Journey’s End
July 16 and 17, 2009
Leaving the beauty of Club Makakola was hard, but knowing that home was closer made it easier. We traveled well on the new road, stopped at the Mua vendors for a quick look and some purchases. I bought a lovely stylized statue of a woman, the face resembles those of statues by Zimbabwe carvers. Ann found a lovely mother and child and looked for a “tokoloshi” (a dream creature) but found none she liked. Students bought goat hide shields, which they learned later were from the Ngoni tribe. We made it to Mua Mission in time to get a guide for the tour of the museum before noon.
The museum is set up in three connected, circular hut-type rooms with a cement baobab tree in the center. The first room tells of the coming of the priest in 1902 to establish the mission. Mua comes from a “mangled” form of a Chiyao word for sugar cane, which is grown in the area abundantly. The priest couldn’t quite hear the pronunciation, so Mua actually is a word that means nothing in any language. Because the priest lived among the tribes for so long, they trusted him and welcomed him into the inner workings of tribal life. Otherwise, knowledge about the rituals would never be passed to outsiders. He was also able to amass an amazing number of artifacts from the three dominant tribes in the area: Chewa, Ngoni, and Yao.
The second room contains the artifacts of the rituals of the Chewa people. It takes your breath away when you enter the room with brightly colored masks and costumes hung everywhere. Here we see the masks and costumes of the Gule Wamkulu dancers (“spirit” dancers). These are the dances the students saw at Club Mak the night before, now being explained. When masked, a dancer takes on a different persona, he’s not himself and not accountable for his actions. The masks take many forms from human to animal. Circumcision of males is still a part of the “coming of age” ritual for boys. The guide tells us that circumcision (genital mutilation) of girls has died out now. For the most part that might be true, but in very rural villages there are still reports of this practice. The third room contains the Ngoni and Yao ritual artifacts. Ngoni’s were warriors who conquered the Chewas. They’re descended from Chaka Zulu. Many Ngoni are still leaders in Malawi. Yao are mostly Muslims because they inhabited the lake area, which was the slave route for the Arabs trading slaves on the east coast of Africa.
We set out for Lilongwe with students dreading the long drive, but we arrived before 4 p.m. at the Budget Lodge. This time students aren’t shocked by the differences and the hustle and bustle of Old Town. They’ve adjusted to Malawi “rhythms.” By 4:15 everyone was spread out doing his/her own thing – last minute bargaining, purchasing books and bags, super market purchases, ForEx, etc. By 5 they have convened at Ali Baba’s for pizza. By 6:30 everyone is back and settled in, rearranging their packing and getting ready for tomorrow.
This morning (Friday, the 17th) we’re in Pizza Land, the restaurant that serves breakfast for the Budget Lodge. We’re writing and eating and getting ready to post in an Internet Café down the street. By 10 we’ll load up and get on our way. We’re taking a young German man with us to the airport. That will save him a big taxi fare. We’re crowded but can always squeeze in one more for the 20 minute ride. When we board, the students will present Charles, our driver, with their gratuities and cheers. He always looks forward to this well-deserved extra. He’s a safe, thoughtful driver, and as the head driver at MIE, he is no doubt the best.
Our plane leaves at 1:00 p.m. We won’t arrive in Addis Ababa until 8:00 p.m. because we’re routed through Lusaka, Zambia. Students are happy to know that they can add Zambia to their list of countries on this trip: Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Ethiopia, and Italy because we stop in Rome for refueling. We arrive at 8:00 a.m. at Dulles. It’s been a memorable 28 days for everyone.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Two Worlds in One Day
Two Worlds in One Day
July 15, 2009
Of course, saying farewell to Annie Fletcher and her friend Limboni was bittersweet. She has been a part of the Study Abroad program since the beginning. So, after an laborious process of getting the bus loaded with the suitcases that were packed so they didn’t have to be off-loaded at Club Mak, we boarded with our carry-ons, just like on a plane but without as much room. Wooden chief chairs went under the seats and small luggage. But mostly we sat with backpacks and water and baskets on our laps. Without Moses and James (two guys from North Carolina A&T), the luggage would never have fit. With many thanks to them we were on our way to Mangochi.
We arrived at Dr. Ndalapa Mhango’s village slightly before him because he had taught a class at Domasi College beginning at 7:30 a.m. Ndalapa is a remarkable man, who was in the Virginia Tech in-country master’s program here in Malawi and later came to the US to complete his doctorate. Each year, he has agreed to talk to the students about his life growing up to help us understand the traditional village “world.” His father now 102 years old sat on the porch to greet us. Each student knelt, curtsied, or bowed to him as they greeted him in the Malawian way. His father was a medical doctor from the north of Malawi, but settled in Mangochi, taking three wives and a concubine. His children numbered more than 100. The house we visited had 15 bedrooms because all three wives lived in the same house (not always the practice). However, the bedrooms housed many children at a time and were allocated according to the age of the child. Ndalapa showed us the first bedroom he shared with his brother, who now takes care of their father. It was small and windowless. When Ndalapa moved to secondary school, he moved to a small room (also shared) but with a window.
We stood in the living room/dining room that looked much like something in our homes today. But Ndalapa described how it was then. His father had a separate table at which he was served. His father always had Western ideas and style; he ate with a fork. At a table in the same room, adolescent boys ate. Outside on the kitchen porch, the adolescent girls ate at a table. On the floor in the room with their father, as many as thirty children ate on the floor from a common large bowl. Even today, in the villages a similar feeding pattern is still practiced.
Ndalapa talked of rising at 3 a.m. to walk to milk and feed cattle, returning to prepare for school, rowing across the river to then walk to school. Once when walking to the cattle, they met a lion. He said, “I should probably not be here today” and smiled. Lions came to the house but usually killed dogs first. Now with deforestation, they have retreated to the mountains some distance away. Crocodiles infest the river nearby. At a different time he had talked to me of a brother who had been killed by a crocodile. As he said, “We live with hippos, crocodiles, and hyenas.”
He is related to everyone in the village. They have gathered around us and follow us as we walk through parts of the village, not typical in some ways because the houses are spread farther apart than in some villages.
We bid Ndalapa good-bye, who will return to Zomba via his recently purchased car. He had learned to drive in the US, and he said he must travel slowly on Malawi roads because of all the goats, bicycles, and people. It’s just the way I feel about driving here.
Our students were mesmerized by this gentle, intelligent, highly educated man, softly telling his story in such a candid way. I believe they understand the magnitude of his accomplishments. Having an educated father as a model no doubt helped. Also his father refused to have the children go through the rituals although Ndalapa’s mother was Yao, a dominant tribe in the Mangochi area. These things helped but the struggle was arduous.
After we parted, we drove 30 minutes to Club Makakola on a newly paved road that previously had taken 50 minutes or so. Now the road is paved all the way to Mua Mission. We will save more than two hours tomorrow, which means we depart Club Mak later. Everyone is happy about that.
At Club Makakola, I find my old friend Nick who greets us. Nick is the manager. Students are transported to another “world” immediately as they get off the bus. The gardens are lush and immaculate. The reception area has large carved statues of warriors, fountains bubble. Each “hut” has lovely Dedza tiled bathrooms. Beautiful batiked bedspreads under while mosquito netting. Free wireless access. A swimming pool and beach bar. And a beach with umbrellas and chaises. Within 30 minutes all students are in the pool, on the beach, or at the bar. They’re in heaven after working hard for three weeks.
Together we all watched a dark red sun descend behind the mountains, casting in a fiery streak across the lake. We basked in the shared moment.
After dinner (a sumptuous buffet), Nick has arranged for traditional dancing with an amazing acrobat group from an adjoining village thrown in. The dancing included the dance that Africans brought back to their villages after World War I. Some students had seen children practicing this dance in their schools. That was followed by four different masked performers doing the “spirit” dance -- Gule Wamkulu. Coming back from Malika Church, students had seen a masked man in strips of corn in the road. He was a “spirit” dancer. These dancers were also dressed in strips of cloth that shook frantically when they danced and with different masks, usually red, but sometimes with fanciful non-human face masks. Students scurried forward intermittently dropping small bills into the baskets they set in the grass near their performances. Nick pays the performers and discourages such tipping, but the performers are persistent and I have seen them cut short their performance if people aren’t tipping. We retired to our thatched “huts” full of food and the days events.
July 15, 2009
Of course, saying farewell to Annie Fletcher and her friend Limboni was bittersweet. She has been a part of the Study Abroad program since the beginning. So, after an laborious process of getting the bus loaded with the suitcases that were packed so they didn’t have to be off-loaded at Club Mak, we boarded with our carry-ons, just like on a plane but without as much room. Wooden chief chairs went under the seats and small luggage. But mostly we sat with backpacks and water and baskets on our laps. Without Moses and James (two guys from North Carolina A&T), the luggage would never have fit. With many thanks to them we were on our way to Mangochi.
We arrived at Dr. Ndalapa Mhango’s village slightly before him because he had taught a class at Domasi College beginning at 7:30 a.m. Ndalapa is a remarkable man, who was in the Virginia Tech in-country master’s program here in Malawi and later came to the US to complete his doctorate. Each year, he has agreed to talk to the students about his life growing up to help us understand the traditional village “world.” His father now 102 years old sat on the porch to greet us. Each student knelt, curtsied, or bowed to him as they greeted him in the Malawian way. His father was a medical doctor from the north of Malawi, but settled in Mangochi, taking three wives and a concubine. His children numbered more than 100. The house we visited had 15 bedrooms because all three wives lived in the same house (not always the practice). However, the bedrooms housed many children at a time and were allocated according to the age of the child. Ndalapa showed us the first bedroom he shared with his brother, who now takes care of their father. It was small and windowless. When Ndalapa moved to secondary school, he moved to a small room (also shared) but with a window.
We stood in the living room/dining room that looked much like something in our homes today. But Ndalapa described how it was then. His father had a separate table at which he was served. His father always had Western ideas and style; he ate with a fork. At a table in the same room, adolescent boys ate. Outside on the kitchen porch, the adolescent girls ate at a table. On the floor in the room with their father, as many as thirty children ate on the floor from a common large bowl. Even today, in the villages a similar feeding pattern is still practiced.
Ndalapa talked of rising at 3 a.m. to walk to milk and feed cattle, returning to prepare for school, rowing across the river to then walk to school. Once when walking to the cattle, they met a lion. He said, “I should probably not be here today” and smiled. Lions came to the house but usually killed dogs first. Now with deforestation, they have retreated to the mountains some distance away. Crocodiles infest the river nearby. At a different time he had talked to me of a brother who had been killed by a crocodile. As he said, “We live with hippos, crocodiles, and hyenas.”
He is related to everyone in the village. They have gathered around us and follow us as we walk through parts of the village, not typical in some ways because the houses are spread farther apart than in some villages.
We bid Ndalapa good-bye, who will return to Zomba via his recently purchased car. He had learned to drive in the US, and he said he must travel slowly on Malawi roads because of all the goats, bicycles, and people. It’s just the way I feel about driving here.
Our students were mesmerized by this gentle, intelligent, highly educated man, softly telling his story in such a candid way. I believe they understand the magnitude of his accomplishments. Having an educated father as a model no doubt helped. Also his father refused to have the children go through the rituals although Ndalapa’s mother was Yao, a dominant tribe in the Mangochi area. These things helped but the struggle was arduous.
After we parted, we drove 30 minutes to Club Makakola on a newly paved road that previously had taken 50 minutes or so. Now the road is paved all the way to Mua Mission. We will save more than two hours tomorrow, which means we depart Club Mak later. Everyone is happy about that.
At Club Makakola, I find my old friend Nick who greets us. Nick is the manager. Students are transported to another “world” immediately as they get off the bus. The gardens are lush and immaculate. The reception area has large carved statues of warriors, fountains bubble. Each “hut” has lovely Dedza tiled bathrooms. Beautiful batiked bedspreads under while mosquito netting. Free wireless access. A swimming pool and beach bar. And a beach with umbrellas and chaises. Within 30 minutes all students are in the pool, on the beach, or at the bar. They’re in heaven after working hard for three weeks.
Together we all watched a dark red sun descend behind the mountains, casting in a fiery streak across the lake. We basked in the shared moment.
