Blantyre

we wandered up and down every aisle- soaking in the colours and variety of the ...supermarket shelves :) It's been about 2 months since I last made it to the 'big smoke' of Blantyre, so even grocery shopping was a real treat. We also indulged in 'Indian' for dinner and had iced tea and spice cake at a cafe in one of the old colonial buildings- what a lovely day! the next day I took my housemate to the airport for her holidays and proceeded to get lost trying to find the right road to Mangochi. no helpful road signs here - BUT I made it home with a greater appreciation of the size of Blantyre.
my first though this morning was 'oh no!' hehe my week of tasting poverty has begun. A cold dipper shower, proceeded by carrying more water in from outside and boiling up myself some plain rice and tea for brekky. yup its gonna be a long week!
Im off on a village visit this morning- then Ive got all my washing from the weekend waiting for me. God has such a a sense of humour- I had planned to use yesterday to catch up on all my washing to minimise the amount of water lugging etc this week...but the power was off all day wasn't it?! so I ended up handwashing all my sheets and towels anyways :) they who want to taste hardship cannot be choosers about when it suits them !!

A Taste of Poverty

Your challenge, should you chose to accept it is ...

Most of us have never experienced true poverty. We’ve never wondered where our next meal is coming from. We’ve never needed an ‘essential for life’ commodity (ie food, medicine, clean water etc) and not had the means to secure it.

The closest I have come to being in true need was backpacking (where banks were fewer and farther between than I had anticipated) and at uni. The first year at uni we lived day to day- and it was amazing how God provided- even if it was weeds from the backyard (nettles) and rice for dinner! Another year at uni I was working 3 jobs and living off $10 a week for food. But even in those ‘tough’ times- I was in such a position of wealth and power! Backpacking; the need was temporary- I am wealthy enough to travel!- that is not poverty. At uni; my money was being spent on rent and paying bills for a car and text books, and later- paying a mortgage!- that is certainly not poverty- especially when there is centrelink to fall back on.

In contrast, the poverty here is true poverty. Systemic through the whole community. No government welfare system to fall back on. Day by day, living on the edge.
Then I read the world stats:

Half the world — nearly three billion people — live on less than two dollars a day.

The poorest 40% of the world’s population accounts for 5% of global income. The richest 20% accounts for three-quarters of world income.

According to UNICEF, 26,500-30,000 children die each day due to poverty. And they “die quietly in some of the poorest villages on earth, far removed from the scrutiny and the conscience of the world. Being meek and weak in life makes these dying multitudes even more invisible in death.”

Its hard to believe isn't it? I thought living here would make it more real for me- but in many ways it hasn’t. We are great at blocking out that which we don’t understand- and even better at seeking out our personal comfort first.

I have felt challenged to use my resources more wisely (see 'Food glorious food'); I have been challenged by my own double standards of what is good enough for me vs what is good enough for others (see blog ‘money money money') and I have been challenged – as a global citizen to proactively identify at a deeper level with 3 billion of the people I share this planet with.

My response? At a life and heart level- is to leave the wealth and comfort of my home and see what can be done practically. But even in that I can cling to my comfort, my way. So, as an experiment, as a step towards identifying, Im going to cut my standard of living for a week- and i would like to invite you join me (pregnant and nursing mothers excluded).

Your challenge, should you chose to accept it is to taste poverty for 7 days.

I’m not going to prescribe how, or what that looks like for you- if you join me in this you need to own your commitment. But i recommend you set the bar out of your comfort zone. It may be forgoing your take-away latte for a week and giving the money saved to a charity. It may be halving your grocery shopping allowance or choosing to not use electricity in your house for the week. think about over the weekend. If it is something you would like to do with me -write me a comment/email to let me know you’re on board (accountability! :-) and savour the experience and the insight the week will bring.

My goal for the week (starting Monday 10th March am) is to live as close to the standard of a middle class Malawian as possible. That means:
-Money for the week: 1725Mk- approximately $14 (usually supporting a family of 6+ so Im being soft!)
- no electricity (except for my computer so I can tell you how its going!)
- no running water- and paying the local rate for every bucket carried in from the tap outside
- cardboard instead of a mattress (but Im keeping my pillow!)
- pay rent and pay the equivalent of a weeks supply of charcoal to use the gas stove
- pantry access denied :-)
To be honest- Im not sure how I’ll go- I may not be able to make it the whole week- or i may go hungry- but Im going to give it a good shot.

Im off to Blantyre tomorrow- so I'll 'see' you Monday!

Philosophising goals

Enough about driving and accidents- why do you do what you're doing?
what is your motivation?
what is your criteria for success- or failure?
I think we all have multiple motivations for the decisions we make- and rarely look at our criteria- until something happens that gives us the impression we've either really succeeded- or really stuffed something up...or in my case, have been sitting around thinking for too long :)

Why am I thinking about such things? because Im in Africa- ive taken all the steps to do and be what Ive always wanted to do and always wanted to be... Its not a dream anymore-its reality. Im doing the language learning, about to embark on figuring out where I fit within the evolving organism of aid work in malawi, and the particular approach of the organisation Ive aligned myself with and all the different expectations of the people involved and I find myself thinking- 'why am I here?'

In any life circumstance there are multiple 'things' that can be pursued or achieved- relationships, the 'job', self development, $, status etc
My answer to 'why am i here' will influence my experience. If I don't have a clear answer- then my experience will be shaped by other peoples answer to my question.

I want to build meaningful, mutually beneficial relationships with Yawo people. I would love to spend lots of time in a particular village and become part of their daily lives and understand their world view...but i wonder whether this would be an indulgence- given the time preiod Im here. 2 yrs is nothing in the life of the village. im a flash in the pan.
I would love to wrestle with the practice of wholistic development- taking people seriously. This involves alot more relationships- at a very superficial level- relying on the strength of the deeper ties of our malawian co-workers. Its a lot less relationally satisfying- but achieves a greater positive impact in the community here and personal training for the future.
Is it possible to balance the 2? Is it possible to achieve a degree of 'success' in either in the 2 years Im here? how do i define success?
well, on that note I have finished my brekky and 2 cuppas and desparately need to do some language prep in the next 30 min before my next lesson...
I'll keep thinking about it...

Ode to Malawian Drivers II

Every week we drive down this crazy hill with hairpin bends and long grass and bicycles. Right near the top though, the road goes sharp left- but there are skid marks and a mangled safety rail where somebody evidently didn't make the turn.

I asked a local Malawian about it. He said 2 trucks went over about a month ago- both loaded with gravel, the second truck without breaks. 4 people died. Why am I telling you this now? cos today I discovered that my colleague Ben had photos- and they are such a sobering reinforcement of everything Ive been whinging about... that they deserve to be posted as a sequel. I promised Ben I would reference him and share a cut of the royalties, so- thanks for the pics Ben- the cheque's in the mail.

these pictures may disturb some viewers.

Ode to Malawian Drivers

Another day in the village...another exhausted me. more driving. more intense listening. more understanding. more attempts to be understood in an obscure African language... followed by more grammar (woops- forgot to cancel my 4pm language lesson!).

Nothing new, just slow progress on the old. So, I thought I would dedicate this post to all the wonderful Malawian drivers out there who load their vehicles to capacity with maize, strap a bicycle or 2 on top with 5 to 65 people around the edges and then proceed to crawl along the road at 40 km/hr because:

a) the engine's not big enough to carry the load;

b) their suspension/dif/ axel are completely stuffed (see a);

c) they don't have any breaks and they know it;

d) their steering is stuffed and anything over 40km will send them careering out of control;

e) all of the above.

And who, in the mean time motion for you to pass on a blind corner, drive in the middle of the road- or stop (in the middle of the road) to kindly pick up more passengers who stand scattered across the road while their produce is loaded on top. these guys are awesome- they are the lifeblood of this country- ok thats a bit excessive- but think of how many bicycle trips they are saving- and how many car trips- greenhouse gas emission?! they are saving by cramming 6 loads onto 1?!

unfortunately the best ones don't get photographed cos Im gripping the wheel trying to keep everyone alive- but here is a taste of what I came across today. I hope you enjoy the scenery too!

