New Battery, Nice Feast, Not a Bad Day

I'll start off today's post with the first batch of kitty names entered in yesterday's blog comments. So far, I've gotten the same name suggestion from 2 people (Cherette & friend Heather): Skippy John Jones... I guess this is based on a fictional cat that looks something like a Chihuahua... Not only is it a long 3-word-kinda name, but not translatable, so we probably won't use it. Though, I kinda like 'Skippy' as a name for a cat... Of course, I'll have to discuss it with Deliwe first. The other two names entered were Mphenzi (courtesy of my Uncle Bob), and Katswiri (suggested by Limbika, one of my most faithful Malawian readers).

Hmmm... Right now, I'm guessing Katswiri tops the list, as it has a nice ring to it, I could shorten it to 'Kat'-- which was the name of my first cat when I was little--plus I know what it means since Limbika told me....('clever one'--we'll have to see if it really fits ;-) As for this name given by Uncle Bob, I'll have to consult Deliwe for the translation... He said it took "a lot of research," and he called our lovely kitty a 'beast' (Ya, Uncle Bob's not a cat guy... this can't be good...). So, unofficially (before Deliwe's vote), I'm goin for Katswiri for now--BUT, don't give up yet, as there are still 6 more days to enter your suggestions, since I'll announce the final decision sometime on Sunday! So, keep 'em comin'!!

In other news, I had my car battery replaced today, Malawi-style. Yes, that means with the help of 3 friends, plus a couple of strangers. It first involved taking the car into Zomba, and while parked at the bank, having my gardner Harold (who also knows a few things about cars) test the battery by touching the two 'nodes' (as I call them) --those knobs on top of the battery that show positive (+) and negative (-) charges, and looking for 'blue sparks'. We actually happened to find a random wire laying in the parking lot that fit our purpose perfectly, after an attempt with the jumper cables did not produce the desired effect. In the end, the wire only produced 'yellow sparks,' indicating the battery needed replacing.

So, we proceeded to a gas station, where we discovered the batteries were not only a bit pricey, but also the 'nodes' were too large for the fittings that attach to them. Apparently only cars sent directly from Japan have the smaller nodes (mine was sent from Japan, where it was originally manufactured). So, we decide to check another shop in the market area to see if we can find a different battery, as well as the fittings necessary to attach it. On the way, I receive a call from Chikuni, who is the guy Deliwe and I met when we went to Liwonde National Park (he's the one in the pictures playing the stone game 'Bawo' with her.) He has kept in touch since our trip... Though Deliwe is reluctant to admit it, it's quite clear he's taken a shine to her, as he's made a couple of special trips by minibus from his village just outside of Zomba into Domasi to see her. In the U.S., this would be about the equivalent of hitchhiking from New York City to the Blue Ridge Mountains in West Virginia to see a girl. No one comes to Domasi from Zomba. It's much more common to travel in the other direction... Ya, he's quite smitten. Luckily for me, he's also a decent mechanic, not to mention quite a friendly, pleasant guy, with very good English skills. Unfortunately for him, though, Deliwe is not interested... in anyone. She's very driven to focus on her future, and knows that a boyfriend will have to wait until she reaches her goals. She's a smart girl.

In any case, Chikuni called me as we were leaving the gas station, as he'd agreed to meet me today to help with the battery. He was at the mini-bus stop in Zomba, which happens to be across from the Shop-Rite (the biggest supermarket in Zomba, about the size of one of those mini-marts in the U.S., like PDQ (in the midwest), Stop 'n Go (out west), or Burne Dairy (out east). Where do ya go down South? Never lived there, so my friends in North Carolina would have to enlighten me... Carrie? Carrie? (I know two Carries in N.C.-- where do y'all go when ya need gas 'n milk in the same trip? Hmmm...)

Oops, digressed again, sorry... So, we met up outside of Shop-Rite, just after I ran into Melvin the taxi driver. He's in the middle of a court battle for which I might be a witness (involving potential police brutality, but luckily he's o.k.-- Did I mention this on the blog? Happened a couple of weeks ago...). I'll save that story for another time. In the end, Melvin ended up joining our entourage, so I was lucky enough to have three kind gentlemen help me with my car battery problem. This is just how people are here. I love that! Back home, I'd most definitely be at the repair shop by myself, while I paid through the nose for some mechanic to take his time to replace the battery while I drink stale coffee and suffer through some nauseating talk show on the lobby T.V. set. Nah, I prefer this way any day!

So, after choosing a suitable battery at K 7,500 (about 50 bucks), and the new fittings for about 3 bucks, the 3 men went to work, diligently stripping wires, and re-fitting the battery. In the end, it took over 2 hours (due to some serious wire-cutting/stripping/extending), but they did a nice job, and didn't ask for anything in return (though I did give Chikuni and Harold a bit of money for their time/effort)-- Melvin left after about 10 mins. to pick up a client. So for now, it looks like I've been well-taken care of, with a new battery. I'm just knocking on wood now in hopes that nothing else will start falling apart! Wish me luck, and I'll keep you posted!

The battery-replacing adventure was then followed by a very lovely dinner at my colleague Chokocha's house. He has a very lovely family, consisting of 4 daughters (the oldest in college, the youngest still in primary school), as well as 2 nephews, who are among about 3 or 4 that he takes care of, as their parents have already died. I may have mentioned that it is common in Malawi for aunts & uncles to take in orphaned children in the extended family. Chokocha is a very good man, and though he knows it can be difficult, he accepts this extra responsibility with grace and generosity.

Unfortunately, his wife and youngest daughter could not be there, as they were at her extended family home planting maize for the rainy season (everyone here is busy with that now), but I did get to meet most of the kids living in the house, and ate a fabulous meal which reminded me a lot of our traditional Thanksgiving feast, which, incidentally, is coming up this Thursday, Nov. 22. I've been feeling a bit homesick for Thanksgiving, so I was happy to be treated to such a wonderful dinner of chicken, potatoes (mashed and boiled), rice, beans (green and brown), and finally topped off with a banana for dessert. Ya, no pumpkin pie, but still an amazing meal. Add to that the fact that Chokocha has had some interesting experiences as an international student in the U.S., (UMASS-Amherst) and some exciting plans for building a technical training college in his home village. We had a really interesting chat about his experiences and dreams as well.

So, I guess I have much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving... not only a new kitty, but good friends to help with the installation of a new battery, and a fabulous meal that reminded me of the ones we had 'back in the day', in a warm, happy home where I felt very welcome and 'at home.' Oh, and Chokocha also has a new kitty (grey striped tabby), about the same size as our kitty, also acquired on Saturday, and also nameless! He's waiting for his youngest daughter to return home with his wife to give her a name. Any suggestions? Hmmm... maybe not... let's just stick to my kitty for the naming contest....

Ooh, I feel all warm and fuzzy after that post... Considering my gloominess as of late, I hope it's not too nauseating for the faithful readers! ;-) I know, it's not like me, but today was a really cool day, so what can I say? (Ooh, a rhyming couplet! Better stop while I'm ahead...) Tiwonana mawa!