'Memento' Monday

First of all, to all of you expecting free gin: I do have an excuse for failing to post yesterday. The power went out during the time I normally do my posting—SORRY! As it turns out, since I came here, the power has gone out almost every night at about 6:00 p.m., and it stays out for varying periods of time. On Saturday night, it was out for almost 3 hours, and was a major inconvenience, as it happened just before a scheduled special event, “The Principal’s Dinner,” honoring the latest graduates from the Distance Education Program here. The students are actually teachers in secondary schools all over the country who work towards higher-level teaching degrees from home, since they live and teach in distant villages where they do not have access to a college or university. The program is set up much like the old “correspondence courses” back in the day, in which the students come into the college for a couple of weeks to receive introduction in each module (subject), and then go off on their own to study the modules and write papers and assignments which they mail (yes, snail mail) to their instructors, who then mark them and send them back to the students. Yes, this was life before the internet… incredible, eh?

So, since it turns out that I have several stories to tell over several days, I’ve decided to do this Memento style. For those unfamiliar with the film Memento, it basically starts at the end and ends at the beginning… make sense? Well, don’t worry… neither will this post.

Today, I taught my first class in Malawi... Wow, it was interesting. I’d been to visit the class before, so at least they had some concept of me before, so I wasn’t entering as a complete stranger (though almost). They are a good group overall, but a bigger class than I’m used to teaching (about 36 students). However, by Malawian standards, it’s an extremely small class (they average at about 70-100 students here.) Although I think it went pretty well, I have 3 potential strikes against me: 1) I’m an outsider, 2) I’m the 3rd instructor they’ve had this term, and it’s only the middle of the term, and 3) I have no idea how the grading system works here… it’s VERY different from any other place I’ve taught, and of course they try to standardize it, so all grades I give will be submitted to a committee to make sure I’m not being too nice or too mean. My colleague Mr. Mbano tried to explain the system to me after noticing that the papers he gave me to grade (yes, he gave an assignment and then left the stack of papers for me to grade) had extremely inflated scores. You see, here, 40% is a passing grade, and 70% is “distinguished” (meaning outstanding). So, when grading a small assignment like that which I received from Mr. Mbano only worth 25 points, I couldn’t just take off a couple of points here and there, as the grades would be way too inflated. Instead, I’d have to take off a minimum of 7 points for any paper that was not perfect. In addition, I need to norm each grade against the entire class, since there is an expectation of a typical “bell curve,” with most students falling in the middle range, which here is only about 50%. Not only that, but when I do finish my grading, everything gets submitted to a committee which reviews all of my grades and lets me know whether everything looks acceptable. Then, if it’s o.k., it gets sent to another committee for further review. Ya, I know… sounds like fun, eh? I’m definitely not looking forward to that process.

Other than that, the class went relatively well. The students were overall responsive, though I think they resemble most typical college freshmen in that they’re mostly passive, and just a few are willing to offer comments and answer questions asked of the whole group. However, they did open up a bit more towards the end, and seemed like they didn’t mind my babbling too much. They even laughed at a couple of my attempts at humor, hopefully not just to be nice, but we shall see…

So, let’s see, we’re going backwards, right? So, since that was the big story of today, let me move on to yesterday. Actually, yesterday was the first full day I’ve had since arriving here during which I never left my house. The main reason for this was my need to finish marking the papers that Mr. Mbano left for me to grade. Though I considered marking them in the truck on the way back from Lilongwe last Friday, the bumpiness of the roads (along with my laziness) prevented me from doing so. So, in the end, I had about 26 papers to grade on Sunday (finished 10 of them on Saturday), and just as I got settled to do so at around noon, I received a knock on the door. To my surprise, when I went to answer it, there were two young boys standing there. It took me a moment, but then I remembered that they were two of the boys I met last week Sunday during my fabulous adventure on the trails beyond my neighborhood. One of them was the oldest boy in Lloyd Banda’s family. Ugh! I forgot his name again—starts with Ch--- (no it’s not Charlie), and the other boy’s (his friend's) name also starts with Ch— I need to bring my notes with me next time I write in this blog. In any case, they were both there, and once I recognized them, I invited them in for a chat. Of course, I then remembered that they asked me my house number when I met them a week ago, and of course I told them, never expecting them to actually come to visit, but there they were!