And of course my favourite...

And the winner is...

Green.
All I can deduce from that is that all my readers are conservatives. Happy Green won with 75% of the votes, with Stereotypical African getting 25% and 1 person-really didn't care. Whats wrong with candy pink? its nauseating thats what.

Why have I suddenly felt the need to re-decorate my blog? hmm- be glad I wasn't in a house with a can of paint handy- in fact, if i remember correctly a certain apartment is still painted 2 shades of jungle green with a sky blue fridge and eggplant purple ' feature wall'... my interio decorating has never been subtle.

The header? Dr Seuss- a painting called 'Free Bird'. Google it to see the whole pic and tell me what you think. how does it make you feel? hehe I was it in a Dr Theodore Seuss exhebition and absolutely loved it- what a metaphore! Feel free to buy me the original any time :)

Doing life

I visited Swa-'s family village yesterday- and decided to photograph for you a fairly typical scene on the major highway (it has 2 lanes of bitumen- its a highway :) between Mangochi and the Mozambique border. I hope this gives more perspective to my previous post :-z

When we got to the village we heard that her cousin was sick, so we walked through the village to where the patient was being cared for at her fathers house. We paused to greet every person we passed, and for each an explanation of relation was given; 'this is my sisters daughters husband', 'this is my fathers brothers wife', 'this my fathers other wife's sister', 'this is my other sisters daughter', 'this is my husbands relative' (too hard basket :).

We entered the large, half built brick house, greeted everyone in the dark corridor and were seated at the door of the patients room. He was probably early 30's, stretched out on his back, skin and bone, every breath an effort. 'He has sores on his legs' Swa- explained helpfully. We sat in the dim, resigned silence of the house. This man was going to die.

After afew minutes my 'western analytical' brain kicked in. 'Have they taken him to hospital- why isn't this man in hospital?' I asked. I knew he wouldn't have a bed there, but there might be something they could do- something they could give him more than orange cordial... Swa- spoke with her parents in hushed voices and finally answered 'they say they do not want the doctor to yell at them for bringing him now, and if he dies there it will be too difficult to bring his body back'. We took our leave and walked back to where her sisters were sitting, but she was troubled 'too many people are dying of strange sickness now' she said.

I enjoyed hanging out with Swa- her 4 sisters and their cloud of children. We sat and ate guavas and maize while the kids played or suckled and the sisters talked and laughed. It made me miss family and appreciate the strenght of this matrilineal culture. Here, the women usually stay. Men marry into the womans family and move to the womans village. In this village each daughter had a house within 30m of their mothers house. Their auntys were 100m away, creating a strong sense of community and belonging. It also creates a level of security whereby the women have support if their husband takes a second/third wife- or he is trouble and they send him packing...

The conversation turned serious again- back to their cousin. There were raised voices, frustration. Swa- explained. The man had been taken to the hospital a long time ago- for 2 months, but then they took him to his wifes house. His wife stayed elsewhere and didn't care for him so they brought him to her fathers house to die. She offered to take him to the hospital- we had a car here- but the family said 'no'. They were afraid of the hospitals way. If someone comes back too many times and is not getting better, then they give them an injection and they die. They reminded her that when their sister was in the hospital the nurse came to give an injection and everyone around said 'what is this? is she that sick?' and a few minutes later their sister was dead.

How can I process this?! Is the hospital proactively killing terminally ill patients-or is this belief a culmination of too many people being taken to the hospital too late? There is a strong belief here that the hospital is where you go to die- no wonder the doctor yells. My housemate who did 7 weeks of nursing at the hospital assures me nothing of the sort goes on. Its all coincidence and rumours.
Before we left I took some photos and captured some of the dynamics of these beautiful sisters. I felt honoured to be included. They said I had to come back to eat ugali and pumpkin with them as a proper welcome. I look forward to it.

I was woken by a phone call this morning. ‘Hello Lina- I just want to tell you that patient we visited- he is dead. Yes. I am going there now'.

Random amazing fact heard on BBC news this morning:

Zimbabwe's official annual inflation rate is: 100 000%

Defrag

Yesterday was village day- where I chauffer and sit under mango trees with the women while they sing and talk and have meetings. I think I understood twice as much as last time – which was pretty encouraging. We had lunch (2.30pm) at Neptunes- my favourite Malawian restaurant (If you come visit, I’ll shout you a meal. Trust me its worth it!), caught up with some of my colleagues who where renovating some offices in that town, then headed home in good spirits.

Back to Mangochi we got a phone call saying one of those colleagues had been in an accident and a child had been hurt.
Troopy vs child.
I felt like I’d been punched in the stomach. News filtered through in various phone calls. My colleague was ok. He was with the police giving a statement (uh oh-its 3yrs for theft here). Others were bringing the little girl down to the hospital in Mangochi – could my housemate (a nurse) meet them there? ‘What use would I be at the hospital?’ she asked in dismay- ‘An advocate for a little girl that needs it’ I answered. I hadn’t prayed so fervently for a long time.

My colleague had been driving on a straight bitumen road. He saw the little girl step on to the road and he hit the breaks. She kept running. He swerved hard. Thump. She regained consciousness on the way to the hospital. She was fading in and out from concussion but the prognosis was good. No broken bones. Pupils dilating evenly. Superficial grazes. They kept her in for observation overnight- but there were no beds so she spent the night on the hospital floor. This morning she had been moved into a bed – sharing it with a 4yr old in traction (plastered leg, string tied around the ankle, attached to a brick dropped off the edge of the bed). The hospital is SO under resourced, under staffed and over crowded!

Meanwhile my colleague gave his statement and was cleared of any fault. Praise God. It could have been so much worse in so many ways.

We’ve all had a scare. It could have been any one of us. I know I have complained about the driving conditions here before- but no matter how careful you are, it really is just a matter of time before you hit something/someone. Driving into a villages with clouds of kids around. On the open road; goats, cows, people, bicycles and broken down trucks can greet you anywhere and on any corner. I’ve swerved a drunk guy staggering out onto the road from behind a truck, had a woman stop in front of the car and put her hand on the bonnet, breaked hard to avoid a bicycle carrying mum, dad and baby on a corner with a truck carrying 50 odd people coming the other way- its nuts. Please keep our safety in your prayers.

Lake Malawi

that pink was making me nauseus (sp?) ... so back to green :)

How was today? I think I need to defrag before telling www. So, back to the weekend...did I mention how lovely the resort was?! I swam- in a swimming pool (no bilhazia) there were deck chairs... there was a resteraunt, palm trees, stunning lake views and those cute little love seats all along the lake shore. The first night a huge thunderstorm hit about 1.30 am and finally moved out of 'keeping me awake' range at about 3.30 am...so not much sleep, but amazing to see the lake in storm.

Saturday night we played a few games of pool. It was so lovely to feel 'normal' for an hour- even if there were cinyago (freaky masked dancers) providing the evenings entertainment 20 m away. I think I just have to accept that there are some things about this country/culture that I will never understand or appreciate...ie cinyago. Not the best pics I know, but it was night- and you get the idea :)

eep!

the time has come...for me to do my own introduction in the village today. And of course, my language helpers child is still sick...so its up to me.
Lina lyangu 'Lina'. (My name is rina- remember- the letter 'r' doesnt exist in this language)Ngutocela ku Ostreyala. (I come from Australia)
Nayice ku Malawi myesi jitatu jipitejo. (I arrived in Malawi 3 months ago)
Ngutama ku Mangoci ku ce Kalonga. (I live in Mangochi in the village of Kalonga)
Ngulijiganya Ciyawo ligongo tinji kamula masengo ni Total Life Care. (I am learning Ciyawo because I will be working for Total Life Care)
Sikomo kwejinji ligongo apecele. (thank you very much for your welcome)
yes, it is the longest thing Ive ever said in Yawo- but the cool thing is- with my language learning method- i actually know how/why to say each bit (ie its not wrote learned). wish me luck- in language and on the roads. hehe

Relaxed...

