And its over.....

Hi everyone we just wanted wrap up the blog after our fabulous adventure in Malawi. We were all sad to see the GOLD project come to an end but were overwhelmed to hear all of the positive feedback we received during our evaluation! We made some fantastic memories and by the sounds of things did a really good job!

We all wanted to say thank you to everyone who has supported us and we really appreciate all of the help we received from family, friends and friends in Guiding in raising our funds and helping us to get to Malawi. We couldn't have done it without you and certainly wouldn't have been able to have an experience of a lifetime!!

So we wanted to share one last photo of TEAM MALAWI 2010!!

We have de-brief in December to reminisce and recall all of our memories and discuss how the Project will continue next year.

Thanks again

This is TEAM MALAWI 2010 signing off!!

xxx

Nearing the end of training.......

Hi all,
We are currently sat in an internet cafe in Lilongwe (Lorelei and Hazel)
Here is our update of the week:
Having had a relaxing weekend at Nkhata Bay and meeting our newly found friends in Chinthechie (the scouts) we boarded the bus to Lilongwe on Monday morning. We arrived in Lilongwe on Monday evening after a eventful bus journey.......we were amused by a kamikaze chicken that was put on top in the baggage holding and decided it wanted to join the passangers....amusing! We spent the first half of the bus journey standing, but eventually got seats, we saw so much more of Malawi when standing and enjoyed travelling down the lakeshore road, getting beautiful glimpses of the lake!
We started training on Tuesday where we were greeted by 16 young leaders, a handful of Guides and a Brownie, oh yeah and a Guide leader - practically every section of Guiding! We were expecting to train only young leaders, but in typical GOLD style ended up with different ages! They are all very keen to learn and very welcoming. We have spent 3 days training them on leadership, campskills and life skills and have throughly enjoyed training our own age group and finding out more about their culture and the differences between our lives and theirs. We are meeting with the national board to evaluate project later today and set goals for next years training, fingers crossed they feel that project has gone as well as we do and that we have lived up to the expectations they held!
We have enjoyed the training, the culture, the team and the country and are all sad that it is nearing the end....

Love to all, hope you are all well and missing us lots, lol!
Love
TEAM MALAWI

Our second training week and weekend!

Hello everyone!

We hope all is well with you! We (Amy and Lorelei) are currently sat in Jessy's Internet Cafe in Nhkata Bay after a tremendously long walk up a hill in the heat of the day!  The other four are enjoying a relaxing afternoon in Myoka Village resturaunt. 

Last week saw us training both Guide Leaders and Guides ( who were aged between 9 and 15 years old) and some Peer Connectors who are aged 15-25.  We had a very enjoyable week with five of the women we had trained the week before, as well as roughly 45 others.  It was a challenge training such a variety of ages and often we had to split up into groups of three to run two sessions along side each other.  We all thoroughly enjoyed making both corn nsima and cassava nsima at lunch time!  We also shelled maize and ground nuts!  Again we had a campfire on Thursday which was brilliant and stayed the night with the women at the school!  The rest of the week we stayed at the Pine Tree Lodge.

On Friday we left our lovely ladies and girls after a closing ceremony and met with a group of Scouts from the New Forest, England who are in Malawi building a campsite and promoting Scouts.  We visited the campsite they had built and joined in their closing ceremony.  They are very keen to partner with our project as this gives a place for our women to come and put into practice the skills we have taught them.  This would be fantastic as they also have tents they can hire at the site, along with toilet and washing facilities.  It really was a beautiful setting among hills with a river running past and monkeys!

After the campsite we went to a waterfall and went swimming... it was absolutely stunning! We had our lunch by the water and enjoyed relaxing in the sun.  The walk back up was a bit tricky but we managed it with a few grazes and spinters!

We then made our way to Myoka Village for the weekend where we got our first experience of the lake, tried butterfish, jumped off cliffs, went snorkelling, enjoyed a boat ride and played football on the beach!  Tonight we are moving on to Sambani Lodge to meet the Scouts again and have a campfire! Can we get anymore Guiding?!

We are looking forward now to our next week of training (again in Lilongwe) with girls aged 15-20.  We are also meeting with the International Commissioner to evaluate our first week of training on Monday.

All is well here, no one has suffered any major injuries and we are slightly browner than we were, after this weekend!

Lots of love to all!

TEAM MALAWI
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Mzuzu!

Hello everyone!

We have safely arrived and spent a nice, relaxing and hot day in Mzuzu!  We got the bus here yesterday which took an astonishing 8 hours with no toilet stops but had fun experiencing Malawian culture buying things through the windows- bananas, nuts and an orange (Adele).

We found a lovely place to stay including puppies!  We have spent this afternoon planning the next week of training and are excited about what the week holds!  We are training regional trainers and patrol leaders till Friday.

Having a fab time together! Lots of love to all!!!

TEAM MALAWI
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First Week Update

Hello ladies and gentlemen! Muli Bwanje?

We are currently in the internet cafe in Lilongwe (Rachael, Lorelei and Amy).  It has been an eventful but very fun week!!!!! 

We met some wonderful Mexican Guides at Heathrow airport who were just heading home after the centenary camp in the UK.  We had a long journey to Ethiopia but it was enjoyable to be with each other and on our way to Malawi!  We then had a four hour wait in Ethiopia where we got some much needed sleep on the floor!  Guiding style!

