Hello everyone, it’s Ava here, saved the best for last of course. I am writing to you from the comfort of the beautiful Lake Malawi as we have finally arrived! I was very relieved that this would be the last morning we would have to wake up for a mass at 5am and listen to the cockerals screaming 24/7. The gigantic tarantula from the other night was gone when we woke up and I know for a fact that it won’t be missed by anyone. This morning was still very bittersweet as we had to say goodbye to all of the people in Rumphi such as the boys we have made friends with and the staff that have taken care of us over the last week so it was very emotional- despite not having much, some of the boys were determined to give me something to take away with me whether it be something such as a lollipop or a bracelet. They apologised for it being so small but to me it meant so much and it touched my heart that they would even think to give me something. I lowkey cried on the bus over here but I’m happy to have so many pictures with everyone to remember this trip. 

     The mini bus ride was still as brutal as always, but there wasn’t as many near death experiences as Ms McFadden gave the driver a firm talking to before we set off so it was not as bad as it had previously been, but it was still as bumpy and painful so I now have another fat bruise on my leg. The hotel we are staying that is absolutely stunning, however it is NOT practical at all for carrying suitcases as the steps are very huge and steep so I was fearing for my life walking up and down them. I was offered help by one of the workers, but I wanted to prove that I was a strong, independent young woman and could do it myself but definitely regretted it once I actually started carrying them but at least I proved myself right.

     We made it to the lake around late morning, so we had some time to roam the area once we had arrived. Once I had unpacked, I sat outside on the balcony trying to tan while I read my book and it was so beautiful, however at one point I felt something run across my feet, and I thought it was just a bug which I was used to at this point but it was actually in fact, a massive lizard. I got the fright of my life and actually had to clamp a hand over my mouth to stop myself from screaming. There are hundreds of lizards around here but I won’t complain because they eat all of the mosquitos (doing God’s work for real).

     Ms McFadden and Father Michael took those of us who wanted to go out into town to explore the local stalls and supermarkets. It is a lot hotter over here than it is in Rumphi and so I almost died with the heat because of how many hills there was to get into the town. The hotel has a lot of trained guard dogs, so two of them followed us all the way there and back and even sat with us while we stopped for rest. We aren’t supposed to touch them in case we get diseased but the dogs were so cute and so it was very hard not to pet them and I had to physically restrain myself. On the walk down, a large group of children excitedly ran over and began to hug us and shake our hands which I thought was adorable, but this wasn’t even the first time that had happened. We stopped off at a cafe to cool down before going back to the villa and I had a bottle of my beloved cherry plum drink, which I will miss dearly when we return from Scotland- even the thought of having to leave it behind brings tears to my eyes. I got a couple of gifts for my loved ones while we were out, but tomorrow we will be going to spend our money and bargain with the people who run the stalls and make trades which will be fun and I am looking forward to it. Aidan and Aaron bought matching red cowboy hats which were literally iconic and I was very close to buying one myself but I pictured my mum’s face as I strutted through the airport wearing it and thought, better not. 

     Once we returned from being out, we went to the restaurant at our hotel to get some lunch and I was absolutely starving, so practically inhaled a plate of falafels before going outside to sit in a beautiful, shaded area to hide out from the heat and write this blog. I ended up meeting this young woman called Rafaela who was from the French districts in Canada and she was over here doing work with an educational programme and we sat out there while watching the beautiful sunset, talking about life and what we had been up to in Malawi, so it was very nice to share my experience with somebody else. She also imparted a lot of knowledge and wisdom from her own life and so speaking to her felt very worthwhile and did not feel like hours at all, so as you can probably imagine, no blog writing got done in this time.

     I’m sitting on our balcony typing this up while everybody chats and enjoys themselves around me so the vibes are literally amazing right now and I feel like I could stay here forever. I’m absolutely buzzing for my mocktail in front of the lake at dinner, and if dinner is anything like my lunch then I can’t wait- the menu is very big and I wish there was more time to try everything. Today’s blog was not as exciting as the previous days as it was not very eventful but I didn’t mind at all, it has been so lovely to just relax after such a busy trip and I am so grateful for this time to chill out before the long journey home and of course I still found plenty to yap about. I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it, and I look forward to seeing everybody when we return home.