I'm eating lunch and this piece of meat I just ate tasted like cat food smells. It's not too appetizing of an association. I am at the office but not really working because I stayed up all night to help Enock & Lisbeth, our country director, finish a USAID proposal for HIV/AIDS prevention. It was great. If we receive the funding, we will reach an additional 2 million people. (And if we don't, someone else will get the money for their project).I love the things I've been able to experience and contribute to in my job here. It kills me that I finally have a job I love and it is only for three months. It is a tease. But it reminds me of a good Buddhist principle...nothing is permanent. Anyway, I am hopeful that my experience here will help me get another job in Africa in the not too distance future (and a comparable job in the U.S. in the meantime).
Besides loving my job, I love it here. Today in the car on the way back to town from Chilangoma watching the beautiful scenery go by(we stayed at the Teacher Training College last night to work on the proposal there), I fell in love with Malawi. (It also helps that after three days of gray and cold, the sun is shining. I think living in California has ruined me forever. I now have the expectation that the sun should shine.)
It has definitely been a slow growing love, as some things are...not like the instant rapture I felt for Mali. But I find that as I grow personally and perhaps get older (a combination of experience and time) my emotions have found more of a middle ground, which I am grateful for.
I'm going to get a $13 massage for my aching shoulders...
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Sunday, July 13, 2008
The most unhappy country in the world
I keep meaning to write that I take back my earlier support of Tsvangirai's decision to pull out of the Zimbabwean race for president. The violence continued and Zimbabwe is no closer to having Mugabe out of office.
There was a big article in the paper in Malawi about how Zimbabwe is the most unhappy country in the world. There are actually lots of articles and opinion pieces in the papers about Zimbabwe every day.
I was talking with some co-workers when everything was going down in Zimbabwe, and they told me that Mugabe had thought of conceding when Tsvangirai won the original election, but his advisors resisted because they would all be thrown in jail. I guess that's what happens in Africa: when leaders who have abused their power step down from office, they are arrested for the crimes they committed.
So...they asked me if Bush would be arrested when he stepped down! I was surprised by the question, not because there isn't reason for it, but just because it's not what we do in America, and I tried to explain that as best I could. What I also found telling is that a majority of people around the world know about the offenses of the Bush administration. It is taken as fact these days that we invaded Iraq under false pretenses. They also knew a lot about the shortfallings of the govt. in and around 9/11, things that have been debated with high tension in the U.S., although that discussion seems to have lost what little wind it did have.
There was a big article in the paper in Malawi about how Zimbabwe is the most unhappy country in the world. There are actually lots of articles and opinion pieces in the papers about Zimbabwe every day.
I was talking with some co-workers when everything was going down in Zimbabwe, and they told me that Mugabe had thought of conceding when Tsvangirai won the original election, but his advisors resisted because they would all be thrown in jail. I guess that's what happens in Africa: when leaders who have abused their power step down from office, they are arrested for the crimes they committed.
So...they asked me if Bush would be arrested when he stepped down! I was surprised by the question, not because there isn't reason for it, but just because it's not what we do in America, and I tried to explain that as best I could. What I also found telling is that a majority of people around the world know about the offenses of the Bush administration. It is taken as fact these days that we invaded Iraq under false pretenses. They also knew a lot about the shortfallings of the govt. in and around 9/11, things that have been debated with high tension in the U.S., although that discussion seems to have lost what little wind it did have.
Woman is...
John Lennon wrote a song called Woman is the n-word of the world. This sentiment is most definitely true in Africa. This is actually one area where I feel lucky to be an American. Women in America, (at least I can speak for middle class women) have it much better than women in most places in the world. There are so many things here that I feel like I would never put up with if I was a Malawian woman. But then again, that's because I was raised in a different country, a different culture, and tolerance levels differ.
However, the good news is this is no longer a silent issue. There are women's rights groups, laws that help women and social programs dealing with gender. In the partnership office, I come across a lot of organizations that want to fund programs for women or programs that have to do with gender relations.
