The Troll Bridge Toll Bridge

Today I went to town to get some materials for my classroom.  This was my second time to town, but first time guided by a Malawian.  We rode the mini-bus into town.  These are a type of public transportation.  They are basically 12 passenger vans that they try to squeeze 20 + people into.  Plus everyone’s stuff! (See photo below.)

Well, once we rode into town and got off of the mini-bus (they will drop you anywhere along there route).  We walked about 30 minutes to the fabric shop.  This shop is located in an area of town they call “Over the bridge.”  This is a densely populated area of town with tons of shops. 

We stopped at this Galaxy Textile shop to get some fabric.  Outside the shop and on many streets you will see tailors working to make clothes.  (Look closely at the picture and you will see them!)  It costs just a few dollars to get anything made here!

Inside the shop, I met the owner’s family.  His kids are actually starting at our school this year, and one of them may be in my class!  We will have to wait and see though.

Well, after we stopped at the shop we were going to take a short cut back to the mini-bus stop.  So we went through the market.  The markets here are similar to flea-markets back home.  Everything is used! (Except the food)  Yet, that is where everyone shops.  There are very few shops that sell new clothes.  Most clothes are used clothes shipped over to be “given” to Africa.  African merchants just go and buy one of these bags of clothes, and then resale’s whatever he gets.  It is kind of funny.

My Malawian guide, Pempho (pronounced Pimpo), also told me that the market (sometimes referred to as the “bend-over boutique” since you have to bend over to see what kind of stuff they have) has really good shoes.  Apparently the people get shoes in and then take them down to the river to wash them and resale them. 

The funniest thing about the shoes was that she was telling me about the TOMS shoes that she bought there.  I told her how expensive they are in the USA because they are giving a pair to Africa for every pair that people buy.  She thought that this was a great idea, but all I could think of was, “Hey, you live in Africa, why don’t they give you a pair?!” 

Yet, despite the humor I found in it all, she did tell me that in one village she went to she saw many people wearing TOM shoes, so she was assuming that they got them for free.  (HOPEFULLY!)

Well, after we conversed about the shoes we had to cross the bridge.  But not just any bridge, but a Toll bridge!  Oh, and this bridge is what you must imagine when you think of TROLL bridges.  It was wobbly, made of sticks, and had big holes in the middle.  One wrong step, or too many people, and you could end up in the river below . . . maybe with a spare shoe!

So, we inched across the bridge and at the end we paid the troll, I mean the toll. And then we had a yummy pizza lunch!

See, even in Africa they have pizza!  Yet, the funny thing is that the Troll bridge is literally just a little bit behind the modern pizza place.  

Re-Entry

Well, I guess it is time to rejoin the blogging world.  As you can see it has been awhile  . . . well like a year since I posted.  I tried my hand at the teacher blog (see http://3rdgradetravelinteacher.blogspot.com/), but I had no time for that. 

This past year, from June 2012-July 2013, my husband and I moved back to the USA from Saudi Arabia.  It was a crazy year full of TONS of work, family illness, and stress, but thankfully we made it through that.  Now, we are just beginning a new chapter in our lives.  We are living in Malawi, Africa!

At the end of our school year in Saudi, we found a wonderful opportunity to work in Malawi with a school here.  We were really excited about going to Malawi, but then when we went home to the USA, a lot of things seemed to come up.  Thus, we made the choice to stay for a year in the states. At that time we thought it would be for one year, and then we thought it would be for many years. 

We worked for a year in Florida, and experienced a lot.  Yet, for us Florida had never really felt like home . . .  just an in-between stop.  So, at the end of our school year in Florida, we packed up our things and moved them to my parents in Kansas.

Yet, we were still unsure what would be coming this next year.  We were hoping to stay in Kansas with the great people we met, yet we had the feeling like that was not the final stop yet.  Thus, we emailed many companies, schools, and the like.  Yet, it was the school in Malawi that kept coming to mind.  We emailed last, knowing that if they wanted us we must go.  And sure enough, they had the space.  So, two weeks later, we found ourselves on a plane flying into Lilongwe, Malawi.

Thus, this blog will focus on the new things that we discover on our journey through the heart of Africa.  We will try to post about things that you might find interesting or unusual.  Hope that you enjoy.

P.S. Comments are welcomed and appreciated!!

Date Factory

We live in Al Hasa (or Al Ahsa, or Al Ahsa . . . it is spelled various ways), Saudi Arabia. This city is actually one of the oldest in Saudi Arabia. It is also one of the most traditional and conservative. You will see tons of old markets and local craftsmen here.

Al Hasa is also famous because it is the largest oasis in the world! So there are tons of fruit trees here. Al Hasa is also the largest producer of dates.

Since Saudi has been blessed with wealth due to oil, they like to be very generous to others. One way they do this, is by shipping dates to third world countries, for free. The King (yes, we have a King!) even has his own factory that produces these. He pays for the entire bill.

He actually pays a ton of the bills for people here . . . there are no taxes and education is free, even university! The people of Saudi love their king.

Well, we were able to go and visit the King's date factory. Below are some pictures of the factory. Notice, it is mostly imported labor that works there. In fact, most jobs in Saudi are preformed by foreigners!

Some of the teachers from my school on tour.

sorting the dates

checking for bugs

Mt. Gara Caves

When driving through the desert you will see random rock formations dotted throughout the sand. These are the Saudi "mountains." They are really beautiful. One of the most famous of these mountains is actually located in our town! It has a beautiful labyrinth of caves throughout it. It also shield you from the heat. We loved visiting it, but when we hiked to the top we almost died of dehydration! It was so hot!! Anyways, enjoy the pictures!

Doesn't it look like we were in an Indiana Jones movie???!!

Thursday Market

Every Thursday there is the weekly farmers market. This is a great place to buy fresh stuff really cheap. You can even purchase live pigeons for your weekly meals!

Anyways, we love learning about the local culture, so we had a great time shopping for veggies and plants when we were there.

Fresh Camel meat too!!

Camel Farm

Our school is very good to us in that they provide free transportation to and from school, the grocery store, the mall, and even weekend trips.

This past weekend we went to a camel farm. We got there and it was very hot and smelly. Just imagine being in the desert with camels in 117 degree weather and you will get it.

While we were there we took some great pictures and learned a lot about camels. . . . we also learned about some of the old men in Saudi.

Traditionally, Saudi people were nomadic people who raised camels and other animals. These people were not that religious. We call these people bedouin.

We met some of these men in the cattle farm, and they tried to buy me from Chris for a Lexus. Let me note, this is NOT normal. It is crazy even for Saudi's.

Here, there is a bride price paid for women, but it is paid directly to the women as a gift, not to their parents. It is basically a wedding/engagement gift.

What this man was doing was crazy, and everyone, even Saudis, think that. Anyways, it is a funny story. Hope you enjoy some of the pictures from the trip!

Two children

Saudi men

The man beside me is the one who wanted to "marry" me

on a camel

This camel was crying. . . . he was going to the slaughter house . . .

We made it!

We have arrived in Saudi Arabia!

Over our summer holiday, we were very busy moving houses, traveling, packing, sorting, boxing, visiting and what not. It was good, but definitely busy. If you think moving houses is hard, just try to do it between 3 countries!!

Anyways, we have moved into our apartment and have really enjoyed getting to know all of the people who live on our small compound. (similar to apartment complex, but way smaller! Below are some pictures: