Am I really going to Africa?? Somebody pinch me!
Today seemed to be what felt like the longest day of my life! I love to travel, but my biggest pet peeve is PACKING. I HATE it. How does this happen to people who absolutely love to travel? Who knows. Anyway, you will be happy to know that I didn't leave all my packing 'till the last minute, but I still woke up feeling stressed. It hadn't hit me that I was traveling all the way to AFRICA!!!

Just in time, I finished packing and arrived at the airport with my sister, Shernaz aka Sher. There we met up with the Much Music crew I would be traveling with. I also got to meet Sarah Taylor for the first time who greeted me with a long, big hug. She was so sweet and I didn't think it was possible, but she's even prettier in real life. Before I go any further, I think it's time for some introductions so you really get to know the awesome people I got to travel with.

Introducing...
Included in my prize was a chance to bring someone with me. It was such a hard decision for me to choose just one person because I have such a great group of friends and family! I chose my oldest sister, Sher who also happens to be one of my best friends. I was really thankful that she could make it because she lives all the way in California. She has a sweet job working at the Apple headquarters, but it's hard for her to get time off work. Thank you Apple for letting her come!!! =)

Now let's meet the World Vision team. Maria Bugden works at the World Vision head office as the marketing co-coordinator for the 30 Hour Famine. She is definitely the coolest 40-something year old I know. She's really down to earth and is passionate about what she does. I love that about her!

Jim Vandenburg works for World Vision and deals with all the Canadian celebrities that are on board with World Vision. The first thing that comes to mind when I think of Jim is: what a trooper! He just spent a week in the Dominican Republic with Faber Drive, took one day off and then flew to Africa with us! The second thing that comes to mind is: I want your job!!! He's got the sweetest job - scouting out talent and travelling the world - who could ask for more?

Next up is Ray Wong from Much Music. Ray is a sweet guy who likes long walks on the beach and is ruggedly handsome. Kidding! I know the ladies got a little bit excited for a second there though (??)! Ray is my producer here and I couldn't ask for anyone better. He's really smart, creative, and a breeze to work with.

Last but not least, is Cat from Much Music! She's problem solver/organizer extraordinaire and a ton of fun to be around.

Back to the trip! 'ello London!
Our first stopover was London, England (YAY!). Much Music had planned a fun day for our 8 hour stopover. Our tour guide (who reminded me of Chuck from Gossip Girls) greeted us at the airport and off we went for our guided bus tour of London. I have come to the conclusion that I retain much more information from someone that speaks with a sexy accent.

First stop, the Royal Albert Hall. This venue looked like a mini coliseum. Being a Music major myself, I loved having the chance to visit a stage where every great artist performed! We visited Buckingham Palace (no, the Queen wasn't home), Big Ben, and soaked up as much as we could by driving by a ton of attractions.

MULIBWANJI MALAWI!!!!
After our London tour was over, we boarded another long flight to Kenya. Then, from Kenya we flew to Zambia...then Zambia to.... MALAWI!! By this point I had no concept of dates or time as we'd been traveling for 36 hours in total. None of that mattered anymore; we were in the gorgeous city of Lilongwe, with gorgeous weather, greeted by the warmest people! People from World Vision came to get us and even though I was across the globe from my real home, something about the drive from the airport to the hotel felt comfortable. We got to the hotel, and I was pleasantly surprised because it was so much nicer than I had expected it to be (I was seriously prepared to rough it out in Malawi - equipped with Mosquito nets and everything). As soon as we arrived, we were all really excited to check out the city. We headed to the 'market' which was basically a parking lot taken over by vendors. The markets of Malawi reminded me of the ones in India and we soon learned that they worked in much the same way. You gotta know the art of bargaining (Thanks Mom!). After an evening of shopping and hard bargaining we headed back for the hotel to rest up for our first full day ahead of us.

Day 1 in Malawi - Let the adventures begin!
I woke up really excited today, though I had no idea what to expect. All I knew is that we were going to a World Vision ADP about an hour away from our hotel. Oh, you're probably wondering what an ADP is... it stands for Area Development Program and I'll be using that a lot in my blog. The drive to the ADP was unbelievably gorgeous. Everything was so lush and the trees looked like AVATAR trees!!!!! As we drove to our destination we found ourselves smiling and waving to everyone we passed by and they seemed so excited to see us. They smiled and waved back and many of them ran after the car or danced. This built up my excitement to get to the ADP and I knew then that WV must be doing something right.

