October 1, 2011
Where has the time gone? It’s October already?! Wish I was pumpkin picking,
bundled up in fall clothes and sipping cold pumpkin beer and apple cider back
home…Instead it’s hot, muggy and sweaty here.
I have the mental motivation to get work done, but with this heat, it’s
so easy to slow down and sit in the darkness of my pantry (which is 20 degrees
colder than the rest of Dwambazi).
Teaching is a blast. Life Skills is
an important, yet simple topic to teach.
Simple in the sense that we play games to learn. Otherwise the students sit in their seats,
anxiously waiting to go home. I do less
talking at them and more guiding them through activities. It’s like summer camp only 40 minutes a day, three
days a week. They like it. I like it.
It works. Shout out to Health 420
my senior year of college – I can whip up lesson plans the night before class,
which is what I learned to do in Health 420.
A baby chick just came into my house.
I tried to shoo him out, but instead he flapped himself into a corner.
Oh the things I deal with here in Malawi.
In this heat, lying in bed and doing nothing makes me feel accomplished.
October 2, 2011
I made my house smell like Grandpa Gibbs’ – burnt pancakes on a Sunday
morning. Just wish I had real maple
syrup.
Today has been my busiest day at site – it felt great! With the help of Kenneth, we planted lettuce,
tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, radishes (sounds like a delicious salad, right?),
3 types of squash and cantaloupe. I brought
seeds from America (I’m pretty sure that isn’t allowed??) and my neighbors were
shocked there were so many “American vegetables”. They asked me what squash tasted like and “is
cantaloupe like an orange?” They were
excited and skeptical so I promised a veggie feast when we harvest.
The plan is to transplant many of the vegetables to the hospital garden as
soon as the seeds germinate and a fence has been built at the hospital.
My only issues right now are 1) chickens tend to bust right through my
fence and 2) Kenneth wants to come over to water the garden at dawn and at dusk
– completely unnecessary, as I can handle the task. Also, I think he likes to practice his
English and to chat with. Also, I may be
too nice to him and he could be getting the wrong idea. Gotta nip that in the bud.
Ama Chimbutu took me to a tailor to have a skirt made. I bought a lovely chitenje with a large
floral print, borrowed Renee’s skirt that I covet so much and had it
replicated. It is absolutely beautiful.
I love the finished project so much.
It’s probably the nicest skirt I have in-country (no, I am sure it is
the nicest thing I own) so I plan on wearing it to the Ambassador’s 50th
Anniversary party for Peace Corps in November.
Lastly, I made wine. How I came
about making this wine…
The crazy tailor (no, I don’t know his name, but he has a a shop at the
corner of the market and I walk by him everyday. In the heat of the afternoon he does not
work, but instead lifts his bare foot on top of the sewing machine and leans
backs outside his small stall. He is
about 60 with grey stubble on his face and wrinkles on his face that show he
smiled a lot during his lifetime. When I
walk by, he lights up and excitedly shouts “yewu, yewu, yewu!” I shout “Yewu, yewu, yewu” right back at
him. He loves it). Anyway, as I was walking by the tailor, we
did our usual greeting, but this time he seemed down and out. I asked how he was feeling and he told me in
a garbled voice he was sick with asthma.
I told him I was sorry to hear that and hoped he felt better soon. He pointed to four papayas sitting on his sewing
machine table. He told me to take
one. I asked how much and he shook his
head and said take one. I reached for
the smallest one and he said no, the big one.
He smiled his huge, crazy tailor smile and waved good-bye. That’s how I got the papaya.
Since I have bought brewer’s yeast in Lilongwe for Mango Wine (mango season
is a month away) I decided to put it to good use with my maprizey papaya. I decided that papaya/banana wine was a good
way to beat the heat.
It was well passed noon and my usual banana vendor had already sold out and
returned home so I went to the other end of the market but could find no one
selling bananas. I wandered aimlessly
out of town yelling the word “banana” in Tonga (literally – I don’t mind making
a fool of myself. In fact, my village expects it by now).
A woman heard my cries of anguish, grabbed my hand and pulled me down a
path to her home. I sat on a reed mat
with her mother and children just outside their home. She returned from inside her house with an
enormous basket of bananas. I purchased
8. She grabbed my hand again and
escorted me back to the road.
It was a magical day at the market.
I returned home to my 20-liter bucket where I began to turn water into
wine. In 20 days there will be a
wine-tasting.
October 4, 2011
After riding my bike to school today, my legs were sweating so much that I
thought I had peed myself. After
teaching, several students came up to me to thank me for being their teacher. I think that’s what makes it all worth it.
