Mt Mulanje Arrival

Aloha ~

I know it has been a while since my last blog. I had really hoped that I would be able to keep up the blog while in Malawi. However, internet access was sketchy once we got out of the capital city of Linlongwe. While it was available, they were not setup for so many of us to be online at once. Hence, keeping my blog updated was a challenge.Therefore, I will try to catch you all up on what happened... 
  
(Malawi - Day 3)  Our group now assembled, it was time to head out to where we would be building. Our first stop was the National Office of Habitat for Humanity, Malawi. There we picked up our two hosts for the week, Kelvin and Consolata.

Official Group Shot - Good looking group if I do say so...

Once we were all loaded on the bus we set out on an 8+ hour bus ride out to Mulanje. We passed some beautiful scenery along the way.

Road to Malunje - Typical Village Housing

We arrived at our accommodations for the week, Kara O’Mula Country Lodge at the base of Mt. Mulanje. Wow! What a beautiful setting. From our veranda we looked out over a valley and on to Mozambique. Behind us the majestic mountains.

View from our veranda at Kara O’Mula Country Lodge 

Our Room - Complete with Mosquito Nets

The rooms were nice and the beds comfortable. It was interesting sleeping with a mosquito net over the bed. The first night I woke up during the night and had a moment of panic. When I fell back asleep I dreamt I was being buried in a netted coffin. (I may have some issues to work out but that is a discussion for another time). The rest of the week I was so tired from building everyday that I didn't even notice the net. Progress...right?

Half of the group stayed in this building.

This was their Sunset View. I just love sunsets --- Dont' You?

Once we got settled, we had a meeting with our hosts and went over specifics for the build. Our team divided in half for week to build 2 homes. Both homes were built as a part of Habitat Malawi’s OVC Program (Orphans & Vulnerable Children). Unfortunately, the HIV/AIDS epidemic is a huge problem in Malawi as well as many other African countries. The Welfare Department for the District we were building in is currently trying to update their population records. While they have not completed their data collection, to date they have determined that there are over 35,000 Orphans & Vulnerable Children in the District. I find that number completely overwhelming.

Oh, I almost forgot the essential element in a successful Global Village Trip...

The Bar at Kara O’Mula Country Lodge  

Our group may or may not have drank them out of beer. After a long day on the build site in the hot sun, it is a great way to relax and relive the day's events. I had to laugh though. When we arrived in Malawi we asked if they had a local beer. You know, When in Rome and all that. We were told yes there have a local beer. When we asked what it was they told us to just ask for the green beer. I thought that funny because St Patty's Day is still months away. Anyway, when we went to the bar to order green beer we were presented with Carlsberg. Apparently, Carlsberg has a distillery in Malawi so it is made in country (local beer). Their slogan is Carlsberg...Probably the Best Beer In The World. Not so sure about that but our group did enjoy a couple (or more bottles).

I leave you know and go back to organizing my build site photos. Next blog will be an account of the weeks building activities.

Until then...