~ We continued our residency at The Cameron House. Can’t think of a better way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

~ We made the cover of the Winter 2009 Ontario Council Of Folk Festivals Folk Prints Magazine! There’s a scan of it in the ‘Stuff’ Tab.

~ We played our first House Concert in May. We have to do more of those…they are perfect for our kind of music. I blogged about it (scroll down) if you want to read all about it.

~ We did a ‘Mini Tour’ of Saskatchewan and Manitoba in June…always great to return to the homeland.

~ We took a travel guitar with us to Uganda, Tanzania, and Malawi in July/August and had the opportunity to play for people in various villages we visited. I blogged about the trip (see link under Archive at right) if you have some free time to kill. Also, in the ‘Stuff’ Tab there are a couple of links to videos of us singing there.

~ We finished recording our new CD ‘Little Child Big World’. It took quite a bit longer than we expected because new ideas kept emerging during the process, but it was well worth it in the end. We had a great time working with Kevin Quain again on this one. In addition to engineering and co-producing, he contributed some wonderful piano, bass and accordion performances. We were also excited to have Adam Warner (percussion), Shelley Coopersmith (violin), Kim Cole and Michelle Rumball (back-up vocals) perform on the CD.

~ It was a bonus that the whole gang (Kevin, Adam, Shelley, Kim and Michelle) were able to join us on stage for our Toronto CD Release Party in September. The backroom of The Cameron House was packed and the night felt magical. We performed the songs in the order they appear on the CD.

~ In October, we sent our new CD off to radio show hosts across Canada who we thought might be interested in playing our music and were really happy with the response. So in November, we did the same with radio show hosts in the U.S. and again received a very positive response. It’s so exciting that, thanks to the Internet, we can listen these shows either live or as a podcast…in the “old days” we’d have had to be in the same province or state.

~ Since it’s our hometown, we had a second CD Release Party for ‘Little Child Big World’ in Winnipeg in December. We tried out a new venue, a used bookstore/cafe, called Sam’s Place. It was another great night with an awesome turnout. Our nephew Brock, a bass whiz and Dwight’s Dad Ken, a violin player joined us on stage.

~ We were fortunate to do well at this year’s auditions for the TTC Subway Musicians Program, and in October began our 5th season. In addition to busking together, I also busk a lot on my own, occasionally with Shelley, and most recently with Kim. It’s so much fun.

~ Although I’m not quite at the seeking treatment stage, I have become quite addicted to Facebook over the past year. I have actually made some new real-life friends from it!

There you have it. Those are some of the bigger things but there have been many other highlights…you know, those small things that keep you going. Like when someone tells you a song you wrote helped them get through a tough time. Or the many new friends we’ve made through our music. Wishing you all the best in 2010!

P.S. She liked it

I’m happy to report that this year it went in our favour. We scored 9th out of 75! So that means we are part of the regular roster and will have scheduled spots throughout the coming year. Although I  must say, we found the Auxiliiary License we had last year worked out fine.

Oh, I should also mention that Dwight brought the accordion to the audition this year as well as his guitar so we’ll be taking that down with us too! I’ll blog about any interesting experiences that come up.

Although this is our second CD, it was our first CD Release Party. If we had known how much fun they are we definitely would have had one for ‘Darlings Of The Open Stage’.

The ‘Little Child Big World’ CD has been a full year in the making. We started recording it at Kevin Quain’s studio in September 2008 and picked up the finished product from the manufacturer in September 2009. All thirteen songs on it were written in 2007 and 2008, following a trip we took to Ethiopia, Uganda, and Malawi. They represent an important moment in time for us, both personally and musically. Although Dwight had previously been to Uganda and Tanzania, it was my first time on the continent and the trip was truly life changing, both in the way I view the world and because I had never written a song before then.

Releasing a CD that is so personal and filled with songs of a social justice nature, comes with a certain amount of risk. If the response of the audience at the party is any indication, it was well worth the risk.

It was the first time we’ve played with a full band AND back-up singers! And that is quite a different experience. I am used to just the two of us, occasionally joined by either a bass or violin. We were so pleased to have Kevin Quain, Adam Warner, Shelley Coopersmith, Kim Cole, and Michelle Rumball, who all performed on the CD join us last night. An all star cast! Myself and the girls all wore brightly patterned African kangas, wrapped around our waists.  With no pins or clasps, we all had some advance concerns about whether our wrapping technique was sufficient to keep them from falling off mid show. Thankfully we have retained our G rating as a family friendly act!

We played the songs in the order they appear on the CD. In this time of the iPod Shuffle and individual track downloads, the order of songs may not have the importance it did in the “old days”. However, for those people who like to listen to a CD from beginning to end, the flow is paramount in creating the mood and taking the listener on a journey.

Looking out from the stage at the packed room was a huge thrill. The seating in the back room of The Cameron House is tiered, so the view is pretty much great from every seat. We had set the tables with Ethiopian woven mats, small bark snack boats, and little red votive candles that cast a beautiful glow on the faces of the audience members. To see everyone listening and watching so intently was wonderful, though it did cause me to mist up a few times.

Here was the pièce de résistance…we got a standing ovation at the end of the show! How exciting is that!?! Right now we’re on a real high. Just to illustrate how high…we got home at about 11 last night and realized we hadn’t eaten since lunch so Dwight said “Let’s order a pizza”. And here’s the funny part…I readily agreed without reservation. Normally I would have put forward all the health reasons why eating such heavy food late at such a late hour would not be wise. But look at me…livin’ on the edge. What kind of crazy rock and rollers order pizza at 11 o’clock at night?

It’s about 2am Toronto time now but for us it’s about 9am (Malawi time) and we have literally had only a couple of hours of sleep on planes during the whole travel time. Wishing now we’d had that nap in Lilongwe. We are so exhausted.

Oh good, they just announced that the new crew has arrived so hopefully we are on our way shortly.

Later in the day August 10th…
We are home now. The wait and travel time back from Hamilton to TO airport ended up being 7 hours total. Arrived at our place just before 5am, unpacked and didn’t feel sleepy (even though we have only had a few hours total since leaving Lilongwe on Saturday night) so went out for some breakfast around 7am. We will try and nap at some point today and then go to bed early tonight.

But I shouldn’t dwell on the delays, because as I said, the rest of the trip home went perfectly and we saw some interesting stuff. For example, on the flight from Nairobi to Amsterdam, we were in the row behind 2 Masai women and 4 men dressed in traditional robes with tons of beads (earrings, bracelets, necklaces belts) and chains of shiny silver metal coins. The women had those large round beaded collars…they looked so beautiful. I was sneaking peaks at one sitting across the aisle in the row in front. And she was sneaking peaks at me…I’m sure thinking “Look at that poor plain girl; taupe shirt, black pants, grey sweater. She needs some colour.” If there is an African version of ’What Not To Wear’, she may be submitting me as a candidate right now  As we were getting off the plane we smiled at each other. 

I have to organize my pictures over the next day or two and will post some of my faves.

When we woke up this morning it was cloudy and the wind was really whipping around. It sure looked like rain but it isn’t rainy season so the clouds just went away and the sun came out within a couple of hours.

(Above) Sunrise over Lake Malawi

After breakfast, we hit the road, headed back to Lilongwe. About 10 mins. into our trip we saw the CPAR Chinteche vehicle coming towards us and they flashed their lights for us to stop. Turns out the “Water Mechanics”, on their way to drill or fix a borehole, had an accident just up the road and Laban had been called to the scene. He asked Joseph if we could stop and take a few pictures when we came upon it. When we arrived at the scene, we saw their transport truck was overturned down the embankment. Amazingly only one of the crew sustained injuries, a fractured leg. Thank goodness it wasn’t worse…from the looks of the truck, it certainly could have been.

There were tons of people on the road today…it makes the highway scene so colourful. I had my eyes peeled for boys who sell sticks of mice on them by the side of the road so I could take a picture. We had seen a bunch of them along the route on the way up. Apparently mice are a nice snack in these parts. We came across some after a little while and at first I was a bit hesitant about taking their picture because we weren’t buying anything, but they didn’t seem to mind and became very animated when they saw the camera.

(Above) Mmmmmm mice

Later, we came upon a large group of people slowly walking along the side of the highway and in the middle of the procession was a bride in a white gown and groom in a dark suit. I had my camera in my hand and people motioned for me to take the couple’s picture so I did.

(Above) The happy couple

We made one tourist stop along the way at a pottery place we’d been to on our last trip. It seemed way more expensive this time than last so we just bought a couple of things.

Near celebrity sighting…We saw Lucious Banda’s tour bus on the road between Salima and Lilongwe!! He had done a show in Salima on Friday night and had two coming up in Lilongwe on the Saturday and Sunday.

We arrived in Lilongwe around 3pm, checked into our hotel, then headed out to the craft market on the street. We had some things in mind that we wanted to buy to give to folks who come out to our CD Launch in September. That took awhile…vendors surround you and all work hard at getting you to come to see their merchandise and it’s a bit difficult to move through quickly. After browsing, we walked away and decided exactly what we wanted and what we were willing to pay…best price and second best price. We went back and started negotiating. This time we held to our price…okay, our second best price…had to cause we were running out of Kwachas. The deal was done and we were quite pleased. We left with just enough money to have dinner…until we ran into one guy who we had seen earlier selling bracelets “made by street kids” and, well…

We went back to the room and had showers and changed, then went for dinner at a restaurant right beside the hotel. Low on Kwachas, luckily the restaurant took USD so we had separate bills and I paid for mine with my remaining Kwachas and Dwight used American money for his. We had hoped to have a nap sometime before being picked up for our 2am flight, but just weren’t tired enough.

It’s now 11pm and I’m writing this at the Lilongwe airport. Our first flight is to Nairobi, then from Nairobi to Amsterdam, then Amsterdam to Toronto. The waiting times at each airport are just a couple of hours so it should be good.

Random Observations of Malawi…
- While Tanzanians uses the term Mzungu to refer to white people, it’s just Zungu in Malawi
- Lots of people kids and adults wave and greet you, when you pass by!
- Driving on Malawi highways is much less assertive than in Uganda; vehicles slow down when passing pedestrians and cyclists or when driving through trading centre; worst driver we encountered was a Zungu in an SUV
- The highways in Malawi are in great condition however, their bridges all file down to single lanes
- The currency is Kwachas…I like saying that…Kwacha, Kwacha
- Malawi has a tropical feel to it, especially up north along the coastal highway
- You know how we worry if we leave meat on the counter for more than half an hour? In Malawi (and actually all three countries we visited), the meat at butcher shops (stalls) is hanging on a hook outside with no refrigeration…do we worry too much?
- Malawi is known as ‘The Warm Heart Of Africa’
- There are a lot of people with the surname ‘Banda’; must be the ‘Smith’ of Malawi

When we were here in March 2007 we met a woman by the name of Judith who, along with some other women in the community, had started feeding breakfast to orphans. Many people in the area had died as a result of AIDS so there were a lot of children left behind. The program expanded to include dinner as well as caring for seniors. The women were raising funds through a variety of means…gathering and selling sticks for firewood, selling paraffin etc. CPAR got involved with them thru a government AIDS initiative. CPAR had been chosen to implement it because of their track record working in Malawi. I still remember Judith’s words, when asked why she was going to all this effort. She said she wanted to help those less fortunate than her. That really struck me because it’s not like she is all that well off herself.

