Karen's mileage tracker

Karen's ride for Malawi

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Day 5 in the U.S.

Mathew at Walmart....
Since Mathew arrived about 5 days ago, we have been out to a few stores, including Walmart.  People have many things to say about Walmart and may have some things to say about us bringing him to Walmart, and that's ok....We went and shopped some and he certainly saw some things and had some thoughts about the experience.  He noticed that there were a lot of 'old people' shopping there (which he defined as 50 or older; I let it slide...figured he was probably just jet-lagged)....In addition, he noticed that the store was open 24 hours...and he wondered why that would be necessary to have a store open so much, what would people need to shop in the middle of the night?  I speculated that maybe toilet paper might be a necessity, he agreed.  Maybe  cigarettes?
We went for a walk on Saturday and Mathew made some observations about what he saw.  He wondered why there were no families out in their yards; he saw (again) some older people, but no young families with their children.  He noticed that the garages were mostly open and wondered about items possibly being stolen from people.  Along that same line, he observed that in Malawi, in a suburb, most of the houses would have fences around them for safety.  He interpreted that it must be safe here or maybe there is low crime or people feel safe by not having the fences.  As we were discussing this, we walked past a house with a big dog barking in a window.  I pointed out that many of the houses we walked past had dogs; and said that sometimes people have dogs for protection, in addition to companionship.  I asked if he thought as a burglar he might be willing to go into a house with a dog versus without one...he got the idea.  I also pointed out that some people have home security systems...and also that some people do have their homes broken into!

Mathew in his Sunday Best...
We do not attend church, but it is very important to Mathew.  We found a few options for him and he chose a church close to us to attend at least for this first week...He is ready, as you can see in the photo above.
Wafupi Bag party; new bags on display and for sale!
On this past Sunday, we held a Wafupi bag party, displaying and selling some great new bags that Mathew brought with him...they truly get better with every shipment we get delivered!!  We sold some bags, then held a Meet and Greet with Mathew!  It was fun to talk with people about Malawi and The U.S. and learning about each other.  We had a real nice afternoon.

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Mathew in America!

It has been almost exactly 8 months since I last wrote any entry on this blog...guess I need some practice at maintaining it, huh?  Actually, I did initially create this blog for the purpose of Karen's Ride, and have done that every year, so...I have maintained that!

So, I am then ahead of the game by writing this post at this time!  Mathew Kasonjola, a young man from Malawi, has arrived today in America for a visit with Educate Malawi and some of our good friends and generous sponsors and those who support us!  Shannon and I met Mathew on our first trip to Malawi in 2007, and we have remained in contact and built a friendship and relationship ever since.  He has assisted us by teaching us about his Country and helping facilitate the projects and programs we have completed in Malawi.

After many trips by Shannon, Stephen and I to Malawi, Mathew has come to Malawi to learn about Educate Malawi in America and what it means to fundraise to accomplish what we have in these passed 6 years.  Today, Mathew arrived at JFK to spend 2 months with us....my goal is to share his thoughts and experiences about his time here, with you.

AT JFK....
DAY 1....with Stephen getting ready to leave the parking lot at JFK

In addition to some fundraising events and experiences, and learning about America and teaching us more about Malawi, Mathew brought more BAGS with him!!  

Our first WAFUPI BAG party is this Sunday, June 15 from 1 - 3 p.m. at 342 Southwick Road, A-6, Westfield, MA...and then we are holding a MEET AND GREET with Mathew from 3 - 5 p.m.!  Below are a couple of the new bags he brought with him...they are wonderful!!  Come enjoy some fun, refreshments and the first chance to attend a Wafupi Bag party!

These bags are made from recycled materials...they look a little like patchwork, and they are each unique!  They have a quilted feel to them and a flat bottom for added space.  

There are a variety of colors, sizes and styles to choose from.