Paradise, People, and Parties


From the safari a few weeks ago, we headed over to a place I sincerely hope is heaven! We spent the week at Zanzibar Island in Tanzania. Holy moly it was BEAUTIFUL. Perfect temperature, beautiful ocean, island vibe…it was incredible. We spent a lot of the time on the beach, and visited around the island. As part of that, we went on a spice tour. I learned that Zanzibar is known for exporting a lot of spices, and we learned all about them. It was lots of fun! Then they fed us a delicious lunch that had so many flavors it was the best thing I’ve ever had.
Another thing we did was swim with dolphins. It was lots of fun, but definitely not what I pictured. I had pictured it being serene and calm and we’d just slide into the water and swim with them…well turns out it’s not that way. We were in the middle of the ocean and waves were huge, and we would jump in and swim with the dolphins for a few seconds until they swam away. Then we’d swim back to our little boat, get in, and start it all over again! Quite the adrenaline rush.
This last week we spent back at SAFI. I have really come to love spending time with the staff and students at SAFI. This week was not only Independence Day in America, but here too! So, naturally we through a big party Malawian style, which meant lots of dancing and fun. There is also a tradition where men dress up as Guliwankulis and dance/bug people until they pay them to go away. They came to our party and it was funny how scared the kids were of them! I had one boy who has become my buddy, Reuben, sitting on my lap and when they came close he would grip me so tightly! I love being able to make such strong relationships with people I’m interacting with.
Also, I had a birthday! This has kinda been the best way to turn 20, just saying. My internship group was so kind and they bought me a cake!! It was SO good, but also there was so much sugar in each slice…it was crazy! I felt so loved by them all and was grateful for the kindness they showed me :)
Overall, I have truly loved being here in Malawi. I love the people, I love the vibe, I love so much about it. Yes there are some things that are not so great about it, all places have downsides. But what I’ve seen I truly love. It breaks my heart that I only have about 3 weeks left! Coming home is going to be good, but it’s going to be hard for sure. This has truly been a life-changing experience! 


Fun fact: 30% of Malawians have the surname Chirwa, Banda, Piri or Manda


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