Day 22 - Smiles all 'round!

I can't believe that we only have 2 more weeks left in Malawi. Time has gone by so quickly! As we walked over to Kathy's house to go to work, we saw these guys just a couple of meters away from us.

As we walked into the preschool this morning, we were welcomed by so many little ones, with big smiles on their faces, running up to hug us! What a great start to the day! It made me miss teaching quite a bit. We walked into the OT room and another little one welcomed us, though I definitely did not want to be anywhere near this one.

I worked with a couple of kids this morning on fine motor and visual perceptual skills. We also did some activities of daily living (ADLs) with them (e.g. eating, dressing, washing).

E loves to smile! She usually not this shy.

Just before lunch, Luisa was so excited to tell me that the cockroach in the sink was gone as I was heading to the washroom. I was happy about that but was worried that it actually crawled into one of our bags or the cupboards. Upon my return, I saw Lu standing in the hallway shocked but laughing as well. Apparently she wanted to wash her hands and so used the sink inside the room. As soon as she turned on the water, the cockroach came out and jumped a little. Poor Lu! The cockroach remained in the sink even when we left at the end of the day.

This afternoon, I had some successes with those that I was working with. I played tri-ominos with B, this 23 year old with visual perceptual difficulties. There were some tiles where he was able to place on the board very quickly. There were only a few which he needed some help/hints with. He eventually beat me by 1 tile. I am just ecstatic!

B is all smiles after beating me in Tri-ominos. What a great game!

Afterwards I saw the M, the boy I mentioned last time who spoke very, very little, appeared uninterested, unhappy; simply a very flat affect. Although he walked in in a similar manner, I saw that he was very focused and was trying to be very precise with his colouring. He was also meticulous with his printing. When I was taking a picture, Luisa said that she could see the side of his cheek twitch a bit, trying to smile. With 2 weeks left, I feel like I want to make it a personal mission to try to get him to smile, even if it's the slightest little bit. I'm also proud of him for working so hard with cutting, colouring, and learning to print the letter "a" and his name.

Overall, a very successful and joyous day!

This is little G.

Us being silly! As usual!

I don't work with these girls, but R & G are two of the most adorable little girls you'll meet.
Big smiles, giggling lots. How can you not love them?

Also had a conversation with my mommy tonight. It was interesting how mothers just have this "sixth sense" for lack of a better way of putting it. Wow mommy!

Day 21 - Just one of those days...

Even though I was super tired from yesterday, I got very little sleep and didn't sleep that well last night. Woke up with a lot of stuff on my mind, one of them being the presentation this afternoon. As I was quickly trying to get ready and trying to remember to pack things, I dropped one of my earrings (inside yelling "nooooooooo..."), and the pearl came off from the post. Now I have to wait until I get back to Vancouver in order to fix it. I didn't bring another pair of earrings with me, but thankfully, Luisa had extras that I can borrow for the rest of our trip.

This morning, we worked with some of the kids from the behavioural challenge class. Today was definitely a real challenge. There were about 5 kids in the same room at the same time. One of the kids I was working with made me somewhat frustrated as he did not follow any of the directions and would perseverate on certain words/phrases. It was driving me up the wall as I was trying to get him to do some of the activities to get the sensory input he needed so he would calm down and focus a bit.  Then I had a kid who would just lie on the ground, slowly move around, and almost getting stepped on by another kid a few times. It was just super chaotic. By noon, I was already exhausted, dehydrated, and just wanted to go home to de-stress and rest. It was nice, however, to see the kids responding to some of the activities that we were doing. We saw this one boy, S, who has low tone due to cerebral malaria. We had been working on lifting his head on a therapy ball and sitting upright. Even before we started doing any activities, he was sitting quite nicely and had his head up. Maybe we're doing something right?

We headed to SOS to do our presentations to the rehabilitation technicians and PTs that were invited. Luisa and I presented on sensory processing and fine motor skills.  We both think that the presentation went quite well and we tried to make it quite interactive for the audience. Kathy had her staff buy some snacks (mmm...samosa! muffin & scones) and soft drinks to be served during break time. Luisa and I had bittersweet feelings about the presentation. We're glad that it went well and that it's done now, with that being said however, us finishing the presentation means that our time in Malawi is slowly coming to an end. Neither of us really want to or are ready to return back to Canada. Glad we'll be having a week off to travel together, to process, and slowly reintegrate back to the western culture.

When we came home, we both decided that we needed to de-stress by having another jam session. We didn't really have one last week, so it was nice and fun to be able to do that again. It's always nice when you're able to sing songs that express how your feeling and what you're experiencing at that point in time. We also had some great laughs as well.

Side note. I kept getting hurt yesterday. A wooden tray dropped on my foot, hurting my fingers on wheelchairs, and then walked into the metal handle of the wheelchair break. I now have a nice purple bruise and bump from that, along with the scratches and mosquito bites that I already have. Oi!