After dinner (a sumptuous buffet), Nick has arranged for traditional dancing with an amazing acrobat group from an adjoining village thrown in. The dancing included the dance that Africans brought back to their villages after World War I. Some students had seen children practicing this dance in their schools. That was followed by four different masked performers doing the “spirit” dance -- Gule Wamkulu. Coming back from Malika Church, students had seen a masked man in strips of corn in the road. He was a “spirit” dancer. These dancers were also dressed in strips of cloth that shook frantically when they danced and with different masks, usually red, but sometimes with fanciful non-human face masks. Students scurried forward intermittently dropping small bills into the baskets they set in the grass near their performances. Nick pays the performers and discourages such tipping, but the performers are persistent and I have seen them cut short their performance if people aren’t tipping. We retired to our thatched “huts” full of food and the days events.
Tears and Laughter
Tears and Laughter
July 14, 2009
The last day in the schools is always long and filled with mixed emotions. It’s long because we stay at MIE until after 7:30 p.m. for a celebration dinner we give each year for the teachers from the three schools. It’s emotional because each school has a celebration for our students who have taught and worked with them. They made the women skirts and tops and Todd got shorts and a dashiki. The women changed into their new finery in the shed that serves as the library. I have no idea where they took Todd. But we and the teachers, who went with us to change, all sang and danced our way back to the classroom where the others waited for us to appear in our Malawian togs. I asked the students to say something about their experience, and that’s when the emotions ran high. It’s tougher on them because perhaps they won’t be back, or at least it will be a long time. I know I’ll return next summer, so my sadness is softened.
It’s clear to all the teachers at the Government School how much this experience has meant to the Virginia Tech students. Todd (who is often called Toddie because in Chichewa words almost always end in a vowel and they find it difficult to say a single syllable name) spoke from the heart, saying that if Malawi is the “warm heart of Africa” then the Government School is the “warm heart of Malawi.” They loved that. Deanna teared up some, but got through it. However, that caused Jessica and Kacey to wipe away tears as they talked. Again the teachers really appreciated such heartfelt emotions. The two Rachels talked last with Rachel L. saying how the experience had helped her and Rachel S. telling them she had been to Malawi before but had not had a school experience. Again, I was proud of them, their work at the school, and their ability to handle the demands of a new culture.
We spent the afternoon discussing human rights and gender issues as well as reflecting on a question posed by Todd – what has been the most memorable event – and by James (from NC A&T) – what have you learned from this experience that will help you as you enter teaching or another career. Excellent questions that generated some good discussion. By that time it was time to decide what song we would sing to end the dinner program. “Amazing Grace” won and we practiced. Actually, the first stanza is quite appropriate: grace shall keep us safe and grace shall lead us home. Everyone is thinking more of home now, but they are looking forward to Club Makola and sitting on the beach tomorrow.
For dinner we had fried chicken, rice, and greens with a soft drink and banana. The servings were large, which the Malawians loved. Some said they wished we had a celebration dinner every month. It’s quite an occasion for them because they can bring a guest, which means a couple can have a night out together. Some women had on beautiful Malawian dresses. All of us wore the outfits that the schools had made us. Thank goodness the electricity stayed on because there wasn’t a candle in sight!!
Tonight we pack all the souvenirs we have purchased in suitcases now mostly empty because all school supplies and extra clothing has been given away.
July 14, 2009
The last day in the schools is always long and filled with mixed emotions. It’s long because we stay at MIE until after 7:30 p.m. for a celebration dinner we give each year for the teachers from the three schools. It’s emotional because each school has a celebration for our students who have taught and worked with them. They made the women skirts and tops and Todd got shorts and a dashiki. The women changed into their new finery in the shed that serves as the library. I have no idea where they took Todd. But we and the teachers, who went with us to change, all sang and danced our way back to the classroom where the others waited for us to appear in our Malawian togs. I asked the students to say something about their experience, and that’s when the emotions ran high. It’s tougher on them because perhaps they won’t be back, or at least it will be a long time. I know I’ll return next summer, so my sadness is softened.
It’s clear to all the teachers at the Government School how much this experience has meant to the Virginia Tech students. Todd (who is often called Toddie because in Chichewa words almost always end in a vowel and they find it difficult to say a single syllable name) spoke from the heart, saying that if Malawi is the “warm heart of Africa” then the Government School is the “warm heart of Malawi.” They loved that. Deanna teared up some, but got through it. However, that caused Jessica and Kacey to wipe away tears as they talked. Again the teachers really appreciated such heartfelt emotions. The two Rachels talked last with Rachel L. saying how the experience had helped her and Rachel S. telling them she had been to Malawi before but had not had a school experience. Again, I was proud of them, their work at the school, and their ability to handle the demands of a new culture.
We spent the afternoon discussing human rights and gender issues as well as reflecting on a question posed by Todd – what has been the most memorable event – and by James (from NC A&T) – what have you learned from this experience that will help you as you enter teaching or another career. Excellent questions that generated some good discussion. By that time it was time to decide what song we would sing to end the dinner program. “Amazing Grace” won and we practiced. Actually, the first stanza is quite appropriate: grace shall keep us safe and grace shall lead us home. Everyone is thinking more of home now, but they are looking forward to Club Makola and sitting on the beach tomorrow.
For dinner we had fried chicken, rice, and greens with a soft drink and banana. The servings were large, which the Malawians loved. Some said they wished we had a celebration dinner every month. It’s quite an occasion for them because they can bring a guest, which means a couple can have a night out together. Some women had on beautiful Malawian dresses. All of us wore the outfits that the schools had made us. Thank goodness the electricity stayed on because there wasn’t a candle in sight!!
Tonight we pack all the souvenirs we have purchased in suitcases now mostly empty because all school supplies and extra clothing has been given away.
A Day of Downs and Ups
A Day of Downs and Ups
July 13, 2009
Today was as busy as it gets. We started at Malemia School with our students distributing the ponchos that Deena and others had made. Unfortunately, we had to pull some teachers into a very important meeting on the Chibale Project, and our students were left with fewer teachers. Also during these three days people are registering for another election at the school site, so there is much going and coming on the school grounds. (Because Joyce Banda, the Domasi area member of Parliament, was elected vice-president in the recent election, a special election has to be held. She is the first female to hold such a high elected office!)
Consequently, our students had difficulty controlling hundreds of students in the early grade classrooms, made worse by upper grades pouring in and even children from the community who don’t attend school but hang around. Everyone coped, but it wasn’t easy. They’re learning, reflecting, and evaluating much that has happened here.
In my mad dash from Malemia to the Government School (about 1 ½ miles) to take care of some business there and return to Malemia, I tripped on a rock and went sprawling face first into sand. Scraped elbow and hand, stubbed toe, and a bruise the size of a half dollar (or Malawi kwacha) on my chin. But the fall could have been disastrous. I fell into one of the few places of sand on the road. A few feet away, the road is very rocky. So I feel fortunate. I trudged to do my business and returned to Malemia to take a taxi to the bank in order to add the chair of the feeding program committee to the account, a decision that had been made in our meeting.
Last year when we set up the account, it had taken us around five hours. Every process in Malawi is excruciatingly long. So when we were told at the bank that we would need to essentially re-apply, start the process for establishing our account again, our Malawian counterparts nodded quietly and were ready to acquiesce. That wasn’t going to happen!! I gently but firmly talked with the manager of “enquiries.” He tried talking to me as if I didn’t understand what he was saying about their process. I told him I understood perfectly what he was saying, but that I was sure it didn’t have to be that complicated. We went through that a few times until I said that if we had to start the process again, we could as easily go to another bank. We were there to add a name and deposit more money. But if that couldn’t be done, we’d be on our way more or less. Not surprisingly, it could be done with a small addition of a letter and school stamp that we’ll attend to tomorrow. My actions did not go unnoticed by Mrs. Ussi and Mr. Laibu, two of our partners. Both were pleased by how it had been handled. I was firm and persistent but not abusive. Everywhere – banks, government offices, garages, hospitals – that someone has some power to exercise over someone else, processes become arduous and petty, sometimes involving days. I do know that in our country government offices have the reputation of doing the same, but businesses usually respond to customers in a timely fashion.
We ended the day with a party for Annie Fletcher, who owns Annie’s Lodge. She is a remarkable, loving woman – once a member of Parliament – who has always made our stay in Zomba memorable. But this year was even more so because of the Lucius Banda concert and the lunch at her home on Malawi Independence Day. Ann got a beautiful cake, I bought her a gift of wine, several people made beautiful cards and signs, and Todd blew up balloons and decorated the conference hall/bar, making the place festive. Annie was an hour late because as she said, “I’m not good with good-byes.” Her friend, Limboni, told her she had to come and he drove her to the Lodge. The whole scene was a love-fest – the outpouring of love and thanks were genuine. I was so proud of our students in the way they honored her for what she had done for them. And also for who she is and her contribution to Malawi.
July 13, 2009
Today was as busy as it gets. We started at Malemia School with our students distributing the ponchos that Deena and others had made. Unfortunately, we had to pull some teachers into a very important meeting on the Chibale Project, and our students were left with fewer teachers. Also during these three days people are registering for another election at the school site, so there is much going and coming on the school grounds. (Because Joyce Banda, the Domasi area member of Parliament, was elected vice-president in the recent election, a special election has to be held. She is the first female to hold such a high elected office!)
Consequently, our students had difficulty controlling hundreds of students in the early grade classrooms, made worse by upper grades pouring in and even children from the community who don’t attend school but hang around. Everyone coped, but it wasn’t easy. They’re learning, reflecting, and evaluating much that has happened here.
In my mad dash from Malemia to the Government School (about 1 ½ miles) to take care of some business there and return to Malemia, I tripped on a rock and went sprawling face first into sand. Scraped elbow and hand, stubbed toe, and a bruise the size of a half dollar (or Malawi kwacha) on my chin. But the fall could have been disastrous. I fell into one of the few places of sand on the road. A few feet away, the road is very rocky. So I feel fortunate. I trudged to do my business and returned to Malemia to take a taxi to the bank in order to add the chair of the feeding program committee to the account, a decision that had been made in our meeting.
Last year when we set up the account, it had taken us around five hours. Every process in Malawi is excruciatingly long. So when we were told at the bank that we would need to essentially re-apply, start the process for establishing our account again, our Malawian counterparts nodded quietly and were ready to acquiesce. That wasn’t going to happen!! I gently but firmly talked with the manager of “enquiries.” He tried talking to me as if I didn’t understand what he was saying about their process. I told him I understood perfectly what he was saying, but that I was sure it didn’t have to be that complicated. We went through that a few times until I said that if we had to start the process again, we could as easily go to another bank. We were there to add a name and deposit more money. But if that couldn’t be done, we’d be on our way more or less. Not surprisingly, it could be done with a small addition of a letter and school stamp that we’ll attend to tomorrow. My actions did not go unnoticed by Mrs. Ussi and Mr. Laibu, two of our partners. Both were pleased by how it had been handled. I was firm and persistent but not abusive. Everywhere – banks, government offices, garages, hospitals – that someone has some power to exercise over someone else, processes become arduous and petty, sometimes involving days. I do know that in our country government offices have the reputation of doing the same, but businesses usually respond to customers in a timely fashion.
We ended the day with a party for Annie Fletcher, who owns Annie’s Lodge. She is a remarkable, loving woman – once a member of Parliament – who has always made our stay in Zomba memorable. But this year was even more so because of the Lucius Banda concert and the lunch at her home on Malawi Independence Day. Ann got a beautiful cake, I bought her a gift of wine, several people made beautiful cards and signs, and Todd blew up balloons and decorated the conference hall/bar, making the place festive. Annie was an hour late because as she said, “I’m not good with good-byes.” Her friend, Limboni, told her she had to come and he drove her to the Lodge. The whole scene was a love-fest – the outpouring of love and thanks were genuine. I was so proud of our students in the way they honored her for what she had done for them. And also for who she is and her contribution to Malawi.
Going in the Wrong Door
Going in the Wrong Door
July 12, 2009
Today some of us dressed in our Malawian finery to go to church again. We trooped down the hill to the church. Ann said, “Let’s go around; I like going in that door.” I looked in the door we were passing and said that the seats we sat in before were right there. So we entered and seated ourselves. Caroline leaned over and said, “I think we went through the men’s door.” Sure enough all the men were seated on that side and the women on the other. I had never noticed before although most of the time I had come in the “women’s door.” But previously we exited through the men’s door. Todd and Jeff had moved from our side the last time we attended and I just assumed they wanted to be by themselves. Obviously, they had noticed. And I was oblivious!! I’m sure they have forgiven our faux pas. Malawians are gracious and loving.
