I arrived in Blantyre, Malawi yesterday afternoon.
Blessed am I. My bags arrived as well.
Two members of the Project Peanut Butter team greeted me at the airport. Great to find their familiar faces in a massive crowd.
Outside of one very unhappy, very loud, screaming baby who shared his feeling with nearby travelers for ten hours on a flight from London, my last venture into the "friendly skies" was kinder and gentler than my first series of flights to Malawi.
Apparently, the airport security staff read a typed note I left in both of my checked-in bags that expressed my respect for their job (yes, I poured it on), described the contents of my luggage, and pleaded for careful engagement in re-closing my bags. After their search and non seizure of my belongings, they took time on this occasion to reseal my duffel bags with tight, magic, little plastic bands. Grateful was I.
Yesterday afternoon, when I arrived, the weather was hot, muggy, and a bit windy.
Later, small touches of rain flowed.
Dinner and early discussions about this documentary production went well.
Some of the children we started tracking about four to five weeks ago are experiencing great improvements in their health. Other children remain in an uncertain state. A group of additional kids will be tough to re-connect with. We will try to follow up on all of the cases we started with over the next two weeks.
This next eight days will be especially intense. I will be in rural clinic settings Monday through Friday and then in a remote village for most of Saturday through Monday. Then, more clinical work will continue.
If all goes well, we will generate documentary footage that allows a viewer to move much closer to the daily life and intimate experience of a poor family in a rural setting - a deeper effort to touch the "face of hunger."
Right now, I feel pretty good on the health and energy meter.
I just woke up from a big, big night of sleep.
My body is still operating on a shifted time clock that is off by about twelve hours. Thus, I tell myself it is "Ok" to be a bit of a "whack-o".
As I awoke this morning, I felt thankful for much, including the large, well worn, white mosquito net swirling above my head. Yes, the familiar buzzing sound of mosquitos lingered from the night.
Ah, Malawi!
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