I think I have been firm enough in my ‘I love malawi’ posts to write this…I mean I love Malawi…there is even a party on Saturday with an ‘I love Malawi’ theme and I have had a custom malawi t-shirt made to wear to the party because I totally love Malawi..
The aforementioned love notwithstanding, I think it is OK then if I report some of the downsides…
1) Our stove is shocking. I don’t mean shocking to look at, or that the price was shocking (though it was - we paid $200, you wouldn’t pay $20 for this thing in Canada), I mean actually shocking. If you put a pan on the stove and touch the handle – shock. Touch a spoon in a pot –shock. It took a while, but we eventually figured out that if you wear shoes, the shock passes harmlessly though you to the floor and you don’t feel the shock – but that can’t be good for you???
2) Chickens. They may be cute and sound charmingly local but they are LOUD. And news to the city folk…they don’t just crow at dawn….they crow all the time. I am in the midst of a Martha Stewart attack and am baking cookies at 12:41am and they are crowing RIGHT NOW. Note that the sudden desire to bake cookies is also being affected by the shocking oven…in addition to being shocking, it has no temperature gauge, so it is taking approximately FOUR TIMES AS LONG to bake the aforementioned cookies!!!
3) Cockroaches….they aren’t pretty, and if you read my roomate’s blog, you know they don’t die easy. We have a daily battle protecting our food (and other items) against them and ourselves against the extreme heebie jeebies they can cause.
OK, seriously, I just had to make you all feel better that you aren’t here, since Malawi ROCKS.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Monday, May 26, 2008
Monday Morning
It is Monday morning and I am back at work - quickly posting on my tea break.
What a fabulous weekend. Kande Beach is simply beautiful, and Lake Malawi managed to meet expectations again by being warm and clear. There were even waves this time and it was fun playing in the gentle surf.
My roomate Heather's mom arrived from Canada last week, and Alexio, Heather's boyfriend, was scheduled to come and visit from Zimbabwe to meet her while she is here. By the way, I have FINALLY added a link to H's blog if you want to check out her view of our time here.
Anyways, unfortunately, Alexio missed his flight and wasn't able to arrive until Friday evening, so we took Heather's mom with us to the beach and decided Heather and Alexio would drive up Saturday morning and meet us there.
I was lucky enough to get out of work early so we planned to leave at 2, and weren't far off - finally getting out at 2:26. It was a bit longer of a drive than anticipated, as we had to detour into Salima to get cash, since we had forgotten to make a withdrawal in Lilongwe. Most of the drive was in daylight, but we still had about an hour an a half of stressful pothole and pedestrian avoidance after the sun departed. We arrived at 6:45pm and headed straight to the bar for a decompression drink and found a number of passengers from an overland tour bus enjoying themselves. Regan hadn't changed yet, and let me tell you, arriving in a bar in a school uniform certainly is a conversation starter!
Once we settled into our rooms, we went over to the restaurant for dinner. Since I had already been there for lunch during my business trip, I was able to let the others know some important things - like that the bean burrito is actually beans on a chapati.
Jules and I headed over to the pool table next for a couple games, but then realizing that it isn't the best spectator sport, we played yahtzee with Regan and Colleen (H's mom) until they went to bed and we could continue with the rubber match.
We had booked chalets on the beach and they were amazing...the only drawback was that they had no bathrooms, and while the walk from Colleen and Regan's chalet was quite short, ours was pretty long! The tradeoff was totally worth it though, and we fell asleep listening to the waves crash. The next day featured a great deal of hammock lounging, reading and swimming. I even got to play in the most random game of malawian volleyball, which was great fun...there was much excitement and unecessary dramatic diving for the ball. Out of the first two games, each team had won once, so the rubber match was competitive and exciting, and went 5 points beyond the usual game point since you have to win by two points....so a close one. My team won just as the sun was beginning to fade from the sky.
Jules and I also learned how to play Bowa - a traditional Malawian game played with marbles or stones on a carved wooden board. We ended up ordering a board from the guys on the beach who taught us how to play and it is really nice, so I am happy with it. Heather and Alexio arrived Saturday so we all had dinner together then played a game of Hoopla before bed. Sunday featured more hammock lounging and swimming until we had to go at around 12:30.
The restaurant was quite expensive, so we had decided that we would pick some chips (fries) up on the way home. When Jules got out of the car to go order them, he was approached by a very drunk man who aggressively asked for money. Jules told him no and went over to order some chips. The other Malawians present asked the man to leave, but he ignored them. When Jules handed his money over to pay, the drunk man snatched it and started to run away. Running on instinct, Jules chased him and managed to catch him and one of the other locals assisted him in prying the money out of the guy's hand. Jules gave the guy who assisted 50 kwatcha and we left. Later, I commented that it was a bit extreme to recover such a small amount of money, but then I came around and agreed with Jules that it was better not to let him get away with it - maybe he will think twice before trying such a thing again...it was too bad really, as we likely would have given him something in the first place had he been less aggressive.
