Saturday, May 17, 2008

The sunset picture is from Dedza where I lived during our 2 month pre-servicetraining. The kids are family and friends there. The house is my house! The cloudy mountain picture is Ntchisi Mountain - it's nice and cool at this elevation so its a tropical cloud forest many mornings. The group pic is from an ex-pat softball game in Lilongwe.

Friday, May 16, 2008

I'm at site now and I could not be more fortunate. I am living at the gate to the Ntchisi Forest Preserve. It's a lush rainforest that covers Ntchisi Mountain (~5000 feet). Lots of great hiking and trails to explore. So far I've seen Samango monkeys playing in the tree canopy and a young aggressive green mamba that crossed in front of me on the dirt road. And there's so much more... butterflies, baboons, centipedes, exotic birds, grasshoppers with gorgeous wings, pythons, spitting cobras, bushbock, huge ants, black mambas. Go to www.ntchisi.com to see a lodge that is 100 yards up the road from me. So life is truly good here in Malawi, which is so aptly nicknamed the Warm Heart of Africa.