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Unbelievably its 3 weeks since we left the UK, time has flown by and we are settled now into a new routine.
This time I want to focus on some of the local people we have met. There is about 60 local staff here at the lodge and on the farm. The most striking thing about them all is the good natured humour they all have. They are paid between $1.5 and $2.00 per day. Having a good reliable income here is unusual and the lodge provides a stable source of income for these people from the local villages.
They mainly walk to work, some of them 2 hours each way. There are different departments, Guest Management, Housekeeping, Builders, Carpenters, Boatmen, Kitchen, Watchmen, (Day and Night).
All are friendly, cheerful; some are good in English, some limited, all interested to learn.
We went to Mala village, (1 hour walk) weekend before last, Stuart brought a football and we had one of those bubble blowing kits. The excitement those items caused and the joy of the children in the village. Simon, Samson, John, Veronica, and many I can’t remember. They all wanted to have their picture taken and see the images in the camera. Some of them are here in this post. We went past the church, just a brick shell with a tin roof and mud floor, a concrete altar, no paint. And the children with us went in and sang a little, beautiful voices!
Francis at the lodge lives in Mala, he is 22 and head of the family, his parents are dead and he has younger brothers and sisters. IN the 3 weeks since we arrived 2 members of staff, in their 30’s probably have had deaths in the family, both lost sisters. We forget how privileged we are and how much we have.
Both Peggy and I agree that we love the simple life here. We are not missing anything at the moment. Next week we are going to Likoma Island, we have to exit Mozambique every 30 days, and we are combing the trip with an overnight stay, and an expedition to sell the clay stoves made on the farm. Boils water 2 times as fast with a third of the wood. Let’s see how we get on…..
This time I want to focus on some of the local people we have met. There is about 60 local staff here at the lodge and on the farm. The most striking thing about them all is the good natured humour they all have. They are paid between $1.5 and $2.00 per day. Having a good reliable income here is unusual and the lodge provides a stable source of income for these people from the local villages.
They mainly walk to work, some of them 2 hours each way. There are different departments, Guest Management, Housekeeping, Builders, Carpenters, Boatmen, Kitchen, Watchmen, (Day and Night).
All are friendly, cheerful; some are good in English, some limited, all interested to learn.
We went to Mala village, (1 hour walk) weekend before last, Stuart brought a football and we had one of those bubble blowing kits. The excitement those items caused and the joy of the children in the village. Simon, Samson, John, Veronica, and many I can’t remember. They all wanted to have their picture taken and see the images in the camera. Some of them are here in this post. We went past the church, just a brick shell with a tin roof and mud floor, a concrete altar, no paint. And the children with us went in and sang a little, beautiful voices!
Francis at the lodge lives in Mala, he is 22 and head of the family, his parents are dead and he has younger brothers and sisters. IN the 3 weeks since we arrived 2 members of staff, in their 30’s probably have had deaths in the family, both lost sisters. We forget how privileged we are and how much we have.
Both Peggy and I agree that we love the simple life here. We are not missing anything at the moment. Next week we are going to Likoma Island, we have to exit Mozambique every 30 days, and we are combing the trip with an overnight stay, and an expedition to sell the clay stoves made on the farm. Boils water 2 times as fast with a third of the wood. Let’s see how we get on…..
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