Tuesday, July 06, 2004
"Right mate, your bus is full..."
said my friend Paul as we sat in the mini bus watching more and more people board. That's right, my friends - today was the day. Mini bus day. But let's start a little earlier than that.
Yes - I have two new friends now, from the UK, who are here for the month of July. Julie and Paul are both medical students doing internships at the hospital, and they are very fun. We laugh a lot, drink a lot of sugar drinks, eat a lot of cookies, stay up too late and have lots of fun.
So, this is Republic Day - Malawi got its independence 40 years ago today. We didn't have to work, so we decided to go to Mzuzu. We got a ride in with another ex-pat, did some shopping, went out for lunch and then came home... on the mini bus. Some of you might question my willingness to take a mini bus, but be assured that we used a little discernment when choosing our bus. We passed up the first one going to Ekwendeni, as the door was being held together with masking tape. Right. The second bus was in much better condition, so we opted for that. Don't get me wrong - there was serious praying going on as the bus started up. It was quite full by the time we left, and I think I breathed in a lot of exhaust during the trip, but we made it back to Ekwendeni safe and sound. Pas de probleme. Now that we've done it once, subsequent trips will be easy! :)
Yes - I have two new friends now, from the UK, who are here for the month of July. Julie and Paul are both medical students doing internships at the hospital, and they are very fun. We laugh a lot, drink a lot of sugar drinks, eat a lot of cookies, stay up too late and have lots of fun.
So, this is Republic Day - Malawi got its independence 40 years ago today. We didn't have to work, so we decided to go to Mzuzu. We got a ride in with another ex-pat, did some shopping, went out for lunch and then came home... on the mini bus. Some of you might question my willingness to take a mini bus, but be assured that we used a little discernment when choosing our bus. We passed up the first one going to Ekwendeni, as the door was being held together with masking tape. Right. The second bus was in much better condition, so we opted for that. Don't get me wrong - there was serious praying going on as the bus started up. It was quite full by the time we left, and I think I breathed in a lot of exhaust during the trip, but we made it back to Ekwendeni safe and sound. Pas de probleme. Now that we've done it once, subsequent trips will be easy! :)
