I'm in the plane right now, writing a farewell to Malawi. Although we've been here for only 5 weeks, the familiarity and the comfort of this place (mixed with raw sadness) makes it seem like we've actually been here for 5 months. I have gotten so used to "hello...how are you?" and waiting for a response and probably a conversation, even if you or the other person is in a hurry. In India or the states, no one has the time or cares enough to stop and have a conversation (at least not in the way Malawians...and this includes all of them...do). The warm and invitingness of people, putting one hand under the other giving respect, people always willing to help (with the rare exceptions), these are things I will miss. Not only that but the sheer number of people we've met, their stories, the way they made us laugh, the interesting things they told us, the things we learned from their experience, in these past 5 weeks makes me want to stay and meet more people. Lois and the wonderful kindness and humility of her personality. Memory and Akone and their smiles and sadness of leaving despite not knowing us. Vicki and her guidance. Rosemany and her warmth. I can keep going. I guess it's leaving a familiar place that helped us in venturing out and meeting people the way we did. I will miss the babies at Crisis Nursery who are so beautiful and should have the potential to lead healthy lives but might not be able to reach their peak due to lack of care. The orphans and Michingyi, always running around, getting a life more fulfilling than many of the children of Malawi. Vicki is right...through what we have learned, we have to be the ambassadors of the children of Malawi, their mothers. Having learned so much from Malawi and its people (not only academically but also personally), it is only right that we remember and do something for Malawi, even if it starts with just awareness.
So what have I actually learned? Let's start with academics. I've learned so much about Malawi itself. About its economy, the poverty, the focus on HIV/AIDS leading to unforeseen population boom, the orphans, the politics (especially the success of the elections this year), the geography, a little bit of its history, its education system and especially the culture and its struggle to keep a balance between development and retaining its culture. "It takes a village to raise a child." I have been able to see a first-hand experience of the importance of understanding a culture for sustainable development to occur. However this has also led me to question the best method for development. It is important to empower the people; not just come in, do a project and leave. But what is the best way? Education? That leads to questions of what is culturally relevant/appropriate and when it's important to override "culture". Agricultural subsidies? That leads to questions of dependence and lack of empowerment of the people to be able to self-sustain. Economic support? That leads to questions of what kind is best...one time, monthly, cash-transfer, micro-credit. All of these approaches have been successful in their own respect, but they've also shown shortfalls. Yet one can't use all approaches since broad, general attempts of development have proven to be less successful. Hopefully in the next 2-3years, with more education and experience, I will figure out what direction I want to take with development.
This trip has taught me a lot about myself and who I want and don't want to be. Part of it has come through Malawi in teaching me more kindness and caring attitude and giving respect. The list goes on. But a lot of what I've learned about myself has come because of my friends' awareness. Spending 5 weeks in a small room has been a very interesting experience.
Basically all in all, this trip has been fun, educational and a great experience worth more than the time, effort and fight that we had to go through to go to Malawi. And even though when I had started this trip I never though I would grow such an attachment with Malawi, but now having left it, I felt an immense sadness that made me realize that someday I will have to come back to this place.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Kim - last post
Goodbye Malawi
It was really difficult leaving the warm heart of Africa. I didn't imagine I would grow so attached in just 5 weeks. The friend's we've met along the way have made this one of the most memorable experience of my life. Also, extremely commendable, Tanya, Becca, Shohini and I have somehow managed to remain friends even after spending every waking second of 35 days together. Each of us have grown so much from this, and the thing is I'm sure we won't even realize the magnitude this trip has affected our lives until we get back to our daily routines. We arrived May 26/27th with nothing but scholarship money and a proposal, and although many things changed along the way, we left with a Malawian mother and a new home.
I don't know how we said goodbye to all these people who became a part of our lives. Even IC Eggs was touched that for our final breakfast we didn't disappoint and ordered eggs...chips...toast. I will miss Louis and Badal even though we spent the majority of our time makign fun of them. Before we left Peacock we also made sure to wish farewell to our other lifesaver, Suleman; best lodge owner and possible dealer on the black market. But regardless, he helped us immensely; especially with the 1500 kwacha meals :)
Becca left early this morning and then there were 3. Mems was at the "Laising" office and so we got to say goodbye to him. I'm going to miss his child-like smile and why he would turn his head towards Becca in complete confusion whilst driving 120km/hr on the highway. We told the other members of "laising" staff goodbye yesterday. Vicki surprized me the most. She almost began to tear up even though she's only interacted with us twice. Her passion is very admirable and she sent us off as embassadors of the children of Malawi. Dear Rosemary was all smiles as always while giving us her usual double hugs. Goodbye office!
The trip ended how is began...with Lois. Being the loyal mother she is, she told Tanya, Shohini and I to the airport for the last time. She stood ad watched us check in and even came back to help when we had problems with immigration. Leaving her beyond the guarded immigration area is the saddest thing I've had to do in a long time. Mrs. Lois Silo helped shape the first summer of the rest of our lives, without even knowing it. And this is why we've grown to love her, and love Malawi.
XOXO <3
It was really difficult leaving the warm heart of Africa. I didn't imagine I would grow so attached in just 5 weeks. The friend's we've met along the way have made this one of the most memorable experience of my life. Also, extremely commendable, Tanya, Becca, Shohini and I have somehow managed to remain friends even after spending every waking second of 35 days together. Each of us have grown so much from this, and the thing is I'm sure we won't even realize the magnitude this trip has affected our lives until we get back to our daily routines. We arrived May 26/27th with nothing but scholarship money and a proposal, and although many things changed along the way, we left with a Malawian mother and a new home.
I don't know how we said goodbye to all these people who became a part of our lives. Even IC Eggs was touched that for our final breakfast we didn't disappoint and ordered eggs...chips...toast. I will miss Louis and Badal even though we spent the majority of our time makign fun of them. Before we left Peacock we also made sure to wish farewell to our other lifesaver, Suleman; best lodge owner and possible dealer on the black market. But regardless, he helped us immensely; especially with the 1500 kwacha meals :)
Becca left early this morning and then there were 3. Mems was at the "Laising" office and so we got to say goodbye to him. I'm going to miss his child-like smile and why he would turn his head towards Becca in complete confusion whilst driving 120km/hr on the highway. We told the other members of "laising" staff goodbye yesterday. Vicki surprized me the most. She almost began to tear up even though she's only interacted with us twice. Her passion is very admirable and she sent us off as embassadors of the children of Malawi. Dear Rosemary was all smiles as always while giving us her usual double hugs. Goodbye office!
