Fun Facts about Jesse #2 &3: She doesn’t travel well alone and she’s allergic to cats.

10:10am Malawi time/4:10am EST, Tuesday 20^th May 2008.

I am experiencing a bit of culture shock. I’m sitting in the LISAP office in Ekwendeni. Took dirt paths/”roads” to get here, the walls are plywood nailed together, it’s basic, rural Malawi…and there’s wireless internet. It doesn’t seem to fit. It’s even faster than we had at my house in Lilongwe. Also, I’m sorry that this post is wicked long, but this is the first time I’ve had internet since I left the States. I’m off to figure out what my work will be. Maybe I’ll have some pics to upload next time—of the Lake! (I’m going there this weekend).

9:08 pm Malawi time/3:08pm EST, Monday 19^th May 2008.

My eyes are closing+ It’s barely 9pm=JET LAG( therefore this post may not make much sense). Woohoo. I am in Malawi. Mzuzu, Malawi to be more specific. Tomorrow morning between 6:30 and 6:35 (yes, I laughed when I was told that also) I will be picked up and taken to the LISAP headquarters in Ekwendeni and settled into my home for the next two months. It is a full moon and I can still see more stars here than I’ve ever seen at Davidson. I was reunited with my favorite constellation (yes, I have a favorite constellation—the Southern Cross). I left the de la Torres’ house at 5:45 this morning to stand in line for 2 hours at the airport before flight KQ424 to Lilongwe via Lusaka took off. The "Davidson in Kenya" team was at their house, which meant that I slept on the couch, but I saw two people I knew so that was cool. Arriving in Lilongwe was bittersweet. I was so excited to be there, but I had imagined it as being more of a homecoming than it was. The whole family wasn’t on the balcony waiting to wave at me as I got off the plane…or waiting downstairs to run and jump on me when I came through with my luggage. I waited on the curb for a few minutes until Uncle Jim pulled up in a minivan full of people and baggage. I sat in the very back in between John and Joseph’s car seats. (Uncle Jim is not really my uncle. He’s my “missionary uncle.” John and Joe are identical adopted twins who are 3 years old). We had a great time driving up to Mzuzu singing Baa Baa Black Sheep, Frere Jacque, Twinkle Twinkle, ABC, Mary had a little lamb etc. They are both extremely ticklish and cute. On Friday I’m babysitting them and their four older siblings (two other sets of twins, also adopted). Now dinner’s over and everyone thinks I’m getting sick because my eyes are red and watery and I’m sneezing every 7.2 seconds (yes, I counted…no, not really) when in fact I’m simply allergic to the two cats that they have. . Everything that happened today is best summed up in a list—things I didn’t realize I missed about Malawi:

• Samosas
• Malawian Rice and how good food here tastes. No chemicals or processing or added flavor. Mmmmm.
• Cold Fanta Orange out of glass bottle exchanged for an empty one at a gas station.
• The two lane main highway—the M1, with its goats, dogs, chickens, people, police checkpoints, overloaded lorries (trucks), and lane markings which are merely guidelines.
• Markets (especially now that it’s sugar cane season)
• The accents and languages.
  
• Chimbuzis (those are long drops/pit latrines/whatever you want to call them, and I don’t really miss them)
• The advertisements (or lack thereof—no annoying billboards every 10 feet)
• THE WEATHER (it is winter…and 65 degrees F)
• The ability to go to bed early (I’m calling it quits. Later playas…)

6:07pm Kenya Time/ 11:07am EST, Sunday 18^th May 2008. T+ many hours.

I am 6.5 hours through my second 8 hour flight of the day somewhere over Lake Turkana. Darkness is approaching, and I’m excited because sunsets from airplanes are always pretty. Already I can see the full moon. I cannot wait to land in Nairobi. I am spending the night with my former guardians (from RVA days), the de la Torres, and hope Aunt Irma makes some awesome Mexican food for dinner tonight. Random Fact: the Davidson in Kenya program stays with the de la Torres also, so I may see Davidson people there. Can’t get away from them even on the other side of the ocean…

Side Note: I HATE Continental and Continental hates me. My flight which was delayed from Charlotte actually got there on time. And boarded at 3:00, and called my name for half an hour…I didn’t hear because I wasn’t at my gate, I was out in a rocking chair being a creepy people-watcher. When I arrived at my gate at 3:45, the plane was just leaving the gate. They pulled it back for me to get on and waited for a new spot in line to take off. There were lots of angry people on the flight whose eyes I tried not to meet as I got on my flight. Even though we left 40 minutes late, we landed in Newark 10 minutes early. I’d never been to Newark, but the parts I saw whizzing past as I sprinted from gate A70 to C125 looked nice. The exercise was good for me and I made it onto the plane in time (almost accidentally went to Belgium, but figured that out before it was too late). I was in seat 45 D—the middle seat of the very last row (I told you Continental hates me), between two Dutch men. My TV initially didn’t work, but that didn’t matter cause I read until they finally gave us dinner then slept the rest of the way. I have never slept so much on airplanes…I’ve probably been awake for 4 out of 17 hours. I guess the last couple of weeks have worn me out/the two hours of sleep I got on Friday night. When we got to Amsterdam it took me about half an hour to figure out that I had to go through immigration to get to the Burger King where I was supposed to meet Jojo. We missed each other. I waited until 9:15 (my flight started boarding at 9:25) then went through the check-in and found my gate just in time for my row to be called to board. I was stressed to the point of tears about missing Jojo, getting on the flight, and super confused about where to check in etc. This is why I decided I don’t travel well alone. It’s such a pain to have to carry your bags around with you everywhere and not have anyone to really talk to etc. I guess that explains the “E” part of my Myers Briggs test.

The fact that this italicized “side note” is longer than the rest probably makes it not a side note anymore…so disregard that label. I LOVE Kenya Airways and Kenya Airways loves me. I am in seat 17 A with an empty seat next to me. Stretching out has been wonderful and I have gotten lots of sleep. I especially love the fact that they serve tea and coffee with every meal. End side note that isn't really a side note.

I have finished my book (Jurassic Park—it was good but now I know why my mommy didn’t let me watch the movie when I was 8). My iPod battery has miraculously held up really well. I have been listening to Jason Mraz’s new album on repeat. My song of the week is apparently “Details in the Fabric” feat. James Morrison. C’est tres bonne. “ Calm down, deep breaths…if it’s a broken part replace it, if it’s a broken arm then brace it, if it’s a broken heart just face it then hold your own, know your name, go your own way and everything will be fine. Hang on, help is on the way. Stay strong, I’m doing everything.” It’s all serious and then the last line is “You’re an island of reality in an ocean of diarrhea.” Interpret that as you may… Oh, we’re landing soon. Must shut down.