Hello all,
We are writing you from the Nairobi airport where we have a 6 hour layover en route to JFK. Our last few days in Malawi were fantastic. The group said farewell to our village hosts early Tuesday morning and boarded the bus for an all day journey to Malawi's Northern Region. Along the way we made a few stops. First, we visited Chifundo Artisans Network in Balaka. The group supports several artists doing traditional starch-resist surface design textiles. A former Peace Corps volunteer and friend of Mike's has assisted the artisans network over last eight years. They are producing beautiful products, are providing stable employment for local people, and are preserving traditional techniques. The students enjoyed stretching their legs and buying gifts for people back home!
We are writing you from the Nairobi airport where we have a 6 hour layover en route to JFK. Our last few days in Malawi were fantastic. The group said farewell to our village hosts early Tuesday morning and boarded the bus for an all day journey to Malawi's Northern Region. Along the way we made a few stops. First, we visited Chifundo Artisans Network in Balaka. The group supports several artists doing traditional starch-resist surface design textiles. A former Peace Corps volunteer and friend of Mike's has assisted the artisans network over last eight years. They are producing beautiful products, are providing stable employment for local people, and are preserving traditional techniques. The students enjoyed stretching their legs and buying gifts for people back home!
Our next stop was Lilongwe where we stopped for lunch at the delectable Mama Mia's, a nice Italian restaurant in the city. After eleven days of village food the students were ready for something familiar and delicious. After lunch we set off for Luwawa Forest Lodge where we would spend the next three nights.
The lodge is located 14km off the tarmac into the Luwawa Forest Reserve in the Viphya Mountains. It has lush gardens and overlooks the Luwawa dam, a reservoir and water source for local villages. We were surrounded by a combination of pine forest, introduced by the British and still supporting a fairly large timber industry in the north, and indigenous forest. After eleven days of bucket baths, drawing water each morning, and sleeping on reed mats, the students were absolutely thrilled with their accommodations! Chalets with hot showers, beds with mattresses, and a patio overlooking the water.
The students spent their mornings sitting by the fire in the lodge (it's winter here) working on their presentation for Yale. The afternoons were reserved for some fun and free time. People enjoyed kayaking on the lake, mountain biking, hiking to waterfalls, lounging in the sauna, and just relaxing and chatting in the gardens. The presentation is pretty far along but will require some tinkering once they get to Yale. Everyone feels relaxed, rejuvenated and a little bittersweet about leaving Malawi.
We spent our last day in Malawi in the capital city, Lilongwe, and slept at Korea Garden Lodge. Half of the group returned to the textile market with Mike to get more Chitenje to bring home. This was the same market we took the group to on their first day in country. The students felt much more confident with their Chichewa greetings and bargaining skills this time around! The other half of the group came into town with me for ice cream and a few other errands we needed to do before leaving. We joined up at the end of the day for dinner together and our last team meeting in Malawi.
Everything at the airport has gone smoothly so far. All are in good spirits and good health. We have run into the Rwanda group here at the airport and will be traveling with them from here on out to JFK. The students are having a blast sharing stories about their adventures.
Looking forward to seeing you all soon!
Until Yale,
Marissa and Mike