Feeling thankful for what I take for granted in Canada
My excitement stopped abruptly upon arriving at the clinic. It was shocking to see almost 200 people waiting in line with only one doctor working. As challenging as the situation at this clinic was, I'm told that the patients there were fortunate just to have a clinic with a doctor in it. So many of the patients were young and had been brought to the clinic by children not much older than they were. Even though I don't speak or understand Chichewa, I could understand the strong sense of community within the village and everyone, even the sick, spoke with their smiles.

Later that day I had the opportunity to meet a woman, Damanda, who inspired me with her story. She spoke to me about how she first came to the clinic a few years back with her husband and were diagnosed with HIV. World Vision provided her with medicine, counseling, and a support group. I learned that her husband passed away about a year ago. Though she had endured so much, I was struck by her warm and happy personality. She spoke of her gratitude for all the help that she received from World Vision and was committed to making a difference in the lives of others now by sharing her story.

Outside the clinic was a ton of kids playing with whatever they could find (mostly sticks and deflated bike tires). We had gifts for the kids in the car and thought this was the right time to hand them out. We handed out stickers (which they LOVED putting on their faces and used them as earrings too), skipping ropes, and soccer balls. These kids are natural born athletes. I wish you were there to see them play soccer because they were incredible. Their version of a soccer ball was rolled up plastic bags tied with rope around it. Also note that these kids would play barefoot and it wouldn't bother them if they were running over rough soil or rocks. When we gave them real soccer balls, their faces lit up because for most of these kids, soccer was their favorite sport.

Good times.
In the midst of playing soccer and skipping, a bullock cart came by and I wanted on. Check out what happened!! (see video) [I did not expect to be standing on it ALONE, when the owner just walked away as the bulls were running!!! AHHH! Ummmm how do you say STOP in Chichewa ???]

HIV Negative *insert big sigh of relief*
After a long break playing with the kids, I moved on to visit a WV AIDS clinic. This was another place that these patients felt so lucky to have. What I found incredible about the clinic was that you could go in, get tested, and get your results in just 15 minutes. There were lots of couples who waited outside the clinic to get in and get tested. We met one young couple who were newly married and went to get tested. In those fifteen minutes, I felt as nervous as they probably felt. Whew! What a relief when I found out their results - HIV negative. If anyone went in and tested positive, WV provided them with the proper medicine, counseling, and a support group.

Stronger faster harder better
Right beside the AIDS clinic, was a pre-natal care house/womans shelter. There we met a few pregnant ladies who looked adorable, but they were too shy to let us take their pictures. Some were cooking corn outside the shelter and offered me some even though that was probably all they were going to eat that day. That made me wonder... if I was hungry all day, would I give up my only food of the day to a total stranger? Would you?

I followed these ladies from the shelter to fetch water. The well was one of the better ones where you didn't have to get water from a bucket, but a pump. Even though the process was easier to get the water from the well, it still didn't change the fact that they had to carry a heavy bucket of water on their head home. Not gonna lie... it was SO HEAVY! I couldn't even lift it off the ground!! (note to self: must workout hard for next time....)

Lunch??
We then all met up for lunch at the World Vision office. You would think that I'd be ridiculously hungry from all the things we'd been up to that morning, but a big part of me didn't even feel like eating. It kinda felt as if I was eating a huge meal, and at the same table my friends were fasting. Or, like eating candy in front of a kid who's not allowed to. You get what I mean. Even though we were NOT eating in front of families, it still felt like a hard concept to swallow. It was so easy for us to have access to food, and yet we were in an ADP where people only eat one meal a day. How does this happen in a world where there's plenty to go around?!?!

Couldn't believe my eyes...
After lunch, we visited another village. There, I met a woman and her family of 5 kids. I was shocked to see all six of them living in a small hut, probably the size of a master bathroom. I asked if I could go inside and she happily showed me around. They slept on empty rice bags in two sectioned off rooms. It was really dark inside so I could barely see, but there was barely anything in it. The place was covered in flies and cobwebs. Seeing her place broke my heart and made me think, how much stuff do I have in my room that I actually NEED? And wow, I am SO lucky to actually have a bed to sleep on.

We followed her around as she showed us what she does during the day. It was afternoon time so it was time to cook Nsima (pronounced like the word seema)! This is Malawis staple food... everyone eats it, not only people in villages. Ingredients: corn flour (from crushed up corn) and water. I actually got to cook it with her! Check out my vlog on it....and leave it to me to mess up on any sort of cooking, as simple as it may be.