When we arrived in Lilongwe airport we did not recieve our bags, however we did recieve a very warm welcome from two Brownies, two Guides and the International Commissioner for Malawi.  We spent the rest of sunday finding suitable accommodation and living out of our hand luggage but we were very glad to have arrived safe and sound!

This week we have been training 20 National Trainers as well as the Chief Commissioner, the International Commissioner and some Young Leaders.  They enjoyed taking part in all activitites, the discussions were very good and they learned quickly.  They also enjoyed being very silly with all the games and songs we taught them and when they taught us their local songs!  What a fantastic week! We didnt know what to expect but we have thoroughly enjoyed it!

We did finally recieve our bags on Wednesday afternoon! Yay!  Although now dont understand why we all brought so much, when we can clearly live without it! :D

Travelling up to Mzuzu tomorrow and will start training the Regional Patrol Leaders and Young Leaders on Monday.

Love to all!  We are all fine and well and having an AMAZING time!  Hope you are all well!

Will hopefully be on again soon,

Khalani Bwino!

TEAM MALAWI
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We are nearly on our way.................

Hi everyone,

Lorelei: We are currently staying at my house until we leave for the airport in......ahhhh......2 hours!!!!!
We have planned, prepared, packed, repacked, packed, repacked and think that we are finally ready!
Malawi I hope that you are ready for the chaos and fun from Team Malawi!

Adele: The past day and night has been spent travelling from across the country to meet together and make our final preperations for the trip. We all currently have our passports and tickets with us (always a benefit!) and have completed our training files ready for our week of training when we reach Malawi. We are very much looking forward to what the trip has instore for us and are thankful for the support from everyone who has helped us along the way.
Now for that lovely 3 hour wait in the airport and 14 hours of travelling.......Hopefully we will be able to update the blog while we are in Malawi but please dont worry if we don't update anything for a while, we aren't sure what the internet will be like in Malawi!

Rachael: I dont know whether we are more excited or nervous (then again that might just be me and Amy!) A few things left to do like straighten the hair for the last time in a whole month and check that I have everything and zip up my huuuge bag! Im actually looking forward to the possibility of sleeping during the flight but we'll see, there may be too much excitement! See you all soon, missing you already! Rachael xxx

Philippa: Hello everyone's family and friends and fellow GOLDies! I hope you enjoy our blog! We're just looking forward to getting stuck in now and seeing what the Malawi Girl Guides have in store for us - exciting!! BIG LOVE to everyone xxx

Hazel: Well everyone - we are all nearly ready to leave and the bags are looking pretty full! Hoping the flight will go ok and that we get there - Very excited about going and seeing what we are in for!! Lots of love to everyone and see you when I get back!! (ps Big Hug Little Hug Peter and look after Jack!) xxx

Amy: And finally a word from me, I think the others have summed up the feelings of the group pretty well. We are excited and nervous and eager to meet the challenges that will face us when we get to Malawi.  Thank you to all who have supported me (and enabled me to go on this fanatastic opportunity)!  I look forward to seeing you all when I get back! LOTS OF LOVE to all the family and friends! xxx

We're leaving for the airport in 1hour and 7minutes....

Tsalani bwino!

TEAM MALAWI

Hello and Welcome

This blog has been set up so all our family and friends, who wish to follow our adventures leading up to our departure next Saturday and during out time in Malawi, can do so.  Thank you for all your support and help in these last few months, we definately could not have done it without you!

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Well, as Adele pointed out yesterday its one week till we go to Africa and just six days till we all converge on Lorelei's door step!  We shall be spending the majority of next Saturday getting over-excited and splitting up money and stuff between bags (our plane doesn't leave till 9pm)! Also I hear there is going to be a BBQ... brilliant!

Firstly I think we should introduce our wonderful(!) team...

Philippa Tyndall, our leader and source of continual happiness is from Chippenham and is studying medicine in Brighton- she passed second year... we're all very relieved!
Hazel Smillie (no relation to Carol, apparently- gutted), our sectretary, works in a prison helping young offenders and lives in Glasgow.
Rachael Taylor, is heading up resources for the team and is currently studying in Sunderland.  She had tooth trouble at our last training weekend but we're hoping to be trouble free in Malawi!
Lorelei Morris, our treasurer, lives an hour from London and works with primary children so will get on perfectly with our group...

Adele Lynch, our fantastic First Aider who will be saving us from our many ailments when we are away and is recently graduated from Durham! (Pink panther theme tune anyone?)
And last but by no means least, there is myself, Amy Campbell and documentor extrodinaire!  I live in Dundee and recently graduated as a Dentist.

Rachel's bags are packed... Hazel and I have managed to pack our bags at 10kg! Woohoo!
Not sure about the rest but as there are still six days to go, I'm sure we'll be fine!

Our many phone conferences and training weekends have produced a solid team with everyone adding their own dynamic to the group.  We have worked together and come up with trainings to carry out in Malawi aimed to address leadership, camp skills and the Guiding structure (as requested by Ruth, our Malawi contact whom I am very excited to meet).  We shall be away for four weeks. 
I think I've covered everything for the moment, we shall be maintianing this blog for the length of our trip (assuming we get internet time!) and a bit afterwards too so watch this space!

Adios amigos!

TEAM MALAWI