TO ALL READERS: A few days ago in Karonga I picked up an awesome package. Whether it was the awesomest I’ve received is debatable, as there have been some mighty fine parcels. This particular one was from the high school geography class of Mrs. Terri Heinhorst at my alma mater, Midwest Central High School. Not only was the box loaded with tasty goodies (Oreos! Little Debbies! Tuna!), but there were card games and children’s literary materials to share with my Malawian friends. And, to top off the crate, each of the students included a hand-made card with greetings from America and questions about Africa.
I thought my answers to the questions would be of some interest to others, so I’ve sent this response to the entire list. Happy reading!
After reading your questions I came to one general conclusion. I suppose I knew this before, but many Americans have large, general ideas about Africa that are often incorrect. I expect most of this comes from mass media, in particular movies – Blood Diamond, Hotel Rwanda. Remember, Africa is a big continent and what you see in the movies or on the news happens in relatively small areas. Yes, most of the continent suffers from poverty and almost every country is considered to be undeveloped. But that doesn’t mean everyone in every country is shooting and killing. You won’t often hear about places like Malawi because very little newsworthy happens here. It is a small, peaceful country with minimal tourism compared to neighbors like Tanzania, Zambia and Mozambique.
But many Malawians have large, comprehensive misconceptions about America, too. They think you are all rich and white. They ask if there are poor people in America. Well, of course there are, right? But what is poor? How long can a person live on US$100? Can it be stretched to a month? Longer? US$100 is equal to 14,000 Malawi kwacha. That’s two months salary for a primary school teacher. Let’s assume that teacher has a wife and at least three children. But then they will also farm either for food or for additional income. The difficulty with this discussion is that the United States and Malawi have such different economies and the currencies are valued so differently. It’s beyond me to explain it to them, and, I’m sure, to you.
They also don’t understand about food diversity, because to them the “food” is the starch (nsima/ugali, rice, potatoes) and the rest is “relish” (meat, vegetables, etc.). People ask me what is the staple food in America. I can’t answer because we don’t really have a staple food. Most Malawians don’t understand sandwiches, cheeseburgers and pizza. Try explaining your normal diet under those circumstances.
I think I’ve included answers to all your questions here (in no particular order – sorry). Some were incredibly general, but I’ve done my best. Some were similar, so I’ve grouped them together. With all the questions, this will be a bit long, so I miss anything or my answers aren’t clear or raise further questions, please ask more!
Names of local tribes – We don’t have traditional pastoral (livestock herding) tribes like the Massai or Tuareg in Tanzania or Kenya. (Those are the ones you see in National Geographic with the colorful red or purple clothing and all the jewelry.) But there are many different tribes: Chewa, Tumbuka, Ngonde, Yao, Ndali, Lambiya, Sukwa, Ngoni and many more. Each tribe has its own language (Chichewa, Chitumbuka, Chiyao, etc.), though the national language is Chichewa mainly because the Chewa tribe is by far the largest in country. Chitipa District, the northernmost in country, has nearly two dozens tribes who all speak a slightly different language.
Each tribe has a system of traditional government starting at Village Headman, Group Village Headman, Traditional Authority and up to a Paramount Chief. Sometimes more divisions exist depending on the size of the area and tribe. There is a democratic government with police and members of parliament and a president, but if an issue arises and can be settled through the traditional system, as long as everyone is satisfied, it’s OK. I live among the Ngonde people, so nguyoba (I speak) Chingonde panandi (a little).
Also, ndikulankula Chichewa pang’ono.
Also, nkuyowoya Chitumbuka pachoko.
And, ninataka kujua Kiswahili.
(Bonus points for those translations.)
Wildlife – Where I am I don’t see large African wildlife. Malawi is one of the most densely populated countries in Africa and most of the animals are now confined to the national parks. Lions are very rare. As far as I know you won’t find giraffes or rhinoceroses. But Malawi has plenty of elephants, hippos, water buffalo, kudu, eland, zebras.
