The Saturday of adventure...

So today started off nice and early so everyone could pack, this slightly damped our moods.

We had a hearty breakfast of bacon and egg butties with cereal and yogurt! Whilst saying our last goodbyes to the Lodge and Blessings. 

We set off to Mount Mulanje, all settled in to our seats on the truck. Some listening to music, others singing and others engrossed in books! 

After a few long hours and driving up and down the same road for as long as we could remember we finally arrived! 

Unfortunately, after stopping to pay entry fees, we found that Terrance the Truck was unable to start again... So we had multiple men swaying the truck backwards and forwards trying to jump start it, whilst we sang "rock-a-by-baby". 

We eventually managed to make it to our campsite and soon found the local pools. We speedily put up our tents, had lunch and washed up ready to go and take a dip! And so the adventure began...

First some of us headed up stream whilst the rest remained paddling in the somewhat slippy shallows. We clambered over rocks and scrambled up waterfalls which resulted in many people falling over *cough* CHLOE *cough*. 

We reached some pipes which signalled the end of our journey and headed back. 

Now it was time to head downstream! Whilst the sun was setting we sat in a small pool and some even tried swimming in the deep- others even jumped off some of the rocks!  

Trying to get back was another story: sliding down slippery rocks, no problem, climbing back up them, not so easy! Whilst some took the original route, Vicki, Ellie and Little Lucy took an alternative route. The race was on! 

Vicki, Ellie and Little Lucy made it back first and enjoyed watching the others appear out of what seemed nowhere!

So then, as the sun had almost set we headed back to the campsite to get dressed again to go the the Pizzeria!!!! 

Last day on the book bus

Friday 9th August 2013

Everyone was a bit subdued at breakfast this morning, as it was our last morning of the Book Bus and our last full day at Fisherman's Rest. Big Lucy was a tiny bit ill in the early hours too and so without her constant cheeriness around, everyone else was less happy than normal. She is feeling better now, but is still very tired. Thankfully, the sun was shining and there were no clouds in sight which helped to pick our spirits up! 

We were off to the same school as last Friday, only a 20 minute drive from Fisherman's Rest, and when we arrived the main school yard was blocked again by some sort of polling station where voting was taking place for some most probably highly important vote... We decided to steer clear and thankfully, there was space for us up from the school with a good amount of shade as we were already a bit hot and sweaty! Yum. 

We started off by singing again and managed to avoid Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes- this is now our least favourite song due to our aching and exhausted bodies- and instead, introduced them to Wheels on the Bus and the Music Man. Not many children turned up in the end though, because of religious reasons (a Muslim ceremony I believe) and so we had nice sized groups with which to work with. I was with Frankie and we had a group of the oldest children, which was lovely for a change, because they had at least some idea of how to colour and how to use a glue stick! We did lots of worksheets too and they were very good at finding the missing words in the sentence and just about got the hang of word searches! 

The morning was interrupted half way through when the children went to eat their porridge and this gave Frankie and I the chance to just play catch with some of the girls and just chat to them. The head teacher also came and sat on our mat at this point and was very enthusiastic for the rest of the morning about making every single craft and filling in every work sheet. He asked if we were coming back and seemed very confused and a bit upset when we tried to explain in the simplest English that it was very expensive to come over on a trip and that, although other girls would be returning next year, we personally wouldn't. It was comforting to hear from him that the children would miss us, but I'm sure they'll have lots of fun with next year's girls. We'll miss them though!! 

We left slightly early as we arrived early and it was very hot by this point...

After lunch we started packing our stuff and collating all of the craft things into various bags. We then lugged all the crafts and books up the hill as well as food and other bits and pieces and left Helen and Doc to pack it all into the many many compartments throughout the truck. Hopefully there is still room for all our bags! 

Whilst that was happening we went down to the Community Centre for an hour or so where we found our best friend Courtney (male) from Bradford already reading lovely stories about whales, sharks, fairies, witches and birthday- all topics we were told to steer clear of... A few of us taught one lady some English for a while and then we left again. It was a weird ending to our two weeks of helping out the various children of this area of Malawi. 