Let me tell you how this issue impacts the spread of HIV/AIDS. Women are three times more likely to contract HIV/AIDS, both because of biological and cultural factors. Heterosexual sex is the number one mode of transmission here, and women often cannot negotiate safe sex. A man will not wear a condom or will not accept no. Many men also have affairs, which put their wives and families at risk.
We attended a community education meeting which was an outreach activity of one of our Hope centers. First off, most of the participants were women. (Right, so even though they are less able to protect themselves than men, twice as many women get tested in our health centers, even with the threat of violence from their husbands.)
A teaching drama was performed in which women went for VCT services (Voluntary Counseling and Testing). The women each gave a different scenario that is common here. One was afraid her husband would find out she had gone for testing, as he forbid her to do so. Another came because even though she is faithful, her husband is not. Another was found positive even though she believed her husband to be faithful..she vowed to bring him in for testing! (These are the pictures in my last slideshow).
It really hit home that more men need to be mobilized. Of course, there are good, great men that go for testing with their wives, or work at our health centers. But they need to become the norm rather than the exception.
However, the good news is this is no longer a silent issue. There are women's rights groups, laws that help women and social programs dealing with gender. In the partnership office, I come across a lot of organizations that want to fund programs for women or programs that have to do with gender relations.
Let me tell you how this issue impacts the spread of HIV/AIDS. Women are three times more likely to contract HIV/AIDS, both because of biological and cultural factors. Heterosexual sex is the number one mode of transmission here, and women often cannot negotiate safe sex. A man will not wear a condom or will not accept no. Many men also have affairs, which put their wives and families at risk.
We attended a community education meeting which was an outreach activity of one of our Hope centers. First off, most of the participants were women. (Right, so even though they are less able to protect themselves than men, twice as many women get tested in our health centers, even with the threat of violence from their husbands.)
A teaching drama was performed in which women went for VCT services (Voluntary Counseling and Testing). The women each gave a different scenario that is common here. One was afraid her husband would find out she had gone for testing, as he forbid her to do so. Another came because even though she is faithful, her husband is not. Another was found positive even though she believed her husband to be faithful..she vowed to bring him in for testing! (These are the pictures in my last slideshow).
It really hit home that more men need to be mobilized. Of course, there are good, great men that go for testing with their wives, or work at our health centers. But they need to become the norm rather than the exception.
Hurry up and Wait
Martha's sister Doreen offered to pick us up for church this morning for the English mass (they are Catholic): 7:30am. We agreed. She was supposed to be at our house at 7, and around twenty after I started to worry. Then Sam reminded me that she probably meant Malawian time. He was right. She came around 7:40. We got to church during the homily. At the end of the mass, the priest was reprimanding people for arriving late.
"This service in in English, so we should do it English style: punctual." (Ahh, I fit in so well in Africa. :) Pretty soon Sam and I are going to learn that if someone says they are coming at 7am, that's what time we are going to get up and start getting ready.
This is quintessential Africa to me: Hurry up and wait. It happened in Mali a lot as well. We would be rushing to get somewhere, to get the whole group out the door, but when we got where we were going it was never ready, never on time. So you rush to wait. Then you rush and wait some more. It feels like a funny little game. Of course I've gotten frustrated with it, but it's a good lesson in patience and acceptance...(One day I asked Sam if he feels like he waits a lot here. He said, remember what the book said? (My Lonely Planet Southern Africa) bring your flexibility).
It's also comical to me that I walk fast here!! I know various friends and family members are not believing this, because I'm always lagging behind, trying to catch up.But in Malawi people saunter. This is the normal way of walking. Even when they are late they saunter! And I'm walking even faster. Tebogo will often call me back, and I'll be wondering why I'm walking ahead of them. She'll remind me that I'm in Malawi and to walk like a Malawian. I tell her my fast is slow in America! She can't believe it!
It's interesting though, because when I slow down to walk with them and not be rude, I find myself taking a breath and relaxing a bit.
