Sika | September 13, 2009
But first I had to clear Malawi immigration. The immigration guy called me in front of 4 or so other people, I think because I am white and looked confused and stupid white people are dangerous to leave wandering around all willy-nilly. He asked me why I couldn’t approximate how much I spent in Malawi. [...]
Sika | September 12, 2009
I called Debbie from the train back to Liwonde. She very graciously said I could stay and sent a co-worker just leaving work to come and pick me at the station. I was very happy that the return trip from Nayuchi was considerably shorter than the trip out—about 3 hours. So I even had time [...]
Sika | September 11, 2009
What was that I said about having enough time and just letting the trip unfold, and not stressing? Yeah, well, even though I know that to be best, after today I’m tempted to give up the whole trip.
I got off today just fine: Kory was concerned this morning that since the bwanas are in Chikwawa, [...]
Sika | September 10, 2009
Wanangwa and Kate, two Zomba friends of mine, got married. It almost didn’t happen because their ankhoswe* was late and the law books say you can only get married between certain hours, and the only reason the guy marrying them took pity was that Kate’s mum was returning to Scotland the next day.
Anyway, so they [...]
Sika | September 9, 2009
We weren’t there for Health ‘08’s site announcements. Health ’06 did a great event for ours, but due to scheduling problems we didn’t get to stay in Dedza long enough for the ’08 site announcements. This year, site announcement was at All-Health, like it was for us, and so we could all be a part [...]
Sika | September 8, 2009
Edith asked me to come to PST (pre-service training) for the newbies. I was excited because I was pretty sure Zomba was getting Marla, and I thought it would be nice to get to know her a bit better. Also, I hadn’t had/taken the chance to spend more than a few hours with the Health [...]
Sika | September 8, 2009
If there are people waiting with you on a minibus, and they seem too happy—dancing and singing enthusiastically to Lucky Dube blaring on the radio instead of looking like they’re tired of waiting but have nowhere else to go—and overly familiar with everyone at the minibus stand, beware. They’ll probably be paid a few kwacha [...]
Sika | September 7, 2009
If I said there aren’t some things I’ll be happy to leave, I’d be lying. Mostly things like stone babies and the way many men feel they own my body because I’m a woman, and being called azungu azungu all the time, and feeling like I live in a fishbowl—the only way to escape it [...]
Sika | September 4, 2009
I don’t think I’ve written about the routine of handwashing here in Malawi. I love ritual–I find it soothing–and this is one of my favourites. In Malawi, because nsima is eaten with the hands, hands must be washed before the meal and then again after to remove the last remnants of the nsima and ndiwo [...]
Sika | September 3, 2009
I haven´t written about my last weeks in Malawi partly because I still don´t have pics uploaded for some posts I´ve already written, but mostly because I´ve been in a serious state of denial: refusing to say good-bye to people I know I won´t see again; planning multiple trips back to Zomba so I can´t [...]
Sika | August 20, 2009
This is only of interest if you’re doing the traveling.
There are NO flights from Cuamba to Nampula or vice versa. There havenºt been for years.
The train runs both ways every day except Monday. BUT, there´s only one second class car, and that runs to Nampula W,F,Su and to Cuamba Tu,Th,Sa.
You canºt get a visa at the [...]
Sika | August 20, 2009
I was walking from Kris´house to meet her for lunch, and I got the usual “azungu! azungu!” that drives me crazy. One older kid was not just doing the normal excited speech that we get, but actually yelling, and seemed a bit angry. I studiously ignored him because I do not respond to kids shouting ”azungu”
He got [...]
Sika | August 17, 2009
I donºt have time for good updates right now, so just a couple quick things.
Kris says to one of her coworkers, “She is going to Mozambique.”
“Why?”
Kris answered, “Kuwona [to see]. She wants to swim in the ocean.”
“Sure?”
“Yes.”
“I hear it has salt,” he says, looking quite worried for me.
“She will be strong.”
Sika | July 15, 2009
Foreigners are often put off by the way many Malawians act when they are grieving the death of a loved one. It seems overly florid and put on: Many volunteers have the experience of a family in mourning being totally quiet until a witness is present, who then watches them bursting into tears and wailing [...]
Sika | July 15, 2009
I have lots of things to post about. And I’ve been taking lots of pictures to go with the lots of things I have to talk about. The problem being, those pictures somehow object to being put online. That’s the only thing I can figure considering power and/or internet outages have been frequent, along with [...]