The trip ended how is began...with Lois. Being the loyal mother she is, she told Tanya, Shohini and I to the airport for the last time. She stood ad watched us check in and even came back to help when we had problems with immigration. Leaving her beyond the guarded immigration area is the saddest thing I've had to do in a long time. Mrs. Lois Silo helped shape the first summer of the rest of our lives, without even knowing it. And this is why we've grown to love her, and love Malawi.
XOXO <3
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
becca last one
6/30 – airport grand hotel and conference center
so here I am in this nice fancy hotel in joburg (im here waiting for my next flight in the morning). My own room. Privacy. A big, comfortable bed. A shower. A bathtub. In my room. A tv. Heater. Lights. Pillows. Blankets. Electricity. THE WORKS. But I am so lonely. The past few weeks of scrounging and being poppers was much more fun. With friends. If I travel the world, I don’t want it to be by myself. Any takers?
So our last week in Malawi… what did we do? after we returned from blantyre, we went back to dusty Lilongwe… extremely unexcited about it, but we knew we had to. So the first day we did some errands and made our way to say good bye to the babies at crisis nursery. At night when we were locked in our hotel we forced ourselves to work on our info packet (after the light fiasco of course)The following day we made our way to a clinic in a rural village. We had no idea what to expect, but we drove 1 ½ in each direction to arrive at a clinic that had over 100 people waiting outside to be seen by the one doctor and one nurse. But we arrived and in pure Malawian tradition, the doctor came outside and welcomed us. In Malawi, visitors are compared to the morning dew… it may be here now, but you don’t know when it will be back, so you must appreciate it and care for it as best you can…
Anyway, he began giving us a tour of the 4 room clinic. We insisted that he get back to his patients, so the nurse finished showing us around. We were able to ask questions and attempt to understand the clinic and their needs. But as usual, we felt that we were intruding and in everyones way, so we made a hasty exit. Although we were there to learn and hopefully facilitate help for them in the future, we did not feel comfortable taking up their time while there are deathly ill patients who walked countless kilometers to see the doctor for fifty kwacha (about 30 cents).
So we drove another hour and a half back to Lilongwe confused and frustrated like usual. This was the only clinic for miles. The closest hospital is about 20 kilometers away. What we’ve learned in Malawi is that there isn’t necessarily a shortage of doctors or nurses, because the universities are FULL of them. The problem, like in many other industries throughout the world, is that they are not paid well. So nurses in Malawi aren’t paid well, so when people graduate, they move to other countries where pay is a little better, leaving hospitals- especially public hospitals- understaffed. So what to do? if you have an answer, you may want to contact the Malawian government and/or the US government. SOMEONE EXPLAIN WHY TEACHERS AND NURSES ARENT PAID WELL!?!?! WHERE ARE YOUR PRIORITIES?!
Anyway so after the clinic, we spent the rest of the afternoon at the Raising Malawi office trying to figure out plans for the weekend. Eventually we decided that we would travel to Mzuzu in the north for many reasons. First of all, the north is a very different climate: mountainous, cold, and beautiful. So we apparently HAD to see it. so we drove 5 hours to the north to visit the crisis nursery in Mzuzu. On the way there we stopped at a beautiful boarding school. We just wanted to see another life that exists in Malawi. It put my university to shame, it was so beautiful. And we met a VERY nice, wonderful woman who insisted we stay for tea and sandwiches after our tour. We had a great morning talking with students and teacher, learning about this drastically different, wealthy Malawian life. We also began recruiting new students for clark. ☺
So at the nursery we played with some babies… compared and contrasted differences between this nursery and the one we spent more time at in Lilongwe, and before we knew it, we had to be off. We decided to spend the night on the lake, so we had to drive a little further. By this time it was pitch black and we were driving up and down and around a steep mountain on a road that sometimes turned to dirt. But hey, we made it. hahahha. Best part. We get to the town where we were staying, but we didn’t know how to get to the lodge, so they sent someone to find us in town and show us the way… so a man comes to our car and says that he is going to show us. So this rasta man starts talking and introduces himself as Happy Coconut. Yes. His name is Happy Coconut…. We didn’t really ask questions… but he showed us down the mountain to the lodge. Down a rocky road that broke the car at leas 10 times, but finally we made it. still pitch darkness we arrived at Butterfly Lodge around 6:30 pm. We got to our dorm and to our excitement, there was someone else staying there. We were very excited about the prospects of another interesting character. Unfortunately we were disappointed when he turned out to be a really quiet awkward guy who maybe said one word. Oh well. We want to check out the night life at the hotel next door, but shohini decided to trip and fall and twist her ankle walkin around the lodge, so we couldn’t make it all the way next door. Did I mention these places are built on a steep rocky mountain. So everything is steep and rocky and cliff-like. All in the pitch darkness. Hahaha. yess!!
So the next day we were relaxing by the lake and a boat man offered to take us on his boat… so after negotiating the price, we decided to do it… it was beautiful and calm…. Until the clouds came rolling in and the wind picked up along with the waves. And oh did it pick up. Long story short, I got a little sea sick and threw up on the whole way back to the dock. But it was nice and we got some good pictures. And the boat guys were really cool.. david banda and co. haha.
What else? So after recovering from the boat we began our journey back to Lilongwe.. we decided to take the scenic route along the lake….. little did we know it was 2 hours longer. Jesus it was painful. Highlight: we didn’t hit any dogs. Only clipped a goat. And had to stop for a family of monkeys crossing the road. ☺
Sunday was spent at Lois’ house where we had an amazing meal and got to spend time with her and her family without talking about work. It was wonderful and I really want to go back! ☹
Monday we spent tying up loose ends and buying the last of our curios. I love those beach bitches. Maybe because it’s the end of the month (pay day), but they were all pretty drunk at 11 am. And it made for a highly entertaining experience. We bonded with many a rasta man.
Anyway… that’s about it… I am still reflecting on everything. Maybe thoughts wont be coherent until I am back home. I don’t know. Thinking back and remembering everything is whats keeping me sane right now in this hotel room by myself. Hope I didn’t bore you. Hmmm. I want to upload pictures.. I have over 1000. And we all have pictures… this should be interesting.