Back to church...the women sat on one side and the men on the other! I don't know why. The music was just gorgeous, A Capella singing. There are often times I will hear music coming out a church and it's so beautiful. The pews were wooden, not polished, and the kneelers not padded. It made me think of our level of comfort in the U.S.
Afterwards Doreen had us over for breakfast with her family: real breakfast! I was rejoicing. Eggs, TOASTED bread and porridge with ground nuts (peanuts), tea with boiled milk...Her family is as sweet as ever...her Dad told us that their home is our home. We can come whenever we want.
It was interesting because even though they are an apparently well to do family for Malawian standards--in my opinion--both parents are college educated and have very good jobs--the mother and the daughters still do the work around the house. The mother made breakfast, set the table, cleared the table and once we took care of the dishes she was on to making lunch! The whole time while the Dad sat on the couch watching TV and entertaining us...
The least I was allowed to do was dry the dishes. Doreen handed me a rag and asked if I knew how to do it. Of course I replied! She asked if we have a house boy or servants at our house. (They have a house boy.) I was quite shocked and tried to explain the class system in the U.S. She seemed surprised to hear that I do housework myself.
Why would I classify their family as well-to-do? Of course the house boy, the fact that they have cars and a nice television, and that all their children go to college.
"This service in in English, so we should do it English style: punctual." (Ahh, I fit in so well in Africa. :) Pretty soon Sam and I are going to learn that if someone says they are coming at 7am, that's what time we are going to get up and start getting ready.
This is quintessential Africa to me: Hurry up and wait. It happened in Mali a lot as well. We would be rushing to get somewhere, to get the whole group out the door, but when we got where we were going it was never ready, never on time. So you rush to wait. Then you rush and wait some more. It feels like a funny little game. Of course I've gotten frustrated with it, but it's a good lesson in patience and acceptance...(One day I asked Sam if he feels like he waits a lot here. He said, remember what the book said? (My Lonely Planet Southern Africa) bring your flexibility).
It's also comical to me that I walk fast here!! I know various friends and family members are not believing this, because I'm always lagging behind, trying to catch up.But in Malawi people saunter. This is the normal way of walking. Even when they are late they saunter! And I'm walking even faster. Tebogo will often call me back, and I'll be wondering why I'm walking ahead of them. She'll remind me that I'm in Malawi and to walk like a Malawian. I tell her my fast is slow in America! She can't believe it!
It's interesting though, because when I slow down to walk with them and not be rude, I find myself taking a breath and relaxing a bit.
Back to church...the women sat on one side and the men on the other! I don't know why. The music was just gorgeous, A Capella singing. There are often times I will hear music coming out a church and it's so beautiful. The pews were wooden, not polished, and the kneelers not padded. It made me think of our level of comfort in the U.S.
Afterwards Doreen had us over for breakfast with her family: real breakfast! I was rejoicing. Eggs, TOASTED bread and porridge with ground nuts (peanuts), tea with boiled milk...Her family is as sweet as ever...her Dad told us that their home is our home. We can come whenever we want.
It was interesting because even though they are an apparently well to do family for Malawian standards--in my opinion--both parents are college educated and have very good jobs--the mother and the daughters still do the work around the house. The mother made breakfast, set the table, cleared the table and once we took care of the dishes she was on to making lunch! The whole time while the Dad sat on the couch watching TV and entertaining us...
The least I was allowed to do was dry the dishes. Doreen handed me a rag and asked if I knew how to do it. Of course I replied! She asked if we have a house boy or servants at our house. (They have a house boy.) I was quite shocked and tried to explain the class system in the U.S. She seemed surprised to hear that I do housework myself.
Why would I classify their family as well-to-do? Of course the house boy, the fact that they have cars and a nice television, and that all their children go to college.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Gas prices affect us all
I want to get back to writing about the programs a little bit.