In addition to a young son of her own (Biggers) still at home, she was raising three of her deceased daughter’s children, which included toddler twins. We met that day under a thatched roof held up by sticks. Her son Biggers handed me a note on which he’d written “Will you be my friend?” and I was instantly smitten. I have kept in touch with Judith and Biggers on occasion since that meeting. And, Biggers is mentioned in the song I wrote called ‘Little Child Big World’.

Fast forward to August 2009. We arrive at the Tawonga (Chitumbuka word meaning “we are grateful”) CBO (Community Based Organization, a government sanctioned org.) and instead of the thatched roof structure there is a beautiful new large brick one. Chairs are set up for us visitors so we go in and sit down while folks are assembling. While chatting with Allan I look over his shoulder and see a young boy shyly looking at me, and I say “Is that you Biggers?” and he smiles that beautiful smile of his and comes running over to hug me. I could barely hold it together. He’s 13 now and in Form 1 at school and an excellent student. Still cute as ever. Apparently he wants to be a lawyer. By now a bunch of other kids had arrived and he led the others in some songs for us. Judith arrived and there were more hugs and more songs! Dwight got some of the songs on video and I am anxious to watch them again. There’s one that’s stuck in my head…”Do what I do, walk like I do, walk like I do. Do what I do, dance like I do, dance like I do. Do what I do, clap like I do, clap like I do.” and so on. It was so adorable to see the little nursery school kids following along doing all the motions.

(Above) Me and Biggers

So, the group is now a full fledged successful CBO and has made incredible gains in a few short years. In addition to the 76 orphans and 41 seniors relying on them for care, they provide home based care for the infirmed, and counselling for people living with AIDS. In addition to feeding the orphans, they pay school fees for the older ones. They grow their own crops…we went to see the crops, which involved a long walk through some rather rugged lowlands in the hot sun. But I can’t complain because these folks make that trek every Tuesday to work the fields, and while we drove part of the way today, they normally walk all of the way.

(Above) Me and Judith

This group is a great example of how community members, working together can achieve so much. We spent the whole day with them. The morning was overviews of the various programs they have, complete with testimonials from beneficiaries. For example, Lydia an 80 woman, proudly got up and demonstrated, on the blackboard, how she could write her name. Then she told us how she used to have to rely on other people when she went to the post office to sign for her but now she does it on her own and she no longer gets cheated out of money because she knows how to count. She was such a sweetie. Another woman, Melafi, 49 years old, told how she became very sick in 2007 and the group encouraged her to go for HIV testing. She did and found out she was positive. The group then provided her with support, counselling, and access to ARV drugs, the combination of which she says saved her life and helped her realized her diagnosis wasn’t the end of the world. We also heard from a young man (17 years old) named Issac who is an orphan and for the past 3 years has been receiving assistance from the group to pay his school fees. He is in his final year of school (Form 4) and hopes to someday be a doctor. We were blown away by what we saw that morning. The afternoon was spent visiting their fields and a recipient of home care services.

(Above) The gang at Tawonga

When we broke for lunch we, along with Joseph and Allabi, headed over to Mum’s again. What a great little place. We had about 15 minutes to spare before heading back to Towanga so we took a stroll of the main street of the business area. A young man approached us asking if we’d like to look at (i.e. buy) some of his paintings. He was so charming we agreed and sat down on the step of a store to look through what he had. One of his paintings caught my eye immediately…a man playing a guitar-like instrument and a woman singing. A Malawian Sue and Dwight! Had to have it and a few others. Being the expert negotiators we are, we most certainly overpaid. Two hints…1) Jim, the artist, threw in another one for free, and 2) he couldn’t thank us enough, saying this would really help him and his family to eat.

(Above) Dwight and Jim

Then it was back to the CPAR office for a debrief and to say our goodbyes to another great bunch of people. At the end of the day, on our way back to the hotel we drove past that repaired borehole well that I wrote about yesterday…and were excited to see people using it. So Dwight hopped out of the car and took some pictures. I waited in the car on the highway and a bunch of kids came running over. Some who were there yesterday were doing a strumming motion with their hands like they were playing guitar, when they saw me. So sweet.

Another beautiful sunset and traditional fare dinner and we sat there, as the waves on Lake Malawi crashed against the shore, lamenting the fact that tomorrow we start heading for home.

First, an update on the view at Nkhatabay…yes, it was beautiful.

(Above) The view at Nkhatabay

The guys picked us up and we went directly to the CPAR office in Chinteche. It was great to see the familiar faces from our 2007 visit (Allan, Jericho) and to meet the new folks (Laban, James, and Venge). After a debrief of the current projects, Allan and Laban took us to Chilala School where CPAR has built new latrines, handwash stations, and drilled a borehole well. It was a beautiful little school. Although the kids are on holidays right now, they all came to be there for our visit. While Dwight was interviewing the Headmaster, village elders, a few students, and touring the new facilities, I was chatting with one of the teachers Boyce Mhone (not sure of spelling) over where the kids were sitting. He told me the new facilities have really improved conditions at the school and for the whole community because others are benefitting from the borehole well too. He said school attendance is up, and everyone is happier and healthier. He’s such a nice man. And the kids were fun too.

Keeping in mind the noise incident from a few days ago, I resisted taking my camera out until I got the all clear that filming was completed. In the meantime, with Boyce’s help translating, I asked if the kids had any questions for me. They were pretty shy but managed to ask some about where I am from, my name, etc. Kids are the same everywhere…The little ones were all up front, excited to participate. The older girls were sitting a little off to the side, interested but not as animated as the kids. Then, there were the teenage boys sitting way at the back looking cool. When Dwight was finished with the formal business he came over and joined us and sent the kids into a frenzy by filming them. Ha ha! It was time to go so we sang a song for them and then said goodbye. I’m loving, playing music for these folks.

 (Above) Boyce and the kids at Chilala

After a delicious lunch of stews and nsema at a little place in town called Mum’s, we headed to our next project visit…a community borehole. The people greeted us in song, which was really nice, and then we met with the Water Point Committee under a big tree. They are a well organized group and gave a great report of the work they do.

The next stop was a really interesting one. It was to a borehole well where the pump had stopped functioning. Today though, CPAR had an Area Mechanic working to restore it. It looked like hard work and it was pretty hot out in the open sun, but the guys finally got it going. A bunch of people had gathered around while the work was underway and there was lots of cheering and excitement when water poured from the pump. I was a few feet away in the back of the truck entertaining a bunch of little kids and felt quite emotional when I saw how happy everyone was. We take for granted that we can just turn on the tap in our house for clean water and here people are so grateful to have water within easy walking distance to their home. The country goal is to have water stations available every 500 metres. That’s considered good…yikes, can you imagine if we had to walk that far for water?

(Above) My view from the “mainstage” at the borehole.

It occurred to me today that I almost feel like I am getting used to seeing very poor people and it kind of scares me. It’s a bit hard to describe what I mean…I don’t want to feel complacent about it because it is so wrong. I believe there is enough money in the world so no one has to live in poverty but the distribution of it is the problem.

We checked into our hotel around 5 or 5:30pm. We are now staying at the same place as we did in 2007. It’s right on the lake and we love it here. We went for a walk along the beach and then for a drink before dinner, where from the porch, we watched an incredible full moon start off with an orange glow that turned to silver, casting the most beautiful carpet of glitter on the lake. The dining room is in a thatched roofed, open-sided structure overlooking the lake. This lodge caters to Malawians so the food is traditional fare. I had chicken, nsema, and greens, while Dwight had chambo (fish), rice, and greens. 

Not sure if I mentioned yet that the weather here is similar to what we had in Tanzania…warm during the day but chilly in the morning and at night. I’m not minding these cool evenings one bit…there are definitely fewer insects than when it is warmer! We did have a cute little gecko in our room when we first got there but he scurried out pretty quickly.

For some reason we thought the ride up north to Nhkatabay was about three hours so when we learned it was more like five hours, I started to get antsy, knowing it gets dark so early here. And I knew we still had to stop to exchange money (at a bank) and get a SIM CARD for the cell phone. Meetings at the office, busy bank, difficulty getting a Zain SIM card due to system issues, more traffic, yada yada yada…we didn’t get on the road til 2pm. Gets dark at 6pm. 2pm plus 5 hours equals DARK!

Let me preface this by saying the ride was beautiful…Malawi is very picturesque…until the sun went down, then it was kind of scary…and dark. The same people I enjoyed seeing walking along the highway during the day, made me nervous at night because it was dark and I worried they may step into the road. And there were lots of big trucks. Allabi is a cautious, experienced driver so I knew we were in good hands, but because it was dark, and the roads are windy, I couldn’t help but worry. Did I mention it was dark?

We had a funny experience when we made a stop for some juice along the way at Nkhotakota. While the guys were inside the store, I stepped out front. Coming toward the store was an inebriated older man with a loud booming voice. I couldn’t make out what he was saying but people around were kind of laughing so I figured he probably wasn’t dangerous. Then he spotted me and starting calling out to me that I was welcome in Malawi. When Dwight came out and the man spotted him he started apologizing, I guess for taking to me, and Dwight assured him there was no offence taken. He asked where we were from and when we told him Canada, he said “Ah Canada, I love Canada, they are all Christians there…welcome, welcome.” Ha ha.

As it turns out we were booked to stay at a hotel in Nkhatabay quite a bit beyond (almost an hour) the projects we’ll be visiting around Chinteche. The view appears to be spectacular…we’ll know in the morning…yet the rate is reasonable, so I think that combo is why we were booked there. However, we’ve already decided to spend the next two nights closer in and forego the view because the extra drive is too much. And, the last few kilometres to the hotel, which is right by the water are crazy bumpy. Allabi and Joseph, who are travelling with us, are staying at a different place right in Nkhatabay tonight. We felt bad that they had to drive that bumpy road again tonight and back again in the morning to get us. I think moving to Chinteche will be good for all of us.

