Culture???

The Things I do

I am an azungu (foreigner) in this culture.

I do a lot of things to fit in to the culture.

I dress appropriately about 95% of the time, wearing long skirts and modest tops or dresses. I occasionally where jeans of work out clothes when I am not doing anything related to my work or ministry.

I am slowly learning to speak and understand others speaking Chichewa. I make an effort with greeting people and taking time to hear about them. That is important here.

Generally, I let my husband lead in matters of dealing with our guards/gardener/house helper in all things except general in the house things. That is seen as my domain.

I try hard not to directly express anger and disapproval. Those of you who know me well know that is an uphill battle.

It seems as I learn more about this culture I learn more and more things that I do that just don’t fit in.

I talk walks, kuyenda chabe I say when people ask me where I am headed, that means just walking. Malawians don’t generally take walks just to walk.

I also carry my camera and take pictures of birds which while my neighbors have gotten used to they still find it odd and amusing.

I walk my dogs. I don’t think until recently I really realized how this is not a cultural norm because I see people walking dogs, esp. out in my neighborhood. Now I hear they are taking them for flea baths.

I am pretty weird about my dogs not eating trash which is a common part of most animal diets here.

I also provide the best veterinary care available for my pets in a country where good medical care is often difficult to find.

I bake, sometimes a lot. Traditionally Malawians have not baked. All food has been cooked over a fire and they do make a few things that are quick bread like in a sort of dutch oven but baking is not really part of this culture.

I think that mostly I get by even though I don’t always fit in mostly because I spend time with people and I greet them warmly in Chichewa. Now my Chichewa is still pretty sad but Malawians seem to universally respond better to most things you do and say if you make an effort to speak their language.

So I go on walking the dogs and taking pictures and baking cakes and cookies and I keep working on my language.

Chabwino, Its all right.

Birds, Butterflies and Bugs

So if you follow my facebook you might think all I ever do is take pictures. In the age of digital photography, I manage to take a lot of photos and delete most of them. The word obsessive has been tossed around in connection with my name.

I find that having an outlet apart from my office work is a good thing for my mental and physical health. I am doing a lot of walking and my knees are doing well. I have had an issue with my hip that is improving. I am doing quite a few other things, having guests to my home for meals, my neighbor kids come over to color, a friend comes to sew, and I do extra reading because I am the personnel coordinator and will be telling others to read some of them and we are trying to figure out the best ones. I also study Chichewa.

I want to continue to study language and culture along with my work. Walking in the mornings with my camera has been a good exercise for this as well. I talk to people I meet, mostly Malawian’s I greet them in Chichewa, sometimes we have conversations. Slowly slowly I am hearing more words that are familiar to my azungu ears. Even words and phrases I know are hard for me to hear and understand from a Malawian tongue.

 I have learned about how maize is harvested, most Malawians in this area seem to think it’s a good crop. I have visited with men making bricks. That is quite a process as they carry the water and mix the clay like soil and then form the bricks in a mold and turn them out on smoothed ground to dry. Then they are stacked in a special way so that fire can be built inside the stack to cure them. Today a man wanted to sell me some for 20 Kwacha each. I don’t need bricks and I have learned that this is a pretty high price. Nasho bought some for 17 kwacha each and our language teacher says sometimes they sell for less.

Most early mornings I see women hauling what I am told is fire wood. Long straight branches about 8 feet long bundled together are hauled balanced on their heads which are padded with rolled up chitenjes. Sometimes they will also be carrying a baby in a chitenje on their back. They are working hard and I feel like a slug wondering around staring up at the tree tops. They also wonder about me as most Malawians would not have a camera or the time to pursue bird watching as a hobby.

Mostly the regulars in our neighborhood are getting used to seeing me out with my camera and know I am looking at birds so they point a few out to me and greet me warmly.. I frequently tell those who haven’t seen me before, “Ndi Kujambula mbalame” (I am taking pictures of birds).

I have recently added not one but 2 bird baths in our yard hoping to attract more song birds into my world. There are many plain birds around here but there are also very exotic looking birds with crests, or long tails, and very bright colors. We also have so many butterflies here and quite interesting bugs. I am not seeing many new critters on my morning walks now but generally I spot something of interest and I learn something new from time to time.