We are now back at the house, as Frankie, little Lucy and little Vicky are preparing our 'I'm an Impala, GET ME OUT OF HERE!' themed dinner and we are getting  our jungle themed outfits on...! 

Hopefully we can get to sleep at a reasonably early time tonight, as we are exhausted and very achy- but contented-from our adventures on the Book Bus. We're all excited about next week though, although the 4 hour drive (apparently) tomorrow is looking less than enticing, but our pizza for tea tomorrow has been pre booked already so everyone is excited for that! 

We will try to update the blog as much as possible next week, but we have no idea where we can access wifi so don't expect too much.

Love to all family and friends,

Ellie and The Impalas

xxxx

ELLIE

Hellooo! WS sounds great Mumma, have fun relaxing this next week after your exhausting activity running and I look forward to meeting your new friend David Walliams. I hope you've had a good week  too Faith and that no one missed my presence too much on the 5th Guides camp! Did you manage your 100 mile bike ride Dad? Cathefrina, I cannot wait to learn to penny board and I miss you all lots, but I don't want to come home just yet because I'm having lots of fun xxxxxxxxxxx

KIRSTY

A BIG hello to all my Parker family! Missing you all lots and lots but having too much fun to really think about you all that often hahaha. Last day at Fisherman's rest today and we are heading off in the morning to explore Malawi. Had a fun day today with the children and more so watching big lucy try to catch a chicken and a very interesting talk with a woman called Jean. My clothes are all slightly too big for me but I've been filling up on chocolate and crisps! Nom.

Shall see you all in just over a week to fill you in on all my stories and make the house noisy again! Love to mummy dad Ross Natalie Jodie nan grandad Fifi Noah and Peter! 

 Loves Kirky xxxxx

Ps you are all ambassadors to the family!!

VICKI (leader)

Hi to everyone back home,

I'm still having a fab time here with the rest of the impala crew,especially as I have now fully recovered from my vomiting buffalo episode!I have really enjoyed working with the book bus but am now looking forward to the next part of our adventure and seeing a bit more of Malawi.hope everyone is well and I can't wait to see you all when I get back.Mum and Dad,I still hope you're looking after Mont for me!

Love you lots

Vic xxx

LUCY (LEADER)

Hey followers of the ginge. Hope everyone is ok. 

This week has gone so quickly, everything seems to have merged into one big brick chucking, hot, food related muddle. The last few days of Book Bus have been good, and I think the whole group have definitely felt a sense of achievement and appreciation for what we have achieved here. I have run the snake hospital a few times this week, and fear that there will be many snakes in need of attention when we leave. 

Carwyn, i hope you are ok and havent wrecked the house. love you lots. Lala, I hope you are getting fat, as I want to see bump when I'm home, Katy and fin, I hope you are enjoying the summer and the dinosaurs, I hear pops survived the day without being eaten by anything prehistoric. Alex, i hope camp was good! Benny, vics, Toby and poppy, I hope you are having fun in the sun, and looking after Carwyn from a distance. Simon, sooz and orla, I hope you had fun feeding the ducks and everyone is well. Mumma and pops, thank you for leaving messages on the blog, and I hope you are still talking after pops moving to his shed. Nan and grandad, thank you for my lovely little cards in my diary. Auntie Kim, thank you for my lovely card, and anyone else, well, I just hope you are enjoying the blog, and I will see you soon. Love to everyone, and am looking forward to a big photo-showing night with wheat based, and non wheat based treats. 

Love you, love Lula xxx

ABBIE!!!

Hi all! Thanks very much for all the comments! I would just like to say that I am well, enjoying myself and missing you all lots. Here are some replies: 

Chloe: I'm sure you will be fab with the girls so don't worry

Jake: You can have a mahoosive cuddle when I am back. Promise! 

Noel: Too late! I have scraped my knee, burnt my hand and dropped a brick on my toe....

Anita: I will give you a copy of my photos when I am back

Lizzie: I married and named 2 hippos but Vicki says I can't bring them home :(

Barretts: Thank you for following the trip! You will hear all the stories ASAP

Mum: Yes I got your message, thanks muchly for the update. Reading it all makes me forget I am so far away. How is Nanny? 