We didn’t get into our room til about 8:30pm…totally pooped and hungry. Fortunately they still offered us dinner, which by the way, was excellent. Finally, traditional Malawian fare…chicken stew with some kind of greens and nsema (which is like the posho we had in Uganda). On the way to the dining room, we met one of the “night watchmen”, and older gent named Samuel, Who assured us “Do not be scared. I’m here all night.” I wasn’t til he said that!! Samuel was stationed in a chair on the deck one hut over from ours. Yes, the rooms were round huts with thatched roofs and are situated on the side of a hill overlooking Lake Malawi. The place has a really an interesting layout. We asked Samuel how many other guests there were tonight and I think he said there were only one or two others.

Back to dinner…It looked like it was just going to be us at dinner but then a young man walked in around the same time. After exchanging hellos and some chit chat we invited him to join us. Turns out he is a new doctor in the clinic Nkathabay, stationed there for a year. He’s from Blantyre in southern Malawi…really nice guy. His name is Kumbo (not sure of the spelling). He had gotten in late because he had gone out to a village today to investigate a cluster of five deaths from an undetermined cause. He didn’t find the answer today…more time is needed.

So, now we are back in our room…or rather our hut, and as I write this, I am hearing a lot of howling in the near distance…dogs? wolves? I’m pretty pooped and we have an early start tomorrow.
 

Today, Steve, Joseph, John, and Allabi took us to visit some CPAR farm projects. To get there we drove for two hours on a very bumpy road off the highway. We had visited the same area on our last trip but at that time of year the road was wet and some areas of it washed out so I guess dry and bumpy is better!

I was feeling tired today and most of the stops were in pretty sunny areas so I stayed in the truck at all but the first one. But we left the back doors open so I could visit with people, mostly kids, there. It was fun. At a couple of the stops I pulled out the guitar and sang some songs for them, which they responded very positively to. But the real hit was the camera. At one of the stops, they went wild with excitement when I took their picture and completely out of control when I showed it to them on the preview screen. Poor Dwight had to come over and ask me to keep the noise down cause he was trying the conduct an interview. Oops.

(Above) My view of the kids from the back of the truck

Two hours back to the highway on the same bumpy road we came in on and we were back at our hotel around 5:15pm.

We had about an hour to get cleaned up and change, and then John picked us up for dinner with some of the folks from the office. We went for a nice Indian meal with Towera, William, Victor, Tchaka, John, and Joseph. It was fun, and so nice to get to know them better.

It’s 9:30pm now but feels much later. I don’t think I can stay up much longer. Tomorrow we are starting an hour later than we have been, so we can hopefully sleep in a little bit.

John picked us up at 8 this morning and took us to the CPAR office here in Lilongwe. After introductions and renewed acquaintance with folks we’d met on our last visit, they presented a great overview of the projects they are working on.

After lunch, we headed out with Joseph, Patricia, Dennis, and Vincent to visit an educational one about child survival near Lilongwe…a CPAR/Unicef partnership.  On the way we picked up Lucy and Frank, who work for the government youth services. This year, there have been many deaths from Cholera in Malawi, so in emergency response, prevention information has been added to the project. Thirty Volunteers (men and women) from the community were given training, and then went door to door to share the knowledge. Today, we met some of the volunteers. While Dwight was talking to them about their work, I was having some fun with a bunch of kids who had come to see what was going on. They LOVED getting their pictures taken, especially getting to see themselves on the preview screen. Is there such a thing as a portable battery…or even better, solar powered photo printer? If yes, I wish I had one of those with me. It would be so fun to print out pictures and give them to the kids on the spot.

(Above) Some fun pics from the project visit

We got back to the hotel around 5pm and decided to go over to Shoprite to look around. It’s fun seeing all the different brands of products. There’s a restaurant close to it that serves Portuguese style chicken so we picked up a couple of wraps to take back to the hotel and ate them in the courtyard where we eat breakfast. It gets dark early here and there aren’t many lights on the street so we didn’t want to be out too long…there are lots of potholes/uneven surfaces on the sidewalks so walking can be tricky. It actually was already pretty dark as we were coming home.

I’m not sure what traditional Malawian food is like but it doesn’t seem easy to find here in Lilongwe. That’s too bad…some of the best dinners we have had on the trip are the traditional ones.

The hotel has wireless connection but I haven’t been able to log into it for more than a minute or two at a time. I wasted a lot of time trying tonight. Hopefully I will be able to use the service at the office tomorrow.

I talked to a really nice woman from Lilongwe at the airport and then coincidentally she was in the seat next to me on the plane. She used to be a secretary then decided to open her own store (ladies fashions) and travels around the world, buying. Her store is quite successful and she is raising, I think she said five, young orphaned nephews. One is already in University and one will enter next year. We’ve seen lots of evidence of the extended family support on this trip.

Arrived in Lilongwe, Malawi on time and I held my breath til the bags reappeared on the baggage belt. Given the lengthy layover, I was preparing myself for a luggage problem but it all came through. Yay, Kenya Airways! We stopped at the Forex Change Bureau in the airport just to get a bit of cash to get us started. Kids, stay in school, learn your math…you really do need it This is the third currency we’ve had to wrap our heads around and it can be confusing. In all cases we end up with huge wads of cash that looks like a lot of money but in our dollars isn’t really.

I find it a bit scary going through Customs in foreign countries because you never know what to expect. After seeing many people opening their bags and the agents poking thru them, I thought we might be there for awhile but we were fortunate…they just waved us thru. Then John from CPAR was waiting for us out front so everything went smoothly. He dropped us off at our hotel, which is the same place we stayed last trip. We really like it…it’s right in town so we can easily walk places. I was excited about going to Shoprite, which is a big S. African supermarket that has lots of cool stuff. But unfortunately today is Sunday and it was closed

So we walked over to the outdoor market, by the river, we had visited last time. It was later in the day so there wasn’t too much happening…mostly just used clothes, and some electronics booths were open. We walked back to our hotel and then went down to dinner at the restaurant attached to the hotel. We ate on the patio…it was a beautiful night. A little chilly, but hey, it is Winter! I had a glass of wine with dinner, which was a real treat…only the second of the whole trip. The only problem is that I was soooo tired because we’d had so little sleep and it totally knocked me out. I couldn’t get into bed fast enough when we got to our room and was out like a light well before 9pm!

We left Karatu at noon for the trip to the Kilimanjaro Airport. Well, it was actually about 12:20 cause Dwight had to stop and get a couple more Shukas. One never knows when one might need a Masai robe, so best to have several on hand

The drive was great…lots of beautiful scenery in Tanzania. We really enjoyed the time we spent here and the people we met.

(Above) Beautiful Tanzania

(Above) In Arusha the “taxis” all have different names. I tried to get a picture of one called ‘Led Zeppelin’ but missed it.

Since I started it with Uganda, I’m going to do a list of Random Observations for Tanzania as well…

- The most common language spoken is Swahili
- People are very friendly and polite
- When you stop in to see someone, you call out “Hodi” (or “Hodi Hodi” in more casual situations) and then wait for them to respond “Karibu”, which means Welcome; if they don’t respond then it means they don’t want to see you, so go away!
- The word “Shtuka” means shocked….”Nime Shtuka” means I am shocked. Ha ha, I love the sound of that. I think I will be shocked a lot when I get home, at least I will say I am!
- The Masai make the best security guards because everyone is afraid of them, they are known to be such fierce warriors
- The Acacia tree is abundant and has VERY pointy spikes on it; I got poked by a few when out in the field but luckily they didn’t break the skin
- When there has been a traffic accident on the highway, branches are placed on the road about 100ft in both directions to alert oncoming traffic; they do this in Uganda as well
- Tanzania gets two rainy seasons a year…the Long Rains in March thru May and the Short Rains in October and November; last year the Long Rains weren’t plentiful enough, which is why they are experiencing draught conditions now
- There are lots of tourists going on Safaris and the contrast between the luxurious lodges and real life for the many Tanzanians living in poverty is a bit difficult to reconcile
- It’s difficult to eat vegetarian…Tanzanians like their meat!

We had a 4 hour wait at the Kilimanjaro Airport but it actually went quite quickly. As I write this, we are at hour 5 of a 12 hour layover at the Nairobi Airport. It’s pretty quiet here right now. Oh, but earlier we had a celebrity sighting…Anthony Edwards (Dr. Green from ER) and his family were sitting at the table beside us! Dwight is snoozing and when he wakes up I will try to catch some zzzzzzzzzz’s.

Carrying a guitar in an airport is a great conversation starter. During the first few hours of strolling around the shops here, I got asked about it several times.

We haven’t seen TV or a newspaper in a week. To be honest, I can’t say I miss it. Hope all is well in the rest of the world. After I post this, perhaps I will Google a bit and see what’s happening.

P.S. I thought of a few more Random Observations of Northern Uganda so I’m going to update the list at the bottom of my July 25th post with them.

(Above) Me in the market

On the edge of the market there was a little tailor shop with lots of colourful Kengas (the wraps that women wear). A young girl, Anna, greeted us at the door and she and Mama Nema started showing us a bunch of different patterns. Anna told us the price, which was a couple dollars more for each than what we’d seen at other places. However, we were enjoying their banter and decided it was worth the extra cost. So we picked up four there. I posed for a picture with the girls and then we were on our way. In the town, along the main highway, we went into a large store that had tons of Kengas and Shukas (Masai Wraps). The prices they quoted were great so we picked up more there.

(Above) Dwight buying Kengas and Shukas and coffee

On the walk back, a woman with a baby in a Kenga on her back came up to us with some baskets. We weren’t planning to buy baskets but guess what…we bought a basket Then whoosh…we were descended upon by several other women selling baskets, It was difficult to say no, so guess who bought a bunch of baskets I know you’re supposed to haggle and that usually gets you a better price but we just aren’t that great at it, generally because we feel guilty…these folks likely aren’t all that well off.

We hung out at the office for awhile; Dwight had some work to do and I was posting the previous day’s blog and checking email. We’ve been spoiled here having wireless Internet access almost every day. After a delicious lunch, Liz, one of the girls in the office showed me how to tie a Kenga on my head. When she did it, it looked lovely but then I tried it myself and it was kind of lopsided…ha ha. I’m sure I will improve with practise now that I know the technique. One thing I’ve noticed here is that mirrors are set very high up so I find it a bit difficult to use them. Which may not be a bad thing. I’ve abandoned all vanity on this trip. Between the heat of Uganda and the dust of Tanzania, there’s no point worrying about how I look. Still glad I chopped the hair off although even this short it has a mind of its own and seems to curl in weird ways.

The dust here is incredible…red and fine. I’ve noticed when we get back from the field I have this nice rosy tan appearance but it all stays on the facecloth when I wash my face!

