This is the second year I am writing a letter to my daughters every month, along with several other wonderful photographers. After reading my letter and seeing my photos that accompany, please follow along in our circle by reading our newest member, Delania Worley Waddells, letter HERE
It's another month and another Wixon adventure behind our belt. This time we traveled back to Africa (our favorite stomping grounds) and spent a wonderful two weeks on Lake Malawi. First on a beach on the Mozambique side of the lake where we were the only guests and enjoyed s'mores on the beach, a pirate adventure, monkeys in our room in the morning and other adventures and another week on the Malawi side where we spent a week playing on the beach with the local kids, with other new friends from London and lot of snorkeling and fun in the water.
Dear Drew and Harper,
By now, you are both pro-travellers. The three of us flew out to Johannesburg alone a few weeks ago where we met Daddy at the airport. We had no issues and you remain champion sleepers on the overnight flights. It's nice to know that we can fly just about anywhere.
Our first week in Mozambique, we took a boat to visit a school in a local village to introduce ourselves and give the kids an opportunity to ask us questions and for you both to see what it would be like to be a child in Mozambique. Drew, you couldn't have been more shy - hiding behind me and Daddy and not wanting to ask any questions ( even though, you didn't miss a beat and kept tabs on everything going on). The kids would come up to us and just pat our skin and touch our hair and the girls especially loved my pink nail polish. Any form of makeup is extremely rare for these girls. Harper, you were very open to the kids talking to you and at one point, when two of the older girls took us to "nature's bathroom", both the girls immediately swept you off your feet and held you and looked at you and touched your hair. You had a look a freight at first, but when I asked your favorite part of the experience that day, it was when the girls picked you up.
If only I taught Miles how to focus on my camera...
During our second week in Malawi, the local village kids became our friends. The beaches are all public and most of the families use the lake to wash their pots and pans and wash themselves and the kids use it to play. The lake is crystal clear and perfectly clean. It's a wonderful source. We slowly noticed different groups of kids waiting outside our house in the morning and soon we got to know the kids by name and we let them borrow our masks so they could see "fish!" and played ball and other games with them and I of course took a ton of photos. We were able to communicate in basic English as the kids are learning our language in school. The kids all screamed after I took a picture of them and loved it when I showed them their photos on the back of my camera. If only you two had the same reaction :) I wish I could have printed out photos for the while I was there.
While we love to travel and take adventures, we also love for both of you girls to have experiences that you wouldn't normally have. It was lovely to see your compassion for these kids and realize how much we truly have. You begged us to give the kids books or clothes or anything we had, but we explained that we would be leaving books and pencils for their schools. It was heartbreaking when one girl in particular, Christina, would ask us daily "give me vegetables, give me clothes, give me books" and we had to tell you that it wouldn't be fair if we gave her some things but not the rest of her friends. In the end, you insisted that she get something so you picked out one of your t-shirt that she thought she would like and also drew her a picture and she wrote you a note back thanking us and wishing us a wonderful journey. While we will never see her again, I know that the memories of our trip and your experience with Christina and the rest of the village kids will remain.
I love you, my world travelers.
xoxox, Mommy