We do have snakes. The two they warn us about in training are black mambas and puff adders – both extremely poisonous. I have found snakes I my house. Black ones. But I’m not expert and don’t know for sure whether they are mambas. Still I get them out of my house in a hurry. Every time I travel from Karonga to Mzuzu I see baboons along side the road where they congregate waiting for travelers to throw food out their windows. Also, I can walk about 500 meters from my house to a small area of maybe two acres and see wild monkeys. I don’t know what kind they are and even my friend Stephanie, who knows more about African wildlife than anyone I know, couldn’t identify them. But they are fun to watch. After New Year’s I’m planning to travel to Zambia, which is known more for their wildlife. I’m excited.
Music – All African. I hear no American music here. I’m not good at classifying music, but it’s mostly similar to reggae.
Markets – At some point I’ll send a couple photos of my local market. Every Monday I buy tomatoes, onions, beans, bananas and meat at an open-air market. It’s quite similar to a farmer’s market or flea market. Individuals grow the food and sell it. At the same market people can buy dishes, clothes, soap, bicycle parts, clay pots (for cooking or water storage), locally brewed moonshine and so much more.
I can get a warm Coke nearby, but to find electricity and a cold drink I have to travel at least 10 km to the main road. To get real electricity, where I can plug something into the wall, I have to ride my bicycle about 25km to town.
Weather – Look at a map or globe and compare central Illinois to northern Malawi in their relationship to the equator. We are in a tropical climate here. Right now is the hot, dry season. The rainy season is just around the corner and some places in country have been getting rain for a couple weeks now. Generally the pattern goes: warm and rainy from December-April; cool and dry from May through August; hot and dry from September through November. The main growing season for corn is from December through April, during the rains. So, remember our seasons are opposite because we in separate hemispheres, plus our weather patterns vary because the temperature and atmosphere are different closer to the equator.
Friends – Yes, I have many friends. Both Malawian and American. I love my fellow Peace Corps Volunteers. They are great people and I expect to be lifelong friends with many of them. My Malawian friends I hope to stay in touch with, though through time and distance it will become more difficult, I’m sure. Time will tell.
When do I eat dinner – About 6 p.m. each day. When do you eat dinner?
Spicy foods – Only if I add hot sauce or pepper. I’m surprised there weren’t more questions about the food. When at site my diet consists mostly of rice and beans or rice and soya for lunch and dinner. Soya is meat-like product made from soy. It sounds funny, but it’s not too bad. Once a week at the market I’ll buy enough pork or fish for a couple meals. Sometimes I cook sweet potatoes or regular potatoes, though not often. For breakfast I either eat a porridge made from corn flour (it’s kind of like oatmeal or Cream of Wheat) or I eat fruit.
In my area people grow a lot of rice, and many Malawians will prepare that with a meal. Still, the dominant carbohydrate is nsima, which is a staple food across most of Africa, though the name changes. Nsima in Malawi. Ugali in Tanzania. Other names in other places. It’s a doughy patty made from fine, processed corn flour mixed with water. You eat it with your hands – roll into a ball with your fist, push a little dip in with your thumb then scoop up your beans. I know it doesn’t sound great, but it’s really not too bad and many volunteers end up enjoying it. I, personally, prefer kondowole, which is nsima made from cassava.
The zucchini and cucumbers from my garden didn’t turn out very well, but I am getting a few tomatoes, and I had some sunflowers pop up. I’m planning to plant green beans and perhaps sweet corn when I return to site.
Guns, gangs, etc. – No. The only people I’ve seen carrying guns are police and military personnel. I’ve never seen them use them or point them. No gangs, no kids with guns. It happens at times in other parts of Africa. Actually, because of the relatively peaceful nature of its people, Malawi is known as “The Warm Heart of Africa.” And I have it called “Africa for beginners.” I’ve never felt in any serious danger at all, and I don’t expect I will, but you never know. The most risk I assume is that something might be stolen from my house by a greedy Malawian.
Sports/Games – Football rules! Actually soccer rules, but you never hear that word here. As it is in most countries outside of the United States, soccer is called football and football as we know it in America doesn’t exist.
The most popular non-sport game is called bau or bao, I’m not sure. It rhymes with cow. Have you played mancala? It’s almost the same. You move pieces around a board with the goal being to take your opponents pieces. Difficult to explain in text, look it up!
