#walking4water

[andree-frieze]

This is the kind of project Jeevika's sponsored #Walking4Water funds: http://ow.ly/tpdk30fENdP Sign up here: http://ow.ly/lY3t30fENgT #India #wateraid

[andree-frieze]

We build wells to rural #India. Join Jeevika #Walking4Water in #BushyPark to raise essential funds http://ow.ly/Ocun30fxqup

[andree-frieze]

Will you join Jeevika #Walking4Water, on Sun 15 Oct , so women in rural #India don't have to? http://ow.ly/CPq130fxqiR #BushyPark #Hamptonwick #charity (at Bushy Park)

[andree-frieze]

Take in glorious Bushy Park & help Jeevika bring safe water to rural #India on Sun 15 Oct by #Walking4Water http://ow.ly/poP830fxqyb twickenham tweets (at Bushy Park)

[walking4water-blog-blog]

A note on safety...

So a lot of people are concerned always about our safety here in Africa. I wanted to relay a story that was told to me by a friend. This is 100% true. Here's what she said,

"I noticed upon my arrival at the police station that there was quite a commotion. I walked in and an officer came up to me, animatedly explaining, "We have arrested a murderer!" I gasped in shock, seeing as in my small Malawian town, the crime rate is quite low, and never had I heard about a murder taking place! What could this be?!?

"Do you want to see?" the police officer asked, and I certainly couldn't refuse. He led me to a back room; as we grew closer I could hear shouting and loud bangs and booms. When he opened the door, I couldn't believe my eyes when tied up in the middle of the room was a water monitor lizard, about 3 feet long. They were kicking it and beating it hard! "It killed a chicken!" they said.

And suddenly it all made sense, and I did the only thing I could do, laugh hysterically. :-)

Hope you get some sleep, Mom.

[walking4water-blog-blog]

Rain, rain, you're not so bad :-)

Thunderstorms have become a new part of our life. Previously, we could have probably counted the total number of times we have seen rain in Africa on our hands – it has been so few. But now we are in a higher elevation, it is the rainy season, and it is wet!

The first night of extreme rain was definitely one to remember. We had found a campsite and were preparing to cook dinner and settle in when it started to come down – hard. But Aaron had a plan. He somehow created a fire that was big enough that we could leave it cooking while we hid in the tent, and what do you know, it worked! So we were able to enjoy a tasty meal of rice, tomato, onion, and pumpkin leaves. He also decided to take the opportunity to “shower” and hung out in the rain for a while getting “clean”.

So we were having fun, eating well, and then, we looked outside the tent again, and no more than 2 feet away there was a stream of water flowing, and moving faster by the moment.

Uh oh.

Long story short, we survived the night. But it was interesting! All in all, sometimes the rain makes it difficult to get anywhere quickly because we have to sometimes stop throughout the day to take shelter, sometimes on people’s front porches, sometimes in a “tea room” (Malawi’s version of a coffee shop – not quite Starbucks, but a warm drink on a rainy day is nice J ), sometimes under a tree. It does limit our campsite options a bit because we have to stay out of potential flash flood areas, but all in all, it really hasn’t been too bad! The clouds keep the sun from torturing us during the day, and the rain keeps the air much cooler than it would be otherwise. And people have been very kind to allow us to seek refuge along the way.

[walking4water-blog-blog]

Annoying things...

Being sick!

Besides the malaria, things like the sun, dehydration, malnutrition and bad water are all likely to make us sick. And it happens regularly enough to be quite annoying.

Rain!

The most annoying thing about the rain is that it can be really boring. If we're in the middle of nowhere, it means setting up the tent, hiding, and playing cards. We know four two-person card games. It also means things are wet, so we can't cook. One time we found a restaurant but the only thing you could order was eggs and french fries.

Ants and flies

There is really no way to describe how annoying they are and that they are EVERYWHERE, ALL THE TIME. You can't escape them. Recently, horseflies have also started to show up. Besides being loud and big they bite!

[walking4water-blog-blog]

Getting Malaria

"Dont bugger around with that stuff" is I think the most common phrase I hear in reference to malaria. People here take it seriously, and rightfully so, because its pretty dehabilitationg and can kill you if you don't get treated. Lots of people in Africa die every year from this mosquito-born disease. Now I have officially had it and survived; although I've met someone who has had it 21 times! I wasn't feeling quite right before dinner and immediately after I just laid down. Within four hours I knew something was seriously wrong and I was up the rest of the night with a fever, puking, and completely sick. I could barely move the next day but Aaron graciously helped me pack everything up and walked our stuff to the road and hailed down a ride to the biggest city around, Beira, on one of the "chappas". I am not actually sure how I made it the four hour driver to the city without being sick, except that I was praying, a lot. The chappa driver's wife is actually a taxi driver, so he had her meet us where the bus stopped and she took us the rest of the way to the hospital. Turns out Beira is a really big city! Once I described my symptoms to the doctor, he immediately ordered a malaria test and we had the restults in less than 30 minutes, and I was given several prescriptions. Sure, it might not have been a particularly "sterile" place, but I will say that it was definitely the most efficient hospital trip I've ever made! Besides taking my meds at the proper times (3 prescriptions, simultaneously, multiple times a day) orders are to rest, rest, rest, stay out of the sun, no greasy foods, no alcohol, no dope. The no french fries thing is sad, but other than that I think I can handle it!