'Maybury' in Malawi

Today's post will be relatively short, as I'm having my first night of "what should I do with my class tomorrow" anxiety. We will be finishing up a paper they've been working on since last week, and now I need to figure out what to do with them next, as I was given a relatively general course outline and no real curriculum/plans to follow. Overall, the class seems to be going pretty well, and I received some good validation from a student after class today when I happened to see him by chance at the bank in Zomba during the lunch hour. He actually came up to me to say hello, and I immediately recognized him as one of my students. His name is Rafael, and the first thing he said was that he thought I might be "stranded" somehow. I guess I have a "stranded Muzungu" look about me, no matter how cool I try to look.

In any case, after sharing a few niceties, I asked him what he thought of the class, and he seemed sincerely appreciative of the work I've been doing with them, and was especially thankful for the models and writing practice I've been giving them. One thing I've learned about Malawians is that they can be quite gracious and complimentary people, so it's quite possible he really thinks my lessons are a load of sh*t, but well, I think if so, he wouldn't have bothered talking to me in the first place, and would've just left me stranded there, hoping I didn't make it back to teach the next day. That said, I doubt there are very many people here capable of doing that sort of thing, as people here overall are quite peaceful and happy. I mean really, truly happy.

Which brings me to another point. This morning, when I woke up, I heard Deliwe singing a nice tune loudly and happily, and so I wondered what was up. When I went to see what she was doing, I found her mopping her bedroom floor. Mopping! Do you know anyone who actually sings a tune while mopping? In the states, I think they lock people up in padded rooms for doing such a crazy thing! Add to that the fact that almost every morning (at around 6 a.m.--no joke), I hear lovely melodic singing coming from Sister Anastasia's house next door. I used to think it was a recording of some kind, but now I think it's actually part of a small religious service she holds in the mornings. It's quite beautiful and serene... a little early, but lovely nonetheless. In addition, I often hear the children singing inside and outside of their classrooms. All in unison, singing these amazing songs.

My point is that there's an awful lot of singing going on. In my experience, miserable people don't generally sing (unless it's the blues, but I'm not hearing any of that here). I had a feeling before I came here that I might witness joy in the midst of the simple pleasures of life that we in the U.S. tend to forget to enjoy in the midst of our harried, technology-ridden, and often solitary lifestyles. However, I never expected to see the amount of joy that I've seen here. It's quite incredible. The Sister said it last Thursday night during our dinner together. "I didn't like living in England (She was there for about a year, in Manchester). People don't greet you. They're in too much of a hurry. They're too rich, and they are unhappy." While saying this, she imitated the typical English person walking down the street, looking very serious/stern, with her arms pumping like a robot. It gave us all a good laugh, but ironically, I knew exactly what she was talking about, and I've felt it many times back home (as well as in northern England, where I once lived as well--it is actually worse there-- oh yeah, and in South Korea-- I could go on...).

I'm just really enjoying being able to greet people and getting a response EVERY time, no matter which language I use. In upstate New York, I'm lucky if I get a nod and a nano-second of eye contact after saying hello to a stranger. And I live in a very small town. Ya, there ain't no Maybury or Walnut Grove anymore, unless you come to Malawi. With that, I leave you for now. Tomorrow, watch for a picture of a MASSIVE, but AWESOME INSECT on my kitchen wall...Can you guess what it is? Mwa Swela! (Was it short? hmmm... maybe I lied again! ;-)