Now normally, such an unexpected visit is a welcome thing to a lonely foreigner in a new country, and it also was in this case, except for the fact that it was the first day since I’ve come here that I had actual work to do. Again, this would’ve been alright as well, but as I’ve found out, in Malawian culture, when a person comes over, or when you stop by to visit, even by chance, it is not uncommon to stay for quite awhile to chat, drink, eat, and be merry. Now, those out there who know me well also know that I love to do all those things: eat, drink, chat, be merry (not necessarily in that order), but this was a visit I wasn’t quite prepared for, as in the end, these boys stayed at my house for 3 hours! I showed them some of the pictures on my computer, starting with the ones I took last week when I met them. Eventually, they wanted to see other pictures from New York City, Japan, and the small town where I live in upstate New York. At some point while I was showing the pictures, I realized I had been a terrible host and had forgotten to offer them something to drink. At that point, all I had in my frig was this iced tea I’d started making a few days earlier, so I gave them some of that, and also some sugar to add. Like the young ladies who’d visited me the day before (yes, on Saturday I had a few girls I’d met on the trail come over. Remember Funny? It was her and her friend, and then a friend of Deliwe’s joined us as well.) In any case, they like their tea VERY sweet here (at least the kids do), and they added about 3 or 4 spoonfuls of sugar. Then, the older boy asked me if I had any biscuits to go along with the tea. “Oh, yes,” I said, so brought out this box of assorted crackers I had in the cupboard. Before I knew it, I was cleaning out my cupboards and refrigerator to feed these boys, as it turned out they’d walked to my house directly from church, and hadn’t had any lunch yet, so they were starving. In the end, I was able to scrape up enough food to satisfy 2 young boys (which is not easy... I'm childless, so what do I know?). On the menu, along with the sugar-laden tea and crackers: Peanut butter and Jelly sandwiches (yes, they love them here… and the peanut butter is made with real Malawi peanuts… the jam is from the Boabob tree… more on that later… my favorite tree here, but I don’t have a picture of one yet…), and bananas. That seemed to fill them up just fine, and I didn’t have to dig out the pots n pans to heat anything up… whew!

So, they ate, and drank, looked at pictures, and eventually the older boy asked if he could use my phone to call his aunt in Lilongwe, and then his father, and before I knew it, my phone was out of credits (all pre-paid phone cards here). So, then it was time to kick them out. No, not really. I was nice about it, but realized it was becoming too much, and kindly told them that I had to get back to my paper marking, and after some negotiation, they left.

Then, not 5 minutes passed by, and as I was getting ready to mark those papers, another knock came at my door. This time it was Pamela, one of the lovely girls next door on the Welcoming Committee. Remember the Welcoming Committee? If not, scroll down to my first posting, and you’ll find it in there somewhere. It’s also featured in one of my first photos towards the bottom of the page. In any case, she’s a lovely young lady, had some water (but no food… whew! I was running out!), and only stayed for about 20 minutes. Eventually, I got to my grading, debated whether to go to the office to start working on my blog, but thought I should keep focused on the papers. By the time I was ready to work on the blog, the power went out, and then it was too late to go out. So, there you have it…the full description of events that led to my eventual lapse in blog coverage. I didn’t realize how popular I was until this past weekend! Amazing… I’d been back in the States for about 2 years before leaving the country again, and I don’t think I had as many visitors there in those two years as I’ve had here in just 2 weeks! I must say in this sense I do feel much more at home here.

Add to the above that I went to visit my neighbors (where Pamela lives) just this evening to say hello, and they insisted on feeding me, despite the fact that I told them Deliwe had prepared dinner for me already. Of course, I had to stay, and was given a lovely meal of nSima (remember that? It’s the starchy meal made with milled maize flour), vegetables, and eggs. I then went home and ate some chicken and more nSima with Deliwe. So, it turns out that the food I provided yesterday came back to me (and then some) today. “Pay it forward” is not a concept to be taught here, it’s simply what people do. Given that my visit was not planned and the person feeding me was a Catholic nun who takes care of several children in her home, it’s quite amazing. And remarkable. And just cool.

Ok, So, back in time. Now for Saturday. Actually, you've already heard about Saturday afternoon, so now I'll tell you about Saturday evening and Saturday morning (Memento style, so in that order...). On Saturday evening, there was a special function planned at Domasi College, called the "Principal's Dinner." It was actually a recognition dinner for the newly-graduated (well, about to graduate) distance learners. Actually, I did mention this at the beginning of the posting. The most interesting part of it was that we had a blackout which started right before the event, and lasted almost until the end, with the lights returning at about 8:45 p.m., just before the end of the Principal's speech. Prior to that time, we hung around outside for awhile, trying to mingle a bit with people we couldn't see well in the dark, so that was interesting. I hung around with Betsy, another volunteer working here whom I wrote about in an earlier post. She and I have become pretty good friends already, which anyone reading this who has ever lived overseas will understand. You tend to become close with other "outsiders" quickly, especially while getting to know the new place. Ironically, though, after being on my own for the first weekend, I'm doing o.k., as evidenced by all the visitors "knocking me up" (he he, in the British sense, not the American... don't get too excited...)

