I'm in Heaven




This week we went on another excursion, this time to Cape MaClear at Lake Malawi. Oh man, it was so beautiful, I swear it was paradise. I’ve never seen a better lake in my life! The water was super clear, the beach felt like a real beach…it was really great.While there, I got to go snorkeling for the first time ever! It was so fun. The fish were so beautiful and very vibrant. There were yellow fish, electric blue fish, stripped fish….so many different kinds of fish! I feel like I am constantly amazed at the beauty that is found not only in this country, but also in the world (yeah, that’s cliché but it’s true!). I had a rough time figuring out how to breathe through the tube, but after a while I got the hang of it all and had an incredible time.

Another awesome thing while we were there—we found REAL ice cream!! So, the normal ice cream here is pretty funky. It’s got a marshmallow-y taste and texture, and isn’t as cold as real ice cream. Plus, I’m lactose intolerant and when I eat the ice cream here it doesn’t give me any problems. However, we found a restaurant that had REAL ice cream. It was creamy, cold, and even made my tummy hurt! (never thought I would see that as a good thing—but having real ice cream felt so good!!). Plus, it was chocolate and actually tasted like chocolate. That’s another thing that doesn’t taste fully “normal” here…but honestly you’ll get that a lot of places. America is just known for having good sugary foods!

Something I'm really coming to love is the friendships that I am beginning to build with the people here, and more specifically the children. Since most adults are out working in fields or cooking for most of the day, the kids take care of each other and are a bit "free range" (but also it's cool because the older kids, aka 12 year olds, are really responsible and take care of the younger kids). Which means, most of my interaction with Malawian  people are kids ages 8-12. Normally, I can't stand that age, but I've really come to love some of them. One night, a bunch of girls came and we sat and talked (between what little Chechewa I know and the English they knew) while they did my hair which they loved (since almost all women shave their heads because obviously that's easier and I kinda wish it was acceptable in America). They told me about their families, and I told them about mine and I just loved it! 

I truly love being here in Malawi, and am falling more in love with it each day. Sure there are ups and downs, and sometimes it gets hard and I miss home and people at home...but I'm learning that life is that way. There is always going to be ups and downs, and it's up to us to learn how to ride the waves. I'm learning that so much of life is adjusting to different scenarios, and if we let go of the excessive control we like to have on things, we can enjoy so much more of life! 









Fun Fact of the Week: Lake Malawi accounts for more than one-fifth of the country’s total area. It is the ninth largest lake in the world and the third largest and second deepest lake in Africa.






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