First day teaching

Hi everyone! Teaching is exhausting and my children are brilliant which makes things easier and harder-easier because I have their attention and harder because they flew through the material I had planned for the half day. Please be patient with me as far as communication goes. Getting anything done here takes a very long time. I'm at an internet cafe now and probably won't have internet until the end of this week or early next week. It also takes a couple of days to set up a phone service that allows me to call to the States.

There are so many things I wish I could put in words-the town, the people, the overcrowdedness, the poverty, the wealth in small ways (beautiful sunrises and sunsets, beautiful landscaping and flowers on the campus, cool weather). Hopefully my blogs will get more detailed as I have more freedom with my own computer. Also, Dan Linsz, the director of the academy, gave the exciting news that we're going wireless in two months or more. Praise the Lord!

More on the children-I have 19 students, about half what we would call black-some are Malawian, some are a variety of things including South African, English, etc. A few of their names are Zizwa, Mecha (pronounced Mesha), Luke, Jewel, Rachel, Andi (the smartest kid in the class-a girl), Hannah, Shammy (pronounced shemmy), and my aid, Greyshen, who graduated from the ABC. He's very helpful as far as knowing where to get the kids snacks etc. I love you all and can't wait to communicate more freely.

Mid-journey Update

Hello from Johannesburg, South Africa! The weather is beautiful-crisp and cool like a Macon fall. My first two flights were as smooth as can be. I can definitely say I now know the Dullus Airport having spent 5 hours there, and I'll defintely know the interior of my South African hotel before I leave it. My parents generously supplied me with Ambien which made sleeping on the plane sooo much easier. I also had a few extra seats beside me in which to stretch out (if one doesn't mind seat belt buckles in one's back :). South Africa is very British and civilized. I think that even though being in South Africa is a bit of a shock, Lilongwe will be an entirely different sort of shock. Please pray for my adjustment to the third world! Thank you for writing and praying and taking care of me during my preparation. Please continue.
Love,
Dorothy

Pre Journey Info

I leave the United States for Lilongwe, Malawi on August 25th. At left is a pic of the going away party my grandparents gave me. Here is my flight info for those who want to know where I'll be during the three days of travel the trip requires:

• Friday: 6 am Atlanta to D.C. (Dulles) arriving 7:42 am
• Friday: 12:50 pm Dulles to Johannesburg arriving 12 pm Saturday
• Saturday night stay in Joburg (it's safe)
• Sunday: 10:20 am Joburg to Lilongwe arriving around 1 pm

Please email me often and/or post comments here. My goal for this site is to efficiently convey my experiences and get feedback from you that will enrich my time there!