When we were in Lilongwe, we had the opportunity to visit Farmer's Club. This project is extremely important for a couple of reasons. First of all, 80% of the Malawian population make their living through agriculture. The Farmer's Clubs organize farmers into groups where they learn farming methods which are better for the environment(so that the field will remain usable year after year) and produce a better yield. The extension workers also emphasize diversification of crops, which allows for a more secure income. Farmers in the clubs share their resources and knowledge. They also raise animals, improve irrigation and storing methods and much, much more.
The other reason agriculture is significant is the limited source of oil in the world. When the Soviet Union broke down and North Korea lost their source of oil, 1 million people died of hunger. Cuba, however, foresaw the problem and reorganized their society to have local agriculture. We need to do this in the U.S. and all over the world, since a lot of our food comes to us on trucks fueled by oil.
In this way, Africa has an advantage over the majority of the world: their agriculture does not depend on oil, but rather physical labor. We need to keep these local farms going in Africa, and projects like Farmers Club are making them better.
Speaking of oil (which I know everyone is sick of hearing about) I couldn't believe when I saw on the news that Bush still wants to hack up Alaska. I truly hope and pray he does not get the opportunity before he leaves office, and that the next president will not follow in his footsteps. It blows my mind that people are still searching for a limited resource, rather than focusing on cultivating renewable energy like solar, wind and some forms of ethanol like sugar cane. (In Brazil they have been using sugar cane to fuel their cars for over 20 years).
I say some forms of ethanol because the use of corn for fuel has been part of the global food crisis. I myself was uneducated and proud when I bought hangers from Walmart (of all places I thought!) made of corn. However, I felt pretty sheepish when I learned of the implications of using corn for things other than food.
Back to oil...even in a country like Malawi, where 90% of the people do not own cars, rising gas prices are felt by everyone. The price of the minibus increased by 20 kwacha, which is maybe somewhere around 15 U.S. cents. This is not a big deal for me, but I make much more than most Malawians. For people living on the equivalent of one or two American dollars a day, 15 cents is a big deal.
When we were in Lilongwe, we had the opportunity to visit Farmer's Club. This project is extremely important for a couple of reasons. First of all, 80% of the Malawian population make their living through agriculture. The Farmer's Clubs organize farmers into groups where they learn farming methods which are better for the environment(so that the field will remain usable year after year) and produce a better yield. The extension workers also emphasize diversification of crops, which allows for a more secure income. Farmers in the clubs share their resources and knowledge. They also raise animals, improve irrigation and storing methods and much, much more.
The other reason agriculture is significant is the limited source of oil in the world. When the Soviet Union broke down and North Korea lost their source of oil, 1 million people died of hunger. Cuba, however, foresaw the problem and reorganized their society to have local agriculture. We need to do this in the U.S. and all over the world, since a lot of our food comes to us on trucks fueled by oil.
In this way, Africa has an advantage over the majority of the world: their agriculture does not depend on oil, but rather physical labor. We need to keep these local farms going in Africa, and projects like Farmers Club are making them better.
Speaking of oil (which I know everyone is sick of hearing about) I couldn't believe when I saw on the news that Bush still wants to hack up Alaska. I truly hope and pray he does not get the opportunity before he leaves office, and that the next president will not follow in his footsteps. It blows my mind that people are still searching for a limited resource, rather than focusing on cultivating renewable energy like solar, wind and some forms of ethanol like sugar cane. (In Brazil they have been using sugar cane to fuel their cars for over 20 years).
I say some forms of ethanol because the use of corn for fuel has been part of the global food crisis. I myself was uneducated and proud when I bought hangers from Walmart (of all places I thought!) made of corn. However, I felt pretty sheepish when I learned of the implications of using corn for things other than food.
Back to oil...even in a country like Malawi, where 90% of the people do not own cars, rising gas prices are felt by everyone. The price of the minibus increased by 20 kwacha, which is maybe somewhere around 15 U.S. cents. This is not a big deal for me, but I make much more than most Malawians. For people living on the equivalent of one or two American dollars a day, 15 cents is a big deal.
