Conversations with God

Everyday I bring my book "Conversations with God" with me to the lake shore and sit down in a comfy chair with the intention to relax and read some chapters. Some days I actually get to open the book while other days I end up chatting away the afternoon with other travelers. (I always have this habit of carrying around my book for months in case I get that inspiration of just relaxing and sinking into the book.)

"Conversation with God" is an amazing book though. I heard about this book a couple of years ago but it wasn't until two month ago I actually bought it to have something to read while in Africa. It is kind of a self-helping book where you have to stop and think after every sentence or two. It is in a way as well an autobiography. The author Neal Donald Walsch was going through a rough time in his life and in his anger he started to write a letter to God about why his life was so shitty. Surprisingly God answers, and he answers all of Neal's questions about life, universe, evil, relationships, marriage, sex, work, life purpose and so forth. 

It is interesting to follow this conversation Neal his having with God and I am having so many aha-moments while reading this book... and I am only half through it. For example, God is saying that "Life is a creation, not a discovery" and that "God is the observer, not the creator". He is also saying "My purpose in creating you, My spiritual offspring, was for Me to know myself as God". Hmmm... I have never thought of it that way.... that God created us to discover who he was (as there was no one else than him in the universe). 

To me this book is opening up a new horizon when it comes to who God is and why has he has created the world the way it is. (The answer is actually according to the book that it is WE who has created the world the way it is, with all its wars, world hunger and global warming.)

So my intention this afternoon, after a cooling down with swim in the lake, is to open the book and read yet another chapter in this eye-opening book.

Happy reading!

Teaching English

I feel bad because I have not been writing on my blog for so long. A lot of things happen all the time here and I want write down all of it but then I do not have a laptop or the internet is down when I finally get my butt over to the internet cafe. But anyhow I am here now :)
 

For the last week and a half I have been teaching English for grade 7 at Chicale primary school. First I only wanted to be the teacher's assistant and for two days I was sitting in on classes and helped the teacher Daniel mark the exercises for Mathematics and English. But already on the second day after the first lesson the class teacher asked me or more like told me "so tomorrow you can teach the class". I was like eeehhh...hmmmm... sure. What do I need to teach? He gave me the teacher's guide for English and showed me the exercises the kids are supposed to do and so it started. I have now been going to school every morning teaching for 2 hours. Grade 7 (or Standard 7 as they call it here) is divided in two classes 7A & B and there is about 35 kids in each class depending if all come to school or not. So while I teach one class the other one is either on break or are being thought Math by the class teacher Daniel. I would not be able to teach both classes at once as they sometimes have to do. It would be just too noisy and too crowded. The kids then have to sit on the floor as not enough space to it at a desk. So know when I do one class at a time it is ok. The kids are aged from 11 to 15 depending on when they started school (which should be at age 6) or if they had to redo a year, which is very common. The kids do love to learn but they are also just kids who love to talk and not pay attention. My kids are pretty good though and when the teacher talks the kids are quit... most of the times. The good thing is the other kids also tell the others to be quit, which is very nice and if someone does anything bad they all point fingers to that one... all what can I say, they are just kids.

So I teach them grammar, explain words and we read through chapters in their English books and do exercises together. Some student are brilliant while other can barely read and write in English. I have been giving extra classes to one of those students. Here name is Mercy and I had to start teaching her the basics of the ABCs and how to read English and write. She is suppose to come every day to my hostel for 1h but for example yesterday she did not show up. Maybe tomorrow she will come.

I spend about 3 hours at the school in the morning and then I have the rest of the day off. Except for when I have to mark their homework, which took me about 3h yesterday! Geez. That's why they did not get any homework today! LO

Besides volunteering I am also enjoying Nkhata Bay. This place is truly beautiful and the best place to just relax, enjoy and read a book. I go swimming every day (I also sweat as he** every day). I enjoy good food, for example today I will have some delicious bata fish fresh from the lake. I hang out a lot with Kelvin the rastafari at his local restaurant and we have some very good discussion about life, while enjoying his spectacular view of the lake. Once a week there is also a big party that the locals and the travelers go to. I meet a lot of other backpackers and hear stories about their African trip and suggestions on where to go. I could already write half a book about that.

I also moved to another hostel or backpacker lodge. Now I am staying at Mayoka Village Lodge, a beautiful beautiful place right next to Butterfly Lodge, where I stayed the three first weeks. Here is a link to Mayoka www.mayokavillagebeachlodge.com/. It is owned by a lovely mid-aged couple from South Africa and England and they also offer volunteer programs. Mayoka is a place where you can stay for weeks. So if anybody wants to visit me you are most welcome and trust me, you will love it!

Volunteering as a painter

This week I finished my volunteering project of painting at Chicale Primary School. The school has got two new classrooms and me and two other American girls started off by painting the walls white in on of the classrooms that still needs to get a proper floor. The floor will be made when the school will get some more money through donations so who knows when that will be...but hopefully soon because it is a very nice, big, and cool classroom.

After we finished painting the walls I started working on the other classroom that is already in use. I made a sketch for the blackboard wall and talked to the grade 2 4 teachers, who is using the classroom, what they would like to have. They mentioned ABCs, numbers, weekdays, months, and pictures. I had never made any drawings on any walls before so I was a bit hesitant to make any promises that there would be amazing drawings of cows and humans etc but I did promise them I will make something colorful :)

I was only able to go and paint from 15.00 in the afternoon until about 18.00 when it got dark so it took me some time to finish it. (But hey everything here is on Malawi time which means things move slow). So for the coming two weeks I was working on my drawing. There was always some kids popping in or hanging in the windows looking at what was going on. Sometimes I had to shoooo them off as they started to run around and shout in the classroom and I was afraid all paint would spill and that I would loose my peaceful 'mojo' :) Anyhow, this is the outcome of the past two weeks and tomorrow Monday I will try to see how it is to volunteer as the teacher's assistant. I am really curious if it will drain me or energize me??

Painted the walls in the first classroom that is yet to get a proper floor.

Spotless!

A steady hand is needed and some patience.

Don't ask me why I chose 12.20...

Final result :)