Everybody please make sure you are looking after yourselves. I don't want to come back to find any of you damaged! Not long now until I'm home so mum you can stop getting tearful and using up all the tissues. Big cuddles and kisses to you all! Me Xxxxxxxxxx

From Eleana to my family, all at Grace Fellowship and Sophie:

Hiya, I'm having a wonderful time here in Malawi. The weathers gorgeous and I have a rather sunburnt nose! Today was our last day on the book bus :( all the kids gave me hugs and said they'll miss us. It's been a fantastic 2 weeks with them...but very hard work: early mornings and late nights. Brick making was an experience...throwing bricks in a chain has resulted in many cuts and grazes...plasters? Yes please! Tuesday I did my share of cooking- come dine with me style: soup, beef stew and chocolate cakes...mmmm have goat tonight :s campfire last night was epic...tribal dances and much singing! I'm not liking all the weird and wonderful insects they have here...giant beetle waspy things, dragonflies with stings and a tiny scorpions in Lucy's mosquito net!! Well I'm ok, love your comments...write more! Big African hugs I send to you all, Eleana.xxx  

LAURA

Sorry to disappoint you dad but I am not gonna be looking like Andrew any time soon as there have only been a few blazing hot days. Plus you will getting me back with some cuts and bruises as I went brick chucking(building) and have lots of cuts so I think Kirsty now hates me slightly as she is the first aider. Love you lots and hope you are all having a good time mine and two others Nando's come dine with me dinner went extremely well.

Chante

Well before I start the message I did had written up have been deleted so I'm gonna start again... Maybe my second will be better than my first! 

Well it's sad to say the book bus has finally ended and a week full of exploring is about to begin. This week has been phenomenal, just being around children that are happy and egar to learn has blown my mind away. The joy and smiles filled my heart and have made me so grateful of everything I've received within my life. I've had a range age of children again with a range of numbers within a class. It's shown me that I can tackle any obstacle through a language barrier. Mother your message made me cry when I read it. I didn't think I'd miss you's as much I have. The Impalas have been graced with some Chante cooking last night with my infamous chicken but it didn't turn out the greatest but they seemed very grateful. I'm guessing that brother message was from Julian; the native language is chewcha and I get people talking to me expecting me to understand and I have to be like sorry I don't understand only speak English. I've recorded so many videos so you can see it all for yourself, it's crazy! 

Well before I end I just want to say I love and miss you all. Being on this trip have made me realise and reflect on my life back in the UK; friendships, the way I priorities my time and my attitude. However enough of being soppy, love you all and see you soon. 

Peace and love to you all. 

Xxxx

Hello Meachin Family!!!

Dad you will laugh at this when I tell you I have just come back from teaching logs and factorising quadratics.....thought I had seen the last of them but obviously not. I hope you're ok and not too lonely. Have you been watching lots of your weird films?

The weather has been awful here recently but it's starting to get hot here now, which is how it should be. But I still haven't even got a hint of a tan yet. We've picked up our skirts from the tailor and mine is soooo nice, can't wait to show you all. As for my finger....well the bruising has gone so I've taken off the bandage. I still can't bend it but it doesn't hurt anymore so I'm just ignoring it.

We went shopping on Monday for our come dine with me dinners. I bought a packet of chocolate biscuits which is the first sugary thing I have had since leaving the airport! (Was beginning to forget what chocolate tasted like) needless to say all of our puddings this week have been full of chocolate and sugar to make up for the lack of it. 

I think this is probably the last you will hear from me personally because we are leaving our lodge tomorrow and are off travelling. We are going on safari again so am going to try and smuggle a baby elephant... I don't think anyone will notice :D I'm having an amazing time here and i would say that I miss you but to be perfectly honest I've barely had time to

So goodbye for now. Keep commenting and I will see you soon

Love Rachel xxxxxx 

LOTTIE

Hiya Anning co!