In the afternoon we drove out with Jean to Awet School, about an hour from Karatu. It is a secondary school that is one of the top (academic) performing schools in the District. With the assistance of donors from Canada, a new dormitory is being built that will house 48 girls who currently have to travel long distances to school everyday and are often harassed on their way. Although Primary school education is government funded, Secondary school is quite expensive so it is quite an achievement for many families to send their kids. Families pull together to raise the money for it…it sounds like common practise for older siblings, who are working, to support their younger ones through school. The extended family network here is very important.

Awet is the school where those nurses from Ottawa (Sherry, Sylvie, Dina, and Carolyn) are doing their after school health education program with a group of female students. They were there when we arrived, and clearly the girls love them. Each had a couple of girls with their arms wrapped around them as they walked towards us. More students than usual were milling around because there was a football (soccer) game between their teachers and those of another school planned. Before they dispersed, we got the chance to sing a couple for songs for them and that was fun. We were on a raised platform looking out over a sea of beautiful young smiling faces. We planned to sing only one song, but when we were done, a young girl called out “One more song!” That was so sweet…how could we refuse?!

(Above) Dina, Sherry, Carolyn, and Sylvie vamping with their girls

Back at the hotel, we picked up some sodas and sat out in front of our room, reflecting on the day as the sun set. Once it was dark (approx. 7pm) we headed over to the dining room for dinner. About halfway there, all the lights went out. In the dining room they brought us a candle and that worked out just fine. After dinner, we stopped at the front desk to pick up another bag of laundry we’d taken in yesterday morning and one of the women on the hotel staff walked us back to our room with a candle. Just as we got to our room, the power came back on. Thank goodness cause, although it was nice for dinner, I don’t think it would have been so great in the room. We unpacked our laundry bag and were disappointed to find the laundry was still quite wet. Not sure how that happened unless they didn’t do the laundry til this afternoon, because both yesterday and today would have been great line drying days. We hung everything up in the bathroom by an open window so hopefully it will dry overnight…I don’t like the idea of packing damp clothes. Anyway, that was the first glitch here at the hotel so it’s not that big a deal.

Today, Deo, and Nderingo took us to visit some more farmers at the Sub Village of Maghesho who had participated in a CPAR agriculture/livestock program. Okay, I wasn’t going to mention bumpy roads again but I just have to. Wow, the CPAR folks here travel some rough terrain to do their work. The first two farms we visited weren’t accessible by vehicle so we went as far as we could where there were roads, then walked in the rest of the way. At one farm, that meant hiking up rather steep and rocky hill.

The climb was worth it though. The woman, Rebecca was so nice. She received a piglet from CPAR 9 months ago and now it is fully grown and pregnant. BTW, program participants in the area share a male pig provided by CPAR, in case you are wondering, as I did, how that happened when she was given only one baby piglet! So in a few months she will have another dozen or so piglets. As per the requirements of the program she will pass two of them on to other farmers in her community and keep the rest. She named the pig “Kuti Kuti”, which in Iraqi (her local language) describes the sound a pig makes (like Oink). I thought she was calling the pig Cutie…ha ha…well, it was kind of cute; all pink and seemed to have a smiley face! Incidentally Rebecca makes that climb up the rocky hill about 3 times a day, often carrying 20 litres of water.

(Above) Rebecca and Kuti Kuti

(Above) The road to Rebecca’s

When we got back to the car and started to drive away we got hung up on a rock and couldn’t move, so the guys built up a pile of rocks in front of one of the rear tires and thanks to 4 wheel drive, we got out. Not too far from there, we went to see the village vegetable plot where the farmers are growing Chinese Cabbage.

Because of the lack of rain, they have to use water they purchase from a water station. The scenery here is very deceptive. It seems beautiful and lush (i.e. green) when you look out over the landscape, but the green things we see are draught resistant plants that can’t be used for food or feed. A common theme of visits over the past few days has been impending crop failure due to lack of rain. It’s very sad because people put such effort into these crops and are so reliant on their success.

Not far from the Chinese Cabbage plot was another crop that Dwight and the others went to visit. There was no shade where we had been standing so I decided to wait for them in the truck. I am definitely not designed for prolonged sun exposure! There weren’t any people around so I decided to pass the time playing my guitar. Before long, a few people came around the car…one fellow leaned in the window to listen and we chatted a bit. 

After a while, Nderingo came to take me where the others were. A young farmer and his wife had invited us into their “kiosk” (small store with seating area) for a soda. That was so generous of them. Before we left, we sang a song for the group. It was really a wonderful visit for us.

(Above) Soda in the kiosk

(Above) Singing at Moghesho

We returned to the office and had a delicious lunch of beans, rice, and greens, then the guys, Jean, Naisosion, and us walked over to Umatu, the Women’s Resource centre I wrote about earlier in the week. The women had just completed baking a big batch of carrot and some banana muffins that were amazing. The women at this Centre have been through some pretty rough times, so when we were invited to sing for them, we chose ‘Marching’ and ‘I Wonder’…two of our “girl power” songs. It was so fun singing for them.

(Above) Sampling muffins at Umatu

A quick stop back at the office to check email and the hotel to freshen up, before going out with the gang from the office for a nice dinner. They are such a great group of people who are doing such important work.

While the days warm up nicely, the evenings and mornings are fleece-jacket-cold. As I write this in our hotel room, I have a blanket wrapped around my legs and my jacket on.

The first school we visited, Haraa, was very remote and involved driving on some of the roughest road I’ve ever been on…and I have been on rough road. Haraa was very high up on a mountain and although the drive was quite gruelling, the visit was well worthwhile and the view was spectacular. The kids sang for us, but unfortunately we were short on time so we couldn’t sing for them. Haraa’s tanks were completed after the last rains so they are anxiously awaiting the next rainy season (beginning in October) to fill them.

(Above) Students welcoming us on the road to Haraa

The next school we visited was Laja Endebash. When we arrived, the children were assembled to greet us. They sang for us, did this incredible marching formation, and then the younger ones did a traditional African dance for us. FABULOUS!!!! I chatted with a few of the teachers and they were really interesting. As a result of improved conditions since the installation of the water tanks and new latrines, this school has moved from last place academic standing, in their Ward, to first place.

While Dwight was interviewing kids from the water committee I was hanging out with some little kids who were hilarious. They weren’t students there…too young I think. so I guess they were from nearby houses. They were giggling and goofing around…I managed to get them to say their names and of course when I said mine, that brought the house down. When I asked them if I could take their picture, they lined up to pose but all looked so serious. I tried to encourage them to smile and wasn’t getting anywhere, but then a teacher who was watching nearby called out something that got them giggling. They loved seeing their picture in the preview screen.

(Above) The little kids at Endebash

The last stop was a farm that benefitted from some CPAR agriculture/animal projects and seems to be prospering. The family is building a new brick house to replace a small hut they are all living in now (2 adults, 8 kids). By then I was quite pooped and stayed under a tree in the shade trying to chat with the farmer’s children. I saw the ugliest chicken in the world there…poor little guy had only a few feathers on his wings, and nowhere else.

(Above) The ugly chicken

I mentioned the rough roads earlier. Well, I’ve developed a few theories with of course no scientific proof to back them up. And keep in mind when reading them that my head was shaken about quite a bit today so…

1) After a ride on a really bumpy road I think some kind of hormone is released that makes you forget just how bumpy it was so you will actually get back in the car again. Because the next time, even if it is like half an hour later, you get back in the car and you’re like “I can’t believe it’s this bumpy.” Sort of like the hormone released after childbirth.

2) The bumpy road TO a destination is exponentially longer than the bumpy road FROM it…even when it’s exactly the same route.

Well, as I said I am very tired tonight. It’s just after 10pm but feels way later. We have an early start tomorrow. Actually everyone here does, when a nearby church bell rings at 6am for 5 mins straight. Apparently it happens every morning but somehow (and I can’t imagine because it’s so loud) we missed it on Tues. We certainly heard it this morning.

Then we headed to the office to meet up with Mohammed, Nderingo, and Deo who were taking us out for the day (more bumpy roads!) to visit some rainwater harvesting projects at schools in some remote areas. One of the schools has tanks that have been operational through a full cycle of seasons (rainy and dry), one school has had tanks through one (short) rain season, and one was just constructed in May and they are waiting for the rains of Oct. to fill the tanks for the first time.

Rainwater harvesting involves building huge (30,000 L) tanks that capture the rain during the rainy season and store it for use throughout the year. The tanks do not allow any sunlight to reach the water, which helps keep the water free from bacteria. The water is used by the schools for drinking and washing. And none of it is wasted. At the handwashing stations, the used water is captured in a plastic tub and then used to water trees and other plants on the school grounds.

The availability of clean water has had a tremendous impact…attendance is up, kids don’t faint during the day, grades are higher! Before, the kids were supposed to bring water from home to school every day, and if they didn’t they were punished, however water was scarce at home too so many couldn’t, yet their parents wanted them to go to school. Therefore, to avoid punishment at either end, often they would leave in the morning and just hang out somewhere until after school hours.

In conjunction with the rainwater harvesting, new pit latrines were constructed for the girls at these schools. Before, they shared facilities with the boys and there was a big issue of privacy. And, the new latrines, combined with clean water have greatly improved sanitation. Attendance of girls at these schools has improved with the new construction. They are beautifully built and well maintained.

Our arrival at the schools created lots of excitement! The first one was during class time so the kids were leaning out the windows and doors calling to us, waving and smiling. It was so cool. When we reached the second school, the kids were on their lunch break and were all out on the grounds. We had a blast with them, taking pictures and showing them on the camera screens…we were literally mobbed by kids, leaning in to look. It was so fun! At that school, the kids sang a few songs for us, then we sang for them. I’m so glad we brought the travel guitar along on this trip.

At the first school we talked with some of the older kids about what they want to do for careers. One girl wants to be the President of Tanzania, another a Sister (nun), two want to be teachers. One boy wants to be a doctor, another the Vice President. All very impressive goals.

(Above) Dwight surrounded by kids

(Above) Me surrounded by kids

(Above) The view from where I stood

(Above) Singing for the kids

We really enjoyed all the visits…and the CPAR hosts were wonderful. I felt like I learned so much today.

We had a fun dinner tonight. We went with Jean and her son to a place in Karatu called ‘Kuku George’s’…Kuku is Swahili for chicken. It appears the chicken is deep fried in a big pot of oil then cooked on a grill so it has a smoky flavour. It’s served all cut up in chunks on a big platter and you eat it with your hands, along with a bowl of fries each. It was really tasty. The place itself was interesting. We were sitting out front where you can watch all the activity on the street. And, an interesting mix of diners; there was a table of Masai men behind us in their colourful robes.

The day was warmer today but it cooled off while we were having dinner and we needed our sweaters. Oh, I forgot to tell you some exciting news…we got our laundry back today…choices…Woohoo!