Travel – Around the village I walk or use my Peace Corps-issued bicycle. If I’m going to Mzuzu or farther, I ride my bike the 25km to Karonga boma, then hitchhike. Believe it or not, it’s actually considered by many people to be the safest way to travel. I would never do it in America, but Africa is different. It’s especially nice if I can get a ride with an American or at least another mzungu. And, no, no vehicle I’ve ridden has ever been shot at.
Cool cars – I noticed you had the photograph of the old Mustang on your board. I was amazed to see that in Malawi. The vast majority of vehicles are Toyotas, mostly pickups, and SUV-type vehicle. I wouldn’t really say I’ve seen anything particularly cool. Most tend to be old, beat-up and blowing black smoke.
Where do I sleep – In my bed. Yes, I have a bed and a mattress. It’s a foam mattress about four inches thick with no box springs underneath, but it’s better than a cement floor. Or grass. I also use a mosquito net. As volunteers we are required to take drugs to avoid getting malaria and the mosquito keeps the nasty little bugs away so we can sleep.
Jobs/Living – The vast majority of people are subsistence farmers. That means they grow their own food either for eating or for sale. Teachers and government workers do earn a salary, but most of them farm some also. In the village we don’t really need stores because most things people can buy at the weekly market. But in town I can go to restaurants, a small grocery (much smaller than Oney’s in Manito); we even have a small cultural museum. Mzuzu is a bit larger with bigger stores and Lilongwe and Blantyre each have a Shoprite, which is like a Kroger’s or Dominic’s.
Free time – Read books. Chat with people.
Favorite thing – Tough question. Probably the opportunity to travel and see new, amazing places and experience different cultures.
Helped any kids – I’m living at a primary school and interact with kids every day. You’ve heard about my soap-making project. I hope I’m helping at least a few kids.
Is it worth – A question I ask myself often. Is it worth sacrificing comfort and familiarity? Is it worth leaving your family and friends and everything you know? Is it worth missing the holidays? Of course I miss America and my home dearly. I think about family and friends all the time. But I also think about what I would be doing at home.
The opportunity to live in Africa and be paid for it by our government, the chance to travel around this continent, the chance to help people who truly need to be helped – yes, that’s worth it. None of that makes me miss America any less, though. A fellow volunteer recently observed that an experience like this instills a greater appreciation for America while at the same time inspiring a sense of wanderlust.
For all of you – any opportunity you have to travel outside of the United States of America, take it. I backpacked around Europe after I finished college and loved it. Once you travel like that, you are a different person. Get outside of the shell of the U.S.A. Don’t let your only exposure to the outside world be what you see in the movies and on TV.
Lastly, to give you a small taste of what the experience is like, try this: No electricity and no running water for as long as you can. Flashlights and battery-operated electronics are OK. I have an iPod and cell phone I charge with a small solar charger. But no computer, no TV, no microwave, no lights. Take water not from your sink or shower, but from a tap or pump straight out of the ground. Bathe from a bucket. Wash dishes and laundry by hand. Don’t use a flush toilet, find a pit latrine. Cook over firewood, but not hotdogs. Rice and beans. Or if you have a kerosene stove, that’s OK. After two weeks you can go to town for a cold drink and a meal at a restaurant. After a month you can use electricity for two days. But still no microwave.
Try that. See how far you get. All that stuff is the easy part of my job.
Bonus Points for the translation:
Tili tose pa ulendo.
(Hint: Chitumbuka)
Friday, November 16, 2007
Big Update
OK, it’s been a while since I’ve posted anything with any real substance to it. This one might go on for a while. I hope I don’t leave anything out. So sit back, relax and prepare for your latest vicarious African experience!
In This Issue:
Mulanje Massif
Mzungu Connection
Old PCVs
Dead African Wildlife
Halloween
New PCVs
Project Update
Finally
Mulanje Massif
After In-Service Training in August I joined Scott, Dan, Jim and Wiz on an outing to traverse Mt. Mulanje, the highest peak in Malawi. The highest point is Sapitwa peak, which reaches 3,002 meters. We didn’t summit.
This was my first trip to the southern region and to Blantyre, the biggest city in Malawi. No McDonald’s or Pizza Hut, but it is as close to a “western” city as I’ve seen since Johannesburg almost nine months ago. It made me glad to be in the Northern Region and have Mzuzu as a hub. Once we got south of Blantyre, the scenery was beautiful – rolling hills and loads of tea farms, which were incredibly green given the time of year.
