So Much to Write, Not Enough Time to Write It!

So much has been happening here in Lilongwe, I just wish I was able to write everything on my blog as it is happening. Today has very likely been the hardest as well as the best day since we've been here. Before discussing the events of today, I'm going to post part of my journal entry from Canada Day. I just feel like this was such a significant day here in Malawi, and want everyone to know exactly how it went. I'm also going to write about some of the fun things we've been able to do here in Lilongwe.

CANADA DAY - MALAWI STYLE!

Today is Canada Day! We got off work early for a Canada Day Celebration at the Canadian High Commissioner's house. His house was absolutely gorgeous and perfect for an outdoor party. There were lots of people there from CIDA, WUSC, and other Canadian organizations that have offices here in Malawi, and we all played volleyball - okay actually I took pictures, but whatever... Robert, the host, said that he wanted to prepare only Canadian food so we had hamburgers and hotdogs (there was even a sign that said "burgers are 100% beef, dogs are 100% chicken). There was potato salad and pasta salad as well as President's Choice ketchup, relish, and mustard - there were even cheese slices!! I'm pretty sure I ate more today than I've eaten all summer but it was sooooooooooooooo good! After the meal we sat in a large circle and Robert explained to all the Malawians what Canada Day (and July 1st) means to us. I felt so proud to be a Canadian in that moment but still so happy to be celebrating 'our' day in Lilongwe.

Here are some pictures captured at the party...

This is four of us (Shannon, Mireille, Me, Rebecca) waiting for our ride before going to the party. I think it's safe to say we were pretty excited! ... Yes we live in a pretty pink palace.... and love it... (Hannah this jumping picture is in your honour!)

This photo is where the garden party was held - that's OSHI at the table and the high commissioner's house. The volleyball net as well as all the other guests were behind me.

This is the 6 of us (myself, Mireille, Annelise, Rebecca, Alex, Shannon) at the party all decked out in Canada tattoos and stickers - all the Malawians thought we looked funny!

These next batch of photos I'm going to post are from a couple weeks ago when Fred (the assistant for our landlord) invited us to a Malawian wedding. We didn't get to see the actual ceremony as it apparently lasts for a couple of days, but we did get to see the bride and groom dancing. Not slow dancing the way we do at home but really dance/African hip-hop music kind of dancing. They hold a sheet between the two of them and people dance all around them throwing money onto the sheet (anywhere from 20K to 200 K - which is $0.15 to $1.50 CAD). People give what they can, but the main focus is to dance, sing and celebrate the marriage. There are three photos below: 1 of the bride, 1 of the groom, and then a photo of us outside the main hall with a bunch of Malawian kids (they were more excited about seeing white people than about the actual wedding)

Yesterday I was lucky to have another traditional African experience... Shannon and I, along with three other workers at YOUDAO had to go to a community to meet with a group of women regarding HIV/AIDS advocacy. We were trying to mobilize them to become involved with programs at YOUDAO. It was all done in Chichewa so we didn't understand very much but the best part was.... we got to go there by bicycle taxi! Some Malawian guys have bicycles that have a seat on the back along with handlebars and two foot rests. My driver was really fast and good at swerving over the potholes... haha... I was scared at first, but then enjoyed it so much I didn't want to get off. They charge 50 kwacha per ride which is equivalent to approximately $0.35 CAD. We both LOVED IT!

I've decided to post this entry separately from what we experienced today. I hope you've enjoyed seeing these photos and reading about some of the fun things we've been so fortunate to experience here in Lilongwe.