The Thanksgiving holiday has already come and gone – with not too much fanfare here in Malawi. Our initial plans of feasting on turkey at the ambassador’s (an annual gathering of returned and current Peace Corps Volunteers) were changed at the last minute due to a meeting in Blantyre. Now, normally I would be elated to attend a workshop in this fine city – after all, it boasts the best restaurants and shopping in all of Malawi. Granted, this meeting was thrust on me last minute with a flagrant disregard that the day happened to be Thanksgiving (I know most of you must be saying, why would anyone in Malawi care about a US Holiday – but considering the fact that the entire US Mission was closed, I felt somewhat cheated out of my holiday). But Andy and I definitely made the best of it.
We ventured to Nyala Park, a small game reserve just south of Blantyre, where we spotted giraffes, ground hornbills, wildebeests, and Nyala Antelope, which is indigenous only to this Park in Malawi. What still amazes me is our ability to go to a game park on any given weekend in just a matter of hours! People spend thousands of dollars to experience what we take for granted as a routine weekend outing!
The following image is the Nyala Antelope:
To state the obvious, a giraffe:
And for my mom, a photo of the famous GROUND HORNBILL:
For Thanksgiving, Andy and I treated ourselves to a fabulous steak dinner – not exactly turkey but delicious none-the-less. But no thanksgiving is complete without turkey, so after my meeting Andy and I worked our way to the lake (via Zomba – another GORGEOUS city) in order to meet up with friends and to eat some of their leftover goodness!
Kate and Emily scored an incredible house right on the lake, cooked a big fat turkey, and celebrated the holiday quietly in Senga Bay. Andy and I arrived late Friday afternoon and spent the next few days just reading, swimming and relaxing. All things considered, I felt extremely thankful to be surrounded by friends and loved ones. However, I did miss my family and friends back home! I hope all of you had a lovely Thanksgiving!
Emily and Andy flexing their muscles on the beach:
And Andy enjoying Carlsberg, “Probably the best beer in the world”!
I’m heading to Nairobi next week for another conference. Life certainly remains busy!
Much love to all,
Amy