One of the joys of living in Africa, is you never quite know what is wrong with you and what is affecting your body on any given day.
The last few weeks I’d been feeling very lethargic and had a hard time getting through the day without a nap. I was accounting this to a number of things in my head; the heat, living where I work, getting up earlier, exercising more, and also assumed my iron was low again. Yesterday I decided I best go get my iron levels checked because by 11am I wanted a nap.
So off I go to the clinic with a laboratory close to my house to get a blood test. Surprise, surprise, my iron is low. After telling me this, the lab tech throws in “You are also sick.” Umm, what? I just look at her. “Well, your white blood cell count is also high so you are fighting off an infection.” Ok. What sort of infection? “Just take antibiotics.” Care to tell me which ones or give me a prescription? Why am I being stared at like I’m mad? Uh, I have Cipro at home. Should I take that? “Ya, take that.” Great. Thanks. So now, I’m on a round of Cipro. We’ll see how that goes and then I’ll go back for another test.
Sometimes I can’t help but wonder how mental these things are. I didn’t feel sick. I just felt overtired. Now today I feel sick. I went on a run this morning. Made it a mere 3.55km and cursed running the entire way. Now its 9am and I feel like sleeping again, even after a big mug of coffee.
Lets be honest, running here generally tends to suck anyway (this is my cry baby session – you can get out your violins). It’s bloody hot, so if you don’t go early, you don’t go at all. Or you do, and feel like you want to die. The elevation affects you too. Lilongwe is at an elevation of approximately 1050m (3445ft) while my beloved Toronto is only 76m (249ft). Running performance starts to be affected at around 1,000 meters altitude. I’m going to feel sorry for myself for that extra 50m today. But then again, there are arguments that training at an altitude is why Kenyans and Ethiopians are such good runners. This means when I go home, I should be an amazing runner in Toronto. Every day I also start to doubt whether or not I will be able to train to run a marathon alone. Since my Running Room days, I am a big proponent of group running. It is the only way I ever was able to run the distances I did. Training alone is hard. There is nothing but your iPod to drown out negative self talk. Kate and I are running several days a week together and it makes a huge difference on those runs. You run, chat and don’t even notice the km’s go by. Also, we’re both so busy it makes time for us to see each other and catch up. Last night we went for a trail run at the Lilongwe Wildlife Centre where Kate works. It was a nice change from the hazards of the road. Had some Verbit Monkeys run next to us in their cage. We made a special trip over to see Bella, the one eyed lion and ran up and down the side of her cage with her following us for a while. She loves any company and is like a big domestic cat, loving a good back scratch. It’s a pretty cool trail run when you get to stop and give a lion a little back scratch in the middle of it.
No exhibitionists, or street dogs on my run this morning. Just a UNICEF SUV ran itself off the road and had to swerve back on because the driver was too busy staring in awe at the silly mzungu running with her dog.
Off to eat, take some pills, and then maybe . . . a nap. I have a squash game tonight to rest up for.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Malawi Bucket List
It’s a beautiful morning here. And by beautiful I mean overcast and drizzling. This means it’s lovely and cool. I was out the door by 6am for my run. Trying to get back to my running routine, Sunday means long slow distance (LSD). I did just under 6km, which is long for me while I’m trying to build my base back. Then a quite chilly swim in the drizzle. When I was in the pool I could actually see steam rising off it because of the change in temperature.
Having a lovely morning browsing the internet, drinking a cappuccino made out of the last of my AMAZING Muskoka Maple coffee (I rationed it).
Now that I’m spending sometime re-focusing, I decided it was time to figure out how to make the most of my time in Malawi. So, like a tourist, I sat down with the Bradt Guide and decided to figure out a bit of a bucket list of things I’d like to do while I’m here.
And here it is:
I would like to complete a diving course which would allow me to dive anywhere in the world.
Climb Mount Mulanje. See how that goes and if I ever have the money, maybe I’ll attempt Kilimanjaro.