Time: 8.27pm

Weather: muggy. Its been trying to rain. No luck yet.

Wearing: 'girly girl' t-shirt, long brown skirt

Listening to: the Shins- 'oh Inverted World'

Mood: weary but positive

Days highlights: waking up with a view of lake Malawi. Having really good, constructive time with the team.

Days lowlights: the resorts breakfast buffet. No donuts today! Pancakes (YAY) but only fluoro pink jam to put on them?! aah! I really miss breakfasts in Aussie cafes. Arriving back in Mangochi to discover my new garden has been partly hijacked to propogate shrub cuttings. dig your own dirt!!

I can't believe: There are 4 new comments on my blog!! what is happening? there are people out there?! i thought I was writing to dear www...

I think we all had a great weekend away from Mangochi. Didn't realise how much i needed the break 'til I got there. I think I'll end the 'retreat' by having a bath and going to bed early.

I'll tell you more about it tomorrow. Until then, here's a little taste...

3 points from today that Won't change your life

Today I learned that the President of Malawi is the father-in-law of Dictator Mugabe of Zimbabwe (fairly sure thats not his official title. oh well). Ahah light bulb moment! -this is why people are queuing for days at Ardmark (govt bulk food supplier- mainly maize).
Don't see the connection?
Well, apparently our President sold all of Malawis stockpiled maize to Zimbabwe to feed Mugabe's hungry people- leaving Malawi with lots of hungry people. this is called 'solidarity' - or something.

Today, in the village, I actually understood a lot (ie 7%?!) of what what was being said. Certainly better than nothing, however Im feeling increasingly frustrated with how slow a process language learning is. 6 weeks and I can still barely say anything!!!! I know ... patience ... cut myself some slack ... etc its just really annoying for someone like me who likes to talk! I really want to meet new people- connect... Its been almost 3 months since I left Australia and Im starting to feel the 'isolation' factor a little more acutely now. Im really missing being able to talk to my friends... catch up for a latte/beer... just hang out...

Today I achieved a personal best in Barbie (the Rav4) - 12 people!! yessirree- 3 in the front, 6 in the backseat and 3 in the boot. Im getting dangerously close to my colleagues record of 16 in the troopy- and my cars half the size-so the pressure is on!! hehe. yes, i did read my last blog and yes I am driving carefully- usually Im just used to shuttle people less than a km over bumpy dirt tracks to a meeting etc. my 4WD skills are improving!

What the?! malawi news

Cultural differences really do come in all shapes and sizes. Like yesterday- I was absolutely blown away...reading the newspaper.

Front page story:

Dedza First grade Magistrate Court last Friday ordered (the prosecuted), a driver who caused the death of 26 people to pay a fine of K700, 000 ($5650) within 14 days or serve a three years imprisonment in default. When passing judgement , the Magistrate considered leniency as (the prosecuted) was young and a first offender...

The court heard that the accident happened when a Toyota truck driven by (the prosecuted) with 62 passengers on board overturned three times soon after crossing the Linthipe III Bridge, killing 26 people in the process and leaving others seriously injured.

"the accident occurred due to over speeding and the driver lost control of the vehicle as he was allegedly drunk."...

As of yesterday (the prosecuted) had not paid the fine, part of which would be given to the bereaved families as compensation while the remainder would go to the government. "He has not yet paid the fine but if he does then we will set him free. The court has ordered that if the fine is paid then each family would get K25,000 ($200) in compensation..."

What the??!! (on so many levels!!)

while Im at it- check out what I found in the Advertisement/public notices section! I wonder what the poor guy did to deserve such a public sledging?!

Check it out....

After a day queuing at the MRA in Blantyre (see blog from Dec), 2 months wait and 5 visits by my good mate to the MRA during Feb waiting for their system to be operational ... I have my Malawian drivers license!!!!

Not sure what was harder- getting the license or getting a photo of myself with the license that i liked :) I give up.

Famine Relief

Everything is green. The crops are standing tall, but the people are hungry. Harvest is still a month or two away- although there is some green maize being harvested and sold now. How do we respond?
The bad news is that in rural Malawi the 'hungry season' is an annual event- as regular as Christmas. The good news is that this year it has only hit proper in late January and will probably run through to mid March- as opposed to previous years where several bad seasons in a row have meant the 'hungry' started in August and continued through to April the following year. 9 months is a long time to ration maize porridge and scavenge for every meal. Can you imagine?
The worst hit are those who can't farm and are dependant on their relatives for thier survival. No welfare system here. A person's social network is their insurance, welfare and superannuation all entrusted to family ties and reciprocal giving relationsips carefully built over a lifetime.
So how do we 'outsiders'respond? How are decisions of how much to whom made?
A proposal was put forward at our team meeting yesterday- developed based on reports from the 120 villages we work in, in consultation with the major chiefs.
The development arguments against providing aid in the form of food handouts include:
-it sets a precedent and expectation for the future;
-its a bandaid not a long term solution; and
-a well developed system has to be in place to ensure it actually gets to those most in need- the elderly, the sick, the orphaned and child headed households.

Arguments in favour of providing the aid include:
-it is plain wrong to sit and watch people suffering and not respond with compassion when we have access to (comparatively) such enormous resources;
-the team is responding to requests based on years of relationship with these villages rather than applying a prepacked 'solution';
-as our work now forms a regular part of the village life we have been factored in to the kinship obligations. there is an element of expectation that if we can help, we will. even a small effort is appreciated and reinforces our solidarity in their hardship;
-the food will be distributed to where it is most needed through these relationship'; and
-the amount- based on our available resources and an understanding of the extent of the acute problem (reported by chiefs) is small. enough to tide people over, not enough to create dependance.

I had never actually though through HOW you would decide how much to give and where. relationship, budget, extent of problem, our capability. Our efforts will target the 120 villages that we work in and supply enough maize to supplement the rations of those most vulnerable for a week or two closer to harvest. We will source and purchase the maize, deliver it to the villages and the chiefs will record its distribution and ensure it is getting to where it is most needed.
As a new comer, I would like to give more- I guess partly to salve my conscience and make me feel good that Im 'helping'. But i can also see that short term solutions are exactly that- and the long term work of TLC in providing farming training and low cost inputs - although harder to measure the outcomes, is contributing to a long term, grass roots solution. I think the decreasing length of the 'hungry' is proof that real progress is being made.

Change

I just gave into peer group pressure and signed into facebook. It was fun looking up old and not-so-old friends- but it's struck me how much I've changed in just 3 short months in Africa...not that I was exactly 'mainsteam' to start with!! The paths we take mould us- and I guess if we take the path alone- then growing apart from loved ones is inevitable.
I don't want to lose connection though. I don't want my experiences to be such a world away that no one can relate- I've been there and that sucks. I set this blog up to keep in touch- to share whats going on in my life...but maybe it's reinforcing the chasm-of what our journeys currently DON'T have in common...and won't for a long while yet.
I dunno
Well- its the weekend (yay!). What are your plans?
see- this is an example of what I mean. you probably have plans- socialising, renovating, family stuff, beach, weekly shopping...aussie stuff. I might sleep in, defrost some bread I made last week and fry and egg & pretend its a BLT :) If the internet is on I'll respond to emails- if its not-I'll probaly finalise my word list (SQUARE!!), and in the afternoon expand my neighbours veggie patch- simply cos there is not much else to do and Im not in the mood to drive 30 min over potholes to the lake. anyways- digging is good exercise :-z
g'nite
ooh- new post label 'rambling'-cool :) Swa- said today- 'I wish I could say that like you do' 'Say what?' I asked- 'col!' she replied with a cheeky grin. the language lessons are going both ways

We must not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we began and to know the place for the first time.
TS Eliot

looks like vomit- but tastes great

I know how much you've been enjoying cooking the greens, eggs and ugali recipes that I posted in ' A foreigners guide to Malawian cooking', so I thought I'd continue my 'foodie' blogging with a second installment- and with such a title- how could you resist giving this dish a go at your next dinner party?
I can see it now- everyone relaxing and chatting with their glass of red, enjoying the predinner cheese and crackers...and you walk out proudly with a glass bowl of - lets call it 'peanut relish' -or maye 'peanut soup' (pictured left).
I first had it last week out in a village when a chief invited us for a meal. It was so tasty I asked Swa- if she could show me how to cook it- so today we cooked up a feast. I think it is now officially one of my favourite foods :)

Peanut Relish
1 onion
2 tomatoes
300-400grams of raw peanuts
salt (several teaspoons- to taste)
water




Method:

pound the peanuts into a flour using the method pictured. Also pictured are my fpersistent yet somewhat futile attempts. For us weaklings the alternative is to use a food processor. Finely dice the onion and tomato. Bring half a medium pot of water to the boil and simmer onion and tomato for a few minutes. Pour some liquid from the pot into the bowl of peanut flour and stir to make a thick paste- then add the taste to the pot while stirring. Add several teaspoons of salt. Simmer for 20 min- taste and add salt as required. Simmer down/or add water to form a thick soup consistency. Pour over hot rice and enjoy.