We started up the mountain about 10 a.m. the first day, after making a stop at the local market to stock up on supplies. Our hike that day was about six hours – normally a good day of hiking. But this one kicked my butt. It was steep, sunny and the higher up we climbed the less shade we had. And water was inconveniently absent. We learned that one liter per person was barely (in my case, not) enough. You don’t appreciate the wetness of fresh water on your tongue until you lay on the side of a barren mountain, baking in the sun, thinking you will die alone in southern Africa. In other words, when I finally got water, it was good.
Several cabins dot Mt. Mulanje, which is actually like a plateau or mini-mountain range in itself. The first we came to was around 100 years old. Luckily, Scott works with the Mulanje Conservation Trust and was able to procure the means to access cooking materials, mattresses and blankets, so we did have to carry all those items. The huts are managed by locals who live in a separate house next door and keep the firewood and water filled when hikers are coming through. This first hut was very rustic. The most interesting part was the Creepy Room – a large, empty room that had a door to the outside and only locked from the outside. So if you went in, you stayed in. Fortunately, there was plenty of floor space for the five us without having to use the Creepy Room.
The second day we hiked across the plateau. We saw men cutting Mulanje cedar, which is made into boxes and curios, and is a very big business in the Southern Region. Unfortunately, the business is so good that in a few years there may no longer be cedar on the mountain. Most of the hike was rolling hills, up and down. Nothing too brutal. Our cabin this day was much newer – the newest on the mountain, in fact – and was equipped with solar panels, so we had electric light for a while. It took some of the novelty of hiking in Africa out, but was still nice.
The third day was downhill. Way down. And steep again. Thank God for little tufts of grass. We were amazed how well they held our weight. Otherwise the seats of our pants would have been ruined from sliding down on our rear ends. While the entire experience was fun and rewarding, perhaps the highlight was our victory meal. The day we came down, we arrived in Mulanje boma (the seat of Mulanje District). From there we walked 2km to Chitakale, where we ate brick-oven pizza – reportedly the best pizza in-country.
We stayed in Blantyre that night. The next day Jim, Wiz and I embarked on an epic hitchhiking trek from Blantry to Mzuzu, visiting all three Peace Corps houses in one day – a rare feat to say the least. The entire trip lasted 14 hours and included five modes of transport across almost 700 km.
Whether we’ll return is undecided as of now, though I hear Mulanje is amazingly beautiful after the rains. We’ll see.
Mzungu Connection
After nearly nine months in country and seven at site, I’m finally making some connections with other mzungus. (Mzungu - n., foreigner, especially one with white skin). Not far from my house a South African company has begun mining coal. I’ve been getting to know to white Zimbabwean men who are working there. In fact, they’ve invited my sitemate Kyle and me into their house in town a couple times to watch Rugby.
Down the road from the coal miners lives an Australian couple who’ve been in country about six weeks now. They are also working at a mine. I only met them briefly, but I expect I’ll bump into them again.
Then, get this, I met some Americans. From the Midwest. From Illinois, nonetheless. Kyle and I had heard about some British volunteers at a Roman Catholic school in town and decided look into it. Turns out they are Americans. I’ve only had the opportunity to talk extensively with one, who is from the north side of Chicago (Go Cubbies!). At least one is from St. Louis and another is from Belleville. I’m really looking forward to meeting them.
Old PCVs
About a month ago I received a text message from one of the volunteers in our group. She decided to take early termination (ET). Now, even when I’m not particularly close to a PCV, I still like to know who, why, when, etc. But Jamie was in our group, in the northern region and probably the one we would have voted Least Likely To ET. She was (is) one of my closer friends among Malawi PCVs, so it was quite a shock.
But it’s all good. She has a good reason. She decided that she had been traveling and volunteering for nearly seven years now and she was ready to stop moving. Plus she knows she wants to go back to school. There are several reasons for which you couldn’t blame a volunteer for leaving early. But among all the positive reasons, I thought this was a good as any – she new she didn’t want to be here and she new what she wanted to do.