Can't believe book bus is over! :( so sad, but looking forward to travelling and seeing the landscape. Its gone so quick, i want to do it again and not stop... :( Hope you are having good fun at home! And yes I cooked... I have had lots of chocolate this week... But I will make sure that I bring you guys some souvenirs!!! Have a great time at home if I don't get to speak to you again cause of Wi-Fi access. Nice to see that Monte is there love you all and say to Granny, I'm ok and I'm still alive, don't worry, I'll stay safe. I promise. Btw im not missing you much because im having so much fun!! (i do miss you) xxxx Love to all xxxxxxxxxx Lottie xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

CATHERINE

Hello everybody! Just to let you know mum I am showering very often and staying super clean! I have loads to tell you about when I get home, all sorts of amazing stuff from the book bus and everything that we have been doing. I've even picked up a few injuries for you! It's a bit gutting that book bus is over so you might have to let me come again next year ;) love you all lots (and I miss you a bit) treeniebop xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

FRANKIE

Hello various members of my family across the globe, I hope you're enjoying whatever you're doing! 

This is the end of our 2 weeks at Fisherman's Rest and the Book Bus and rest assured that I have lots of stories about it (and gifts)!! This will probably be one of the last posts from us as we're going off around the lake now but I will tell you about it when I get home. I hope you're all having fun and have lots to tell me about when I'm home and I will see you all soon. 

PS. Little Lucy, little Vicky and I have won Come Dine With Me!!!

PPS. Good luck to Aaron for his A Levels and I'm looking forward to hearing the *good* news when I'm home in just over a week :)

LITTLE LUCY

Hello various people's reading this :) 

Very sad that it's our last night at Fisherman's Rest but a good night to end on. And yes dad, I have just managed to cook for 20 people with Vicky and Frankie... And no, no one has died yet :P 

Hope you're home safe (at least I think you're home now?) and hope to hear from you soon. :) 

Sending hugs, Little Lucy xxx

LITTLE VICKY

I told them that I should not be allowed to cook! The only time I went to help on the stove I managed to accidentally turn the gas off so that Helen had to come and relit it, and spilt onions everywhere, I think I should just stick to chopping the veg and washing up. Oh well everyone survived :) and it went surprisingly well :) and we won XD hahahahaha XD 

Bit sad we are leaving the book bus and Fisherman's rest :( but looking forward to next week. Little Vicky xxxxxxx

Helen

Hi everyone,

I have had a nice rest from cooking this week as the girls have been doing their own come dine with me! We have had some good evenings filled with fun and games and some nice meals. Have had a great time working with the book bus and it has made me realise how lucky I am to teach in England even if I do moan about it sometimes! The kids have been great and so keen to learn, I wish some of the kids at home could take a leaf out of their book! We had a great campfire last night with a local band. There was lots of singing and dancing, and both the band and Blessings and Barnes, took great delight in trying their first toasted marshmallow! I am looking forward to next week and the adventure we will have, although I am not looking forward to all the travelling on the truck and the pitching of tents most nights! I can't believe how quickly the 2 weeks have gone but I am looking forward to seeing you all! 

Love you and miss you all loads

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Second to last book bus day today :(

Second to last book bus day today :( 

Today we visited a new school that we were supposed to visit last week but due to the unexpected rain we were unable to, the journey today showed us why.

When we arrived we found that the school was being used as a voting station for a national vote (not totally sure what they were voting for) but we set up our mats on the field and commenced with the various activities of the day. 

The morning seemed to go rather slowly as we were all shattered and achey from the brick chucking yesterday, however this did not dampen our spirit (much).

Today we also encountered many small thieves. These include one boy who tried to smuggle scissors, pencils, paper and glue inside his coat and another boy who tried to take a book, he was appropriately named Innocent. Coincidence? We think not!  

We are now all relaxing in and by the pool for the final time before we pack up and leave Fisherman's rest for good. Currently a very intense game of pool rounders is going on and were sure some people are trying to twist the rules to their advantage.  Nevertheless everyone is thoroughly enjoying themselves!

We are also looking forward to our chicken and chips tonight prepared by our fabulous chefs for today, Chante, Chloe and Laura in their turn for the come dine with me challenge. 