The Malawian Cheese steak
Some of you have asked about food. It's not bad. Unfortunately, my favorite meal, breakfast, is the most lacking. I am sufficiently happy with the coffee and tea(which is actually made here in Malawi. It's one of their main exports, along with tobacco. I am happy to report I don't see a lot of people smoking though).
We are supplied lunch at the office which is great. It is either rice or chips (french fries) with beef or chicken and vegetables. A staple here is called snima, which is made from maize (corn) and has the consistency similar to that of cream of wheat. The taste is very bland but they always eat it with sauce, which they call relish.
We make our own dinner. Sam has blossomed into a wonderful cook, and I keep threatening to tell his wife and he keeps threatening me back. Being Indian, he makes a lot of Indian dishes which I love (but generally burn my mouth, though he tries to accommodate my bland Irish/Polish taste buds). Since there is a sizable Indian population here, ingredients are readily available.
Every day on my way home, I pass fresh fruits & vegetables: eggplant(my favorite!), tomatoes, onions, carrots, lettuce, green beans, sweet potatoes and regular potatoes. They are apples, oranges and avocados, sometimes mangoes. There is also okra and cassava, which I don't know how to make.
Needless to say, we make a lot of eggplant. Sam decided we should open a restaurant called the eggplant since we have made so many different varieties of it. His favorite was a rendition on the Philly cheese steak he saw on Emeril. (This is much better than his latest idea that we fund a war to take out Mugabe.)
We also buy pasta, eggs,cheese,yogurt,chicken, ground beef and bacon from the grocery store. Sam also gets sausage & lunch meat. He came home one day with this huge grin on his face and held out this deli meat with olives in it (of all things). He thought I would be so happy and made an equally big confused face when I explained that I don't like deli meat. "But, I thought all Americans liked lunch meat!", he exclaimed. Another American myth debunked by yours truly.
We are supplied lunch at the office which is great. It is either rice or chips (french fries) with beef or chicken and vegetables. A staple here is called snima, which is made from maize (corn) and has the consistency similar to that of cream of wheat. The taste is very bland but they always eat it with sauce, which they call relish.
We make our own dinner. Sam has blossomed into a wonderful cook, and I keep threatening to tell his wife and he keeps threatening me back. Being Indian, he makes a lot of Indian dishes which I love (but generally burn my mouth, though he tries to accommodate my bland Irish/Polish taste buds). Since there is a sizable Indian population here, ingredients are readily available.
Every day on my way home, I pass fresh fruits & vegetables: eggplant(my favorite!), tomatoes, onions, carrots, lettuce, green beans, sweet potatoes and regular potatoes. They are apples, oranges and avocados, sometimes mangoes. There is also okra and cassava, which I don't know how to make.
Needless to say, we make a lot of eggplant. Sam decided we should open a restaurant called the eggplant since we have made so many different varieties of it. His favorite was a rendition on the Philly cheese steak he saw on Emeril. (This is much better than his latest idea that we fund a war to take out Mugabe.)
We also buy pasta, eggs,cheese,yogurt,chicken, ground beef and bacon from the grocery store. Sam also gets sausage & lunch meat. He came home one day with this huge grin on his face and held out this deli meat with olives in it (of all things). He thought I would be so happy and made an equally big confused face when I explained that I don't like deli meat. "But, I thought all Americans liked lunch meat!", he exclaimed. Another American myth debunked by yours truly.
Recycling Karma
So as most of you know, I'm pretty obsessive about recycling. In fact, I think I've lost more than one boyfriend over it. :)
So being in a place with litter as bad as it is and recycling virtually non-existent, I am getting paid back for all the times I yelled at a boyfriend, housemate, friend, family member, etc. for not recycling! When we first got here, we bought a supply of bottled water. It kills me to throw them out. I had a moment of insanity where I thought about bringing them all home. Then I decided I would rather bring home things from Malawi. (Although they do make good coffee to-go mugs, since those are also lacking here. Although there is take-away food, I'm glad they haven't discovered take-away coffee. That would just take the litter to a whole new level).