Another slightly odd, but really tasty recipe I've picked up here is banana tomato curry.

Banana Tomato Curry

A few bananas
a few tomatoes
1 tspn curry powder

Method
Slice 2-3 bananas into rings and caramelise (low heat) in a lightly oiled frypan.
Add 1 tsp of curry powder (we use hot Madrasa- hold your breath!) add diced tomato (5?) and simmer gently with minimal stirring until cooked. Add salt to taste - but personally i dint think it needs it. Serve with rice or ugali or whatever takes your fancy.

What I love about the cooking in this part of the world is that the recipes are uncluttered. They are simple, incredibly delicious and feel so..wholesome to eat. Even if you're not up to the peanut wonder- give the greens or the banana curry a go this week and enjoy the flavour of each individual ingredient.

Wisdom Wednesday

Confidence is the feeling you have before you understand the situation.
:)

A Monday in the life of me

My alarm went off, as usual at 6am. I rolled over. grabbed my bible and spent the next while reading, contemplating and praying. Got up, had a quick shower and started making my porridge- 7am. Took my vitamins (good girl!) and grabbed a big thick 'development' book to engross me over brekky. Didn't work- my housemate was heading out to 2 villages today so we chatted about the usual- the condition of the roads, the status of the dreaded bridge that Im convinced is going to finally collapse when Im on it, the health promotion presentation she has prepared, when she'll be home, dinner ideas etc.
She mentioned-as she walked out the door- that a BBC radio report said that Hose Ramos Hortes was shot in the stomach and Roneido shot dead. I suddenly felt sick. I have a soft spot for Timor Leste- and sometimes I really wish they'd get a break- or give themselves a break...or something. what next- gain freedom only to descend into civil war?
I called Mum and dad to tell them and while i was gasbagging-Mama P- our part time cleaner arrived. I greeted her and rattled off what needed to be done- with my mum exclaiming in my ear that 'you're speaking Yawo!' hehe- so I was! all the hard work must be doing something!
I put a cup of kidney beans in water to soak for dinner and then did some stretches while listening to recorded homework sentances from last week and yesterday. I got a bit behind last week- but Im organised for this week.
Swa- arrived promptly at 9am and we sat on the back verandah for the lesson. Reviewing old vocab with word games requiring sentance construction. Trying really hard to say lesson instructions in ciyawo instead of English. Discussing and collecting new vocab of job roles and places around town. I told her about Timor and she said she was worried about the Malawi elections in 2009. Apparently the current president is good- but the old president- who's friends with the lovely General Gadafi of Libya is quite determined to get back into power. I'll be here for those elections. great. By then the 2 hrs was up, so she recorded all my new vocab- with example sentances and since I had to go out- I offered to drop her home in the car.
First we picked up her daughter from day care and I realised that thanks to working for me- she has to put her 18 month old daughter in day care- then after our lesson walk approx 1 km to pick her up- then approx 2.5 km home-in the middle of the day with her daughter strapped to her back. I pay travel money- but she prefers to save it for other living costs. I had another 'Im in Africa' moment as I drove to the post office and stopped to buy some mosquito coils- with her breast feeding in the front seat. Seat belts? baby capsules? nope- this is Africa. After dropping her home I heated up some leftovers for lunch and had a nap. The internet was still down from yesterday morning so no exciting emails to read.
Woke up, reviewed the list of words collected in the morning lesson - then headed off to a colleagues house for my fortnightly 'mentoring session'. Its great to chat freely with someone whos been here longer (9yrs longer!)and understands. We talked alot about money- how to deal with being asked all the time, what to do with employees who have no concept of financial management and responding with compassion and some understanding of the situation- rather than out western black and white view of money. Basically she said I have to decide what constitutes a crisis worthy of a pay advance, loan or gift and help where my conscience tells me too- without being a walking talking ATM or allowing them to get into a debt trap with me. Much easier in theory than practise!
I arrived home by 3.30 ready for my afternoon grammar lesson- but Es- showed up after 4- as usual. 'I hope I have malaria!' she exclaimed as she greeted me. She had been to the hospital to tell them she felt cold sitting in the sun and they had given her anti-malarials. Lucky its the beginning of the month- otherwise she'd be getting panadol. we looked at lost of examples from the Ju-Wa noun classwhere the verb following a singular noun is prefixed by 'wa' but prefixed by 'ju' or 'ji' if the noun is plural. we got (deliberatley) sidetracked onto pronunciation- partly cos I couldn't take any more in and partly because both 'ju' and 'wa' aren't natural sounds for the Australian tongue- they're more like 'djya' and 'lwa' (big sigh).
She left after 5.30 and I got onto making dinner- that ended up being a bland beans and rice recipe that I won't be repeating. We had 2 surprise extras for dinner- one team mate who just got back form Blantyre, and a friend who dropped by borrow some DVD's. A nice surpise. After dinner I proof read an article my housemate is writing for an Australian publication about her work here and offered some suggestions for the conclusion. She is facing poverty personified. Villages with really bad diarreah (sp?) from a contaminated water source- but no alternative water sources and very little firewood resources for boiling water. They know the recipe for rehydration fluid: clean water, sugar and salt- but they don't have clean water and they can't afford sugar. 1 out of 3 is terrible. She also had a daddylonglegs above her toilet so i was called in for a 'relocation operation' :)
well, now its late and the internet is obviously back on - yay! so please email me or leave me a message. Im really enjoying life here- but sparkels from the outside world really do light up my day!
g'nite

Yawo-ised English

Yes- another blog on language learning...because thats what Im doing with most of my time these days!

Malawi's colonial past is imprinted all over the Yawo language. Their words for the days of the week are a classic example. The yawo culture is aurel and a 'traditional' person here works in their garden every day, spending Friday afternoon at the Mosque- and yet their days are named as follows:

Monday- Lyakulemba (day of writing)

Tuesday- Lyawili (second day)

Wednesday - Lyatatu (third day)

Thursday - Lyancheche (fourth day)

Friday - Lyansano (you guessed it- fifith day!)

Saturday - Lyakuweluka (day of rest)

Sunday - Lyanlungu (day of God)

so, not only influenced by a culture that counts- but also a foreign culture that worships God on Sunday, rests Saturday and starts 'writing' (work) on Monday! makes sense to me- but im not sure what it means to them

the yawo spelling takes a bit of getting used to- some letters they just dont have, and they never have 2 vowels next to each other. They dont seem to like putting consonants together too often either- and when they do its in combo's like 'mj', 'mb', 'nj' and 'ng' which are fun to pronounce smoothly in a sentance. Also, every word has to end with a vowel and 'c' is always pronounced halfway between 'ch' and 'sh'... Here are a few more 'amusing' yawo edits to the english language:

trousers: tawalusa

town: tawuni

city: tawuni jekulungwa (big)

shirt: cati

hose: payipi

car: motokala

radio: wayilasi

keys: makisi (ma means plural)

and...if you didnt pick it up in the the picture above (sorry- taken from a car window, so couldnt move the sun :) )- that is a grocery store (golosale) and local tearoom (tiyilumu). gotta love it

Money Money Money

If there is an economist out there- please shed some light on this for me...
It can be confusing working in another currency. i've finally figured out the exchange rate: 124MK (kwacha) is an Aussie dollar- so I just knock 2 zeros off any price and aim for 3/4ths of whats left to figure out if something is expensive or not (try doing THAT with every item in the supermarket!! luckily we only get to a supermarket once every few months!).

