Malawi Day 5: Traveling to Mzuzu

We spent the morning in Mthuntama packing for our trip north and doing some errands. Charlotte played chess with Jasper (our hosts’ son), and he beat her in no time at all. I went to K2Taso (the organization that works with individuals living with HIV/AIDS) to meet with their director, Peter, and bring him eyeglasses that had been generously donated by people in the Capital District, Boston and Virginia too. Thank you everyone! You are all rock stars! We took Neosporin to our tailor, Mary, for her finger that got pinched while pushing the car out yesterday and we paid for our driver Dominic’s kind help on Tuesday, getting us to all those schools and navigating those ruts with expertise.

The MoonCatcher Sewing Center in Mtunthama.

Finally, we were ready and left for Mzuzu around 11:30. The trip was beautiful though it rained some making it a bit challenging. The landscape was tremendous. Sunflower fields stretched for miles; fiery red zinnias stood as tall as any basketball player; tobacco plants glowed pale yellow/green and Eucalyptus forests lined either side of the roads. Men with firewood stacked sky high between long poles attached to the backs of their bikes, rode toward the marketplace. There were incredible outcroppings of stone that jutted up in the middle of fields. My favorite was the one that looked like an elephant. I remembered that it pretty much tells us that we are about halfway to Mzuzu; halfway to where Emmanuel makes MoonCatcher kits for us.

We pulled into a parking lot and called our tailor asking if he wanted to meet us today. He came right over, and we sat at a picnic table talking about The MoonCatcher Project and how it is going for him. Emmanuel teaches students who are deaf or blind. He is determined that they have work skills so he teaches sewing, carpentry and other trades. He teaches some of his students to make MoonCatcher kits and uses the money we pay for the kits on necessities for them. He is a giving and compassionate man and as I looked back and forth from him to kind and generous Olipa I thought how lucky we are to have these two people in our corner.

We are traveling with Sweet Baby James, Olipa’s youngest child – just one year old. Charlotte describes him as yummy or delicious and she’s right. He truly is adorable and delightful traveling company. He’s even getting used to us and will ask to be held now and then.

Baby James naps on Charlotte’s lap.

We are staying at The Royal Gardens, a guest house in Mzuzu with lovely hot showers. Need I say more!