This may be the last blog entry. Hope you enjoyed.
so here I am in this nice fancy hotel in joburg (im here waiting for my next flight in the morning). My own room. Privacy. A big, comfortable bed. A shower. A bathtub. In my room. A tv. Heater. Lights. Pillows. Blankets. Electricity. THE WORKS. But I am so lonely. The past few weeks of scrounging and being poppers was much more fun. With friends. If I travel the world, I don’t want it to be by myself. Any takers?
So our last week in Malawi… what did we do? after we returned from blantyre, we went back to dusty Lilongwe… extremely unexcited about it, but we knew we had to. So the first day we did some errands and made our way to say good bye to the babies at crisis nursery. At night when we were locked in our hotel we forced ourselves to work on our info packet (after the light fiasco of course)The following day we made our way to a clinic in a rural village. We had no idea what to expect, but we drove 1 ½ in each direction to arrive at a clinic that had over 100 people waiting outside to be seen by the one doctor and one nurse. But we arrived and in pure Malawian tradition, the doctor came outside and welcomed us. In Malawi, visitors are compared to the morning dew… it may be here now, but you don’t know when it will be back, so you must appreciate it and care for it as best you can…
Anyway, he began giving us a tour of the 4 room clinic. We insisted that he get back to his patients, so the nurse finished showing us around. We were able to ask questions and attempt to understand the clinic and their needs. But as usual, we felt that we were intruding and in everyones way, so we made a hasty exit. Although we were there to learn and hopefully facilitate help for them in the future, we did not feel comfortable taking up their time while there are deathly ill patients who walked countless kilometers to see the doctor for fifty kwacha (about 30 cents).
So we drove another hour and a half back to Lilongwe confused and frustrated like usual. This was the only clinic for miles. The closest hospital is about 20 kilometers away. What we’ve learned in Malawi is that there isn’t necessarily a shortage of doctors or nurses, because the universities are FULL of them. The problem, like in many other industries throughout the world, is that they are not paid well. So nurses in Malawi aren’t paid well, so when people graduate, they move to other countries where pay is a little better, leaving hospitals- especially public hospitals- understaffed. So what to do? if you have an answer, you may want to contact the Malawian government and/or the US government. SOMEONE EXPLAIN WHY TEACHERS AND NURSES ARENT PAID WELL!?!?! WHERE ARE YOUR PRIORITIES?!
Anyway so after the clinic, we spent the rest of the afternoon at the Raising Malawi office trying to figure out plans for the weekend. Eventually we decided that we would travel to Mzuzu in the north for many reasons. First of all, the north is a very different climate: mountainous, cold, and beautiful. So we apparently HAD to see it. so we drove 5 hours to the north to visit the crisis nursery in Mzuzu. On the way there we stopped at a beautiful boarding school. We just wanted to see another life that exists in Malawi. It put my university to shame, it was so beautiful. And we met a VERY nice, wonderful woman who insisted we stay for tea and sandwiches after our tour. We had a great morning talking with students and teacher, learning about this drastically different, wealthy Malawian life. We also began recruiting new students for clark. ☺
So at the nursery we played with some babies… compared and contrasted differences between this nursery and the one we spent more time at in Lilongwe, and before we knew it, we had to be off. We decided to spend the night on the lake, so we had to drive a little further. By this time it was pitch black and we were driving up and down and around a steep mountain on a road that sometimes turned to dirt. But hey, we made it. hahahha. Best part. We get to the town where we were staying, but we didn’t know how to get to the lodge, so they sent someone to find us in town and show us the way… so a man comes to our car and says that he is going to show us. So this rasta man starts talking and introduces himself as Happy Coconut. Yes. His name is Happy Coconut…. We didn’t really ask questions… but he showed us down the mountain to the lodge. Down a rocky road that broke the car at leas 10 times, but finally we made it. still pitch darkness we arrived at Butterfly Lodge around 6:30 pm. We got to our dorm and to our excitement, there was someone else staying there. We were very excited about the prospects of another interesting character. Unfortunately we were disappointed when he turned out to be a really quiet awkward guy who maybe said one word. Oh well. We want to check out the night life at the hotel next door, but shohini decided to trip and fall and twist her ankle walkin around the lodge, so we couldn’t make it all the way next door. Did I mention these places are built on a steep rocky mountain. So everything is steep and rocky and cliff-like. All in the pitch darkness. Hahaha. yess!!
So the next day we were relaxing by the lake and a boat man offered to take us on his boat… so after negotiating the price, we decided to do it… it was beautiful and calm…. Until the clouds came rolling in and the wind picked up along with the waves. And oh did it pick up. Long story short, I got a little sea sick and threw up on the whole way back to the dock. But it was nice and we got some good pictures. And the boat guys were really cool.. david banda and co. haha.
What else? So after recovering from the boat we began our journey back to Lilongwe.. we decided to take the scenic route along the lake….. little did we know it was 2 hours longer. Jesus it was painful. Highlight: we didn’t hit any dogs. Only clipped a goat. And had to stop for a family of monkeys crossing the road. ☺
Sunday was spent at Lois’ house where we had an amazing meal and got to spend time with her and her family without talking about work. It was wonderful and I really want to go back! ☹
Monday we spent tying up loose ends and buying the last of our curios. I love those beach bitches. Maybe because it’s the end of the month (pay day), but they were all pretty drunk at 11 am. And it made for a highly entertaining experience. We bonded with many a rasta man.
Anyway… that’s about it… I am still reflecting on everything. Maybe thoughts wont be coherent until I am back home. I don’t know. Thinking back and remembering everything is whats keeping me sane right now in this hotel room by myself. Hope I didn’t bore you. Hmmm. I want to upload pictures.. I have over 1000. And we all have pictures… this should be interesting.
This may be the last blog entry. Hope you enjoyed.
tanya- blantyre
(yes we have left malawi but there will be more blog updates to come since we didnt have internet the last week of our journey. lots to explain and reflect on! -becca)
Blantyre, Be Mine
This past week visiting Blantyre has perhaps been one of the most exciting weeks in Malawi. More fun than work and we all learnt A LOT! Blantyre is a small cosy little colonial town nestled in the hills. It reminds me of the countless hill stations in India. The weather is cooler, the culture and character of the city compelling and the place is just more compact and delightful than Lilongwe. It seems that Blantyre has more interesting people per square kilometer. Then again, that could have been because we stayed at Doogles, a backpackers lodge run by a white Zimbabwean woman. When I say that the room had bare necessities, I am not making a feeble joke. The room had four bunk beds and a light. The beds had hard wooden slats covered with about three blankets that served as mattresses. Still, since it is a backpackers lodge the people (although mostly foreigners and mostly white) are hardy outdoorsy kind of people and do not complain. However, the real fun was a short ten steps outside of our room at the well-stocked bar. Over there, outside amidst cheap Carlsberg beers and Malawian vodka one could hear stories about hikes up Mount Mulanje or volunteering at Queen Elizabeths Hospital (we did that too) Iti s heroic eelng to sit amidst other people from the developed world who have seen its joys and wonders and still chose Malawi to be their home.
