Friday, January 13th

Well here it is! Today was our last day in Malawi not counting the airport and things tomorrow. We got up and went snorkeling at a nearby island. We got to see the cichlids around all of the rocks. They were really pretty! We also got to do some "cliff" jumping off some tall rocks. That was fun. It gets deep really fast out there since its on the rift valley. Being the nerd that I am, I found it really exciting just to be on the Great African Rift Valley. I was thinking about how all of the mountains in the middle of the lake were formed and such. They lake is so huge! 3rd largest in Africa. I loved hanging out in the sun today. It was like it was summer again. Laying on hot rocks is one of the best feelings.

Sam talked to us today about all of the projects that she does with the community around her. If you didn't love her before you loved her after that talk. Some of her projects included a preschool, a health clinic, a crafting project for shut-ins, a youth boys soccer club, and so many others. She worked with the area schools to raise money for a library but refused to just give them the money so she taught them how to get the money themselves by having students collect plastic off the roads and ground. She was all about education instead of give-aways. 45% of her profits went straight to her projects. She is such an inspiring person. The community has really benefitted a lot from her being there.

After we left we went to the craft market on the way back to world camp. It was a way to spend the rest of our money so we didn't have to worry about exchanging it back to USD. The prices seemed lower there and I got a lot of things. Most of the stuff I got was for other people so it was fun to pick it out. That's the most practice I got in bartering. Tonight all we did was have our last meal out and packed up our things to get ready to leave tomorrow. It's sad that we are leaving but I am really excited to tell everyone back at home about everything we did here. I have a lot of pictures and stories to tell. The saddest part about leaving is that our group won't be together as one anymore after this trip. We can get together and hang out but we won't be living together anymore. This is the best trip I have ever been on and I made some of my best friends on this trip. I'm so glad that I decided to come. I'll miss it so much.

--Becky