A Shaky Few Days

I knew coming into this year that I would experience things I had never been faced with before. Over the past few weeks I have been experiencing something that I hadn’t put any thought into being a possibility when I left Pittsburgh to come here. In the past month the southern region of Malawi has experienced multiple earthquakes.

 

Being from Pittsburgh, earthquakes are not something that I am overly familiar with, nor are they something I have had any previous experience with. The first earthquake hit Malawi on March 8 at around 11:00 a.m. The magnitude of the earthquake was listed at a 5.6 and could be felt hundreds of kilometers away from the epicenter. Honestly I didn’t even feel the first earthquake because I was driving at the time it hit, and the rumble of the road masked the tremor of the earth. 

After the first earthquake hit, I made sure to follow up with the local news to see if the tremors had caused much damage, or God forbid, any fatalities. Luckily, although ranked as a moderate earthquake, it did little damage and no one was seriously hurt from the activity. The only evidence I could see from the shaking were some flecks of ceiling paint that had fallen to the floor and onto my bed. This was not to be the only earthquake to occur, however. On March 17 the ground started shaking again; this time I wasn’t driving. 

When the second earthquake (or aftershock perhaps, I’m not entirely sure) hit, Lauren and I were visiting one of our friends at their house. It didn’t even register to me at first that it was another earthquake until one of them yelled “earthquake”. We all ran outside and stood there until the rumbling stopped. It didn’t last very long, maybe 30 seconds, but in the moment it feels much longer. This second tremble was slightly less powerful registering at 4.9 on the Richter scale (out of 10). It again, thankfully, did not cause any structural damage, injuries or fatalities. 

The aftershocks (or other quakes) weren’t finished after that, however. That night at about 4:00 a.m. I awoke and realized that the entire bed was shaking. Before I was awake enough to process what was going on, or could even react, the tremors stopped. After the shaking had stopped I made sure Lauren and Remus were okay and that I was in fact, not dreaming, which I thought for a moment might have been the case. Thankfully, again. there does not seem to be any damage from these activities. 

I could never have imagined earthquakes would be something that I would encounter during my time here in Malawi. They have been an impressive reminder that I cannot even begin to fathom the ways in which I will continue to grow and be stretched this year as I face things. I am grateful for all these reminders, but even more grateful that these events did not cause damage, injuries or death to this nation that already faces enough hardships. Thank you for your continued prayers for safety.

A Very Hard Day

I knew from the very start of this adventure that there would be highs and lows. I knew there would be good days and not so good days. I knew there were going to be days here that I smile so much that the muscles in my face would ache, and there would be nights when my pillow would be covered with tear stains. I knew I would meet dozens of amazing new people, and I knew that I left scores of amazing people behind. I knew what coming here for a year meant, and I knew what leaving for a year would mean. 

Early Saturday morning I received word from my family that my Grandmother (Marge Brown, my mom’s mother) has passed away. This news did not come as a shock to our family; her health had been declining for some time now. Before I left in August my parents and I traveled to Nashville, TN so that I could see my grandma for what I knew could be the last time. Although not unexpected, this loss is challenging me here in Malawi. The distance from my family during this time makes this time of grief more difficult. Today has been a very hard day, even though I knew I might have to face it from Malawi. 

Although it is very difficult to be away from my family and loved ones, I can’t help but think about the past and smile a little. In 2005, during the year we spent here as a family, my Grandma and Grandpa came to visit. Their visit to Malawi provided me with memories that I will hold onto forever. Remembering playing charades as a whole family in a cottage on top of Zomba Plateau will always make me smile. Zomba Plateau was also where I stood with my Mom when we received word that my Grandfather had passed away in 2012. Malawi will always hold a special place in my heart because of these memories I shared here with my grandparents. So, if I can’t be with my family during this time, it seems like Malawi is right where I am supposed to be.  

I am so blessed to have had a Grandma that showed me nothing but unconditional love and support. She challenged me in my faith and set a great example to all those around her of what it means to be a faithful follower. She instilled in her children and then her grandchildren a passion and love for Mission Work which all of us have taken to heart. Each one has participated in Mission Work and will continue to do so.. Without her influence in my life, I would not be who or where I am today. In all the sadness I find joy in knowing we will meet again someday, so today through the tears and sadness I say from Malawi:

Tionana Agogo (see you later Grandma), I love you.

Meet My Students, Part 4

Name: Edith Bottoman

Age: 14

Home village: Mulanje

Favorite food: Nsima with fish and vegetables. Fruit

Favorite Subject: Physics, English

Hobbies and Activities:  I like to sing gospel music.

Siblings and Family: I have two sisters, I stay with them.

When you grow up? I want to go to college for nursing.

If you could have anything what would it be? I would like a laptop.

If you could go anywhere where would you go and why? I want to go to the United States to visit Miss Merry’s home.

Something you wish you could change about Malawi: I want Malawi to have relationships with other countries all over the world.

Something you want Americans to know about you: I want them to know I am a student at St. Andrews and that Miss Merry is my teacher!

Things you are thankful for: I am thankful for my sisters, my education, my friends, music and God.

Teacher’s Notes: Edith is a bit quieter than some others in the class, but she always has her hand raised and is volunteering to read out loud for me. She is a hard worker and is constantly trying to better her understanding of the subject by reading the text book and asking question. She is fun to have in class and I’m proud of how hard she works.

