Today we counted the money raised via the coffee morning, and the total is currently at €3910, with cheques still coming in the post. I was genuinely impressed at how generous people were. On the morning disaster nearly struck when a power cut affected nearly every other area in Cork. It would have been pretty rubbish to have had no coffee for people who had donated in some cases as much as €200!
Now that the coffee morning is out of the way and the thank you notes nearly all finished, it's a week before I leave for Mzuzu. There are still a few important things to get organised, such as my antimalarials and the printer that we are transporting to the computer centre. Jamie and I will arrive a few days after the rest of the gang, some of whom left at the weekend. Despite the hassle, my guitar will travel to Mzuzu with me. After hearing the stories of Munster's holy grail and the second coming, maybe the kids will want to learn The Fields of Athenry...
I must try to remember some of the kids songs I used know, such as
- singing in the rain
- hokey pokey
- hi my name is joe
I've been trying to think of what to bring with me for the kids I meet in Malawi. So far I have:
- postcards of Ireland
- small throwing balls, hackey sacks, frisbees, etc
- anything to do with football, like maybe football stickers
Looking at my bank balance just now, my spending had better be cut back over the next week, or there'll be nothing left in my account to fund any sightseeing! The Spectrum Guide to Malawi didn't offer much to the young traveller but I'm pretty happy to be heading over there with a blank slate. People we meet along the way will have no trouble filling in the gaps for us.
I can tell that the next two months will be a blur, but the sooner it begins the better!
