Friday 11 October

Today: early mass 6.30 am, farewell school assembly, joint St Peter's & St Matthew's concert, farewell to the staff at St Peter's, party at Women's Development Centre, all before 3.00 pm.  Finally relaxation for one night at the Lake at Myoka Village.
 

"We were up early again today for church. Megan had a reading which she did really well. We came home and got ready for going to St.Peters. As we walked to the school we could hear the kids singing and it filled me with a buzz of excitement. I still haven’t gotten used to the fact that the kids are so excited to see us and they sing every time we see them. We presented the school with the gifts and the kids cheered even more! After the presentation we went to the house and got ready for the performance. I looked out the window as we got ready to leave and I could see all the other students gathering around the church hall. There were so many people!! We had to push our way into the hall to get seats. The concert was interesting… I can’t really find the words to describe some of the acts but our performances were very successful. After pushing our way out of the crowd again we went round to the school for drinks. We sat and chatted with the staff but my mind was really looking forward to Nkhata.

We came home after the drinks and got changed for the Women’s Development Centre. The girls got to dish out the food to the children which was an amazing experience. We then got to play games with kids which involved duck, duck, goose and silly races. We gave the kids a small toy, balloon and sweet each and the joy on their faces overwhelmed me. It makes you realise how lucky you are to have so much. We then said our thanks to Modesta and I received a letter from the WDC as a thanks for donating the rosary beads which made me very emotional. I’m glad that they will go to good homes. After leaving the WDC we got changed ready for the road trip to Nkhata.

The bus ride was filled with beautiful scenery. We got to see parts of Malawi we had never seen. When we got to the bay I was almost disappointed. I couldn’t see the water and there were stalls everywhere but then we came round a corner. The view was absolutely stunning! Our hotel is on top of a massive cliff that leads down to the lakes edge. The bar sits on the edge of the water and it looks incredible. Our room is beautiful and spacious. The view from our room is something like we’ll never see again. I honestly can’t believe that we’re here. It seems unreal. We’ve all opened tabs and are settling down for drinks and food tonight so that we can watch the sun rise in the morning."

Sophie Lewis

"After an early mass this morning we had the closing ceremony at St Peter’s Secondary. It was sad to say goodbye to the many new friends that we had met throughout the week and it had finally sunk that this was our official last day in Mzuzu. After the closing ceremony we started to prepare for the Scotland and Malawi concert. This was especially nerve-wracking for Me (Sophie) as I had to do three solos of highland dancing. Sophie was amazing, and her dances went down a storm, especially with the Malawian boys (due to her kilt flying up every time she jumped). The Malawians also had some interesting dance routines that made all of the students’ mouths fall open and the teachers laugh at their reactions. The only word we can use to describe these routines was RISQUE! After the concert we headed off to the WDC where we helped feed the local orphans. We personally served them their lunch and played all different party games with them. This was an amazing and unforgettable experience especially when they received their gifts (toothbrush, sweets, balloons and small toys). However,  it was a very short visit as it was time for us to head to Nhakata Bay.

The scenery on the way to the bay was phenomenal. Both of us were speechless and had our cameras hanging out the windows for the whole duration to Mayoka. When we got to the hotel we were shocked at how beautiful the atmosphere was. Everyone was so chilled out (even the teachers!!) and we enjoyed food and drink on the lakeside. Just recently we have met some Scottish volunteers from Dundee and Edinburgh who are staying here for 9 months. This has encouraged us both to travel more and definitely return to Malawi."

Megan Dillon and Sophie Fulton