Till I See You

The greatest love that anyone could ever know
That overcame the cross and grave to find my soul
And 'til I see You face to face
And grace amazing takes me home, I'll trust in You

With all I am I live to see Your kingdom come
And in my heart I pray you'd let Your will be done
And 'til I see You face to face
And grace amazing takes me home, I'll trust in You

I will live to love You
I will live to bring You praise
I will live a child in awe of You

You are the voice that called the universe to be
You are the whisper in my heart that speaks to me
And 'til I see You face to face
And grace amazing takes me home, I'll trust in You

You alone are God of all
You alone are worthy, Lord
And with all I am my soul will bless Your name

Day 20 - Just another manic Monday

Monday morning. The first thing we hear when we got to COBT is that another child from the rehab program has passed away this past weekend. I thought it's the start of a new week, so why has last week carried over? I wonder if this week is still a continuation of all the stuff that's been happening last week. I think it will be...

Today was a busy day filled with lots of moms, lots of kids, and lots of wheelchair fittings. It's so rewarding to see the smile on the kids' and their caregivers' faces when they leave with a wheelchair that fits them, which allows them to access their environment and support them properly now. We also had nsima, a Malawian staple, for the first time. It is maize (corn) grounded up into flour and then becomes this pasty starch which you use your hands to form into a dumpling/scoop-like shape and mix with other staples like beans and veggies.

It was also the second time it's rained since we've been here. It was warm and sunny, then all of a sudden, the grey clouds move in and it starts to pour. It was actually really nice since there were so many people, it definitely cooled the place down quite a bit. Also, the moms started singing while doing therapy with the kids. This was such and neat and authentic experience. It had a steady beat, which had a great calming effect.

This afternoon, I did another visual perceptual assessment with a child. He looked just as disinterested as he was the last time he was in. I really have to figure out some way to make him more engaged and interested in the activities.

Now we just have to keep working on our presentation that we're going do for tomorrow.

Let Your Mercy Rain

God, You have done great things

God, You give grace to the weak

And bless the brokenhearted

With a song of praise to sing

You reached down and lifted us up

You came running, looking for us

And now there's nothing

And no one beyond Your love

You're the overflow

You're the fountain of my heart

Let Your mercy rain

Let Your mercy rain on us 

You're the faithful one

When the world's falling apart

Let Your mercy rain

Let Your mercy rain on us

How deep, how wide, how long, how high is Your love ... is Your love

Oh, God

Let it rain

Day 19 - Freedom

Last night, our neighbours were having a party, with loud music, lots of drumming and heavy bass. I guess that I was quite tired from yesterday that I was able to fall asleep despite that I felt like I was at a club or something like that.

We had pancakes for breakfast this morning before we went to visit Kathy & Steve’s church. I really enjoyed attending their church today. The worship team was huge, about 7-9 vocalists, 1 pianist, 1 guitarist, 1 bassist, and 1 drummer. It was so soulful, you can’t help but to smile and move as you worshipped. 

They were such a great and soulful worship team.

New song I heard from church today. Definitely made me smile!

I Smile

Today's a new day, but there is no sunshine.

Nothing but clouds, and it's dark in my heart

and it feels like a cold night.

Today's a new day, where are my blue skies,

where is the love and the joy that you promised me

you tell me it's alright.

I almost gave up, but a power that I can't explain,

fell from heaven like a shower now.

I smile, even though I hurt see I smile,

I know God is working so I smile,

Even though I've been here for a while

I smile, smile.

it's so hard to look up when you've been down.

Sure would hate to see you give up now

You look so much better when you smile, so smile.

Smile… for me

Can you just smile... for me.

ohohoh you look so much better when you

I was very encouraged to hear that they had a successful fundraising event last night for the Christian Heritage School. Some of those who were serving were people who didn’t normally serve in the various ministries available, so it was great to see that these people were able to use their gifts to serve others in this capacity. Today’s message was on the freedom we have in Christ. One of the things the pastor started off with though was how there are many people who have such a passion in serving God through the various ministries that they are involved in, but there’s also a life that conflicts with their service, where ministry has become a shield for them. It’s a place where they are able to hide and project an image to others so they see them in this light. How are we able to live in the freedom of Christ and not abuse it? The freedom we have is not freedom to sin but freedom from sin, where we act in a way that serves one another in love and not cause them to stumble. Jesus Christ has set us free from the bondage of sin, and has said that if we love Him, we obey His commands. So do you love Jesus Christ?

Reminded me of this song.  I Am Free

Through you the blind will see

Through you the mute will sing

Through you the dead will rise

Through you all hearts will praise

Through you the darkness flees

Through you my heart screams

I am free

Yes, I am free

I am free to run

I am free to dance

I am free to live for you

I am free

Yes I am free

Through you the kingdom comes

Through you the battle's won

Through you I'm not afraid

Through you the price is paid

Through you there's victory

Because of you my heart sings

I am free

Yes, I am free

Who the Son sets free is free indeed

Mmm...sugar canes. So much effort but so worth it!

This afternoon, Amy & Alisa came over to eat sugar canes with us. It was also Alisa’s first time eating sugar cane. We had fun watching them try to eat it. Luisa is definitely a quick learner in this. We even had a little contest to see who could get their fiber remnants the furthest.

