How Much For A Sweet Tattie?

Well, here we are - going from strength to strength by the day thank you Lord!  All is going well.  We've been fortunate to have been staying with a wonderful family about ten minutes from our house for a few days - it's been so great to sit down and be part of a big family and round a table with 7 other people each night, and it has certainly helped us settle into the Malawian life much quicker.

Helen has been able to pop out with the mother of the family (Anne) and get into the markets, hunting for good deals on all the essentials.  We had a bit of an unsuccessful shopping trip on Monday, paying crazily over-inflated prices for food.  We realised (after a little currency calculating) that two sweet potatoes and one pepper had cost us about £4.25...eeeshk!  So, we've learned that the best way to do it is to go with someone to the market, or even better delegate that duty to whoever will be working with us in the house, to get a much better deal.

I'm finding the whole culture fascinating to be honest.  The market and town centre are so busy that it is hard to drive through at times, and the people are always walking somewhere!  Mainly on the road too!  It's wonderful to see people taking so much initiative too - I guess that it is necessary as there isn't much (if anything) of a government hand out here, so people have a work ethic and for the most part are willing to do something to put food on the table!  It's great to see, and I think lots of people back home could learn SO much from that - there isn't any 'sit back and live off the dole' here.

With that, we are looking to employ someone in the house part time, which is such an alien concept to me in some regards, but the wonderful thing is that not only will they be able to assist Helen and make her time here much more pleasant (knowing what to buy and where to buy it is a key thing!) but it also gives someone the opportunity of employment.  We'll take the next few weeks and get that sorted so that we have the right person for the whole Lawson household!

I managed to pop into school yesterday and it was such a delight to walk round.  The grounds and buildings have such a charm about them, and there is just such a wonderful atmosphere there.  Mr. Morse (the headteacher) has been a massive blessing thus far, and is a really top gentleman, so I'm really looking forward to getting started and working alongside and for him.  He has two young daughters, both born here, and lives with his Scottish wife on the school grounds.  I'll be in tomorrow to get the classroom organised, and then start work on Monday to get prepared for the start of term in a fortnight.

Thankfully we haven't had many more spider incidents, although I think I will just need to suck it up and get used to it.  We have a (very dead) spider the size of my hand hanging from the eves of the house, and so the less I see of them (alive) the better hehe  i'll be having a word with God upon my arrival in heaven regarding the need for such a beast - I'm sure there is a reason for them but at the moment it just escapes me!  Short of saddling it and using it instead of the truck I'm at a loss!

Helen is doing well - like me she is much better for the support of the McGraths and Iain and Ruth - community makes the difference, and we really feel part of one here already.  We're with the McGraths until tomorrow morning, and then we are out for dinner at Chad and Tracey Morse's so it's another opportunity to build relationship and become further planted.

All good! (plus the truck is awesome ...)