In this way I've figured out that the prices of stuff in the supermarket is pretty much the same dollar value as Australia (except for carrots and broccoli which can be up to $30/kg- which you can accidentally buy if you don't do the mental gymnastics correctly hehe).

So anyways, what I don't get is how people survive. the average monthly income for an unskilled labourer is 8000MK ($64), or about 12000MK ($97) for a university educated job ie teacher. These are the lucky ones- unemployment is huge. Most people don't have a salary- but do whatever work they can find.

This didn't bother me until today. Today I filled my car up with 40 litres of petrol- which cost me 8000MK (petrol is $1.61/L), and today my language helper asked for an advance of 2000MK so she could fed her family for the week cos her husband spent Januarys pay without consulting her (thats another whole cultural insight story on its own!)...but it made me realise that a tank of fuel is a months wages and how the heck do you feed a family of 5, 3 meals a day for a week (+ extras that conveniently visit at dinner time during the hungry season) with $16?

You're probably thinking- 'well everything is much cheaper in the market place'- which, granted, it is- but let me remind you that theres no gas or water connected to most houses here- in town you have to buy charcoal to cook with and 4 large buckets of water cost about a dollar. In the markets, tomatoes are 20c each, beans are about $4 a kilo, a fish is about $2.50, and I can guarantee you she'll have no stocked pantry to fall back on. Living here is hand to mouth- partly because people have nothing to start with, and partly because needy relatives tend to come and help themselves to any excess- whether that be sheets and curtains or maize.

How can an economy function paying the large majority of its population not enough to live on? Granted- a large proprtion of the population rely more on the produce of their maize crops than their monetary income... but shouldn't the minimum wage be aligned to the cost of living regardless? How do you get this situation?!...and while we're at it- how the heck do you get Zimbabwe's situation where the country's Reserve Bank has officially revealed inflation (a gross underestimate) in excess of 24,000% (Australias is about 3%)??!!. A friend of mine passed through Zim on a monday, and when he came back through on the Friday his currency was useless. He didn't dare stop for more than a few minutes and travelled in convoy with trucks for protection. Its nuts. Right now Im wishing I did political science or something at uni so i'd have half a chance of wrapping my head around how some of the African nations function. Meawhile, ive decided that during March (when my housemate is away on holiday) Im going to takne on the challenge of feeding 1, 3 meals a day, for 7 days on $16. I know- im soft. to be legit I should divide it by 5 and try and live off $3.20- but I don't think I could do that. I'll 'pay'for my water and carry it in from the tap in the garden to compensate :) Stay posted for an adventure in March :)
g'nite

Goin on Safari...

Gonna catch a big one...

Im not scared...

Well, the weekend is almost over and Im tired :) but its been great- ive really enjoyed hangin out with our Aussie visitors and even joined them on a trip out to Liwonde National Park. Due to heavey rains, flooding and subsequent road closure, we went in by boat- which made the whole experience even cooler! 1 hr drive, 1hr boat trip, a walking safari (complete with guy with machine gun), lunch, an hour boat ride back out and a nap, squished in the back of the troopy on the way home :)

I think the pics will say it all.

TLC

The internet has come back on after a day or so off-line (its been raining lots), so im catching up on emails whilst dining on a lunch of left-over rice and okra cooked with tomatoes. Lunch at my desk hehe some habits take a while to break! Its sunny outside and the humid breeze is gently gusting through the open louvers. The occassional sound of roosters crowing and cows lowing is mixed, ironically with loud US gangster rap music from over the fence. Sounds like the guys next door got some new CD's :).

Ooh we're on to some heavier music now..I wish i knew what it was-I know the tune- maybe you can help: 'we've come so far, I can feel you there, we've become so tired, some much more ...to be more like me and be less like you' hmm they've put it on repeat- maybe to give me more chance to hear the words?!


SO yesterday, I got to go on the grand tour of my new work place- a development group run by Malawians, for Malawians- where I'll be starting once I've had a chance to attempt culture and language aquisition. A group from Aus came to have a look, so i tagged along. I found it really exciting and encouraging to know that I have come to the right place- this is what I want to be part of.


They talked us through all the projects they are running in the area in over 200 villages to empower the communities, and specifically assist vulnerable households (including ppl living with HIV and child headed households). HIV Aids education permeates pretty much everything they do- not just transmission prevention but encouraging people to utilise the governments free testing and counselling service to know their status. The message is : knowledge is power.
We were taken to visit a range of different projects:

Animal husbandry: the provision of a goat to several families within a village, and training in how to take care of them: the recipients then pay back a kid or 2 in the second year to the programme (for other villages) and are taught how to milk the goats etc. for improved nutrition and income generating capability.

Next stop was a cassava and some kind of tough grass propogation project. The main crops grown here are maize and kidney beans. Cassava is being promoted as part of the crop diversification innitiative (along with peanuts, soyabeans, sweet potate...) as it is can grow anywhere, doesnt require fertiliser, can store in the ground and is drought resistant. The leaves can be eaten and the roots can be dried and pounded to make the staple food ugali when the maize supplies have run out. The grass is part of the initiative to encourage farmers to preserve and stabilise their soils- especially when farming on cleared slopes.

Next we visited a garden that had been cultivated using recommended low cost technologies such as altering the traditional row spacing and configuration, seeding time, seed planting distances and number of seeds per hole to achieve a higher plant density and yield for area. The lady (who was looking after 17 children after her husband and 2 sisters died in the past 2 years) had also been provided with hybrid seed and basal dressing and top dressing fertiliser that she would pay back (heavily subsidised) with bags of maize- thus providing the seed stock for other villages.

The last stop before lunch was one of the drug revolving funds, where anti-malarials, panadol, iodine and bandages are sold in the villages at subsidised prices to provide easier access to treatments for common ailments (the nearest public hospital was sometimes 40km away). What an awesome service for people who struggle to get the money for the medicine let alone transport, and cost of food and accommadation(sp?) once far from their village.

Lunch was a devine feast of ugali and rice, with traditional chicken and beef curries with beans and greens. After lunch we visited a forestry nursrey where the ladies had propogated 13 000 trees for revegetation of denuded hills. In Malawi the major source of fuel is wood, and in some areas the land is so cleared that the women are walking all day (sometimes into Mozambique) to get wood for cooking. It was awesome seeing such a large group of ladies (from 6 villages) so excited about helping themselves and investing in the future.

last, but not least, we visited a Youth Club that had a resource centre stocked with books and indoor and outdoor games, and also had a rabbit multiplication programme and had brought a telephone bureau with a microfinance loan to fund their activities.

The worlds left-overs...

I had heard that the world's left-overs get sent to Africa...but for me, this is proof.
The young man below is wearing an election campaign/ propoganda shirt for Megawati Sukarnoputri who was Indonesias President for 2001-2004. Even Indonesia is sending their dregs here?!

Soeharto is dead

Soeharto is dead. The Indonesian government has announced seven days of national mourning to honor the former president.

I grew up in Indonesia under the Soeharto 'New Order'. I remember the military. I remember keeping a low profile during the mock elections. His picture was at the front of our classroom. Even as Aussie kids, we sang the Indonesian National Anthem, saluted the flag and knew the Pancasila- the 5 pillars of Indonesia. As an adult I watched in wonder as his government fell. I could only imagine the pain and hardship of the ensuing economic collapse. Now he is dead.

Here is an interesting tribute from the Jakarta Post you may like to read.

