The Rains Are A-Comin'

PANJI (the artist)

One can smell the pending change of seasons in the air! The dry dust and endless smoke from the burning fields are finally starting to settle! And the parched soil is yearning for more. Granted, as we embark on this next phase of the weather, there is definitely a down side. All the little critters are beginning to waken from their slumber and starting to look for new homes, primarily inside our house! Our living quarters are currently infested with ants, cockroaches, spiders, you name it!

I’m not sure how many of you are aware, but I am deathly afraid of spiders – I truly suffer from arachnophobia. The other morning, I awoke to the silhouette of the largest spider I have ever seen on the INSIDE of our mosquito net. Now, this monster was three inches from my face! I was literally petrified – and couldn’t move! And, to make matters worse, Andy woke up with two spider bites the size of a grapefruit on his body. So, this nasty little creature was crawling around with us UNDER the covers while we slept! I am still so freaked out by the whole ordeal…now when I try to sleep, all I see are spiders! And this is just the beginning of the rainy season! I’ve been told that it gets worse and worse as the rains become more constant.

These last few weeks have been rather uneventful. After our trip to Cape Maclear, Andy and I have been homebodies. We’ve been fixing up the house, gardening, exploring Lilongwe, and hanging out with friends.

This weekend, we attended a silent art auction and bid on this amazing piece of art. We were able to speak to the artist, Panji Tembo, and will most likely order more artwork directly from him in the future.
Our new painting

Andy and I are leaving momentarily for a four-day cultural training course at the Mua Mission. The Ambassador strongly encourages all new people to the country to attend this cultural center – which is the site of the KuNgoni Center of Culture and Art, established by a Canadian Missionary in 1976. I’m sure I’ll have more to report when we return next week!

Much love to all,
Amy

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