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Published: November 4th 2006
Sharon with kids
A lot of the teenaged girls in the village swapped addresses with us so we could be pen pals. My pen pal Eunice is the one with her arm around me.This blog describes one of the most bittersweet experiences we have ever had. We were engaged in a ferocious game of cards as we crossed the border into Malawi. Only 20 km into the country disaster struck... A young girl ran into the path of the truck and we ran over her legs. Most of us had no idea of what exactly had happened until the screams reached our ears. This was a system shock for the entire group. Reactions ranged from silence to sorrow, anger to disbelief. Nobody knew what to do or how to react.
The injured girl was bundled off in a bakkie (pick-up truck) and rushed off to hospital, while we made our way to the Police Station a few miles away. It was about 1pm as we pulled into the police precinct, next to the shell of a minivan in a dusty field surrounded by police family homes.
The tour leader and the driver went in to report the accident and despite our lack of appetite we decided to make some lunch to take our minds off the event. As soon as we stepped off the truck children started to appear, fascinated by the
Kids pose 1
Jackie Chan, eat your heart out! foreign faces in their town. The crowd grew and grew until what must have been the entire community of young boys and girls was gathered. It did not take long for us to be enchanted by their inquisitive natures and spontaneous smiles.
The children were so full of innocence, love, trust and happiness. The truck football came out and the games begun. Roger started goalkeeper training, which seemed to involve doing aerobics... Steve trained the forwards and became "Steven Seagal" and an instant legend! Belinda started a game of Duck, Duck, Goose which lasted about 2 hours and in which both of us must have been Goose a hundred times. Songs were sung, stories told, dances performed... this was largely due to our luck in having so many school teachers on board. Jax led a rousing rendition of the Hokey Pokey, and Chrissy had them playing "Sleeping Lions".
It was a Friday afternoon, so there was a local league football match being played. We watched "Arsenal" crush "England" 4-1. Every time a goal was scored the players were mobbed by spectators rushing from the sidelines. Some players wore sneakers, others studs, and one brave player even went barefoot!
Kids pose 2
Their energy and enthusiam was infectious. So much passion, so much joy and so many smiles.
This country may be one of the poorest in the world, but the people have certainly earnt their title of the friendliest nation in Africa!
The cameras finally came out as the sun was creeping towards the horizon, and the kids went ballistic. Every time we pointed the cameras at them they rushed us and then pulled some fantastic poses. As each flash went off they raised a massive cheer and chanted "One more, one more!"
Like rock-stars we finally fought our way back onto the truck and waved as we were followed all the way out of the yard.
We found out that the little girl fractured one leg and lost the other leg below the knee. We spent 2 days in Karonga while the police worked out whether to impound the vehicle (yes), arrest the driver (no), charge the driver (yes, with inconsiderate driving). After pleading guilty to the charge in front of a magistrate who kindly came in on the weekend to hear the case. The driver was given a fine of about $150US and the case was closed. Most of this money
Bronson with cutie
Bronson fell in love with 3 little girls who were just adorable! went to the girl's family to help with her medical and rehabilitation costs (we hope) and while it doesn't seem like much it is almost a year's salary for the average Malawian.
Despite our reasons for being there, our unplanned stop in the rural village of Karonga
gave us some of our most treasured memories on the trip. It was truly humbling to find so much joy in a country that has so little.
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nan
non-member comment
fantastic
shaz and bronny indeed bittersweet story. i think i would be quite traumatised if i ran over a little girl and made her lose a leg! but the other kids' enegy and enthusiasm i can even feel from the photos on a cold monday morning in london. missing you! nan x ps bronson, Dean is touring Australia and his Bodyrox remix went to no 2 in the charts!