05/10/12
Another gorgeous day in Africa! I will never get tired of seeing these mountains. Why can't we have mountains in Michigan??? Although, I do love a good old fashion Lake Michigan sunset. I can't wait to see the sunsets when I go to Mangochi!
In the first part of the morning, we visited the public school near where we were staying. It's called the Nkhoma Full Primary School. We wanted to see what they needed in terms of school supplies and possibly soccer balls. Obviously we didn't want to give away all of our donations, but we wanted to share the wealth in anyway we could. Some of the classrooms didn't even have tables. They have over 2,500 kids enrolled at one time! And the classrooms can only hold so many students. If you showed up on time you got to learn that day, and if you didn't, well...
The games they usually play are soccer (known as football over there, no surprise) and netball. Netball is basically basketball and ultimate frisbee combined. The court is similar to basketball, but you can't dribble the ball you can only pass. Unlike in America where everyone can play soccer, girls usually play netball while boys play soccer.
I was finally introduced to the phrase YOLO. You Only Live Once; this makes total sense for this trip. I mean, how often do you get to visit Africa? This became our unofficial catchphrase of the trip, as well as YOYO (you're on your own).
Later in the morning, we visited the United States Embassy. They didn't allow cameras, no surprise. I forgot what it was like to be back in the United States. And I also realized how much I miss air conditioning! Most of the time they talked about politics and a sustainable coffee business idea pitch. As for me, I was still suffering from jetlag a little and tried with all my might to stay awake. Afterwards, everyone was talking about how they, including Clement from earlier this week, were acting like true politicians. Well that was no surprise, since they are politicians! I felt bad for my friend Rachel; the group was mocking her future and not even showing her career path some respect. One thing I didn't like though was how those at the United States Embassy CLEARLY had no idea what was going on outside of their gated walls.
We got to visit an organization that specialized in Youth Empowerment. Much like anywhere else we visited, most of the children never saw a white person before in their life. They kept calling out "Azunga azunga!" It's starting to get old sticking out like a sore thumb.
These kids were so precious! It's heartbreaking seeing them in so much poverty. The tough part is trying to figure out how to help exactly. You want to help as much as possible, but you also have to keep in mind their culture. So, on this trip, my group and I are trying to prioritize what is the most important thing we can provide for these villagers (i.e., clean water, education, clothing, etc.)