Over the past week, I have met some of the most interesting peoel in my life. There is John, the rakishly good lookng 24year old Canadian who majored in math and business and discovered he did not want to psend the rest of his life in a business suit. So he traveled to India and then to Maozambique and finally Malawi. He volunteers at the Home of Hope and eats nsima (local food) with the orphans. The man walks as long as his legs will carry him on he dusty highway hailng a ride when he is tired. He also told us that buinesswomen in Lilongwe look most amused when he walks down the street without shoes (just because he feels like it) Because of this rather Calrkie habit of walking without shoes, he and his girlfriend both have sandworms in their toes and they can actually see them move from time to time! (For your knowledge, the man is perfectly unperturbed about this and casually mentions it in passing) We talked hungrily because he said he had not spoken to a non-Malawina fo al ong time and it fwlt good to have people understand you. In doogles we met friendly old Jeff, a gentlemanly English man whom we watched cricket with. He had lived in South Africa before Blantyre and enthralled Shohini and I with tales of how he had met the South African cricket tea. There was also Vick the Indian man from Chennai another cricket maniac who has to his fame having watched all 38 matches in the previous Cricket world cup in West Indies. He bonded with Kim over this. In addition, Jef told us just how diverse Blantyre was. And Indeed, as people dropped by for a quick drink and stopped to say hi to him we found Austrians., Bolivians, South Africans and Dutch people who had all made this lovely town their home and enriched the city by their presence. The men sit there watching rugby and drinking and cursing for both the South African Team and the English Team. There was a lot of jostling and teasing as diaspora from both countries came by to watch. Doogles, even the terribly uncomfortable beds, remind me of memories my mother talked about of India in the 1970s and 80s where a good time and a sterling conversation were for very cheap if not for free. The next morning, we were up and trekked down the old colonial street to visit St. Marks Cathedral which was built by Livingstone. It has been certified as a National Historical Site by the Department of Antiquities (what a lively quaint name!) In Blantyre, it seems that people houses and buildings are just tucked into the hill creating a very cosy feeling. So anyway, we walk down to the church that is BEAUTIFUL. I have no words to describe it and my architectural vocabulary is quite limited but the entire church is really small and yet really ornate with gothic style spires and peaks making it look like a splendid toy castle amidst a patch of rolling green lawns. The church compound seems endless but a walk around will reveal, that the compound randomly bleeds into people’s houses. Gorgeous colonial houses that make me think I am in some quaint railway colony in India. The sense of security is so inbuilt that many people have pretty thatched bamboo stalks as their fences! I felt like I was walking in a story book. Kim and I were particularly interested I seeing the graveyard. For those of you unaware of my fascination with colonial graveyards, I must explain. I felt this way even in India seeing Some soldier buried randomly in the middle of Gujarat. Because they are so far way from home, the gravestone really does tell a story..a story that in this post colonized (maybe) era no one pauses to appreciate the sweet poignance of the fact that some random British soldier died in this strange, hot land believing he was dying for the Queen and the country even as greedy oily merchants and plantation owners made a profit of the system of colonization. It is fascinating because in imperial ambitions, one sees the beginnings of colonization and colonization os avery important part of my identity now..the fact that I am Roman Catholic and that English is my first language. So, I just find all of this very fascinating. So Kim and I visited the Commonwealth graveyard and so Graveyads as old as the 1700s of British soldiers who had died in ‘Nyasaland’ the British colonial territory to which Malawi once belonged.
More on our super exciting journey to Blantyre later…
……………………………………
The Light Fiasco
So I have said many times that you pay money for competence. Competent people are always in demand. The smart, quick to catch on, efficient people in the service sector will always do well for themselves. Seeing this, it is no wonder that on our student budgets, incompetence is something we encounter on the daily here in Malawi. From the sketch waiters in K-Lodge, to IC miserable (Incompetent Miserbale) in Doogles who botched up the simplest of orders (three fried eggs and one scrambled). Our latest addition to this group of IC’s has been L Dawg alias Louis who is the jaunty incompetent receptionist at P Lodge where we are currently staying in Lilongwe. We have always been suspicious of Louis with his smart alec smile. The first time he met us, he was positively lounging in a little arm chair and absolutely REFUSED to move an inch as he answered the question s we had about the lodge. To this effect, Kim and I were sitting in our room today and we discovered that the one tube light that powers the room was out. So Of course I brace myself for the incompetent journey of my life as I search for someone to change the lightbulb. It was surprisingly easy. Louis looking dapper today in slacks and a full dress shirt comes in, inspects the lghtbulb with a smile and strides out to get the job done. Kim and I breathe a sigh of relief (or apprehension) because Louis doing any job usually is either hilarious or bad news. At any rate, he then wrestles a massive ladder into the damn room. I am listening to Kiss me Through the Phone on my computer at this point and look slightly hesitantly at L-Dawg. “Umm..Do you want me to Move” I ask L-dawg. “No no problem” Ok, I still move to the other bed to be cautious. This man..please believe me when I tell you that he refuses to open the ladder but instead LEANS IT ON A BRICK WALL…IN A ROOM THAT HAS A SLIPPERY TILED FLOOR. Kim and I are by now looking very wary and are fully aware that the air is regnant with incompetence. I suggest with an action that Kim fishes out her camera to catch on tape this priceless moment of Louis incompetence. At this moment, Louis who by now is up on the ladder with that silly, aggravating little smile on his face CRASHES down on the floor. As he falls, he pulls onto my mosquito net for support pulling it with him and there is a resounding crash as the light bulb breaks into a million pieces. Kim shrieks and I am proud to note at this time, that Kims first concern was for L-Dawg by now tangled up on my bed in MY sheets and mosquito nets and light bulb shards. Are you okay? Ofcourse we don’t merit an answer. L Dawg sits up with pieces of glass firmly sticking to his face, brushes himself and moves on quite ignoring the fact that by now our precious artifacts that were on the desk have been crashed by L Dawgs descent from the ladder. Fool! You would think that one should know how to open the ladder. Kids at crisis nursery would know how to open the ladder. As he is brushing himself off he fancifully flings the mosquito net towards Kim who by now is in a deep state of shock ( there are precious few times Kim ever gets speechless and I suggest if you are ever privileged to such moments you savour it with all your heart) Mind you, this mosquito net that I speak of is FULL OF glass shards and he casually flings it in Kims direction to her horror. She gives a terrified shriek and I truly feel a mixture of laughing at this idiots incompetence and then slapping him soundly for throwing these dangerous pieces of fine lightbulb glass on Kim. Blindly, I reach for my phone and think this is a moment to call Shohini and inform her of this. Especially since by know Kim has “git it together” enough to note that Shohinis precius wooden carving that she bought for her mother is broken. She tries to tell this to Louis who ignores her and walks out o the room wheter out of shock or sheer incompetence it is not known. My phone dies on me and I wlak to Shohinis room to breathlessly narrate the happenings. Let me tell you al ittle about Shohini. She as an attitude and when things hapne her atttide does nto rain, t pours. The girl walked out with a face that could either kill someone or curdle milk. She strides towards L-dawg puts her hands on her hips and demands an explanantion. Louis by thus time, has wied the grin off his face btu sil has the jaunty attitude. We have figured out by now, that he has no fear whatsoever of being fired or anything. At this pont the mixture of the whoel drama that had ensued and Shohini’s attitude on a rampage has got me severely cracked p. I follw our little entourage of an angry Shohini, a calm becca and a terrified Kim and watch the fun. Wedemand a new room from L-dawg and are given a much shittier room but one that is glass fre nevertheless. At this point , our entire suitcases, shoes, clothes nd bedcovers hae had glass shattered all over thm, Ah, it yet another eventful, cincompetent evening in good ole dusty in Lilongwe.