So we have been in Malawi now for 4 months and lost nothing to theft - knock on wood!
What a fabulous weekend. Kande Beach is simply beautiful, and Lake Malawi managed to meet expectations again by being warm and clear. There were even waves this time and it was fun playing in the gentle surf.
My roomate Heather's mom arrived from Canada last week, and Alexio, Heather's boyfriend, was scheduled to come and visit from Zimbabwe to meet her while she is here. By the way, I have FINALLY added a link to H's blog if you want to check out her view of our time here.
Anyways, unfortunately, Alexio missed his flight and wasn't able to arrive until Friday evening, so we took Heather's mom with us to the beach and decided Heather and Alexio would drive up Saturday morning and meet us there.
I was lucky enough to get out of work early so we planned to leave at 2, and weren't far off - finally getting out at 2:26. It was a bit longer of a drive than anticipated, as we had to detour into Salima to get cash, since we had forgotten to make a withdrawal in Lilongwe. Most of the drive was in daylight, but we still had about an hour an a half of stressful pothole and pedestrian avoidance after the sun departed. We arrived at 6:45pm and headed straight to the bar for a decompression drink and found a number of passengers from an overland tour bus enjoying themselves. Regan hadn't changed yet, and let me tell you, arriving in a bar in a school uniform certainly is a conversation starter!
Once we settled into our rooms, we went over to the restaurant for dinner. Since I had already been there for lunch during my business trip, I was able to let the others know some important things - like that the bean burrito is actually beans on a chapati.
Jules and I headed over to the pool table next for a couple games, but then realizing that it isn't the best spectator sport, we played yahtzee with Regan and Colleen (H's mom) until they went to bed and we could continue with the rubber match.
We had booked chalets on the beach and they were amazing...the only drawback was that they had no bathrooms, and while the walk from Colleen and Regan's chalet was quite short, ours was pretty long! The tradeoff was totally worth it though, and we fell asleep listening to the waves crash. The next day featured a great deal of hammock lounging, reading and swimming. I even got to play in the most random game of malawian volleyball, which was great fun...there was much excitement and unecessary dramatic diving for the ball. Out of the first two games, each team had won once, so the rubber match was competitive and exciting, and went 5 points beyond the usual game point since you have to win by two points....so a close one. My team won just as the sun was beginning to fade from the sky.
Jules and I also learned how to play Bowa - a traditional Malawian game played with marbles or stones on a carved wooden board. We ended up ordering a board from the guys on the beach who taught us how to play and it is really nice, so I am happy with it. Heather and Alexio arrived Saturday so we all had dinner together then played a game of Hoopla before bed. Sunday featured more hammock lounging and swimming until we had to go at around 12:30.
The restaurant was quite expensive, so we had decided that we would pick some chips (fries) up on the way home. When Jules got out of the car to go order them, he was approached by a very drunk man who aggressively asked for money. Jules told him no and went over to order some chips. The other Malawians present asked the man to leave, but he ignored them. When Jules handed his money over to pay, the drunk man snatched it and started to run away. Running on instinct, Jules chased him and managed to catch him and one of the other locals assisted him in prying the money out of the guy's hand. Jules gave the guy who assisted 50 kwatcha and we left. Later, I commented that it was a bit extreme to recover such a small amount of money, but then I came around and agreed with Jules that it was better not to let him get away with it - maybe he will think twice before trying such a thing again...it was too bad really, as we likely would have given him something in the first place had he been less aggressive.
So we have been in Malawi now for 4 months and lost nothing to theft - knock on wood!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Random things
I am so excited that we are going to the beach this weekend - as I mentioned, we stopped at the lodge we will be staying at on the way home from Mzuzu and it was amazing.
Yesterday I tried to buy a bathing suit but the only store I know of in Lilongwe that carries bathing suits had the same 6 suits I tried on last time and no new stock, so no luck there! (I left my only bathing suit at Sun n' Sand just north of Mangochi) Luckily I have a workout tank top and bike shorts that will suffice for the moment.
Since I couldn't buy the bathing suit, I had enough money to buy a painting from a guy with no hands. When I passed him on the way into the store I was thinking "Wow, you have no hands and you are not begging - I should totally buy a painting from you"
Anyways, I couldn't believe how dexterous he was with his arms - totally amazing - and the paints with his arms, mouth and feet.
This morning I had to go on a diesel hunt - there was no diesel at the first three stations I went to - just not a problem I would have to worry about in Canada! Anyways, I lucked out at the fourth station - what a relief - so I have enough fuel to get to the beach tonight.
