Another Amazing Week in Malawi

Muli Bwanji everyone!

For the quick lesson in Chichewa for this blog post, we figured we'd explain our blog URL. As some of you may have noticed, we decided to use the words "kutali" and "anzanga" both of which are phrases in Chichewa. Kutali means far away, and anzanga means friends. So, kutali-anzanga would roughly translate to "far-away friends."

This past, and sadly last, week was just as amazing as our previous week working with the children of the Mtogolo Village Project. We bonded even more with the children, and this made it very sad to separate from them on Friday evening. By then, most of them knew our names, or some variations of them, and felt comfortable giving us hugs, high fives, and the occasional cuddle, which we were of course eager to accept. We feel as though we made some breakthroughs with the children this week as well. We introduced a few art projects to the kids this week; experimenting with watercolors, popsicle sticks, pipe cleaners, markers and more. On the first day, we introduced how to make popsicle stick picture frames to the older kids. Once each child constructed their picture frame, using 4 colored popsicle sticks and glue, they got a small square piece of paper to put in the frame and markers to draw with, as well as stickers to decorate the frames. They also made self-portraits using water colors, which were very exciting. They really got the hang of watercolors quickly! As for the younger kids, we tried introducing pipe cleaners to them, but those did not go over well. No one really grasped the concept, even after we made multiple examples. In lieu of this, we introduced crayons. Though it again took a while for them to understand what to do, they ended up being a hit as well! Next thing we knew, they were scribbling and doodling. We wrote the names of the kids on each of these projects, so that at the end of the week they got to take them home and show them off. This caused a lot of excitement, and we even got a comment from one of the grandmothers that she was very impressed by the art work.

At first, the children were hesitant with all of these projects. They would often sit staring and waiting for us or the teachers to draw a picture for them, instead of grabbing the crayons and scribbling, just as a typical 2-5 year old would do. As the week progressed, we noticed that creativity is an issue with these children, and we worked hard to help them express themselves. Due to lack of resources and untrained teachers, the students are not given much of a creative outlet. The kids are also used to a very structured classroom, in which teachers are strict and practice a lot of reciting premeditated responses. Children often don't answer for themselves; teachers will often call out the proper response to a question, and then the children will answer, simply copying what the teacher had said. Because of this, we felt that these art projects and other fun activities would be very effective.

Another way that we strengthened our bond was through new games and dance. We taught them "Duck, Duck, Goose" which came to be known as "Duch, Duch, Go!" Though it sometimes turned into chaos and was hard to get everyone settled down in a circle, eventually the kids caught on and really enjoyed it. We also played a variation of tickle tag, which was very popular. We would cover our eyes, count to three, and chase after the kids as tickle monsters. The kids were very enthusiastic about this game, and often bent the rules, tickling us back. Renee found dancing a successful way to bond with the kids. She's not sure how it started, but before she knew it she was being asked to do leaps, splits, pirouettes, and dance battles. She was also asked to participate in many freestyle dance sessions with the little kids, who loved showing off their moves (many of which were quite impressive and amusing). Sarina was also taught a variation of War, the card game, and enjoyed playing this with the kids. Kumbo, one of the slightly older boys, would often give her advice and help her out, allowing her to place second in most of the rounds. We absolutely adored the nursery songs that the little kids sang and danced to during the day. Though we often didn't understand the songs or know the correct words, they would always get stuck in our heads, and we would often be found singing them, to the best of our ability. Occasionally, we would be asked to lead the kids in song, or prayer, which was particularly awkward for us.

As for our afternoon programs, one particular project stood out. We were introduced to the Orphan Care sector of the Mtogolo Village Development Project. On Wednesday, we were accompanied by two youths from the Youth Development Project and visited two orphan care homes; one in which a grandmother took care of five orphans, as well as her own kids, and the other where two young sisters, only 19 and 21 years old, took care three other orphans, as though they were their own. It was an amazing opportunity to learn about the poverty and hardships that these two families had to deal with. We truly admired their bravery and courage in learning about their day-to-day lives. The next day, we returned to these two families, and provided them with food and soap. We wish that we had more time to get to know the families, and that we had learned a little more about this small project ahead of time, though, so as to make it a more effective experience.

On our last day, there was no afternoon youth program. Instead, both youths and young children, as well as some parents, gathered there for a sort of goodbye ceremony for us. We had a few hours to bring out all of the toys--jump ropes, bouncy balls, chalk, beanie babies, pipe cleaners, kick balls, and more--and play a massive game of "Duch, Duch, Go" with the kids. It was extremely enjoyable for everyone, until it came time to say the actual goodbyes. The nursery school kids gathered and sang all of their favorite songs and prayers, which happened to be our new favorite songs as well. It was so sad to think it would be the last time we would be seeing their little marching feet and hearing their surprisingly loud voices. It was absolutely adorable, but also incredibly moving; Sarina laughed at Renee because she almost cried. Then, along with Mrs. Kalinga, we were asked to sit down and receive gifts from the teachers of the school. They presented Mrs. Kalinga with bananas, eggs, nuts, and more, and then gave us hats, that are hand woven and completely awesome. Don't be surprised if you see us wearing them out and about. When it got dark out, and after many hugs and "goodbyes," we finally left the village. We really miss the kids!

Another bond that we formed this past week was that with Wyclef, Mrs. Kalinga's two-year old nephew who lives next door to her mother's house. He is perhaps the craziest bouncing boy we have ever met. Along with his obsession with cars and violence, he also had an obsession with Sarina. He would often pretend she was a car, sitting on her and making noises that would resemble a truck engine. He also would never stop talking; his high, energetic voice became a constant background noise for us during our lunch and evening breaks. We will definitely miss him as well!

As we pack up and prepare to embark for home early tomorrow morning, we want to thank Mrs. Kalinga, and all of the Mtogolo Village Community, for opening up to us and providing us with this fantastic experience. It truly was phenomenal, and a "Ulendo of a lifetime." We plan on writing letters and sending pictures to the kids, in order to keep in touch with them, as well as finding other ways to continue our relationship with this small organization. We want to continue to contribute to and learn from the children, thus maintaining our title as "kutali anzanga," far-away friends. We truly hope we get the opportunity to reunite with them in the future.

Pitani Bwino to all,

Sarina and Renee

P.S. We will upload photos and videos upon our return. The internet connection here is very poor!