Silly girls!

Tonight, we decided that we’re making dinner for Brenda, Darcy, and Tracey. So what’s on the menu you ask? Homey Chinese food… we have pineapple fried rice, chicken with creamed corn, and garlic cabbage. They loved it! Yay!

So Luisa and I have been working our on presentations for Tuesday. My nose has been running since this afternoon. I feel like I have a really red and swollen nose now. So itchy, sniffly, and sneezing so much. Allergies… bleh! And just as I was typing all of this, I got bitten by a mosquito twice because I hadn't put down the mosquito net yet. The bites are huge and getting even bigger as I type. Tried to kill it but it's disappeared. Mosquitoes: 20+, Yoyo: 1. And then, now I hear something crawling around in the vent holes. I whacked the wall a few times, but it's just moving around in there. What is it?! I'm scared something ridiculous is going to pop out through the openings...AHHH!!!

Day 18 – A Very Malawian Day

Today was a much needed, take my mind off of lots of things day. I had a wonderful time with Luisa, Tracey, and Amy. We first went to a store called DAPP and did some crazy shopping there. They had just received a new shipment of clothing and other items, so there were lots and lots of people inside the store. Think boxing day shopping. 

Let the chaos ensue. This is only half the store...

There were clothes everywhere; clothes on the racks, piles of clothes on the ground. While we were looking through the clothes, we saw these 2 ladies in a very heated argument over some clothes. It was an experience for sure. I was debating on this top, and so Luisa offered to use her phone as a mirror so I can see what it looks like. She then proceeded to put her phone in the front pocket of her bag. Minutes later, she discovered that her phone was missing. We did not know if she had dropped it or someone took it, so we looked everywhere in the area that we last saw it, but nothing. So we think someone probably picked it up and took it. It was quite sad and a little frustrating, but Luisa seemed to take it well. Then Brenda came to meet us for a few minutes as she was in the area and had never been to DAPP either. When we were telling her the story, she said that as she was walking in, she saw a lady arguing with someone about a phone. So they quickly went to the security guard to check and see if the phone had been found. They waited around for a while as they did have a phone, but it was put into the back of the store. So one of the workers went to retrieve it and see if it was Luisa’s. Thank God! Praise the Lord! They came back with an iPhone, although the case was missing. Luisa punched in her passcode to prove that the phone was hers. TADA! The phone was back to its rightful owner. Apparently the security noticed the woman holding the iPhone, and she did not look like she owned an iPhone. iPhones are very, very expensive in Malawi, and not many people have one. So when the guard saw this as suspicious, he took the phone from her. We were so happy that this guard was really looking out and diligently doing his job! Thank God for the security guard! Then we went to pay for our stuff. We lined up in the queue for over 20 minutes and lots of people would just jam into the line in front of us as if nothing happened. Even when I looked at them, shook my head, and spoke about lining up. I had had enough and I saw this person squeezing through, I told the man that there’s a line here after he had paid for the stuff. He apologized, however, there were 2 other ladies who did the same thing and just pretended I didn’t exist. One lady cut in front of Luisa and she kindly told her about the queue, but the lady looked back at her, smiled, and continued to do nothing. Gosh was I frustrated with this. It really, really bothered me; just drove me up the wall.

Girls' day! Shopping! Chips!

Around lunch, we went to the market for some ‘chips’, which were essentially deep fried potato wedges and coleslaw like salad on top. It was greasily delicious. Then Tracey needed to buy some fruits and veggies, so we walked through the market. As we began to walk through, we quickly got all the attention from all the men at the market. Many of them would ask if we were married. I had so many people say “I love you” to me. I had about 3 men proposing to me, asking me to marry them. Afterwards, I thought about it and I should have asked what they were willing to offer. One of my friends was offered 8 cows a couple years ago. Would have been interesting to see what offers I would get. I’m in that situation again, I’ll definitely ask and see. Tracey was buying cabbage from this one guy, and the guy next to him started talking to us, asking us our names, which isn’t a big deal, then asked us where we’re from. As we were leaving the stall to another one behind us, he would keep calling out my name to try to get me to turn around. Then as we were turning away, I saw that he had his phone and was trying to take a picture of me. There were also a group of about 4 men surrounding us and was asking about Amy. I kept saying “No, she’s too young for you”, but they would continue asking her, which I knew made her very uncomfortable.

You have to pay to cross this bridge! 

Rockstar pineapple. Mohawk

In the afternoon, we went to Village of Hope as they were having a birthday party there. There was a lot of singing and dancing. The kids at VOH were so adorable. Some of them would copy everything that you would do, a few of them would not let go of your hand and wanted you to dance with them. The older ones, especially the girls, were so responsible, taking care of the very little ones that were there. There was also this one boy that really stood out for me. He looked like he was around 10-12 years old. Generally, cleaning is the job of a female, but this one boy saw the big puddle of spilled juice, without anyone asking him, he went and got a mop to mop up the juice. He was also very helpful with moving chairs and the plastic table around, as well as taking care of some of the younger ones. I just want to take him home with me!