outside the gate...

Although we are learning so much about this culture and we feel so loved and uplifted and full of joy, we are in a bubble of sorts inside the walls of the Rafiki Village. Here the children and workers receive 3 meals a day, plenty of warm clothes to wear, either steady work and pay or regular education - all things that people outside of the gate of Rafiki do not have. The village director, Ralph, finds it important that our children here at Rafiki get exposed to life "outside the gate," and therefore he periodically takes a big group of the children on a hike through the rural mountains of Malawi. We were invited to join the hike today. We saw women and men living in huts and working their land by the sweat of their brow. We met women carrying babies on their backs and carrying huge loads of wood on their heads. We played a bit of "football" with some boys outside of their hut. We saw a typical Malawian school. Words can't really describe what the day was like, so we'll just show you some pictures.

On the Way to the hike, in Ralph's mini-van.

Uncle Nick and the Rafiki Kids on the hike.

Women with their babies in "chitengi," the all purpose

cloth that Malawian women use as skirts and baby

carriers.

Malawian Mountain

Brings new meaning to the term "heavy laden."

A typical Malawian school.

"And me, Uncle Neek!"

We also had another experience "outside the gate." We took a trip to the "city" of Mzuzu where we visited the market place and the grocery store. The typical grocery store in Malawi is so different than in the Untied States. It is smaller than a convenience mart, for one thing. The men butcher the meat right out in the open, and they do not wear gloves. The store also tends to have only what the big truck from Tanzania brought. For example, the cereal isle today only had corn flakes. That is not to say that only the corn flake section was stocked and the other shelves were empty - on the contrary, the entire cereal isle was full of corn flakes because that's what they had. Loaves of bread are baked in the store and sold without plastic bags. The same goes for the soap. It is a very different experience than going to Wegmans or Tops! (Meijier, for you Illinois people!)

A bean vendor.

veggie vendors.

Rebecca carries some nuts on her head like the locals.

Mzuzu Market.

A fabric vendor.

The last pictures are from our latest "Gazebo Music Time," which we do everyday after snack. Lately we have been asking the Mamas to sing some of their National music. It has been just amazing to hear and participate in! We also have been busting out the hymnal, which has been really cool. Anyway, its been more like "cultural sharing time" than "Gazebo Music Time," and we love it.

"If you're happy and you know it, shout Amen!"

AMEN!

Mama Alice teaches her children a song out of the hymnal.

By the way, today was a national holiday - Freedom Day - and the kids didn't have school, which is why we had time to go on all of our adventures. Tomorrow we are going to Nkata Bay, which is a popular tourist location on the lake. Watch for a post on that soon!

Love, Uncle Nick and Auntie Rebecca :-)

P.S. Here's a picture of Sandy Lu and Rebecca doing some late night mending of the children's clothes.