Had breakfast at our hotel just before 9am…fresh fruit (watermelon, mango, and banana), omelette, toast!!, passion fruit juice, and of course milk coffee; here they use ‘Africafe’ brand of instant coffee made in Tanzania. This was a much bigger breakfast than what we’ve been used to.

It is very cool here right now…although it is Winter; apparently it is cooler than it should be at this time of year. I don’t know what the temp is, but would guess it was around the 15C range…quite a contrast from the sweltering conditions in Northern Uganda last week. I wore my fleece sweater all day and tonight our hotel room is quite chilly. We sent our clothes to be laundered but won’t get them back til tomorrow as everything is hand washed and line dried and all I have to sleep in tonight is a t-shirt. But I think it will be fine once under the covers, especially with the mosquito net down, which kind of warms things up.

After breakfast and a few quick stops…foreign exchange bureau and gas station…it was off to Karatu where the CPAR office is. On the road, about 20 mins. from Arusha, we had a tire puncture, which Mohammed took care of quite quickly.

It is very interesting driving on the highway. We saw Masai people, in bright (red and blue) robes and walking sticks herding their cattle. We saw a couple of giraffes munching on tree leaves. The scenery is breathtaking…savannah dotted with trees; lots of them, but they are spread out and there are mountain ranges in the background of some views. In that area it was a bit like parts of Alberta where it’s very flat with the Rockies in the background.

(Above) Masai

Then we drove thru the Rift Valley, incredibly beautiful and lush, which extends from Ethiopia to South Africa. Karatu is on the other side of mountain at the end of the valley. There is a lookout point at the top of the mountain where you get an amazing view of the valley and Lake Manyara. Definitely a tourist hotspot…there is a public bathroom (with flush toilets!) just across the road from the lookout point and MANY craft shops, advertising bathrooms as well…ha ha.

Speaking of bathrooms, we learned today that Tanzanians prefer the “squat” toilets to the porcelain bowls and when given a choice will choose them. The squats are actually more sanitary by design. It’s a bit of a skill to use one of those and keep your balance though. I got pretty adept at it on our last trip but this time haven’t had as many occasions to use them.

There is a new highway from Arusha to Karatu that has reduced the travel time by 4 hours! The road was funded by the Japanese government. We arrived at the CPAR office early in the afternoon. We met some Engineering students from a university in California who are developing a solar power system that can bring power to rural areas. Today they were in a village and had a successful first trial. When we saw them back at the office later in the day, they were so pumped by the experience, it was great to see. There are others here from Ottawa; a nurse and her nursing students who are spending the month in a secondary school doing health training and education. We haven’t met them yet but likely will as we are staying at the same hotel. I am so impressed that all these young people are so enthusiastic about helping people over here…there is hope for the future!

Speaking of hope for the future. Barack Obama is big stuff here!! His face is on colourful wraps for sale along the highway and t-shirts. Actually I noticed the t-shirts in Uganda as well. I took a great picture of a rack of the wraps from the car. I’m not sure if I can upload them while I’m over here…if not, I will when I get home.

(Above) Wraps (Kengas) with Obama’s picture

We had lunch with Jean, the CPAR Tanzania Country Director and Japhet, the Program Manager and then they took us to see the Umatu Resource Centre for women living with HIV. To fund their outreach programs, they have and continue to develop income generating opportunities that are filling a need in the community (e.g. breadmaking, renting the hall in the Resource Centre to groups for educational training/meetings). The Centre was funded by a group of Canadian donors that wanted to give back to the community in conjunction with their climbs of Mt. Kilimanjaro. The Umatu Resource Centre is a real success story.

I am so glad we brought the travel guitar with us. Earlier this evening I was plunking out the chords for a new song I’m writing about the draught in Uganda that I told you about in earlier posts. It is very dry and dusty around Karatu too. While it is the dry season, unfortunately they didn’t have a good enough rainy season so farmers are struggling here too.

Our first flight was from Kampala to Nairobi (approx. 1 hr). Then after a 2 hour layover there we took another flight of about an hour to Kilimanjaro Airport near Arusha. That plane was a small one, a propellery type…obviously I am an aviation expert LOL.  I was a bit nervous at first but as we neared Mt. Kilimanjaro I realized that we never would have had such a magnificent view from various angles if we were on a jet. It was amazing to see it in person but was also alarming to see how little snow remains on the peaks. Dwight was here in 2004 and noticed a significant difference in just that short time.

(Above) Mt. Kilimanjaro from the airplane; Note how little snow is left on the peaks. 

I was particularly interested in seeing Mount Kilimanjaro for myself after co-writing ‘Mercury Rising’ with my friend Kim Cole. For those of you reading this who are not familiar with the song, it is about the effects of Global Warming on this country. This song and others I’ve mentioned in previous blog posts will be on our new CD, which is coming out in September. Most of the songs were inspired by our last visit to Africa so they come to mind frequenlty throughout this trip. Both Dwight and I are each working on a new song. Travelling is very inspiring.

Mohammed met us at the airport and took us to our hotel in Arusha. A drive that should take half an hour, takes twice that long because of speed bumps all along the route…not as jarring or frequent as the ones being used during road construction in Uganda though.

When we arrived at the hotel shortly after 8pm, the parking lot was full and the place was a hive of activity. There was a big wedding reception underway on the grounds, under huge white tents, and a church meeting/dinner in the dining room of the hotel. Some tables were set up in the entrance of the hotel where other hotel guests were eating so we had dinner there. Dwight and I split a small vegetarian pizza; it was getting late and neither of us felt like a heavy meal. It was delicious. I realized tonight that I am Fanta Oranged-out after drinking it daily for the past week so will have to choose another bevy tomorrow. I haven’t drunk this much soda in years. Interestingly, the menu had an impressive offering of Italian dishes, presumably to cater to tourists that frequent the area…Arusha is a popular place for safaris and of course mountain climbing.

As I write this (11pm) the wedding dance is in full swing…sounds like everyone is having fun. Just heard some Lionel Ritchie and now they are playing dance music. Sounds just like a wedding back home.

It is much cooler here than it was in Uganda so we should sleep well tonight.

A highlight of the trip so far has to be a visit we made this morning to see a woman named Carolyn whom we met in 2007. Back then she was a recent beneficiary of a CPAR program for animal traction. She really left an impression on us…first because she was so interesting in the presentation she did for us and also because of her generosity. As we were packing up to leave she came running to the truck with some sodas she had purchased for us…it was a hot day. That was so kind of her. So we hoped to see her again this trip. Dwight brought a picture with him and with the help of a really nice young man named Benson Gwom from the sub-county council; we were able to find where she lived. Benson rode with us and would show the picture to people along the road and ask if they recognized her.

She was as wonderful as we remembered her. She showed us around her farm, introduced us to her family, and we had a wonderful visit with her. The program allowed her to grow her farm from one acre in 2007 to seven acres today. It is a real success story. All of her kids are in school and her farm business is thriving. Being able to educate your children is an important measure of success here. 

(Above) Carolyn with her husband Benson, and one of her sons

After that, we met with two other people with similar stories, Calvin and Eunice. Both had been helped by CPAR over the past few years and are now quite successful. I was impressed by how they each used what they got from the programs to start building businesses. For example, Calvin received training and seeds to grow rice. He then used money from selling the rice he grew to invest in welding equipment and is now doing metal work…and training apprentices. Such an enterprising man. All of his children, except the two that are too young, are in school. Eunice has a similar story. She learned all about growing oranges from CPAR agriculture training and now has her own nursery. All of her children are in school AND her husband is attending university in an agriculture program. I am so impressed with the work that CPAR does. It’s not about handouts…they give people the resources to become successful.

After a great morning of visits, it was time to head back to Kampala. On the ride out of Lira we witnessed a car/motorcycle accident just ahead of us. A car nicked the motorcycle from behind and it went down. The driver of the motorcycle got up right away and ran to the side of the road but his passenger was lying on the road. Henry and Dwight got out to see if they could help and luckily when they reached him, the fellow came to and it looks like he will be okay…just some scrapes. Some other men helped him to the side of the road and we continued on. That was scary to see and I’m so glad it wasn’t more serious.

At the crossroads from Lira to Gulu (North) and Kampala (South), we stopped to pick up some fruit and the car was swarmed by people selling stuff…meat on a stick, bottled water, peanuts, fruit, cooked corn on the cob, live chickens. I told the young man I didn’t have anywhere to put a chicken and he said “In your suitcase!” Good salesman…offering solutions.

(Above) At the crossroads, any vehicle that stops is surrounded by vendors

We stopped for lunch in a “trading centre” (small cluster of small merchants etc.) along the highway. Dwight and I split an order of beans and posho. By the time we finally got to our hotel in Kampala, we were really pooped. We said goodbye to Henry and checked into our room. Then we walked down the road to a mall that Dwight had been to when he was here in 2005. It was really neat, but the prices are pretty high. I had thought about buying another pair of jeans because I could use one more pair on the trip but the ones I saw were all over $50 and I decided I didn’t need them that badly.

Actually what I need is to do some laundry!!! A week in very hot humid weather had depleted much of what I brought. But I think I will have that opportunity in a couple of days when we are in Tanzania so just have to hang on til then.

We ate dinner here at the hotel tonight and ordered Indian food, which was very good. And it’s a lovely evening so we ate it on the outdoor patio.

Tomorrow we leave Uganda. It’s been a great visit and I wish we had more time here. Here are some Random Observations about Northern Uganda…

- People are very friendly and very polite; lots of smiles
- When you arrive somewhere people say “You are welcome”
- Potatoes are referred to as “Irish” as in “I’ll have beans and Irish please”
- “Real Food” refers to Ugandan staples such as posho, matoke, beans, rice
 Added Aug. 1, 2009…
- When you visit someone’s home or community they ask you to sign their Guest Book
- There is always a pair of flip-flops at the entrance to the bathroom of hotels
- The shower is in the middle of the bathroom so pretty much everything gets wet
- No menus at the restaurants we ate at…server would just tell us what items they had left to offer
- “Short Call” is a pee break!

We started off today with a meeting at the CPAR office. They gave a great overview of all the projects underway and expressed the need for continued support of Northern Uganda in the rebuilding process, which is something we definitely have witnessed firsthand.

Just before we said goodbye to head on to Lira, we sang ‘Gulu’ for them. For those of you reading this who haven’t heard it yet, it is a song Dwight wrote about the civil war and the hope for peace in Uganda. Thankfully that peace is here now.

The next stop was the Awero Health Centre where we dropped to see how it is doing since our last visit in 2007. The maternity ward was busy…three women were waiting to see a doctor, one woman was delivering and several others were in the recovery room with their newborns….teeny tiny little cuties. Across the yard at the outpatient department, was a large crowd of people waiting to see the doctor.

