First of all, I’m sick ☹

I’ve been suffering from intense body aches, fever, chills, exhaustion and difficulty keeping any liquids in my stomach. Meanwhile, my housekeeper kept insisting that I had malaria. And Andy was beside himself worrying about me. So after much debate (and some words of advice from Andy), I had the CDC driver take me to the local health clinic to be tested for Malaria. Lo and behold, it came back positive. I was totally shocked!

I took my first ‘sick day’ off work…and I even felt guilty about it! I desperately need the down time (not that puking all day is relaxing), especially considering the fact that my entire office will be on leave for the next two months! Talk about a stressful situation.

On another note, my weekend was transforming. I met up with a running group on Saturday morning. We jogged 12 kms through beautiful villages while chatting all the while. What’s amazing about Lilongwe is despite it being the nation’s capitol, it’s only within a few minutes of the countryside and the plethora of villages.

I also bought a new car – a 4-wheel drive Nissan Terrano.

And I have Internet access at my house (the connection is fairly weak at best…but connected all the same). So please skype me anytime after 12pm CST (or after 7pm in Malawi). My skype name is : asgottl

I traveled to a different part of the lake yesterday, Nkhotakuta, which was approximately two hours away. Nkhotakuta is famous for its pottery…so I felt compelled to pick up a few small items (a sugar bowl and coffee mug). While hanging out on the beach, I did my usual exploration….hiking over that next ridge to find the fishermen and all the children. I am truly happiest when I’m interacting with the locals. I spent hours walking up and down the beach with a parade of children in tow.

OK, I’m still not feeling too well…so this will remain short. Much love to all!