The music was wonderful. There was a guest singer from another church choir. After the service we left to a rousing version of “When the Saints Come Marchin’ In,” one of my favorites.
The evening buffet was in the dark with flashlights. Half of enjoying food is seeing it. No Internet all day. And electricity was off three times during the day. Note: This blog is a brief summary of a blog I lost somehow and simply can’t create because I write each day and don’t take notes! I’ve tried to post for three days and in the flurry lost the original blog. Apologies to all.
July 12, 2009
Today some of us dressed in our Malawian finery to go to church again. We trooped down the hill to the church. Ann said, “Let’s go around; I like going in that door.” I looked in the door we were passing and said that the seats we sat in before were right there. So we entered and seated ourselves. Caroline leaned over and said, “I think we went through the men’s door.” Sure enough all the men were seated on that side and the women on the other. I had never noticed before although most of the time I had come in the “women’s door.” But previously we exited through the men’s door. Todd and Jeff had moved from our side the last time we attended and I just assumed they wanted to be by themselves. Obviously, they had noticed. And I was oblivious!! I’m sure they have forgiven our faux pas. Malawians are gracious and loving.
The music was wonderful. There was a guest singer from another church choir. After the service we left to a rousing version of “When the Saints Come Marchin’ In,” one of my favorites.
The evening buffet was in the dark with flashlights. Half of enjoying food is seeing it. No Internet all day. And electricity was off three times during the day. Note: This blog is a brief summary of a blog I lost somehow and simply can’t create because I write each day and don’t take notes! I’ve tried to post for three days and in the flurry lost the original blog. Apologies to all.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
A Day at a Community-based Orphanage
A Day at a Community-based Orphanage
July 11, 2009
The day started with a torrential downpour, harder than any even during the rainy season. This is supposed to be the cool, dry season, but so far we have had much rain. People say it’s unusual, and it certainly doesn’t match anything in my ten years of trips here. We were scheduled to go to Chifundo Chatu, a community based organization established to assist primarily vulnerable children, elderly people, and victims of HIV/AIDS. Children are classified as orphans when the mother dies because it is the belief that a man cannot care for the family and still maintain his work life. Such children frequently are taken in by family members or neighbors. However, relatives normally treat these children as hired help, rarely sending them to school or providing them with even bare necessities like blankets or shoes. Some may be mistreated physically. This organization endeavors to assist families who take in orphans and to educate them in the appropriate treatment of vulnerable children.
The rain continued to pour and we received a report that the road was more or less impassable. We postponed the trip until afternoon, hoping the rain would stop and the road would dry quickly. So off we went to Zomba Town to the internet café and other points. I spent forty minutes just getting logged into my VT webmail. And another hour and a half, trying to download and read the emails that were critical. I responded to three emails. It’s very frustrating to spend time that way. A group of British students came in while we were there; the one sitting beside me was a frustrated as I was.
Before our trek up the hill to Annie’s Lodge, Ann stopped to negotiate with a vendor to get a sign made for her home that says Annie’s Lodge. We arrived exactly when our bus arrived to take us to the orphanage. The sky was blue and the sun was shining. It was a glorious afternoon as we wended our way from Zomba toward the mountains behind Zomba Plateau. In Zomba we turned onto a paved road that quickly gave way to a fairly wide dirt road, but with each kilometer and each fork we took, the roads became narrower and narrower until we were on more or less a wide path that ended in the village that served as the home base for the orphanage.
Mr. Dinnex J Mdala met us at the community center that will eventually serve as a day care center when it get completed although I did not see any progress from last year. Several community members of the board were there and several women sat on benches. In another row, about a hundred orphans sat looking on. In all there are almost 400 orphans and approximately 400 other people classified as vulnerable, elderly or HIV/AIDS. Usually, the villagers greet visitors with songs and dancing and skits about their program, but today a funeral was in progress across the way and out of respect, such greetings were cancelled. Mr. Mdala, who is with the Ministry of Education and leader of the program, took us to his house for soft drinks and bread. He talked to us about the needs of the organization. We returned to the community center area for official words of greeting, where the three universities presented him with their donations, which was counted in public and publicly announced to keep everything honest and transparent.
They asked for pictures, and Kelsey, our premier photographer, did the honors. We mingled, playing with the children, until it was time to say good-bye. Again, Ann sang them a farewell song. Malawians are quick to sing and dance, but they appreciated the reciprocity and applauded loudly.
July 11, 2009
The day started with a torrential downpour, harder than any even during the rainy season. This is supposed to be the cool, dry season, but so far we have had much rain. People say it’s unusual, and it certainly doesn’t match anything in my ten years of trips here. We were scheduled to go to Chifundo Chatu, a community based organization established to assist primarily vulnerable children, elderly people, and victims of HIV/AIDS. Children are classified as orphans when the mother dies because it is the belief that a man cannot care for the family and still maintain his work life. Such children frequently are taken in by family members or neighbors. However, relatives normally treat these children as hired help, rarely sending them to school or providing them with even bare necessities like blankets or shoes. Some may be mistreated physically. This organization endeavors to assist families who take in orphans and to educate them in the appropriate treatment of vulnerable children.
The rain continued to pour and we received a report that the road was more or less impassable. We postponed the trip until afternoon, hoping the rain would stop and the road would dry quickly. So off we went to Zomba Town to the internet café and other points. I spent forty minutes just getting logged into my VT webmail. And another hour and a half, trying to download and read the emails that were critical. I responded to three emails. It’s very frustrating to spend time that way. A group of British students came in while we were there; the one sitting beside me was a frustrated as I was.
Before our trek up the hill to Annie’s Lodge, Ann stopped to negotiate with a vendor to get a sign made for her home that says Annie’s Lodge. We arrived exactly when our bus arrived to take us to the orphanage. The sky was blue and the sun was shining. It was a glorious afternoon as we wended our way from Zomba toward the mountains behind Zomba Plateau. In Zomba we turned onto a paved road that quickly gave way to a fairly wide dirt road, but with each kilometer and each fork we took, the roads became narrower and narrower until we were on more or less a wide path that ended in the village that served as the home base for the orphanage.
Mr. Dinnex J Mdala met us at the community center that will eventually serve as a day care center when it get completed although I did not see any progress from last year. Several community members of the board were there and several women sat on benches. In another row, about a hundred orphans sat looking on. In all there are almost 400 orphans and approximately 400 other people classified as vulnerable, elderly or HIV/AIDS. Usually, the villagers greet visitors with songs and dancing and skits about their program, but today a funeral was in progress across the way and out of respect, such greetings were cancelled. Mr. Mdala, who is with the Ministry of Education and leader of the program, took us to his house for soft drinks and bread. He talked to us about the needs of the organization. We returned to the community center area for official words of greeting, where the three universities presented him with their donations, which was counted in public and publicly announced to keep everything honest and transparent.
They asked for pictures, and Kelsey, our premier photographer, did the honors. We mingled, playing with the children, until it was time to say good-bye. Again, Ann sang them a farewell song. Malawians are quick to sing and dance, but they appreciated the reciprocity and applauded loudly.
A Day of Blessings
A Day of Blessings
July 10, 2009
The day began at 6 a.m. trying to get my blog up during the one break in the clouds. Ann and I have a spot where we sometimes get a fairly good signal before either the clouds, rain, or electricity interferes. But this morning it was the monkeys that caused our problems. With my lunch bread and banana beside my computer, I was focused on my computer with the minutes ticking away at almost $4 for 30 minutes. A monkey leaped onto the table and snatched by banana, which started a rush of monkeys seeking other bananas. Ann, of course, obliged and soon had them in a frenzy. But alas there were no more bananas, so my lunch peanut butter sandwich lacked its usual accompaniment.
Today Mrs. Alippo Ussi, one of the Primary Education Advisors for the Zomba District, arranged for us to meet the scholarship students that the Chibale Project has sponsored. The eight students are in Form 1 (freshman year) at Domasi Demonstration Secondary School. That school was completed a couple years ago by the Japanese government and serves as a lab school for Domasi College of Education. This is the first year of the scholarship program.
Each year the top students who take the eighth grade School Leavers Examination are selected to go to secondary school. The very top may be selected to attend the two or three government run top residential secondary schools at the government’s expense. Unfortunately, these are usually students who have had the advantage of tutors and private education. The next tier of students selected is assigned to various other residential secondary schools; however, the parents must pay for them to attend. The last tier is selected to attend community day schools in their catchment area. However, even though the fees are small by our standards, many parents cannot afford the tuition and uniforms that are required, thereby ending a good student’s opportunity for further education. One church in far southwest Virginia, the home church of a Virginia Tech student who went on Study Abroad in 2008, and a primary school in the Midlothian area, where the mother of a student who went in the 2007 group teaches, donated money for a worthwhile project. Thus the scholarship program was born.
Three students from each school – Malemia Primary, Domasi Demonstration Primary, and Domasi Government Primary, which are the Study Abroad schools – are selected by a school committee to receive the scholarships. The teachers know which students are needy and which are not because the point of the program is to further the education of deserving students (those who rank in the top 12 to 13 percent of all Standard 8 students in the nation). And so we met our scholarship students who have now completed two of three terms in Form 1.
There were two girls and six boys (one student had decided to live with an uncle to attend school elsewhere). Seven parents or family members attended for us to meet them. One student is an orphan who lives with his uncle. Another’s sister came to have her picture taken with her scholarship brother. We talked with them and with the parents (Mrs. Ussi translated). The money is in the fund to provide Form 2 scholarships for these same eight students, at which time they must take another examination to see whether they are selected to proceed to Form 3 and 4. I hope we can collect enough money to send so that another three students from each school can be given scholarships for Form 1 and 2. Ideally, I would hope to continue with the Form 3 and 4 years as well. This is the best possible way of making difference in lives. Dr. Ndalapa Mhango, a man who received his doctorate from Virginia Tech and is on the board of the Chibale Project, talk to us about the concept of “needy” when I asked. He said that oftentimes families will sell their goats to send a child to secondary school, only to have the student drop out at a later point when the goats are gone and the family is then destitute, having given up a source of continuing income. The cost for sending a student to community day school is currently about $35 per year with the initial uniform costing around $15. For $155 a student can get a secondary school education. To say the least, the morning was heartfelt and inspiring.
Off I went to MIE, where members of the choir from Malika Church found Dr. Ann, Dr. Liz, and I to thank us for again coming to their church and assisting them in a small way. They presented us with a painting and letters, saying how much they appreciated our support for their tiny village church. A couple years ago a priest from a larger Catholic church in the Domasi area met the group when we went to Malika and tried to convince me to bring future groups to his church rather than a village church. I’m sure Malika knows that because they say that they don’t take for granted our preference for them. It was a beautiful farewell experience made even more memorable by Ann singing to them a song about friends parting. Ann has a beautiful voice and they applauded her gift of song.
At the end of the day we stopped the bus in Zomba Town for a run to the ForEx, the store for water, and collecting photos for school projects. The bus stops and students disperse themselves in all directions to do business. At the ForEx they had my receipt written without even asking my name and lodging address. It’s rather disconcerting because they know who we are and our every move.
The day ended with a family style buffet by “forced” candlelight of course (translation – the electricity was again off), and a party later with dancing in the same area after the electricity came back on.
July 10, 2009
The day began at 6 a.m. trying to get my blog up during the one break in the clouds. Ann and I have a spot where we sometimes get a fairly good signal before either the clouds, rain, or electricity interferes. But this morning it was the monkeys that caused our problems. With my lunch bread and banana beside my computer, I was focused on my computer with the minutes ticking away at almost $4 for 30 minutes. A monkey leaped onto the table and snatched by banana, which started a rush of monkeys seeking other bananas. Ann, of course, obliged and soon had them in a frenzy. But alas there were no more bananas, so my lunch peanut butter sandwich lacked its usual accompaniment.
Today Mrs. Alippo Ussi, one of the Primary Education Advisors for the Zomba District, arranged for us to meet the scholarship students that the Chibale Project has sponsored. The eight students are in Form 1 (freshman year) at Domasi Demonstration Secondary School. That school was completed a couple years ago by the Japanese government and serves as a lab school for Domasi College of Education. This is the first year of the scholarship program.
