Mice are regarded as a very tasty dinner. They are cooked whole with the fur still on. I did not try them!!!

Me with my host mum and Tankia her daughter, preparing the dinner by stripping the stalks from pumpkin leaves. They are cooked to make a relish. Not very tasty!

Pounding the rice in the garden. It was grown in the family's fields. The straw roof in the background was the toilet - a pit latrine.

Women washing their clothes in the river. It was quite a walk from the village.

Getting water from the bore-hole. Before the village got a bore-hole, the water was collected from the river for cooking and washing. It was amazing to see the women carrying containers on their heads. I had a go and couldn't even lift the container off the ground!

A lot of learning was done by rote - all the learners chanting together.

Inside the classroom at Gosheni school. Only 2 classes were in roofed and completed buildings. One class met outdoors under a tree and one other was in an unfinished buildings like this one. The others had a roof but the walls were not completed.

Home Again.

Home again! It is lovely to be able to use a toilet, to have a shower, to be able to see when it gets dark and to make a cup of tea when I want! Of course it is great to see the boys again. Duncan has overtaken me in height since I was away.

The experience I have had has been once in a lifetime and I can’t even think where to start to describe it. Often time passed incredibly slowly, as I had nothing to do, especially at home. Highlights were things like doing my washing or helping to shell groundnuts or to prepare dried maize to make flour. The real lows were when things went wrong. The pit latrine at my home collapsed and I was left with only a bucket to use as a toilet for a week! Then there were the visitors to my room – first of all frogs, also huge beetles and finally the rats. That was enough for me to get out of village life 3 days before I was due to leave.

Food was really difficult throughout too. I lived on carbohydrates almost entirely and had no dairy products or fruit for the whole time in the village except for a few bananas and a small orange when visiting someone for lunch.

The school experience was incredible and I have learned so much from this in terms of my own professional ability. It is difficult to say how much of an impact my work will have but that is down to the school staff and the Educational Advisor to take things forward. The 3 In-service days we led were fantastic. I worked with 2 other Scottish teachers to deliver courses on Leadership and Management, Literacy and Numeracy, each lasting 5 hours.

I hope I can share my photos and videos with you all and talk through some more of my personal experiences. Thank you all for your interest and support. I will try to post a link to some of my photos in the next few days.

Val x

Home

I picked up Val from Edinburgh Airport this morning. Flights were on time, no problems and she is quite tired. Val will do a final blog entry in the next few days and we will post a few photos.

Michael

Text received 19:20
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In pub and disco to end experience. Malawian gin rather good! See you soon.
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Text received 07:31
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Off to lake for last day. Leave Monday 9am. Can you bring clean clothes and lead for camera?
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Last day at School

Text received Friday 24 July 19:08
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Said bye to school and family. Got drum from school. Sad to leave school. Tomorrow evaluation day.
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Text received 16:19
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Great day - maths training! Did Maths Recovery stuff. Back to village tomorrow to say bye. Then final evaluation and fun weekend. Boat sounded fun!
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Text received Tuesday 21 July 15:54
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Woken by rats in middle of night. Had to get help! Seen three more this morning. Been taken back to town to say - feel like I haven't done it because of this but I couldn't bear it. In Service training went very well.
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I called her from the yacht when we were anchored Tuesday evening - she is doing very well and would have stayed on in the village but another teacher was insistent she should not stay with rats there. It is about an hour travelling to the village each way so not a big problem. Michael.

Text received Monday 20 July 19:09
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Did not climb mountain. Town at 5,200m above sea level and altitude dizzy there. Another rat in room. Won't sleep! NOT COPING with that!!
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Apologies for delay in updating - I am now back on dry land.
Text received Monday 20 July 16:45
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Back in village now. Brilliant weekend. Bought lots. Planned for next three days - five hours a day of In Service. Four schools in area. Tomorrow it is leadership. How I do five hours? Worried about rats but told its gone.
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Michael & boys have been away on a yacht for the last 2 days so he hasn't been able to publish Val's texts. She's fine and back at the village again. He will update blog when they get back on dry land tomorrow.
Joy (mum)

Planning

Text received 20:38
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Great day. Pizza and other fab food. Did plans and evaluations today because it was rainy, so tomorrow for trips.
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Dedza again

Text received 05:27
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At lodge with teachers. Great to hear all stories. Have toilet and shower and electricity! Got chocolate cake. Rain today and cooler here. Off to buy pottery and possibly climb Dedza mountain. Tomorrow and Monday planning courses here.
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The Rat

