Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Shine bright firefly, shine bright

I hope everyone has a friend like Sarah. Someone who knows all the moves to the Thriller dance, can make you laugh until you have tears running down your face, who will meet you for coffee or frozen yogurt, who will pray for you, who will listen, guide, teach, inspire, who, after meeting them makes you want to become a better person. Someone who will help plan a surprise birthday party for you, who always suggests the perfect book, who will remind you that you are worthy of good things and to live intentionally.

Sarah, you were one of the brightest lights in my time in Houston, go shine your bright light on the world from Heaven.

Life is eternal, and love is immortal,
and death is only a horizon;
and a horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight.
-rossiter worthington raymond

Please keep Eric and her family in your thoughts, and be thankful because we now have an amazing angel in Heaven.

much love,
e

www.sarahchidgey.blogspot.com

Friday, February 11, 2011

The Death of a Chicken and Other Things

It has been a while since my last update, my apologies. Life has been trucking along as it does in Malawi- days can seem to take lifetimes, but somehow the weeks and months fly by.

The week after my family left we had our mid-service training, it was the last time I will be in Dedza (a little bittersweet, but mostly sweet). Of course it is always nice spending time with my group, but I am ready move on. I think.

The past weeks have been full of lesson plans, map drawing, weekend trips, library training, and a chicken killing. Let me explain...

After my family left I decided I wanted to travel and visit people on the weekend, I have done just that. I put in my monday-friday work and then go to beautiful places on the weekend, it is a nice balance. School has been going really well, I can see improvements in my students English both in writing and speaking. Marking exams and compositions can be absurdly frustrating (on any continent!), but I do think they are learning...something. We have also been working on the world map project, the map we started with family. It is slow going but the kids are having so much fun, and they finally know where Malawi is!

We had our library training last week for Active Youth in Development. Since the death of our contractor progress has been slow. So, we came up with a new plan and should be done my the middle of March. Yesterday I was able to register the group with the National Library Service so they can pick up books all year long. I was able to fill up two HUGE boxes of books (I hadn't been in a library in too long, the people working thought I was nuts because I was so excited about all of the new books!).

Oh, and the chicken. Last week I went to visit John's family. John is the student my Aunt is helping with school fees, but I had yet to meet his family. So a couple of students and I went over to their house and had some awkward conversation and they gave me a chicken. We walked back to my house where I gave it to my neighbor and asked if she could keep it for the following week...well, something got lost in communication and she brought out the chicken to give to her nephew to kill. When in Rome, right? So I killed the chicken. He held it down on the ground and yours truly cut its neck off. And then we had chicken and rice for lunch.

I have been accepted into graduate school so I can come home at the end of June! This means the days in Malawi are numbered, somewhere between a precious few and an overwhelming too many.

Miss you all!

loads of love,
elisabeth