Antartica? No. Africa.

(Some of you received part of this in email form---so scroll down for pictures.)

I am in Africa aaaaaand I'm wishing I wasn't.
I developed a bad cold between Manila and Malawi--but fortunately it seems to be getting better already. However I'm still trying to get over this jet lag (6 hrs behind Manila and 6 hrs ahead of Ontario).

The climate is DRASTICALLY different too. I'm FREEZING most of the time. yeah, Africa freezing. Go figure. It friggin snowed in Johannesburg the other day.
So between different food that's making me queasy most of the time, jetlag, a cold, new people, and the climate, I'm having a good time.
Trying to find my place here--at least in Manila I knew where my place was; at the foot of the bed staring at a crotch. But here, I'd give anything to stare at some crotches. At least that would give me some purpose.
Today we built a wall. It's for one of employees of this mission home. She needed a wall for her kitchen so we built one for her--out of brick made with clay, straw and water, and mortar of mud. I think my favourite part was when I cut myself with the bricks and then stuck my hand in and out of the mud and water all the while replaying Alex Trebek on World Vision talking about all the peoples with various amoeba, infections, diseases and worms "because they don't have clean water to drink and bathe in". Made me shudder. But I figured if I was going to die it might as well be from contracting something deadly from dirty mortar-mud.
However I know they were just humouring us by allowing us to 'help' build a wall. I felt dumb---a mason should build a wall not a dumb white-kid missionary. I knew it, they knew it.

Pray for me.
And pray that I find my place here.
Before I left Mum said 'I have a feeling you're going to go home earlier than you planned'. She might be right.
Oh, Mum also said (just now via email) that while I was at the clinic in Manila 191 babies were delivered! That sounds about right and perhaps would explain my complete EXHAUSTION.

We're located in the mountains of Malawi, about 15 mins away from Zomba, a large town. And despite the drastic change in
weather, the cooler climate is lovely. And the people are so wonderful, friendly, funny, and just all-round good people.

I'm still on my quest to unearth the root of missions and missonaries--so far, not so good. But at least I'm understanding how NOT to be a missionary.
You're all welcome to write---I'll be checking every day or so, but responding is slow-sorrry.

Hey, but I'm back on a Mac! Woowoo. But that's not doing me any good as I can't seem to upload pictures from my photobank. Stupid, overpriced photobank that I can't even operate.
I want chocolate.
Oh! Yes it's working...on a PC! My photobank is against me.
Anyway--here are a couple shots and you'd better like these bc it's going to take a LONG time to upload. Sorry I had to upload them as small files so it wouldn't take as long.
The first one is of the space we were to build the wall--in between the house and the extension. In this picture is James, Steph (blond) and Jess, as well as the family & neighbors we were working for.
The second picture is of Rhoda working in her kitchen. Here she is preparing our meal.
Lastly, a picture from yesterday. At the site of Africycle we are building a guard's hut and so we're trucking brick to and from the site. We had a million little kids helping us load and upload the bricks. Bricks, bricks, bricks. llalalaallal BRICKS!
This little girl was my favourite--she had a very piercing look in her eyes.
I'm cold.
Oh, how I wished I could utter those words with such blase only a week ago!
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Alright. I'm never doing this again. The connection is so bad the uploading is taking a dog's age.