July 2012 Lovely Lake Malawi and Mulanje Mountain

Hello there

July 2011 was a very chilly foggy cold (in Malawian terms) month, and Blantyre was built on the high plateau to be cool in the hot season, and therefore very chilly in the winter. So this year we decided to escape as much as possible to warmer parts of the country.

The first July weekend we went to the lake, ostensibly for a party to say goodbye to our paediatrician friends Surita and Andy. We rented a newly renovated cottage belonging to our friends and landlords Jane and Mac Mallewa on the lake shore and set off with Roshina, Jen and two psychiatric colleages of Jen’s who were teaching here. On Friday afternoon as we arrived, Andy Murray was playing Jo Wilfred Tsonga in the men’s semi’s at Wimbledon. Jen amazingly managed to tune her i-pad into radio Wimbledon, so we drank G&Ts by the beach listening to the match. In true Malawian style, the coverage was very sporadic, and cut out at all the vital moments. Towards the end of the match the power went out, so we sat by candlelight, cheering Andy on, missing all the vital shots, and I think Joshi thought we were quite mad. He joined in all the cheering thinking it was all hilarious, and practiced pointing at the candle saying ‘light!’.

tennis and scrabble by candlelight

Jacaranda at sunset

The next day we spent in typical lake shore fashion – doing nothing except lying around reading chatting and dozing. Joshi finally managed to let go of Gavin’s hand and took his first steps, which were a sprint towards the lake, so pleased with himself for finally managing to walk/run and spent the rest of the weekend with one of us chasing after him, and cheering him on. The party on the Saturday night was lovely – set on a beachside bar with the full moon reflecting in the lake, with great music and lots of silly dancing in the sand. On Sunday we all rushed back to BT to make sure we saw Andy in the final at Jen’s house, as she has DSTV(South African Sky), however Joshi hated it, crying everytime the crowd cheered, so Gav and I negotiated rapidly, and watched two games each while swapping running around the garden with him.

and he's off................

and is very pleased with himself afterwards

beach party Malawi style with Sarita, Aisleen and Andy

Roshina Gav and Joshi watch the Fed beat Andy in the Wimbledon final

The second weekend in July was the porter’s race, which is a massive race consisting of all the Mulanje mountain porters, plus some crazy mazungu runners running up and down Mt Mulanje over about 26 km – imagine a vertical marathon where you ascend about 2000m and then come down again, starting at 5am. Joshi and I joined the posse of people watching everyone come down at the end, and we were so proud of all our friends who managed this amazing feat in a variety of 3-5 hours. We all went for pizza afterwards – bizarrely at the bottom of the beautiful mountain is a pizza restaurant with a wood-fired oven, which gets all its business from hungry hikers. The after-party that night at Karen’s was amazingly lively with runners drinking and dancing until 2am. Yours truly crashed at midnight, outstripped by all the runners who don’t have toddlers to wake them up……

Emma and Joshi set off to watch the end of the race

Nick crosss the river on his way to the finish line

Rob and Emile find the best way to cool off after the race

The following weekend was my birthday weekend, and we headed back off to Mac and Jane’s cottage again, this time with Helena and Nick (very sadly our last weekend in Malawi together with them), and our mutual friends Nic and Dean with their kids Sophie and Samuel. More lakeshore relaxation ensued with Pimms at lunchtime by the pool, and a lazy trip to Club Mak, which is a fancy hotel up the road. After a failed birthday trip to the spa in true Malawian style, we hung out by the pool with Joshi and joined the others for a round of golf on the club Mak course, surrounded by baobabs and the beautiful sunset. We ate fabulously with Mozambiquan lobster braai one night and roast filet the next, cooked on charcoal under the stars by the lake by Lloyd the fabulous housekeeper, such gorgeous surrounds with good friends – I could not think of a better way to turn 35, thanks guys.

Joshi enjoys the golden sand at Lake Malawi

Josh and Gav enjoy the Club Mak pool

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Baobabs at sunset

Golfing stars Dean Nic Sophie Samuel Helena and Nick

Pimms at lunchtime at the poolside bar - its a hard life

Joshi tries out Sophie's scooter, and loves it

I am also getting into home food delivery - Malawi style. So far we have had home made bagels and cinnamon rolls, freshly roasted coffee and free range eggs delivered regularly to the door, as well as passers by selling strawberries, fish, pots, cloth and pretty much anything. Luka who makes the bagels has bought a Royal Mail bike - Blantyre is awash with these after a delivery from the UK, and they make me smile everytime we see one in the street.

