Correction

It seems that the snake is in fact an olive grass snake (only mildly venomous), not a cobra after all.  Apparently, people divide snakes into cobras and mambas, both potentially deadly, so not a surprise that they are so swiftly dispatched!

A Choir and a Cobra

On Saturday we were invited to go with a group of local pastors to see the orchard project being piloted by one of their colleagues in his village church.  The idea is to provide an income for the church as well as some healthy produce for the community.  Orange trees are being planted in a fenced area (to protect from goats).  The trees will take 5 years to mature and in the meantime, the community is taking advantage of the fenced area and have planted a vegetable garden between the trees.

Part of the programme of the day (everything here is ordered by ‘programmes’) was a short service and some speeches.  This choir was magnificent.  They were accompanied only by 2 drums (which were not at all intrusive).  When I closed my eyes I could imagine I was in a cathedral with the song soaring and filling the vaulted roof.  What a surprise!

 

While this was going on a cobra emerged from its hiding place a short distance away and was carefully dispatched.

Even though it was obviously dead, there were gasps of horror when I moved him into the sun to take this photo!
 

 

Teaching update

The school holidays have just finished.  Here there are 3 holidays of 1 month, with 3 terms of 3 months, spread out over the year.  The April school holiday has just finished.  Over the holiday we had a stream of children coming to learn English.  They would arrive at the door and say “I want to learn”.  So we were having lessons first thing in the morning with these children.  They have now gone back to school so we will have to see if we can continue with them at another time.

Sounds with Spencer

Learning our letters

Talking with the children

 

The ladies afternoon class has also been growing and now includes one man.

Reading with some of the ladies

Concentrating hard!

 

 

Women's Conference

Bridget attended a women’s conference at the church last week.  This involved some teaching, which was very good, on topics ranging from the Holy Spirit to requirements for wearing the uniform; hanging out with the ladies; eating her body weight in nsima!  She had a good time and is getting fat.

The gift of mass catering

Serving lunch

Lunch in the shade

The Pilgrim Wesleyan Church has a uniform for the ‘deaconesses’ which is intended to show that they are committed to service in the church and on behalf of the church.  This is taken very seriously, and if you want to be ‘bloused’ you have to go through training and a ‘blousing ceremony’.  The ceremony was the climax of the conference.  There was much discussion about the life-style expected of a ‘bloused’ woman, with many saying that the behaviour of these women often puts others of from being bloused, because they are gossips and generally not very well behaved.  It was interesting to see how open people were about confronting this issue and being very hard on themselves and each other about their behaviour.

The ladies parading into church

The 'newly bloused' being commissioned

The 'newly bloused' receiving a hug from every member of the congregation, watched over by the Pastor, his wife and his daughter.

 

Smoke That Thunders

On Monday we were able to hire a car and go with a local family (mum and 3 children) to Livingstone to see the Victoria Falls.  This family had never been before and it was a thrill for us to see their reaction to so much water.  We had previously asked Charles, 12, what was the biggest piece of water he had seen.  It was a pool less than the size of a football pitch.  The Zambezi rendered him speechless!

 

Victoria Falls in the local language (Nyanja) is Mosi-oa-Tunya, which translates as The Smoke That Thunders.  From above the falls you can see a huge cloud of spray rising up like smoke, and the noise is thunder.  We could see this column of cloud as we approached Livingstone, from about 4 miles away.  Mosi-oa-Tunya is also the name for Livingstone itself.  In Chitonga, the language here that we are trying to learn, it is Manziahuma, which means Water and Thunder.

The water level is at its peak at the moment (it reaches a maximum flow rate of 3000³/second going over the falls.  We got very wet and the visibility was dramatic, some might say poor!

Count the legs - 3 children, one coat!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Afterwards we sat above the falls to dry out and eat a picnic, and for the children to play in the water.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the end of the afternoon we drove by the river to see what we could see.  Quite a variety of creatures as you can see.

 

There was a lot of sleeping in the car on the way home.

Thank you...

A big thank you to St Michael's Church and St Mair's Church Aberystwyth for the generous funding that they have sent towards the teachers' back pay.

Creepies and Crawlies and Tiny Wee Beasties

Frog on the shower room wall

Gecko in the bed room

Ants crossing the road.  These are BIG and if they bit it REALLY REALLY hurts!

Hawkmoth outside the door

The hairiest caterpillar you ever did see