Blantyre, Be Mine
This past week visiting Blantyre has perhaps been one of the most exciting weeks in Malawi. More fun than work and we all learnt A LOT! Blantyre is a small cosy little colonial town nestled in the hills. It reminds me of the countless hill stations in India. The weather is cooler, the culture and character of the city compelling and the place is just more compact and delightful than Lilongwe. It seems that Blantyre has more interesting people per square kilometer. Then again, that could have been because we stayed at Doogles, a backpackers lodge run by a white Zimbabwean woman. When I say that the room had bare necessities, I am not making a feeble joke. The room had four bunk beds and a light. The beds had hard wooden slats covered with about three blankets that served as mattresses. Still, since it is a backpackers lodge the people (although mostly foreigners and mostly white) are hardy outdoorsy kind of people and do not complain. However, the real fun was a short ten steps outside of our room at the well-stocked bar. Over there, outside amidst cheap Carlsberg beers and Malawian vodka one could hear stories about hikes up Mount Mulanje or volunteering at Queen Elizabeths Hospital (we did that too) Iti s heroic eelng to sit amidst other people from the developed world who have seen its joys and wonders and still chose Malawi to be their home.
Over the past week, I have met some of the most interesting peoel in my life. There is John, the rakishly good lookng 24year old Canadian who majored in math and business and discovered he did not want to psend the rest of his life in a business suit. So he traveled to India and then to Maozambique and finally Malawi. He volunteers at the Home of Hope and eats nsima (local food) with the orphans. The man walks as long as his legs will carry him on he dusty highway hailng a ride when he is tired. He also told us that buinesswomen in Lilongwe look most amused when he walks down the street without shoes (just because he feels like it) Because of this rather Calrkie habit of walking without shoes, he and his girlfriend both have sandworms in their toes and they can actually see them move from time to time! (For your knowledge, the man is perfectly unperturbed about this and casually mentions it in passing) We talked hungrily because he said he had not spoken to a non-Malawina fo al ong time and it fwlt good to have people understand you. In doogles we met friendly old Jeff, a gentlemanly English man whom we watched cricket with. He had lived in South Africa before Blantyre and enthralled Shohini and I with tales of how he had met the South African cricket tea. There was also Vick the Indian man from Chennai another cricket maniac who has to his fame having watched all 38 matches in the previous Cricket world cup in West Indies. He bonded with Kim over this. In addition, Jef told us just how diverse Blantyre was. And Indeed, as people dropped by for a quick drink and stopped to say hi to him we found Austrians., Bolivians, South Africans and Dutch people who had all made this lovely town their home and enriched the city by their presence. The men sit there watching rugby and drinking and cursing for both the South African Team and the English Team. There was a lot of jostling and teasing as diaspora from both countries came by to watch. Doogles, even the terribly uncomfortable beds, remind me of memories my mother talked about of India in the 1970s and 80s where a good time and a sterling conversation were for very cheap if not for free. The next morning, we were up and trekked down the old colonial street to visit St. Marks Cathedral which was built by Livingstone. It has been certified as a National Historical Site by the Department of Antiquities (what a lively quaint name!) In Blantyre, it seems that people houses and buildings are just tucked into the hill creating a very cosy feeling. So anyway, we walk down to the church that is BEAUTIFUL. I have no words to describe it and my architectural vocabulary is quite limited but the entire church is really small and yet really ornate with gothic style spires and peaks making it look like a splendid toy castle amidst a patch of rolling green lawns. The church compound seems endless but a walk around will reveal, that the compound randomly bleeds into people’s houses. Gorgeous colonial houses that make me think I am in some quaint railway colony in India. The sense of security is so inbuilt that many people have pretty thatched bamboo stalks as their fences! I felt like I was walking in a story book. Kim and I were particularly interested I seeing the graveyard. For those of you unaware of my fascination with colonial graveyards, I must explain. I felt this way even in India seeing Some soldier buried randomly in the middle of Gujarat. Because they are so far way from home, the gravestone really does tell a story..a story that in this post colonized (maybe) era no one pauses to appreciate the sweet poignance of the fact that some random British soldier died in this strange, hot land believing he was dying for the Queen and the country even as greedy oily merchants and plantation owners made a profit of the system of colonization. It is fascinating because in imperial ambitions, one sees the beginnings of colonization and colonization os avery important part of my identity now..the fact that I am Roman Catholic and that English is my first language. So, I just find all of this very fascinating. So Kim and I visited the Commonwealth graveyard and so Graveyads as old as the 1700s of British soldiers who had died in ‘Nyasaland’ the British colonial territory to which Malawi once belonged.
