Well....I guess I only thought I was packed! When I got to the airport I had to repack the books into two suitcases because they were too heavy for one suitcase. Luckily, we had brought an empty suitcase with us...just in case! (Many years of practice with international travel does pay off!)
The customs officials here in Malawi were not quite sure what I was doing with so many little books. I tried to explain, but I am not sure it all made sense to them. However, they waved me on and allowed me to pass.
I have already shared some of the books with the Kayuni children. (Samuel Kayuni has two biological children and 25 chosen children. Most of the Kayuni children are away at Secondary school, so there is only a handfull of children left here in Lilongwe. The secondary school is a boarding school located in Mazuzu. I am not sure I spelled that correctly! ) The kids loved the fact that children from America actually wrote stories for them! They have written some stories in return, but it was not easy. SOOOO I am getting the children to tell stories first. I think through telling stories, they will get more excited about writing down their stories. I am also giving them many opportunities to draw pictures so that they can really get into drawing. I am hoping that this will excite them about illustrating their stories.
I had plans to bring books with plain paper in them, so the children wouldn't have to draw on lined paper. There is computer paper here, but it is difficult for me to get to the store that has plain paper. I can easily walk to a shop that sells little school notebooks. They cost about ten cents, so that is what the children are using to draw in. I will keep you updated!
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