Bits and Pieces

To have a long pinky nail here in Malawi is to have an elevated status.  The nail does not serve a purpose, as many fiends used it in the hay days of the 60s and 70s, but it is more to show others without saying a word that you do not do manual labor.  To do manual labor means you are constantly using your hands and digging in the earth, which would not be possible with an extended fingernail. 

Flame and Frangipani Trees blossoming now in Lilongwe

Garbage collection happens in various neighborhoods throughout Lilongwe but is not a practice happening everywhere.  The solution and general rule of thumb is to dig a large pit in your backyard, burn anything and everything that will disintegrate, melt, dissolve or otherwise send ozone destroying fumes into the atmosphere then throw the rest in the pit to wallow for eternity.

During Mango season, one can purchase close to 30 mangos for $2.  They are sold by the bucket load so a vehicle is necessary to transport the heavy cargo back to one’s home before they become too ripe.  The proper way to eat a mango is by tearing into it like you would an apple.  Bite through the skin, spit in out and enjoy the juicy orange flesh inside.  Always carry floss on your person because the stringy fibers will no doubt get stuck in your teeth like a stubborn popcorn kernel.

Mango 'stall' on the side of the road out of Senga Bay 

There are precarious footbridges constructed out of medium sized branches and nails that span across the Lilongwe River separating the produce market from the clothing market.  To cross one of these bridges to visit the clothing market there is no tariff but to make the return journey one must first check for bridge trolls, walk with great caution not to fall through the fractured gaps, then pay 20 MK to the toll taker as if the experience couldn’t have cost you some broken bones and a swim in the muddy waters below.

In area 18, by what is known as, ‘the stage’ men jog around with crockpot looking dishes made of plastic.  When cars or mini buses slow down near to them, their jog breaks out into a feverish run so that they may sell the product inside of the dishes.  Sausage.  Ahhh street meat.  All will tell you that the product inside is 100 percent meat however every local knows that soya products are cheaper and often sausage stuffers will concoct a sausage looking thingamajig with part meat, part soya, part parts.  You never know what you are going to get but you can guarantee it will be salty.

Malawians love sugar and salt, “too much.”

In the latter part of November and December everyone anticipates the beginning of the rainy season here in Malawi.  The 85 percent of the country involved in subsistence farming are busy preparing the ground with a spade attached to a short wooden club that acts as a multipurpose tool.  The earth is turned over manually and formed into neat and tidy rows with elevated mounds of dirt for irrigation purposes and to prevent flooding of the seedlings.  Maize feeds the country along with some variations of tobacco and cotton for export as well as beans, tomatoes and cassava.  Women and men are bent over their plots of land working away with sweat and blood to subsidize their diets as well as their incomes.  Tractors are a rare commodity and are reserved for large scale farming operations owned by the government and wealthy land owners.  

A 'teaching moment' on the beach-Yes that is a beer in my hand

Female condoms are distributed in camp however the purpose for which they are intended is never realized.  Instead, the inner ring made of a soft plastic is separated from the overflowing waterfall of latex and then used as a bracelet adorned by men, women, girls and boys alike. Pretty.    

To be fat in the African sense is to be healthy and strong.  It does not in any way have the tainted perspective of the Western World where people would take offense to the pudgy adjective.  -“You look fat!” –“Why, thank you…”

JRS has formed a social football team that plays on Saturdays against various Malawian social teams and NGOs.  We are currently 1-2-1 on the season with premier league aspirations.  Often I am the only female on the pitch trying to give ‘us’ a good name but the foot speed and raw talent out there is hard to match up against.  What is important is that we look really good in our uniforms and have fun doing it.

The JRS team

In the Rwandan and Congolese culture it is considered impolite for women to whistle at any time.  This practice is reserved for men only and I am told that women who do whistle do so because they want to be like men.  I learned this little factoid only after whistling at a colleague from far off in camp.  When we discussed the cultural relevance in class today I was amused to find out that out of the nine women in my class, only one could actually, physically whistle.  All five men could.  It was then that I whistled like an angelic bird and we all had a good laugh.  Note to self-no more whistling outside of the house.

I brought home a small tree/plant and we decorated it with random items from around the house to celebrate the beginning of the holiday season and an upcoming Christmas.  It is imperfect and resembles Charlie Brown's feeble tree but that is why we love it.  For your information that is a chitenje tree skirt.  Our tree will be planted in the front yard upon my return from adventuring in Ethiopia over the holiday break.  Merry, happy times all.