The culture and uses of a Chitenje

A Chitenje is a piece of moderately heavy cotton fabric about 1.5 meters wide and 2 meters long. It is brightly colored and patterned and most commonly made by a wax stamp process not unlike batik. Our language instructor tells me that no good Malawian woman would be caught with out a chitenje, and a head scarf with her. I don't see woman wear head scarves often here but it is appropriate for a funeral and funerals are very important here. She also says a good Malawian woman knows how to pick a fresh chicken at the market, butcher, clean and prepare it for her family. I no doubt will never be a "Good Malawian Woman"
Uses of a Chitenje
1. Apron: Women who work away from the home may use it as a cover or apron when they come home in the evening. They will wrap it around their dress, up under their arms to protect their good clothing while cooking
2. Maternity Dress: Easily increases with size as you get bigger. Even the poorest man will try to buy this as his first gift to his intended bride. He has bought her a whole wardrobe right down to maternity wear with one piece of cloth.
3. Baby Carrier: Easy to put on once you know how and is very secure. There are 2 was most widely used here. 1)both ends pulled around to the front, under the arms and tucked in well at the top of the breast and under the breast. 2)Pulled diagonally across the baby and over one shoulder and under the other arm for a sling effect.
4. Bed sheet and or cover
5 Head ring:Fold into one narrow length and wind it loosely into a ring to fit the top of your head. Tuck in the ends and it will bear the load that is carried on the head, adjusting to the shape of the object.
6. Morning gown or robe for men or women. A man will tie it across one shoulder and let it hang like a toga. Women tie it around under there arms or at the waist. It is worn to the bath
7. Picnic mat: Spread anywhere for a table cloth
8. Towel: Can even be used while you are wearing it. To whipe your hands or face if you are perspiring or have washed your face, just pick up a corner.
9. Coin Purse: tie coins or other small items in the corner you tuck in at your waist.
10 Proper attire for riding bike or motor bike. Wearing the chitenje as a cover up you push it with your skirt tucked up between your legs front to back.
11. First aid kit: Usa as a bandage, stetcher or sling.
12. Suitcase: All kinds of personal belongings or other objects can be laced on the cloth and tied up inside to be carried on safely and conveniently but hand or most likely on the head.

In my life I only use my chitenje as a cover over my nightgown is someone shows up at the door but it is handy.


this is a display of fairly typical pieces of chitenje fabric. At the market their are booths filled with chitenje fabric for sale.

The Things they Carried

The Things they Carried

This is the title of a book by Tim O’Brien.I think it’s a very relevant title for this blog.

 I see people carrying things every day and in pretty much every way.

These are generic pictures from google of an African woman carrying her young child in a chitenji and a man with a huge load being transported on a bicycle.

One day I saw an African woman carrying her baby in a manufactured carrier and was greatly surprised. Most often local women carry their children from babies to toddlers in a Chitenji. This is a wrap that serves as a wrap to cover a woman from the waist down, and many other purposes. It can also be rolled and coiled to make a padding of sorts on top of one’s head to facilitate that carrying of plastic tubs or any number of other items, including firewood, charcoal or random bundles. Often with no support from their hands.

It is not uncommon to see young men carrying long poles of bamboo on their head or other kinds of wood or beams and loads of charcoal as well.

Vehicles also carry many things. I have seen huge loads of cane furniture balanced on a flatbed pick up sort of vehicle. I have also seen an amazing number of people carried on the same sort of vehicle. Possibly in work clothes headed out to work for the day or in dress clothes in the rain with a large number of umbrellas.

Bicycles also carry things. They can be ridden with a load on one’s head or they can be loaded up with various packages strapped to the frame and pushed. Large loads of charcoal are carried by our gate like this fairly regularly. 

Just a glimpse of what we see every day

Some Pieces of My Life Here

I am very thankful that we have mosquito nets. We sleep under one every night. It is best to use the bathroom, have your phone and anything else you need before getting into bed. It is not that convenient is you have to get up. Ours does have side zippers so it is easier to get in an out then some. It is our preference to tuck the net in because there might be a stray ant, cricket, spider or in reality even a lizard that might crawl up the inside if it's on the floor.

I am convinced that I am more adapted then one might expect because I don't remove lizards under 4 inches from my house, because I know they eat mosquitoes and such. Any bigger then that and I figure they belong outside. I have only seen 2 small ones in my house at this point. So live and let live.