Yesterday I tried to buy a bathing suit but the only store I know of in Lilongwe that carries bathing suits had the same 6 suits I tried on last time and no new stock, so no luck there! (I left my only bathing suit at Sun n' Sand just north of Mangochi) Luckily I have a workout tank top and bike shorts that will suffice for the moment.
Since I couldn't buy the bathing suit, I had enough money to buy a painting from a guy with no hands. When I passed him on the way into the store I was thinking "Wow, you have no hands and you are not begging - I should totally buy a painting from you"
Anyways, I couldn't believe how dexterous he was with his arms - totally amazing - and the paints with his arms, mouth and feet.
This morning I had to go on a diesel hunt - there was no diesel at the first three stations I went to - just not a problem I would have to worry about in Canada! Anyways, I lucked out at the fourth station - what a relief - so I have enough fuel to get to the beach tonight.
Second Visit to Mzuzu
I have just returned from my journey north to witness the food distribution for our Emergency Flood Relief Program. It was an amazing (though LONG) journey.
We were unable to leave the office until 4:20pm – we had initially planned to leave the office at 1pm. Apparently the vehicle was having mechanical difficulties so we had to wait for it to be fixed. We arrived in Mzuzu at 9pm, much later than planned. I was able to stay with my friend Toni, and she (very sweetly) had pumpkin soup and a warm fire waiting (Mzuzu is COLD this time of year).
We had to get an early start the next morning to get to Karonga (3 hours north of Mzuzu) where the food distribution was scheduled to take place. My colleagues picked me up at 6am (only 15 min late – not bad considering the last time someone was supposed to pick me up at 5am they arrived at 6!) and we headed out. The road from Mzuzu to Karonga is windy and steep – Karonga is on the lake, whereas Mzuzu is at a bit of an altitude. We arrived mostly on time (well, at the same time as our Mzuzu colleagues) and headed on to the distribution – it was the furthest north I have been in Malawi and we were only 20km south of the Zambian border.
The program launch was entirely in Chichewa and Timbuka (the language spoken in the north), so I didn’t pick everything up, but the opening speeches – given by the Traditional Authority, Group Village Head, Government representative, Mzuzu CADECOM secretary and National CADECOM Secretary (my boss) were well received by the crowd of villagers. After the speeches we were treated to a number of dances . First the women danced, accompanied by their own hand clapping and singing – although the style is different than in the south, it reminded me of my first village visit in Dolo. Next, some drummers came out – one on a traditional drum, the other playing on corrugated aluminum. They began to play, and then four energetic male dancers came out – it was the first time I had seem male dancers in a village – they were amazing. I had my camera so took some shots but was unable to capture the dramatic movement. I wish I had thought to bring my smaller camera, which takes videos, along.
After the celebration, we headed to the food distribution site, where people collected their monthly allotment – a 50kg bag of maize, 2L cooking oil, 5kg of beans and a small amount of maize seed for planting. People receiving their rations seemed very grateful, though it was difficult to imagine how they would get those huge bags of maize home – some had strapped them on bikes (people manage to strap an amazing amount of things on bikes here), some would carry them, rest and start again.
After the distribution, the villagers had prepared food for us. I was internally rolling my eyes as last time I had food in a village, it was interested, but not very filling. To my surprise, we were treated to big plates of rice covered in steaming beef stew, with chicken and another type of beef as well – it was a veritable feast and we left feeling very full!
We arrived back in Mzuzu at 6 – a long but satisfying day. The next day, to my delight, my boss suggested we take the lakeshore road rather than the way we had come. It is a bit longer, but very scenic and I was happy to take the extra time. We stopped in Nkhata Bay – a legendary place amongst travelers blogs – we only saw the port and market but it was quite a neat little town. I also saw these huge fish in the market – apparently the lake is deeper in the north, so different fish are available. Next we stopped at a rubber plantation where I got to see how they tap the trees for rubber and many young men crowded around the car selling rubber balls (I bought one!). Then I mentioned our weekend plans – we are planning to leave Friday for Kande Beach – so we stopped there on the way home as well. I am SO excited for the weekend now – the beach there is beyond gorgeous and the lodge we are staying at is perfect for relaxing – chalets right on the beach with chairs on the porch – hammocks, pool and lounge chairs near the bar and sparkling blue water and soft sand on the beach (the sand ahas been our only disappointment at the lake – it’s a bit coarse).
We then drove through Salima (closest place on the lake from Lilongwe, so we have been there a few times) and home.
We were unable to leave the office until 4:20pm – we had initially planned to leave the office at 1pm. Apparently the vehicle was having mechanical difficulties so we had to wait for it to be fixed. We arrived in Mzuzu at 9pm, much later than planned. I was able to stay with my friend Toni, and she (very sweetly) had pumpkin soup and a warm fire waiting (Mzuzu is COLD this time of year).