Soeharto: Demise of a master
JAKARTA (JP):The father of development is dead.
Venerated for much of his 32-year tenure as the liberator he appeared to be after more than two decades of authoritarian rule under his predecessor, Sukarno, and vilified near its end for his authoritarian rule and for the corruption he appeared to condone in his later years in office, Indonesia's second president, Soeharto died quietly Sunday aged 86 at Pertamina Hospital.
A complication of illnesses had sapped the former military strongman of his vitality during the last years of his life. He leaves behind the partially grown seeds of an ambitious industrial modernization plan and a legacy of sectarian strife and unbridled corruption.
Soeharto's rise to the peak of executive power began in 1968, in the wake of the abortive communist coup three years earlier. The ascension of the unassuming, quietly smiling general, the polar opposite of the charismatic and hugely popular foundingpresident Sukarno, took many of his countrymen by surprise, many of whom believed Sukarno had a unassailable hold over the nation.
And yet, given the country's political makeup and power constellation of the day, Soeharto quickly established he was more than enough equipped for the post he was to assume, despite humble beginnings and earlier frustrations.
Some confusion regarding his origins aside, the official accounts record that Soeharto was born on June 8, 1921, to a poor but not unimportant farmer's family in Kemusuk, about 15 kilometers northwest of Yogyakarta. His father, Kertosudiro, was a village irrigation official in charge of overseeing the allocation of water to irrigate the different fields in the village. His mother, Sukirah, was a village woman from a neighboring hamlet.
The marriage broke down just a few weeks after Soeharto's birth and the child was entrusted to the care of his paternal great aunt, from where he returned to live with his mother only after she remarried. And although schooling began when he was only four years old -- a most unusually early age, especially forIndonesian village children of that time -- his formal education was disrupted several times because the young child's frequent shuttling between relatives in his extended family.
From this troubled, itinerant youth, Soeharto was later to remember with special fondness and gratitude the time he spent with the family of one of his paternal aunts, the wife of a senior agricultural official, Mas Ngabei Prawirohardjo. It was here at Wuryantoro that Soeharto appeared to have spent his most formative period. It was here too, through his relationship with the Prawirohardjos, that he was to meet his future wife, Siti Hartinah, the daughter of the district chief of nearby Wonogiri, RM Soemoharjomo.
After completing his secondary schooling in 1939 at the age of 17, Soeharto left a troubled childhood behind and started work as a clerical assistant at a local bank in Wuryantoro. The job didn't last long. Soon after he started work, his banking career was terminated after he tore a piece of his clothing, which he said he could not afford to replace.
Desperate for work but not very successful in finding a suitable job, Soeharto enlisted with KNIL (Royal Netherlands Indies Army), where he began service on June 1, 1940, and it was there that he received his basic military training. But although he reportedly did well and was later accepted to the KNIL officer training school in Gombong, Central Java, in December of that year, his real opportunity for a solid military career came in March 1942, with the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies and the subsequent proclamation of Indonesia's independence on Aug. 17, 1945.
After the establishment of the BKR (the People's Security Body) and subsequent TKR (People's Security Army) -- both forerunners of the Indonesian National Army, or TNI -- in which he took an active role, Soeharto's military star steadily rose.
Promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel in 1945, he distinguished himself during the Dutch military occupation of Yogyakarta, the new Republic of Indonesia's war capital. Despite some controversy over the exact role he played in the renowned March 1, 1949, daytime assault on Dutch strongholds in Yogyakarta, his leadership as commander in the field at the timeremains undisputed and the attack served its purpose ofconvincing the world that the Indonesian Republic continued to exist and had not succumbed to the superior Dutch military might.
The same tactical and strategic mastery that Soeharto had displayed during the war for independence served him well during and after the traumatic days of October 1965, following the alleged communist coup in September. And those who have ever wondered how Soeharto had managed to wrest the seemingly absolutepowers from the hands of his predecessor, Sukarno, and go on to become a near-absolute ruler himself, will have to admit that Soeharto's tactical and strategic mastery in politics was virtually unrivaled for his time.
With patience, skill and resolve -- and a philosophical world view that he conceivably acquired from his troubled childhood and his typically Javanese upbringing -- Soeharto always remained true to the Javanese saying alon-alon waton kelakon (slowly but surely) and never made a move, in war or in politics, until he was certain that the victory would be his. Given the right moment, however, he could strike swiftly and with the ruthlessness of a Javanese potentate of old. With that skill and patience, he moved to gradually unseat Sukarno from the presidency, defying protests that he was moving too slowly.
On March 11, 1966, while still only a commander of the Army Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) leading the fight against the coup's plotters, he sent four of his generals to Bogor, Sukarno's sanctuary, to wrest from the president the authority to take whatever action he thought was necessary "to restore orderand protect the president." Mysteriously, the original document has since disappeared.
With that mandate in hand, however, Soeharto quickly moved to outlaw the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI), dismiss and arrest 15 of Sukarno's cabinet ministers, and appoint a new cabinet with Soeharto himself as head of the presidium.
From that point on, history proceeded quickly.
Soeharto undid all of Sukarno's left-leaning policies. He stabilized the economy, restored good relations with Malaysia and foreign investments were welcomed. Appointed Acting President as a stand-in for the now socially and politically isolated Sukarno, Soeharto was named full president on March 27, 1968 by a People's Consultative Assembly whose members were, discreetly, handpicked by Soeharto.
Under Soeharto's New Order, old roads were repaired and new roads constructed, irrigation ditches were built, factories rose across the country and the banking industry seemed outwardly to flourish. A master in translating complicated issues into a language the common people could understand, he regularly captivated audiences of peasants in the villages. A picture ofrising wealth and growing prosperity was painted for the people to refute the increasing grumbles of hardship, earning him the designation of Indonesia's "father of development."
To govern effectively and to carry out his economic programs without disruptions, however, political stability was needed. Therefore, open dissent was suppressed. For the purpose of keeping political parties -- and the legislative bodies, the House of Representatives and the People's Consultative Assembly(MPR) -- in rein, a machinery, was created in the form of Golkar to make sure that Soeharto, the president, won the majority of votes in support of his policies every time.
Within the judiciary and throughout the entire bureaucracy, the same policy was pursued: to make sure that officials toe the government line while preserving an outward facade of democracy, all the state institutions were revamped and peopled with New Order supporters. But while in this way political stability was indeed ensured, at least for the time being, those policies provided a fertile breeding bed for corruption, which, indeed thrived and blossomed beyond imagination and, over those three decades under the New Order, quickly came to infest nearly all walks of life.
In the end, however, the 1997 Asian financial crisis burst to expose the ersatz glitter and, combined with the discontent that had been simmering domestically among the oppressed masses, proved too much for even Soeharto to handle. In May 1998, Indonesia's longest-ruling president was forced to resign amidriots and popular protests the extent and ferocity of which the nation had seen only a few times before.
The father of development is dead. But as for Indonesia, Soeharto's demise, and that of the New Order he founded, marks not only the end of the remarkable life and the loss of a great if controversial leader, but hopefully the end of an era of extended autocratic presidencies as well. (***) -->

Happy Australia Day!!!

yup, its our national beer drinking, beach cricket, fireworks day; and I'm celebrating Australia Day in the warm heart of Africa by having toast and vegemite for brekky and sliding into a pair of jeans for the first time in months. Its so nice to feel normal :) (the chitenje will go on over the top when i go outside hehe).

All the Aussies here are having a barbie and watching 'the dish' this avo- which will be great. Its funny how patriotic you feel when you're away from 'home' isn't it?!

Well, whilst surfing the net for an Aussie flag, I came across ALOT of alternatives. personally, Im quite attached to the southern cross. For me its the unchaging marker of 'home' so I would be abit upset if it was taken off the flag- but I also like the green and yellow one thats been promoted a lot in perth- can anyone tell me what that design is called or where to find it on the web? i want to show my housemate. ta.

enjoy your long weekend!

Village visits

Village Visit

Im tired, aching all over and sweating as I stare at the screen for literary inspiration. No Im not sick. Im smiling inside and out as I listen to a recording of the singing I heard today. The sounds of the womens harmonies and exuberant...beatboxing?! is reminding my poor muscles of the dancing and hours of sitting bolt upright-both legs outstretched (hello stomach muscles!) -which in turn is pushing all words from my mind.

