Tuesday, 24 February 2009

there will be no more colds


There are some things that I will not miss about life in the UK and colds is one of them. Apparently we get less colds in hot climates because the viruses don't function so well in the heat. Our youngest has the delightful habit of being sick when she gets a cold; of course there are plenty of other things that can make her throw up and I am sure we will experience many of them.

I imagine that life will be simpler in Africa. We will have less stuff, the decision about what to wear will be easier as there will be less options. Explaining this to a two year old who has strong views on her outfits may not be simple. The shopping will be done daily or every few days as food won't keep as long. I am not sure how reliable the power is so we may have to do some laundry by hand, something I have hereto only done with my delicate underwear (and even that was a long time ago). In some way it may be more like life in the UK was in the 1950s, only hotter.

Friday, 20 February 2009

a good day to start


It's a sunny day, full of promise so it's a good day to start writing about our adventure. I am about to take 2 children (under 2) and my husband (the doctor) to Malawi for 3 years research. I am in charge of the logistics of getting us, a vehicle and our stuff to Blantyre.

We have been talking about this project for years but we are finally, really going. I have started filling in passport forms and talking to letting agents and shipping companies. I don't suppose that it will feel real until we actually land on the warm tarmac in Africa. Saying goodbye to family and friends will be hard and I sometimes feel selfish as I know that family will miss seeing our girls grow older. This blog will be a way of keeping in touch and recording our journey.