October 5, 2011
I just realized I typed a letter to 5 schools, printed it out and mailed it
without proof-reading. In this letter, I
said, “I look forward to the day I don’t have to eat peanut butt sandwiches.” Cool, Kathi.
October 6, 2011
Sprouts! My radishes, green beans
and cucumbers are sprouting, oh happy day!
My Form Ones are getting rowdy in class, but I found a way to quiet them –
pop quiz! Oh the power of being a
teacher…The Form Threes are doing well – they know their stuff and most
participate. My girls group needs some
inspirado,, but that is mostly on my end.
Mac and cheese and tabloid magazines helped me get through this dreary
day. And this chilly night is sparing me
from the blazing sun – a reprieve from hot season – thank you!
October 12, 2011
The country director of Peace Corps Malawi came to my house to check in on
me. He came bearing gifts – banana bread
and chocolate chip cookies. Somehow my
awkward self managed to keep it cool and not botch the situation too badly.
His timing was poor – right in the middle of my Form 1 class – luckily I
tracked down the headmaster to let him know I would be late just in time to
salvage my class.
Something tore up my garden. Not
sure what it was, but my rows of radishes and carrots are clawed out. I had tears in my eyes when I felt the ground
where they once were. I felt so maternal
toward those little innocent sprouts.
October 23, 2011
Girls weekend with a few ladies – I needed a quick trip to the lake. We went to Senga Bay for some swimming in the
sunshine. It was brilliant and
rejuvenating to be with these fun, lovely ladies. It left me feeling relaxed and completely at
peace.
We continued on to Lilongwe for VSV training. There I met up with Meredith, who I am sad to
see leave out Tonga family. I know she
will be happier someplace else, just glad I got the chance to say good-bye.
I came back from my super rejuvenating week to find that Freddy ate most of
my food (food from America), stole some of my stationary including U.S. postage
stamps, and wrote his name on my spare sheets that I leave in the living room
folded in a basket, my garden was left unattended and one neighbor told me he
often had friends over in my house. His
behavior is unbelievable – out of control – completely ridiculous, even. Why would be treat me like this after I paid
for his school fees? I addressed the
issues like a big girl (go Kathi!) and was in disbelief when he denied it. He is officially cut off.
Even worse, I feel like there are few people who look out for me. I trusted Freddy, I really did. Kenneth used to be my go-to garden man, but
now I am just creeped out by how often he calls, sometimes calling me “angel”
or telling me he just wanted to hear my voice.
I am so sick of being mistreated because I am a mzungu and because I am
a woman.
No water at any of the spigots. It’s
packed with ladies with empty buckets. I
go around noon when it is hottest and most people are eating lunch – that’s the
best time to get water.
October 28, 2011
I love that I can do laundry and hang it on the line at 4pm and it will be
completely dry by the time it gets dark at 6pm.
Dang, it’s hot!
Frustrated with how my school handles changes in the schedule – ie: they
don’t call me to let me know there is a change.
I was really angry to show up at my scheduled time to find out I should
have been at school an hour earlier.
However, none of the staff seemed to concerned. I pride myself on doing my work to
efficiently and trying my best at being a teacher, but I was so upset by this
unprofessionalism. But soon the anger
subsided and I realized it was no big deal – teachers rearranged my schedule so
I could make up the class and everything was business as usual. I wish I wasn’t so Type A about things and
would let go of some of my American tendencies.
They are what makes America run, but they clash with the ways of the
Malawian village.
Kenneth asked me if he could borrow my bike today and I said, no, I am
going to be using it and you know what that man said to me?? “You should
walk.” The nerve!
October 29, 2011
I was looking for Jimmy this afternoon and someone pointed at the delivery
room, so I went inside to give Jimmy the information regarding a training for
medicinal plants. I entered and a woman
was naked on the table. She was silent,
sweat dripped from her forehead. Her
mother held her hand.
“Do you want to see a birth? It will be just a few minutes”
Hell yeah, I do!
Within two minutes the woman was pushing.
She didn’t make a sound. The baby
came out quite easily and was light grey in color. She was placed on her mother’s chest. The grandmother praised God then shook my
hand (as if I had anything to do with the birth) and cried. The cord was cut with a slice of a razor. The child was wrapped in a new chitenje and
placed on an empty bed nearby.
Next came the placenta. The nurse
pulled on the cord for a while, but nothing emerged. He injected the mother with a drug that would
cause the placenta to be released. Hands
went inside her, pulling and tugging at this stubborn placenta (it made me feel
woozy) but finally it came out. Again,
the woman was silent through the whole thing.
I was in awe. Women are so strong,
amazing and beautiful. It was an
incredible experience – one I would probably not have in the States unless I
was a medical professional.
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