Settling in

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I had my first cup of tea at the orphanage today, and it made all the difference! Simple things! I plucked up courage to ask the project manager if I could have some of his strong loose tea leaves and borrow his mug (they don't have milk in the village, although you can get powered stuff). Caffeine at last! And there is something so comforting about drinking tea (I'm reminding myself about the tea drinking descriptions in the No 1 Ladies Detective books) as I sat outside with some of the orphanage staff learning more about their lives.

It's Friday today so I asked what they would be doing over the weekend - there was only one answer - going to Church on Sunday, washing, cleaning, resting, and chatting with friends and family. One thing which they all find really amusing is that I'm nearly 30 and not married. They tell me I should have children by now. And as they've found out I don't go to church back home, they're determined I should go!

I had another meeting with the project manager today and I'm trying to use some of my learnings from work out here - ie help with how they induct new volunteers, communicate with them when they return home, and how to get wider support for the project (be great to get some corporate community involvement going for them). On that I've met a few Malawian's at the hostel bar (ok it's sounding like I spend a lot of time at the bar but there's no other entertainment here) who seem interested in the project, one is a PE teacher at a private school who said he'd be happy to teach them sports on a few days during the holiday. ...Hmmm wish I was out here longer to investigate the possibilities!

Yesterday was a very moving day and probably why I couldn't find the energy to write anything on my blog. It was the two other volunteers' last day - sadly they had difficulties with the driver picking them up but finally arrived at 12:30 when the infants were sleeping. While they slept we blew up balloons, put some crisps, biscuits, and orange squash out, and got the music player up and running. The children were woken early, and rising from sleep started dancing. We did some face painting, pass the parcel, and musical chairs - the children were so happy (save for a few tears when they lost at musical chairs).

The two volunteers gave out some gifts to the children - tennis balls, pencils, underwear, socks, some got colourful blankets knitted by a group of women in the UK - and it was so touching to see their little arms clutching those blankets so lovingly knitted. The three of us couldn't hold back the tears as they rolled uncontrollably down our faces.

When it was time to go the class 'teacher/carer' wrapped up their gifts in whatever she could find - cloth, clothes garments, and even sent a child out to buy some plastic bags - she warned us that if the villagers saw the children carrying anything nice it would be taken from them. Wanting to do our upmost to prevent this we went out with the kids into the village walking them each to their dwellings, the rain falling with our tears.

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