EWB Saskatchewan

Toilet paper - goodbye newspaper and leaves, hello my old friend Charmin

Cheese - need I say more

Forks - although eating with my hands did bring back many childhood memories, there's something magical about forks

So back to Canada am I.  Back to the grind and not so much breathing space as I had in Malawi.  But if you ever see me in the hall, ask me one of the following (and eventually all of them)

You:

1.  "tell me about one random person you met, someone who is                      ." (in this space you think of a describing word like wize, funny, mean, cute....

2.  "How can you compare Malawi to Canada?"

Herds of children are running,

Gigantic pots of nsima are being strirred,

mice are being sold for 10 cents and cooked up

no electricity except the shed with the TV in it, playing Zoro everyday.

I went to a village in Mulanje, right near the 3rd largest mountain in Africa.  It was my boss' home village.  I was overwhellmed with large #s of kids in the area and women cooking in the same back yard and the fact that the latrine and the bathouse didn't have a door.  But I've come to accept a little less privacy.  I even shared the bed with the grandmother for a while.  And right now I gave up my room for a guest staying at our house.  I sleep in the living room behind the couch with 2 others.  Don't worry if this all sounds terrible.  It's not that bad.

People I know:

Meggie- my sister here.  She's 20, loves to sing, is a fine fine cook, has a fashion sense beyond mine, is a good dancer, takes good care of me, shares my bed, is afraid of the dark.

Prince- my neighbours kid.  He's 8 and plays in the yard and always wants my attention.  We play a lot of games together and I've taught them a few songs.  He's an only child.  His mother's name is Barbara.

David- my host father.  He's a pastor and has just retired from a telecommunications job.  He's dramatic and knows English and French. He likes 4 teaspoons of sugar in his tea, like most Malawians.

Chimwemwe- my 25 yr old sister.  She has one child, Gerradi and is getting married in December.  She will move to South Africa with her fiance.

Hey, sorry it’s been rather hectic but I’m doing good and feeling good and Malawi is growing on me.

Top 10 Ndiwo (relishes to eat with nsima)

What’s nsima?  WHAT’s NSIMA?! Well, I’ll tell you:

It’s made of maize flour and water, cooked to a precise texture that you make round blobs with about the size of a baseball.  It is then used to scoop up the relishes in bite size pieces with your hand.  We eat it every day, sometimes twice a day: for supper and lunch.

I like it.

Hey all you great people, thanks for hearin my stories.

I made a collection of top 10's to keep you up on life a bit. 

Top 10 animals I have seen so far:

crocadile (it was in a pit, someone had it as a show pet)

turtle (it shared the pit with the crocadile)

monkey (they were jumpin around on trees at Sanga Bay and on the roof of our hostile)

bat (swooped down as we were swimming in lake Malawi at night)

toad (I caught a big mad toad and called it Harry)

birds (there were thousands of crows one day as I was walking in the city. they were flyiny high and it was crazy man)

dog (our pet dog here is called Boosh, he's warming up to me, I keep my distance cause I'm afraid of rabies)

cat(2 cats live and eat with us, they're small)

lizzard(speedy little devils, they're everywhere. I caught one once and it's tail fell off, sorry little guy)

Everybody, meet Freddy

Freddy lives in our house.  He doesn't say too much to me, but I knows he likes me.  I can tell by his smile.  He sleeps in the living room and shares the same love of milk as I have.  (Not many others in the house drink milk)  He has to stay at home nearly everyday, but I don't think he's angry or upset with it.  Honestly, he's the one that has gotten past our skin colour and cultural differences the fastest out of everyone that I've met so far.  I adore him for that.  I know that one day he'll have a lot to say, given time.

Hey guys,

I work at Hygiene VIllage Project. (HVP) The office is located in a region of Blantyre called Chilimba and I live in Camussa.  To get there I have started walking rather than mini busing since it only takes half an hour. 

Roy is the boss, he picked me up on his motorbike on the first day of work! Yikes that was a leap of trust (hold on tight).  William is the second hand man, he's 25 and we're beginning to have some good conversations about the poverty situation and talking about Malawi's history and why a lot of Africa is poor.  Cecilia is the field workin lady, she's 26 and is also great at helping me learn Chichewa.

But lets get down to the chase:  What IS Happening at HVP???

Well, there's tones going on, but I'll begin with our vision, (as I can remember it):

Just letting you all know I bought a cell phone for 1900 kwacha (about 20 canadian dollars) and you will be able to contact me if you wish at this number: (and I'd be thrilled to hear from any of you, call or text)

265995800923

(the Malawian area code is the 265 part and the cell number is the 099 580 0923 part)

Malawi time is 7 hours ahead of Canada.

zikomo kumbiree

Mswela Bwang,

I am in my new home.  I live with a pastor and his family.  There are about 7 people in the house, (different people come and go) There are 3 bedrooms, a living room, a small kitchen and that's it.  The latrine is outside on the hill and a bath house is just right outside too.  So one of the biggest changes I am faced with is the fact that we have no running water.  Washing your hands is a burdon.  I have taken it for granted so much in Canada, and the bath house is new to me too.  Goodbye showers, hello basin of water and a cup.

Muli Bwang!

So I have some exciting news for you!  And it will blow your mind.

I got attacked by killer bees on my third day in Malawi!

I’ll have to tell you the whole story later, but this is what basically happened: