Malawi 'n Me

This blog is intended to share my overall experiences, inner thoughts, outer thoughts, and general observations while living in the country of Malawi for 9 months as an English Language Fellow, which is really just a euphemism for English instructor. I hope my comments will be interesting, enlightening, and not too frightening. Perhaps I can manage to insert such rhyming couplets at regular intervals as well. I'll do my best. Welcome to Malawi, the "Warm Heart of Africa."

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Sincere Apology

Today's post is a sincere apology to any Malawians who have read or are still reading this blog on a regular basis. I understand from a comment I received yesterday that some of my comments below my pictures have caused offense to at least one reader from Malawi, who also asserts that this blog is read by "thousands" of Malawians at home and abroad. Though I find this figure quite hard to believe, I am very saddened that even one comment I've made offended even one person. This really was not my intent at all. Since my impression was that this blog is read mostly by my friends back home, the pictures and comments beneath them are meant to give people an idea of what things are like here, not to pass any judgement on the condition of the people here or belittle their struggles. I've often prided myself in being an open-minded person with great respect for all people and cultures, and now I've had to take a step back and really look at how some of the comments in this blog could be perceived by a person from Malawi, reading it for the first time.

One thing I can say is that, on the whole, my comments have been at least 95 percent positive. I'm only sorry that a few descriptions of the road and travel conditions may have left me looking like an arrogant, ugly-American ex-pat passing some sort of negative judgement on the local people here. This saddens me a great deal, because nothing could be farther from the truth. Since I've been here, I've experienced the greatest kindness, generosity, selflessness, sincerity, and strength of body and spirit I think I've ever seen in this world. And this is saying a lot, as I've been to and lived in a lot of different places.

Please accept my sincere apologies. I truly regret that I've caused offense to anyone in this great place. (As a sidenote, I've also edited Mrs. Mbano's name to read Dr. Mbano. I was also corrected on this detail by a Malawian reader.) Thanks for your comments. I am taking them very seriously.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...: Thousands of Malawians have accessed your blog atleast once. For your information, your link was posted on Chanco Alumni Forum, whose membership is well into thousands. This was my basis for estimating the figures. I reserve more of my comments on your apology, but its been accepted. No hard feelings, CHEESE!; October 18, 2007 at 4:29 PM
Anonymous said...: There is absolutely nothing to apologise for. Your blog is telling it as it is.I, for one, enjoy the candidness in you postings.; October 19, 2007 at 2:51 AM
Jen X said...: To both "anonymous" readers: Thanks again for your comments, and I must say I'm a bit shocked and humbled by the fact that this blog link has been posted on the Chanco Alumni Forum! I'm also happy to see that not all readers from Malawi have been offended by my descriptions. Truly, I mean no harm or disrespect. I will certainly try to be more careful from now on, as to not be misunderstood or misinterpreted.; October 19, 2007 at 8:53 AM
Anonymous said...: There is a reason why the blogger has apologised. I believe she wants to put everything behind and move on. Those for or against what she posted have their own reasons, and we dont have to waste Jen's precious time by continuing with the debate. In a multitude of words, sin always abinds, so goes the saying. Its possible someone qouted her out of context considering how much she posted. Having said that, all of us have our shortcomings, dont we? And we probably are not qualified to throw the first stone. Bad news make the news and if thats the case, then all of us have been guilty in one way or another. Take for instance, if I mention Bill Clinton, the first thing that comes to mind probably is his sexual involvement with Monica, overshadowing all the good things he did prior to and after that incidence. Thats how our minds work. We read between lines in search of the BAD and not the GOOD. Let this matter rest. Have a good time Jen next time you visit our beautiful country. By the way you can also visit our beautiful Lake Malawi. I cant believe you missed it. Its cool.; October 19, 2007 at 8:56 AM
Jen X said...: Hello, Chirwa,

I just saw your comment before logging off, and wanted to thank you for your insights. Also, I wanted to clarify that I'm actually living here in Malawi until June 2008, so I'm certain I'll have many chances to visit the lake (though I haven't done so yet...) Thanks!; October 19, 2007 at 9:30 AM

Gillo 'n Mac at Vwaza Marsh Wildlife Reserve

Here's the lovely couple we stayed with in Mzuzu at the end of March. They also helped to rent the truck to take us to the marsh and have an incredible elephant adventure. Gillo is a 2nd-year student teacher in our distance-learner program at DCE. When our term was over last December, she asked me to come and visit sometime. I finally was able to do so during a school break in late March/early April. We had a fabulous time (see below) here in Vwaza Marsh...(and a somewhat harrowing time as well... see below...;-)

I can't believe we actually posed for this pic...

OK, this was just before things got really ugly... you can see it in our faces. I'm the only one smiling, but it's actually a "HOLY SH-- WE'RE GONNA DIE!" Kinda smile. The rest are showing their concern much more clearly. That's the group of elephants the big bull was protecting behind us in the distance. Can you see them? Not long after this, we were all hiding in the womens' bathroom stalls, praying for mercy from our elephant friend gone mad (see earlier post for details of the story)...

Form 4 students--Studying on VACATION!

Oh, yes... Here, it actually happens... students are so concerned about passing their end-of-term national exams, that they study over their school holidays, months prior to sitting the exams in October/November. These were some Form 4 students (like High School Seniors in the U.S.) who were at school to start preparing for the national exams during their break. This is all voluntary, and the teachers even show up. Gillo's niece Madalitso was also among these students, but somehow escaped my camera for the 'posed classroom' shot.

Gillo, Mac, and Family

Here's Gillo, Mac, and family in front of their house on our final day in Mzuzu. Ya, a nice-lookin group. By the way, the young ones are actually nieces and nephews. Gillo and Mac's children are in boarding school, and they take care of these 3 in addition. This is very common in Malawi, especially for relatives who live in areas where the schools are better-- their sisters/brothers often send their kids to them for schooling. It's quite amazing how many people here manage to take care of their extended families.

Outside of the Anglican Church at Nkhotakota

Here's the famous church at Nkhotakota founded by David Livingstone, the Scottish Anglican missionary credited with helping to end the Arab slave trade in Malawi through his efforts focused on Nkhotakhota, where thousands of slaves were forced into ships which crossed the lake into Mozambique, then forced to walk to Zanzibar, where they were shipped north through the Indian Ocean. The concrete marker is a memorial to Bishop Chauncey Maples (read more on him below beneath the picture of his tomb marker).

Bingu Ladies Dancin'

Here's a nice closer shot of some of the Bingu Ladies dancing. Of course, I did also take video of this, but can't figure out how to share it on the blog. Still working on that one. I'm told that these ladies are not necessarily true party supporters, but that they're hoping for the president to hand out money to them for wearing skirts, tops, and head-scarves featuring his portrait & party, while singing party songs. I believe this practice started with the country's first president, Dr. Kamuzu Banda, and has continued until now. Apparently Banda 'required' (I'm not sure how) women to dance/sing his praises at functions. Today's politicians often pay them for doing so. Very interesting...

Deliwe at Emperor's View

The Emperor's View

So, I know what you're thinkin-- Chinese Emperor? Nope. Japanese Emperor? Nope. Byzantine Emperor? Strike Three. I just got a correction on this from a good Malawian friend of mine, so here it is, the real story: It was Named Emperor`s View after Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia who visited Malawi in 1965. Haile Selassie is honored in Africa for a number of reasons; Ethiopia and Liberia are the only countries that were never colonized by the Europeans in Africa. Haile Selassie is the 225th successor in the lineage of Menelik, the 1st emperor of Ethiopia arising from the Biblical Solomonic dynasty and lastly, he is the founder of the Rastafarism livity which teaches love and unity. For comparison, I'm leaving in my WRONG information, just to show how I can take a correction with dignity... I was WAY OFF, as you can see in the next statement: It was actually a Rastafari Emperor from Nigeria (if I'm not mistaken--definitely an African country, though) who came here, I believe before the Queen. Again, my lousy recollection of numbers/dates means I can't remember who came here first. Anyway, I was shocked with this information. I never knew the Rastas had Emperors, and that they originated in Africa. Wow. That's a view of the Zomba area, in the general direction of Domasi. You might be able to spot Lake Chilwa in the background, with a mountain in the middle of it. Ah, the Zomba Plateau...