Later we will be joining Wictor and the other fisherman's rest residents for a camp fire with marshmallows 

The last instalment from the Book Bus will be coming soon  :( 

Love from the Impalas xxx

(Little Vicky and Little Lucy) 

Ps: Lottie would like to inform her family that she has been rationing herself on chocolate so still has plenty left for the last week.

Wednesday 7th

To my dearest Impala fans...

Today we returned to Monday's school; Chimwabve. Of all the schools which we have visited this is most definitely our favourite; not only are the children lovely (particularly a young boy named Clemence) but the community is really friendly and everyone always seems happy to see us. Some of the children even remembered our names, both from seeing us on Monday and at the community centre (which is more than can be said for Chante who is still at a loss!)

After a morning of game playing, song singing and of course the usual book reading and craft we departed from the happy group whom we left behind. Fortunately no children attempted to hang onto the back of the truck for a lift and so Doc's machete remained safely in its compartment (under his seat) and the journey home was comfortable.

We were being lulled into a false sense of security before our next journey...

After a dinner (correction...lunch to you Southern Jessie's) which was rounded off by Kirsty and Lucy's mystery fruit salad (I think it's safe to say that the green lumpy fruit was not a lemon!) we assembled in order to depart for a brick making/building session. 

We were met by 'the cage,' our arch nemesis which often results in injuries galore and a smattering of blood. Wictor (the owner of Fisherman's Rest) was kind enough to put down padding this time around, two thin sheets of foam (I would like to point out that this is also what constitutes our mattresses!)

With the remaining Impalas clambering into another car which, may I add, was far too small to hold us all we set off down the bumpy track towards the school (and I mean bumpy!)

The school was particularly rural, Thorpe park was put to shame by the tumultuous terrain. Personally I would have appreciated full-on over the head theme park seat belts...instead I found myself bouncing up and down like small child trapped in a bouncy castle!

Upon arrival we were greeted by enthusiastic villagers and, after being told a little about the school and the construction project began to form a chain of brick passers. Our mission was this...we must move stacks of piles of bricks from one end of a large open square to the other where they were then piled into kilns in which they would harden. Each kiln containing an impressive 60,000 bricks!

An eventful few hours followed during which bricks were flung, the flying lumps of clay and soil were caught and numerous scratches and concussions were caused. Personally I can say that I will never again put myself in a position where Lottie is able to throw bricks towards my head! 

After having watched the stacks of bricks diminish and the kiln rise we took our leave, waving goodbye to the children (amongst whom was a boy named fraction) we got back into our cage and car. 

The Book Bus has been amazing to work with and we all feel a great sense of achievement after each session but there is something about seeing the fruit of your efforts immediately. Seeing the grateful looks on the faces of the community, hearing the chief thank us and Wictor commenting on the "pleasant surprise" which he experienced upon witnessing a group of feeble girls undertake a manual task! I mean crikey, girls got dirty! Sheesh that's a HUGE surprise ;)

But the knowledge that our hard work this afternoon physically helped the community, aiding them towards their goal of a structurally sound school and seeing the progress we were making really inspired us all because we now know what a difference we can make.

This evening we have made more craft materials for tomorrow, enjoyed dinner cooked by Abbie, Eleanor and Rachel and are now getting ready for bed. We are happy, a little bruised perhaps but happy. The blood has been mopped from my legs by the able Kirsty, many individuals have had antiseptic baths and scratches have been bathed.

So goodnight Impala fans, and, even though we can't quite remember what you look like, we still love you.

From the Impalas xxxx

(Catherine)

P.s little Vicky would like to inform her father that she has never before been Vicki with an I and that she hereby disowns him until he remembers his daughters name! Furthermore Steev, it's a vomiting buffalo NOT a vomiting hippo, please pay more attention!

What a day!

Tuesday 6th August... 'What a day'
Hello everyone Chloe here....
Today we were up in the clouds (quite literally). We had a very bumpy ride over what Malawian people call roads which took around an hour. Eventually after many headaches and feelings of being ill we arrived at the school amid shouts of auzuntu (which means white people in Chichewa). The school was definitely the most modern school we had visited yet and we were welcomed warmly by their headmasters leading them in a beautiful chorus! We had a very eventful day as there was over 450 children! This was the most amount we had ever seen and by far our biggest challenge we had yet to face! As the rain started to fall Doc decided to desert us with all our possessions on the truck! With Kate leaving her phone on the truck we had no means of contacting Doc to ask where he was. So at the end of today's book bus session we had a mountain (literally) to climb which some of us found more difficult than others. As everyone struggled up the hill whilst carrying mats, Doc was still not in sight...