More on our super exciting journey to Blantyre later…
……………………………………
The Light Fiasco
So I have said many times that you pay money for competence. Competent people are always in demand. The smart, quick to catch on, efficient people in the service sector will always do well for themselves. Seeing this, it is no wonder that on our student budgets, incompetence is something we encounter on the daily here in Malawi. From the sketch waiters in K-Lodge, to IC miserable (Incompetent Miserbale) in Doogles who botched up the simplest of orders (three fried eggs and one scrambled). Our latest addition to this group of IC’s has been L Dawg alias Louis who is the jaunty incompetent receptionist at P Lodge where we are currently staying in Lilongwe. We have always been suspicious of Louis with his smart alec smile. The first time he met us, he was positively lounging in a little arm chair and absolutely REFUSED to move an inch as he answered the question s we had about the lodge. To this effect, Kim and I were sitting in our room today and we discovered that the one tube light that powers the room was out. So Of course I brace myself for the incompetent journey of my life as I search for someone to change the lightbulb. It was surprisingly easy. Louis looking dapper today in slacks and a full dress shirt comes in, inspects the lghtbulb with a smile and strides out to get the job done. Kim and I breathe a sigh of relief (or apprehension) because Louis doing any job usually is either hilarious or bad news. At any rate, he then wrestles a massive ladder into the damn room. I am listening to Kiss me Through the Phone on my computer at this point and look slightly hesitantly at L-Dawg. “Umm..Do you want me to Move” I ask L-dawg. “No no problem” Ok, I still move to the other bed to be cautious. This man..please believe me when I tell you that he refuses to open the ladder but instead LEANS IT ON A BRICK WALL…IN A ROOM THAT HAS A SLIPPERY TILED FLOOR. Kim and I are by now looking very wary and are fully aware that the air is regnant with incompetence. I suggest with an action that Kim fishes out her camera to catch on tape this priceless moment of Louis incompetence. At this moment, Louis who by now is up on the ladder with that silly, aggravating little smile on his face CRASHES down on the floor. As he falls, he pulls onto my mosquito net for support pulling it with him and there is a resounding crash as the light bulb breaks into a million pieces. Kim shrieks and I am proud to note at this time, that Kims first concern was for L-Dawg by now tangled up on my bed in MY sheets and mosquito nets and light bulb shards. Are you okay? Ofcourse we don’t merit an answer. L Dawg sits up with pieces of glass firmly sticking to his face, brushes himself and moves on quite ignoring the fact that by now our precious artifacts that were on the desk have been crashed by L Dawgs descent from the ladder. Fool! You would think that one should know how to open the ladder. Kids at crisis nursery would know how to open the ladder. As he is brushing himself off he fancifully flings the mosquito net towards Kim who by now is in a deep state of shock ( there are precious few times Kim ever gets speechless and I suggest if you are ever privileged to such moments you savour it with all your heart) Mind you, this mosquito net that I speak of is FULL OF glass shards and he casually flings it in Kims direction to her horror. She gives a terrified shriek and I truly feel a mixture of laughing at this idiots incompetence and then slapping him soundly for throwing these dangerous pieces of fine lightbulb glass on Kim. Blindly, I reach for my phone and think this is a moment to call Shohini and inform her of this. Especially since by know Kim has “git it together” enough to note that Shohinis precius wooden carving that she bought for her mother is broken. She tries to tell this to Louis who ignores her and walks out o the room wheter out of shock or sheer incompetence it is not known. My phone dies on me and I wlak to Shohinis room to breathlessly narrate the happenings. Let me tell you al ittle about Shohini. She as an attitude and when things hapne her atttide does nto rain, t pours. The girl walked out with a face that could either kill someone or curdle milk. She strides towards L-dawg puts her hands on her hips and demands an explanantion. Louis by thus time, has wied the grin off his face btu sil has the jaunty attitude. We have figured out by now, that he has no fear whatsoever of being fired or anything. At this pont the mixture of the whoel drama that had ensued and Shohini’s attitude on a rampage has got me severely cracked p. I follw our little entourage of an angry Shohini, a calm becca and a terrified Kim and watch the fun. Wedemand a new room from L-dawg and are given a much shittier room but one that is glass fre nevertheless. At this point , our entire suitcases, shoes, clothes nd bedcovers hae had glass shattered all over thm, Ah, it yet another eventful, cincompetent evening in good ole dusty in Lilongwe.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Kim2
Agogo's story
We met with Agogo at 8:30pm finally after the while day of waiting around. Lights went in the middle of us preparing dinner and we were subjected to sitting in the darkness playing some ridiculous free game Tanya found on her computer. When lights came back we went to meet Agogo in his house. The stars were beautiful and thousands seemed to sparkle in the endless deep blue of the sky. This is probably the most stars I've seen in my life.
Agogo's story was equally amazing. He told us how he was raised as an orphan and thus many years was driven to build an orphanage. He had nothing more than a donation of MK100 ($6 US) and now Home of Hope aids almost 600 orphans and vulnerable children. They don't even have enough money to meet all their needs but somehow they pull through with Raising Malawi as a main sponsor and money sent from their collection of friends worldwide. This institution has such an inspirational story of what can be done with practically nothing. $6 US brought 600 children such a long way, imagine what else can be accomplished. Just like the myriad of stars twinkling that we saw tonight, there are many hidden talents, ideas and great people: we just need to take a step back sometimes to learn their story and appreciate them.
We met with Agogo at 8:30pm finally after the while day of waiting around. Lights went in the middle of us preparing dinner and we were subjected to sitting in the darkness playing some ridiculous free game Tanya found on her computer. When lights came back we went to meet Agogo in his house. The stars were beautiful and thousands seemed to sparkle in the endless deep blue of the sky. This is probably the most stars I've seen in my life.
Agogo's story was equally amazing. He told us how he was raised as an orphan and thus many years was driven to build an orphanage. He had nothing more than a donation of MK100 ($6 US) and now Home of Hope aids almost 600 orphans and vulnerable children. They don't even have enough money to meet all their needs but somehow they pull through with Raising Malawi as a main sponsor and money sent from their collection of friends worldwide. This institution has such an inspirational story of what can be done with practically nothing. $6 US brought 600 children such a long way, imagine what else can be accomplished. Just like the myriad of stars twinkling that we saw tonight, there are many hidden talents, ideas and great people: we just need to take a step back sometimes to learn their story and appreciate them.