There is actually someone that recycles newspapers where Sam works. One day he took Sam's paper off his desk. Sam quickly told him he was going to take that one home. The man said Sam would have to pay him for it because it was his now! Ok, that's an aside, but I just found it funny. (Sam opted to let him keep the paper).
So, my story is that my first week here I was sitting in the backseat of a car. The woman in front of me, a very sweet, older motherly co-worker, threw an empty box of cookies out the car window! I was shocked. It got stuck momentarily and I nearly grabbed it except that I remembered there would be nowhere to recycle it. When it was too late, I thought I could have at least put it in a garbage can, but I'm really glad I didn't grab it. I didn't want to offend people my first week here.
If someone litters like that in the U.S., they are basically considered ignorant. But that is not the case here. There is just not enough public awareness about it. There really needs to be a campaign, as I was told there was in the U.S. in the 60's.
So being in a place with litter as bad as it is and recycling virtually non-existent, I am getting paid back for all the times I yelled at a boyfriend, housemate, friend, family member, etc. for not recycling! When we first got here, we bought a supply of bottled water. It kills me to throw them out. I had a moment of insanity where I thought about bringing them all home. Then I decided I would rather bring home things from Malawi. (Although they do make good coffee to-go mugs, since those are also lacking here. Although there is take-away food, I'm glad they haven't discovered take-away coffee. That would just take the litter to a whole new level).
There is actually someone that recycles newspapers where Sam works. One day he took Sam's paper off his desk. Sam quickly told him he was going to take that one home. The man said Sam would have to pay him for it because it was his now! Ok, that's an aside, but I just found it funny. (Sam opted to let him keep the paper).
So, my story is that my first week here I was sitting in the backseat of a car. The woman in front of me, a very sweet, older motherly co-worker, threw an empty box of cookies out the car window! I was shocked. It got stuck momentarily and I nearly grabbed it except that I remembered there would be nowhere to recycle it. When it was too late, I thought I could have at least put it in a garbage can, but I'm really glad I didn't grab it. I didn't want to offend people my first week here.
If someone litters like that in the U.S., they are basically considered ignorant. But that is not the case here. There is just not enough public awareness about it. There really needs to be a campaign, as I was told there was in the U.S. in the 60's.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Sam & Jessica get a life
Both Friday and Saturday night of this weekend, people called us, picked us up wherever we were in the city, and whisked us off to clubs and parties. It was a lot of fun. I was very happy to dance...
We spent last night at my friend Martha's house. She works for DAPP Farmer's Club in Lilongwe (where I met her) but she grew up in Blantyre and her family still lives there, not far from our house. Last night there was a fundraiser for the Catholic church going on in her backyard. They had a DJ and were playing both African and American songs. I will post pictures soon.
Her family was so kind and wonderful. We met her parents, her two sisters and two of her brothers. They talked with us and made us dinner. Malawi has been dubbed "the warm heart of Africa" because of people like them.
Martha's sister Doreen is traveling to NYC to visit a friend. Sam and I, both only having visited NYC, tried to advise her as best we could. I told her to try sushi. Everyone asked what it was and their ten year old brother Jeff exclaimed "fish!". We turned to him very surprised and I asked where he learned it. "Cartoons." came the reply. We all laughed and his father said he was glad he was actually learning something, that he thought he was just wasting his time!
I am very happy to be meeting more people and getting more of a taste of Malawian life. I was a little worried at first, because I wanted to get to know people beyond a work setting.
More soon...
We spent last night at my friend Martha's house. She works for DAPP Farmer's Club in Lilongwe (where I met her) but she grew up in Blantyre and her family still lives there, not far from our house. Last night there was a fundraiser for the Catholic church going on in her backyard. They had a DJ and were playing both African and American songs. I will post pictures soon.
Her family was so kind and wonderful. We met her parents, her two sisters and two of her brothers. They talked with us and made us dinner. Malawi has been dubbed "the warm heart of Africa" because of people like them.
