CHAPTER THREE– 9/26/2007 — Power Outage
Have you ever noticed how power outages never happen at the right time? For example, right now everybody has left for lunch, leaving the music on. I should add that the cat is away, when the manager is around the mice don’t have the music so loud.
Earlier there was religious music, then Celine Dion and now… country music and I do NOT mean Dixie Chicks or something modern and listenable. No no no, this is pure old-fashioned country… bouhouhou my dog died and my woman left me. Yet, the power remains strong.
On the other hand, last night when I was soooooo happy that CNN was back on the unreliable channel after a week-long absence, then the power went out and remained out until I left the Greenhouse this morning. The generator feeds one light, so I could read and at least I was no longer subjected to Big Brother Africa (fake eviction week!!!!! so sneaky these BB people) and the Nigerian soccer league (kill me now).
Of course, there is also the local channel and since I hadn’t had my news fix (and please DO NOT tell me to go on-line because that is a whole other chapter), I decided to watch the local news on Monday, and guess who I saw… Moi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, second time I am on TV since I have been here. I think the camera adds more than 10 pounds by the way.
A camera was following us when we visited 2 projects on Saturday in southern Malawi.
We = Country Manager Tim Gilbo, Operations Officer Chrissie Kamwendo and a visitor from Washington, Quality & Knowledge Director Gerard Byam, as well as little old me.
The shock came when I got to the airport and Gerard asked: “So have you ever flown with Tim?” I gave him by best dumb look. Chrissie said no. Then he said that he had asked around to make sure Tim was a good pilot. Oho… Air Malawi? Nooooo, not when the office can rent a flying matchbox ! My heart stopped when Tim arrived with his little pilot tag on the pocket and led us to a TINY 6-seater plane. Breathe in, breathe out.
I am back here safe and sound so you know everything went very well and I even managed to keep an air of dignity through the turbulences… well, maybe you should ask the others! I am not afraid of flying, I just prefer jumbo airliners to minuscule toy planes.
We flew south for a couple of hours and Tim was the perfect guide. He showed us different roads, dam, stuff that were financed by the WB or other donors and maize silos in the middle of nowhere — an initiative from the President, who doesn’t always have good days. The lake, which covers a fifth of the country, is huge and beautiful.
We slept in a national park at Mvuu Camp. Mvuu means hippo and they certainly made themselves at home in the camp… watch your step! Before dinner we had time for a night game ride (ooooh some type of hog! aaahhh an elephant! ). We woke up extra early to get a boat ride on Saturday morning to see the hippos that kept us awake most of the night, plus some sleepy crocs and alert antelopes (there were different species, but they all look like venison to me).
Tim and Gerard were actually charged by an elephant as they were chatting between their two chalets (their words at the Camp, certainly not mine!) Friday night. They had to dive onto the veranda to avoid it. They were standing between it and its next dish, so what is an elephant to do? Gerard said there was nothing heroic about it. Tim wasn’t as eager to look at wildlide afterwards. How exciting!!!!!
The project visits went very well, especially the first one: I was a star for a few minutes showing the kids how to take a photo (I was one of the paparazzi) and then drawing faces in the dust covering the cars. The driver didn’t like my art. Thankfully, that’s not what the TV crew captured!! Their whole village was relocated a year ago so that they could grow maize — from 4 bags to 40 bags. The WB is also providing funds to build a school and a storage building. They have a well and the road should get better soon.
Maybe you don’t care, but the ladies are back and the music has stopped… work can resume, or should.
Travelling Tastebuds 
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