Each year the top students who take the eighth grade School Leavers Examination are selected to go to secondary school. The very top may be selected to attend the two or three government run top residential secondary schools at the government’s expense. Unfortunately, these are usually students who have had the advantage of tutors and private education. The next tier of students selected is assigned to various other residential secondary schools; however, the parents must pay for them to attend. The last tier is selected to attend community day schools in their catchment area. However, even though the fees are small by our standards, many parents cannot afford the tuition and uniforms that are required, thereby ending a good student’s opportunity for further education. One church in far southwest Virginia, the home church of a Virginia Tech student who went on Study Abroad in 2008, and a primary school in the Midlothian area, where the mother of a student who went in the 2007 group teaches, donated money for a worthwhile project. Thus the scholarship program was born.
Three students from each school – Malemia Primary, Domasi Demonstration Primary, and Domasi Government Primary, which are the Study Abroad schools – are selected by a school committee to receive the scholarships. The teachers know which students are needy and which are not because the point of the program is to further the education of deserving students (those who rank in the top 12 to 13 percent of all Standard 8 students in the nation). And so we met our scholarship students who have now completed two of three terms in Form 1.
There were two girls and six boys (one student had decided to live with an uncle to attend school elsewhere). Seven parents or family members attended for us to meet them. One student is an orphan who lives with his uncle. Another’s sister came to have her picture taken with her scholarship brother. We talked with them and with the parents (Mrs. Ussi translated). The money is in the fund to provide Form 2 scholarships for these same eight students, at which time they must take another examination to see whether they are selected to proceed to Form 3 and 4. I hope we can collect enough money to send so that another three students from each school can be given scholarships for Form 1 and 2. Ideally, I would hope to continue with the Form 3 and 4 years as well. This is the best possible way of making difference in lives. Dr. Ndalapa Mhango, a man who received his doctorate from Virginia Tech and is on the board of the Chibale Project, talk to us about the concept of “needy” when I asked. He said that oftentimes families will sell their goats to send a child to secondary school, only to have the student drop out at a later point when the goats are gone and the family is then destitute, having given up a source of continuing income. The cost for sending a student to community day school is currently about $35 per year with the initial uniform costing around $15. For $155 a student can get a secondary school education. To say the least, the morning was heartfelt and inspiring.
Off I went to MIE, where members of the choir from Malika Church found Dr. Ann, Dr. Liz, and I to thank us for again coming to their church and assisting them in a small way. They presented us with a painting and letters, saying how much they appreciated our support for their tiny village church. A couple years ago a priest from a larger Catholic church in the Domasi area met the group when we went to Malika and tried to convince me to bring future groups to his church rather than a village church. I’m sure Malika knows that because they say that they don’t take for granted our preference for them. It was a beautiful farewell experience made even more memorable by Ann singing to them a song about friends parting. Ann has a beautiful voice and they applauded her gift of song.
At the end of the day we stopped the bus in Zomba Town for a run to the ForEx, the store for water, and collecting photos for school projects. The bus stops and students disperse themselves in all directions to do business. At the ForEx they had my receipt written without even asking my name and lodging address. It’s rather disconcerting because they know who we are and our every move.
The day ended with a family style buffet by “forced” candlelight of course (translation – the electricity was again off), and a party later with dancing in the same area after the electricity came back on.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Two Days at Mvuu Camp
Two Days at Mvuu
July 8 and 9, 2009
We left early for Mvuu Camp in Liwonde National Park so that we would arrive by 10 o’clock for our short trip across the Shire River to the site. A few miles along the Mangochi road, we turned onto a narrow dusty road near a small town called Ulongwe. Though only 16 kilometers to the Shire River, the trip is arduous, winding through village after village with children running to greet the bus. We arrived and are transferred to two boats that first take us on an hour river trip to look for hippos and crocodiles. We saw the grand-daddy of them all – a huge, vicious looking one. That croc was to be the first of many in two days, from small recently hatched ones to others three meters and more. Monitor lizards were also in abundance.
We finally checked in and ate lunch. The students were ecstatic about the fresh salads. Mvuu, though rustic, is a typical well-planned safari camp. There’s a large, thatched building that serves as a restaurant, bar, and reception. The family “tents,” in which we stayed, are two rooms with bath – again beautifully rustic. The windows are screened and the sides and tops are tented with concrete raised floors. Everyone is happy with the accommodations.
We had a short time to explore. The monkeys came down to play and we saw an elephant splashing across the river. We then set off for our afternoon safari into the rhino sanctuary, where we saw kudu, hartebeast, eland, waterbuck, impala, wart hogs, and more. Here an elephant made threatening charges at the jeep, flapping his ears and stomping his feet. We saw then that there was another elephant with a baby. He saw us as a threat to this family. We left and proceeded to the river to watch the sunset. After it was good and dark, we set off on the night safari to look for creatures of the night – gennets, mongooses, night birds, impalas and waterbucks getting ready to bed down for the night.
We returned to camp to be greeted by drummers and dancers and a fire pit, blazing with welcoming warmth. Dinner was marvelously varied and appealing to us because we have had the same two or three meals every night for three weeks. A guide walked us to our tents because they want to be sure that no big animals were in the camp. The heavy cloud cover meant that the usual star gazing and amazing Milky Way sprawling across the sky were not to be on this trip.
Of course, the night was filled with hippo grunts as they come up out of the water near our tents. Early in the morning I heard one slip back into the water in front of our tent. I hadn’t heard him come by because the weather had changed and a light drizzle had set in. I’ve been to Malawi many times during the past 10 years and have never seen June and July as wet and cold. However, we all got up and out for our morning walk, where we saw lots of monkeys, impalas, waterbucks, birds, and other features that our guide explained to us, such as the mopane tree. The mopane tree comprises 25 percent of the vegetation in the game park and is critical, especially in feeding the elephants. Our guide showed us the “rope” from the mopane tree in elephant dung. Then he cut a branch, stripped off the bark and pulled loose strips that serve villagers as rope to tie thatch for roofs or bundles of wood to carry.
After breakfast we set off for our two-hour river safari. One boat load saw many elephants; my boat did not see elephants. There was much disappointment in the disparity.
At breakfast we had met Jillian Wolstein, from Ohio, who has started H.E.L.P. Malawi (health, education, love, and protection). She told us about her project nearby, a school and clinic. The villages that surround Mvuu Camp are some of the poorest in Malawi. On our way back to Zomba, we stopped at Nanthomba, a village across the Shire from Mvuu Camp, to visit the school. It’s a wondrous example of a project that has planned sustainability built in. Matt Williger, the international project director for the foundation, showed us around. The school has a vegetable garden, an orchard, and a wood lot, which will all provide produce that can be sold. There are micro industries that teach students skills but also provide money to put back into the operation – honey bees, jam making, necklaces from magazines, sewing school uniforms, etc. They have demonstration gardens – raised beds in the schoolyard – one that will produce different kinds of tea and another that shows a variety of fruits. We saw “vermin” composting in old tires, and plantings behind each classroom that will be both attractive and productive as various kind of tea that will be sold. The vision of self-help and commitment to sustainability were inspiring, and has caused the three university faculty advisors to rethink some of the ways we are “helping” our schools.
We ended the day with “wild” shopping and bargaining with vendors at Liwonde, a large vendors setup where many of the carvings are done that actually show up in Lilongwe and Zomba for sale. Students bargained hard; we boarded the bus and the bargaining continued frantically – vendors surround the bus, pushing their wares through the window. They shouted prices and we responded. The process took almost 50 minutes, until Charles pulled away for the last time (the first two times were just to make the bargaining serious). Everyone showed their finds to each other and quoted their prices. They’re satisfied with their purchases and especially happy that they’ve learned how to bargain, a skill we rarely need in the U.S., but here it’s a daily necessity.
We stopped for one last shopping opportunity at the place that makes “chief chairs.” Again, student bargain and buy, and we get to Annie’s Lodge, only to have the lights go out AGAIN. The overcast skies and electric outage means no Internet because of satellite interference and also the “resetting” of connectivity that must take place after outages.
Our days here are so few now and there is much left to do.
July 8 and 9, 2009
We left early for Mvuu Camp in Liwonde National Park so that we would arrive by 10 o’clock for our short trip across the Shire River to the site. A few miles along the Mangochi road, we turned onto a narrow dusty road near a small town called Ulongwe. Though only 16 kilometers to the Shire River, the trip is arduous, winding through village after village with children running to greet the bus. We arrived and are transferred to two boats that first take us on an hour river trip to look for hippos and crocodiles. We saw the grand-daddy of them all – a huge, vicious looking one. That croc was to be the first of many in two days, from small recently hatched ones to others three meters and more. Monitor lizards were also in abundance.
We finally checked in and ate lunch. The students were ecstatic about the fresh salads. Mvuu, though rustic, is a typical well-planned safari camp. There’s a large, thatched building that serves as a restaurant, bar, and reception. The family “tents,” in which we stayed, are two rooms with bath – again beautifully rustic. The windows are screened and the sides and tops are tented with concrete raised floors. Everyone is happy with the accommodations.
We had a short time to explore. The monkeys came down to play and we saw an elephant splashing across the river. We then set off for our afternoon safari into the rhino sanctuary, where we saw kudu, hartebeast, eland, waterbuck, impala, wart hogs, and more. Here an elephant made threatening charges at the jeep, flapping his ears and stomping his feet. We saw then that there was another elephant with a baby. He saw us as a threat to this family. We left and proceeded to the river to watch the sunset. After it was good and dark, we set off on the night safari to look for creatures of the night – gennets, mongooses, night birds, impalas and waterbucks getting ready to bed down for the night.
We returned to camp to be greeted by drummers and dancers and a fire pit, blazing with welcoming warmth. Dinner was marvelously varied and appealing to us because we have had the same two or three meals every night for three weeks. A guide walked us to our tents because they want to be sure that no big animals were in the camp. The heavy cloud cover meant that the usual star gazing and amazing Milky Way sprawling across the sky were not to be on this trip.
Of course, the night was filled with hippo grunts as they come up out of the water near our tents. Early in the morning I heard one slip back into the water in front of our tent. I hadn’t heard him come by because the weather had changed and a light drizzle had set in. I’ve been to Malawi many times during the past 10 years and have never seen June and July as wet and cold. However, we all got up and out for our morning walk, where we saw lots of monkeys, impalas, waterbucks, birds, and other features that our guide explained to us, such as the mopane tree. The mopane tree comprises 25 percent of the vegetation in the game park and is critical, especially in feeding the elephants. Our guide showed us the “rope” from the mopane tree in elephant dung. Then he cut a branch, stripped off the bark and pulled loose strips that serve villagers as rope to tie thatch for roofs or bundles of wood to carry.
After breakfast we set off for our two-hour river safari. One boat load saw many elephants; my boat did not see elephants. There was much disappointment in the disparity.
At breakfast we had met Jillian Wolstein, from Ohio, who has started H.E.L.P. Malawi (health, education, love, and protection). She told us about her project nearby, a school and clinic. The villages that surround Mvuu Camp are some of the poorest in Malawi. On our way back to Zomba, we stopped at Nanthomba, a village across the Shire from Mvuu Camp, to visit the school. It’s a wondrous example of a project that has planned sustainability built in. Matt Williger, the international project director for the foundation, showed us around. The school has a vegetable garden, an orchard, and a wood lot, which will all provide produce that can be sold. There are micro industries that teach students skills but also provide money to put back into the operation – honey bees, jam making, necklaces from magazines, sewing school uniforms, etc. They have demonstration gardens – raised beds in the schoolyard – one that will produce different kinds of tea and another that shows a variety of fruits. We saw “vermin” composting in old tires, and plantings behind each classroom that will be both attractive and productive as various kind of tea that will be sold. The vision of self-help and commitment to sustainability were inspiring, and has caused the three university faculty advisors to rethink some of the ways we are “helping” our schools.
We ended the day with “wild” shopping and bargaining with vendors at Liwonde, a large vendors setup where many of the carvings are done that actually show up in Lilongwe and Zomba for sale. Students bargained hard; we boarded the bus and the bargaining continued frantically – vendors surround the bus, pushing their wares through the window. They shouted prices and we responded. The process took almost 50 minutes, until Charles pulled away for the last time (the first two times were just to make the bargaining serious). Everyone showed their finds to each other and quoted their prices. They’re satisfied with their purchases and especially happy that they’ve learned how to bargain, a skill we rarely need in the U.S., but here it’s a daily necessity.
We stopped for one last shopping opportunity at the place that makes “chief chairs.” Again, student bargain and buy, and we get to Annie’s Lodge, only to have the lights go out AGAIN. The overcast skies and electric outage means no Internet because of satellite interference and also the “resetting” of connectivity that must take place after outages.