We had to get an early start the next morning to get to Karonga (3 hours north of Mzuzu) where the food distribution was scheduled to take place. My colleagues picked me up at 6am (only 15 min late – not bad considering the last time someone was supposed to pick me up at 5am they arrived at 6!) and we headed out. The road from Mzuzu to Karonga is windy and steep – Karonga is on the lake, whereas Mzuzu is at a bit of an altitude. We arrived mostly on time (well, at the same time as our Mzuzu colleagues) and headed on to the distribution – it was the furthest north I have been in Malawi and we were only 20km south of the Zambian border.
The program launch was entirely in Chichewa and Timbuka (the language spoken in the north), so I didn’t pick everything up, but the opening speeches – given by the Traditional Authority, Group Village Head, Government representative, Mzuzu CADECOM secretary and National CADECOM Secretary (my boss) were well received by the crowd of villagers. After the speeches we were treated to a number of dances . First the women danced, accompanied by their own hand clapping and singing – although the style is different than in the south, it reminded me of my first village visit in Dolo. Next, some drummers came out – one on a traditional drum, the other playing on corrugated aluminum. They began to play, and then four energetic male dancers came out – it was the first time I had seem male dancers in a village – they were amazing. I had my camera so took some shots but was unable to capture the dramatic movement. I wish I had thought to bring my smaller camera, which takes videos, along.
After the celebration, we headed to the food distribution site, where people collected their monthly allotment – a 50kg bag of maize, 2L cooking oil, 5kg of beans and a small amount of maize seed for planting. People receiving their rations seemed very grateful, though it was difficult to imagine how they would get those huge bags of maize home – some had strapped them on bikes (people manage to strap an amazing amount of things on bikes here), some would carry them, rest and start again.
After the distribution, the villagers had prepared food for us. I was internally rolling my eyes as last time I had food in a village, it was interested, but not very filling. To my surprise, we were treated to big plates of rice covered in steaming beef stew, with chicken and another type of beef as well – it was a veritable feast and we left feeling very full!
We arrived back in Mzuzu at 6 – a long but satisfying day. The next day, to my delight, my boss suggested we take the lakeshore road rather than the way we had come. It is a bit longer, but very scenic and I was happy to take the extra time. We stopped in Nkhata Bay – a legendary place amongst travelers blogs – we only saw the port and market but it was quite a neat little town. I also saw these huge fish in the market – apparently the lake is deeper in the north, so different fish are available. Next we stopped at a rubber plantation where I got to see how they tap the trees for rubber and many young men crowded around the car selling rubber balls (I bought one!). Then I mentioned our weekend plans – we are planning to leave Friday for Kande Beach – so we stopped there on the way home as well. I am SO excited for the weekend now – the beach there is beyond gorgeous and the lodge we are staying at is perfect for relaxing – chalets right on the beach with chairs on the porch – hammocks, pool and lounge chairs near the bar and sparkling blue water and soft sand on the beach (the sand ahas been our only disappointment at the lake – it’s a bit coarse).
We then drove through Salima (closest place on the lake from Lilongwe, so we have been there a few times) and home.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Emergency Flood Response
This afternoon (if a vehicle is ever ready for us), I am heading up to Mzuzu with a few other colleagues from the Flood Response Project Management Team of which I am a part.
Flooding affected varius districts in Malawi in January and February of this year due to unusually heavy rain fall.
Unfortunately, this disaster has taken some time to respond to - to the point where this week will be the first food distribution to the flood victims from my organization.
Though I am sure that the food and non-food items that will be distributed through the program may have been more effective had we been able to respond more quickly, the items are still needed and will definately still be appreciated by the beneficiaries, so I am excited to see the program roll out.
Since we don't have much equipment to capture these events, I am using my camera to assist my organization in making a photographic record of the launch of the program - I hope to share some here at some point as well!
You can read more about the flood program, funded by Caritas Australia and CRS here:
http://www.caritas.org.au/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Search&template=/CM/HTMLDisplay.cfm&ContentID=3744
(though note that I am not sure how the mis-information was recorded but there are only 1000 beneficiaries)
Flooding affected varius districts in Malawi in January and February of this year due to unusually heavy rain fall.
Unfortunately, this disaster has taken some time to respond to - to the point where this week will be the first food distribution to the flood victims from my organization.
Though I am sure that the food and non-food items that will be distributed through the program may have been more effective had we been able to respond more quickly, the items are still needed and will definately still be appreciated by the beneficiaries, so I am excited to see the program roll out.
Since we don't have much equipment to capture these events, I am using my camera to assist my organization in making a photographic record of the launch of the program - I hope to share some here at some point as well!