Luka delivers hot cinnamon rolls on his Royal Mail bike

This month in Malawi not much has happened apart from the ongoing downstream economic ripples from the devaluation – the waterboard went on strike with no notice, cutting water to the whole city including the hospital, followed by the postal service. Power, water and fuel is set to double in cost this coming month and everywhere it is the average Malawian who has to meet this cost. After her first dramatic 100 days in office, Joyce hasn’t done much more, or said where she is going to take the country over the next 12 months. Malawians desperately need a strong leader who can move things forward, let’s hope Joyce can live up to her promise. 

Work continues as per usual for both of us, and now he can walk, Joshi is rushing about everywhere and enjoying hanging out with his baby friends. As it is the school holidays this and next month, most of his friends are away, they all come back mid-August so we are all looking forward to regular Wednesday and Monday playgroups starting up again. Joshi’s vocabulary now stands at about 25 words, and he is growing into a strong, happy confident little person, it is a real delight to see.

We are all excited about our trip back to the UK in September and hope to see as many of our family friends, and their new arrivals, as possible, along with eating as much cheese/sushi/Chinese/tyaabs as we can manage!

Lots of love

Emma Gavin and Joshi J

June 2012 - Malawian winter?

Hello everyone

After completing our last blog entry for May, Gavin and I took Joshi away to Huntingdon House in the tea estates for a luxurious weekend to celebrate our 5^th wedding anniversary. It was a beautiful time with gorgeous weather, only marred by being attacked by soldier ants at our favourite picnic spot on Thyolo mountain. Anyone who has read the poisonwood bible will know what that can feel like- ouch. Joshi enjoyed beating me at croquet (that is how bad I am) and we chilled out in Malawi’s oldest colonial home.

playing catch on thyolo mountain

Joshi beats mummy at croquet

wish we lived here sometimes....

Joshi nearly walks

Gavin and I have both been rushed off our feet this month with work, the meningitis season is underway so my study is very busy, and the dialysis unit continues to keep people alive with all the attendant ups and downs of trying to deliver high tech medicine in the 10^th poorest country in the world. The new president, Joyce Banda, is still popular, and despite the massive devaluation of the local currency by 40%, the country has not suffered significantly and the donor money and forex is now flowing and business is brisk. We hope this means that the fuel queues and diesel dramas are a thing of the past. I am still using Malawi’s first fold up bike to get to work which uphill every day means the baby weight is nearly gone now, which is great. I have moved office into MLW’s new building which is air conditioned, with fast wifi- I could almost close my eyes and believe I was working in the UK on my first day there, until I see the hornbills in the tree outside the office. Our chickens are growing and we hope to see eggs in the next few weeks.

Old office building

New office building

gav and Joshi check out the chickens

We very sadly said goodbye to Kate and Chikondi, very good friends here who looked after me so well when we arrived with Joshi a year ago knowing very few people with babies, and all my baby group friendships have come from her. Their fabulous soap making business will also be sadly missed, as one friend put it ‘what will we wash with now?!’

Kate (left) and Sam

I made a foray into the world cup football with a trip to Malawi v Nigeria in the national stadium. It was a great result for Malawi who drew with the favourites, and the atmostphere was fantastic. We bought tickets from a tout for the grand price of 3 quid each – and even touts dressed as the Marx brothers added to the mad African atmostphere – along with a man in a santa costume and another with a cardboard box on his head.

would you buy a ticket from this man??

Kamuzu national stadium

Red is the colour of the national team, but in 30 degrees I bet he was hot!

Joshi is still not quite walking un-aided (in June.....) but loves to go everywhere with his new trolley, including to the shops, can blow kisses, make animal noises and is every day becoming brighter and more interested in his surrounds. We have discovered a new soft play area in a local hotel which he loves along with lots of other local children. He had fun at Lola’s third birthday party this weekend and can say ‘was-dat’ along with lots of words now, and is hardly a baby anymore. It feels almost unreal that it was a year ago today that we arrived back here with him still a small 3 month old baby, and the time has flown so quickly.

Joshi in a ball bath and loving it

Flying visit from Auntie Ros

Joshi with Annie on my bike

Picture of joshi from our first Malawi blog aged 3 months+ time is flying..to this......

Shopping in Chipiku with Gav aged 14 and 1/2 months!

Congratulations to Clare and Steve,  Al and James and Jackie and Andy on the birth of their new babies, we can’t wait to meet the new arrivals when we are back in September for 3 weeks – along with baby Russell and baby Whitely arrived last week. Also congratulations to Jez and Ayako who got married this June, we are gutted tohave missed it.

