We are home

Hi all

as most of you should now have realised The Team have now completed the Dream and after a 28 hour journey have returned safely home in designer trousers made specially in Malawi. Amazingly all luggage reached its final destination on time too - round of applause to BMI - for their support during this trip.

Our return trip from Malawi was not without it's hitches of course. On arriving at Blantyre airport early - or so we thought - it seemed that even although we had confirmed our return flights a few days previous - there was no record of us on the computer? After a two hour wait all but four of us managed to get a boarding ticket! Then for some strange reason - we like to think its because it was us - Sheena and I were suddenly given an upgrade - even although there were still two others without a ticket? .....and McLennan thinks he is the one with the hotline to Heaven?

There is no reasoning with African reasoning!!!!!! Anyway we eventually all got on the plane - only to find out that we were not the only ones having problems - after a slight mutiny by another passenger the flight was late in leaving. Meal time arrived - surprise!!!!!!!!!! SA airways had not only provided a GF meal for myself and Dayne but 14 GF meals for the whole team - hilarious - given that we were told before that there was no record of us on the flight!!! Of course we were very appreciative as on the outward flights they had forgotten to cater for us and we had no food at all.............as I say there is no reasoning with African reasoning!!!

When we arrived in Jo'Burg most of us hit the duty free shops - this airport has a range of shops to die for and therefore the top shoppers - Kirsty and Donuts - had to find some space in their hand luggage for more gifts.

On the 2nd flight from Jo'Burg 14 GF meals and 14 GF breakfasts were also provided - thumbs up for SA Airways - I think - not sure the others agreed ??? LOL - Rice cakes are not so bad Mark! A few of us dozed on and off throughout the flight and a few saw the flight on and off throughout a doze - lucky them. Can you believe that Danielle, Callum and Donuts slept through a 12 hour flight?

Arrived in London a little late and courtesy of a waiter, we very quickly knew we were back in the UK. In Aberdeen we were greeted by "RAIN" which of course did not phase any of us. Thankfully the bus trip to Nairn went very quickly as we were all very eager to see our families who were waiting.

Today and the next few weeks will be full of individual reflection for the Team but no matter how we feel we must not forget the efforts and support of the Nairn Academy Sports Leaders, families, friends and the wider Nairn & Highland Community who helped make this trip possible.

At the planning stages of this trip it would have been impossible to guess the effects, legacies or outcomes a project such as this would have on the people involved - we may never really know. One thing is certain the Nairn Academy Dreams & Teams Squad including staff left Malawi in no doubt their input in making Malawi more active had a huge impact on their Malawian peers and in return they gained and shared life experiences much wider than they could ever have imagined that will without doubt remain with them for the rest of their lives.

We hope you have all found homes for the hippos, elephants, bowls, mugs, paintings, jewellery & "The Chameleon" that found their way back to Nairn - we did try to advise but sorry teenagers know better. We hope to post missing photos over the next few weeks - so keep watching.

we wish you all a safe and happy summer - Eliz, Sheena & Calum

Our last day & night!!!!

Hi all - Here we are on our last night in Malawi - we have just left Ryalls a very "posh" restaurant and are all feeling pretty full and looking forward to returning home. The staff were presented with surprise gifts from the rest of the Team. Most have now gone off to bed as I update the final blog from Malawi. Today we spent the morning at a local secondary school where we were once again made very welcome, after speeches and a taste of local culture we again treated the Malawians to our rendition of Auld Lang Syne before joining them for a game of volleyball and basketball. In the afternoon some of us went to PAMET, a paper recycling plant , where we watched the workers producing recycled paper from not just discarded card etc but also bark from the boabab tree and elephant dung no less!!!!! bet you are all looking forward to your pressies now!!! A final trip to the stalls to spend our extra "kwacha" filled the rest of the day.

We had a small awards ceremony at our meal - below the list of credits:

Most touching moment : The visit to the orphange
Blondest moment : 1st: Kirsty - The trolley story
2nd Lauren - who did not know that South Africa was a country!!! Ask her to explain.
3rd Chloe - too many to mention
Shopper of the trip: Donuts - his mum is going to kill him
Best Barterer : Dayne - got us all a good deal
King of the one liners:- Mark - too many to mention
Most selfish act:- McLennan - the doughnuts story
Most politically uncorrect moment:- Lauren - there's more to that story!!
Best impersonation of an STV cameraman:- McLennan
Funniest moment : Chloe, Caitlin & Danielle:- dancing on stage
Best body :- Callum......... Ross of course!!
Eating for Malawi Award: Ryan & Danielle
Most tolerant person :- Sheena ( the trip was another day in the life of the other two staff when it came to teenagers)
Best overseas correspondent: Lindsay (who made contact with UK & Spain)
Most unusual and fastest way to clean a bathroom - Elizabeth
Female award - the most impact on Malawian Male :- Judith
Male award - the most impact on Malawian females :- Donut
Most relevant name : Danger our safari guide
Most Observant moment:- McLennan - when he asked the guide if that was a chalet in the distance? answer - no its a termite mound.
Most memorable moment: Boat safari - "Kirsty" - received the wooden hippo award.
Best supporting Role - Knocks our driver