I’ll miss Jamie, and I’m sure others will leave, but I wish them all the best and I hope they are happy with their decisions. I have 18 months to go. We’ll see.
Dead African Wildlife
Jamie came through Mzuzu on her way to Lilongwe about three weeks ago. Several of us came to meet up with her a final time. During the stay, she and I were walking to the post office where she had a package, and then she accompanied me to the Parks and Wildlife Office. When we arrived we noticed a pickup truck with a topper and several people gathered around. As I was trying to decide which building was the office, Jamie jokingly asked, “You want to go stand by the truck?” Moments later a Malawian man said, “Oh, you’ve come to see the lion?” What? Lion? Heck yeah, we’re here to see the lion!
We edged our way up to the truck and there, as you can guess, was a lion. A dead lion. Apparently it had killed two people somewhere in Chitipa District. Or it killed a cow and some chickens. Or a combination. Oh, and there’s another one out there somewhere. Maybe. We didn’t really get a straight story. But it was awesome. And it smelled like a dead, rotting lion, if you can imagine that. (This was especially interested because lions are quite rare in Malawi.)
Halloween
After wishing Jamie farewell, several of us traveled to Chitipa boma for the annual Halloween party. Chitipa is one of the most remote districts in country. The 100km trip from Karonga took us five hours. The weather was cool, we wrestled and slaughtered a pig, drank some beer, dressed up and generally had a good time. ‘Nuff said.
Two nights in the boma, then some of us proceeded to Misuku, which has been called the Scotland of Malawi because of its amazing hills and perpetual greenery. When much of the rest of the country turns brown, this patch stays green. In fact, Kyle, Jim and I took a hike one day through a forest reserve that is at least partially primary growth rainforest. I also carried water on my head for the first time - up an uber-steep hill. The next day my next was sore, understandably. A couple days late I noticed a large bump on the back of my neck. (“It’s not a tumor.”) It was a bit uncomfortable but a couple days of antibiotic chased it away and all is well again.
Kyle, Jim and I also decided to walk back from Misuku to Ngerenge (my home area). A decent road connects the two areas, if you don’t mind hills and bends. We fought through the hills and took a few short cuts to avoid the windiness. After walking for about eight hours we saw the first automobile of the day and decided we could ride last 10-15 km. But if anyone asks, we walked the whole way.
New PCVs
My sitemate Kyle, an education volunteer since 2005, as now finished his Peace Corps program and will be leaving the country shortly after Thanksgiving. For a couple weeks, at least, I’ll be the northernmost volunteer in Karonga (as I’ve been). The new education group is now in training, however, and will be sworn-in in mid-December. Kyle will be replaced and a new PCV will be placed at Kaporo Community Day Secondary School. I hope to meet both of them on Thursday at our Thanksgiving celebration.
Project Update
I can now leave Africa saying I actually accomplished something, however small. With the help of the Associate Peace Corps Director (APCD) for Environment Brian Connors – my boss – I secured enough funding to repair a borehole in one village. (A borehole is a hand-pump for water. Pipe is driven into the ground and pumped out. It’s what I use at my site for water.) In the grand scheme of African development work, one borehole is like a grain of sand. But in this particular area water is a bit scarce. Women – because they are the ones who draw water – had been walking 2-3 km to the next nearest borehole. That means they were probably living on 20 liters of water a day (or 40 liters if they make two trips). For many of them that water probably served multiple people.
A recent Newsweek had a series of articles about water. It showed a statistic that Americans, on average, use 573 liters of water a day. People in Mozambique, the article said, use 10 liters a day. I bathe once a day, wash at least a few dishes at least two times a day and use some for drinking. If I stretched my supply I could get by on 20 liters. That doesn’t count washing clothes or watering my garden and other plants. I try to use my dishwater and laundry water on my garden and plants when I can.
The other project I’ve actually made tangible headway with is soap-making with some primary school students. I don’t recall if I’ve mentioned this, so I’ll give a quick recap. Primary school is free, secondary school is expensive. Even at less than 5,000 kwacha a year – less than US$50 – many families can’t afford it. I’m living at a primary school and wanted a project the students could run to raise money for school fees. With the help of a teacher we’ve started making soap. Once we cover our overhead costs, I think this will be at least mildly profitable. And hopefully the students will learn a bit about money management. But at least we’re up and rolling now.