Go to Mvuu Camp on the Shire River in Liwonde National Park
Nyika Plateau.
Having a lovely morning browsing the internet, drinking a cappuccino made out of the last of my AMAZING Muskoka Maple coffee (I rationed it).
Now that I’m spending sometime re-focusing, I decided it was time to figure out how to make the most of my time in Malawi. So, like a tourist, I sat down with the Bradt Guide and decided to figure out a bit of a bucket list of things I’d like to do while I’m here.
And here it is:
I would like to complete a diving course which would allow me to dive anywhere in the world.
Climb Mount Mulanje. See how that goes and if I ever have the money, maybe I’ll attempt Kilimanjaro.
Go to Mvuu Camp on the Shire River in Liwonde National Park
Nyika Plateau.
Monday, November 21, 2011
The Unexpected Running Hazard
As I’ve been writing about, I’m aware that there are many running hazards. Well, today I encountered one that I didn’t expect; and I do believe although I didn’t realize this would be a hazard, it’s definitely the worst one by far. It’s called ‘exhibitionists.’
It was my first run back today after my little street dog mishap. I had hurt the muscle in my leg from falling hard, so I had decided to give it a little break and walk the dogs for a few days. This morning before I went out I didn’t know if I wanted to take Tess with me after the street dog incident, but decided that I should. Also, when she sees me in my running gear she gets so excited, I would feel really badly if I didn’t take her. So, I’m rounding onto a small back road close to the end of my run on my usual route. Coming close to the corner, I see a man up ahead jump off his bike. Before I actually realized what was happening, the man had dropped his trousers and decided to give me a full frontal view. I won’t repeat exactly what I said, but it went something along the lines of “Oh, #$%@! That’s #$%&ing disgusting.” The only benefit this had to my run, was I picked up the pace a fair clip for the remainder, and was very pleased with my decision to take Tess.
Never a dull day in Lilongwe.
It was my first run back today after my little street dog mishap. I had hurt the muscle in my leg from falling hard, so I had decided to give it a little break and walk the dogs for a few days. This morning before I went out I didn’t know if I wanted to take Tess with me after the street dog incident, but decided that I should. Also, when she sees me in my running gear she gets so excited, I would feel really badly if I didn’t take her. So, I’m rounding onto a small back road close to the end of my run on my usual route. Coming close to the corner, I see a man up ahead jump off his bike. Before I actually realized what was happening, the man had dropped his trousers and decided to give me a full frontal view. I won’t repeat exactly what I said, but it went something along the lines of “Oh, #$%@! That’s #$%&ing disgusting.” The only benefit this had to my run, was I picked up the pace a fair clip for the remainder, and was very pleased with my decision to take Tess.
Never a dull day in Lilongwe.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Running Hazard #957 in Malawi
Back in Toronto when I wanted to go for a run, I did. Didn’t really have to think about much. The biggest hazard was a bit of ice in the winter, or cars not looking before they made a right turn (ok, that one is a bit significant – I’ve definitely slammed my fist on a couple car hoods).
Malawi is a bit different. When, where, and for how long you run is dictated by a variety of factors. Time of day is the biggest issue because of the heat. If you run in the middle of the day in the unrelenting heat, as I have stupidly found out, you can get sick. So that leaves first thing in the morning before the 40 degree heat of the day has set in, but after the sun has risen so you are running in the daylight (usually my choice). Or, around 5:30pm, when it has cooled off (slightly) before it gets dark and you are unsafe on your own. That limits the time you are able to run as its dark by 6:30pm.