Game face.
We ended off the day by playing catch and soccer. The kids LOVED when I played games with them like the one where you say... gimme five, to the side, up so high, down so low, OHHHH TOO SLOWWWW. It was something I could say and act out at the same time so they understood the game perfectly, even though they didn't understand English. That was another thing, they were SO good at imitating my English. If I said Hi to them repeatedly with a wave, they would say it back. If I threw a ball, but pretending to throw on counts of 1, 2, 3, they would catch the ball and do pretend throws while saying the numbers 1, 2, 3 back to me. It was amazing!! By this time, our team was pulling at me saying, "Meher, it's time to go.... Meher, let's go... we gotta get back home." With all my heart I didn't want to leave. These kids were so smart, so friendly, so energetic, and I wished I could have played with them all evening.

Day 2 in Malawi - Are we there yet??
"Mulibwanji!!" Meaning hello in Chichewa. That's all that kept playing in my head... the sound of "Mulibwanji!!" remembering all the kids greeting us from the day before. I couldn't wait to get back to the ADP. The drive there was again filled with lots of waving and smiling to absolutely everyone and anyone on the road as we drove by. God, the people here are beautiful.

We met up with a family today of a mother and her five children. I helped as much as I could with their daily routine. First, we started sweeping the area in front of her home with long leaves. Then, we went to fetch water, this time I got to test out how heavy it was on my head. OK, soooo I couldn't lift it to put it on my head myself, but once it was placed there with the help of the mother, I was fine. It was okay, until after about 5 minutes, my neck and shoulders were in pain. No wonder the mother looked like she had been pumping iron! (Note to self: workout even harder...)

Tobacco farming
After that, I went to go see where the family works. And let me tell you, a long walk seems ridiculously longer when it's super hot out. And it was super hot out. Good thing I was surrounded by great company and an adorable little girl holding my hand the whole way there. When we got there, I was in the middle of a giant tobacco farm. I learned then that tobacco is Malawi's largest industry. I also found out that so many children in Malawi get addicted to tobacco by just handling it all day. I was sad to hear that fact because for most of these people, this is their only income. At the tobacco farm, I met a bunch of people who were so excited to meet Ray and I. They were in total awe that we were shaking their hands. They would shake our hands and then start laughing and joking around. I was curious to know what they were joking about ...good thing we had our translator with us! The translator told us they kept saying, "I can't believe I just shook a Europeans hand!!" It was so hilarious and cute at the same time!

Cutest moment, ever!
On the way back from the tobacco farm, I spotted a man with a bicycle and a cute little kid on the back. I was dying to go for a bike ride ever since we landed in Malawi, and thought what a perfect opportunity. Through some sign language, I communicated that I wanted to ride the bike and the man happily got off and left this little kid on the back as I got on the bike. Now, just imagine if I had done this in Canada - the man riding the bike would think I'm nuts!! I got on the bike and took the little kid for a spin. It was the cutest because while we were alone, riding through a small path between corn fields, this child had no idea who I was, yet he was speaking to me in Chichewa and I was speaking back in English. I have no idea what he was saying, but it sounded adorable!!! I will definitely never forget a moment like that one. And the shocked faces of when I arrived back at the home without Ray and the family on an old run down bicycle with a toddler on the back!

A lesson on being grateful
When the rest of the family and Ray had finally arrived back to their house by walking, we handed out lots of new toys for the family to thank them for welcoming us into their home and family life. You might think that, for a family that has no material things, that when they get lots of presents the kids might get a little greedy. This was SO far from the case here. These kids were so well behaved, grateful, and not only did they share their gifts with their brothers and sisters, they shared with the entire community!

Dance, dance
After giving out gifts, lots of people broke out into song and dance. Something about this kind of reminded me of a Bollywood movie. Singing and dancing was just a part of their lifestyle - and I LOVED it. It was hard to feel sad about their situation, when everyone seemed SO happy. In fact, I don't even remember ever seeing anyone cry. All the kids stuck up for each other, cared for each other, and everyone was close knit. I saw how a community should be thanks to the people in the villages of Malawi.

Again, it felt like a tug of war when it came time to leave another family. I knew there was another story waiting to be listened to, but it was just so hard walking away and saying goodbye to these people who had taught me so much about the simplicities of life in so little time.