Kim
Home of Hope is a very different concept – a village which provides housing and care for orphans, school system with pre-school, primary, and secondary schools, and also a food security unit. This morning after arriving we got a full tour of the huge site. There are numerous brick buildings housing the classrooms, hostels (including the brand new boys’ hostel donated by Madonna), staff quarters, office, maize mill, guest house, church, and far up the hill the Fax Prayer House. The latter was the furthest point from the main site and it is an old brick building Agogo goes to contemplate and pray. It is the most beautiful scenery overlooking the entire Home of Hope. Agogo's grandson was able to show us everything and even introduce us in some of the classes.
The primary classes thoroughly enjoyed us visiting their classes, the secondary school...not so much. After the tour was over and we were on our own we were encountered by a group of girls. They were led by a headstrong girl from Form 4 (Grade 12) who promptly informed us her name was Tamanda and then insisted we "escort" her to class. This was basically her chance to show off to all her other school friends, as well as mock us in Chichewa. There seemed to be hundreds of eyes turned towards us, all of which belonged to bodies which towered over us and looked a good 5 years older than us too. We were relieved when they all returned to their classes for the second session of the day.
To pass the time we randomly walked around and met a bunch of pre-schoolers playing around in the dirt outside a building. They quickly abandoned their games and came over to us with the most fascinated looks on their faces. 5 minutes later and all 4 of us were knee-high in children. They led us down to their playground where we met one of the most interesting characters, probably equal to our encounter with Tamanda.
"This is Esta, you must be her "penpil" (penpal) from America"
I looked down and there was a girl dressed in her school uniform and obviously not in classes or wherever she should be. Her name was Anita and she made it a point to introduce everyone, tell us about her entire life and busy herself recruiting "penpils" for all her friends. She told us endless stories of her mom, dad, and witch doctor uncle. My newly found penpil, Ester was very quiet and didn't know much English as she was just in Standard 3. however we sealed our friendship over my hairtie which she was fascinated with and happily wore as a bracelet.
Close to 3we went back to the house for some time before afternoon devotions. Agogo had insisted we attend devotions every afternoon at half 3 and every morning at half 5 (yes 5:30!). 3:30 found out awkwardly standing in front of the church building with no idea what to do. Just as we were about to turn back a girl stopped us. Cynthia was 17 years old and in Form 2. She explained that there would be no devotions but instead SFK (Spirituality for Kids) classes. This is a big part of Raising Malawi so we thought it would be important tot attend.
SFK is an amazing syllabus used worldwide and empowers so many kids to love themselves and accomplish things they never thought they could. The class had a range of kids form different ages (one was as young as 11) all selected for the class. They sat in 3 circles each with a facilitator (who served as our interpreters) and the main facilitator form Lilongwe walked around the room. Each student had a workbook (in Chichewa) which had exercises on getting rid of bad habits, looking to the future, and having a direction in life. There was an innovative exercise where they learnt about compass directions (N,S, E, W) and then related that to life's directions; where you are coming form and where you are going.
After the class it was almost 5:30 so went back to the house to cook dinner. Agogo and the headmaster of the secondary school turned up unexpectedly. Unfortunately at this time we had all discarded our skirts which we had tried our best to maneuver all day just for Agogo's approval. They welcomed us to Home of Hope and assured us we'd learn a lot from being there.
Rose: Playing with the pre-schoolers
Thorn: Meeting the high-schoolers
The primary classes thoroughly enjoyed us visiting their classes, the secondary school...not so much. After the tour was over and we were on our own we were encountered by a group of girls. They were led by a headstrong girl from Form 4 (Grade 12) who promptly informed us her name was Tamanda and then insisted we "escort" her to class. This was basically her chance to show off to all her other school friends, as well as mock us in Chichewa. There seemed to be hundreds of eyes turned towards us, all of which belonged to bodies which towered over us and looked a good 5 years older than us too. We were relieved when they all returned to their classes for the second session of the day.
To pass the time we randomly walked around and met a bunch of pre-schoolers playing around in the dirt outside a building. They quickly abandoned their games and came over to us with the most fascinated looks on their faces. 5 minutes later and all 4 of us were knee-high in children. They led us down to their playground where we met one of the most interesting characters, probably equal to our encounter with Tamanda.
"This is Esta, you must be her "penpil" (penpal) from America"
I looked down and there was a girl dressed in her school uniform and obviously not in classes or wherever she should be. Her name was Anita and she made it a point to introduce everyone, tell us about her entire life and busy herself recruiting "penpils" for all her friends. She told us endless stories of her mom, dad, and witch doctor uncle. My newly found penpil, Ester was very quiet and didn't know much English as she was just in Standard 3. however we sealed our friendship over my hairtie which she was fascinated with and happily wore as a bracelet.
Close to 3we went back to the house for some time before afternoon devotions. Agogo had insisted we attend devotions every afternoon at half 3 and every morning at half 5 (yes 5:30!). 3:30 found out awkwardly standing in front of the church building with no idea what to do. Just as we were about to turn back a girl stopped us. Cynthia was 17 years old and in Form 2. She explained that there would be no devotions but instead SFK (Spirituality for Kids) classes. This is a big part of Raising Malawi so we thought it would be important tot attend.
SFK is an amazing syllabus used worldwide and empowers so many kids to love themselves and accomplish things they never thought they could. The class had a range of kids form different ages (one was as young as 11) all selected for the class. They sat in 3 circles each with a facilitator (who served as our interpreters) and the main facilitator form Lilongwe walked around the room. Each student had a workbook (in Chichewa) which had exercises on getting rid of bad habits, looking to the future, and having a direction in life. There was an innovative exercise where they learnt about compass directions (N,S, E, W) and then related that to life's directions; where you are coming form and where you are going.
After the class it was almost 5:30 so went back to the house to cook dinner. Agogo and the headmaster of the secondary school turned up unexpectedly. Unfortunately at this time we had all discarded our skirts which we had tried our best to maneuver all day just for Agogo's approval. They welcomed us to Home of Hope and assured us we'd learn a lot from being there.
Rose: Playing with the pre-schoolers
Thorn: Meeting the high-schoolers
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
becca HoH
So I write to you from Blantyre… the cultural capital of the country.. but im going to write about our time at the Home of Hope Orphanage about 6 hours away from here on the border of Zambia, in the foothills of a small cluster of mountains. It is a beautiful beautiful place… inside and out. We spent our days playing with the little kids, talking to the older ones after school, and learning from teachers. We decided that since we were in a pretty religious environment where we had to attend devotion services at half five and half three every day, wear chitenges (wraps) over our pants, and stay separate from boys, etc that we would make it into a little retreat for ourselves. We tried to only say positive things, to be proactive and to not talk bad about anyone. In addition we did a rose and thorn every night (the best and worst part about your day). The retreat aspect wasn’t the most successful, but it was still important for us to do and we are still doing rose and thorns everyday.