This now puts me onto ‘where’ you run, and my newest running hazard encountered. Since I generally run alone, I’ve taken a liking to running with my one and a half year old dog Tess. She’s a bit sporadic but she’s getting better. Firstly because I run with an iPod and Garmin – two very expensive pieces of equipment, Tess is security insurance for me – as the majority of Malawians are afraid of dogs. If I have a dog, no one would think about coming close to me. (I can’t wait till Muskoka is bigger and is dealing better with the leash. People will be terrified). My regular morning route starts out on the main roads outside my house. I like to get off them quick though, because of my lack of faith in the busy morning motorists and bicycles. Then you get on the back, quieter residential roads – but this is where you encounter the next hazard: street dogs. Mangy looking mongrels – some of whom do shockingly have homes, and others that just roam the streets. When alone, street dogs are only a minor hazard; if I’m running and they start to bark and come towards me, I stop running, yell and pick up a rock or a stick and they run away. Running with Tess is a different story though. The street dogs don’t take their leave so quickly.
Yesterday was the most major encounter with street dogs. I left on my run a little later than usual at 6:50am with Tess by my side. We turned onto our regular route, off the main road onto a winding dirt residential road. This is where the problems began. Dogs were everywhere! I imagine these mankey looking things had owners and as I was later than usual, the owners had let the dogs out (irresponsible so’n’sos). I stopped running, pulled Tess by the lead in close to me and walked the stretch. All went well, and I managed to keep all the dogs at a distance… until the end. We came across one dog who I do seem to encounter on all my runs despite the time or what route we take; HE IS ALWAYS THERE. Yesterday he must have been feeling brave, so he approached us, barking his little mankey head off. I kicked at him. He backed off, then came again. As I bent over to pick up a rock to throw at him, Tess decided to hold her ground and go at him a bit. . . and in the process dragging me flat on my face. The result, I’m pretty scrapped up and bruised on my arms, legs and hands. I also need to take a day or two off running as I’m pretty sure I did something to the muscle in my leg when I fell. Ah well, just another regular day.
Despite my depression about Jacaranda season being over, at the moment there are these absolutely gorgeous trees in blossom with vibrant orange flowers everywhere. This photo does not do it justice. I will do my best to take some more. Sometimes the beauty of this country still takes my breath away
Malawi is a bit different. When, where, and for how long you run is dictated by a variety of factors. Time of day is the biggest issue because of the heat. If you run in the middle of the day in the unrelenting heat, as I have stupidly found out, you can get sick. So that leaves first thing in the morning before the 40 degree heat of the day has set in, but after the sun has risen so you are running in the daylight (usually my choice). Or, around 5:30pm, when it has cooled off (slightly) before it gets dark and you are unsafe on your own. That limits the time you are able to run as its dark by 6:30pm.
This now puts me onto ‘where’ you run, and my newest running hazard encountered. Since I generally run alone, I’ve taken a liking to running with my one and a half year old dog Tess. She’s a bit sporadic but she’s getting better. Firstly because I run with an iPod and Garmin – two very expensive pieces of equipment, Tess is security insurance for me – as the majority of Malawians are afraid of dogs. If I have a dog, no one would think about coming close to me. (I can’t wait till Muskoka is bigger and is dealing better with the leash. People will be terrified). My regular morning route starts out on the main roads outside my house. I like to get off them quick though, because of my lack of faith in the busy morning motorists and bicycles. Then you get on the back, quieter residential roads – but this is where you encounter the next hazard: street dogs. Mangy looking mongrels – some of whom do shockingly have homes, and others that just roam the streets. When alone, street dogs are only a minor hazard; if I’m running and they start to bark and come towards me, I stop running, yell and pick up a rock or a stick and they run away. Running with Tess is a different story though. The street dogs don’t take their leave so quickly.
Yesterday was the most major encounter with street dogs. I left on my run a little later than usual at 6:50am with Tess by my side. We turned onto our regular route, off the main road onto a winding dirt residential road. This is where the problems began. Dogs were everywhere! I imagine these mankey looking things had owners and as I was later than usual, the owners had let the dogs out (irresponsible so’n’sos). I stopped running, pulled Tess by the lead in close to me and walked the stretch. All went well, and I managed to keep all the dogs at a distance… until the end. We came across one dog who I do seem to encounter on all my runs despite the time or what route we take; HE IS ALWAYS THERE. Yesterday he must have been feeling brave, so he approached us, barking his little mankey head off. I kicked at him. He backed off, then came again. As I bent over to pick up a rock to throw at him, Tess decided to hold her ground and go at him a bit. . . and in the process dragging me flat on my face. The result, I’m pretty scrapped up and bruised on my arms, legs and hands. I also need to take a day or two off running as I’m pretty sure I did something to the muscle in my leg when I fell. Ah well, just another regular day.