Spooky Black Lake

As the title mentions, it's spooky, and the water is literally black. It's now famous for the fact that some Rastafarians were playing soccer near it about 2 years ago, and lost the ball in the lake. One of them who claimed to be a great swimmer, insisted on going after the ball, though the others warned him against it, due to the strange black color of the water. Apparently, when he jumped in, he was sucked under by some sort of quicksand. Some say it may just be legend, but there is a gravesite near the lake where the poor guy is buried. Apparently, his body re-surfaced the day after he sank under the water. Ya, spooky alright.

Fancy Hotel Intruder

Buy yer rhubarb here!

Ya, I can't help myself... this is not for myself, but for the rhubarb salesman... if you gotta sell rhubarb, what better place than at the top of Zomba Mtn., and what better time than sunset? I dunno why exactly, but I was compelled to get a snap with this guy... maybe because that stuff grows like weeds where I come from, but this is the first time I've seen it in Malawi. Tamake had no idea what the fuss was about...No, I didn't buy any, cuz I don't know how to make a rhubarb pie without an oven... any ideas???

Deliwe's Bug Feast

A view of our lodge "lounge"

Here's a view of the "lounge" at Gecko's, where we stayed. It's the place you see toward the left, with trees on both sides of it. To the right is the village. There's a thatched fence separating the lodge beachfront from the village, but luckily we could walk freely along both sides of the lodge property (unlike some places where it's all blocked off). Though the villagers also can walk freely, there are some restrictions on peddling goods to the guests, etc. (I found this out the hard way Sun. morning when I tried to buy some mangoes from a local.... long story!)

My lovely class at Chanco

Here we are in the "American Corner." This is a space set up in the library by the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy to help students learn more about further study in the U.S. I'd held a couple of class sessions in this lab toward the beginning of the students' research paper assignment, in order to help them do proper internet research. Holding the labs during class sessions also allows them time to use the computers for free (they usually have to pay a fee). So, here we are 'in action.' As you can see they're a fabulous class, hard at work ;-)

Early Wedding!!

As we finished our reading room meeting, I noticed a lot of noise coming out of the 'great hall' (the largest building at the orphanage). Lo and behold, as it turns out, these kids were getting married! Ya, a bit young, but of course, just for fun. They look very serious here. I think they know they're not ready for such a serious commitment. The next shot is much better. Isn't it great how they got all dressed up? Even a maid of honor! I think when I took the next one, they remembered it was just for fun (hopefully!)

Mr. Mwanza's Village

Here's a picture I took when we visited Mr. Mwanza's (the Deputy Principal at Domasi College) village on Tuesday to see his mother, after we'd finished our teaching practice observations for the day. Unfortunately, I cannot remember the exact name of the village, but it was about 45 Km. west of Lilongwe, off the highway that leads to the Zambian border. This place was very much off the beaten track, and very much a typical Malawian village. These women were removing maize kernels from the cobs to prepare maize meal. They'll later carry this to the maize mill to have it ground into a fine flour which they use to make nsima, the staple food of Malawi. Sometimes they grind it more than once, as they like it to be very fine and white. This fine, white nsima unfortunately has very few nutrients. By the way, those boys made sure to sneak into the picture at the last minute... kids here find a way to get into as many pictures as possible!

Ida the great!

This was the best instructor I observed that week. Her first name is Ida, and she taught an excellent lesson on participatory teaching methods, while also using those methods in her lesson. This is at St. Joseph's Teacher Training College in Dedza, about halfway between Lilongwe and Domasi. We actually went there early Wednesday morning, but due to some scheduling issues, we had to return again Friday morning on our way back south to Domasi. I really liked this place... a beautiful campus, cool weather, beautiful plants and trees, and very nice facilities. This is a women's only college run by the Catholic Church, and is adjacent to a convent.

Secondary school campus

This was unfortunately the best shot I got of part of the secondary school campus. I'm only sorry to say that I cannot remember the name of this particular school, but it was the last secondary school I visited that week, on Thursday morning. Most of the government schools look similar to this one. They have separate red-brick structures for each classroom, sometimes housing 2 classrooms, one on each side, as I think this one did. However, I did notice later that this building actually has a satellite dish on the top of it, so it's possible that it is a house off-campus. However, this is generally what a typical classroom building looks like in Malawi. I generally like how schools are designed here, as each classroom is self-contained, and the students move from building to building, rather than being confined to one structure, as is usually the case in the U.S. Of course, the nice weather conditions year-round here are a likely factor in this design as well.