Thank you, World Vision
Next, I met a 14 year old girl named Christina. She was born with HIV and had lost her entire family to AIDS, as well. It was really overwhelming talking to her because of how much she was dealing with at such a young age. I can't even imagine what it would be like knowing your entire family is gone and dealing with something like HIV at 14. While talking to her, I was happy to find out that she gets all the medicine she needs from the help of World Vision and also goes to counseling sessions run by WV as well. When I asked Christina what she wants to be when she gets older, she got a little shy, then replied, "a nurse". I know that she'll make a great nurse one day.

Got milk?
I met a family consisting of a mother, father, son, and two daughters. World Vision had provided this family with a cow based on who was the neediest family in the ADP. Talking to the father, he told me how much his life has changed because of his cow. His kids could all now go to school because of the income from the cow, and generally had a much better life thanks to WV. I can't even describe in words how nice the father was and how welcomed he made me feel. He seemed so proud of his family and his cow and her baby calf. He even taught me how to milk a cow!!! It was incredibly hard to get the hang of, but he stayed with me and kept showing me how to do it until I finally got some milk out of her! I love animals and was ecstatic he was nice enough to teach me how to milk the cow and let me feed her as well. This cow has not only changed the lives of everyone in this family, but benefited the entire community thanks to World Vision.

Head & Shoulders (not the shampoo)
After we said another long, hard goodbye to the family, we were being followed by a ton of kids to the car. 'Yay!' I thought, another opportunity to play with these kids even though it was time to leave. The kids loved mimicking anything I did so I decided to test out the 'Head & Shoulders, Knees & Toes' song. They got it after only hearing it a couple times! I couldn't believe it worked! These kids, who speak no English, were now singing and acting out 'Head & Shoulders' with me all the way back to the car!! Again, I had to be dragged into the car (these kids were SO much fun) because it was time to go home and rest up for another very eventful day ahead of me.

Day 3 in Malawi - To travel is to live. To teach is to learn.
This morning, I had that gut feeling that a very special day was ahead of me because I was looking forward to visiting an ADP school the entire trip. We got to the school and a rush of gorgeous children came running out of their classrooms to greet us. I visited what I was told to be a grade two classroom, but there seemed to be various ages in it. They looked SO excited and at the same time shy that I was there. The teacher welcomed me and told the kids a bit about me. They still seemed really shy at this point. I got to teach them some English words, and then they taught me Chichewa words. I was so curious to know more about them so I asked my translator to ask some questions for me. I wanted to know what some of their favourite subjects were and I was surprised to see that most of them loooved 'Mathematics', as they would say. There were a few subjects that I was surprised to hear about like Agriculture. Then it was their turn. I asked them to ask me anything they wanted to know about myself or Canada. You wouldn't believe the questions they asked me! They asked: "Who is our President?" "How many lakes to we have?" "What is the biggest lake?" "What do we use as transportation?" And many more. Not gonna lie, I was stumped on a few and we all had to think a while before we could answer some of their questions. It was pretty funny. They knew absolutely everything about their country, Malawi. Also, not surprisingly, they loved hearing about snow!

You sing me a song, I sing you a song, And then maybe cry...
Everyone on the team (WV + Much Music) had been bugging me to sing ever since they found out I sing classical music, and that didn't stop at the school. So... I made a deal with the kids in the classroom, that if they sang me a song, I would sing them a song. They sang me a very upbeat, fun song. These kids voices were unbelievable! Everyone sang with their entire body and being involved in that was a really moving experience for me. I asked what their song was about and was so surprised to learn that it was actually a song about AIDS awareness. I would have never have guessed that by the way they were singing it.

I wasn't sure how they would like classical singing because it's SO different from how they sing, but I sang a little bit, and they ended up loving it! They were so intrigued by it and were saying things like, wow that must be so hard to do, so I decided to give them a fun, mini singing lesson. Some vocal warm ups are hilarious and all the kids really enjoyed them. It then struck me that I had to try something out. These kids were amazing singers, imitators, and understood my communication through body language, ...sooo I decided to give it a shot at teaching them a song. I chose our national anthem because of two reasons. I am a sucker for 'Oh Canada' and I probably still had Olympic fever in me that this was the first song that popped into my head. I started off humming the melody in short pieces and having them hum back to me. It worked and sounded incredible!!!! Then, I added on some lyrics, and they sang that back to me as well. By this point, I think I made it to the end of "true patriot love" when it was just too overwhelming for me and I burst into tears - it was THAT beautiful and moving. The kids just looked at me wide eyed and worried, while the translator had to explain why I was crying. This was probably one of the most moving and unforgettable moments of my life. Something I will cherish forever.