Text received 10:31
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It is a RAT! Terrified. Saw it this morning. Off to Dedza to meet other teachers until Monday to plan InService courses for next week. Glad to get away from rat!
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Text received 10:43
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Didn't sleep last night-noises in room. Need to see when back from school. At head teachers for lunch.
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Text received 17:22
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I am coping well. Others not. Feel filthy - no wash this pm as out at Christine and back late. Really need wash - SO hot!
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Text received 10:22
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Been teaching 70 kids by myself in foreign language to them. Managed to share story and book, jungle animals and sing songs. On bike pm to visit Christine, she has toothache.
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Text received 19:26
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Got phone top up. Not sure if you are getting all texts as I told you that already. One Global Teacher wants to go home, had enough. Good day apart from so hot and I forgot to take water to school. Had to cycle back in boiling heat. Held four new kittens. Lunch at a teachers today - got chips. Tried pawpaw - nice. Hope boys are good for granny and grandad.
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Text received 09:26
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Plumber at house to fix broken toilet! Beyond repair so gets filled in and new hole dug. Then wall round it built, and old one knocked down. Sharpened pencils a.m. Teachers trying some of my ideas now. Big staff meeting planned for today but head teacher off with a cold. Kids running everywhere because not enough teachers - don't know why they just don't go home? Really starry night. I use a bike every day to school. Posh mountain bike! plus sometimes in afternoon too. Clouds but hot.
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Text received 14:45
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Been sorting books, big pile for fire. School looking better. Teaching songs and rhymes. Been to visit nursery held in church by volunteer. Staff meeting on assessment to lead tomorrow - yuk! Glad I'm not in rain, wierd not knowing what you are up to!
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Text received 12:54
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Been on trip to Lake Malawi with head teacher, Christine and her head teacher. Huge lake, lots of fish & boats. Great to get out. In old truck packed with people on roof! What we were told not to do! Hope boys feeling fine after ship journey. Say hi to all. Need top up for phone please. Very hot.
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Text received 12:02
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Are you all packed? Boring day, sitting around watching world go by. Sunny though. Getting brown - face only. I tell the family and the school about the texts I get from you. Sitting in room eating chocolate!
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We leave for Shetland tonight, will still be able to receive texts and update the blog from there. Michael.

Text received 07:30
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Met 5 inch lizard in school loo. Loo at home collapsing around the hole - scared I fall down in dark! LINK happy with the work I am doing at the school. Been tidying up termite eaten books - filthy! Getting them organised. Off to do washing.
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Text received 06:59
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Dodgy tummy - not good considering facilities! Sang Twinkle all pm yesterday with girl in family and friends!. I feel dirty all time- so dusty, clothes turn brown. Are boys excited about holiday? Remember to water plants. Remember phone + charger.
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yes, yes.....

Text received 18:58
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At depute head for lunch. Got fried egg & chips!! Visited another Global Teacher Christine on bike pm. Visit tomorrow from LINK to check work I am doing. Colder day, need jumper. Can greet people in chichewa (local language) now.
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Text received 8th July 19:21 in reply to one from her sons
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Missing you all lots too. Nearly two weeks past. 10 kilometres on bike today, very tired. Glad you had good time at swimming pool. Feel better now phone is working. No wild animals here.
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Text received 11:35
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Had fone problems but seem to be okay again. Panicky at idea of no phone. Otherwise okay. Been playing parachute games at school and done work with class.
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A parachute was another of the things Val took out to give to the school.

Phone problems again

No texts were received yesterday. There seems to be a problem with her phone again.

She has now managed to text her sister asking her to contact me and get me to call her. I spoke briefly to her this morning - she is fine, but the phone seems to be blocking any texts to my phone and it is telling her to call customer services for the Malawi phone company, but she can't get through to them.

We are working on a fix.

Michael

Text received 16:19
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Bike too big that I used today. Did my washing outside, dry in minutes. Been to school on day off, whats new! Planning to team teach class 8 tomorrow. Very hot. Food still different always same.
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....last sentence doesn't quite make sense.... M

Text received Sunday 19:33
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In bed 8pm. Good day. My room has bed & mostiquo net. Floor is mud - damp and dirty. Bucket for night use! String up to hang clothes. Small table. Battery full in phone, £30 credit, new battery in camera. Candle and torchlight. Night x
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Text received 14:44
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Highlight today walk to river. Women washing clothes. Got to help with lunch and saw it cook in cooking shelter. Hot day. Sit out and read book. No church because of funeral - 3rd in a week. Tomorrow national holiday, independence day.
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Text received 16:43
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Been on trip on bike, truck and minibus to museum - wood carvings and paintings. With another Global Teacher and 2 teachers from here. 2 hours wait for bus! Bought wood masks. Now playing Connect 4 with family by torchlight-5pm
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One of the gifts Val took out was a small travel set of Connect 4.

