My last blog from Africa

So now my time in Africa is almost up today I have travelled back to the capital of Malawi Lilongwe to travel home. I can't believe how quickly the last 4 and a bit months have gone.
Here are a few more of my favourite photos and I look forward to being home and telling you more about all my adventures in person.
Thank you for all your support it has been an amazing life changing adventure.

Preschool puppets

A lovely friday at preschool doing puppet shows and making dog puppets.

The children and teachers were amazing and a true inspiration.

school

Another fun day at school xxxx

School today

Reading pop up books and making a pop up lion.

xxxxxx

My awesome weekend in Zomba

Just had a great weekend at Zomba Plateau, we stayed in a house with the beautiful view above. Had lots of time to walk and read, it was such a nice escape. 
As we drove up the winding road to the top it felt less and less like we are in Malawi and more like somewhere you might in North America with a large lake and forests. It was really beautiful and the locals sold the most amazing fruit, yellow berries, which were alittle like raspberrys, red bananas and green passion fruit.
A fun weekend xxx

This week at school

Lion masks we made at the orphanage with some very excited standard one to threes

So the last week has been a really interesting one at schools. Last Friday we went to a Juvenile reform centre for boys aged 7 to 15. All the boys had committed crimes ranging in seriousness. One boy had been sent there after stealing from his parents. Teaching here was a real challenge as many of the boys had missed out on many years of education so there were many 14 and 15 years olds in the very first years of school. We were not expecting this and some of the boys didn't look too impressed at us reading the books aimed at much younger kids, but they seemed to warm up a bit when we got the parachute out for games.
Then later in the week we took a trip further down south towards the border to stay at an orphanage for a night. It was an amazing experience and the owners Pam and Will do a great job with well over 100 children in a very small space. The children were amazing, they had great English and a really good understanding of what they were reading which I haven't found in any other school in Africa. Finally before we left they sung to us I think they would have continued performing all afternoon if we had been able to let them.
This week we are back to our local schools allow everyday is a bit of an unknown now as to weather we can get to the rural schools we are planning to visit due to the rain.
Thats all for now, can't believe I will be home in 4 weeks, miss you all lots xx

Hello from Malawi

Hey Eveyone
So sorry it has been so long since I have written, the internet connection has not been great and unfortunately I am still not able to put up any more photos but will try and add some more when I am at home in only 5 weeks!!!!
So heres the catch up for the last 6 weeks!

Two weeks by the lake
So after 2 days travelling across Zambia and Malawi we arrived near Monkey Bay on Lake Malawi. We camped on the beach with the most beautiful views and visited some wonderful schools in the area. We were also able to donate 5000 books to children and school libraries around the lake which was amazing. My favourite school was an orphange called Moet where the children were just beautiful and were very determined to teach me the local language. During the weekend we also had a chance to go to the Lake of Stars festival which included artists from across Africa and around the world. It was AWESOME!

Croc Valley
The following week we spent back in Zambia at a campsite called Croc Valley. We camped next to river with crocodiles, hippos and elephants walking around. The most amaing day was spent getting up at 5.00 to see the sunrise over the river bed with 18 elephants crossing, I am so sad I can't put the picture up now! We also then went to a preschool where the day turned into a party with hat making, balloons, lollies and parachute games. What a day! During our free time this week we got to hang out in the elephant friendly pool, go on a night safari and see an amazing play performed by a local drama group who aim to tackle difficult issues such as Aids and Malaria with the local people.

Blantyre
The following week we travelled back to Malawi and down to Fishermans Rest which overlooks the Shire Valley, 20km from Blantyre and this has been our permenant home for the last 3 weeks and will be my home for the next 5. We stay in the most beatiful cottage and bush hides with Antelope walking around the grounds and the most amazing views and sunsets I have ever seen. It also means I now have a bed!!!!!
The schools here in Malawi are much larger than Zambia and even poorer so I really feel like the book bus will make a huge difference to the children here as the programme gets more established. We have had some great welcomes to every school and children are wonderful. My favourite school so far was pretty rural where the children had little to no English and I doubt they had seen many white people before, but after a slow start we left with the whole school smiling, shouting and waving.

I have many more tales to tell but that is all for now and I have to go and prepare my lessons for tommorrow. I will try and blog again soon.
Miss you all lots xx

Malawi and the Lake of Stars Festival

 After many hours on many crazy African buses I have arrived at Lake Malawi and it is beautiful. The internet here is not so great so my blogs will be limited for the next few weeks.

