Where to start???

I had such an amazing trip, I don’t even know where to start.
We first left Lilongwe in true Malawian style – an hour and a half late and with 5 people jammed into an extended cab pick up. But it was a blessing in disguise, as it turned out that three of the people in the pick-up were contacts at three different dioceses in Malawi and during the drive I got to make some contacts as well. So we left Lilongwe and travelled through Dedza to drop off one collegue, after which we stopped to pick up Irish potatoes (normal potatoes to us, but small) and then tomatoes at a vegetable stand where I got some pictures of the female farmers working there – they were delighted to see their images on the LCD screen of my digital camera. Then we went to Zomba, where we dropped off the second of my collegues and then stopped for lunch. Zomba mountain is the second highest in Lilongwe (right after Mount Mulanje). Then we drove to Blantyre and met my boss, Carsterns there briefly. After greeting him, we headed down on one of the most scenic drives (so I am told) in Malawi. The road twists and winds from the highlands in Blantyre through to Chikwawa in the Lower Shire valley. My third collegue in the truck works in the Chikwawa diocese, so John was with me for the whole journey. John had a Canadian student stay with him a while ago, so he related well to me and was happy to show me all the sights along the way.
If I wasn’t in love with Malawi already, I am now firmly in love with this country, especially after my visit to the Chikwawa region. I have never met more friendly and open people.
Once we got to the area, we checked into our rooms and then went for dinner. Having ordered an unadventurous chicken curry with rice for lunch, I was encouraged by my colleague from national office (Winston) to order local goat with nsima. I have to say, the nsima is really growing on me…and the local goat was good as well. After a couple after-dinner drinks, we retired to bed, where the one mosquito that made it through the screens in my room made it into my net. In the morning I got up and lathered my hair in my (cold, dribbly) shower, only to run out of water mid-lather…I managed to fill my Nalgene bottle at the sink to rinse out. After breakfast we started into our meeting. The meeting was a great experience for me to see how Malawians interact in a business setting, as well as get an idea of the challenges they are facing implementing programs in their world of few resources. When I started to realize what it was like to operate in this communication challenged world, I wondered if I would really be able to deliver the mandate I was hired for. Now, after the meeting, I realize more than ever the challenges that we are facing, but I have ideas about what to do and where to start, so I am feeling very hopeful that I can help my organization develop an effective monitoring and evaluation system.
After a productive meeting, Winston and I walked through the active area of Nchalo, and then played a game of pool while waiting for our dinner. It was fun and nice to get to know one of my national office colleagues a little bit better. The next day, we headed into the field to check the M&E tools Winston developed for his Food Security program with the Village committees. I was so excited to get into one of the villages and see one of the places where my organization is trying to improve food security.
We drove to the first village we visited and met with the Village HIV/AIDs committee. The committee was impressively organized, though I was a little disturbed by the protocols – the women greeted me from a subservient position, then took positions on the floor while men sat on benches, and we sat on chairs. After the initial protocol though, once the committee meeting started, men and women both took positions on benches and participated equally in the meeting. It was a great experience, but I didn’t get to see much of the village, and only got one picture of a small girl (though she was beautiful).
Then we headed to the next village, which I had been told was much further than the first. After heading south for about an hour, we stopped for a drink in what I am sure you would all think was an extremely rural area, though it wasn’t rural by Malawian standards. I tried a local drink called Thobwa, but I have to admit I couldn’t finish it. It’s a mix of water, flour and sugar. I guess it keeps the locals full when taken for lunch, and is only 10 kwatcha (7.4 cents).
After our refreshment break, we headed down to the village. We took a road that was in such bad repair that if you go to the village and it rains, you have to stay there for the night. Hoping for dry weather, we headed in. The road definitely had some challenges – gorges where the road had been washed away, fortunately we had something close to a four wheel drive, and Winston was able to negotiate the road OK. We pulled into the village, and I was informed that the chief of Dolo was a woman. The protocols were very different in Dolo. Once the women started to gather, they began to sing and clap, then began dancing to the rhythm. It was a truly astounding site, and better yet, my colleagues encouraged me to snap away. In fact, the villagers were happy to be my subjects. After the dance, we met again with the local committees – this time I sat with the Livestock committee. I was impressed with how knowledgeable they were, and the experience incited me further to learn the language so that I can communicate more directly with people here. After official business was concluded, I was again treated to dancing and singing, and was then presented with maize from the village. Afterwards, I shook hands with everyone I could and the villagers walked/danced me to the car, then danced around the car as we drove out of the village. It was truly magical, and I am so grateful to have had this opportunity – I only wish Jules and Regan had been there with me.
On the way out, our car got stuck for a minute or two, but we managed to push it out. We had a brief follow up meeting (that went a bit late) then headed back to Lilongwe. I had heard cautions about driving at night, mainly due to foot traffic and potholes, and the warnings are well heeded. Fortunately, Winston was driving and took utmost care in avoiding all hazards, but at the cost of a slow pace.
Despite getting home at 12, I can’t believe how wonderful the trip was and look forward to more in the future!