You can read more about the flood program, funded by Caritas Australia and CRS here:
http://www.caritas.org.au/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Search&template=/CM/HTMLDisplay.cfm&ContentID=3744
(though note that I am not sure how the mis-information was recorded but there are only 1000 beneficiaries)
Another weekend in Lilongwe
After my last post, my roomate Heather's mom arrived in Lilongwe!
We made her dinner on Thursday night to welcome her to the AGQ house (that is what the Arntz-Gray and Quinn abode is known as).
It has been neat seeing how she has reacted to a lot of the things we are used to around here and makes me excited to show all of these discoveries to my mom when she comes.
On Friday night, Heather had her second birthday party (despite the surprise party we threw her last weekend, she had her own birthday plans...). It was a blast - we had a friend offer to host and another bring a rocking sound system.
Saturday was a day of relaxation for sure! Sunday morning we were up early to enjoy breakfast before heading off to the launch of the 25th anniversary of the AIDs Candlelight memorial. It was a fairly impressive event - many booths were set up - I can't believe how many AIDs organizations there are working towards different goals - from abstinence and condoms to nutrition and ARVs.
The president arrived and toured all the booths (during which time we watched him tour the booths from the stands...a little lacking in action I must say). Afterwards, the ceremony was opened, there were prayers from different religions...Catholic, Sheik, Muslim, Evangelical...
We then lit our candles and observed a moment of silence. It is a very different experience attending an AIDs event in a country where so many people have been affected by this tragic disease. After the moment of silence there were performances by many different groups - dancers, choirs, dramatic performances. I was intrigued by the drama groups - they use these groups to go into communities and perform with messages inside the performances. When I first heard the idea back in Canada, I wasn't sure what to think (were the performances lame?), but now that I understand a bit more about culture and communication here in Malawi, I can better understand the importance of this powerful tool. The audience paid close attention and reacted strongly - I could tell that the message was being received.
The theme for the Candlelight memorial was Never Give Up, Never Forget. It was a great experience attending a memorial like that in a place like this where a message of hope is so important.
We made her dinner on Thursday night to welcome her to the AGQ house (that is what the Arntz-Gray and Quinn abode is known as).
It has been neat seeing how she has reacted to a lot of the things we are used to around here and makes me excited to show all of these discoveries to my mom when she comes.
On Friday night, Heather had her second birthday party (despite the surprise party we threw her last weekend, she had her own birthday plans...). It was a blast - we had a friend offer to host and another bring a rocking sound system.
Saturday was a day of relaxation for sure! Sunday morning we were up early to enjoy breakfast before heading off to the launch of the 25th anniversary of the AIDs Candlelight memorial. It was a fairly impressive event - many booths were set up - I can't believe how many AIDs organizations there are working towards different goals - from abstinence and condoms to nutrition and ARVs.
The president arrived and toured all the booths (during which time we watched him tour the booths from the stands...a little lacking in action I must say). Afterwards, the ceremony was opened, there were prayers from different religions...Catholic, Sheik, Muslim, Evangelical...
We then lit our candles and observed a moment of silence. It is a very different experience attending an AIDs event in a country where so many people have been affected by this tragic disease. After the moment of silence there were performances by many different groups - dancers, choirs, dramatic performances. I was intrigued by the drama groups - they use these groups to go into communities and perform with messages inside the performances. When I first heard the idea back in Canada, I wasn't sure what to think (were the performances lame?), but now that I understand a bit more about culture and communication here in Malawi, I can better understand the importance of this powerful tool. The audience paid close attention and reacted strongly - I could tell that the message was being received.
The theme for the Candlelight memorial was Never Give Up, Never Forget. It was a great experience attending a memorial like that in a place like this where a message of hope is so important.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Catching Up
After we got back from Mulanje, I headed off to Mangochi to finish the analysis of the baseline survey I had started the last time I was there. As usual, I really enjoyed the laid back atmosphere of the town - people walking everywhere or taking bike-taxis, friendly faces and the lovely mosques and veils from the high population of muslims in the area.
While I was there, I had dinner with one of CADECOM's new volunteers, Lisandra. CADECOM has two new volunteers, though neither is to be based in Lilongwe. Lisandra is in Mangochi working on gender and HIV mainstreaming and Vi is in Zomba working on cooperative development. Since I am working to monitor and evaluate our performance in those areas, I expect we will be working together despite the distance.
In the morning, I walked to work - when I did this, I walked past the prison for the first time. The inmates gave me friendly hellos from the other side of the chicken-wire fence separating the prison from the sidewalk. Things are definately more casual in Malawi - people were handing things in through the fence while the inmates greeted walkers-by.
The next night, my roomate Heather joined us on her own visit to Mangochi, and Cole also dropped by on his way back from Mulanje. We had a nice dinner together and some drinks in the gorgeous back patio of the Villa Tafika (my favorite hotel in Mangochi).
