 | big weekending and what I’m thankful for I was driving out to a swim meet on Saturday when it happened... I'm sorry to report that I was involved in a hit-and-run that killed a small malawian kid. The accident happened just outside of Salima; we hadn't even been driving for an hour yet!
We had to keep driving; our car would have been mobbed by angry people if we had stopped. Of course, we were shocked and very saddened by what had happened! After that I was extra, super cautious - anything can happen on these Malawian roads! As it was, I had to bring the car to a complete stop for a broken ox-cart in the road as well as a few other cows and goats who had nothing better to do than to wander onto the only road for miles.
Due to some crazy directions, we ended up taking the scenic route. It was super beautiful, but mega pot-hole-y! The driver's seat was on hydrolics or something, so getting to Club Mak was almost as fun as a day at 6 flags! (Except for the casualty, of course.)
We finally arrived. We told our friends about the adventuresome travels we had already experienced (and it was only 11am!) and they agreed that, though the situation was tragic, we handled it in the right way. We then settled in to enjoy the races! It was the Club Mak Mile, and swimmers from all over Malawi had come to join in. So, after months and months of practicing, my race was finally here! I completed my 1/2 mile race no problem... but just kidding about the months and months of training part - Annie and I joined in the races randomly at the very last minute! haha! Kaitlin, a girl in my class, swam next to me just for fun, but yeah she could have kicked my butt if she wanted to! :)
After a nap on the beach and a nice lunch, we headed out to a cottage on the lake - you think we have money to actually stay at club mak?!? ha! I don't think so! Not this time anyway. The other teachers and I joined the Harthoorn family at a lakeside cottage not far away. We were able to talk about what had happened with the Salima kid the previous day, which was healing because we were still bummed about it.
That, and the fact that I was malawied by the water again (read: sick!)... I had about enough energy to take more naps and catch up on some reading! Highlights from when I wasn't reading or napping were swimming in the lake and being attacked by a SMALL FISH (which was not so much a fish as it was Spawn of the Loch Ness Monster! I survived, though, fear not!) and hiking to the top of the mountain as the sun set behind the bay... Sometimes Malawi is prety stinkin goregeous!
I've got the pictures to prove that we went to a crocadile farm earlier today, so I finally got to kiss a crocadile! (Now all I have to do here is hug a hippo and I will be set to go!) Anyway, that was a great excursion, and then we were off, headed back to Lilongwe life. We detoured briefly to stop at the teen missions headquarters, since Corey and I are both TMI alums - wow flashbacks!! It was wild!
So now I'm back home with a to-do list a mile long that begins with FINISH GRADES FOR THIS TERM!! and ends... ahh, I don't know where yet! It will be a good week off though, I'm sure! I'm super thankful for it, thats for sure.
Know what else I'm thankful for? I'm thankful that the kid that I hit in the road on Saturday was not somebody's child, but a baby goat. (I got ya, hu?!?) Still tragic, none the less, but it could have been worse!
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