Finally after around 30 mins of walking we saw Terrance and Doc at the top of a hill and we knew that a comfy seat awaited us! So it was back along the bumpy road and back to Fisherman's rest for lunch which everyone couldn't wait for!!!

As soon as we finished eating, a big announcement was made...
Come dine with me "African style". We got put into groups of threes and it was our task to cook dinner each night in our groups! The place started to get tenser as we began to plan our meals . However time shortly ran out and planning time was up and shopping time had begun. We loaded onto the truck and sang very out of tune songs all the way to Shoprite.  We then got to Shoprite, got given money and then let loose. So a small swarm of girl guides began to invade the shop. It was like letting headlless chickens run wild!!!!!

Now we are currently waiting for Catherine, Lottie and Ellie's come dine with me style dinner... We might not return home as we could all die of food poisoning (as Lottie is cooking)!
Peace out from Chloe xxxxxxxx

Well this hasn't been uploaded yet so I thought I would tell you about dinner...
We had a very nice dinner! For starter we had spring rolls and soy sauce... Everyone loved it!!!!!!! We then had macaroni cheese for main but it as a but too creamy and filling for some people's liking... And for desert we had chocolate brownie in a mug. In between meals we had games such as how many moustaches can you make out of a pipe cleaner in 30 seconds and the rap challenge!!!
It was an amazing day and finished off by an amazing meal served wonderfully by the girls! So it's off to bed now and night night everyone! We will continue updating  this when we have time out of our very busy schedules;)
Love to all impala family members xxxxxxx

Impala Drama

Impala Drama

Hello my lovely blog readers, 

Welcome to today's blog post (which, undoubtedly will be the best so far).after this weekends eventful-ness, I am glad to report that big Vicki is upright now, and has not regressed to anything resembling a vomiting buffalo for over 12 hours. The machete is nowhere to be seen, and we have all survived another day. 

Today, we had what some may call a lie in - waking up at 7.30 is quite the luxury after two mornings of waking up before the sun. We ate a hearty breakfast and a discussion on what we would give as words of advice for next years Malawi group - the following points were mentioned ...

1. Bring a photocopier - writing out worksheets is tedious

2. Be prepared to do anything

3. Don't assume anything

4. Don't play football, they can run faster than us

5. Wear sensible shoes :)

We also began the day with treasure and trash, as we were more or less sleep walking after dinner last night. My highlight of yesterday was a very competitive game of 'lick it and stick it to your face' between Catherine and I ( instructions another time) and many of the girls treasured various animals frightening them over the weekend. 

We boarded the truck, which Doc had kindly bought to our gate so we did not have to climb the hill. We headed to a school which is in the process of renewing its buildings. With a relatively small space, we greeted under 100 children today, and amongst the bricks, we began singing to call others in. After two days off of our school duties, we forgot how tiring 'heads, shoulders, knees and toes' can be....

After singing 'singing in the sun', we watched the dark clouds roll in. Surprisingly the sun shone through and soon I found myself running 'snake hospital' again for lots of tangled paper snakes and string. Soon it was time for porridge, and after Frankie's pants attempt at being a dinner lady, Lottie, Abbie and Catherine had turns at filling the cups for the children. 

We recognised some of the children at today's school from the community centre, and they were happy, if not a bit confused to see us again. We closed the school session with the traditional bum bumping of 'Alice the camel' and headed back to the truck. 

We were soon home eating lunch and getting ready to go and visit the Guides at a school we visited last week. See, there was one issue we were worried about, and a very reserved Doc looking up at the sky. 'If it rains,' he said, 'we stay.' Terence was dreading the hill that we needed to attempt again, the red muddy hill that gobbled us up last week. 

