the age of stupid

I have just watched this film. If everyone in the west watched it and did something about climate change we might be OK, otherwise the film suggests that we will make the human race extinct by 2055 - that's within our lifetime. The worst thing as individuals we can do is get on a plane. Maybe we should travel with our container on the boat? That would be an adventure or maybe take the beast (our 4x4) overland. That could be disastrous as neither the Dr or I are mechanically minded! I do recommend seeing the film, it's quite shocking but good entertainment too.

2 kids a Dr, 1 pushchair, 2 car seats ....

..... a trunki, 2 rucksacks, 1 big bag, a laptop, a camera, changing bag and my handbag ... and that's just the luggage for the plane! One friend suggested that the list above should be the title of my blog! We haven't quite booked our flights yet (that really does seem a bit final) although the container is booked. We will be easy to spot at the airport with all that. We have a choice of routes, either a short hop to Amsterdam, a long flight to Nairobi then onto Lilongwe or a journey to London (or Amsterdam) followed by a flight to Johannesburg and a flight to Blantyre. I'm not a big fan of flying I spend most of the time not asleep and going backwards and forwards to the loo. Although, that was before I became a mother; now, sleep is such a precious commodity maybe I will sleep all the way. We've had a bad couple of weeks for sleep, just as we get the reflux under control one child breaks her arm and the other has a few nights of fevers. Anyway I have plenty to think about while I'm awake in the night - like how many mosquito nets is enough and who has injections next week!

my family and other animals

The weeks are flying by and we seem no closer to getting organised. Just when I think that I have some child free time something happens. This week one of the children broke her arm (for the second time) she is OK but spent today sat on my knee instead of at nursery. She has also decided that she is ready to do potty training. I had given up on trying and thought that we would leave it until after 30 hours flying. However we seem to be back to front, she is great at poos on the toilet or potty but not wees! Anyway this does mean that we won't need to take quite so many washable nappies with us, which leaves more space for books and toys!

The 'doctor' is now a consultant. He has finished the day job (of being a registrar) and is now doing his research full time and one clinic for the NHS as a consultant. This is all a bit weird for those of us who have known him since his medical school days and see him in absent minded mode.

PMT

This is a different sort of PMT, it happens every Thursday and I look forward to it, I am not sure how I will manage without it when we go abroad. I may start a Malawi franchise. PMT stands for Prayers, Mums and Toddlers and it's made up of a great group of girls, who are all mums, have toddlers and need to pray. We also study a book together, one chapter a week.

Being a mum is hard but it would be so much more difficult without the girls. We make each other meals when babies are born, we played netball (for fun), there's always someone who has time for a coffee, between us we can loan any piece of baby or child equipment or clothes. There's always spare wipes or nappies or pants in case you forget to bring spares and there's someone who cares about your children and how many hours sleep you had. We try to pray for each other during the week and it makes the week easier.

nothing new

We have actually begun packing. The crystal glasses and some of the nice crockery have been boxed and taken up to Scotland, these are things we can manage without (so why are we keeping them?). It must have been different when my great-grandmother set off for India. She travelled (by boat) to meet her fiance who was not allowed to marry until he had passed his local language exams. They married in India and lived there until she and 2 children came back to the UK just before the outbreak of World War I. I wonder how much luggage she took? and her journey would have taken a lot longer. It makes our 3 flights look paltry!

In fact I have plenty of ancestors who worked abroad, from missionaries to scientists and clergy. Jim Field pictured above left worked for the meteorological office in India; Thomas Pearne (above right) was a well known Methodist preacher in the USA. Communication for them would have been slower, no text or e-mail. News would have been old by the time it reached the family back in the UK. I wonder if the sort of news coming back will be different.

Do they sell marmite?

I have been reading about moving families abroad and discovered that our children will become "Third Culture Kids" (TCK). They will grow up in a culture that is not ours. They will actually be exposed to 3 different cultures ours (British), Malawi and a 3rd culture that is the community (from all over the world) living alongside us.

My only experience of TCK are the Americans who used to come to our school and they had a special shop where they could buy oreos and other essential American delicacies. Will we be able to buy marmite in Malawi? For our toddler, the world is divided into those who like it and those who don't! She assures me that her little sister likes it.

Nancy Blackett

Ever since my dad first read us Swallows and Amazons my hero has been Nancy Blackett. Her real name is Ruth and she is fearless, an enterprising leader and a good sailor. I am neither fearless or a good sailor - my sailing instructor on Lake Windemere told me that I had a "wiggly wake". And I am beginning to realise that I am not as adventurous as I think I am. Going off to Africa with 2 kids sounded easy enough, until I started writing a big list of everything we need to do before we go!

However, I was recently reminded by a wise woman that I should not be concentrating on all the worries and fears about travelling to and living in Africa, but we should remember that this is an amazing opportunity for an awesome adventure. An adventure which Nancy would have faced with no fear!