In many ways its seems like Blantyre is one continuous farmers market. In the past week I have purchased bananas, tomatoes, peppers, potatoes and green beans from the roadside. I also got fine strawberries one of the first days we were here. I could buy mangos, oranges, lemons, onions, assorted greens, yams and yesterday Lychess by the bag full. Reality is that I would have to study to know what to do with a fresh lychee.

Yesterday we ventured to the curio market. It was overwhelming. I know the artisans depend on Azunga (white people) to buy most of their wares. However for my first trip I only wanted to look and see what was available. I had a hard time saying no that many times.

Today our guard/gardener showed us that the dog had an ingrown dew claw. I had looked at her other paw and thought it needed a trim and been at a loss as to how to trim it. So I called the vet I had a number for and the Blantyre SPCA, society for the protection and care of animals. I got a live answer at the spca so that is where we went. Sweepy got her nails trimmed and the ingrown infected one cut out and shaved around, 2 shots, dewormer and flea treatment without too long of a wait and we paid 18,000 Malawian Kwatcha, which is about $25 US currency. Probably the most amazing part of the whole process was the fact the google maps gave us directions how to get there.

Our day to day life is settling to some routine. We have designated Thursday as our main day to shop for groceries and other needs. We eat fruit, yogurt and granola most mornings for breakfast, Sandwiches or leftovers for lunch and what ever I have decided I can make from whats on hand for supper. Lots of stuff with meat, veggies and gravy over rice or potatoes. Last night it was Lo Mein, tonight I am making chili. I soaked my beans over night and will cook them in the pressure cooker to save time.

When I have time I sit with my camera and try to take pictures of the monkeys. I generally see them, my camera is generally in my lap rather then focused on where I know they will pass by that time though. So I must be content with pictures of the colorful lizards and the trees and such.

We have begun language learning. I am memorizing the words pretty well but struggle with the nd sound at the beginning of words. Also there is a saying in grade school that when two vowels go walking the first one does the talking and also the silent e at the end of words. All vowels are pronounce in Chichewa. Hoping my tongue and palatte can begin making the right sounds.

 Best picture I have managed of the monkey. He was right in the yard today.   Vegetables near the road.

Traveling observations and First Impressions

I have dreaded the process of traveling to Blantyre Malawi. Long flights and cramped spaces on planes are generally an exercise in endurance. Maybe I had such low expectations that anything seemed good, I am not sure but I found the travel easier than I expected. I did not have much stiffness in my knees and virtually no pain and I was able to sleep a couple of pretty good chunks of time.

The airport in Johannesburg is large and very modern and has some really nice shops. I didn’t shop but they looked to be filled with some pretty lovely eye candy. Bright printed cloth, bowl, carvings etc. If time were of no import I could easily spend an afternoon browsing and shopping there. Well maybe just browsing as most places airport prices are pretty high. We had some small mix-ups with directions and our hotel. I can say they were small after three days. To my exhausted traveler self, they seemed nearly insurmountable at the moment.

The parts of Blantyre I saw my first 2 days here seemed pretty rural. Narrow rutted dirt roads and lot of people walking but not a large amount of traffic. We have now been into the main town which is much more urban and visited the two big supermarkets.

The house we are living in is a pleasant surprise. It is very spacious and pretty much fully furnished. That really means there is more than enough here to meet our needs but I will add some things to make it seem homier. The floors are all tile and the curtains are mostly dark African prints.

The kitchen has lots of cupboards and counter space. I have much as I expected a small gas stove and an electric fridge. The stove seems to have an above the stove broiler area. Something I will have to experiment with and the fridge is a bit larger than I expected. I also have a laundry area with a washer and dryer, I consider the dryer a huge bonus. The bedrooms have what to me are built in wardrobes rather than closets. They are roomy and easy to organize. The thing that has surprised me most about the house is the windows. The screens are on the inside and they pull open like a little door and then you push the window open and close the screen. They have built in decorative metal that is for security. The doors have similar gates of metal as well as the wooden doors. We also have a security guard. When I asked about why we need this level of security the response was to deter robberies and vandalism and that the area here is actually pretty safe.

We have fruit trees and some blooming trees in the yard, including mango trees. I am eager for the start of mango season. I am making an assumption that the fruit trees are the reason I have at least one monkey hanging around. I am too new to the country to find them a nuisance and am fascinated. That might change if they decide to eat all the fruit. It would seem most people find them more of a nuisance than a benefit.