At 1.30, the rain had held off, so we began our journey. Arriving at the school it was apparent that either, there were hundred of guides, some of which were boys, or that the local community had seen us and followed for another round of snake making. The latter is the better way to describe what soon followed. We eventually found those children who were scouts and guides and sat down to watch a selection of songs, poems and dramas they had prepared. It was clear that they had been practising, and their dramas on issues such as HIV  were good. But, and embarrassingly so, we soon realised that we were then expected to perform. Scanning our heads for appropriate songs, we showed 'Eidelweiss', 'This little guiding light of mine' and 'Thunderation' shortly followed by Kirsty leading a few too many rounds of 'everywhere we go'. There was a silence. An awkward silence. Kate suggested we perform our own (albeit adlib) drama to the tune of the Brownie story. With narrator Kate, mummy Helen and children Chante and Lottie, the performance began. With a guest performance from big Lucy the owl (twit twooo...flapflapflap), the show went down a storm, and particular giggles were heard from the Chloe and big Vicki area. Overall, we had a good time with the guides and scouts, ending our session by sharing out badges with the children. 

After Terence struggling up the hill, and numerous children being shunted off the back of the truck for holding on, the Impalas made it back to Fisherman's rest in one piece, yet again. We have just finished making another slither of snakes and a trees-worth of monkeys and are now waiting for Doc to finish cooking sausage and mash ( or a variety of) This evening is bound to be another one of giggles as we wind down from a typical book bus Monday. 

Love to all Impala groupies, we love you all. 

Love from big Lucy. Xxx 

Ps, Lala, tell benny that 'lick it and stick it to your face' works with tissue paper as well as Haribo, but one must remember to wash off the dye before going to bed....

The vomiting buffalo and the man with the machete!

It's not really clear when Sunday started and Saturday ended (write Catherine and Chlow (Chloe according to Ernest, our third translator/helper/newfound friend))... After having been woken to see a herd of zebra in our campsite as well as being visited by warthogs in the middle of night and a vomiting buffalo (who turned to be big Vicky) our 5'o'clock rise for a bush walk was not very welcome.

Don't panic ladies and gents, Vicky is feeling much better now and is a about to settle down to an omelette a la Catherine.

Upon setting out on our bush walk we were told three things: see an elephant...gather into a group and walk away, see a lion...gather into a group and walk away, see a rhino...climb a tree and stay still. 

Picture the scene: we are in the middle of the bush being led by a man with a large gun, trees are either small and spindly or do not have branches until around five metres from the ground...we are told to climb trees!!!! :o

Not only this but our reassuring guide soon told us that we were entering a lion area (scary much) and that there were also leopards in the vicinity. "Leopards" said Billy (the guide) "always run!" Big Lucy (whom is no longer EXTREMELY brave but is now EXTREMELY wimpy) found this very frightening until Billy then informed us that it is the leopards who run (this language barrier lark is getting a little tricky)

An eventful walk ensued during which wimpy Lucy was caught by the "please-wait" tree and some hippos which looked suspiciously like rocks were spotted as well as a roaring sabre (an antelope) frightened our socks off we arrived an hour late back at camp.

The issue which was then faced at 9 in the morning was traversing the sharp bend in our chunky friend Terence. Doc whipped out his machete in order to hack down anything in his way (fortunately this was mainly trees and not people!)

After a bumpy ride home we spent the evening in the pool, sunbathing and enjoying the weather, which had finally perked up(as, I reiterate, had Vicky) Our time by the pool involved very cold water, pushing each other in and even the plunging of towels and clothing into the icy depths (and may i add the ringing out of said items over leaders heads). But I assure you the lovely weather provided the perfect drying conditions.

Currently we are sitting around a small (correction...pathetically sized) table enjoying the sunset and each others company (correction...some people's company) ;)

The smell of dinner is wafting through the door and the twilight is falling so some happy Impalas who are ready for the commencing of our second week teaching tomorrow, stacks of prepared crafts litter the living room, sign off.

So we say farewell and promise to tell you all about the next instalment of our exciting adventures, deaths, mauling and trampling included in...LaSER Malawi uncut.

Goodnight, your ever loving Impalas 

Chlow and Catherine say tata xxxxx