So, in any case, we stood around in the dark, until candles were lit inside the dining hall, which was set up for hundreds of people (though I don't know the full number.) We then started off with a nice prayer (everything here starts and ends with a prayer, including meetings... At first, I thought this would be strange, but I kind of like it... could've used a few prayers at my last 2 jobs, just to help me survive the meetings, much less the entire day-- but I digress...). After that, it became somewhat chaotic, as we went up to wash our hands, but weren't sure whether to take food back or wait to be served (some were taking it, others weren't, so we were a bit confused). The food was quite good... Roasted chicken, rice, and green beans... simple, but satisfying. And in candlelight, so romantic, considering we were in a big hall with hundreds of people. We had a nice chat with Lazarus, a young lecturer in the Education Dept. who also owns a music production company in Zomba, which I hope to visit one day, as music recording (and anything musical) fascinates me. Eventually, the speeches started, and of course this was a challenge in a dark room full of hundreds of people. They did have one bright light that resembled one of those bug zappers, and shined it in the general direction of each person speaking, as well as using it to illuminate certain students who were receiving some type of recognition (though I don't know what type, since I couldn't hear a thing.) Somehow, the students could make out their names though (maybe through lip-reading??), and all went up to receive their awards without any apparent problems.

Later on there was a speech given by one of the officials, which appeared to be inspirational, but the hundreds of people were talking so I couldn't hear most of it, and no one seemed to be able to get people to quiet down. This mayhem ceased when the Principal, Mr. Chakwera, got up to speak, however. He's quite an imposing-looking man, and is one of those people who commands respect just by his presence, and without raising his voice. Amazingly, when he began to speak, everyone quieted down. Actually, he looks a lot like Edie Amin (sp??). If you don't know who that is, rent "The Last King of Scotland." starring Academy-Award actor Forrest Whitaker (one of the first Oscar Picks I would've chosen, as amazingly it was a movie I actually saw before the Oscars came out)-- 'Nuff said... in any case, I don't think he's quite as whacked as Mr. Amin was, but only time will tell...

By the way, on the power-outage thing. It's almost a daily occurrence. We had one Friday night, Saturday night, and Sunday night, all at around 6 p.m. Saturday's was the longest one so far, at almost 3 hours. Tonight-- so far, so good. Hope I didn't jinx it...

Eventually, the lights went on toward the end of Mr. Chakwera's speech, the tables were moved, the music came on, and people started to dance. Not just a few, but EVERYBODY. I was a little shy, so didn't get out there, but Betsy was right on it, jiggin' away. She's a brave soul. Even rides the mini-buses on an almost-daily basis. I've yet to bring myself to do it... my 3 fears all wrapped up in one-- small space, lotsa people crammed together, no air... AAAHH! Can't do it... hopefully won't, as by week's end, I should be drivin my own car (more later on that...)

OK, so now to Saturday morning. This was an interesting morning, as I had the opportunity to visit an orphanage just outside of the Domasi College Campus. I was given a tour along with Leah (the volunteer who works with the same program as Betsy... mentioned in an earlier post) by the director of the orphanage, whom we met at the "bottle store" the night before. What's a bottle store, you ask? Well, it's not a store that sells bottles. Actually, they do collect bottles, and then fill them with beer and soda, and sell them back to you. Remember the old returnable glass bottles that were pushed out of the U.S. market in the mid to late-80s when we started using those ridiculous plastic things that are plaguing our environment? Well, those have re-surfaced in the developing world, namely Mexico, China, and Malawi (in my experience, though I'm sure there are many more). In these countries, they still have a system in which you pay a deposit when you buy beer or soda in these bottles, and then receive the deposit back as an incentive when you return them. Great concept, eh? We used to do it. Now only a few select states do it. Luckily, I do live in one of them back home-- New York. Michigan is another one. And I think Delaware. In New York, you get money back for both plastic and glass bottles. It's a good thing. Maybe it'll go national someday. After this guy leaves office, perhaps.... but again, I digress.