Martha's sister Doreen is traveling to NYC to visit a friend. Sam and I, both only having visited NYC, tried to advise her as best we could. I told her to try sushi. Everyone asked what it was and their ten year old brother Jeff exclaimed "fish!". We turned to him very surprised and I asked where he learned it. "Cartoons." came the reply. We all laughed and his father said he was glad he was actually learning something, that he thought he was just wasting his time!
I am very happy to be meeting more people and getting more of a taste of Malawian life. I was a little worried at first, because I wanted to get to know people beyond a work setting.
More soon...
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Some things don't translate
How is everyone? I haven't been receiving as many emails lately...remember I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, I am just in Africa! :0 Just kidding. Hopefully you are all just busy having fun summers. I can't believe yesterday was July 1st already. It sure didn't feel like it...in every region of the U.S. I've lived in July has been the hottest month, but yesterday was one of our colder days here.
There has been lots going on in my little life here. On Monday I participated in a Big Walk (their term for a walk a thon). It was initiated by Ben, an American DI here (Development Instructor) and was a joint effort between TCE and a CBO (Community Based Organization). We raised money to pay for the school fees of orphans. It was a lot of fun. I hadn't participated in a walk a thon since grade school, and it brought back memories of walking around the few blocks behind our school which seemed so long at the time but now seems a very short distance.
I took three buses out to the area where the walk began, and then we walked back to town. We walked 25 kilometers (whatever that means. I think it's completely ridiculous that we are the only country that doesn't use the metric system. I think I will ask Obama to change this when he becomes president. I have some bones to pick with him anyway, which I will save for another time. At any rate, I no longer know how much I weigh, how tall people are, how long it takes to get somewhere, what the temperature is, or how much food I am buying. :) )
It was a nice, sunny walk and the participants sang beautiful songs in Chichewa (the local language here). I unfortunately got a funny sunburn of my hand print on my shoulder (I like to pride myself on not getting sunburns). I think I was distracted from finishing my task by the Malawians laughing at me. I started out the walk with a long sleeve shirt on, and when I took it off, I applied sunscreen to my shoulders and arms. My sunscreen is a spray, so apparently the sight of me spraying myself was hilarious. I started wondering why people were laughing and then saw this woman in front on me imitating me. I asked a guy next to me if were laughing at me. He said, yes, we want some of your perfume. I tried to explain that it was for the sun, but I don't think they were looking for an explanation, just amusement.
It's almost the time that my stagecoach turns into a pumpkin, so I will sign off and hope to write again soon...
There has been lots going on in my little life here. On Monday I participated in a Big Walk (their term for a walk a thon). It was initiated by Ben, an American DI here (Development Instructor) and was a joint effort between TCE and a CBO (Community Based Organization). We raised money to pay for the school fees of orphans. It was a lot of fun. I hadn't participated in a walk a thon since grade school, and it brought back memories of walking around the few blocks behind our school which seemed so long at the time but now seems a very short distance.
I took three buses out to the area where the walk began, and then we walked back to town. We walked 25 kilometers (whatever that means. I think it's completely ridiculous that we are the only country that doesn't use the metric system. I think I will ask Obama to change this when he becomes president. I have some bones to pick with him anyway, which I will save for another time. At any rate, I no longer know how much I weigh, how tall people are, how long it takes to get somewhere, what the temperature is, or how much food I am buying. :) )
It was a nice, sunny walk and the participants sang beautiful songs in Chichewa (the local language here). I unfortunately got a funny sunburn of my hand print on my shoulder (I like to pride myself on not getting sunburns). I think I was distracted from finishing my task by the Malawians laughing at me. I started out the walk with a long sleeve shirt on, and when I took it off, I applied sunscreen to my shoulders and arms. My sunscreen is a spray, so apparently the sight of me spraying myself was hilarious. I started wondering why people were laughing and then saw this woman in front on me imitating me. I asked a guy next to me if were laughing at me. He said, yes, we want some of your perfume. I tried to explain that it was for the sun, but I don't think they were looking for an explanation, just amusement.
It's almost the time that my stagecoach turns into a pumpkin, so I will sign off and hope to write again soon...
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