The speech

Text received 16:24
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Good day. Had welcome ceremony - traditional dances. Did my speech to the village! Got banana - yum, better than dry rice. I cycle and can say good morning to everyone on way. Picking up some phrases. Children so poor -in rags, runny noses, filthy. So emotional. They are freezing. Some tiny children with babies on backs. Tomorrow I go on trip with Head Teacher on bike and bus. You are on holiday now boys will be happy. Missing home. Next week I start proper work, have just been watching so far.
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The frogs

Text received 16:31
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Had a visit from another Global Teacher today - nice to change stories. Only a short walk to her. Got fright last night. Big frog in my room! Then another! Mr P removed them when I screamed. Going to school on bike - sore bottom! Feel like celebrity always surrounded by lots of children.
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Text received 07:50
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Tum okay! Food not easy. I heard Andy Murray is in Semi's on am radio. Days long. Slow pace. Rain today 1st thing. Children late for school cos cold.
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Text received 15:45
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Been to funeral today. Whole village + chiefs there. School good. Outside under a tree with one class. Got my phone topup. Not sure about the stars - in bed so early! Food difficult to cope with so I will come back a new me! Family friendly and welcoming.
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Val had not been looking forward to the food there..! And I had asked if she could see the Southern Cross in the sky...

School

Text received 10:42
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First day in school. It is great. Been in primary 1. Some amazing teaching considering size of class. Got washed outside at 6am. Very hot night. Lots of strange noises! Bit hard to understand people. Dull and not a warm day.
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Gosheni School

This is a link to a document giving some information and pictures of Gosheni school.
www.goodlad.co.uk/school.doc

Arrival at village

Text received 18:37
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At my family. Much happier. Lovely man. Wife speaks no english. Whole village, hordes of children, village chiefs and teachers out to meet me. In bed at 7 cos it is very dark. Toilet and wash facilities are open air. Loads of massive beasties in there! Whose idea was this?! Off to school at 7am for another new day....
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We have not resolved unblocking her phone via text, but she can just continue using her existing sim card in her phone and send texts as normal. I can top up her phone from here. But the plan was to have a local sim card so internal calls in Malawi would be much cheaper.

I am taping the Andy Murray game tonight so no-one tell her the result.....

Michael

Dedza

Text received 12:34pm
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Now at Dedza pottery. Staying 2night. Then to family 2morrow. Had chips 4 breakfast! Love 2 all.
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Dedza pottery is a place she was looking forward to visiting - a link is here, which also gives some information on the area http://www.dedzapottery.com/
Since that text there have been a few more texts back and forth regading her mobile phone - we thought we had successfully unblocked it so it would accept a Malawi phone network SIM card, but it won't - we are trying to resolve this before tomorrow, when she goes out to the village where she will be staying for most of the time.
Michael.

Arrival

Text received 06:59
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Arr paradise lodge hotel Lilongwe 3am. Got 4 hrs sleep. Had to use sleeping bag not so paradise but will be compared with next place! To Dedza at 10.
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First text from Africa

Received 17:45
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At nairobi next flight is 5 hours more. Hope u had a nice day. Tennis? Love 2 all
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She is a Wimbledon fan so was asking if Andy Murray won his match today....

Early Morning

Well that is Val safely delivered to the airport. We travelled down to her parents on Friday evening, slept for a few hours, and got up at just before 3am and drove to Edinburgh Airport and arrived at 4am. The arrangement was to meet up with the other teachers going to Malawi at Costa Coffee and then go and check in together. On arrival about half of them were there and over the next half hour the rest arrived. The airport was surprisingly busy at that time of the morning and I left after standing with them at the back of a long queue to check in.

The flight arrangements start with a flight from Edinburgh to Amsterdam, then a seven hour flight from there to Nairobi, Kenya, and finally another flight to Malawi - expected to arrive about 2am Sunday morning.

I got back to Tillicoultry at 5.30am...and went back to bed..
Michael

Opening Blog

Well, that is me nearly ready to go. For those who don't know I am going to Malawi on Saturday for four weeks with Link Community Development. I am going along with thirteen other teachers from throughout Scotland to work in schools in Malawi to help bring about improvements in education there by working with the staff in school and delivering support and training to them.

I will be working in Gosheni Full Primary School with the 9 members of staff and nearly1200 pupils!

I am living with the Palimbiya family. They have 3 children: Bikutala aged 8, Tanika aged 5 and Timothy aged 19 months. Mr and Mrs Palimbiya are farmers. Only Mr Palimbiya speaks english.

I have a huuge suitcase full of gifts to take to the school and the family. Thank you to all who have supported me by giving donations. Especially thank you to my school for taking part in a fundraising walk - you all did so well. With the money raised I am able to take out a parachute and small balls for playing games, pencil cases for all the staff, some books, a Scottish and Malawian flag and some inflatable globes.

I will send regular text messages home for Michael to put on here for me - I have no access to email while I am away - Hopefully the messages will give you a taste of what I am doing and experiencing.