When we arrived in Lira, we learned there is a big wedding of a government official from Kampala this weekend. As a result, our hotel reservation had been given away to wedding guests who were committed to staying longer than us. Yikes! I was a little nervous. Luckily, after trying several (six) other hotels that were fully booked with wedding guests, we managed to find one that seems to have just opened and were able to get rooms there. And they have hot water in the shower…our first of the trip. We both took showers when we checked in and I didn’t have any hot water so assumed there was none, but by the time Dwight got in it had heated up.

(Above) Our room in Lira

The hotel isn’t prepared for food service yet so we drove into Lira and found a tiny little place where we had a delicious meal. I had beans, posho, and cowpeas, and of course a Fanta orange drink. My meal totalled 3200 shillings, which is roughly $1.85. We have developed quite a liking for posho so Henry told me the recipe and I plan to make it when we get home.

Things look at bit more lush around Lira…comparatively speaking but they are not having enough rain either. But again those skeeters are a nuisance tonight.

Speaking of water…it is surprising how obsessed you can become about water when you can’t just drink it from the tap whenever you want. I feel the need to acquire vast quantities of bottled water. However, I drink sparingly as bathroom facilities are not available when out in the field.

(Above) Mat Ward Delivery Room 

(Above) Mat Ward Recovery Room

(Above) Mat Ward Stats

While walking through the facility, we thought we heard a child moaning but then we saw it was a young woman in labour. She was sitting on the floor in the back entrance. I felt sorry for her sitting there alone but I guess she was in early stages so didn’t need assistance yet.

The main reason today was so tiring was because it was extremely hot. I don’t even know what the temp was but man it was a steamer. Also, we covered a lot of distance. The projects we visited were pretty remote. Some requiring long walks in from the road.

We went to see an animal traction program (harness for oxen used in plowing). After walking 15 mins. through corn and other fields to reach it, I stood out in the field with the gang for about 10 mins. but then couldn’t take the heat and sun any longer. So, I decided to walk back to the farmer’s hut where his wife and two small children and some SHADE were.

The woman’s name was Rose and she didn’t speak English. The couple of words I’ve learned in Acholi at least allowed us to exchange names and for me to thank her for bringing me a chair to sit on. Other than that, we exchanged a lot of smiles and hung out for about half an hour. At one point I took a picture of her and the kids and showed it to her on the preview screen. She was quite happy about that and excitedly showed the kids. When I get home, I’m going to print off a copy and send it to her thru the CPAR office here. 

(Above) Rose and her children

When I learned the next stop involved another hike through fields, I opted to stay in the car, parked on the road with Henry. I’m glad I did…turns out it was 2kms. By the time the group returned to the car it was getting close to 7pm, much later than expected, and nearing sunset. Because the roads are so poor and the areas so remote it is not good to drive at night. In the event of a breakdown or tire puncture you could be stranded for some time. Luckily we made it back to Pader safe and sound with most of the journey behind us before the darkness set in. On the plus side, we witnessed a beautiful Ugandan sunset from the truck!

Back at the hotel, we enjoyed a nice dinner (chicken stew and rice) with the CPAR staff…Mike, Ema, Charles, Anthony, David, George, and Henry. They are a great bunch of guys and are making us feel so welcome here.

Pader is a very different town since we were here in 2007. If you get a moment, check the Blog Archive and read about it. During the war it was a hot spot for rebel activity and a very dangerous place to be so there were very few businesses operating in the town. Now it is booming. In fact, the hotel where we are staying is new construction. Pader doesn’t have electricity yet but will by October…the poles are up and ready for the lines. In the meantime, businesses use generators. At the hotel the generator is on from 7pm-12am. Unfortunately that means the fan will go off at that time and it is quite hot in here.

Unlike the other areas we’ve visited this week, Pader has had a bit of rain (not nearly enough but at least some). The downside, for us is that mosquitos are more plentiful here.

Postscript added the following morning:
While getting ready for bed, I noticed 3 big (including one HUGE…seriously) spiders on the wall by the window. Dwight got two of them but the huge one got away. All I can say is thank goodness we had good netting over the bed, which was of course we tucked in very tightly all around the mattress.

Today, one of the projects we visited was a group of people near Gulu who are planting ground nut (peanut) crops as part of a CPAR/UNDP joint program. They like others we’ve met are being affected by the unusual lack of rain in the past while, which is rapidly becoming a serious life and death problem in the region.

In spite of that, when we arrived they greeted us with a welcome song, which is such an amazing experience. We’d brought along a little travel guitar on the trip because in 2007 when people sang for us we thought it would be nice to sing for them too. So, just before it was time to leave, we sang ‘Marching’. For those of you reading this who haven’t heard it, it’s a song about strong women and how they keep going no matter what. It seemed appropriate for this group, largely comprised of women. I’m not sure how many of them actually understood English well enough to get the lyrics but their response was so lovely and warm. They were smiling and moving to the music while we played and then they cheered at the end!

I was already feeling a bit emotional and then they sang a farewell, safe journey song (in English) for us, led by a young woman from the group. As we thanked them, she said “Please don’t forget us when you go home. We won’t forget you.” I was glad to have my sunglasses on at that moment.

(Above) The farewell song

Remember yesterday I mentioned how people seemed unfamiliar with the name Sue? Coincidentally we visited a project today where we met an older woman named Dorothy, who is the village Chairman. Her daughter’s name is Sue. So she said I could call her Mama Dorothy.

Since arriving in the north on Monday, we have had the pleasure of visiting projects with some wonderful CPAR people who we’ve met this trip (Peter from Kampala, Dennis, James and Sam from Gulu) and in our previous trip (Henry from Kampala, and Henry from Gulu). We said goodbye to everyone today, except Henry from Kampala and this evening when we arrived in Kitgum we met up our hosts for the next few days…Michael, Charles, and Anthony. They are another great bunch of people.

Bumpy road report for the day…the road from Gulu to Kitgum is probably the bumpiest yet. I hope my internal organs are well secured or they are a jumbled mess inside!! Luckily Henry is an experienced driver and knows these roads well.

It was a VERY hot day today but it cooled down a bit this evening and we had a nice dinner on the grounds of our hotel. The hotel we stayed at in Gulu was a local one, and all the other guests appeared to be Africans. The guests at this hotel, here in Kitgum, are people from all over the world working with charitable organizations. You can tell by all the vehicles with logos in the parking lot. And of course all the “munu” faces!

Peace talks between the government and the rebel army that terrorized the region began almost 3 years ago and although a formal agreement has still not been signed, the process of rebuilding is well underway and approximately 80 percent of the people living in camps have gone back to their villages.

But that isn’t as easy as it sounds. After so many years, most are rebuilding from scratch. And while there were many charities working in the region providing emergency services during the war, fewer remain to assist in the rebuilding process.

Today we visited three different communities that are benefitting from projects CPAR is implementing in partnership with UNDP (United Nations Development Program). They were all north of Gulu, closer to the Sudan border an area hard hit during the rebel activity.

What I saw were well organized, hard-working people who want so badly to be self sufficient and improve their standard of living. All are so appreciative of the help they are receiving. They remain optimistic in the face of many obstacles. For example, changes in weather patterns have been problematic for some of the communities, last year ruining their crops with too much rain, and this year with too little. They have been through so much; I wish they could cut a break.

On a humourous note, I was able to provide some laughs for the children…just by being there. The same thing happened last trip, in rural areas where they haven’t had much exposure to blonde, blue-eyed, pale-skinned women. First they look me over, from afar. Then, after I wave and smile at them, they venture closer. And before you know it they are right up close laughing like crazy! And, possibly the funniest thing of all seems to be my name…even the adults seem to get a chuckle from it. I guess Sue isn’t a name you hear too often in these parts.

(Above) “Sue”…ha ha ha ha!!! 

Remember yesterday I was remarking how the roads to Gulu had improved since our last visit in 2007? From Gulu to the north, not so good. Kinda made yesterday’s 5 miles of speed bumps seem not so bad in retrospect.

(Above) The road to Raa

Once we returned to Gulu, Dwight and I went for a walk to the market and around the town. As I mentioned yesterday, it is really bustling. Prices have increased since our last visit but are still very reasonable by Canadian standards. The currency here is the Ugandan Shilling…approximately 2000 shillings = $1CDN. Handing over thousands of shillings feels like you are spending a fortune until you do the calculation. My dinner of Okra, Rice, and a bottle of Fanta Orange drink was 3500 shillings…less than $2!

(Above) Me in Gulu

The streets of Gulu are filled with boda bodas (motorcycles) and the drivers call out to you offering their services as you pass by. Although it seems to be the most popular mode of public transportation, I can’t see myself climbing on the back of one in this traffic chaos. Walking safely was a challenge with traffic coming in all directions. We tried to stick to sidewalks wherever available.

I am so glad I got a short haircut before this trip. Although I forgot to consider the curl factor, so it looks even shorter since I’ve been here in this very hot and muggy weather.

Okay, enough of my yakking for tonight. Hope to get Internet access soon so I can post this.

So far we have spent a lot of time sitting in transit. Our flights from Toronto to Amsterdam then Amsterdam to Entebbe totalled almost 14 hours. Both flights were full and on the flight to Entebbe, our seats were in the very last row. That means we were pretty much at the end of the lines for the H1N1 screening and passport/visa check. By the way, the H1N1 screening just involves filling out a form so nothing scary. Fortunately they are quite efficient at the airport and the lines moved quickly.
 
Henry, a driver from CPAR was at the airport in Entebbe to meet us and take us to our hotel in Kampala. We met him on our last trip here and it was so nice to see a familiar face in the crowd at the airport.

The ride from Entebbe to Kampala took about 45 mins. I had forgotten what an interesting trip that is. It was Sunday night around 9pm and the route lined with shops, clubs, and bars was bustling with crowds of people. Apparently Ugandans don’t wind down on Sunday nights the way we do…all three weekend nights are enjoyed to the fullest.

After a quick stop to pick up some bottled water we checked into our hotel. Our room was quite small and basic but had everything we needed…clean sheets and a mosquito net with no holes! It’s pretty hot and humid here and at first we couldn’t get the fan working. There’s some little trick to plugging a two prong plug into the three prong socket and we couldn’t remember what it was. Problem was solved when we got a power bar from the front desk.

We were both exhausted from catching only a few hours sleep during our flights, and slept pretty soundly, until the rooster alarms started going off outside around 6a.m. We had set our own alarm for 7:30 so went back to sleep til then. Breakfast at the hotel was 2 thick slices of bread with margarine or honey, a hard boiled egg, fresh cut up pineapple and instant coffee.

Henry picked us up and we headed over to the CPAR office. After meeting with the new Exec. Director of CPAR Uganda, some other new folks, and some we met last visit, it was on to Gulu.