We met some amazing people at HoH… not only the family that started it, but the kids, and other volunteers. We sat and talked to some teenage girls who had some questions for us and we had questions for them. I think they were happy to have some visitors that were just there to get to know and understand them… not try to impose things on them. Another volunteer who we only spent one day with is there for a month tutoring. He was a very interesting guy who has spent the past year traveling all over the world. And he is only returning home to Canada when he runs out of money. So he is saving every kwacha he can. Another group of volunteers was an interesting mix of people from new york and LA…. They were doing some sports program… going to different schools and stuff to introduce kids to new sports, because they mostly just play futbol (soccer). They meant well, but I’m not going to lie that it was pretty entertaining to watch them teach baseball…
We concluded that this is how cricket was spread around the world to every british colony. A group of white people went somewhere. Taught the rules. And then the people went with it from there. Perhaps that is the hope with teaching baseball… who knows. But anyway… that was an interesting experience. And I know they meant well… at least they didn’t teach American football… and we got a good laugh out of it.
So again, HoH is a few km from the main town so it is fair to say that this self sustaining village of 654 children, teachers, caregivers, workers, and administration is in the middle of nowhere. It gets dark around 5:30 pm, so one night we had a meeting at another house in the village later in the evening. On our way we looked up into the sky and could see just about every star and planet in the universe. It was an incredible moment. I remember before I came here I was excited to see stars… and we finally did. It looked like a planetarium.. it was unreal…….
Then one morning we decided to go on a hike to the top of the Mchingi hill right outside the village. So 2 high school boys who regularly climb this hill guided the way. We left just after sunrise at 6 am and made it to the top around 8. We stayed up there for a little while and then returned by 9:30. It was not until we came back down that I was astounded that we climbed this mass. It was a beautiful view from the top, but I could only appreciate the vastness back at the village. Shohini kept saying “Did we really climb that one? Are you sure its THAT one? Not this smaller one?”
It was a great moment and even though going up and down were equally a struggle, we were glad we did it. (pictures to come. I am scared my computer will explode if I upload anymore)
We arrived to HoH on Tuesday, and did the hike on Thursday. After the hike we realized we couldn’t avoid showers any more so we each took turns standing in an ice cold shower quickly trying to removed the dirt from our legs and arms. It was a partial success.. but oh well… we’re used to being dirty at this point. we are counting the days until we have real showers again... but thas okay... We had made a promise that we would shower when we got to blantyre. And that we did. Friday morning we left for Lilongwe to catch a bus to blantyre. We were SO excited to be venturing off to the cultural capital. We heard there is a movie theater and actual things to do… so we spent 6 hours traveling here through beautiful terrain having good conversation and seeing our first bribe at the checkpoints. Yes, this country has checkpoints when you go into a new district? Why? I don’t know. It’s the most peaceful country on the continent. What theyre looking for? I don’t know. Maybe its just a means of employment… it gives the military something to do. cheers!
Anyway, so we arrived in blantyre, more excited than ever. And we made the trek to our lodge, lugging all our suitcases. Once again, we stuck out like sore thumbs. But more on blantyre next time! stay tuned.
We met some amazing people at HoH… not only the family that started it, but the kids, and other volunteers. We sat and talked to some teenage girls who had some questions for us and we had questions for them. I think they were happy to have some visitors that were just there to get to know and understand them… not try to impose things on them. Another volunteer who we only spent one day with is there for a month tutoring. He was a very interesting guy who has spent the past year traveling all over the world. And he is only returning home to Canada when he runs out of money. So he is saving every kwacha he can. Another group of volunteers was an interesting mix of people from new york and LA…. They were doing some sports program… going to different schools and stuff to introduce kids to new sports, because they mostly just play futbol (soccer). They meant well, but I’m not going to lie that it was pretty entertaining to watch them teach baseball…
We concluded that this is how cricket was spread around the world to every british colony. A group of white people went somewhere. Taught the rules. And then the people went with it from there. Perhaps that is the hope with teaching baseball… who knows. But anyway… that was an interesting experience. And I know they meant well… at least they didn’t teach American football… and we got a good laugh out of it.
So again, HoH is a few km from the main town so it is fair to say that this self sustaining village of 654 children, teachers, caregivers, workers, and administration is in the middle of nowhere. It gets dark around 5:30 pm, so one night we had a meeting at another house in the village later in the evening. On our way we looked up into the sky and could see just about every star and planet in the universe. It was an incredible moment. I remember before I came here I was excited to see stars… and we finally did. It looked like a planetarium.. it was unreal…….
Then one morning we decided to go on a hike to the top of the Mchingi hill right outside the village. So 2 high school boys who regularly climb this hill guided the way. We left just after sunrise at 6 am and made it to the top around 8. We stayed up there for a little while and then returned by 9:30. It was not until we came back down that I was astounded that we climbed this mass. It was a beautiful view from the top, but I could only appreciate the vastness back at the village. Shohini kept saying “Did we really climb that one? Are you sure its THAT one? Not this smaller one?”
It was a great moment and even though going up and down were equally a struggle, we were glad we did it. (pictures to come. I am scared my computer will explode if I upload anymore)
We arrived to HoH on Tuesday, and did the hike on Thursday. After the hike we realized we couldn’t avoid showers any more so we each took turns standing in an ice cold shower quickly trying to removed the dirt from our legs and arms. It was a partial success.. but oh well… we’re used to being dirty at this point. we are counting the days until we have real showers again... but thas okay... We had made a promise that we would shower when we got to blantyre. And that we did. Friday morning we left for Lilongwe to catch a bus to blantyre. We were SO excited to be venturing off to the cultural capital. We heard there is a movie theater and actual things to do… so we spent 6 hours traveling here through beautiful terrain having good conversation and seeing our first bribe at the checkpoints. Yes, this country has checkpoints when you go into a new district? Why? I don’t know. It’s the most peaceful country on the continent. What theyre looking for? I don’t know. Maybe its just a means of employment… it gives the military something to do. cheers!
Anyway, so we arrived in blantyre, more excited than ever. And we made the trek to our lodge, lugging all our suitcases. Once again, we stuck out like sore thumbs. But more on blantyre next time! stay tuned.
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