Thank you to everyone who has supported our trip and followed our blog - too many to mention. We know that many of you followed regularly without leaving messages. I am sure that you have all realised that this has been a very special trip of a lifetime for us all - with experiences that we will carry with us for ever. We will continue to update this blog over the next few weeks. We look forward to seeing you all very soon & hope you will attend the Community Event we have planned in the new school term.

we leave here tomorrow at 10am and e.s.t.a in Nairn Thursday 2pm.

until then take care and enjoy your last day of peace love Elizx

Dreams and Teams go on Safari

After sad farewells to Tami and the staff at Heuglins the group left for the journey to the Liwonde National Park. After stopping at Dedza Pottery the group added to the crowded atmosphere on the bus by buying up the shop (well not quite). The group were able to see more of Malawian life as we headed south - the crowds of people walking aimlessly to wherever and the people with enormous loads on the bicycles. The youngsters were grateful they were not travelling Malawi style as their buses "always have room for one more".

After about two hours we left the tarmaced road and headed along a dirt track, passed local villages and cheeky children asking for money. A short boat trip took us across to the accomodation where we were to spend the night. After some tea and cake to keep us going until supper we set off on a boat safari where we saw elephants, hippos, impalas, crocodiles and a variety of birds - including the African Fish Eagle, the national bird of Malawi.

We had dinner in the boma (the bush) and were entertained by local drummers and dancers. Nairn's young people are getting better at the dancing as the photos will testify. Unfortunately Mr MacLennan still needs a few more lessons!!

Everyone was up early to go on a walking safari - even Danielle - where we saw animal footprints and what elephants eat by examining the dung. We even saw elephants and hippos in the distance as well as the usual impalas, baboons, monkeys and the warthogs. After breakfast we set out on a jeep safari and everyone was hoping to see elephants close up. I don't think they thought for a moment they would get so close to such large creatures and everyone was delighted to see a herd of 19 elephants close up as they drank at a watering hole. Fortunately Kirsty thought the baby elephant was just too large for her case!!

The staff at Mvuu were determined to keep us occupied and took us on another boat safari lead by a guide called Danger. This should have given us a clue to what lay ahead. The boat cruised over a hippo as it was just about to surface. This is not an unusual occurance and the guide had warned us, in the safety briefing, that this was possible and that there was no need to panic. However, it was still a bit of a shock to the group - a story you will hear lots about on our return. Fortunately the hippo was OK!!

After lunch we headed south to Blantyre, enjoying the mountain scenery on the way and resisting the temtation to buy the mice being sold on sticks at the side of the road for lunch. Everyone was glad to reach Blantyre and the end of the long journey.

This morning we headed for Mulanje Mission Hospital to deliver some medical supplies and mosquito nets (donated by Wildday.com). Although this hospital is considered to be better equipped and staffed than many in Malawi the youngsters were still shocked with what they saw in the children's ward. The staff were grateful for the donations and spent time telling us about the hospital and how children under 5 are treated for free there. Although the experience was shocking everyone agreed that the visit had been worthwile as it increased their awareness of medical issues in Malawi.

Everyone enjoyed a lazy afternoon after returning to Blantyre while Mr MacLennan topped up his tan as an imposter at one of the top hotels in Blantyre.

We are not sure what tomorrow will hold for us as the day is being organised by MacLean, the policeman who visited us in March. Until then enjoy the photos!!

Tomorrow we are on the Move again!

Hi to all of our faithful followers

as you all know tonight is our last night in Lilongwe and tomorrow we move on to Mvuu to experience the next part of our trip - "safari".

As you will see from the blog our cultural day at Chipasula School today went down a treat. With minimum resources we managed to give the Malawians a true taste of Scotland. We decorated the hall with Scottish flags and bunting - which strangely disappeared - and treated the Africans to a beaut of a rendition of The Bonny Banks of Loch Lomond and Dash & White sergeant to - 500 Miles!! I am pretty sure they thought we were off our trolly - oh talking of trolleys - the blooper of the week goes to Kirsty - I witnessed her today try to negotiate a shopping trolley through the turnstile in the supermarket?? At first I thought she knew something about Malawi shopping trolleys that the rest of us didn't - but I soon realised that she was just not thinking straight after the emotional farewells we had experienced at the school. ( Bob & Janet - just don't let her loose in Tesco's too soon on return)

The funniest moment of the week goes to : Chloe, Danielle & Caitlin who took to the stage like a scene from the Generation Game - to learn traditional Malawi Dances - in front of hundreds of spectators. What a hoot!! The rest of us watched in complete hysterics as they attempted to wiggled their touches in true Malawian fashion. Priceless!! We all agree they have found their vocation.