Once I finished my work on Thursday, Cole and I headed back to Lilongwe, but my driver was nice enough to stop a couple times on the way back for us to see the lake. It was my first visit to Club Makokolo (most exclusive hotel on the lake). The beach there is breath-taking, and the pools and bar luxurious. Cole and I had a drink with a South African couple celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary (yay them!), and I bought some salt pots from one of the vendors that paddled up to the beach while we were there.
We also visited Cape McClear while we were up there - it is a little sliver of land that sticks up into the lake in the southern part. Since it juts out, you can see the sun set right into the lake, which Cole and I did while taking a quick swim. After that we drove back to Lilongwe.
Friday I was up early, as we were planning a surprise birthday party for our roomate Heather that night. I made a chocolate chip banana cake and picked up all the groceries we needed for the party, which was to be held at Claire, Cole and Heidi's flat.
The party was a huge success - we had told Heather that we were having dinner for Cole's last night, so she had no idea that the party was for her. We had a blast and went dancing later at Chezntemba - a dance club here.
Saturday was low-key. On Sunday we went for a drive to Kasungu National Park to try and see some elephants, zebra or giraffes. Unfortunately, we were only able to see 3 antelopes. But the lodge we visited while we were there is gorgeous (though expensive), which is good to know for future! Then we stopped in Kasungu town for a really nice lunch where the menu declared that they served 'English Food'.
On the way to Kasungu, we realized we were low on gas and not being sure of where the next station was, we contemplated turning back to Lilongwe. When we saw a transport truck on the side of the road, we pulled over to ask, figuring the driver would know all about where to find gas. He directed us 3 km back down the road, but when we got to the small trading centre, we couldn't see a station. We asked the locals and were led to a lot with a bunch of derelict cars on it. One of the people there went over to one of the cars and pulled out a juice bottle, asking if we needed 5 litres or 10. We went for 10, then I took some photos of these guys filling our gas tank with juice bottles of fuel! It was totally awesome - sometimes I just can't believe how much I love Malawi!
While I was there, I had dinner with one of CADECOM's new volunteers, Lisandra. CADECOM has two new volunteers, though neither is to be based in Lilongwe. Lisandra is in Mangochi working on gender and HIV mainstreaming and Vi is in Zomba working on cooperative development. Since I am working to monitor and evaluate our performance in those areas, I expect we will be working together despite the distance.
In the morning, I walked to work - when I did this, I walked past the prison for the first time. The inmates gave me friendly hellos from the other side of the chicken-wire fence separating the prison from the sidewalk. Things are definately more casual in Malawi - people were handing things in through the fence while the inmates greeted walkers-by.
The next night, my roomate Heather joined us on her own visit to Mangochi, and Cole also dropped by on his way back from Mulanje. We had a nice dinner together and some drinks in the gorgeous back patio of the Villa Tafika (my favorite hotel in Mangochi).
Once I finished my work on Thursday, Cole and I headed back to Lilongwe, but my driver was nice enough to stop a couple times on the way back for us to see the lake. It was my first visit to Club Makokolo (most exclusive hotel on the lake). The beach there is breath-taking, and the pools and bar luxurious. Cole and I had a drink with a South African couple celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary (yay them!), and I bought some salt pots from one of the vendors that paddled up to the beach while we were there.
We also visited Cape McClear while we were up there - it is a little sliver of land that sticks up into the lake in the southern part. Since it juts out, you can see the sun set right into the lake, which Cole and I did while taking a quick swim. After that we drove back to Lilongwe.
Friday I was up early, as we were planning a surprise birthday party for our roomate Heather that night. I made a chocolate chip banana cake and picked up all the groceries we needed for the party, which was to be held at Claire, Cole and Heidi's flat.
The party was a huge success - we had told Heather that we were having dinner for Cole's last night, so she had no idea that the party was for her. We had a blast and went dancing later at Chezntemba - a dance club here.
Saturday was low-key. On Sunday we went for a drive to Kasungu National Park to try and see some elephants, zebra or giraffes. Unfortunately, we were only able to see 3 antelopes. But the lodge we visited while we were there is gorgeous (though expensive), which is good to know for future! Then we stopped in Kasungu town for a really nice lunch where the menu declared that they served 'English Food'.
On the way to Kasungu, we realized we were low on gas and not being sure of where the next station was, we contemplated turning back to Lilongwe. When we saw a transport truck on the side of the road, we pulled over to ask, figuring the driver would know all about where to find gas. He directed us 3 km back down the road, but when we got to the small trading centre, we couldn't see a station. We asked the locals and were led to a lot with a bunch of derelict cars on it. One of the people there went over to one of the cars and pulled out a juice bottle, asking if we needed 5 litres or 10. We went for 10, then I took some photos of these guys filling our gas tank with juice bottles of fuel! It was totally awesome - sometimes I just can't believe how much I love Malawi!
