First look at Hillside


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Africa » Malawi » Central » Lilongwe
July 4th 2007
Published: July 4th 2007
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Again, writing from journal. After my last post, I realized that I really goofed Achebe's character name... I think it was actually Okonkwo.

7/2
Exhausted, but it's only 9:30 p.m.

Great Mississippi-style breakfast prepared by Mr. Banda and Mr. Blessing (real name... so cool!). Fried eggs, sausage, buttered toast, and mixed fruit jam. We have each meal with Jerome and Tarrita. Got to change money and visit an internet cafe in "City Center" today. All locations are given by area number and then have some neighborhood name as well, so "City Center" is the area where a lot of gov't buildings and banks are located.

Afterwards, we went to Hillside school on the outskirts of the city. Mission Africa, the organization hosting us and headed by Mississippians Chris and Connie Taylor, got involved with the school through the story that follows (bad writing style... sorry... realized how Faulkner-esque a single sentence trying to tell it would get).

Mr. Taylor met Mr. Ndelama at a conference and found out about the school that he started with his own money in 1997. Mr. Ndelama built the first buildings with a dream of providing an education comparable to what the schools near City Center offer for the children on the outskirts. Transportation is very limited, so the distance to City Center is prohibitive for kids who live more than 10-15 miles out. Mr. N passed away, and because of a long-standing principle called "property-grabbing," whereby the male husband's relatives claim all the deceased's property b/c they feel a woman has no claim to it, Mrs. N (28 yrs) nearly lost everything. Mr. N had left a will leaving the school to her, but she faced the difficult process of dragging the property-grabbers to Malawian court, so she called the Taylors for help.

Mrs. N won the court case, and under her and her 24-year old principal's guidance, the school has grown from 4 teachers in one building to a facility that teaches approx. 600 students in the equivalents of K-12, each of which has its own small classroom (a freestanding one-room building). There is still so much which can be done here.

The area Hillside belongs to just got water 2 weeks ago after the gov't found a way to get it there by constructing large water tank on a small mountain-hill overlooking it. We received a tour of the school and received greetings fromm all the classes (in grade order, so it was cool to see how rapidly the students' English develops from year to year). We will be at the school helpings as we can 3 days a week, and I plan on sitting in on the 2nd grade's Chichewa lessons whenever possible so that I can pick up some basics of the language. The kindergarten is some distance from the other buildings, and Katie and I were quite the spectacle for the smaller children as we walked across the area to get there ("They are white! They are white!" from all sides in Chichewa).

The school, in the good ancient style of lecturing wherever a master teacher could get students together, is much more powerful b/c of its staff than b/c of its facilities. Hillside is aptly named, and the paths taking you up the 10-degree (guesstimate, but think steep) inclines between some buildings are barren rock face. Glad I wore my tennis shoes, although Mrs. N somehow navigates them in shoes with boxy elevated heels.

The classrooms themselves are pretty basic. Some have doors, but no glass in the windows. A few of the upper-level grades have desks, but most have long benches made by local carpenters. All have dirt floors, some potholed, and well-worn thin slate blackboards at the front of the room.

We saw so much on the trip to and from the school. A huge gap exists between most of the country and the priveleged top few on the economic ladder. As far as I can tell, what we know as the "middle class" is fairly small here. Katie and I had to wait in the vehicle with Mr. Banda, the driver, when we stopped at a farmer's market for fresh produce, since the company of whites would drive up prices for Jerome if we got out.

We are having some amazing conversations here. God's hand in bringing us to this specific place at this specific time is beautifully evident. As much as Jerome tells us that the ideas and academic backgrounds we bring are the answers to prayers of his, he and Taritta and the conversation and perspective they offer are such a spiritual blessing for us. Divinely beautiful and divinely crafted exchanges are happening here.

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4th July 2007

"amazing conversations here"
..talk born of the strong shoulders of heart and action is often an extraordinary stimulant of hope. May God use you and your team there in the lives of those you come to love...and may He use the blessed leaders and people there to speak things to your soul that will enrich an already vibrant conversation with you and God. ...enjoying your journal !
5th July 2007

Excellent
Thanks so much for keeping us updated....I feel like I am there with you guys. May you all continue to bless each other as God smiles on you all. Have Fun!

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