Despite my depression about Jacaranda season being over, at the moment there are these absolutely gorgeous trees in blossom with vibrant orange flowers everywhere. This photo does not do it justice. I will do my best to take some more. Sometimes the beauty of this country still takes my breath away
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
The Heat
Ok, enough with the excuses. My running has been as sporadic and poor as Bingu’s leadership. I actually want to kick myself. A while back I had surpassed the 10km mark for first time since I’d set foot in this country which was happy and sad. Happy because it was a mental mark I needed to make, but sad because10km used to be a nice, easy mid week run for me, and it actually killed me. Hoping on the treadmill for my next run after that 10km, pain started going through my ankle with every stride. I ran for about 4km’s and then jumped off – it’s never good to run through pain and injure yourself more. I knew it was my shoes. My trusty old ‘New Balance’ were just plain worn out. Luckily my friend Selina was heading home to Ireland for a holiday, and with the help of my other friend Kate I was able to order a fancy new pair of ‘New Balance’ runners. Ok, well they are the new updated version of my old ones.
Now I have no excuse; although I made some for several weeks after the runners arrived. Had a few sporadic runs here and there, but I would like to count today as my official day back on the track. Went for a short, steady run this morning at 6:00am with my dog Tess. Came back and had a lovely swim. I love having a pool. The temperature in Malawi, especially for the last week has been a bit unbearable. At minimum you are looking at temperatures in the high 30’s and this last week hovering between 40-45 degrees Celsius. If that’s not going to put a damper on running, I don’t know what will. The only possible option is to run at 6:00am before the heat of the day sets in. It’s just going to take some discipline. I know I have it hidden away somewhere.
Trying to work in this heat makes everyone grumpy as anything, including myself. Motivation goes out the window. Right now I’m sitting in my room with all the curtains closed and the ceiling fan on trying to maintain a reasonable temperature.
Here’s some bits and pieces of things that I’ve been up to and that have made me happy over the last couple of weeks:
Now I have no excuse; although I made some for several weeks after the runners arrived. Had a few sporadic runs here and there, but I would like to count today as my official day back on the track. Went for a short, steady run this morning at 6:00am with my dog Tess. Came back and had a lovely swim. I love having a pool. The temperature in Malawi, especially for the last week has been a bit unbearable. At minimum you are looking at temperatures in the high 30’s and this last week hovering between 40-45 degrees Celsius. If that’s not going to put a damper on running, I don’t know what will. The only possible option is to run at 6:00am before the heat of the day sets in. It’s just going to take some discipline. I know I have it hidden away somewhere.
Trying to work in this heat makes everyone grumpy as anything, including myself. Motivation goes out the window. Right now I’m sitting in my room with all the curtains closed and the ceiling fan on trying to maintain a reasonable temperature.
Here’s some bits and pieces of things that I’ve been up to and that have made me happy over the last couple of weeks:
Friday, October 21, 2011
Coasting in Neutral
The fuel crisis in Malawi has once again reared its head. This time aggravated by the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Summit being held at Crossroads in Lilongwe. Massive queues for fuel formed around the city when news of incoming fuel tankers spread. These were queues like I had never seen before. My friend Max and I picked up my gardener Christopher and rushed to the queue at Bisnowaty with jerry cans. By this time, there was no point in putting my car in the queue – it was just too long, but we had a good chance with the jerry cans. We left him in the queue and went to do some other running around. Some of our friends had been in the queue there since 8:30am. We arrived around 10:00am. By 2:00pm we learned that the fuel tankers had been halted outside the city and diverted by the president. Due to the COMESA Summit, the president wanted to clear the fuel queues in an attempt to conceal the extent of the fuel crisis. You know, conceal the crisis to the likes of great leaders such as Robert Mugabe, King Mswati of Swaziland, and Sudan’s Omar al-Bashir (who has an international arrest warrant against him, which Malawi failed to enforce: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15384163). DPP vehicles drove around past the fuel queues telling people to leave, and that they were embarrassing Malawi by queuing.
