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/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)