Dr. Banda's Memorial

Here is the Memorial of Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda, also known as the 'Founding Father of Malawi." He not only led the revolution against British Colonial rule in the 1950's and 1960's, but took over as 'life president' in 1964 and ruled as a dictator until 1994. Though his autocratic system of government was controversial in terms of its human rights record, including intolerance of any form of opposition, he is credited by many Malawians for leading them out of colonial oppression and developing agricultural systems as well as infrastructure. My colleagues spoke very highly of Dr. Banda and his accomplishments.

Malawian 'Checkers'

Here's a pic of Deliwe playing the game I call "Malawian Checkers," though it's actually known as 'bawo' in Chichewa. In any case, you can see, there are small stones inside pockets in the wooden game board. Each player has two rows of stones, and they systematically distribute the stones among the pockets in order, and periodically "steal" stones from their opponent. They showed me how to play, but I'll need to play on my own before being able to actually figure out the strategy. I think Deliwe won most of their matches, so she should be able to teach me well. (By the way, this was also at the fancy lodge, in the 3rd class lounge area-- but we had the best view!)

Don't mess with this guide!

Croc!

NEW CAR!

Here I am in my new (well, not so new) 1994 Toyota Carina, sitting on the drivers side, after driving on the wrong side of the road shifting with the wrong hand for about 30 mins. See how happy I look? Later that afternoon (about an hour, to be exact), I won't be so happy. My car will fail to start again after adding gas. I'll have to leave it overnight at the BP, and pick it up the next day. Then, 2 days later I'll destroy the front left tire hitting a curb in Blantyre. It's all explained on the right. But at that point, I was very happy. Let's just focus on that, shall we?

We have a winner!

Here it is. The bug you've all been waiting for. And yes, my sister Heather is the winner of the "Guess what the big bug on my wall was" contest. I'm not surprised that Heather won the contest, as she is quite intelligent, well-informed, and queen of all things trivia, as she always kicks my butt on that "Buzztime" trivia game we love to play at the bars (and online) back home. But I digress. Yes, there she is. The Praying Mantis crawling up my kitchen wall. Isn't she beautiful, and ENORMOUS?? I have Deliwe to thank for showing her to me. Luckily, she also informed me that they never kill these lovely creatures, which was good, because my reaction to the cockroach belly-up in the bathtub a few days earlier was much different. So, we gently got her to crawl onto the end of a broom, and then not so gently shook her off onto the ground, but she left us intact, ready to find her next meal (probably a mate-- well, you know what these girls do... if not, google it to find out ;-)

View of the mountains

Here is one of the nice views I captured during our hike. Since we got started a bit late (heading up the trail at around 9:20 a.m. after our jaunt through town to get food and find a little truck to take us there), our guide Stephen advised that we only go so far as a certain waterfall which is about halfway to the peak. I'm not sure which peaks these are, but if I do make it back, I plan to get to the top and stay in one of the cabins set up by the forestry dept. there. Most of them are actually fully-equipped with bedding, kitchens, etc. You just have to pack in your clothes and food. A backpacker's dream.

The waterfall

This is the view of the waterfall from the area where we decided to take a small dip. Since neither of us had swimsuits, we just had to "rough it" in our clothes. We managed to find a small waterfall to stick our heads under to cool off (a much-needed activity after the hot hike we'd just had). There were many other "muzungus" in this place. I think it's a favorite of the guides, too. It appeared that we came upon a rather big tour group. Most were swimming in the larger pool just beneath the waterfall. Now I know to come better-prepared next time... this was definitely not a "swim in your underwear" situation (though I was tempted due to the heat).

