31/10
These past few days have been by far the most frustrating out of all of my time in Africa. It all started two nights ago, when I was told my trip to Kasungu was cancelled due to funding issues. They said that a trip to Mzuzu (where I would catch a bus) would be too costly. Of course, I had already packed all of my belongings upon hearing the news. Great. I unpacked my things, telling myself there must be a reason why something like this would happen and that it is probably for the best.
These past few days have been by far the most frustrating out of all of my time in Africa. It all started two nights ago, when I was told my trip to Kasungu was cancelled due to funding issues. They said that a trip to Mzuzu (where I would catch a bus) would be too costly. Of course, I had already packed all of my belongings upon hearing the news. Great. I unpacked my things, telling myself there must be a reason why something like this would happen and that it is probably for the best.
The next morning, Beccy woke up feeling
very sick and a quick call was made to put her in the car and drive her to the
nearest town to see a doctor. The closest town was Mzuzu. There you have it,
the reason I was looking for. Had we left the camp before the sunrise, she
would have been in pain in the camp with no vehicle and therefor no way of
seeing the doctor.
Due to going to Mzuzu anyway, it made sense I would go as well to still catch my bus the next day. I had 30 minutes to repack everything and hop in the car. Didn’t help I smelled like diesel and I was absolutely covered in dirt as I had been working on our car. I have never moved my limbs as fast as I did then. But I made it. The next 4-5 hours in the car went quicker than usual, probably because we were all trying to distract ourselves (and Becci) by playing “would you rather” and “…, marry, kill”.
Once in Mzuzu, Beccy was seen by the doctor and prescribed all the strong stuff she desperately needed. Thankfully it seemed to be working as she was finally free of pain. We got to bed around 11PM that night.
At 4.30AM I was up and about. Thankfully the bus was half empty so I got two seats to myself and even though my luggage was 5 kg over, I wasn’t charged extra. Great start, I thought.
In Kasungu I discovered that my beloved bank had
once again blocked my cards. The only way to unlock the cards was to call the
bank. Unfortunately there is no wifi in Kasungu and the data I had on my phone
was almost at the capacity. No wifi /little data meant that I could not use my
skype credit. With less than 15 dollars in my pocket I felt the same
hopelessness I had experienced once before. But not to worry, with a partner
that great one can overcome everything. After hours of dealing with waiting
lines and inadequate customer service people, Kenneth ended up escalating the
issue to the management. A couple of hours later I received a call from the
bank manager saying that they are fixing the problem and I should be able to
withdraw cash soon. Thank you god for giving me Kenneth. Due to going to Mzuzu anyway, it made sense I would go as well to still catch my bus the next day. I had 30 minutes to repack everything and hop in the car. Didn’t help I smelled like diesel and I was absolutely covered in dirt as I had been working on our car. I have never moved my limbs as fast as I did then. But I made it. The next 4-5 hours in the car went quicker than usual, probably because we were all trying to distract ourselves (and Becci) by playing “would you rather” and “…, marry, kill”.
Once in Mzuzu, Beccy was seen by the doctor and prescribed all the strong stuff she desperately needed. Thankfully it seemed to be working as she was finally free of pain. We got to bed around 11PM that night.
At 4.30AM I was up and about. Thankfully the bus was half empty so I got two seats to myself and even though my luggage was 5 kg over, I wasn’t charged extra. Great start, I thought.
It has been such a rollercoaster of a day and it’s nowhere near the end yet. I am still about six hours away from getting to my destination and I’m already struggling. All I really want is a shower, dinner and a good night sleep. Fingers crossed…
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