Heavy snow in New York delayed our flight into Johannesburg, translating into an unexpected stay in the capital city for a night. Finally, Friday morning, four days after my original departure from San Francisco I was landing in Malawi. The hilly landscape was spotted with trees, rigid crags of outstanding rock and lush green fields of corn and tobacco. My first deep breath of Malawian air was balmy and warm. I felt like the sky appeared closer and the clouds whiter. Perhaps the jet lag or perhaps the truth? A man by the name of Christopher stood waiting with a smile and a sign that read "Loren, JRS".
We stopped by the JRS (Jesuit Refugee Service) office and I was introduced to the employees that remained on Friday afternoon. Sister Michelle, our country director, informed me that there would be a house warming party the following day and I would have the opportunity to meet the entire staff over a large meal. There was even rumors there would be a goat roast. Quite a welcoming indeed! Afterward we headed on to area 14, house 178, my new residence. The neighborhoods in Lilongwe are assigned area numbers, none of which are in any numerical or logistical order for that matter. I figure if I remember the giant green glass building close to my street I will be okay.
House 178 is surrounded by a large brick wall with electric fencing atop it. The red metal gate is guarded by a man named Paul who has a friendly smile and four or five english words in his vocabulary. For this reason I am trying hard to learn the local language of Chechewa, which seems to be moving at a snail's pace. Once inside the walls there is a large courtyard and patio off the brilliantly white house. It is a simple, sparsely furnished three bedroom place with a guest house in the back. I share my living space with Persy, a Malawian man who works in the education sector, Tom, a Brit who is a special needs consultant and Protussia, a Kenyan woman who has vast experience and who will be my immediate supervisor at JRS. On the weekends two volunteers from England will also be staying with us, while during the week they are busy teaching within the camp. I am happy to report that the house does come equipped with hot water, an avocado tree and a refrigerator plus I have already managed to find soy milk and $10 boxes of cereal in a local grocery. Score BIG. Enough of the logistics of the place, I want to talk about the house warming party details.
The goat was escorted in at around 10:30 a.m. Two men, well versed in animal husbandry slaughtered the goat and worked side by side, meticulously trimming the fur, cleaning its bowels, separating the meat and preserving any edible parts. Quite a scene to observe if you have never done so. I stuck around for a while, thinking it was good to see every aspect of where and how my food was to arrive at my plate. Something I will probably never do again, seeing as I'm not too keen on disemboweling animals. Just a thought. No sooner had the meat began to simmer on the stove, had thousands of flies descended into the kitchen to buzz around in a most annoying fashion. This was my queue to leave the kitchen and make new friends.
Guests arrived , beers aka. greens aka. Carlsberg original "green labeled"beers were opened , wood burquets were lite on the bry (BBQ) and introductions were made. The company that surrounded me that day brought a smile to my face. The goat a bit chewy but the sima (corn meal), salad, potatoes and pineapple were all tip top. As I stood on the porch and glared off into the distance of rooftops and tropical trees I thought to myself, "I am going to like this place."
Sunday arrived and a group of people extended an invite to go on a hike. I don't believe I have ever passed up an opportunity to hike and I was not about to start. I was introduced to nine strangers and away we went to climb Nykoma peak. We passed through a quaint village of brick houses with vined flowers overtaking windows and green pastures stretching for miles (kilometers now). From the bottom, the tallest peak looked a bit intimidating as it shot out from an otherwise flat valley. From the top it was amazing. 360* views of Malawi. Peanut M&Ms never tasted so good sitting on that peak. Not 3 days in country and I have already reached one mountain top. Not too shabby.
Sleep came easily and the 7:30 start time this morning was just right. Going to bed at 8:30 p.m. is apparently not frowned upon here especially when the power goes off most evenings. Every aspect of life and culture here is so new that I find myself exhausted at the end of every day and ready to climb under my mosquito net and into bed. I fear my giant dome will soon become my behemoth dome with the the influx of new thoughts, information and questions I have. In a good way though. I think I thrive on it.
I write this as the rain pours down over Lilongwe and now I am off to my first official meeting of business. Step one, learn...
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