My Awesome Holiday

Day 58

After camp I stopped by Maji Zuwa, a lodge where Renee was staying for Christmas.  A visit with her was well overdue and so much fun!  It was like Renee and Kathi: roomies from Philly!  Reunited and it feels so good.  We ate everyone’s leftovers, shared fried food from the tasty kitchen cuisine that is Maji Zuwa and watched a movie as the sun was setting over the lake.  I am happy I got to spend part of my holiday with Renee – she is always a treat and I’m lucky to have met her. 

Day 59

On my travels back to Nkhata Bay the taxi stopped for mushrooms.  A grocery bag full of large white mushrooms cost 100k – 30 cents!  Such a treat – Christian and I made mushroom sauce for our pasta and it was divine.

Day 60

Christmas Eve was spent in town with our friends.  Peace Corps volunteers from all over Malawi were staying in town so we spent the day swimming and ended it with the most amazing lasagna I have ever tasted (okay, nothing can touch mom’s lasagna, but this was pretty good).  It was a nice treat for Christmas Eve – good food, great company!

Day 61

Christmas was filled with even more delicious food!  Christian made pancakes with m&ms from a care package I received and I poured us mimosas.  Mid-day we enjoyed coffee with amurula and for lunch we opened up our cheese and sausage and cut up fresh veggies to make omelets.  For dinner, our good friend Robert came over (his wife, Nancy, was in Lilongwe with her family) and we enjoyed macaroni and cheese and hot dogs.  Robert thought it was hilarious that we called them hot dogs.  I convinced him it was a specialty in America.  For Christmas, Christian got me a locket that our friend brought back from the States.  He’s such a thoughtful character, that one.

Day 62

Boxing Day was spent in Nkhata Bay at Aqua Africa, a dive shop.  This place is amazing – cold beer, cool natural breeze off the lake (it feels like air conditioning!) and free wifi!  I uploaded my photos and chatted with friends who were taking the diving course.  A lovely day, indeed.

Day 63

It felt like we were partying pretty hard, so Christian and I stayed at his house and watched Modern Family episodes on our computers.  We snacked on chips and cokes and it felt like the most wonderful, lazy day. I couldn’t ask for better.

Day 64

Another lazy day at home, this time it rained.  We made hot chocolate and opened the door as it poured hard on the tin roof.  The sweet smell of rain filled the house and it was so simple and perfect for the lazy day.

Day 65

Mayoka offers free boat rides on full-moon nights and so Christian and I jumped on the opportunity for a sunset cruise (via motor boat).  Peace Corps Volunteers from Zambia were on the boat, too, and we shared a bucket of booze as we fed fish eagles and swam around.  The sun set, but it was too cloudy for a moon viewing, but overall a great night that ended in the ever-tasty braai dinner.  Fresh salads from the garden and tasty meat grilled on the bar-b-que.

Day 66

Today I was feeling restless so Christian told me to put on my sneaks and fill some water bottles – we’re going for a hike.  We didn’t have a destination in mind; we just explored the paths near his house.  I packed some dried cranberries and when we reached the top of a hill where we were looking for hot springs, we stopped for a snack and day-dreamed about unlimited trail mix on our hikes in the States. 

Day 67

Market day in Nkhata Bay is not like market day in Dwambazi.  Everything is outrageously expensive!  I found a cute dress for 500k, though!  I was so excited as I had been looking for a New Year’s Eve dress everywhere.  For dinner, more Mayoka!  We ate brick oven pizza and it was amazing with paneer cheese and eggplant?!  Too delicious.

Day 68

New Year’s Eve was spent at Mayoka with our friends and it was a fun-filled night of dancing and eating Indian food!  I feel grateful for the incredible friends I have made here in Malawi and my family and friends in America.  Truly, how did I get so lucky?

Day 69

Happy New Year!  Christian and I celebrated New Year’s with the East Coast.  We shared a dance on the porch and wished each other Happy New Year at 7 am, because you can’t take the East Coast of the USA outta this girl.  In the afternoon, Christian’s friend Robert took us to the traditional dances in the village.  I was trying to get video footage when a woman threw me into the circle to dance with a group of women dancing to a Tumbuka tribe dance.  I didn’t miss a beat, as dancing runs through these veins.  It was such a treat and of course everyone loved seeing the crazy azungu shake it off-beat.