7 quick takes from Malawi

1. Welcome to the first blog from our little piece of paradise. Our new home is absolutely stunning! It is the end of the rain season and we are surrounded by a thick lush jungle of green (including tons of monkeys), the water of the lake is bluer and clearer than you can imagine and we get to swim and snorkel every day. The temperatures are moderate because of the cover of trees but as soon as we leave 'our jungle' we realise that it is deceptive because northern Malawi is actually boiling hot. We are getting to know the wonderful staff of the lodge, learning to greet in Chitumbuka and all finding our feet in our new life. Some days go better than other days but I am hopeful that we will all feel home very soon.
2. One thing that Sophie and Doris have learned really well is swimming. Before we left they had a couple of classes to get used to the water. Doris loved those and did everything the teacher said without any fear. Sophie liked it too but always got a bit nervous. I think she did everything just to make the teacher happy, she does not like disappointing people. When we got to the lake for the first time last week Doris surprised us by swimming alone with just some arm bands and we were so proud! That was obviously enough motivation for Sophie to get over her fear (you cannot let your little sister beat you) and it is so special to be able to swim with both girls in the blue water to explore the lake around our house.
3. This week was all about learning and getting to know the lodge, the village and the surroundings. We got trained in the book keeping systems, learned about the rhythms and routines and brainstormed about what can be done. But now things are getting real. Charlie and Rosa, the owners, take the ferry to go back to the UK on Monday and the lodge is 'ours'. We get a lot of freedom to decide how we want to run things which is really nice but also a bit scary. We have never done this before... Will we be good enough?
4. One thing we were nervous about is the food. I like traditional african food but eating that every day can get rather heavy (maize porridge 'sits' in your stomach for ages). But we did not need to worry; the lodge has a great menu and nice cooks who love making good for the girls (and for us). All the food needs to come with the ferry and it is impressive what the cooks create with minimal ingredients, no oven and a lot of planning. Ordering food for every meal still feels a bit weird but soon I will start helping in the kitchen to create new dishes so at least I get to cook again and feel a little bit less lazy about the food situation.
5. Posting this blog took a lot of effort because there is no internet at our house. In order to connect to the world wide web I first have to hike to the village, this is a beautiful but at times challenging, walk along the lake. After that I need to get up the 'network hill', a steep climb in the burning sun, made harder because erosion has made the paths rather slippery. On top of the hill you find a gentle cool breeze, a bumpy soccer pitch, a massive baobab tree, stunning views and.... Internet connection! To get from our house to the top of the hill takes about 45 minutes so it is common practise to sometimes just send the phone up with someone who is going to make the hike anyway. That way your email and whatsapp messages can be downloaded without you tiring yourself out so much that you cannot work the rest of the day.
6. Ruarwe is still very rural and things are organised the way they have been organised for centuries. There are village headmen who oversee groups of families and the entire area is supposed to be overseen by a chief, a role that gets inherited through family lines. The only problem is that there has been a 12 year dispute over who should be the chief but the court will make a rulling next week and that will mean that the village will have a chief again. This is very important as the chief is the traditional authority, recognised by the government and respected in every layer of society. When he gets installed things will happen again as much development stood still because nobody could make a final decision. The people are anticipating a big party and I cannot wait to attend it.
7. I type this blog from my bed. The girls are eating 'mandazi' and racing each other on the porch. In the background I hear birds, monkeys and a waterfall. The sun is out and we are ready for a new day. Time to get up! Today Charlie will take us on a kloofing experience up the river so that we can take guests who would like to play in waterfalls, jump from rocks and relax in natural champagne pools. Exciting!