Our last day at Mtendere was bittersweet. We knew we had to complete the projects we had started and then we all knew we wanted to spend time with the kids and house mothers before we had to say goodbye.
A group of us quickly headed to the store room where we still had quite a mess. It was our goal to complete the organization of that room before noon. Some of us quietly had doubts that it would happen, but we pushed forward and kept working through the morning. Boxes of trash were taken around back of the building and a fire was started so that everything being thrown out could be burned. Luckily we figured out a few hours in that the windows did in fact open and it was a gift to get some fresh air blowing through the very dusty room. Shelves were moved, bins were emptied and refilled with supplies in an organized way. "Zones" were created for crafts, school supplies, and personal items. Tita helped organize all the medical stuff and made sure some of the staff knew what many of the items were used for on the shelves.
Larry and a few others were making sure beds were being finished and getting put in to the houses where they were needed.
Some of the team was helping the other team who was staying at Mtendere prepare for the birthday party that was taking place in the afternoon. The main hall was decorated, balloons were hung, a tent was put up on the grounds for dancing, and food was being prepared.
Noon came and to our surprise we were all able to complete our projects. In the store room there were high fives and relief that we had not created a big mess and then just left. It felt good for us to see our hard work when the store room was clean and organized and we could lock the door and know we really had done a good thing. All the new beds were lined up in the dirt and Larry had a proud smile on his face. It was now time to set up games and activities for the kids to play during their birthday celebration. Our group was in charge of a coloring station, a relay station, and a parachute play area. Once we were set up we were all invited into the main hall with EVERYONE from Mtendere and some of their family and friends. Before we all sat down Gracian asked that Ellen or I make a speech since it would be our last day with them. I voted for Ellen since she speaks in front of groups of children all the time and I tend to get a bit chicken in those situations. Ellen agreed :) We were both invited (or told) to sit up in the front of the room at what looked like a "head table". The room was as full as I have ever seen it with smiling kids and many others. The rest of my team was standing in the back of the room. The ceremony began with the division of children because there were going to be groups they were rotating through for a carnival. Then, as is tradition at Mtendere, the ceremony opened with a prayer. From there a member from the other group made a speech. I made my speech (this is Ellen now...) and it was short and sweet but relayed how grateful we were to be invited and that we were able to help. I also mentioned how much they teach us instead of us teaching them because that ALWAYS seems to be the case. From there Gracian made a small speech thanking both of the teams and then the celebration began! Cokes were distributed to everyone along with a handful of cookies. Members of the office staff had pitched in money and purchased a gift for the small children of Mtendere. They proceeded to the front of the hall where they began singing the Malawian style of "Happy Birthday." The kids' gift was inside of a container and we were all just as curious as the little ones. It ended up being sweeties, which is candy in Malawi. The children were all given a large handful that they immediately wrapped up in their shirts. Some were unwrapping the candy and popping them in their mouths. Others were stuffing the candy in their pockets. And a few scampered off to their houses to stash it away for later. By the time this little ceremony was over, everyone had received their Coke and we all made a toast. After that we broke away from the ceremony and got our stations ready to get started for the carnival!
Shortly thereafter Erin and I were beckoned back into the hall by Gracian. He told us lunch was about to be served which consisted of chicken, rice, and greens. Erin and I had already eaten lunch with the team and we told Gracian this and that our food should be given to someone else who may go without and he adamantly refused. He said we were guests of honor and we needed to eat. So we sat down and we were told to wait because we needed to wash our hands. Quickly a bucket and water was brought to us and we washed up. After this Gracian looked down at us with his wide smile and said, "Dig in Malawian style! You must use your hands!" Erin and I looked at each other, shrugged our shoulders, and dug in. Everything was delicious!
After lunch, the kids joined us at our stations. I hung around the coloring booth and was explaining how the crayons worked because some of the children were not understanding. Once one of the children understood, everyone caught on and we ran out of sitting room for the children. The parachute game was a huge success and there were smiles all around at that station. Andrew and Patrick took on relays and they said they had a blast. After stations, we moved under the tent and put our dancing shoes on. Having most of the kids of Mtendere and people from the outside village under a party tent dancing around is almost like a scene from a movie. These kids have got rhythm! We were picking kids up and spinning them around. There was a conga line developed (by Jan). We had groups of kids put us in circles and dance around. All in all... everyone had fun at the dance and had a few more special moments with ones we had already made a connection to.
After dancing for a couple hours, it was time to say goodbye. Everyone was dreading this part of the day and no one wanted to begin the process. There were tears all around from the children, the house mothers, and our team. It was evident that everyone had made connections but it was interesting to see what personalities had connected. Everyone at Mtendere was so grateful but I think in the end we were more grateful for the time we had with them and the stories and experiences they had shared with us.
Today we head to Lake Malawi (which means no blog tomorrow...). We will be stopping at a large woodcarvers market with hopes of finding that perfect 'something'. As our time winds down, we all have realized how lucky we have been to have had this experience. We will SEE you all soon! :)
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