Our days here are so few now and there is much left to do.
Celebrating Malawi Independence
Celebrating Malawi Independence
July 6, 2009
I started the day trying to kill a HUGE spider but missed him and he now resides inside the baseboard to emerge later, perhaps at night when I’m sleeping. I shall try not to think about it. Or of the jumping spider I killed on my bedspread. As I write this, another large bug walks the wall beside me. The lizards don’t bother me but the creepy, crawlies do. Oh well ….
Today is Malawi Independence Day, celebrating its independence from Great Britain in 1964 although the country did not have multi-party elections until 1994. The thirty years under Banda was independence from Great Britain but didn’t represent the freedom of thought and expression that Malawians now have.
The schools, of course, are closed, so we figured that everything in town would also be closed. Not so. Everything was open except the banks, post office, and other government offices. Most of the shops are run by Indians, and since many Malawians work for the government, it’s a good day to shop. Ann and I walked around town, enjoying the ambience. Each year about this time, when I know the time is growing short, I walk through Zomba Town, trying to soak up all the images, sounds, and smells to last me for a year. I love being downtown when the call to prayer blares forth from the beautiful, turn-of-the-century green mosque that sits squarely in the center of town. Just as in earlier days, when the mosques were surrounded by shops and vendors, this one is bordered by shops and the large mostly open-air market, where you wind among rows of vendors offering everything from parts to fix your car to live chickens and butchered goats to wondrous seasonal vegetables.
All the festivities going on at Muluzi Stadium in Blantyre were on television. Each town and village sent people to dance and sing traditional dances with each member of Parliament participating with his/her district. The performances were in front of President Mutarika’s reviewing stand. Very colorful and educational. Towns and villages were encouraged to put up lights (like Christmas lights). Tonight coming home, colored lights were strung across the one main intersection of town.
Annie Fletcher, the owner of Annie’s Lodge, invited all the students and advisors to her house for a late lunch. She has recently moved into her new home at Seven-Mile on the Blantyre road. Three cars shuttled us to her house (two brought us back, so we were really jammed in). We met Annie’s large extended family that live with her. Dinner was a large Malawian “spread” with a large table loaded with many traditional dishes. We filled our plates and found places to sit throughout the many large rooms and porch. A music system was set up and soon the colored lights were flashing and people were dancing and talking and mingling. Todd and Beth played with Annie’s grandchildren, chasing each other, playing tag, and generally having a good time with the kids.
Annie told Liz, Ann, and I about a large group of women that she had organized prior to the election – a group which was likely responsible for the election of the first woman vice-president in their history. She envisions the group continuing to grow and becoming influential in empowering women to take leadership roles in business and community affairs, instead of waiting like Malawian women for the man to lead and the woman to follow. We left with plans to work with her further because the three of us are extremely involved in gender issues and matters of equality.
July 6, 2009
I started the day trying to kill a HUGE spider but missed him and he now resides inside the baseboard to emerge later, perhaps at night when I’m sleeping. I shall try not to think about it. Or of the jumping spider I killed on my bedspread. As I write this, another large bug walks the wall beside me. The lizards don’t bother me but the creepy, crawlies do. Oh well ….
Today is Malawi Independence Day, celebrating its independence from Great Britain in 1964 although the country did not have multi-party elections until 1994. The thirty years under Banda was independence from Great Britain but didn’t represent the freedom of thought and expression that Malawians now have.
The schools, of course, are closed, so we figured that everything in town would also be closed. Not so. Everything was open except the banks, post office, and other government offices. Most of the shops are run by Indians, and since many Malawians work for the government, it’s a good day to shop. Ann and I walked around town, enjoying the ambience. Each year about this time, when I know the time is growing short, I walk through Zomba Town, trying to soak up all the images, sounds, and smells to last me for a year. I love being downtown when the call to prayer blares forth from the beautiful, turn-of-the-century green mosque that sits squarely in the center of town. Just as in earlier days, when the mosques were surrounded by shops and vendors, this one is bordered by shops and the large mostly open-air market, where you wind among rows of vendors offering everything from parts to fix your car to live chickens and butchered goats to wondrous seasonal vegetables.
All the festivities going on at Muluzi Stadium in Blantyre were on television. Each town and village sent people to dance and sing traditional dances with each member of Parliament participating with his/her district. The performances were in front of President Mutarika’s reviewing stand. Very colorful and educational. Towns and villages were encouraged to put up lights (like Christmas lights). Tonight coming home, colored lights were strung across the one main intersection of town.
Annie Fletcher, the owner of Annie’s Lodge, invited all the students and advisors to her house for a late lunch. She has recently moved into her new home at Seven-Mile on the Blantyre road. Three cars shuttled us to her house (two brought us back, so we were really jammed in). We met Annie’s large extended family that live with her. Dinner was a large Malawian “spread” with a large table loaded with many traditional dishes. We filled our plates and found places to sit throughout the many large rooms and porch. A music system was set up and soon the colored lights were flashing and people were dancing and talking and mingling. Todd and Beth played with Annie’s grandchildren, chasing each other, playing tag, and generally having a good time with the kids.
Annie told Liz, Ann, and I about a large group of women that she had organized prior to the election – a group which was likely responsible for the election of the first woman vice-president in their history. She envisions the group continuing to grow and becoming influential in empowering women to take leadership roles in business and community affairs, instead of waiting like Malawian women for the man to lead and the woman to follow. We left with plans to work with her further because the three of us are extremely involved in gender issues and matters of equality.
Hiking Mt. Mulanje
Hiking Mt. Mulanje
July 5, 2009
Even though we missed church this morning, we enjoyed the glories of nature and the majesty of Mt. Mulanje, the third highest mountain in Africa (the highest is Mount Kilimanjaro in Kenya and the second highest is Mt. Kenya). We drove south past Blantyre and on to Thyolo to see the tea plantations and macadamia nut orchards on the way. The tea fields stretch for miles into the horizon, looking like a quilt patterned in shades of green, the paths between large sections provide the stitching.
We got a licensed guide, Lucius Malizani, at a village near the park. He will participate in the Porter’s Race on Saturday, July 11. This race is something like a marathon, only up the mountain and across the side in a designated path. They normally run barefoot; the fastest time last year was 2 hours 20 minutes the told us and the last to finish was around 8 hours. On the hike up the mountain, I talked to a young man who is in the Peace Corps and plans on participating in the Porter’s Race. His goal is to finish.
We hiked to the waterfalls, a fairly large falls with a large lagoon (the guide said 60 meters deep) surrounded by large rocks. Most of the students climb down the overlook to walk on the rocks, wade in the edges of the lagoon, and experience the crashing falls up close. We ate lunch there, and hiked back. We stopped again at the house of a forest ranger to use their toilet, paying them some kwacha for their kindness. I can’t imagine inviting 14 people into your home to use the toilet (the boys went native). People are so kind.
Our driver, Charles, takes us back the short way. On the way down we had seen mpani, what I have called “rats on a stick.” I saw them cooking them on a stove and several boys had sticks loaded with them to sell. Charles stopped the bus for us, and the boys rushed over. We told them we didn’t want to buy but would pay to take pictures. The students were both grossed out and engrossed. But they got some pretty good pictures. I asked Charles how they caught them because I had imagined that they were caught somehow when they burned the fields, which is a constant process during this post-harvest season. Charles said they dug holes in the gardens; then set the fires, and the rats drop into the holes as they scurry from the fire.
We arrived at 5:45 p.m. as darkness settled in. Darkness comes quickly in Africa. Tonight we had one of our buffet dinners with lots of traditional foods: chicken kwasu kwasu, cassava cooked with onions and tomatoes, boiled potatoes, rice, vegetable curry, green beans and carrots, greens, and pigeon peas, which had been a gift from the church. Later Peter, Annie’s son, gave a party for everyone in one of the conference rooms. Several Malawians were there also as well as several Canadians and British. The music was loud and techno! But everyone had a good time. After all, tomorrow is a holiday and schools are closed.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Happy Fourth of July from Malaw
Happy Fourth of July from Malawi
July 4, 2009
It’s Saturday. With really the first day off we have had (other than planning lessons or working on their papers) some students slept late; all have traipsed to town at some point! They’re feeling quite at home here.
The electricity went off before breakfast this morning at 6:30. Sitting in the dining room, Ann and I heard the groan that went up in the kitchen. It just makes life hard for them. After breakfast Ann and I went early to town to buy some more fabric and to use the Internet café. Of course, Deanna and Caroline raced to town ahead of us and “opened” the place at 8 o’clock. More frustration with the Internet. After one hour and 15 minutes, I read three e-mails and responded to two, the third response never went through even after 30 minutes of waiting.
We went to the tailor shop that is next door to Annie’s Lodge. Here, Levis runs a good business from her home atop a hill. She has three tailors, all men. She looks forward to our coming each year because we get so many dresses and shirts made. The guys are getting African shirts and “jams” made. The women are getting dresses, skirts, tablecloths and napkins and whatever they can dream up. The shop is located on the open-air porch of her home. Three machines run from 8 a.m. until 4 or 5 p.m. Fabric scraps dot the floor. The iron is always hot ready for pressing. All of them are wizards with fabric.
It’s really overcast and raining lightly. There have been some breaks this week when the sun shone, but mostly the sky is filled with heavy dark clouds. Zomba Plateau has been shrouded most of the week. I can’t imagine what it’s like up there – very dark and even more rain. I’m glad we’re at the foot of the plateau at Annie’s. I’ll try to get my blogs posted on WiFi here, but the connectivity is spotty. Even sitting side by side, one person will get on and another won’t.
I have an American flag that my husband Bill put into my back pack the day I left. I’ll take it to dinner for the centerpiece so that we can remember the freedoms we have at home and be thankful for the quality of life we have. I think it goes without saying that students are reassessing their lives in the midst of so much need. I’m very proud of them: their hearts are good and their minds are analytical. More importantly, they are – and will continue to be – good ambassadors for our country.
Three young woman, one from England and two from Canada, have come seeking our students. They had met Moses in the market and he invited them up. They’re in the bar now with the Parliament members and some of our students. The international contacts the students are having are making an important difference.
Tonight members of parliament are coming to Annie’s to stay because the big Independence Day celebration for Malawi is in Blantyre on July 6. All hotels in Blantyre are filled and Zomba, the old colonial capital, is the nearest town. Everything in Zomba will be filled by tomorrow night. I met a newly elected member of Parliament from Kasunga. His name is Cornelius; he has studied in Canada and has worked for the World Bank, among other things. It’s going to be a busy evening.
Several people are keeping blogs, but Ann Roberts (Radford U advisor) is a great one: annmaryroberts.wordpress.com
July 4, 2009
It’s Saturday. With really the first day off we have had (other than planning lessons or working on their papers) some students slept late; all have traipsed to town at some point! They’re feeling quite at home here.
The electricity went off before breakfast this morning at 6:30. Sitting in the dining room, Ann and I heard the groan that went up in the kitchen. It just makes life hard for them. After breakfast Ann and I went early to town to buy some more fabric and to use the Internet café. Of course, Deanna and Caroline raced to town ahead of us and “opened” the place at 8 o’clock. More frustration with the Internet. After one hour and 15 minutes, I read three e-mails and responded to two, the third response never went through even after 30 minutes of waiting.
We went to the tailor shop that is next door to Annie’s Lodge. Here, Levis runs a good business from her home atop a hill. She has three tailors, all men. She looks forward to our coming each year because we get so many dresses and shirts made. The guys are getting African shirts and “jams” made. The women are getting dresses, skirts, tablecloths and napkins and whatever they can dream up. The shop is located on the open-air porch of her home. Three machines run from 8 a.m. until 4 or 5 p.m. Fabric scraps dot the floor. The iron is always hot ready for pressing. All of them are wizards with fabric.
It’s really overcast and raining lightly. There have been some breaks this week when the sun shone, but mostly the sky is filled with heavy dark clouds. Zomba Plateau has been shrouded most of the week. I can’t imagine what it’s like up there – very dark and even more rain. I’m glad we’re at the foot of the plateau at Annie’s. I’ll try to get my blogs posted on WiFi here, but the connectivity is spotty. Even sitting side by side, one person will get on and another won’t.