Another view of the mountain

Guys stealing wood

These guys were running down the trail with big planks of wood (apparently they are already cut, but I'm not sure why... perhaps the forest service manages some wood cutting on the mountain, as we did see some men cutting wood on our way up, and our guide assured us that it was legal). We had to move to get out of their way (though as you can see, it's more of a road than a trail). Our guide told us this is a common practice on the mountain on Sundays, as there are no forest workers patrolling the mountain on that day. I got a nice paparrazzi shot to share with the authorities, though it's a bit tough to identify these guys from behind. Not sure how many times they go up and down to steal these planks, but hopefully they can't do too much damage. It's good to see that at least the authorities are patrolling the area to curb this problem. Wood depletion is a serious issue in the mountains of Malawi, especially for making charcoal. However, our guide thought these guys were carpenters, as they were stealing sawed planks.

Our "bus" back to town

Here it is. Yes, it's the back of a big truck. It's actually full of bags of maize meal, though somehow I managed to leave those out of the picture. I held on for dear life once the thing started. I also tried to finish my beer, but forget it. I almost broke my teeth with the bottle while taking a swig as the truck hit a rock/bump/and/or pothole in the road. Stephen got the rest of it, which is good. He worked hard for it, and since I witnessed him open a bottle of beer with his teeth ("Malawian" teeth, as he referred to them), he could handle the bumps and keep his teeth.

Unloading maize meal

Here are the guys unloading the bags of maize meal. This is the stuff they use to make the nSima (staple food of Malawi). It's also the stuff you often see women carrying on their heads. You can get an idea of how heavy the stuff is. Two men needed to move it off of the truck. More proof of the true strength of women, but I digress. Notice the open back. I was sitting about two feet from that, on top of one of those bags, hanging onto a bike that was laying on top of them. The bike belonged to one of the guys who was transporting the maize. You can see the danger now, right? Can you see how high the truck is? Carlos learns how high it is soon (see below).

Stephen & Carlos shortly before "dismount"

Here are Stephen and Carlos, one "stop" before our harrowing dismount from the truck. Carlos looks happy here. He won't be so happy later. I don't have a shot of the incident, but while jumping out of the truck, his shirt caught on a piece of metal sticking out the back, and he lost his footing. Luckily, it was just a small foot sprain, and "nurse Jen" took care of him in the old Wisconsin way... (Ya, with beer). It worked. Later on, he was able to hobble to the motel next door for dinner.

Coolest nun on Earth

OK, except for those nuns in 'The Sound of Music', and Whoopie Goldberg in 'Sister Act'* (though that doesn't count cuz she was just pretending to be a nun), Sister Anastasia is the coolest nun on Earth. Even her habit is cool. It's lavendar! Can you beat that? I dare you to try. Lucky for me, she's also my neighbor and a fabulous cook. Maybe God is on my side after all. Hmmm...(***Note: I recently received an e-mail from Margaret, a fellow English Fellow going to Brazil in Feb. '08, who is an expert in the portrayal of nuns in popular media/performing arts ;-) She informed me that 'Nunsense' was a Broadway Show, and that Whoopie's nun movie was actually entitled 'Sister Act'-- OOPS! Not sure where I got the 'Nunsense' reference, as I've never actualy seen the production. Margaret also added to the list Sally Field as "The Flying Nun", who could be a close 2nd to Sister Anastasia, perhaps.)

Deliwe & Pamela

Here's a picture of Deliwe & Pamela, also at Sister Anastasia's dinner. Pamela is one of the Sister's adopted daughters, also on the original "welcoming committee." She's also the sweet young lady who came to visit me last week Sunday after the two boys came over and ate all my food. She invited me to church tomorrow. I'm nervous. I wonder if she'll forget. I kinda hope she does, though I'm curious what church is like here. Could be interesting. I wonder if they'd let me take picures. Is that sacreligious? I guess I'll find out.

Typical dinner in Malawi

Eating demonstration 2

Here, Deliwe and her friend who works next door actually asked me to take a picture of them eating lunch. I think Deliwe had just told her friend that I was taking pictures of her the other night, to show my friends back home how people use nSima to eat with their hands. They actually invited me to take some pictures of them eating. Deliwe has her hand in the nSima. She'll then use that to pick up the other foods, which are fish, rape (yes, it's a green, leafy vegetable, and that's the name), and some eggs cooked with tomatoes. Yum! As you can see, lunch is the biggest meal of the day (because everyone's starving after eating breakfast at 5 a.m.)

