Sunday, October 17, 2004
Making Nsima
Today, my neighbour, Vitu, gave me a lesson in making nsima. It was harder than I expected! I am lacking two main characteristics that facilitate making nsima... huge arm muscles to stir the thick corn flour and water mixture, and hands that are able to touch hot pots and hot nsima without oven mitts! I will keep working on it, though. Even if I'm not the greatest nsima-maker in the world, watching a "mzungu" make nsima provides some entertainment for my Malawian friends that are teaching me!
Wednesday, October 13, 2004
Glen Mhor Camp
Even though camp is pretty far away from me right now, it is still close to my heart! I still remember my first week as a camper... calling home on halfway through the week because I was so homesick. Look how far I have come! Camp has done a lot for me in so many different areas of my life. Anyway, as the Toronto-Kingston Synod meets next week, there could be some pretty big changes on the Presbyterian camping front in Ontario. Please keep Glen Mhor, Iona and Dorothy Lake, and their ministries in your prayers over the next few weeks.
For more info, you can check out Glen Mhor's site, or Zoic's blog.
For more info, you can check out Glen Mhor's site, or Zoic's blog.
Monday, October 11, 2004
Happy Mother's Day
Today is Mother's Day in Malawi, and though some of me wishes I could be celebrating Thanksgiving with mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie with whipped cream, celebrating mothers is a pretty good excuse for a day off work. It's also kind of neat that Thanksgiving at home and Mother's Day here fall at the same time. Mothers are nice people for whom to be thankful.
So, Happy Thanksgiving for the Canadians in the crowd. Let's take extra time to be thankful today - especially for our moms! And also for mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie with whipped cream. :)
So, Happy Thanksgiving for the Canadians in the crowd. Let's take extra time to be thankful today - especially for our moms! And also for mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie with whipped cream. :)
Friday, October 08, 2004
Nursery School Teacher Nutrition Training
I know... It's been a while. Sorry, friends. Nothing too interesting has happened lately - spending lots of time at the lake, learning how to cook new things (we tried pumpkin leaves this week - very nice), and getting excited for Mom and Dad's visit. They arrive in 3 weeks and 1 day!! How exciting!
Yesterday and today, the Soils, Food and Healthy Communities project ran a nutrition training course for nursery school teachers in the Ekwendeni catchment area. And I helped to plan it! Aren't you impressed? Anyway, almost 50 teachers gathered for these two days to discuss ways that they can integrate good nutrition practices into their schools. We covered topics like the 6 food groups (weird that Malawi has 6 and Canada has 4, eh?), ideas for foods to serve at the nursery schools, gender and nutrition, and the importance of play. And of course there was lots of singing and dancing.
Yesterday and today, the Soils, Food and Healthy Communities project ran a nutrition training course for nursery school teachers in the Ekwendeni catchment area. And I helped to plan it! Aren't you impressed? Anyway, almost 50 teachers gathered for these two days to discuss ways that they can integrate good nutrition practices into their schools. We covered topics like the 6 food groups (weird that Malawi has 6 and Canada has 4, eh?), ideas for foods to serve at the nursery schools, gender and nutrition, and the importance of play. And of course there was lots of singing and dancing.