So without petrol, we left the queue when it became clear the tanker was no longer coming. Off to the black market, about 10-15mins out of town. We drove around to 4 or 5 different spots where petrol is sold illegally out of drums in the village. Nothing. We watched them siphon the last of their petrol into a mans 5L container. That was it.
I know I talk a lot about the fuel crisis and complain about the queues. Just to get a sense, my friend and I took a video of some of the fuel queues in Lilongwe on that day (Oct 14). I finally managed to upload one on YouTube. Here is the link. Please excuse the language in the video – we had had a long frustrating day. This was the queue we were waiting in.
To see the video of the fuel queue: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B88nT-cB1to
So without petrol, we left the queue when it became clear the tanker was no longer coming. Off to the black market, about 10-15mins out of town. We drove around to 4 or 5 different spots where petrol is sold illegally out of drums in the village. Nothing. We watched them siphon the last of their petrol into a mans 5L container. That was it.
I know I talk a lot about the fuel crisis and complain about the queues. Just to get a sense, my friend and I took a video of some of the fuel queues in Lilongwe on that day (Oct 14). I finally managed to upload one on YouTube. Here is the link. Please excuse the language in the video – we had had a long frustrating day. This was the queue we were waiting in.
To see the video of the fuel queue: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B88nT-cB1to
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Malawi: The country that cried 'wolf'
I've stolen my title today from my friends facebook status. It is extremely fitting.
September 21st, today, was the date scheduled for the next set of demonstrations against the government. The scheduled demonstrations for August were cancelled as the government got an injunction from the court against the demonstrations, civil society leaders said they wanted more time for 'dialogue' and a chance for the UN to mediate. Talks fell apart and once again civil society planned to stage a vigil on September 21st. The high court even ok'd the demonstrations to go ahead as planned.
Here is todays paper:
What feels like another massive cop-out to many Malawians by civil society; especially after the high court gave the go ahead. Instead, civil society leaders have urged Malawians to stay home for 3 days from work in a silent strike, and while at home, pray and reflect on the state of the country. What a whole hell of a lot of good that will do. Malawians have enough time to reflect on the state of their country while sitting in fuel queues.
The days of the planned demonstrations, you never quite know whats going to happen, and its all a little eerie. I went out this morning to pick up a few supplies and its like a ghost town. A few cars and a few scattered pedestrians. Over the day, if nothing is going on, some businesses will slowly start to open and traffic will pick up. We'll see what the rest of the day brings. However, I'm convinced it will be a whole lot of nothing. Its a shame after such a strong united stance was taken in July. What was the point of those 20 odd deaths if no one is willing to take another strong stance against the government?
And now we all sit and wait to see what October will bring ....
September 21st, today, was the date scheduled for the next set of demonstrations against the government. The scheduled demonstrations for August were cancelled as the government got an injunction from the court against the demonstrations, civil society leaders said they wanted more time for 'dialogue' and a chance for the UN to mediate. Talks fell apart and once again civil society planned to stage a vigil on September 21st. The high court even ok'd the demonstrations to go ahead as planned.
Here is todays paper:
What feels like another massive cop-out to many Malawians by civil society; especially after the high court gave the go ahead. Instead, civil society leaders have urged Malawians to stay home for 3 days from work in a silent strike, and while at home, pray and reflect on the state of the country. What a whole hell of a lot of good that will do. Malawians have enough time to reflect on the state of their country while sitting in fuel queues.
