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.