From Classroom to Safari: A Day of Education, Adventure, and Awe in Malawi
Today, Gerrit and Gretchen Oomen joined us for a 2-day outing. We began with a visit to David Livingstone Christian Academy. It was nice to be able to interact with staff members and the high school students in English.
We received a tour of the gender-segregated dormitory rooms. The rooms consist of bunk beds, with some space for personal belongings, such as clothes, shoes, and books. Some of the students were busy studying together for exams. Across from the dorms are shower and bathroom stalls. There are concrete basins for students to wash their own laundry.
We quietly walked through a few classrooms, where students were busy writing their exams, while outdoors, a few teachers were marking the multiple-choice answers of completed exams in the shade of a tree.
The cooks were busy making lunch, nsima and cooked soya, with sliced lettuce, tomatoes and onions... even the chickens couldnt resist sampling the greens! We were very impressed with the DLCA compound.
We continued on our trek to Mvuu Camp. In spite of the intense heat and incredibly rough roads, the vehicles were filled with good-humored bantering and laughter. On the outskirts of Mvuu National Park, are many impoverished villages. Young children smiled and waved at us, eagerly greeting the white visitors (azungus) and enthusiastically calling out to us for our empty water bottles.
Upon arrival at the park, we had to register and a boat took us and our belongings across the river to the Mvuu Camp. After a buffet lunch, we went on a river safari! What a beautiful experience that was! Pods of hippos grunting, yawning, emerging and submerging again. Birds of all species, under the rainbow of promise. Huge crocodiles floated like logs, among the many fish leaping clear out of the water, feasting on insects. As the sun was setting, our guides provided drinks and snacks, under the colorful evening sky.
We returned to the camp where a delicious buffet supper was served. When we went to retire in our chalet, the skies were lit with lightning flashes and rolling thunder. Truly... "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork. "
Written by Ken & Diane
