The Warm Heart of Africa

We left Orlando, Florida around 8pm with our 6 50-pound suitcases. Mental note to never move to another continent with that much luggage again. Jet Blue airlines was very accommodating about the luggage and graciously accepted our letter requesting exemption for extra baggage as we were carrying medical equipment for humanitarian use. We got only a brief 2-hr nap at JFK airport before flying out to Cairo, Egypt. Given the choice of 6, 30, 54, and 78 hr layover in Cairo…we chose to take the latter and a friend insisted we stay with his mother. This was our first encounter with the “warm heart of Africa.” We were treated wonderfully and felt very safe. Our taxi driver was recommended to us by our hostess and he drove us around Cairo for 2 days. Admittedly, we stayed mostly in tourist areas (the Pyramids of Giza, the Egyptian museum, the Citadel, the Cave Church etc) but did spend half a day exploring Heliopolis on foot.

Then an overnight flight south to Blantyre, Malawi where we arrived together with all 6 pieces of our luggage around noon the next day!

We were immediately welcomed to the official “Warm Heart of Africa” as Malawi is known.  Special thanks to all those who welcomed us so warmly in both Blantyre and Malamulo those first few days. We were invited to several “welcome” parties and invited over for dinner to many people’s homes. We indeed felt we had landed in the warm heart of Africa. Special thanks also to our new friends the Haytons, who moved to Malamulo Mission Hospital in September, and met us just off the airplane with all the things we would need for the first few days of living out of suitcases in a new place…bottled water, some snacks, fresh fruits & veggies, dry goods, soap, detergent, and some wonderful homemade bread! Sharlene thought of everything!