My day started at 4.55am when I woke from restless sleep in anticipation of our 6am departure to visit the villages. I was going out to the villages!!! So exciting!! I had been allowed to tag along as the 'driver', so I had packed a lunch of bananas, a boiled egg and a cob of maize for each of my passengers (my language helper included) and was ready to go, armed with hat, sunscreen, umbrella, chitenje, camera, voice recorder, tp, money, phone, panadol, hand wipes, bottle of water...no wonder the locals look at us with amusement!

The roads are usually much clearer of the pedestrian, animalian and assortment of 2-6 wheel moving devices early in the mornings, but even since my last trip to Blantyre, the grass has grown tall and dense with the wet wheather and now stands 6-10ft tall - obscuring all view of oncoming traffic and forcing the pedestrian minority who don't normally walk on the road- to walk on the road. It had also been raining most of the night, so we came across a few places where whole villages had moved to the road as their villages were turned to swirling rivers. Nearby the bridge wasn't down- but a policeman waved me to slow down and there were branches indicating no driving on the right half and a huge crowd enthralled by what was happening under the bridge- so i said a prayer, held my breath- and chose to never know how little of the foundations/bank was actually left.

Turning off the main road we picked up another 2 passangers and proceeded to our first village (1 of 6). We pulled up and waited under a mango tree while someone went off and came back sometime later with several women. A lot of talking went on and it was communicated to me that there was a funeral, so we could come back next week.

Arriving early at the next village(2 of 6) everyone was still in their gardens so we walked and slipped our way along muddy tracks to find them and let them know we had arrived. The women laid out mats under a shady mango tree (it had stopped raining) and commenced singing. I can't explain the harmony, the gutteral rythms, the myriad of colours of their chitenjes and loose blouses, their weather beaten faces and huge, welcoming smiles. (At this point I stopped to try and figure out how to download a recorded file of their singing on to my computer, so i could upload it for you...but I managed to push the unproteced 're-format device' button, thus deleting all music files, 3 weeks of language lessons and the women singing in about...2 seconds. So I went to bed and slept like a log).

Back to the story...the women seem to have a selection of songs with lyrics that can be amended for the situation, so the first verse was about waiting for everyone to join the meeting that would be starting soon, the second was about how happy they were to have an unexpected visitor and they wanted to welcome the lady (me), the third verse was about how the visitors lived in Mangochi, but their hearts were here with the people, the fourth verse was about how they hoped the visitors would help them with thier hunger and contribute to their many needs, the fifth verse was about how one of the ladies was upset because her friends had gone to Mangochi without telling her, so now she was attending the meeting here instead of with her other friends because she was angry at them.... and so on, with one or two women taking turns to sing the new verse and others coming in over the top with harmonies and intricate breath-rythms. The fast beat is maintained through the whole song/selection of songs by the dancing (upperbody)- even if no-one is keeping it vocally. The rythm is in their blood and they all know when to put their heads down and ...grunt/growl in unison between each verse. Now you can see why uploading a sound file would have been a whole lot easier! At one stage we stood up and did a shuffle dance in a circle facing each other, shoulders rubbing, swinging our bent arms in time. It was so cool.

Oh dear- Im only up to village 2- speed version: At village 3 of 6 we were sat on plastic chairs and served 'utobwa' while the women sang and the meeting progressed. Utobwa looks and tastes rather a lot like a cross between vomit and yoghurt, but luckily for me its dairy free! Its a drink made from boiled millet and maize, fermented for a 2 days with sugar added to make a thick, creamy pink coloured liquid that smells...like it tastes. I was entertained for the rest of the day following the path of the utobwa through my digestive system.

Village 4 of 6, the women were waiting for us and formed a singing welcoming committee to walk us from the road into the village. I ahd an elderly lady take one hand, another woman take the other- then they disagreed about where I should sit and I was stuck! :) this village had a lot of younger mothers and babies everywhere- suckling and sleeping tied to their mothers backs-or dragged around by the younger children. The theme at every village was 'we are hungry', but at this village, one of the women asked Swa- to translate and aimed the request directly at me- please help. we have run out of food. The harvest is still months away. Perhaps Allah has provided you to help us. Will you help us? Baba Mo- explained that this was the case in every village and I personally couldn't help everyone, but we would take the message back to Mangochi and see what could be done. its hard.

Village 5 of 6 was inaccessible due to flood damage, and there seemed to be a disgreement of some sort at village 6 of 6 which the whole village turned out to see and add their bit. We left at 5.30 and made it back to Mangochi almost on 7pm- tired, happy and mentally preparing myself to do it all again next Thursday.

Wisdom Wednesday

'The truly happy people are those who have a source of happiness too deep to be seriously disturbed by ordinary troubles'
Marion K Rich

have I mentioned how tired I am lately? 3 weeks into language learning and the brain is struggling. Went out to a village this afternoon- awesome experience. The meeting was cancelled cos everyone was at a funeral- so we went to the home of the deceased and sat and commiserated for a while. So many beautiful, happy children and quirky grandmothers. Spent a lot of time watching what to do, trying to say the correct greetings at the right time and just soaking it all in. I'll be cheauffering (sp?) 3 guys out to villages in my car all day tomorrow- 6am to 6pm, so pray for safety on the roads and energy in the heat. my language helper is coming too, so hopefully it won't all be completely puzzling. I told her about my 2 visitors last night and her first reaction was 'thieves!' interesting.
I'll try and get some good shots tomorrow of village life to post for you to see... technology!

I can't believe Heath Ledger is dead.

random update

wow...it feels like I haven't written for ages... 4 whole days!!! :) well, im tired, and my computer started to sporadically shut down (every few minutes without warning), and language with 2 helpers -3days a week is full on- not just the 3-4 hrs of concentrating contact time, but the lesson prep, review nad homework. All self imposed- but I want to learn this language, and Ive got 3 months devoted to it...so im devoted to it :) Over the weekend Swa-'s 3 kids all came down with malaria, so she's bee looking pretty exhausted too. Tomorrows lesson is pending childrens health.

Amazing miracle- one of the guys who works here is in South Africa at the moment so can bring me back a replacement computer. wow- we sure ain't in the old days! Im no technocrat (is that the word?) so reading all the specs on 100 different laptop options over breaky this morning wasn't the best start to the day- how do you choose? well, I set a price limit, figured out how to look at the specs of what I've got now, picked my top 4 and took them to another guy here who knows lots about computers who selected one of the four- then we emailled our mate in SA who brought it. Im still amazed.
well, dinner time
write later...if my computer lasts :)

Its lasting! probably knows its about to be replaced. hehe Its doing better than me- I just decided to go to bed-checked the time and discoverd it was 7.15pm! so Im determined to stay up another hour...which means you may get another hours ramble. Alternatively i might fall asleep on the key board.

Had a slightly unnerving experience this evening. 2 guys at the door. Background explanation #1: we have fences and gates and night guards to ensure only authorised people come right to the house. In Malawi if there is a fence, no matter what size, you call from the gate. Right before my arrival there was a spate of brutal breakins (ie 7 armed men, 1 dead guard) in the close vicinity - so security is taken seriously...
#2: one of the guys was our 'neighbour' who volunteered himself to find me a language helper when I first arrived. Since he helped find my 2nd language assisitant he's been leaving missed calls on my phone almost everyday. I stopped calling back and put my phone on silent- it was spooking me out.
#3: In Malawi you always greet people you know the 1st time you meet them for the day (yes- takes a long time in an office situation- I wonder who they bill the hour to?! haha)
So, 6pm, getting dark, here he is, paying me a visit with a solidly built 'mate'. No greetings - the mate, who I've never seen before simply says 'you've been missing'. I laugh and say- 'No I haven't, Im here'... great time to be a smart alec. He went on to say that I hadn't been at work and I said that that was because I hadn't started yet- I was studying. where? here- with an assistant- ask Er- who, by the way, was looking very uncomfortable and took the opportunity to ask if I was having any problems with the lady assistant, to which I responded 'no, no problems at all'. the other guy then introduced himself and said he studied at some accounting school- and was also a neighbour (oh yay) and then they left. Left me utterly bewildered and the guard lurking nearby with a machete in hand. The guard said he had told them they couldn't come in but was ignored.
Harmless neighbourly conversation? or should I keep a mace spray handy tonight?
I'm sure in the course of the strange conversation many 'messages' were given... but I honestly have no idea what they were.