Three other projects are in the planning stages. We’re still ironing out some details with the library, and I hope to submit the grant application after I return to site. Of course I’ll keep you all updated on that one. I’m also working with a local village to build a dam on a small stream, which will require a different grant. This will be in the same village as the borehole repair, an area where water tends to be scarce. Currently this stream dries up shortly after the rains, in June or July. We hope if the dam is built well and we can plant some trees and grasses to stabilize the stream banks, the stream will hold water year-round within two or three years. Third, the coalminers I mentioned earlier are interested in planting trees on the mined land after they finish. I think this is outstanding, and I’m waiting for some cue from the local forestry department before I begin organizing tree nurseries in the area. This could be a good, long-term collaboration between the coal company and the villages in the area.
Finally
I know it sounds like I’m really busy. And at times I am. As more projects come up, keeping all the information organized and meetings straights is a bit of work. But most of my energy goes into actually motivating and prompting groups and individuals to get up and do something. I’m learning that a big part of my job as a Peace Corps Volunteer is to provide that first push to get things going. For example, the teachers and students and the school could have organized the soap-making project on their own. I did very little that they could not have done themselves. But the fact that I was there and got it going is the whole reason is actually happening.
What I’m getting at is this: I am working, but still have a lot of free time. And I have a big pile of good books that I’m reading. I’m keeping a list of all the books I’ve read on my blog http://travelinman1981.blogspot.com. I read quite a bit before I came, but Peace Corps moves you to a different level. And I’ve learned of loads of great books I wasn’t aware of before.
Finally, I’m in Lilongwe now for Thanksgiving. Our week lasts about five days and is highlighted by a big shindig at the U.S. Ambassador’s house on Thursday.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!
In This Issue:
Mulanje Massif
Mzungu Connection
Old PCVs
Dead African Wildlife
Halloween
New PCVs
Project Update
Finally
Mulanje Massif
After In-Service Training in August I joined Scott, Dan, Jim and Wiz on an outing to traverse Mt. Mulanje, the highest peak in Malawi. The highest point is Sapitwa peak, which reaches 3,002 meters. We didn’t summit.
This was my first trip to the southern region and to Blantyre, the biggest city in Malawi. No McDonald’s or Pizza Hut, but it is as close to a “western” city as I’ve seen since Johannesburg almost nine months ago. It made me glad to be in the Northern Region and have Mzuzu as a hub. Once we got south of Blantyre, the scenery was beautiful – rolling hills and loads of tea farms, which were incredibly green given the time of year.
We started up the mountain about 10 a.m. the first day, after making a stop at the local market to stock up on supplies. Our hike that day was about six hours – normally a good day of hiking. But this one kicked my butt. It was steep, sunny and the higher up we climbed the less shade we had. And water was inconveniently absent. We learned that one liter per person was barely (in my case, not) enough. You don’t appreciate the wetness of fresh water on your tongue until you lay on the side of a barren mountain, baking in the sun, thinking you will die alone in southern Africa. In other words, when I finally got water, it was good.
Several cabins dot Mt. Mulanje, which is actually like a plateau or mini-mountain range in itself. The first we came to was around 100 years old. Luckily, Scott works with the Mulanje Conservation Trust and was able to procure the means to access cooking materials, mattresses and blankets, so we did have to carry all those items. The huts are managed by locals who live in a separate house next door and keep the firewood and water filled when hikers are coming through. This first hut was very rustic. The most interesting part was the Creepy Room – a large, empty room that had a door to the outside and only locked from the outside. So if you went in, you stayed in. Fortunately, there was plenty of floor space for the five us without having to use the Creepy Room.
The second day we hiked across the plateau. We saw men cutting Mulanje cedar, which is made into boxes and curios, and is a very big business in the Southern Region. Unfortunately, the business is so good that in a few years there may no longer be cedar on the mountain. Most of the hike was rolling hills, up and down. Nothing too brutal. Our cabin this day was much newer – the newest on the mountain, in fact – and was equipped with solar panels, so we had electric light for a while. It took some of the novelty of hiking in Africa out, but was still nice.