“North beyond the river upon Acholi ground, lies our destination all aboard for Gulu town.” The road to Gulu used to be riddled with really deep potholes, but over the past few years a project has been underway to repave the highway. It is pretty good now, except the area where they are currently working. There, for a stretch of what I think is about 5 miles, the road has speed bumps set every 25 feet to slow traffic. Not the smooth “traffic calming” bumps we are used to at home but rough, don’t mess with us bumps. Even at a very slow speed in a 4 wheel drive it’s a pretty intense organ jostling experience.

A note about driving in Uganda…I haven’t noticed any posted speed limits and other signage is very limited. Cars, trucks, bicycles, and motorcycles (boda bodas) weave in and out. There is lots of horn honking and pedestrians walking along roads and highways often literally jump out of the way.

When we arrived at our hotel in Gulu, the power was out…I think throughout the whole town. The hotel has a generator that went on at 7pm. Within about an hour from then though, the power returned. We were eating dinner on the front patio looking out onto a dark street til then. Dinner was great…I had beans and rice, while Dwight had beans, matoke (a mashed cooked banana dish) and posho (a corn meal dish) all of which I sampled. Everything was delicious.

Gulu has changed significantly since we were here in 2007…much bigger. There is so much new development. The town is thriving. Tomorrow we will head out to visit the CPAR projects in the area.

For the first leg of the trip, we flew into Winnipeg and rented a car to drive from there to Saskatoon. We decided to take the more scenic Yellowhead Route, which we hadn’t been on since we lived in Saskatoon years ago. In those days we drove between Winnipeg and Saskatoon regularly and took for granted the beauty of the prairie sky. It really is incredible…the land is so flat in places, you feel like you can see forever. And those “prairie skycrapers” (grain elevators) are a thing of beauty.

It seemed whenever we made a turn or stopped the car, I would notice a strange rattling sound that sounded like it was coming from under the car, so we got out to investigate but didn’t see anything unusual. Finally, I reached under my seat and found the culprit…a full bottle of Labatt’s Blue. Not sure if that is some kind of frequent renter perk
 
Saskatoon was a real trip down memory lane…we drove past our first apartment, our first house, visited some of our favourite old haunts and even ordered a pizza from our former corner pizzeria, the Venice House on 8th St. It was as delicious as we remembered it. We stayed with friends in Saskatoon, which was fabulous. I’ve always appreciated my friends but as I get older I think I realize even more how important it is to have good friends. You know, the kind where you don’t see each other for ages but when you get together you easily pick up where you left off.

On our last day there, some friends took us up to Batoche for the day. We hadn’t been in years so that was a real treat for us. The song ‘Maria’s Place’ by Connie Kaldor was going through my head, the whole time. Now I can think of all sorts of adjectives to describe the feelings evoked by walking on the grounds of the Northwest Rebellion…moving, powerful, haunting…but do you think I could when I was signing the guest book in the interpretive centre? No…so forever recorded for history is that I thought it was “very interesting” Sigh.

Saskatoon wasn’t all just fun and visiting though, we did play two shows while in town. Okay, they were fun too. We played at the Prairie Ink Restaurant at the McNally Robinson bookstore on 8th Street. The McNally bookstores are great supporters of Canadian artists…writers and musicians. And their clientele reflects that too.

The next leg of the trip was to the family cottage in the Whiteshell (Manitoba). We left Saskatoon early in the morning and drove straight through…about 11 hours. That’s a lot of driving for folks who don’t normally drive or even own a car back home! This time we took the Trans Canada Hwy. A little less scenic than the Yellowhead but 4 lanes, so less chance of being stuck behind large slow moving farm equipment for stretches en route. We arrived at the cottage in time to see a beautiful Manitoba sunset. The next few days were spent just hanging out reading, canoeing, walking, communing with nature, and playing music on the deck.

During the hours on the road I had finally finished writing a song I’d been working on over the past month (the third in my “girl power trilogy”). I played it for Dwight at the cottage for the first time. After a few tweaks…he thought one line was a bit cliche and I agreed…we began working on an arrangement. He was, and a lot of other folks it seems will be pleased to hear that this song will feature the beloved “Hohner Stud”. Yes, that little accordian gifted to us by our friend Kevin Quain, has proven to be a fun addition to our show. Who knew accordians had such appeal! 

While out at the cottage we did a radio interview with Leanne Doty of CKLQ in Brandon, where we’d be playing our next show. There’s no phone at the cottage so we called in and did the interview from a phone booth outside a little store at Peniac Bay. It was going along smoothly until, in the final moments of the interview, some dude pulls up on an ATV, doing wheelies across the parking lot. Ha ha!

Next stop…gig at the Lady Of The Lake Cafe and Pub. We picked up our bass player, Brock Peters, in Winnipeg and made the two hour drive to Brandon. Hey what a coincidence that our bass player has the same last name as we do! It’s not really. He’s our nephew who happens to be an amazing bass player. Dwight sent him some charts for some songs and the others he just winged brilliantly. What a treat it was to have him join us. Lady Of The Lake is another awesome venue to play.

Then it was back to Winnipeg for the remainder of the trip. We had two gigs scheduled…the first at the Prairie Ink Restaurant at the McNally Robinson bookstore at Grant Park. The place was packed…some of our family had to wait til after our first set ended to get a table. It was an awesome night. We were so thrilled when one of the salespeople from the Music Dept. made a point of coming to tell us they’d sold several of our CDs and we’ll have to send more! Our second Winnipeg show was a private party…a birthday celebration for the sister of a good friend who comes out to our shows whenever we are in town. The party was held in a stately home on Wellington Crescent…it was a really beautiful afternoon.

We had an unusual adventure while in Winnipeg…we found a toddler!!! One morning on our way to meet friends for breakfast Dwight says “Look at that!!” I had been rummaging in my purse and when I looked up, was shocked to see a baby, clad only in diapers and holding a bottle brush, standing in the middle of the road…no adult in sight. I hopped out of the car, ran over to him and said “Hey what are you doin’ here?” He smiled and reached up for me to pick him up. I carried him to the boulevard and started asking him if he knew where he lived or where his Mommy was. He was babbling a blue streak and of course none of it made sense.

So I called 911 and was assured by the dispatcher that this was a priority call…oh, and would I stay with the child? Ummmm…yes of course I would. That question seemed ridiculous until a woman from a nearby apartment told me she had witnessed the car ahead of us veer around the baby and keep driving. After 20 minutes and no sign of the police, she said it looks like I would have to keep the baby, adding she thought he kind of looked like me. So naturally I dialled 911 again and was again assured by the dispatcher that this was a priority call. In normal time 20 minutes isn’t long but it seems long when you are trying to corral and entertain a toddler within a few feet area around a tree…the only shady spot in the vicinity. Long story short, after another 25 minutes (45 in all) and still no sign of the police, the baby’s frantic mother came running from across the street. She thought he was upstairs in his room but the little monkey had let himself out. One more call to 911 to cancel the “emergency” and we were on our way. Luckily I was able to reach the friends we were meeting and let them know we would be late…they agreed finding a toddler was a pretty good excuse for being tardy.

The rest of our time in The Peg was spent visiting and eating and eating and did I mention eating? Seemed like we ate constantly and still couldn’t make it to all our fave places. Oh well, next time.

Back in Toronto yesterday for our last Cameron House Matinee before taking July and August off. We continued our residency through the last two Summers but this year we decided to take a break cause we plan to do some travelling in Africa next month. What a wonderful send-off…a bunch of great friends came out and we had a lovely afternoon. We are going to miss our weekly show but look forward to resuming our weekly schedule again in September…hopefully with some new songs inspired by our travels! 

Yesterday’s concert was hosted by a wonderful Toronto poet, named Allan Rose, who we met at The Cameron House. The concert took place in the backyard of his home, which overlooks a ravine. What a treat it was to play outdoors in such a beautiful setting, on such a gorgeous afternoon.

There were little birds chirping in the tree beside where we were playing, robins were working the greens, and big fluffy white “Simpsons” clouds filled the bright blue sky. I noticed all of that because I am trying to stop and smell the roses more often…you know, take a moment to look around and really see what’s there. It’s not as easy as it sounds, at least for me. As someone who can be easily distracted or worried about what coming up, I can forget to do that. But I am working on it!

The audience was amazing, with everyone listening intently. In between sets they were invited to read poems they’d written that reflect the themes of our music. We really enjoyed that. It was an eclectic mix of people and we were fortunate to get to chat with many of them throughout the afternoon.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention, the concert was followed by a great BBQ!

All the way home, that song ‘Perfect Day’ from the movie ‘Legally Blonde’ was going through my head…how appropriate!

I went out looking for a spot after 11 this morning and was lucky to find Dundas available. I’m becoming a bit of a fixture there. I know that because of the many Hellos and waves from familiar faces. I was there for about 2 hours.

Things started out well, with the perfect balance of busy-ness (i.e. people traffic) and noise level. I don’t like it when it is too busy because I feel like I get drowned out.

About an hour into my “shift”, a maintenance guy who was pushing a big bin piled high with garbage bags parked it a few feet directly in front of me then chatted loudly with a fellow worker for about 15 minutes. “Helllllooo I’m doing something here!” Well, I said that in my head anyway.

So, after he moved on, it’s going along great and then the announcement about a “medical emergency at track level” shutting down subway service on the Bloor line, started up…every 3 or 4 minutes for almost an hour…completely drowning me out. I was annoyed but then felt a bit guilty for feeling that way because a “medical emergency at track level”, lasting that long, probably means somebody was going through something pretty terrible.

I forgot to mention that when I started out today I couldn’t find my Lucky Turkish Twonie. It is a coin that I use as “seed money” in my guitar case…you know, just so there’s a little something there when you first get started. It looks like a real Twonie but is just a tad smaller in circumference. Perhaps the missing LTT was the reason for the oddities today. I am happy to report I found it when I got home!

There were good things today too. A big group of school kids passed through and three cute little guys came right over and dropped some coins in my case. One of them looked at the US dollar bill, someone had put in earlier, and his eyes got real wide and he said “Wow, you got some real money in there.”

Another funny thing happened…a young man was walking by eating one of those yogurts they advertise with the belly dancer stomach action. Know what I mean? I think it’s called Activia. Anyway, I’m singing and he points to his yogurt, my guitar case and then to his stomach with a shaky kinda motion. Ha ha…what the heck was that all about?!

Well, there you have it…another fun day down-under!

About halfway through our first set, a small group of people came into the club to help their friend dismantle the art show that had been up all month. She had taken a few of the pieces down before we started playing but I guess needed some help with the harder to reach ones and was waiting for her crew to finish the job.

