finish up some followup activities from my workshop. I also had a tripartite meeting (these are meetings with the partner organization (CADECOM), the volunteer and WUSC), where we discussed what I shoudl focus on during the remainder of my time here. Although the goals are still very ambitious, I am happy that I feel they are acheivable. Some of the items originally included in my workplan have been removed and we will inclued them when we write a position description for another volunteer so they will get done eventually.
Last night, Chambo with Head won our first game of the season (and it's only our second time out!!!), so that is super exciting - we look forward to a better season than last, with a couple new players and a great core team.
Tonight Jules was invited to a formal reception - I am a little nervous that it might be a little stuffy, but we will check it out and see what it's like.
No big plans for the weekend - apparently the Portuguese Club pool is scheduled to be repaired and treated this week, so maybe it will be a good place to go on the weekend - we will see.
Anyways...last weekend was a lot of fun. On Friday we had a chill night in. I have started watching Buffy again (SO addictive) so we watched a few episodes.
On Saturday we got up to go for a walk. Jules had a coffee while Regan and I had some beauty treatments at the salon and then we did some grocery shopping at the market. Since we have been walking everywhere lately, this whole procedure took quite a bit of time, so luckily we ran into Heather, who offered to drive us home. Before we went home though, we found a new restaurant (well, new to me - Jules's colleague had taken him there before). The restaurant is called Amina's take-away and serves local fare. What was remarkable about it was the size of the servings...Jules and I had decided to split a t-bone and rice - when they brought out the t-bone, it was the size of the whole plate! And the rice, veggies and beans were on a separate plate! Between us, we couldn't finish it all and we were stuffed. The whole meal cost $4, so it was $2 each....I don't know how they can stay in business.
After I got home I had to bake some cookies and arrange some flowers to add to my Martha Stewart costume for the Alter-Ego party. Before we left in the morning, I had sewn my apron and looked up Martha's actual number to put on a black and white striped shirt. Once the cookies were ready, I helped braid Heather's hair so that it looked crimped for her 80s rock-chick costume and helped Jules get his hair to stand up for his Einstein costume. I haven't downloaded my pics yet, so check out Heather's blog if you want a preview.
Sunday was sweet - we relaxed by the pool at the Capital Hotel (where the water is NOT green), while Regan spent the day hanging out at ABC and playing frisbee.
This week has been busy so far - I was able to work from home for two days (Monday and Wednesday) to try and finish up some followup activities from my workshop. I also had a tripartite meeting (these are meetings with the partner organization (CADECOM), the volunteer and WUSC), where we discussed what I shoudl focus on during the remainder of my time here. Although the goals are still very ambitious, I am happy that I feel they are acheivable. Some of the items originally included in my workplan have been removed and we will inclued them when we write a position description for another volunteer so they will get done eventually.
Last night, Chambo with Head won our first game of the season (and it's only our second time out!!!), so that is super exciting - we look forward to a better season than last, with a couple new players and a great core team.
Tonight Jules was invited to a formal reception - I am a little nervous that it might be a little stuffy, but we will check it out and see what it's like.
No big plans for the weekend - apparently the Portuguese Club pool is scheduled to be repaired and treated this week, so maybe it will be a good place to go on the weekend - we will see.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Random updates
So this week has been productive....I think September must be the only month so far that I haven't been out of town for work! My feet are even starting to get (a little) itchy.
Jules is actually out of town for one of his rare trips next week, so I am glad that he will get to see a little more of the north while he works with farmer groups in Ruimphi.
After finally getting everything under control for my workshop Aug 26 - 29, it has taken me most of September to finalize materials for sharing and working on the follow up from it....but the end is in sight - by the end of next week, I should have a good handle on the workshop follow up stuff and be working on the M&E framework for my organization....whew!
This weekend a friend of ours is having a birthday party, combined with another friend's housewarming...the theme is alter-ego - so you are supposed to dress up as someone you've always wanted to be...it threw me for a loop for sure - it really is hard to say!
I feel like I respect a lot of people, but I am not sure I actually want to BE any of them...finally I decided to take it a little tongue in cheek and go as Martha Stewart. Though I wouldn't want to actually BE her I was a former Martha addict....
Anyways, so our weekend is shaping up - we have been a bit hermit-y lately, partly due to lack of funds and due to the flu that I had, so it will be refreshing to get out to a party. On Saturday we have tentative plans to maybe do a bit of climbing as well as we have friends going to hike in Dedza, but the jury is still out on whether or not we will go...since we have constumes to finish!
Regan has been busy lately with joining an Utimate Frisbee team and studying for her upcoming ICGSE exams....she even has to write TWO exams on her 16th birthday, poor girl.
Back to preparation for the next M&E workshop (only 2 days this time, thank goodness!)...
Jules is actually out of town for one of his rare trips next week, so I am glad that he will get to see a little more of the north while he works with farmer groups in Ruimphi.
After finally getting everything under control for my workshop Aug 26 - 29, it has taken me most of September to finalize materials for sharing and working on the follow up from it....but the end is in sight - by the end of next week, I should have a good handle on the workshop follow up stuff and be working on the M&E framework for my organization....whew!
This weekend a friend of ours is having a birthday party, combined with another friend's housewarming...the theme is alter-ego - so you are supposed to dress up as someone you've always wanted to be...it threw me for a loop for sure - it really is hard to say!
I feel like I respect a lot of people, but I am not sure I actually want to BE any of them...finally I decided to take it a little tongue in cheek and go as Martha Stewart. Though I wouldn't want to actually BE her I was a former Martha addict....
Anyways, so our weekend is shaping up - we have been a bit hermit-y lately, partly due to lack of funds and due to the flu that I had, so it will be refreshing to get out to a party. On Saturday we have tentative plans to maybe do a bit of climbing as well as we have friends going to hike in Dedza, but the jury is still out on whether or not we will go...since we have constumes to finish!
Regan has been busy lately with joining an Utimate Frisbee team and studying for her upcoming ICGSE exams....she even has to write TWO exams on her 16th birthday, poor girl.
Back to preparation for the next M&E workshop (only 2 days this time, thank goodness!)...
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