Tree Clock!

i started typing:
I HATE TYPICAL, BORING SOUVENIRS THAT EVERYONE ELSE HAS
and then thought that might be a bit heavy-handed.

how about this:
to remember a trip, i prefer finding items that are unique

it was difficult to find something unique in Malawi because all they seemed to make was wooden animals. Wooden hippos, wooden elephants, wooden zebra, wooden giraffes, wooden everything.

My trip didn't include animals at all--- in fact, the one time we went to see baboons at a baboon park, we saw ZERO BABOONS. So, buying a wooden zebra for a few dollars to remember my experience in Malawi didn't seem right. Especially since all it would do is collect dust on my desk because I rarely dust. Even though I have asthma, and probably SHOULD dust, to shield myself from sneezing more than I already do.

Anyway.

For 3 weeks I searched for something unique, something that would speak to me. I wanted something that I totally loved. Not just a set of wooden elephant coasters.

One day, I saw a guy who made clocks. Unfortunately they all had animals dancing around them, or African women with jugs of water on their heads. I saw the stack of clocks and PRAYED THERE WOULD BE ONE WITH A TREE! A BONSAI TREE! PLEASE!

No tree clock.

I initially gave up and walked away, disappointed at the selection and the lack of creativity I was seeing. Especially since I hadn't even seen ONE REAL ANIMAL! AHHHH!!!

I saw one of the vendors hand-carving some...animals... and got the idea to see if he could hand-carve my tree clock.

THE ANSWER WAS YES!

We looked across the street together at a huge tree with red flowers, I drew a quick sketch on a piece of paper, and he said to come back in a week.

and i did, and i got this.
hand carved by this man's brother, Frank.

praise, the, Lord, for an absolutely un-boring, un-lame souvenir.

WHEW!