Gav Emma and Joshi: big trip #2: November 2012 – early December 2012

November going into December in Blantyre feels very much end-of-term. The expat community gets together before everyone leaves for the UK/Europe for the school holidays to celebrate various British traditions in ex-pat style. The first of these for us was the St Andrew’s night ball, held in Blantyre sports club with the laudible charitable aim of raising money for the children’s ward at Queens where we both work. We all got dressed up, drank whiskey, ate haggis, danced a ceidlh and listened to the speeches – marked this year by the new British high commissioner talking. The first one of these we attended in 2010 it was Fergus Cochrane-Dyet, who then was kicked out by Bingu for calling him ‘autocratic’ in a Wiki-leaks cable, so last year there was no politic speak, but this year with a new president and happy donors, the HC is back. Sadly his speech was not very funny and too long. The evening was cheered up by our table generally cleaning up in the raffle, Gav won two prizes, including £30 of pork meat that we later donated to charity, dinner for two at Ryalls, the poshest hotel in town. Toni won two nights at a posh resort on the lake and Ian and Hazel won return flights to Cape Town.

Mike Moore getting the festivities going on our table during the speeches

The next weekend we went to Blantyre amateur dramatics panto ‘Cinderella’- which Joshi absolutely loved and saw lots of his friends, running around, trying to sing along and catching sweets thrown into the crowd by Buttons. I also went to the carol concert in St Paul’s church – a mostly azungu affair both audience and orchestra, and you could have been in any village hall in the UK apart from the 30 degree heat and ceiling fans. We even had mince pies afterwards and the singing was hit and miss but really enjoyable. One of the hard things about being an ex-pat is that your friends inevitably move on and as we enter our third year here there seemed along with the new friends we were hanging out with, lots of ghosts of our old friends sitting with us at each event.

Carols in the church hall

Cast of the panto

We were all sad to say goodbye to Laura who started with me in Liverpool back in 2009 and she has done amazingly well completing her stroke project and is home to write up her PhD now. We celebrated her leaving with tea at Huntingdon House on a glorious sunny afternoon.

From the left Ellie with Cal, Laura, Peter and Emma - 2009 Liverpool starters

the pool at Lujeri tea estate - a lovely but crazy afternoon with Isobel and Steven and the kids

Ruby the dog moves in from Laura's house to ours

We both rushed around madly at work trying to get everything finished before we also left for our Christmas break, and Joshi started two mornings a week at nursery which he loves, and he forgave me for forgetting to pick him up one morning because I was too busy (so embarrassing).

Finally it was all done and we were more than ready to collapse in a heap and admire the beautiful country we live in and finally have a proper holiday..........

December to follow

Lots of love to all

Emma Gavin and Joshi

ps more pictures of Joshi from the month below