Name: Sheilla Cheruwa

Age: 13

Home village: Chiradzulu

Favorite food: Chicken, chips and rice

Favorite Subject: Biology and English

Hobbies and Activities: I like listening to music.

Siblings and Family: I have one brother and I live with just my mom.

When you grow up? I want to be a nurse.

If you could have anything what would it be? I want to be in the top 5 of my class.

If you could go anywhere where would you go and why? I want to go to the United States of America because I want to see ice and snow!

Something you wish you could change about Malawi: I wish everyone had food all the time.

Something you want Americans to know about you: I want people in America to know about my family.

Things you are thankful for:  I am thankful to God because I am being educated, I have clothes well, I look healthy, I am in Form 1 and I smile all the time.

Teacher’s Notes: I am also thankful that Sheilla smiles all the time. There are many hot days in our classroom without electricity that would be a good reason to not smile. However, when I look throughout the class and see all the beautiful smiles like Sheilla’s I can’t help but smile with them. Her smile lights everything up.

Name: Alpha Mchiza

Age: 13

Home village: Chikwawa

Favorite food: Chicken and Chips

Favorite Subject: Biology

Hobbies and Activities: I like singing and dancing.

Siblings and Family: I have two brothers and one sister and live with my parents.

When you grow up? I want to be a doctor.

If you could have anything what would it be? I would like to have a phone to communicate with my friends.

If you could go anywhere where would you go and why? I would like to go to America to visit Miss Merry.

Something you wish you could change about Malawi: I wish I could help the poor people.

Something you want Americans to know about you: My family is nice to me and I work hard in class so that they can be proud of me.

Things you are thankful for: I feel blessed because I have a loving family who pay for my school fees, they do not treat me bad and they sent me to school.

Teacher’s Notes: Alpha is a sassy and strong student. She is a very serious student and takes her work seriously. She also enjoys playing with her friends and giving me a hard time whenever she can. It has been fun to watch her come out of her shell a little since the beginning of the school year.

Name: Chisomo Ndakhoma

Age: 12

Home village: Blantyre, Chigimula, boarder at the school.

Favorite food: Chicken and Nsmia with beans

Favorite Subject: Biology and History

Hobbies and Activities: I like drawing, singing, watching movies, and playing games

Siblings and Family: I have one sister and two brothers. I live with my mom and dad and siblings

When you grow up? I want to be a journalist

If you could have anything what would it be? A bicycle, crayons and a laptop.

If you could go anywhere where would you go and why? I would like to go to Bethlehem to see the actual place where Jesus Christ was born.

Something you wish you could change about Malawi: I would like to make Malawians to know that their country is beautiful and that we can also be famous and rich like the other countries.

Something you want Americans to know about you: I want them to know my name and my people, we should be like a family.

Things you are thankful for: I am blessed with an education. I am blessed with kindness of others. I am grateful for love. I am thankful for teachers. I am blessed to have a teacher like you (Miss Merry) and your family.

Teacher’s Notes: Student’s like Chisomo make the hard days so much better. His smile is infectious and he is such a loving and caring student. He always sits in the very front row of the class and you can just tell he loves school and loves to learn.

Half Way Mark

February 23, 2018, was the six month mark from when I left the United States. I can certainly attest to the phrase “time flies when you’re having fun”. It seems like just yesterday I was boarding a plane to come to Malawi, and I’m now half way through my time here, which is crazy. As I look to the future, at my remaining time here, there are so many things I am looking forward to. 

 

The main thing I am looking forward to is working with and continuing to teach the students at St. Andrews school. Seeing how they have grown and learned over the past six months has been such an encouraging experience. Having the opportunity to see them excel and push themselves to be the best they can be is more than any teacher can wish for her students. I can’t wait to see how far they have come from the shy little Form 1 students that I met on the first day of school, to where they will be at the end of the year.

With my time left here I would also like to travel and see as much of this beautiful country as possible. I have done a good amount of traveling since I arrived, but my goal during the next half of my journey is to travel to northern Malawi (which I have never done before) to see the beauty that is there. I plan also on traveling with some other American missionaries that I have met here, which I am also very excited about. Not only will it be nice to travel, but I love hearing about the work and different experiences that missionaries from all over the world are doing here in Malawi.

A major goal for the next half of my time here is to climb to the top of Mt. Mulanje. Every day I look at this magnificent mountain and think about what it will be like at the top of it, and I can’t wait. Climbing the mountain during the rainy season is not a good idea, and climbing in this heat would be brutal. After speaking to some mountain guides they told us that May/June is a great time to climb, so that is when we are planning for! 

Another thing I am looking forward to over this next half of my journey is the visitors that are coming. My Dad and my Nana will be coming in mid-April; I am so excited to see both of them and to show them my life here. My Dad put so much work into making this school a reality; it will be beyond special to have him sit in the back of my classroom as I teach these amazing students. I am also so blessed to have two crazy friends that are going to come visit me once they are done teaching their own classrooms in the states. Being able to share this country with my friends will be very special. They have heard my family and me talk about Malawi for years, and I can’t wait to show them my school and this beautiful county we love so much.

I cannot even begin to say all the things I have learned over the past six months. There are so many ways that I have grown and I have been challenged. This is an experience like no other. I can’t wait to see what the rest of this year has in store for me!

Thank you so much for following with me on this adventure so far. As long as people keep reading my blogs, I promise to keep writing them! Your words of encouragement and your prayers have been such a comfort to me daily. I ask for your continued support, encouragement, thoughts and prayers throughout the next six months of this journey.