This July we are off to the lake for the first time in a long time, and can’t wait for a swim in the warm water…if we can’t be at the Olympics we might as well enjoy spending time in a tropical paradise beach………….and then off somewhere exciting hopefully for my birthday.

Lots of love to everyone

Emma, Gavin and Joshi J

April and May Malawi blog: Highs and lows

Hello everyone

Last month’s April blog update has been delayed so we have merged the two to let you all know what has been happening in the last two months.

We got back from Mike and Julie’s wedding in California at the end of March, and 10 days later welcomed Stephen and Louise back to Malawi for their second visit for Joshi’s first birthday. We had a lovely passover just after they arrived with Sarah and Naor Bar-Zeev and their kids and a few days later hosted baby group in honour of Joshi’s birthday. Thanks everyone who came and brought such special presents including home made play-doh from Lisa, glow stars from Helen, Thomas the tank engine from Ruth and books from Sarah. Our present to Joshi was his home made recycled tyre horse swing- thanks Nation and Robyn for building it for us!

Happy birthday Joshi!

Stephen and Louise celebrate with Joshi

Thanks Nigella for the recipe

Gav and Annie get Joshi used to his new swing

Louise and Stephen very generously took us to the new Robin Pope safari lodge in our local park, Majete Wildlife reserve and we had a very luxurious weekend in the family chalet – so gorgeous and relaxing, and we even saw a civit cat and chilled out with the friendly local elephant and bush baby in the restaurant.

Friendly local elephant at dusk from our room

The only route from the main park to the lodge on a river island - bouncy when carrying a baby!

Joshi checks out the animals from his game viewing seat

Louise Gav and Joshi enjoy the infinity pool overlooking the river

Far too exciting being on safari to sleep mummy!

Just after Stephen and Louise left, I received the very sad news that my mother’s cousin Alison had died after a long illness aged only 52. A day later my grandmother was admitted to hospital in London after a collapse and rapidly deteriorated. We made the decision that Joshi and I would go back to London to see Granny and support mum and dad, and also go to Alison’s funeral, while Gav stayed here. Joshi was his usual chilled out self on the journey and through all the difficult hospital visits and day of the funeral, and so many people afterwards remarked that it was lovely to have him there, providing refreshing smiles and cuddles. After a very up and down course, Granny is now re-couperating in a very posh Wimbledon nursing home and we all hope she stays well for as long as possible.

While we were in London Gav caught up with a lot of work and sleep in Malawi, and we managed to catch up with some new friends for Joshi amongst my old school friends who now also have babies of similar ages, including Alec, Max, Izzie and Imogen, and Lou and I managed a lovely dinner out together for a proper gossip and catch up. I sadly had no time to catch up with everyone I wanted to talk to/see, but we hope when we are back in September for our UK holiday we will see everyone then J.

Joshi learns to stand unaided in his first pair of shoes

Imo initiates Joshi into the delights of Sushi

Old JAGS friends with their bumps and babies, Clare, Jackie, Lou and Polly

Mum and Joshi in the garden in the only sunny day of our 3 week trip

Malawi has also been going through its own up and down course in the last two months. In April the former president, Bingu who as deeply unpopular and corrupt, died dramatically during a government meeting of a suspected heart attack. After a weekend where his cronies tried to work out how to make his brother (illegally) president, the vice president, Joyce Banda who had been ex-communicated from the ruling party, stood firm and was sworn in peacefully in a legal power transition. She is setting about sorting the country out, very quickly, and so far has the donor money coming back in, is repealing unpopular laws, tackling corruption, trying to sort out the economy, and the diesel is back in the pumps! We all hope she can continue as she has started and this is a new dawn for Malawi to get back on track. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/apr/29/malawi-president-joyce-banda-women-rights

Joshi and I got back to Malawi last week and are settling back in. While we were away our chickens finally finally arrived and are now settling in and looking happy in the garden, and we hope to be eating our first eggs August time………….all going well J. Ros appeared for a flying visit which was wonderful, and Gav and I celebrate our 5^th wedding anniversary next weekend and we can’t wait. Joshi is now saying some words, can walk holding on, and stand un-aided and  continues to be a happy delight in all our lives.

Ros Gav and Joshi go for a evening stroll

Joshi and Gav inspect the chickens - at last!!

Lots of love to everyone

Emma Gav and Joshi J