We have been to a number of schools where the class sizes are well over 100 children per teacher which seems crazy!!! We are giving out books to a number of children this week as part of the Lake of Stars Festival. The kids who have been given books so far have loved it and the project is also providing many books for school libraries in the area.

This weekend is the Lake of Stars Festival which runs every year and aims to raise money for projects in the local area. A whole range of bands and artists are playing and I can't wait for it to start.

Sorry for no photos but I promise to add them later.
xxx

many decades on the book bus and more challenges

The volunteers on the book bus Zambia last week ranged in age from teens to seventies with every decade represented, the book bus really is for everyone x
Some more of my challenges
Outdoor learning for Sue xx

Going on a Bear Hunt for Lesley xx

Thanks again to everyone who sponsored me, after spending 7 weeks in Livingstone, Zambia I can truly see the difference The Book Bus is making to the children we teach.

I now move onto Malawi for 2 weeks of visiting schools near the lake x

My weekend in Botswana

This is the last week of Book bus in Livingstone Zambia so I went this weekend to Choebe in Botswana on Safari as its only about an hours drive. I saw the most amazing animals and slept in a tent in the bush with a hole for a toilet, it was AWESOME!!!!

xxxxxx

Some of my challenges

Some of the challenges I have completed so far.
For Jo
After reading Elmer we also made Elmer headbands xx

For Dad
All ready for a game of cricket

For Hilary
15 books in one day

More challenges will follow shortly xxx

School fun

Its been another creative and crazy week at school, its been full of fun!

Drumming fun!!

More puppets!

T-Shirt Making from paper!

Skipping in the sun

xxxx

Livingstone Island, Zebras and Puppets

What a busy weekend with just 2 weeks before I leave for Malawi I thought I should see some sights so Kelly (the book bus leader) and I went to Livingstone Island which is right in the middle of Victoria Falls. From there we swam across part of the top of the falls, very scary and sat right on the edge in a place called Devils Pool. I was terrified but it was an amazing feeling after we were safely back on dry land.

To recover from almost killing ourselves at the top of the falls we went to the Royal Livingstone Hotel and had High Tea, we then saw many Zebras that live around the grounds. They were amazing and all had slightly different stripes.

This week we have also had a great time putting on puppet shows for the children in a number of schools, they loved it and I don't think they had ever seen anything like it before.



Cowboy Cliffs Pre School and a Helicopter Ride

The last 2 days have just been the best ever!!
Yesterday we went to a preschool called Cowboy Cliffs where the children were just amazing. They sang songs to us, had an awesome time giving the children balloons to play with and then we even had a disco courtsey of our taxi before we left.

This morning I went on a helicopter ride over Victoria falls. The view was just breathtaking and I know it will be one of those days I will never forget.

Life is good!!

Some great photos.....

xxxx







The orphanage

This week has been a great one so far, like in England this is the last week of the summer holidays so we are spending our time at an Orphanage, where the children just love the visits from the book bus we have made all sorts of interesting things, its amazing what you can do with a piece of paper when you try. Although every idea we had seemed to be improved by the amazing creative children.

Lubasi Orphanage

My hair do, Zambian style
We also spent a long time waiting for the bus on Tuesday before our trip to the falls so the children decided Kelly and I needed some new hairdos....



The best school trip ever!!!!

Today we took 32 children from a one of our schools on a trip to Victoria falls and it was awesome!!! The kids don't get to go on trips and most of them had never been to the falls before even though they only live about 20 mins away.
The money for the trip was donated by a book bus volunteer and it truly was money well spent as I have never seen children so excited about going in the water before.
Swimming at the top of the falls...

At the falls...



School this week

School this week was great we went to a community school set up by a guy who just saw a need in his area and went ahead and did it. The teachers again are all volunteers and work really hard even teaching lessons during the holidays.

The children were amazing and the numbers grew each I think we ended up with about 180 kids on Friday. Each day we looked at different stories and made crafts based on each book. They all loved it particularly when the glitter and sequins came out.
Here are a few of my favourite snaps from the week.

A classroom

Crown Making

Dancing Zebras

Children running after our bus 



Next week we move onto our last week of holiday club at Lubasi Orphange, which is an amazing place so I can't wait. We are also taking 30 children from this weeks school to Victoria Falls on a school trip, which will be great as most of them will have never seen the falls before.   xxx