Wow….what a blessing to be on this journey in the warm heart of Africa.
From the moment we arrived in Malawi, the warm nature of the locals was instantly apparent. On first meeting Charity and Francis, I had a feeling this was going to be an experience to remember.
After recovering from our two days of travelling, we ventured out to Majete Wildlife reserve where we went on a magical safari with Francis, Charity and their children - Glory, Gift and Grace. The long drive allowed me to see how breathtakingly beautiful the landscape of Malawi is.
We may have not spotted the big five but spending time with the children and hearing the amazing questions Gift was asking the ranger made it a memory to remember. By the end we were all tired, and little Grace fell asleep on my shoulder.
On Sunday it was an early 5am rise to attend mass at Stella Maris. The angelic voices of the choir echoed from the distance as we drove up towards Stella Maris. We were greeted with such a warm welcome, and after attending mass we had breakfast with the nuns. We had such fun and many laughs comparing the joys and memories of teaching over the years and then toured the grounds.
I shared the excitement of the developing primary and nursery school and hope that this is something I can come back to Malawi in the future to see. After a busy morning we met with the PEA’s to discuss the week ahead and this is where the excitement really began (mixed with a lot of nerves). After preparing our teaching material, an early bedtime was assisted by the calming sound of rain.
I have never related to people when they say they find the rain calming however Malawi has changed that for me.
Today, the real work began as Karen, Charity and I headed to Blantyre rural to deliver our teaching sessions for the first time. It was so interesting to hear all about Charity’s career as a teacher as well as how Francis became part of the MLOL family.
Thank goodness for that chance meeting with Tony as, Charity and Francis are a credit to our team and invaluable to the work we do. On arrival we were lucky to attend classes with Standard 2 and Standard 3 children, whose teachers were phenomenal and so inspiring - I even wrote down a few ideas for back in Scotland.
The moment training began, the nerves quickly slipped away. Karen and I delivered our training together and through collaborative group discussions and many a song (thanks for singing Karen, my singing voice is not one to share), the teachers seemed delighted with the training and the fact that they had worked with their peers to create a lesson plan based on the Good lesson cycle, that they could take back to their schools.
After some reflection, and adaptations to the training and Gill walking through the fresh cement for the second time this week (sorry Gill!), we all headed off to bed.
I am feeling optimistic about the week ahead and ready to meet more inspiring colleagues!