The most selfish moment of the week goes to : Mr McLennan who secretly bought doughnuts from himself, Mark, Donut & Knox our driver without given one minutes thought to the females in the group. He will never live it down - especially as he was preparing a healthy eating stall at the time!!

Most useful item brought by a pupil : 100 keyrings that Kirsty's parents patiently put together with Malawi flag on one side and St Andrew Cross on the other.

On a more serious note - we left Chipasula Secondary School today feeling pretty emotional and in no doubt of the lasting legacy our visit had left. Not only did we leave behind a full bag of sports equipment, including strips - but more importantly lessons, morals, ideas, role models and much, much, more that will enable the young people and Teachers in Malawi to improve their health & well being in the future. Our fundraising and efforts over the past year or so to make this trip possible had all been worth it.

The young people of Malawi showed their appreciation in many ways, none less than the humbling thank-you letters that both Judith & Dayne received from a young boy who told them he had learn't so much from them both and assured them that although he knew it would not be easy " when you are not here I will make sure that the team will continue from where you stopped. In the end Chipasula is now equipped with a vast range of skills & experience." Peer assessment indeed.

The trip continues - we are unsure when we will next have internet access. If and when possible we will continue to update the blog.

until then enjoy the photos and be in no doubt that all of your young folk have done you and us proud in Malawi. Mobile phone arrangements as before.

regards Eliz, Sheena & Calum

Day 12 - Cal an Donuts

Hey all! The drama started not on day 12 but on the 11th night! After yesterdays blog was written, most of the group retired to bed but a few die hards stayed up to watch men in black! Half way through the film, they were rudely interrupted by a panicing Lauren and Judith who claimed there was a leak in the bathroom! As everyone darted though to the bathroom, they where confronted by a waterfall! Dayne an Ash saved the day when the went and got someone to switch off the water! So the next morning day 12 arrived after the previous evenings dramas, it was the last day at the school which was to be ended with a cultural day where the malawians showed us some of their culture and we showed them some of ours (e.g dancing and singing)! The Malawians started off with some poems which were fairly impressive, and set the bar high for us to match! We then showed them some Scottish dancing, The Dashing White Seargent, which all went well apart from the fact the roaring loud crowd drowned out the music from the wee Ipod speakers! The Malawians then showed us some of there traditonal dancing which Chloe, Dj and Caitlin took part in to give the rest of us a great laugh! After the dancing we went up on stage for a sing song which included Loch Lomond and Auld Lang Syne! We did our best to try involve the crowd but failed but it still sounded pretty good ( well we thought so haha!)! We then finished up an was time to say goodbye to the Chipasula teachers and pupils which turned out quite emotional! After the hard farewell, we went to market to pick up some clothes that were being made and then back to the lodge for some lunch and a bit of sunbathing! So here we sit almost ready to go out to dinner, leaving in 10 minutes so we better shoot off!
Catch ya laters!!!!! x

Day 10 in the Dreams and Teams House- Lindsay & Kirsty =)

Today is our 10th day here in Malawi and we're itching to move to Mvuu on Saturday morning to go on our safari's. Once again most of our morning was spent at Chipasula however we made a slight detour today. We randomly decided to stop at the nearby primary school to visit the children we have driven past each day. After being greeted by the headteacher and handing over football strips from Rosebank Primary School, we whipped the parachute out- as we do- and managed to attract a posse of 2000 pupils. Have you ever seen 2000 people trying to fit round a parachute?? It's mayhem, infact some older pupils were literally whipping the younger ones out of the way with sticks as they were crowding around us...it was unbelievable. Lindsay has it all on camera, is that a good thing?

After our short visit we proceeded to the high school to begin our health fair. Each of us were split into groups of two or three to focus on different health issues. We tackled malaria, while Judith, Danielle and Caitlin handled HIV and AIDS. Nurse Chloe gained some hands on experience with Lauren when taking the blood pressure of the Malawian pupils and teachers. Ryan and Dayne experienced lots of exaggeration while testing fitness levels with a couper run, now called the mcdasher run! Elizabeth also experienced exaggeration with speed bouncing! While Callum measure standing long jump. Meanwhile Calum, Mark and Duncan with some help from Sheena attempted to educate the Malawian pupils on healthy eating but ended up having a snack or two too many, it looked like a snack bar to us (and not a healthy one!).