What else can I tell you? Malawi has great fish. food here tastes...wholesome. Actually- you are probably wondering what I eat every day? or not. either way Im gonna tell ya cos Ive still got 30min before I can go to bed :-P Well, I normally have porridge for breakky, but today I had toast (home made bread) and vegemite. Im baking bread again tomorrow ( i found some wholemeal flour in Blantyre-yay!).
Then for lunch i had left over ugali (pounded maize porridge) from yesterdays lunch with steamed greens and tomato (the 'recipe' is in one of my other blogs). I don't have to eat ugali- but its filling and I kinda like the taste and the 'ceremony' of making it- which doubles as a work-out when stirring thick glup for 5-10 min. If im not in the mood there is usually toast and tomato and sometimes avacado. We've even got rocket growing in the garden right now. The one vegetable/fruit? you can rely on here is tomato. they're everywhere and in everything. sorry to naturopath who said I shouldnt eat them!
Snackage is fruit (banana's and mango, pawpaw, pineapple and guavas in season- its banana and guava season right now- mangoes are sadly on the way out) and whatever cakes/biscuits we make. there are packet biscuits but they're like milk arrowroot which gets a bit ld after the 1st week.
Dinner- well, tonight we had fish and steamed potato, cabbage and pumpkin. Beautifully healthy until I smeared mayo on it. Im craving junk. Food wise you can get most things in Blantyre if you are willing to pay, so we eat a mix of western and malawian food- but a lot simpler than at home- probably mostly cos there is no 'take away' factor. We can't order pizza, or pop out for Mexican, or go out for coffee and cake. We have great coffee here, but we've usully gotta pop down to the markets (hat, bag, chitenje, armed with chiyawo phrases, 10 min walk away) to get the eggs before making the cake- which takes the spontineity out of it a bit.
well...I think Ive made up for 4 days of no blogging and its now 8.15 which is a slightly more acceptable hour to go to bed... cool shower, sleep.
hey- ive noticed a lot more people are checking my blog now- please leave me a comment and let me know who you are, what ya think, what you're up to today. It would be a very exciting for me. hehe
gnite

modesty

'Whilst Australians might have a thing about modesty and not having breasts on display, I think I could walk down the street without anything on my top half and I would only get a few glances. However, if I was to walk down the street in shorts and show my knees, I would be committing the greatest offense. I now feel quite violated when people talk to me but aren’t looking at my face because they are looking at my knees (albeit covered!!).'

Several months ago, a friend of mine working in Africa included this observation in her email. How true it is! from the down-ward glances in the markets, to my language helpers giggles at the words 'thigh', and 'buttocks' (mapuluputu- which I thought was a pretty funny sounding word too)...but we really do have a completely different sende of modesty.

When we do our washing, our underwear is hung inside and our clothes outside. My reasoning is putsi fly (another tropical nasty that lays eggs on your clothes, which hatch and burrow under your skin until they are a full size maggot...)- but the other reason is to maintain the decency of two single women! I had to smile though when I discoverd that my pyjama pants (more decent than footy shorts!) had been deemed unsuitable for public viewing and relegated to the inside underwear line!

In everyday life, dressing modestly involves wearing long skirts -definitely past the knee and suitably high waisted to ensure NO chance of midriff exposure :-) For added precaution, a chitenje (brightly coloured sarong) is wrapped high around your waist over the top of the skirt and the top whenever you leave your house/yard. There is actually quite an art to making them stay up, but fortunately it is culturally appropriate to stop and re-tuck whenever necassary. Village ladies wear several and use the outer cloth for everything- from purse to baby carrying and wrapping firewood. multi-purpose clothing- cool huh?

rain, rain go away...

97 words so far this week. Woohoo! And it rained today like I’ve never seen it rain before. No wonder Mozambique’s having floods!

What have I been up to? Saving the world? Nope, waking up the un-used bits of my brain and ears and absorbing vocabulary. I started 2 lessons a day today…and didn’t die, which was good!

9-11 am with Swa- (she doesn’t like me calling her ‘Mama’- even though she has 3 kids!). Followed by review and recording the new word list, then lunch, nap, lesson prep, 2.30-4.30 with Esn- (also objects to the ‘Mama’ bit), more word list writing (I call it cementing)…then some exercise of some sort- or just blob out in front of the computer, shower, prepare dinner, read…sleep… I’ll trial this for 2 days a week and see how I go, with ‘only’ one session the other 3 days.

I find the titles thing interesting- technically I should call Esn- ‘Mama Comfort’ because her daughters name is Comfort. If the child died, her name would change. She said when we go to the village I should call her that, but her name at work is ‘Esn-’. As you know, I don’t have children, so where does that leave me? ‘Unti Lina’ Swa- decreed proudly. Us whities are so ‘out of the box’ that they borrow our words and make new categories for us… oh yeah, and they don’t seem to distinguish between ‘r’ and ‘l’, or ‘d’ and ‘t’…or ‘m’ and ‘n’- both of which are usually almost silent at the beginning of a word…and ‘j’ can sound like a ‘d’ or a ‘y’ depending where it is… I could go on, but I’ll spare you.

I was nervous about Esn- coming today. She is a primary school teacher, and at her interview was very…forthright. I’ve had images all week of her bulldozing me into a dictionary, but yesterday, I spent an hour or so sitting on the verandah of her rented room watching the world go by while she washed her clothes in a bucket…and that edginess wasn’t there today. SO relieved! I still feel like I’m in primary school – but that’s ok- in language I’m still a toddler, so she’s being very gracious :-).
What was I doing at her house? Well- she doesn’t have a phone and I needed to get a message to her- so I did it the African way hehe.

Relationships are different out here. These women are my teachers, older than me in life, though younger in years, and I am their boss. Wealthy, educated, outside of their system and ‘powerful’. Add to that that unemployment is huge, everyone is living hand to mouth, women’s rights and opportunities are….negligible- and we’re giving them a job. This is great, but their environment makes me/ foreigners even more powerful – it’s unlikely they’ll get jobs elsewhere in Mangochi…their only bargaining power is their life stories, their dreams... Child born to a single mother, child gets cerebral malaria, hospital has run out of medication/child doesn’t get medical help quick enough, severely disabled child now living with grandparents. Mother wants to provide for child, provide a house, money to pay for specialist, ongoing rehabilitation, knows that there is better money to be made in South Africa…she needs money to get a passport.
Woman married, only to find several years later her husband takes a second wife. He stops supporting her and her children financially. They need to eat.

Pregnant woman goes to hospital for check up. Her previous three babies have all died before the age of 2. The hospital convinces her to check her HIV status. It’s positive. Her only real options for not passing the virus to her child is to find an HIV negative wet nurse who is willing to remain celibate for 6 months while feeding…or pay 6 months mans wages for formula. She wants the child within her to live, to have a chance at living a life better than hers.

A grand mother knocks on the gate. She has no food to feed her family- comprised largely of the 5 orphaned grand children. Harvest isn’t ‘til April

The agony is that these stories of women I’ve met here are completely true. How do we/ I respond? For those I’m directly employing- am I paying enough? Do I give a gift or a loan? To whom? Why was I born so ‘lucky’?! Can a whole poverty cycle be turned around?
I guess that’s why I’m here.

Insight...

Life is not as idle ore,
But iron dug from central gloom,
And heated hot with burning fears,
And dip't in baths of hissing tears,
And battered with the shocks of doom
To shape and use.

Tennyson

that reminds me.. I have some 'African Mining' photos to show my enviro friends out there... maybe next post!

What are your thoughts about polygamy?