The third day was downhill. Way down. And steep again. Thank God for little tufts of grass. We were amazed how well they held our weight. Otherwise the seats of our pants would have been ruined from sliding down on our rear ends. While the entire experience was fun and rewarding, perhaps the highlight was our victory meal. The day we came down, we arrived in Mulanje boma (the seat of Mulanje District). From there we walked 2km to Chitakale, where we ate brick-oven pizza – reportedly the best pizza in-country.
We stayed in Blantyre that night. The next day Jim, Wiz and I embarked on an epic hitchhiking trek from Blantry to Mzuzu, visiting all three Peace Corps houses in one day – a rare feat to say the least. The entire trip lasted 14 hours and included five modes of transport across almost 700 km.
Whether we’ll return is undecided as of now, though I hear Mulanje is amazingly beautiful after the rains. We’ll see.
Mzungu Connection
After nearly nine months in country and seven at site, I’m finally making some connections with other mzungus. (Mzungu - n., foreigner, especially one with white skin). Not far from my house a South African company has begun mining coal. I’ve been getting to know to white Zimbabwean men who are working there. In fact, they’ve invited my sitemate Kyle and me into their house in town a couple times to watch Rugby.
Down the road from the coal miners lives an Australian couple who’ve been in country about six weeks now. They are also working at a mine. I only met them briefly, but I expect I’ll bump into them again.
Then, get this, I met some Americans. From the Midwest. From Illinois, nonetheless. Kyle and I had heard about some British volunteers at a Roman Catholic school in town and decided look into it. Turns out they are Americans. I’ve only had the opportunity to talk extensively with one, who is from the north side of Chicago (Go Cubbies!). At least one is from St. Louis and another is from Belleville. I’m really looking forward to meeting them.
Old PCVs
About a month ago I received a text message from one of the volunteers in our group. She decided to take early termination (ET). Now, even when I’m not particularly close to a PCV, I still like to know who, why, when, etc. But Jamie was in our group, in the northern region and probably the one we would have voted Least Likely To ET. She was (is) one of my closer friends among Malawi PCVs, so it was quite a shock.
But it’s all good. She has a good reason. She decided that she had been traveling and volunteering for nearly seven years now and she was ready to stop moving. Plus she knows she wants to go back to school. There are several reasons for which you couldn’t blame a volunteer for leaving early. But among all the positive reasons, I thought this was a good as any – she new she didn’t want to be here and she new what she wanted to do.
I’ll miss Jamie, and I’m sure others will leave, but I wish them all the best and I hope they are happy with their decisions. I have 18 months to go. We’ll see.
Dead African Wildlife
Jamie came through Mzuzu on her way to Lilongwe about three weeks ago. Several of us came to meet up with her a final time. During the stay, she and I were walking to the post office where she had a package, and then she accompanied me to the Parks and Wildlife Office. When we arrived we noticed a pickup truck with a topper and several people gathered around. As I was trying to decide which building was the office, Jamie jokingly asked, “You want to go stand by the truck?” Moments later a Malawian man said, “Oh, you’ve come to see the lion?” What? Lion? Heck yeah, we’re here to see the lion!
We edged our way up to the truck and there, as you can guess, was a lion. A dead lion. Apparently it had killed two people somewhere in Chitipa District. Or it killed a cow and some chickens. Or a combination. Oh, and there’s another one out there somewhere. Maybe. We didn’t really get a straight story. But it was awesome. And it smelled like a dead, rotting lion, if you can imagine that. (This was especially interested because lions are quite rare in Malawi.)
Halloween
After wishing Jamie farewell, several of us traveled to Chitipa boma for the annual Halloween party. Chitipa is one of the most remote districts in country. The 100km trip from Karonga took us five hours. The weather was cool, we wrestled and slaughtered a pig, drank some beer, dressed up and generally had a good time. ‘Nuff said.
Two nights in the boma, then some of us proceeded to Misuku, which has been called the Scotland of Malawi because of its amazing hills and perpetual greenery. When much of the rest of the country turns brown, this patch stays green. In fact, Kyle, Jim and I took a hike one day through a forest reserve that is at least partially primary growth rainforest. I also carried water on my head for the first time - up an uber-steep hill. The next day my next was sore, understandably. A couple days late I noticed a large bump on the back of my neck. (“It’s not a tumor.”) It was a bit uncomfortable but a couple days of antibiotic chased it away and all is well again.