I have an American flag that my husband Bill put into my back pack the day I left. I’ll take it to dinner for the centerpiece so that we can remember the freedoms we have at home and be thankful for the quality of life we have. I think it goes without saying that students are reassessing their lives in the midst of so much need. I’m very proud of them: their hearts are good and their minds are analytical. More importantly, they are – and will continue to be – good ambassadors for our country.
Three young woman, one from England and two from Canada, have come seeking our students. They had met Moses in the market and he invited them up. They’re in the bar now with the Parliament members and some of our students. The international contacts the students are having are making an important difference.
Tonight members of parliament are coming to Annie’s to stay because the big Independence Day celebration for Malawi is in Blantyre on July 6. All hotels in Blantyre are filled and Zomba, the old colonial capital, is the nearest town. Everything in Zomba will be filled by tomorrow night. I met a newly elected member of Parliament from Kasunga. His name is Cornelius; he has studied in Canada and has worked for the World Bank, among other things. It’s going to be a busy evening.
Several people are keeping blogs, but Ann Roberts (Radford U advisor) is a great one: annmaryroberts.wordpress.com
Painting Blackboards: The End of a Good Week
Painting Blackboards: The End of a Good Week
July 3, 2009
Today Virginia Tech student painted blackboards at Domasi Government School and Radford University students painted them at Malemia School. Because Monday is Malawi’s Independence Day, there will be a three-day weekend, which may allow the boards to dry enough, although I am worried because it’s much colder and wetter than normal.
Anyway, the VT group began before noon; thankfully the standard 1 teachers had washed their boards. No other boards were washed. Two girls brought pails of water and rags to begin the washing. After the standard 1 boards were done, Todd helped the girls with the board washing throughout the other 8 classrooms. He carried the water for them, even trying to get them to see that filled halfway would be fine. They’re so used to filling the buckets to the top when they carry water for their homes! One older boy finally joined Todd in washing the board. Todd, of course, suggested that he continue helping that way in the future. I’m sure he helped because Todd was. It’s the task of girls to clean the schools. At all three schools, I saw only girls cleaning. They sweep the rooms with a handful of dried brush. They then use rags, and bending over at the waist, they mop the floor is sweeping motions with the rags. Meanwhile the boys are playing around the school. I have seen this scenario for more than ten years at many schools. Only if a head teacher insists on boys working will that be done. At Mwanje School last week, Moses Fox, from the NC A&T group, was carrying a suitcase with the remaining back packs to the office and two teachers, one male and one female, indicated to girls that they should take the suitcase from Moses. Of course, he refused and continued to carry it. No matter what the Ministry or curriculum might espouse about gender equality, nothing much has changed.
We had 10 boards to paint. These are the ones that are just plaster on the brick walls; they’re not slate. Jessica and Kacey painted throughout the entire time. Deanna painted by herself because Todd was elsewhere. The two Rachels were still teaching because they’re in standard 7 that doesn’t release students until after 1:00, and there lessons went over time also. They have been carrying a heavy teaching load but are enjoying it and doing well. They came in time to paint the three boards in the last classroom, with Todd pitching in to finish. We left the rest of the paint and brushes for the school.
All the students felt so proud of the work they had done. The boards were beautiful and will last until next year when they’ll need painted again. Coming home on the bus, Todd, sitting in the “shotgun” seat beside the driver, turned around and said to me, “It was a very good week.” Yes, it was.
July 3, 2009
Today Virginia Tech student painted blackboards at Domasi Government School and Radford University students painted them at Malemia School. Because Monday is Malawi’s Independence Day, there will be a three-day weekend, which may allow the boards to dry enough, although I am worried because it’s much colder and wetter than normal.
Anyway, the VT group began before noon; thankfully the standard 1 teachers had washed their boards. No other boards were washed. Two girls brought pails of water and rags to begin the washing. After the standard 1 boards were done, Todd helped the girls with the board washing throughout the other 8 classrooms. He carried the water for them, even trying to get them to see that filled halfway would be fine. They’re so used to filling the buckets to the top when they carry water for their homes! One older boy finally joined Todd in washing the board. Todd, of course, suggested that he continue helping that way in the future. I’m sure he helped because Todd was. It’s the task of girls to clean the schools. At all three schools, I saw only girls cleaning. They sweep the rooms with a handful of dried brush. They then use rags, and bending over at the waist, they mop the floor is sweeping motions with the rags. Meanwhile the boys are playing around the school. I have seen this scenario for more than ten years at many schools. Only if a head teacher insists on boys working will that be done. At Mwanje School last week, Moses Fox, from the NC A&T group, was carrying a suitcase with the remaining back packs to the office and two teachers, one male and one female, indicated to girls that they should take the suitcase from Moses. Of course, he refused and continued to carry it. No matter what the Ministry or curriculum might espouse about gender equality, nothing much has changed.
We had 10 boards to paint. These are the ones that are just plaster on the brick walls; they’re not slate. Jessica and Kacey painted throughout the entire time. Deanna painted by herself because Todd was elsewhere. The two Rachels were still teaching because they’re in standard 7 that doesn’t release students until after 1:00, and there lessons went over time also. They have been carrying a heavy teaching load but are enjoying it and doing well. They came in time to paint the three boards in the last classroom, with Todd pitching in to finish. We left the rest of the paint and brushes for the school.
All the students felt so proud of the work they had done. The boards were beautiful and will last until next year when they’ll need painted again. Coming home on the bus, Todd, sitting in the “shotgun” seat beside the driver, turned around and said to me, “It was a very good week.” Yes, it was.
A Special Afternoon at Malika Catholic Church
A Special Afternoon at Malika Catholic Church
July 2, 2009
A few years ago a teacher friend took our group to Malika Catholic Church for music and traditional dancing, and it has become a regular event for us. Luke Pathera, who works at MIE, is the music director there and a phenomenal traditional dancer. The choir mistress, Margaret Bamba, is also a nun as well as a teacher at Mwanje School.
This year we set off into the bush for a 40-minute fast walk with John Wesley Mwenyeheri, a teacher at Domasi Government School, leading us through the several turns that I have yet to memorize even though one year I tried to make a map. We arrived and are seated on benches in a semi-circle with the musicians and choir in the center in a circle. The musicians played a variety of drums, another set of something made from various pieces of metal, and a keyboard. This year the choir was large – an elderly man with a whistle is part of the entourage, men and boys are on one side, girls and women on the other. One girl, we learned later, is an orphan that the choir is sponsoring. I was happy that they have a woman again who can do the ululation, a sound that sends chills across my body. I love the primitive, exotic sound. They sang with Margaret leading the group. She is the most energetic, dynamic choir director I have ever seen. Her tiny, lithe body undulates to the music as she directs, and her voice is strong and clear.
Next, came a traditional dance. Luke explained that the diocese has allowed them to incorporate traditional dances into the mass so that the congregation won’t be “tempted away” by the dances in the village. This dance was with masked men with large bellies (stuffed shirts really) and was supposed to be a message about HIV/AIDS. It was comic but serious at the same time although our lack of understanding Chichewa meant we mostly understood only the slapstick comic parts. I asked Luke to dance something I had seen him do before -- an “owl” dance. This time Patrick, a young man who is a musician, joins him in a rendition I had not seen before! During the dance the choir claps rhythmically. It was magical!
The choir had brought us gifts of cassava, peas, and sugar cane, which they presented to us after we presented our gift to them. We were so touched. They said they were so happy that we have continued to come to Malika Church and that they don’t take our commitment to them for granted. The students are awed by the whole experience – tears and well wishes accompany us as they walk us part way down the road from the church. This walking of guests part way is a Malawian tradition, they told us.
On the walk back we saw a young man in dancing costume – red mask with top and skirt of dried corn husks. He posed for pictures with students – very harmless although in some rituals these dancers are to be feared.
All in all a wonderful day with old friends!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Enjoying the Differences
Enjoying the Differences
July 1, 2009
Three days have gone by without Internet connectivity! Either the electricity is out or there are no Internet cards to buy or if we get the cards, the connectivity is so poor that the site takes our log-in number and password, but “eats” it! The connection stops or won’t let us log off. Either way we lose! It’s disheartening, but then I remember the years there wasn’t such a thing as wireless Internet connectivity or Internet cafes (even slow as molasses ones) in Malawi. But last year the Internet café seemed faster and more reliable. And certainly the connectivity at Annie’s Lodge was better. I believe it must be because so many people are using the Net now.
Monday, Tuesday, and today our students taught. My students are teaming because most have never taught and certainly no one has taught under these conditions. As a team they can plan and support each other. They’re also providing a model for the Malawian teachers, who rarely assist each other in teaching. Usually as a new subject teacher comes into the classroom, the other leaves to sit in the sun (or shade depending on the day) to doze or grade papers, leaving their colleague with a hundred or so pupils.
Side Bar: The numbers of pupils per standard (grade) are enormous in the early grades. For example, at Malemia Primary School, standard 1 has enrolled 104 boys and 106 girls. Of course, the children sit on the floor, so desks are not an encumbrance. However, our first day last week was market day, and less than a third were in attendance. Even on a good day when students know they’re being fed, there are only half the pupils present. The drop-out rate is phenomenal. By standard 7 and 8 class size can be reduced to as few as 35, still large but many American classrooms have that enrollment. Reasons for dropping out are varied and frequently complex, often tied to culture like early marriage or to economics (farming, helping at home, selling in the market). Other reasons include language – many pupils come to school with a mother tongue that their teachers might not understand, but they must begin learning Chichewa and English. Pupils MUST pass a national test in English in order to receive a School Leavers certificate. When pupils get so far behind in language acquisition, they just drop out.
Virginia Tech students are at Domasi Government Primary School. Todd and Deena are teaching with Macdonald Shariff in standard 5. Todd teaches mathematics and physical education as well as assists Deena in her English language lessons. Rachel Lamanna and Rachel Schoonover are teaching in standard 7 with Sugzo Sajeni, who has them teaching English, Life Skills, and Agriculture among other things. Everything is fair game except Chichewa and mathematics. Jessica Watahovich and Kacey Hrabe are teaching with Kettie Malizani in standard 4. They are concentrating on English but like the others are also engaged in teaching music and creative arts. Every day is an adventure. Pupils have been bringing Todd and Deena avocados, paw-paws, cassava, and bananas to thank them for teaching. On Tuesday, the girls were dropping to their knees when addressing Deena. Deena wanted to cry at such subservience, but these girls were showing her the deepest respect possible as well as traditional training where girls and women still kneel when serving men in the home.
We left early (except both Rachels who were committed to teaching all morning) to go to walk to Malemia Primary School to see the feeding program and to see Radford University’s project of painting teaching resources on the walls. They hired two local sign painters and artists to draw a tooth with the parts lettered, a map of Malawi with features, and a map of the world, etc. Each room will get one drawing along with a space lettered with Chichewa, English, Mathematics, and Expressive Arts where student work can be posted. Everyone is excited about the outcome.
The electricity just went out again – the third time today, but we were here for only two of them: this morning at breakfast and this evening after dinner, which is most of the day here for us. Other guests report that it was off during mid-morning as well. Oh, well…the candles are lit, and I’ll read by candlelight until I fall asleep. There’s nothing left to do but “enjoy the differences.”
July 1, 2009
Three days have gone by without Internet connectivity! Either the electricity is out or there are no Internet cards to buy or if we get the cards, the connectivity is so poor that the site takes our log-in number and password, but “eats” it! The connection stops or won’t let us log off. Either way we lose! It’s disheartening, but then I remember the years there wasn’t such a thing as wireless Internet connectivity or Internet cafes (even slow as molasses ones) in Malawi. But last year the Internet café seemed faster and more reliable. And certainly the connectivity at Annie’s Lodge was better. I believe it must be because so many people are using the Net now.
Monday, Tuesday, and today our students taught. My students are teaming because most have never taught and certainly no one has taught under these conditions. As a team they can plan and support each other. They’re also providing a model for the Malawian teachers, who rarely assist each other in teaching. Usually as a new subject teacher comes into the classroom, the other leaves to sit in the sun (or shade depending on the day) to doze or grade papers, leaving their colleague with a hundred or so pupils.
Side Bar: The numbers of pupils per standard (grade) are enormous in the early grades. For example, at Malemia Primary School, standard 1 has enrolled 104 boys and 106 girls. Of course, the children sit on the floor, so desks are not an encumbrance. However, our first day last week was market day, and less than a third were in attendance. Even on a good day when students know they’re being fed, there are only half the pupils present. The drop-out rate is phenomenal. By standard 7 and 8 class size can be reduced to as few as 35, still large but many American classrooms have that enrollment. Reasons for dropping out are varied and frequently complex, often tied to culture like early marriage or to economics (farming, helping at home, selling in the market). Other reasons include language – many pupils come to school with a mother tongue that their teachers might not understand, but they must begin learning Chichewa and English. Pupils MUST pass a national test in English in order to receive a School Leavers certificate. When pupils get so far behind in language acquisition, they just drop out.