The house we are living in was the house of some missionaries who are on extended leave for family health reasons and we seem to have become part owners of their dog. Her name is Sweepy and she appears to be an aging border collie. I brushed her a bit today and took her for a walk. Having a dog around on a walk adds an element of safety as most Malawians are somewhat afraid of them esp. a fairly large one like Sweepy. I have seen her to be somewhat listless but after playing with her a bit she definitely was moving faster and showing more interest in life. I think I have a new friend.

 We met most of the missionaries here in Blantyre Thursday morning. Names are coming, though not completely set in my mind. They are all from places other than the US, which made me feel a little tentative prior to arrival. They have been kind, warm and gracious toward us new comers. I am optimistic that it will be easy to build good working relationships with these people.

Our first months here will be intensive language learning. Malawi has two official languages, Eng

lish and Chichewa. One can get around with English but it is helpful to learn some Chichewa. It also shows respect to the citizens to learn “their” language. We were advised as to the importance of greeting here before we came. I have already seen that it is important to exchange more extended greetings than in the US. How are you? How did you wake up? How are your husband or wife, children, how did they wake? Relationships are held as more important than time. Maybe the west could learn something from this.

At this point the language and accents sound thick and foreign to me. I know from experience my ears will get used to this. I love the richness of the sights and sounds around me. I am hoping and praying that my brain and tongue can start wrapping themselves around making Chichewa words and making sense of hearing it spoken quickly.

Zikomo, that means thank you in Chichewa. I am so glad you took time to read my blog.

The following pictures show how the windows look and the blooming frangipani tree out side my window.

Some thoughts about international travel

Laying on my bed in a hotel in Johannesburg South Africa with my mind spinning in circles and wondering what tomorrow will bring.

We managed to get safely from Alexandria, MN to Johannesburg South Africa in the past two days.
This feels significant.
I was on the hotel shuttle earlier this evening listening to the conversations around me and its obvious I am not in the Upper Midwest anymore. Many thick accents and many unfamiliar languages and my very white skin is definitely in the minority here.
There are things to be said for wide body jets that you fly over the ocean. They have slightly more room then small planes in the economy seating area, they have seat back entertainment systems to distract you from the amount of time you are spending in the same seat. They feed and hydrate you pretty regularly. Particularly enjoyed the banana and oreo cookie bar I got sometime in the middle of the night my home time and early morning local time in South Africa, can't say a lot about the other food. It was edible and filled the void in my tummy.
So getting off our plane today I was feeling like a very accomplished traveler and blessed by God. That feeling quickly hit a few bumps. The Johannesburg airport is the nicest airport I have been though in Africa. It has tiled floor and lots of signs. We had been provided information about how our hotel stay here would work. However that was not correct. Expedia is not my friend at the moment. I reserved a hotel room in Johannesburg through there service over a month ago. Then said hotel sent me a note through Expedia that they were flooded and transferring me to a hotel quite a long distance from the airport. So what do you really do about this. After a lot of long phone calls we cancelled the first reservation and made a new one. However they didn't tell me I needed to guarantee it with a credit card to hold the room past 2. They did tell me it was right in the airport. So we first went to the in airport hotel and then had to back track and catch a shuttle to the right hotel. Then arrived to find they had no reservation. End of story is that with a little time spent trying to figure things out we got a room at the second hotel.
There are some comments I can make about people in South Africa around the airport. The hotel desk clerks we dealt with are well trained and were kind and patient, to an amazing degree. We got into a situation with what I believe was a man posing as airport staff who really wasn't supposed to be in the airport at all. He was directing us to the hotel shuttle area and was very polite however it became obvious once we got to the location that he had taken us on a long and round about route to procure a tip and left us at the edge of the area to avoid being found out. As one who has been through a number of international airports and been warned of this I should probably have known better. I got a lot of steps on my fitbit to make up for the time sitting on the plane. I think between going to the wrong hotel and then trekking back through the airport and the round about trip to the hotel shuttle I made over 2.5 miles, hauling our hand luggage. There is a bright side.
I should also note that I had made an effort to book a hotel that had a pool. I thought it would be refreshing after the lengthy plane ride. We got here, I settled a few things and got ready to swim. Out door pool, not lighting, no heat. My feet went in which was okay but with water about the temperature of iced tea I did not go further.
When we were at training in Cambridge Ontario we did skits about stages of being in a new culture. One groups skit dealt with trying to accomplish things. Our experiences after landing today were frustrating and I know I will have more frustrations here but We are safe, God is good and he has brought us this far surely he will see us though.