The days of the planned demonstrations, you never quite know whats going to happen, and its all a little eerie. I went out this morning to pick up a few supplies and its like a ghost town. A few cars and a few scattered pedestrians. Over the day, if nothing is going on, some businesses will slowly start to open and traffic will pick up. We'll see what the rest of the day brings. However, I'm convinced it will be a whole lot of nothing. Its a shame after such a strong united stance was taken in July. What was the point of those 20 odd deaths if no one is willing to take another strong stance against the government?
And now we all sit and wait to see what October will bring ....
Friday, September 16, 2011
Muskoka
I just wanted to add a few photos.
The wonderful thing about Malawi is the flowers. Our property has a whole row of the most beautiful roses. I feel like they are constantly in bloom. I can't wait to finish all the gardening around our property. This property has the potential to be amazing.
Also, of course my dogs. My pup rhodesian ridgeback pup Muskoka is now 3 months old and is such a beautiful looking dog. I constantly have people who come to the property asking if he is for sale. He is most definitely not. I just adore him. uI never knew about rhodesian ridgebacks as a breed before I came, but I am absolutely in love with them. I'm going to try and get a picture of the father just to be able to show the size of him. He is absolutely massive, and all the pups took after him. the pups are nearly the size of Tess (the mother) now at a mere 3 months. The other pup from the litter I still have, Chaos, belongs to my friend Max (pictured below). He's going to his new home today. Hopefully, I don't cry when this one goes. I think I cried over the other four, so the outlook for not crying, is not good.
The wonderful thing about Malawi is the flowers. Our property has a whole row of the most beautiful roses. I feel like they are constantly in bloom. I can't wait to finish all the gardening around our property. This property has the potential to be amazing.
Also, of course my dogs. My pup rhodesian ridgeback pup Muskoka is now 3 months old and is such a beautiful looking dog. I constantly have people who come to the property asking if he is for sale. He is most definitely not. I just adore him. uI never knew about rhodesian ridgebacks as a breed before I came, but I am absolutely in love with them. I'm going to try and get a picture of the father just to be able to show the size of him. He is absolutely massive, and all the pups took after him. the pups are nearly the size of Tess (the mother) now at a mere 3 months. The other pup from the litter I still have, Chaos, belongs to my friend Max (pictured below). He's going to his new home today. Hopefully, I don't cry when this one goes. I think I cried over the other four, so the outlook for not crying, is not good.
Namizimu Forest Retreat
I had the opportunity the other week to go visit Namizimu Forest Retreat which is an eco-lodge about 30 minutes past Mangochi. My friend Kathryn (a former Peace Corps) was visiting for a week, and she was friends with the woman Tahereh who had created it. I had been stuck in and bogged down in Lilongwe for months and months. This retreat was exactly what I needed.
The eco-lodge was incredible. They operate completely off the grid with solar power. Their water supply is fresh mountain spring water. Tahereh and her partner Dave are doing amazing work at this lodge. It is definitely a haven.
I said to Kathryn after we hiked up the mountain and were sitting looking over the Malawi landscape; "I didn't realize what I needed to do was sit on the top of a mountain. But I did." I often get so bogged down here on all the little frustrations of day to day life and trying to get things accommplished that I forget I live in Malawi - an amazing, beautiful country. I left feeling refreshed and inspired again.
http://www.namizimu.com/
The eco-lodge was incredible. They operate completely off the grid with solar power. Their water supply is fresh mountain spring water. Tahereh and her partner Dave are doing amazing work at this lodge. It is definitely a haven.
I said to Kathryn after we hiked up the mountain and were sitting looking over the Malawi landscape; "I didn't realize what I needed to do was sit on the top of a mountain. But I did." I often get so bogged down here on all the little frustrations of day to day life and trying to get things accommplished that I forget I live in Malawi - an amazing, beautiful country. I left feeling refreshed and inspired again.
http://www.namizimu.com/
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