Virginia Tech students are at Domasi Government Primary School. Todd and Deena are teaching with Macdonald Shariff in standard 5. Todd teaches mathematics and physical education as well as assists Deena in her English language lessons. Rachel Lamanna and Rachel Schoonover are teaching in standard 7 with Sugzo Sajeni, who has them teaching English, Life Skills, and Agriculture among other things. Everything is fair game except Chichewa and mathematics. Jessica Watahovich and Kacey Hrabe are teaching with Kettie Malizani in standard 4. They are concentrating on English but like the others are also engaged in teaching music and creative arts. Every day is an adventure. Pupils have been bringing Todd and Deena avocados, paw-paws, cassava, and bananas to thank them for teaching. On Tuesday, the girls were dropping to their knees when addressing Deena. Deena wanted to cry at such subservience, but these girls were showing her the deepest respect possible as well as traditional training where girls and women still kneel when serving men in the home.
We left early (except both Rachels who were committed to teaching all morning) to go to walk to Malemia Primary School to see the feeding program and to see Radford University’s project of painting teaching resources on the walls. They hired two local sign painters and artists to draw a tooth with the parts lettered, a map of Malawi with features, and a map of the world, etc. Each room will get one drawing along with a space lettered with Chichewa, English, Mathematics, and Expressive Arts where student work can be posted. Everyone is excited about the outcome.
The electricity just went out again – the third time today, but we were here for only two of them: this morning at breakfast and this evening after dinner, which is most of the day here for us. Other guests report that it was off during mid-morning as well. Oh, well…the candles are lit, and I’ll read by candlelight until I fall asleep. There’s nothing left to do but “enjoy the differences.”
A Day of Fellowship
A Day of Fellowship
June 28, 2009
Several of us went to the 8:30 a.m. English service at the CCAP (Presbyterian Church) down the hill from Annie’s Lodge. The main choir of young men and women, two keyboardists, guitar, and percussionists joyfully welcomed the congregation as it filed in after the Chichewa service had ended. They rocked and swayed, the music lifting high into the vaulted ceiling of the lovely old church. The congregation filled the pews from front to back. At one point in this process, it seems that one pew had been left empty, and all of us dutifully moved up to fill it. Later I saw that this process was important because people continued to come to the service as late as 1½ hours into the two-service service. The minister even prayed for the safety of those who were on there way to church but had not yet arrived!
Today was the “masika” service (celebrating harvest). The message was to tithe; the offerings today included bags of maize, trays of eggs, and other produce as well as kwacha. At one point all visitors are called to the front of the altar to be welcomed and then we turn and introduce ourselves to the congregation. Later we are called to take our turn to walk to the front to place our offerings into the big, overflowing pans. As we leave the church, we talk and mingle, then trudge up the hill to “home,” feeling full and blessed. Everyone agrees they want to return on our next free Sunday.
This evening is our traditional “birthday” celebration. Liz Barber, the advisor from North Carolina A&T, always has her birthday while we’re here. This year we also have another birthday person, Todd Gasparello, who had his 22nd birthday on the plane trip over. Annie, the owner of Annie’s Lodge, treated us to a wonderful buffet dinner and cake decorated with their names. James Worsley, from A&T, did a great job of cutting and serving. We shared with the wait staff and the night guard, who were all smiles at being included in our celebration.
June 28, 2009
Several of us went to the 8:30 a.m. English service at the CCAP (Presbyterian Church) down the hill from Annie’s Lodge. The main choir of young men and women, two keyboardists, guitar, and percussionists joyfully welcomed the congregation as it filed in after the Chichewa service had ended. They rocked and swayed, the music lifting high into the vaulted ceiling of the lovely old church. The congregation filled the pews from front to back. At one point in this process, it seems that one pew had been left empty, and all of us dutifully moved up to fill it. Later I saw that this process was important because people continued to come to the service as late as 1½ hours into the two-service service. The minister even prayed for the safety of those who were on there way to church but had not yet arrived!
Today was the “masika” service (celebrating harvest). The message was to tithe; the offerings today included bags of maize, trays of eggs, and other produce as well as kwacha. At one point all visitors are called to the front of the altar to be welcomed and then we turn and introduce ourselves to the congregation. Later we are called to take our turn to walk to the front to place our offerings into the big, overflowing pans. As we leave the church, we talk and mingle, then trudge up the hill to “home,” feeling full and blessed. Everyone agrees they want to return on our next free Sunday.
This evening is our traditional “birthday” celebration. Liz Barber, the advisor from North Carolina A&T, always has her birthday while we’re here. This year we also have another birthday person, Todd Gasparello, who had his 22nd birthday on the plane trip over. Annie, the owner of Annie’s Lodge, treated us to a wonderful buffet dinner and cake decorated with their names. James Worsley, from A&T, did a great job of cutting and serving. We shared with the wait staff and the night guard, who were all smiles at being included in our celebration.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Wandering in Zomba Town
Wandering in Zomba Town
June 27, 2009
This morning is the day for walking to downtown Zomba, about 1½ miles from Annie’s. The purpose is to orient students so they can then make the trip in small groups by themselves. So I set off, leading 17 people down the hill and through town to an Indian run fabric store that has good quality fabrics and an overwhelming selection. We must buy before noon because as Muslims, they close for prayers and do not re-open on Saturdays. Everyone is envisioning what they will get made from their fabrics, so selecting color and patterns is important. Some make their decisions easily; others agonize over selecting from so many choices.
But we finish finally almost as the beautiful green mosque situated in the heart of Zomba begins the mid-day call to prayer. We instead go into the market, where vendors stack their produce in stalls. One section is designated for sun dried fish of all sizes. Another section for fruits. Still another houses the live chickens that usually ride home on a bicycle with their feet tied together. Goats are butchered and cut up in another section. Tin buckets for carrying water are made near the displays of them, the clang of the hammer ringing out across the market. Of course, here also one can buy hardware store items, clothing, household goods, etc. Market life is vibrant – colorful, noisy, aromatic. It’s a total sensory experience.
A few people come with me to an Internet café and we struggle with slow connections and faulty keyboards for 45 minutes. We walk toward “home” at Annie’s Lodge, stopping at Tasty Bites along the way for refreshments.
June 27, 2009
This morning is the day for walking to downtown Zomba, about 1½ miles from Annie’s. The purpose is to orient students so they can then make the trip in small groups by themselves. So I set off, leading 17 people down the hill and through town to an Indian run fabric store that has good quality fabrics and an overwhelming selection. We must buy before noon because as Muslims, they close for prayers and do not re-open on Saturdays. Everyone is envisioning what they will get made from their fabrics, so selecting color and patterns is important. Some make their decisions easily; others agonize over selecting from so many choices.
But we finish finally almost as the beautiful green mosque situated in the heart of Zomba begins the mid-day call to prayer. We instead go into the market, where vendors stack their produce in stalls. One section is designated for sun dried fish of all sizes. Another section for fruits. Still another houses the live chickens that usually ride home on a bicycle with their feet tied together. Goats are butchered and cut up in another section. Tin buckets for carrying water are made near the displays of them, the clang of the hammer ringing out across the market. Of course, here also one can buy hardware store items, clothing, household goods, etc. Market life is vibrant – colorful, noisy, aromatic. It’s a total sensory experience.
A few people come with me to an Internet café and we struggle with slow connections and faulty keyboards for 45 minutes. We walk toward “home” at Annie’s Lodge, stopping at Tasty Bites along the way for refreshments.
Lucius Banda in Concert
Lucius Banda in Concert
June 26, 2009
Upon our arrival Wednesday at Annie’s Lodge, Annie had asked us if we would like to go to a concert of some Malawian bands on Friday evening. Of course, we would! So 8 o’clock found us waiting for an SUV and a pickup truck to take us to the concert site at Pa’s Bakery, a place that was once a bakery but now a bar and dance hall. A local band is playing. In Malawi, bands do not take breaks. Different singers rotate; musicians switch off, so they can rest but the music never stops.
We begin dancing and soon discover that later on Lucius Banda is the “head-liner.” Our students had heard and read about Lucius Banda from their readings as well as talking with Malawians about who the best singers in Malawi were. All agreed that Lucius Banda was perhaps the best singer in Africa. During the Banda dictatorship, Lucius Banda had to go into exile because of his protest music. He returned sometime after Muluzi was elected. But during those exile years, he kept the spirit of dissonance alive in the hearts of Malawians. Lucius Banda is now an elected member of Parliament as well as a singer who continues performing world-wide.
Around 10 o’clock, he steps on stage and it’s electric. Although I do not speak Chichewa beyond cursory greetings, the music and words spoke to me. I felt shivery and overcome. He filled the stage, his presence touching our hearts. I never in my wildest imagination thought I’d ever get to see Lucius Banda sing, but our group was in the right place at the right time and had a friend (Annie) who could make it possible.
June 26, 2009
Upon our arrival Wednesday at Annie’s Lodge, Annie had asked us if we would like to go to a concert of some Malawian bands on Friday evening. Of course, we would! So 8 o’clock found us waiting for an SUV and a pickup truck to take us to the concert site at Pa’s Bakery, a place that was once a bakery but now a bar and dance hall. A local band is playing. In Malawi, bands do not take breaks. Different singers rotate; musicians switch off, so they can rest but the music never stops.
We begin dancing and soon discover that later on Lucius Banda is the “head-liner.” Our students had heard and read about Lucius Banda from their readings as well as talking with Malawians about who the best singers in Malawi were. All agreed that Lucius Banda was perhaps the best singer in Africa. During the Banda dictatorship, Lucius Banda had to go into exile because of his protest music. He returned sometime after Muluzi was elected. But during those exile years, he kept the spirit of dissonance alive in the hearts of Malawians. Lucius Banda is now an elected member of Parliament as well as a singer who continues performing world-wide.
Around 10 o’clock, he steps on stage and it’s electric. Although I do not speak Chichewa beyond cursory greetings, the music and words spoke to me. I felt shivery and overcome. He filled the stage, his presence touching our hearts. I never in my wildest imagination thought I’d ever get to see Lucius Banda sing, but our group was in the right place at the right time and had a friend (Annie) who could make it possible.
Meeting Our School Partners
Meeting Our School Partners
June 25, 2009
On Thursday we road the bus to our first partner school, Malemia Primary School, a village school in the Domasi area, off the paved road. At the sight of the bus, children swarm across the playground to greet us. Esther Majawa, the head teacher, greets us and we tour the school: visiting each classroom, meeting each teacher, and greeting the pupils as they rise to chant their welcome. Today is market day, so classes have anywhere from one-half or more absent. We see the grass structure they have constructed to house the feeding program that is currently funded by the Chibale Project, a joint effort of Radford University, Virginia Tech, and North Carolina A&T. Many U.S. friends contribute to the Chibale Project, which not only funds the feeding program but also scholarships that assist students who have been selected for secondary school but cannot afford to attend.
The bus drops us at Domasi Demonstration School, about a mile from Malemia and located on the grounds of Domasi College of Education. Here is where the North Carolina A&T team will spend the next three weeks. Although a public school, the Demonstration School has an application process. Ausman Ngwali, the head teacher, welcomes us and we move to a “common room” for introductions. Classes are busily working, so we try to keep our visit to a minimum of disturbance.
We set out across the Domasi College campus, cut through the woods, cross a soccer field, cross a bridge for the Domasi River, and emerge at Domasi Government School, where a new head teacher, Hilton Mautonga, eagerly awaits his first visit with our group. Virginia Tech students will work here for three weeks. Mr. Mautonga takes us on a tour beginning with Standard 1. At each room he respectfully waits until noticed, then explains his purpose, and is invited in. We troop into each classroom, again pupils rise and chant their greeting. This time our students take turns returning the greeting and giving permission to be seated. We move through the standards being welcomed by teachers that Virginia Tech has worked with for several years.
The Commons Room at Malawi Institute of Education, which borders Domasi Government School, is a welcome sight for our students – they have cold soft drinks for sale. We adjourn to our classroom at MIE, where we eat our lunch and have a whole group discussion of the three universities where we process our experiences so far, especially the initial school visits.
