The finish line...

After we retuned from Safari, it felt like a race to the finish line. Friday morning we had one more clinic. On COTN property is International Christian Academy (ICA). It’s a secondary school and many of the children in COTN’s program are currently there. They come from all three villages that COTN works in but were not in the village on clinic days. There are about 60 students and we wanted to do physicals on them as well. So, we set up clinic in the grass outside the clinic on the property and the kids came over in groups from the school.

When we finished with that, we were told that the children we each sponsor were there for lunch so we headed down to the gazebo to have lunch and a dance party with our kids. This is a couple of hours we look forward to every time we go. It’s a chance to connect and talk with the kids we sponsor and build relationships with them. Most of the sponsored children in COTN’s programs never get to meet their sponsors, so this is a pretty special moment. Our team members took on 3 more kids this year, so we also got to spend time getting to know those kids!

During lunch, several friends stopped by to say hi, to say good-bye, or just to visit. Everyone knew we were leaving the next day, so we were cramming in the last minute visits. By 3pm we were loading into the van to head to the painting and carving market. This is a street market of handicrafts and a great place to shop for souvenirs and gifts for people back home. It’s also a great place to practice any Chichewa you’ve picked up and hone your bartering skills! Truthfully, its a lot of fun and completely overwhelming!!

We finished up there and headed to the coffee shop. This shop is owned by David Samuel, a COTN kid now all grown up and in business. He has built a lovely little place for gathering and enjoying a great cup of Malawi coffee. Nthunzi truly reflects the spirit of “the warm heart of Africa.” Once again the power went out (it’s off more than its on these days), but somehow David managed to get everyone a cup of coffee or a smoothie (mostly coffee for the Americans, and smoothies for the Malawians). The team took the opportunity to each “adopt” a couple of our Malawi team members and buy them a drink. Going to a coffee shop is a luxury many young people in Malawi don’t have access to because of cost, so it was fun to say thank you to the students and staff in a unique way. A latte in Malawi is about 3,000 kwacha, or $2.40.

Next on the agenda was dinner. Our team, including all our Malawi students and translators, went out for pizza and ice cream. It was our last night in Malawi and a chance to celebrate together all that had been accomplished. We had opportunities to thank one another, to encourage our students to continue to excel in their gifts, and to laugh together one last time. It’s truly a bittersweet moment, but one we cherish. Then, it was home to pack (I mean throw everything into suitcases), take showers (cold again), and fall into bed exhausted.

I woke up Saturday at 6 am (what is with me and early mornings?) so I headed over to the clinic to complete the last minute exit inventory of medication, count the records of kids we saw, and retrieve a few last minute items to cram into the suitcases. It was actually a beautiful, quiet morning for me to just enjoy the sounds and smells of Malawi, and the beauty of the rising sun just before we head home. There might have even been a few tears…. I’m ready for home, but so not ready for goodbye.