So there we are, mid-set, mid-song, and they pull out a 10 or 12 foot ladder and start climbing it and pulling down the art. They were calling out directions to each other, all right in front of the stage, completely oblivious to the fact that we were performing. We soldiered on for a bit although it was incredibly distracting…until….they started asking the people who were trying to listen if they would move so they could get at the art behind them. Now it was not only distracting, but slightly dangerous for the audience who were shuffling to get out of the way of the ladder while trying to pay attention to us.

First time ever, we stopped wthout finishing the song and said we were going to take a break until they were done. As we were putting our guitars down, Dwight and I looked at each other and said “There’s one for the memoirs” at exactly the same time…ha ha!

We received a “Sorry, but…” apology from the crashers. Not sure how they felt any “but” attached to the sorry was justified. They didn’t seem to get it. One person there said “If I didn’t see it for myself, I wouldn’t have believed it.” Coincidentally, Dwight is reading a book right now called ‘Roadkill On The Three-Chord Highway’…we feel like we added a new chapter yesterday.    

Okay, so here is the other weird thing that happened this week…I was busking at Osgoode station for about an hour around noon on Thursday. Occasionally looking down at the coins in my case, I started to notice that, although people were dropping in Loonies and Twonies, the amount of money in the case didn’t appear to change at all. I even checked around the case to see if the coins were landing outside it, but there was nothing there.  It was the oddest thing, like my case was a big Black Hole! Now I’m not an expert on quantum field theory, but hmmm!

Our first show of the weekend was 11pm on Friday at The Mambo Lounge, a great little Cuban restaurant on The Danforth. We heard from folks who ate there that the food was wonderful…it sure smelled great, and they serve a tasty German beer that you can’t get anywhere else on the avenue! We went on after Hotcha! who were in great form. They do a smokin’ verson of ‘Old Man Mose’. It’s a song from the 1940’s that we had hoped to cover at one time but it just wasn’t right for my voice…but Bev nails it! 

We were so happy…wait, I need a bigger word…THRILLED…to have Shelley Coopersmith join us on violin and mandolin for our Mambo Lounge show. She plays on the CD we are currently recording and we’ve become accustomed to hearing that haunting violin on certain songs, so it was a treat to have her join us live. It was a small venue and we were expecting to do our own sound but Craig and Paolo arrived to set things up for us and they did a fabulous job. The show was fun. The audience was warm and listened intently. Afterwards, some came up to chat and buy CDs. One fellow gave us a lovely compliment, comparing our songs to those of “a young Gordon Lightfoot” who he used to go see at coffee houses in the 60’s. Sigh…that’s the kind of thing that makes it all worthwhile.

On Saturday we played our weekly 3:30-5:30pm matinee at The Cameron House. It was a busy afternoon…along with the familiar ones that we appreciate so much, there were lots of new faces in the crowd throughout the afternoon. Shelley joined us for our second set, a welcome surprise. She plays with The Cameron Family Singers who come on at 6pm. We had to dash out when we finished playing to make the trip across town to our 7pm show upstairs at The Black Swan.

We were part of the ‘Love At Winterfolk’ evening. It was great. Andy Frank hosted the stage…he’s such a great supporter of local music. We had a super soundman…D’arcy. The Black Swan has amazing lighting which makes you look real good on stage. However, it also makes it difficult to see more than a few feet into the audience. I like to look at people when I sing to them so I was happy when a group of women sat at the tables right up front where I could see their faces. Again, we were pleased to have a real listening audience that evening. After our show, we stuck around to see Treasa Lavasseur. Wow, she was awesome…amazing stage presence.

With the last of our weekend shows behind us, we headed back to The Danforth on Sunday afternoon. Dwight had volunteered to do sound at The Black Swan and I club-hopped. I stopped in at The Willow to see the some performers in The Moonshine Cafe showcase. I was happy to see Paul Rooney and Alan McKinley, who were both wonderful but unfortunately (for me) the place was jammed so I couldn’t get a seat. My next stop was The Mambo Lounge where I hooked up with my friend Kim Cole (another singer-songwriter) to catch Peter Verity. He did a great set. It was packed there too but we managed to score a table.

After that I headed over to The Black Swan to see Crabtree and Mills. There has been such a buzz about their new CD and I was looking forward to catching one of their shows. I loved it. I could really relate to their music. I particularly loved their social justice songs. And they did one song that actually moved me to tears…kind of embarassing for me, cause I was sitting right up front and had to fish in my purse for a kleenex. I found them quite inspiring.

That was the last show of the day so after that, I went down to meet up with Dwight. He was busy doing teardown at the stage he’d done the sound for. So I stood around chatting with other musician friends…some new and some I’ve known for awhile..till he was done. All the way home we compared notes on our afternoons. Well, you just read about mine and Dwight had the best seat in the house at the soundboard for Nancy Dutra, Bill Colgate & Cam MacInnes, Danny Marks, and Wendell Ferguson & Friends (impressive friends like Michael Brennan and Shawn Brush).

Even though we saw a ton of great music, there was still lots more that we couldn’t make it to. If you haven’t been to Winterfolk, make sure you take it in next year. It’s organized by Brian Gladstone who does it purely for the love of music and community. I know this is unbelievable but, with the exception of one stage this year, the festival is FREE….no cover…no tickets. What kind of crazy good deal is that?!

For those of you from other parts of the country and world, it’s important to know, before reading any further, that we are experiencing a colder than normal January here in Toronto. Yesterday the temp was around -20C (windchill -30C) so I stayed in all day. But the whole time I was just itching to go out and busk.

Well today, my desire to busk overruled my common sense. I rationalized that it was only -15C so it was definitely warmer than yesterday. I decided on Dundas station because the spot isn’t located too near an outside entrance.

My first two songs were carefully chosen…”Prairie Girl” to remind me of my hearty Winnipeg roots where this would be a balmy winter day, and then “Mercury Rising” to conjure up thoughts of warm temperatures. In theory it was a good idea. In practice, not so much. 

Dang it was cold! I was well bundled but of course, my fingertips were exposed to play guitar and they froze up real fast. I didn’t want pity money from passersby so I smiled and tried to appear as comfortable as possible. I don’t think I was fooling too many people though, judging by the many smile-at-the-crazy-person type smiles I got.

My friend Maria, a fellow busker, was passing thru the station and stopped to say hello. She didn’t have her guitar…she’d wisely decided it’s too cold, if not for her, for her instrument. I felt a bit guilty subjecting my Norman to these conditions. So after a total of almost 30 minutes, with numb fingers, I packed up and headed for home. I hope this cold snap doesn’t last too much longer.

I know the judging is subjective but that doesn’t really lessen the sting of not scoring well at the audition. I had a feeling at this audition that we weren’t well received by the judges. I’ve mentioned that to a few friends over the past month and I love how they have become indignant on our behalf, unequivocally sure the judges weren’t qualified to make a decision not in our favour. Of course they are, the judges all have impressive music backgrounds, but I still love it when friends rally.  

I often think I don’t have a tough enough skin for this business but hey, I just realized I may be toughening up a bit…so far, no tears (although the day is still young). I think that’s a good sign!

I loved that, with a couple of exceptions, the show wasn’t a trip down memory lane of the Ian and Sylvia days. The concert featured the music that Sylvia has written and co-written with a variety of other artists. It’s always nice to hear old familiar hit songs but I think what I found most inspiring was that they weren’t even necessary. I mean, the show was strong enough without them. Her career continues to move forward and her writing reflects the journey, gaining new fans like me along the way.
 
So, here’s the only downer of the evening. When the show ended and I left the club I noticed Dwight wasn’t right behind me as I thought he was. A few seconds later he came out and said “Hey, did you see Sylvia was sitting by the bar?” He had stopped to talk to her. How did I miss that? I would loved to have told her how great she was and I missed my chance. Dwight tried to persuade me to go back in but then I felt too shy, so instead I’ve been just kicking myself for not doing it ever since. Sigh.

- It’s surprising how many people risk life and limb (their own and those of innocent bystanders) running full-speed to catch a train, even though the next one will be along in just a few minutes. Not only does it look goofy but it is so dangerous. I can’t count the number of near collisions I witnessed.

- On Sunday afternoon, one older gent walking by stopped for a second to listen to us, made a face like he’d smelled the worst stink of his life and then walked away. Nice.

- There are more than a couple of men who look like Elvis walking around.

- Bloor is such a noisy station…when trains are arriving simultaneously in different directions, we can’t even hear our own guitars.

- The lottery business is booming in the kiosk across from the busking stop. Same goes for the photo booth.

- I always think it’s so interesting (nice) when people toss money into our guitar case and THEY say “Thank You”. That happened several times over the past four days.

- Today, a woman with a small baby strapped to her front stopped and the two of them bounced along to the music. Then an older woman, who they didn’t know, stopped and danced along with them. It was really very sweet.

- There is so much going on at Bloor station…people coming and going from all directions…that it’s easy to get distracted (i.e. forget lyrics and chords)!

- Lots of Ian and Sylvia fans pass through Bloor station..we’ve been playing the songs we’ll be performing at The Riverboat Revival at Hugh’s Room on June 27th.

- This isn’t exclusive to Bloor station, but it’s surprising how many people stop right near the busking spot and start digging earnestly in their purses, wallets, or pockets. The whole time you’re thinking…”Wow, they must really like us to go to all that trouble.” And, then they walk right past without putting anything in the case. Ha ha ha!

- There seemed to be an inordinate number of people carrying instruments (many guitars, violins, a cello, an accordian) passing through the station over the past four days.

- And why were so many people with luggage (multiple large suitcases) passing through the station this afternoon?

- I’m never really up on the latest fashion trends, but Middle East style scarves seem to be a really hot item…especially with a black and white print.

- This afternoon a young woman with a white cane was asked by at least a dozen people if she needed assistance as she stood waiting for a friend not far from the busking spot. Nice to see caring people.

Not long ago, after more than a few people had asked us if we could play one of their songs, we pulled together the words and chords for ‘Someday Soon’ and ‘Four Strong Winds’ and have been playing them in the subway ever since. We had also started working on ‘You Were On My Mind’. When the call came for the Riverboat Revival we thought, this is great, we already know their songs so it should be an easy prep.

After listening to an Ian and Sylvia Greatest Hits CD, I realized that we were doing a version of other versions of those songs. Their music has been covered by so many artists over the years, that our memories of the songs were a composite of all those interpretations. Not only had phrasings and tempo changed with recordings by various artists, but in some cases the words had changed quite significantly.     

We decided to go back to the original and work from there. We are not trying to do an imitation but we figured we will perform our version of Ian and Sylvia songs, not our version of Judy Collins, We Five, or Neil Young doing their versions of Ian and Sylvia songs. I have always liked them but over the past few weeks I think I’ve become a real fan of Ian and Sylvia. I hadn’t realized what a huge impact they have had on music in Canada.