Kyle, Jim and I also decided to walk back from Misuku to Ngerenge (my home area). A decent road connects the two areas, if you don’t mind hills and bends. We fought through the hills and took a few short cuts to avoid the windiness. After walking for about eight hours we saw the first automobile of the day and decided we could ride last 10-15 km. But if anyone asks, we walked the whole way.
New PCVs
My sitemate Kyle, an education volunteer since 2005, as now finished his Peace Corps program and will be leaving the country shortly after Thanksgiving. For a couple weeks, at least, I’ll be the northernmost volunteer in Karonga (as I’ve been). The new education group is now in training, however, and will be sworn-in in mid-December. Kyle will be replaced and a new PCV will be placed at Kaporo Community Day Secondary School. I hope to meet both of them on Thursday at our Thanksgiving celebration.
Project Update
I can now leave Africa saying I actually accomplished something, however small. With the help of the Associate Peace Corps Director (APCD) for Environment Brian Connors – my boss – I secured enough funding to repair a borehole in one village. (A borehole is a hand-pump for water. Pipe is driven into the ground and pumped out. It’s what I use at my site for water.) In the grand scheme of African development work, one borehole is like a grain of sand. But in this particular area water is a bit scarce. Women – because they are the ones who draw water – had been walking 2-3 km to the next nearest borehole. That means they were probably living on 20 liters of water a day (or 40 liters if they make two trips). For many of them that water probably served multiple people.
A recent Newsweek had a series of articles about water. It showed a statistic that Americans, on average, use 573 liters of water a day. People in Mozambique, the article said, use 10 liters a day. I bathe once a day, wash at least a few dishes at least two times a day and use some for drinking. If I stretched my supply I could get by on 20 liters. That doesn’t count washing clothes or watering my garden and other plants. I try to use my dishwater and laundry water on my garden and plants when I can.
The other project I’ve actually made tangible headway with is soap-making with some primary school students. I don’t recall if I’ve mentioned this, so I’ll give a quick recap. Primary school is free, secondary school is expensive. Even at less than 5,000 kwacha a year – less than US$50 – many families can’t afford it. I’m living at a primary school and wanted a project the students could run to raise money for school fees. With the help of a teacher we’ve started making soap. Once we cover our overhead costs, I think this will be at least mildly profitable. And hopefully the students will learn a bit about money management. But at least we’re up and rolling now.
Three other projects are in the planning stages. We’re still ironing out some details with the library, and I hope to submit the grant application after I return to site. Of course I’ll keep you all updated on that one. I’m also working with a local village to build a dam on a small stream, which will require a different grant. This will be in the same village as the borehole repair, an area where water tends to be scarce. Currently this stream dries up shortly after the rains, in June or July. We hope if the dam is built well and we can plant some trees and grasses to stabilize the stream banks, the stream will hold water year-round within two or three years. Third, the coalminers I mentioned earlier are interested in planting trees on the mined land after they finish. I think this is outstanding, and I’m waiting for some cue from the local forestry department before I begin organizing tree nurseries in the area. This could be a good, long-term collaboration between the coal company and the villages in the area.
Finally
I know it sounds like I’m really busy. And at times I am. As more projects come up, keeping all the information organized and meetings straights is a bit of work. But most of my energy goes into actually motivating and prompting groups and individuals to get up and do something. I’m learning that a big part of my job as a Peace Corps Volunteer is to provide that first push to get things going. For example, the teachers and students and the school could have organized the soap-making project on their own. I did very little that they could not have done themselves. But the fact that I was there and got it going is the whole reason is actually happening.
What I’m getting at is this: I am working, but still have a lot of free time. And I have a big pile of good books that I’m reading. I’m keeping a list of all the books I’ve read on my blog http://travelinman1981.blogspot.com. I read quite a bit before I came, but Peace Corps moves you to a different level. And I’ve learned of loads of great books I wasn’t aware of before.
Finally, I’m in Lilongwe now for Thanksgiving. Our week lasts about five days and is highlighted by a big shindig at the U.S. Ambassador’s house on Thursday.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!
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