We end the day by stopping in Zomba to buy water for the next few days – almost everyone buys four 5-liter jugs because we’ll put them on the bus for the drive up the hill to Annie’s Lodge.
June 25, 2009
On Thursday we road the bus to our first partner school, Malemia Primary School, a village school in the Domasi area, off the paved road. At the sight of the bus, children swarm across the playground to greet us. Esther Majawa, the head teacher, greets us and we tour the school: visiting each classroom, meeting each teacher, and greeting the pupils as they rise to chant their welcome. Today is market day, so classes have anywhere from one-half or more absent. We see the grass structure they have constructed to house the feeding program that is currently funded by the Chibale Project, a joint effort of Radford University, Virginia Tech, and North Carolina A&T. Many U.S. friends contribute to the Chibale Project, which not only funds the feeding program but also scholarships that assist students who have been selected for secondary school but cannot afford to attend.
The bus drops us at Domasi Demonstration School, about a mile from Malemia and located on the grounds of Domasi College of Education. Here is where the North Carolina A&T team will spend the next three weeks. Although a public school, the Demonstration School has an application process. Ausman Ngwali, the head teacher, welcomes us and we move to a “common room” for introductions. Classes are busily working, so we try to keep our visit to a minimum of disturbance.
We set out across the Domasi College campus, cut through the woods, cross a soccer field, cross a bridge for the Domasi River, and emerge at Domasi Government School, where a new head teacher, Hilton Mautonga, eagerly awaits his first visit with our group. Virginia Tech students will work here for three weeks. Mr. Mautonga takes us on a tour beginning with Standard 1. At each room he respectfully waits until noticed, then explains his purpose, and is invited in. We troop into each classroom, again pupils rise and chant their greeting. This time our students take turns returning the greeting and giving permission to be seated. We move through the standards being welcomed by teachers that Virginia Tech has worked with for several years.
The Commons Room at Malawi Institute of Education, which borders Domasi Government School, is a welcome sight for our students – they have cold soft drinks for sale. We adjourn to our classroom at MIE, where we eat our lunch and have a whole group discussion of the three universities where we process our experiences so far, especially the initial school visits.
We end the day by stopping in Zomba to buy water for the next few days – almost everyone buys four 5-liter jugs because we’ll put them on the bus for the drive up the hill to Annie’s Lodge.
Driving to Zomba
Driving to Zomba
June 24, 2009
We left Lilongwe at 8:30 for our long drive to Zomba by dark. Stopping at Dedza Pottery for an early lunch and shopping is always a highlight of that trip. But near the pottery shop is another treat – Dedza Art Shop. Here three brothers have turned recycling and art into a family endeavor. The sales shop is several yards from the entrance to the pottery shop. There, one brother sells the products of the others.
Henry Ngamba is the paper maker from which journals, stationery, and cards are made. Recently, he moved part of his production some distance away to access a better supply of water. Henry demonstrated how he makes paper from all kinds of recycled materials – cement bags, various print sources, elephant manure, banana leaves, etc. His brother, Patrick Ngamba is a fine artist, who has several paintings on display in the Art Shop, run by the third brother. All in all, the recycled, paper making process has always been something the students have enjoyed.
We continued south to Lizulu, a large open market town on the Mozambique border, where students enjoyed shopping on the Mozambique side and then stepping back across the road into Malawi. The vast array of neatly stacked red tomatoes, green peppers and peas in large flat baskets, carrots that bloom like a orange corsage when held tightly by the tops in an eager hand, colorful cloth draped along fences and on the ground, oxen with their empty carts waiting patiently for day’s end and the return home, freshly butchered goat meat on display with head, hooves, and entrails alongside and quickly covered with flies – all these images and more will make indelible memories of Malawian marketplaces.
But in the bus we stop briefly just south of Lizulu at Mankhokwe Village, which is a large traditional village that sits below the road. From the roadside, the village stretches out like a panoramic scene, its houses close together on both ends and a large central, community area in the middle. Almost every building is round with plastered gray walls and thatched roofs.
We resume our drive against time to arrive in Zomba by dark. The terrain has changed from high plains near Lilongwe, to rugged mountains near Dedza, to the mountains that line the portion of The Rift, which is the Zomba Plateau. The sun sets into the mountains before we reach Zomba, where we will begin our life at Annie’s Lodge for the next three weeks.
June 24, 2009
We left Lilongwe at 8:30 for our long drive to Zomba by dark. Stopping at Dedza Pottery for an early lunch and shopping is always a highlight of that trip. But near the pottery shop is another treat – Dedza Art Shop. Here three brothers have turned recycling and art into a family endeavor. The sales shop is several yards from the entrance to the pottery shop. There, one brother sells the products of the others.
Henry Ngamba is the paper maker from which journals, stationery, and cards are made. Recently, he moved part of his production some distance away to access a better supply of water. Henry demonstrated how he makes paper from all kinds of recycled materials – cement bags, various print sources, elephant manure, banana leaves, etc. His brother, Patrick Ngamba is a fine artist, who has several paintings on display in the Art Shop, run by the third brother. All in all, the recycled, paper making process has always been something the students have enjoyed.
We continued south to Lizulu, a large open market town on the Mozambique border, where students enjoyed shopping on the Mozambique side and then stepping back across the road into Malawi. The vast array of neatly stacked red tomatoes, green peppers and peas in large flat baskets, carrots that bloom like a orange corsage when held tightly by the tops in an eager hand, colorful cloth draped along fences and on the ground, oxen with their empty carts waiting patiently for day’s end and the return home, freshly butchered goat meat on display with head, hooves, and entrails alongside and quickly covered with flies – all these images and more will make indelible memories of Malawian marketplaces.
But in the bus we stop briefly just south of Lizulu at Mankhokwe Village, which is a large traditional village that sits below the road. From the roadside, the village stretches out like a panoramic scene, its houses close together on both ends and a large central, community area in the middle. Almost every building is round with plastered gray walls and thatched roofs.
We resume our drive against time to arrive in Zomba by dark. The terrain has changed from high plains near Lilongwe, to rugged mountains near Dedza, to the mountains that line the portion of The Rift, which is the Zomba Plateau. The sun sets into the mountains before we reach Zomba, where we will begin our life at Annie’s Lodge for the next three weeks.
Learning about Perma-culture
Learning about Perma-culture
June 23, 2009
Tuesday we went to Tikondwe Freedom Gardens just north of Lilongwe. There, Daniel Chinkhuntha operates an exemplary example of perma-culture gardening. His late father, Dr. Livingston Chinkhunta, an economist, started with 10 square meters of almost unusable land given to him by a local chief. Because the land was filled with gullies and the rest was swamp, it took six years to actually begin farming. First the land was drained and the reeds dug out. They planted bananas along the river side to hold the banks and block flooding.
Today, it’s 30 hectares of beds, fed by a “natural” system of irrigation that brings water from the river during the dry season. The system also incorporates a way to prevent flooding and preserve water during the rainy season. All this is done with no mechanization. They practice organic gardening, using companion planting to protect crops from insects as well as making repellents from leaves and shrubs that can act to chase insects away.
Perma-culture, which means permanent agriculture, is organic and sustainable as opposed to agriculture dependent on fertilizers and pesticides that need to be repurchased each year, which means a farmer is actually working for someone else. Last year in Malawi, 19 billion kwacha provided a government subsidy for farmers to buy fertilizer that was produced in other countries, thereby depriving Malawi of using those resources in other ways. Last year a bag of fertilizer cost approximately $10, which cuts into any profit a farmer might make. A widespread use of perma-culture, using natural fertilizers and pesticides that come from the land and therefore cost nothing for the farmer, could preserve not only the land but also monetary resources of the country and give a higher profit for the farmer.
Daniel talks eloquently about food sovereignty as opposed to food sufficiency. The former is where you have surpluses and choices of products all year round. Food sufficiency means that a farmer may have an adequate yield but before the next harvest will have to buy from scarce supplies. He showed us several ways of holding water that raises the aquifer and provides water for irrigation.
Though none of us are farmers, we all gained new understandings of the processes that Daniel and his friend who works with him, Moses Kamanga, use to develop an Eden-like organization that sustains a large number of people in the area. We also saw the environmental and political issues that surround the whole concept of “permanent,” organic, sustainable farming.
June 23, 2009
Tuesday we went to Tikondwe Freedom Gardens just north of Lilongwe. There, Daniel Chinkhuntha operates an exemplary example of perma-culture gardening. His late father, Dr. Livingston Chinkhunta, an economist, started with 10 square meters of almost unusable land given to him by a local chief. Because the land was filled with gullies and the rest was swamp, it took six years to actually begin farming. First the land was drained and the reeds dug out. They planted bananas along the river side to hold the banks and block flooding.
Today, it’s 30 hectares of beds, fed by a “natural” system of irrigation that brings water from the river during the dry season. The system also incorporates a way to prevent flooding and preserve water during the rainy season. All this is done with no mechanization. They practice organic gardening, using companion planting to protect crops from insects as well as making repellents from leaves and shrubs that can act to chase insects away.
Perma-culture, which means permanent agriculture, is organic and sustainable as opposed to agriculture dependent on fertilizers and pesticides that need to be repurchased each year, which means a farmer is actually working for someone else. Last year in Malawi, 19 billion kwacha provided a government subsidy for farmers to buy fertilizer that was produced in other countries, thereby depriving Malawi of using those resources in other ways. Last year a bag of fertilizer cost approximately $10, which cuts into any profit a farmer might make. A widespread use of perma-culture, using natural fertilizers and pesticides that come from the land and therefore cost nothing for the farmer, could preserve not only the land but also monetary resources of the country and give a higher profit for the farmer.
Daniel talks eloquently about food sovereignty as opposed to food sufficiency. The former is where you have surpluses and choices of products all year round. Food sufficiency means that a farmer may have an adequate yield but before the next harvest will have to buy from scarce supplies. He showed us several ways of holding water that raises the aquifer and provides water for irrigation.
Though none of us are farmers, we all gained new understandings of the processes that Daniel and his friend who works with him, Moses Kamanga, use to develop an Eden-like organization that sustains a large number of people in the area. We also saw the environmental and political issues that surround the whole concept of “permanent,” organic, sustainable farming.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Preparing for 2009 Study Abroad
Since 1998 I have traveled to Malawi at least once a year, sometimes 4 or 5 times per year while carrying out various education projects for Virginia Tech. However, in 2004 I took a group of teachers from Southwest Virginia to Malawi on a Fulbright-Hays Study Program, when one of them suggested that I should set up a Study Abroad experience for my college students. And thus began Malawi Study Abroad in the "Warm Heart of Africa," as Malawi is known. I invited colleagues from two other universities, Radford University and North Carolina A&T University to join me in the endeavor. And so we prepare for our 4th Study Abroad. Students are busy collecting things they will need to teach in three primary schools in the Domasi area, Malemia Primary School, Domasi Government School, and Domasi Demonstration School. With passports in hand, vaccinations over, and malaria medication ready, they ponder what they will need for a month in a developing country. Nights will be very cool (after all it's the coldest part of their year in this sub-Saharan country) but days will be sunny and pleasant. They'll be in schools that require girls and women to wear skirts substantially below the knee; men teachers wear ties; however, our young men can forgo the ties but should have on shirts. After all, teaching is a profession and they want to be sure they don't look like a vendor or field hand.
We leave Dulles International in Washington, DC on June 21 on Ethiopian Airlines; refuel in Rome and on to Addis Ababa, where we'll board another plane for Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi. We'll spend two days in the capital but mainly visit Freedom Gardens to the north to learn about sustainable agriculture. Travel to Zomba with a stop over at Dedza Pottery and other points of interest will put us at Annie's Lodge in Zomba by dark. Zomba is our home base and was the colonial capital of Malawi. From Annie's Lodge we will travel each day to Domasi to the schools. During the 20 day stay there, we'll take a short safari to Mvuu Camp in Liwonde National Park, and travel to Mt. Mulanje, where we'll hike on the third highest mountain in Africa for a day. We'll end our adventure with a trip to Lake Malawi, where we'll visit the village of one of my former students, stay at Club Mak for the night, go to Mua Mission, and back to Lilongwe for our trip home. These are the highlights but each day is filled with new experiences -- the colors, sounds, smells of an entirely different environment. Each year I get to not only visit the many friends I've made in Malawi but also experience anew the culture and people through my students' eyes.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