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Mount Mulanje
Ugh - has it really been 10 days since I blogged? Work and weekends have been so busy! I keep thinking of blogs in my head - will have to work at getting them in writing more often!
We went to climb Mount Mulanje May 1 - 4. May 1 was a holiday (Thursday) so we booked Friday off to extend the weekend. While we were climbing, I thought of many different blog titles - amoungst the finalists: How my I-pod got me up Mount Mulanje, Hiking, hiking and more hiking, and finally: How Mulanje kicked my ass.
The hiking was beautiful and the views were stunning. So so stunning. I definately want to go back, though next time we will plan a traverse hike rather than a peak attempt.
The first day started out wil lots of promise. All three of us like hiking, and there are porters available, so hiking with no backpack was quite a treat!! We made a group of 6 all together - Peter, our guide, Abdul and Alex, our porters, and the three Arntz-Grays. After about an hour and a half, we detoured to a beautiful waterfall - absolutely amazing. After a short refresh, we headed on up. Once you have hiked about 2 - 3 hours, you start breaking through the tree line and seeing the most beautiful vistas. Then we started to get tired. We had to choose to hike to Chambe hut (4 hours) or Chisepo (7 hours). We decided to keep trucking and go for Chisepo despite being tired. Lunch refreshed us somewhat so we made good time for part of the afternoon. All together it took us 8 1/2 hours to do what the guide called a 7 hour hike - not too bad all things considered!
The huts available to stay in are great - water is provided (we treated anyways though) and a fire is lit so you can cook on it. It was so nice to get up there and be able to take our hiking shoes off...that was definately the first order of business! There was actually beer and coke available for sale as well - I can't believe it is worth it to hike glass bottles all the way up that path just to sell them for 200 kwatcha ($1.50) - I would have paid 500! There was a big group hiking at the same time and sharing the hut, so there was a very celebratory atmosphere and lots of conversation.
The next day we tried for the highest peak in Mulanje (3001m), but the "hiking" was brutal. Mostly we were scrabbling up steep rock faces, often on all fours. I had several panic attacks going up while thinking about how we were going to get down. Finally, after three hours of hiking we reached the half way point and just had to admit that it was best to turn around. Weather conditions were not great, and it would have taken us all day just to get to the top - and the guide indicated it was to get steeper yet.
We headed back down and then hiked another four hours to Chambe hut so that we would have an easier hike down on the last day. The same larger group followed us again to Chambe, so it was nice to have company.
The last day included a lot of "was it this far? I didn't think it was this far?" on the way back down to the car. We also managed to meet up with our friend Cole, who was just heading up the mountain...his guide had recommended bringing up a live chicken to cook at the top! I guess then you don't need to worry about salmonella?
Anyways, it was a rewarding experience, and I definately want to return to that beautiful place!
We went to climb Mount Mulanje May 1 - 4. May 1 was a holiday (Thursday) so we booked Friday off to extend the weekend. While we were climbing, I thought of many different blog titles - amoungst the finalists: How my I-pod got me up Mount Mulanje, Hiking, hiking and more hiking, and finally: How Mulanje kicked my ass.
The hiking was beautiful and the views were stunning. So so stunning. I definately want to go back, though next time we will plan a traverse hike rather than a peak attempt.
The first day started out wil lots of promise. All three of us like hiking, and there are porters available, so hiking with no backpack was quite a treat!! We made a group of 6 all together - Peter, our guide, Abdul and Alex, our porters, and the three Arntz-Grays. After about an hour and a half, we detoured to a beautiful waterfall - absolutely amazing. After a short refresh, we headed on up. Once you have hiked about 2 - 3 hours, you start breaking through the tree line and seeing the most beautiful vistas. Then we started to get tired. We had to choose to hike to Chambe hut (4 hours) or Chisepo (7 hours). We decided to keep trucking and go for Chisepo despite being tired. Lunch refreshed us somewhat so we made good time for part of the afternoon. All together it took us 8 1/2 hours to do what the guide called a 7 hour hike - not too bad all things considered!
The huts available to stay in are great - water is provided (we treated anyways though) and a fire is lit so you can cook on it. It was so nice to get up there and be able to take our hiking shoes off...that was definately the first order of business! There was actually beer and coke available for sale as well - I can't believe it is worth it to hike glass bottles all the way up that path just to sell them for 200 kwatcha ($1.50) - I would have paid 500! There was a big group hiking at the same time and sharing the hut, so there was a very celebratory atmosphere and lots of conversation.