Before leaving the school this afternoon the Malawians performed a series of plays, recited poems and danced for us in their hall. To be honest the rudeness and ignorance shown by the pupils watching was disgraceful. Despite being told several times to calm down and be quiet they continued to hackle and 'mouth off' in front of their fellow friends, the performers.

After leaving the school we returned to Heuglin's for lunch and had a lazy afternoon, with some people sunbathing and others watching Venus stroll through to the Wimbeldon final. We had another new experience for Kirsty tonight - She ate a steak- and Duncan actually finished his dinner for once tonight (before everyone had received their pudding!). Talk about a record. Maclennan and Ryan are sitting behind us now having a rematch at scrabble with Calum trying to regain his 500 kwacha which Ryan won last night. Meanwhile the rest of us are practing Auld Lang Syne (which some of us are having trouble remembering the second verse of, so it is currently being written on big posters.) and the Malawian national anthem for our cultural day tomorrow. "Oh God Bless Our Land Of Malawi..."

Has anybody ever told Sheena she has a beautiful voice? -Tone deaf if so.

That's all folks, we hope it's raining in Narnia. Bye for now, L & K xxxx

Day 9 in The Dreams & Teams House - Mark & Duncan

Hi all,
We were at the school again today continuing with the sports festival, and we had lots of fun!! The boys played a game of Rugby and we were amazed at how much the Malawians had learnt in such a short time. Dayne has been an excellent teacher!! Unfortunately the Malawians have learnt to tackle too well as both Dayne and Callum sustained minor injuries when they were tackled and fell on the rough ground. We are wondering why the Malawian boys do not seem to hurt themselves when they fall!

In Malawi we have discovered that the boys always get first chance at the sports so they were annoyed when we had a game of football for the girls. To make matters worse we gave the girls the strips we got from Nairn St Ninian so the boys were not at all happy. However, the girls enjoyed learning some new skills form Chloe and Lauren before playing a game. The festival ended with some volleyball where we discovered that the Malawians have very different rules from us. I think we would call their rules cheating!!

Every day we have had pupils from the nearby primary school leave their classes to come to watch. Chloe and Lauren used their excellent authoritarian voices to move them away from the playing area. I am not sure they understood Chloe instruction to, “Get off the pitch” which she said in her best Scottish accent.

For us the highlight of the day was talking to everyone and playing and watching the volleyball.

In the afternoon we went back to the market to do some wheeling and dealing again at the market!! Lots of money being saved and spent!! Donuts even bargained his tee shirt for a wooden map of Africa. Everyone is enjoying themselves trying to get a bargain.

Each day brings the team closer working together at the school and spending time watching Wimbledon in the evening or trying to prevent Calum MacLennan cheating at Scrabble!!

internet was down lastnight -photos for day 9 will be posted later

NEWSFLASH!!

When new photos are posted they may not always appear as the first photo - it is always worth looking through the whole show as random new ones will be posted throughout. Glad you are all enjoying - as much as we are ;0) Elizx

Day 8 in the Dreams & Teams House! - Sports Festival!

Heey y'all, Dj and Caitlin here! Today was the first of 2 sports festivals! We started off this morning by hitting the market for some early morning bartering! [Oh unfortunatley for you Jill..Asher decided to buy a few more..objects from the stalls! Including a HUGE freaky mask thing?!]! And posting postcards! [Should be arriving in the next....3weeks or so!] For once it was us travelling in African time! Arriving at the school late! [Woops?] Everything went amazing though! While Chloe vented off her anger by being behind the camera, Judith and Eliz battled with basketball! Cal had to put up with hundreds of kids swarming him as he was showing off with his TaeKwon Do! Dayne and Lauren taught cricket! Lonely Lindsay was on her own with Volleyball! While Sheen Mark and Kirsty struggled with sewing! Dj, Asher and I fought through with Football....Until disaster struck!!!!! Ashers leg was destroyed in a viscious tackle by the otherside! [Even though they were in bare feet!!]Unfortunately this stopped him from continuing and retired to the bus...[Aww bless!] Leaving Dj and I to go it alone!! We found this to cause a few problems because in Malawi girls aren't seen as being 'capable' of playing football far less refereeing!! This didn't go down too well with us...And really highlighted the problems for females in this country to us. Fortunately we managed to keep the boys under control with some harsh words and a little discipline! After the school we picked up some of the shorts ordered last Friday! [Every pair an absolute BELTER!] Back to the lodge we went... The rest of the day was spent relaxing and having a well earned rest!!! Watching Wimbledon and eating toasted marshmallows round a bonfire...['mmm'] This was a first for Sheen, Kirsty, Dj and Duncan! [What a surprise!] Now we are just preparing for Thursdays 'Health & Fitness day!' [Woop Woop!] Until tomorrow.....cheerio folks love Dj and Caitlin! xx