So, we met Alfred, the orphanage director, while at the bottle store to pick up some beer (Betsy's idea... she's a bad influence on me. I never drank beer before I met her ;-) As it turned out, Alfred is Deliwe's uncle, though he described himself as her father. I later learned that she considers him her "2nd father", because her biological father died when she was quite young (about 13, I think), which is a common occurrence here, I'm afraid. Due to several diseases, primarily AIDS and Malaria, many children are left without parents, which is why this orphanage exists, as well as the tendency of people like Sister Anastasia (my next door neighbor who had me over for dinner this evening) to take in several children and care for them. I've also spoken with a few other colleagues who are caring for several nieces and nephews for the same reason. I'd like to think we'd do this for each other back home in similar circumstances, but clearly it is very difficult for people here. More on that another time.

Back to Alfred. The other sidenote is the fact that he's related to Deliwe. This is another common occurrence here. It is a small country village area, so people tend to know each other and often are related in some way, so it's a very tight-knit community. I eventually told Deliwe I met her "father" the night before, and she didn't even act very surprised about it. It seemed quite normal to her. I didn't confess where we met him until later, as I wasn't sure how hanging out at the "bottle store" might be perceived by a young woman like Deliwe. When Betsy and I told her last night, she seemed o.k. with it. I wonder what she really thinks, though... I'll keep you posted.

Did I digress again? Sorry. Anyway, Alfred invited Leah and I to visit the orphanage, called "Village to Village." It appears to be a country-wide project of community-based orphanages put together to help the kids who are orphaned due to the prevalence of AIDS-related deaths in the country. This is truly grassroots stuff, built from ground-up. The communities use their own resources-- buildings, land, food, volunteers, etc. to help feed, clothe, and educate these orphans in a self-contained small orphanage. I took a few pictures which are featured in this posting. I'm also hoping to return to do some small projects here, most likely related to English education, since this is a part of my duties as an English Language Fellow. However, I'd really like to help with some fund-raising and awareness in an effort to help build more resources for this project. Alfred was very kind in showing us around, and never directly asked for donations. I think this may be the Malawian way. Apart from a few beggars on the street, people don't tend to ask for help outright, but really seem to make an attempt to handle things on their own, with very limited resources. They are remarkable in this respect, as well as many others, obviously.

So, that should take care of both Saturday morning and Friday night. Now, on to Friday and Thursday. This was my trip to Lilongwe (3-4 hours drive from here). Actually, there are not too many stories to tell about this excursion, except that I did manage to purchase a vehicle with a lot of assistance from Pamela, the assistant to the Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy, who was kind enough to take a look at some vehicles for me. She narrowed it down to 3 vehicles within my price range, and even helped me to bargain the price down by about $300. The other good news is that I qualify for a duty-free purchase since I'm working for the U.S. Govt. (more payback on some of those taxes I've paid for awhile...). Things went relatively smoothly, since Pamela handled all the paperwork. We pretty much zipped in and out of offices (the visa office was interesting... not a computer in sight, just one guy working there with piles of papers lining the walls. It looked like your typical beaurocratic nightmare-- but it went quickly, so no complaints from me).

Then, once we got to the dealership (well, actually a small dirt lot surrounded by high red-brick walls), I chose a nice black Toyota Carina (which is something between a corolla and a camry), but I was too chicken to test-drive it because of the driving on the left side of the road, sitting on the right side of the car, and shifting with the left hand thing--yes, it's manual), so I got the driver who brought me to Lilongwe to drive it for me. His name is Salimane, and he really liked the car, so I said o.k. If he likes it, I like it, too. Hopefully, Salimane will be the driver chosen to take me back to Lilongwe to pick up the car, because in his words, it's his car, too. I couldn't have made the decision without him. So, after dealing with the bank transfer (involving typing up a letter to the bank and faxing it, yadda yadda yadda), it was all finished. Well, not all finished, I had to drop a couple wads of cash down for the registration, title, and insurance, which the dealer and my embassy friends will help me to process, since I can't be in Lilongwe to take care of those things this week.

With any luck, that teacher strike will happen, and I'll be able to pick up my car by week's end. If there is no strike, then I have to wait until Saturday. Oh, I'm evil, I know... hoping for a strike so I can go get my car. Well, just a Friday strike will do. I don't ask for too much, do I?

So, before too long, I should be terrorizing the locals with my gear-grinding backwards-American drivin' on the wrong side of the road ways. CAN'T WAIT!!

Until then, Mwaswela! Ah, this manuscript certainly makes up for that Sunday off, eh? Now, you should be all caught up, but backwards, inside out, and upside down. Just the way I like to leave my readers... they don't call it cyberspace for nutt'n... ;-) Bye for now!