May 2, 2015

The last three days have been very relaxing and eye-opening. We spent two nights at Kande Beach right on the beach of Lake Malawi and another night in on the North shore of Lake Malawi in a village called Chitimba. The first two days on the beach, we spent most of our time just hanging out and playing in the water and the sand. Hayden made a giant sand castle and we played in the water, which was very warm.

The third day, we drove a couple of hours up to a village named Chitimba. At this location, we got the opportunity to go out into the village and meet with the local people, visit an elementary school, and see a witch doctor. We also went to visit a local hospital. I’ll tell you what, going into the village certainly gives a new appreciation of many of the things that we take for granted in the States. For starters, we toured a local house (the house of our tour guide). It was a total of four (tiny) rooms with a thatched roof and brick/mortar that is made there in the village. There are two toilets in the backyard of the house…one is just a pile of rocks that you can pee on and the other is a hole dug in the ground for number 2. The family consisted of two brothers, their sister and her three sons. There were a couple of mattresses on the floor, but none for the kids. The kitchen was outside with a fire pit where they cooked. If they need drinking water, it comes from a pump in the idle of the town.

After that, we went to the local school where they teach 1^st – 8^th grades. The school has over 100 kids in each class and the “classroom” is an open room with no fan, no a/c, and no electricity. Everything is written on pieces of paper and taped to the walls. The teachers teach all subjects and there are only two teachers for each classroom with over 100 students. We were able to meet the 3^rd grade teacher and she showed us some of the things that the kids are learning. In addition to Swahili, they begin learning English in 1^st Grade. I think that the saddest part is that after 8^th grade, they need to take a test to get admitted into high school and only about 15% of the kids (the top scoring testers) will be accepted into school. The kids are allowed to repeat 8^th grade up to four times in order to improve their test scores. Of that 15%, anyone who is admitted needs to pay for their own education…if they can’t pay, they have to give up their spot.

Hayden got to meet some of the kids that were at the school working. Even during the weekend, the kids come to the school from the village to help keep up the landscaping and maintenance of the school. We decided that we are going to do a community service project for them when we get back to collect books, clothes, school supplies, etc. to send to the school. Hayden is really excited about it and wants to be in charge of the project…we were very proud of him for coming up with the idea on his own! Hayden and the kids talked about their favorite subjects (English and Math for them, Science for him), and their favorite sports. They like soccer best, but have had to make their soccer balls to practice.

After the school, we went to see a witch doctor…it was very entertaining. He danced, chanted, ate fire, and showed us his different potions. (Hayden was excited because it reminded him of Harry Potter). We each got a chance to dance with him and to have our fortune read. He told Adam and me that we would have a long, happy life together and that Hayden would grow up happy, healthy, and much loved by his family. Not the most original fortune, but hopefully it’s true! 🙂 We also went to a local hospital and it was pretty shocking. There is limited electricity and no a/c. There are only 2 beds in the hospital and they get over 500 patients/month. Many of the patients come for HIV/AIDS treatment and about ½ are kids. Lots of them can’t even afford the medication which is only $5 for a month’s worth of pills. Certainly makes me appreciate all of the medical care that Hayden has received from CCMC and All Children’s over the past 4 years.

Back at the campsite, Hayden was pretty excited because there was an orphaned, baby Jennet (a type of small cat) that he got to hold. We left early in the morning to head up to Tanzania for the next part of our tour. The drive has been really nice because we are coming through the Great Rift Valley and Baobab Valley. Lots of amazing scenery along the roads!

We’re looking forward to Tanzania which includes a trip to Zanzibar, the Serengeti and the