Day 1 - Saturday

Our first full day in Malawi - by Kate & Kendra

Our driver James picked us up in the morning and brought us to the bank to exchange money and then to the store to buy groceries for the week. The Malawian currency is quite colorful. And, as the value of the Malawian Kwacha is much less than US or Canadian dollars, you get a very large stack when you exchange money. Due to the value difference, we also had to wrap our heads around spending hundreds on a bag of rice.

James patiently tried to teach us some more Chichewa words as we drove through the city. Our tongues didn't do so well with all the new sounds!

We are still surprised by the driving here because it's so different than in North America. Not only do they drive on the left side of the road, people simply walk and drive where they need too, even if that means walking over a four lane road or passing when there is an oncoming vehicle. We are very thankful to have a wonderful and skilled driver who knows exactly what he is doing. We said that the traffic seems to us like organized chaos! Many Malawians can be seen selling bananas, mops, peanuts, live chickens, shoes, coal, etc. right along the road. Immediately after they see white people, they come right to the vehicle and very persistently try to sell us their wares. We have been really enjoying watching the people, buildings, and scenery of this fascinating country!

We came "home" for a relaxing afternoon, but after talking with one of the Dutch volunteers, we did some additional planning for our vacation Bible school starting Monday. Coordinating Bible stories, snacks, coloring, and activities for hundreds of Malawian children is going to be a fun challenge, especially when they don't know how many children will come! (One of the Dutch groups had a day of 600 children!) We were thankful to have someone experienced to talk to and the time to do more detailed preparation.

This evening we had coffee at Bep's house and enjoyed attempting to sing some Chichewa hymns (that had been translated from English hymns we already knew). We are looking forward to church tomorrow!