Assembly time. What's that, you said?? Outdoors?? I'm down!!
I had to wipe my tears and compose myself really fast because we were all being called out for what looked like an outdoor assembly. The principle knew we were coming that day and organized a show for us. It was really exciting. I got to watch a choir sing with a conductor (I was very impressed), listen to poetry in English, and watch traditional dances with drumming. I think Beyonce's got some competition - these kids were SO talented. What made it even better, was that everyone performed with a big smile and was genuinely happy to be sharing their talents with us. It was also really nice to see kids running around with pencils and books, which was a very different site than what I was used to seeing.

Best Day Ever PERIOD
Today, I can honestly say, was one of the best days of my life. These kids who had so little in terms of material wealth were rich in my mind. They are so bright, always smiling, and happy with what they've got. World Vision's 30 Hour famine has inspired me because they have enabled these children to grow and hone their talents. World Vision doesn't just provide a band-aid solution, but rather treats the issue from within, allowing for the children to help others as they are maturing as well. The strength of community is strengthened further by their aid, and I am so grateful for having the opportunity to do my part in any way I could. I saw firsthand what a huge impact so little can do.

Last day in Malawi - One word: SAFARI
I can't believe that today is my last day in Malawi. The days have been so jam packed with things to do that going to the market the first day we arrived feels like it was a few weeks ago! I don't want to leave this beautiful place. Not today, at least.

Today, we woke up extra early because we were headed to a safari!!! The 4 hour drive there was stunning! The countryside in Malawi is incredible and again, kept reminding me of AVATAR. We got to the safari, and I was excited because not only were we going on an on land safari, but also a boat tour, too! Wooo! All of us were excited to see lions, elephants, and giraffes, but that dream was quickly shattered as our guide told us that there hadn't been a sighting of a lion for years at this safari, elephants travel often and is hard to spot, and there were no giraffes at the safari either. AGH!! We still kept our fingers crossed for seeing an elephant. I have never gotten excited about the sight elephant poo before today...and even though there were lots of elephant droppings, we didn't see a single elephant.

There were so many beautiful trees, birds and the sounds were incredible. We first spotted the Hakuna Matata animal as I call it (known as the warthog to everyone else). Then, I spotted a gorgeous Impala. I wanted to touch one so badly, their skin looked so smooth and literally glowed in the sun! Other animals we saw on land were baboons, monkeys (they were SOOO cute), and the cutest little tortoise.

We got on the boat cruise, which was a blast because we were having SO much fun all together on the boat, we were hardly paying attention to anything else, until the guide pointed out animal sightings. We saw tons of hippos lazing around in the water (their mouths are HUGE when they are open), and crocs up close!!

What a great way to end the perfect trip! The word 'safari' literally means adventure in Chichewa, and what an adventure I had just been on.

Reflections
I have spent the vast majority of my life living in a cosmopolitan and industrialized urban setting yet it took one week of living in Malawi - one of the least developed and isolated countries on Earth - to learn more about the world than I ever thought possible! And most amazingly, what I learnt about the world, I discovered mostly through the eyes of the beautiful children of Malawi.

Their lives are so simple yet rich, their access to nutritious food and clean water so limited yet their ways are so generous and communal, their hardships so difficult yet their smiles are ever-present and their future so uncertain yet their hopes and dreams endure.

Just as the spirit of Malawi and its people have much to offer the rest of the world, so to does the rest of the world have much that it can offer Malawi. World Vision is one global organization that is rising to the challenge to provide sustainable solutions to Malawi while educating millions of people on the collective obligation that each of us bears to make the world a better place for all people, particularly those from the developing world. Each and every one of us should feel empowered to be able to make a difference and I have witnessed first-hand how even the smallest of donations can transform entire communities.

The natural beauty of Malawi is only surpassed by the beauty of its people, both inside and out. Yet children grow up with vague senses of their own physical identity and are all too often burdened with adulthood at far too early an age. It is easy to be overwhelmed with sorrow at the sheer health, educational and infrastructural needs of the Malawian people, but they exhibit an unbelievable strength amidst their hardship that gives me cause for hope. Their strength endeared them to me and their affection made me never want to leave their side. For me, this experience was an emotional and educational journey that I will always carry with me.