Typical Highway Scene in Malawi

Here's what the major highway between Domasi and Lilongwe generally looks like. Notice the lack of cars. Also notice the guy at the side of the road using his bike as a transport for several items he's likely carrying from one village to another for sale. This is basically what it looks like. There are more pedestrians and cyclists on the road than cars, and there's always something interesting going on at the side of the road (or sometimes in the road, which is why almost no one drives at night here).

Deliwe in her 'proper' clothes

Here's Deliwe in her nicer outfit later the same morning. I must mention that she was going to church, so clearly felt a need to change her outfit. I'm posting this picture merely for comparison. She's a lovely woman no matter what she wears, but I think my point is clear nonetheless. (Incidentally, I must point out that I tried very hard to give Deliwe weekends off, but she seems to prefer staying with me, and insists on cooking while she's there. Luckily, she did stay out later that evening so I was able to cook dinner, which she ate without showing too much disgust, so hopefully we can continue this trend each weekend.)

Me and Grace

Here I am, in my fabulous fashionable outfit with the boy's mother, Grace, who is just obliging her son's wishes, most likely (even jumped through the small stream to get to the other side of it for the picture). She was very tolerant of my little tour of the property (along with my entourage of boys), and hopefully somewhat flattered as well. (by the way, that small thing sticking out in my left pocket was a little green tomato her son gave me. I also got an ear of corn and a bean. I ate the corn, but still have the other 2 items in my kitchen...)

A funny girl named Funny

This is Funny. She's a girl I met today while walking around on the trails near my neighborhood. She was on her way home from the library, studying for her final exams-- on a Saturday!! (Oh, the horror most U.S. schoolkids would feel at the meer thought.) She's 14 years old, and very friendly, and funny, too. I guess that's how she got the name. Like most Malawians, she saw the strange sight of me walking around, and took enough pity on me to say hello and welcome me to her country. Actually, I don't think it's pity. The people here are genuinely friendly. It's refreshing. And fun. And sometimes funny, especially when they laugh at my attempts at Chichewa greetings (which, thankfully, they rarely do).

Malawi 'n Me

DISCLAIMER

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Sincere Apology

5 comments:

Followers

Gillo & Family

Gillo 'n Mac at Vwaza Marsh Wildlife Reserve

Gillo 'n me

Sausage on a tree!

Curious Kudu...

The three lovely ladies...

Ya, almost as big...

The Matriarch (I think)

The Herd!

Hey, what's up?

Hey, come closer!

Hey, the water's great! Come on in!

Hey, what'd you say?

EEW! What's that smell?

Hmmm...

Time to get out!

Whoaa... TWO trunks?

Cute little guy...

Escapin' the humans (but not for long)...

Munch Munch Munch...

Even closer...

Now you see him, now you don't...

I can't believe we actually posed for this pic...

Form 4 students--Studying on VACATION!

Inside of Gillo's classroom

Outside of Gillo's school

Gillo, Mac, and Family

View of Nkhata Bay

Another view of Deliwe on stick house balcony

Deliwe on balcony

The back of our stick house...

Da Village on Da Lake

Da waves...(and more 'Da ______s to come...)

There she is!

Another sunrise shot...

Nkhotakhota beach at sunrise...

Da Hammock, on Da Beach, by Da Fishing nets...

Da outside of Da Bar...

Da Kids...

Da Room...

Da Swing...

Da Bar!

Deliwe 'On Da Rocks'

Another view of the church

Outside of the Anglican Church at Nkhotakota

A view of the congregational area

The Altar

Here lies Bishop Chauncy Maples

Baptismal Fount and 'Pit'

Famous Fig Tree

Graveyard behind Anglican Church

The Beach at Salima...

Caroline's--our Salima Home

Deliwe in the lake

Kids outside the reading room...

Anticipation...

Empty Shelves! (But not for long...)

More empty shelves

The Rules

No eating or drinking!

No Kicking!

Say Cheese!

Pick a mountain!

Budding Artist

Lookin good!

Finishing touches

My Colleagues at Domasi

Sea of DPP Blue

Bingu Ladies Dancin'

Young Politicians

Crowd around Bingu's helicopter

Bye Bye Bingu!

Deliwe the Graduate...

Lovely Dorothy