The next day we tried for the highest peak in Mulanje (3001m), but the "hiking" was brutal. Mostly we were scrabbling up steep rock faces, often on all fours. I had several panic attacks going up while thinking about how we were going to get down. Finally, after three hours of hiking we reached the half way point and just had to admit that it was best to turn around. Weather conditions were not great, and it would have taken us all day just to get to the top - and the guide indicated it was to get steeper yet.
We headed back down and then hiked another four hours to Chambe hut so that we would have an easier hike down on the last day. The same larger group followed us again to Chambe, so it was nice to have company.
The last day included a lot of "was it this far? I didn't think it was this far?" on the way back down to the car. We also managed to meet up with our friend Cole, who was just heading up the mountain...his guide had recommended bringing up a live chicken to cook at the top! I guess then you don't need to worry about salmonella?
Anyways, it was a rewarding experience, and I definately want to return to that beautiful place!
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Impressions of Africa
I just finished reading Stephen Lewis’s Race Against Time. It is a printed version of his Massey lectures delivered in 2005. It is a fast and interesting thought provoking read and I highly recommend it if you are interested. It made me very happy to be here, and to be working with a local organization. He is refreshingly pro-African (and I say that since we are constantly with development workers who, even though they are here, are sometimes negative about African structures, leadership, corruption etc.).
About corruption, Stephen Lewis makes an excellent point about throwing stones in glass houses – what about our own sponsorship scandals etc? He hates to see 53 sub-saharan countries lumped together because of the negative experiences of a few, and I wholeheartedly agree. He also makes some excellent points about the need to respect the local leadership and way of doing things. The IMF and World Bank Policies of associating access to funds with imposed conditions has done a great deal of damage to Africa, especially after colonialism.
To relate a personal experience, I am working with my local organization on a proposal, with which we are passionately arguing with our donors – they are insisting that staff be cut from the program where we as a local organization feel they are desperately required. How can a donor come in and tell local organizations what to do? They are not acting in the manner of a partner, but as a parent, and it is not right.
On the topic of cross cultural misunderstanding, I have to relate an experience from today. I was asked to facilitate the first section of a workshop a colleague of mine is running on Monitoring and Evaluation. I sucked. Spectacularly. I just didn’t have the audience, everything fell flat and no-one participated. I have a lot to learn in terms of what Malawians expect and their learning and participatory styles. My colleague then tool over and (though he took an hour to go through his section that was slotted for 15 minutes) he had the people participating, laughing and answering questions.
I think it would be helpful if I could learn the language, but though I started out strong, I am now so busy with work and out of town so often that I haven’t been able to fit a lesson in for 4 weeks – how frustrating.
I am also fluctuating at the moment through incredible highs and sudden lows – I love it here and am so enjoying working with my co-workers, living in the warm and beautiful country, and learning and growing. Sometimes I will just be walking down the street and then will stop to gape at my incredible surroundings and be so grateful to be here. Then at other times, all of a sudden, I will be gripped with a longing for home, for things familiar and comfortable, where even through there is great disparity between rich and poor there is just no comparison to the disparity here.
About corruption, Stephen Lewis makes an excellent point about throwing stones in glass houses – what about our own sponsorship scandals etc? He hates to see 53 sub-saharan countries lumped together because of the negative experiences of a few, and I wholeheartedly agree. He also makes some excellent points about the need to respect the local leadership and way of doing things. The IMF and World Bank Policies of associating access to funds with imposed conditions has done a great deal of damage to Africa, especially after colonialism.
To relate a personal experience, I am working with my local organization on a proposal, with which we are passionately arguing with our donors – they are insisting that staff be cut from the program where we as a local organization feel they are desperately required. How can a donor come in and tell local organizations what to do? They are not acting in the manner of a partner, but as a parent, and it is not right.
On the topic of cross cultural misunderstanding, I have to relate an experience from today. I was asked to facilitate the first section of a workshop a colleague of mine is running on Monitoring and Evaluation. I sucked. Spectacularly. I just didn’t have the audience, everything fell flat and no-one participated. I have a lot to learn in terms of what Malawians expect and their learning and participatory styles. My colleague then tool over and (though he took an hour to go through his section that was slotted for 15 minutes) he had the people participating, laughing and answering questions.
I think it would be helpful if I could learn the language, but though I started out strong, I am now so busy with work and out of town so often that I haven’t been able to fit a lesson in for 4 weeks – how frustrating.
I am also fluctuating at the moment through incredible highs and sudden lows – I love it here and am so enjoying working with my co-workers, living in the warm and beautiful country, and learning and growing. Sometimes I will just be walking down the street and then will stop to gape at my incredible surroundings and be so grateful to be here. Then at other times, all of a sudden, I will be gripped with a longing for home, for things familiar and comfortable, where even through there is great disparity between rich and poor there is just no comparison to the disparity here.
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