Yet Another Ending

I wrote this post two days ago, and have just now found some internet. Hurrah.

This morning I awoke at 4:57am, finished packing a few things, and set out in the rain with my enormous backpack. I made it into town for the 6am bus heading south along the lakeshore, back to Lilongwe. The bus resembled a city bus, with five uncomfortably falling-apart seats sandwiched into each row, and over the next ten hours the bus became progressively more full of people. I spent the day eating scones and tomatoes (yesterday's preparative purchases,) listening to podcasts, attempting - quite unsuccesfully - to stretch my cramped legs, and staring at the man in the aisle dangling six large fish from one hand.

I’ve been in Malawi for a month. I’ve seen a completely different life pace that can translate to lots of waiting around, but also to a very distinct cultural energy. I've eaten lots and lots of carbs, probably mostly mandazzi, the freshly fried handmade donuts. I've witnessed more amazing sunsets than I’d imagined, and I've learned to use the sunset as a weather predictor - my iPhone weather app does not work without internet, so I've adequately made use of my resources.

Over the past few weeks I worked a lot with the disabled group at Butterfly. My favorite thing about Mondays with the group was their ability to laugh. They honestly spend a significant portion of each meeting just laughing good-naturedly at each other’s disabilities. We had a good time. Their innocence and willingness to learn and love is remarkable. It became so much easier and so much more enjoyable to be with them each week, to the extent that I always looked forward to the group despite how exhausted I knew I’d be when they left. Whether bathing a person in the lake, hiding chocolate Easter eggs, or feeding someone lunch, working alongside these individuals was new to me. I can’t yet word how much this group meant to me while I’ve been here, or how much I learned from them.

Besides our Monday sessions, Saskia (my German friend) and I did home visits for the disabled group members. Along with a translator, we walked through the hills and into nearby villages to meet with families. There we checked on participants who had been absent for a while, or new people to invite to our group. On two visits I was completely blown away by the love and care that the families showed towards their disabled children, given the unimaginable way that many disabled individuals are frequently treated in Malawi. I left these homes feeling truly happy and positive. I know in my head that their road will be so so difficult, but it was beautiful to witness the depth of care in these families.

On a totally different note, something I’ve heard and thought a lot about since coming to Africa is the idea of the poverty mentality. This idea that someone in deep poverty will try to get absolutely as much as they possibly can out of any given situation, whether that situation is foreign aid or trash on the road or a school education. And while yes, I have seen versions of that idea at times here, I’ve also completely seen the flip-side.

At Butterfly, I led Youth Club twice a week for public school kids in the area. We did fun and educational activities, with the aim of giving the kids opportunities that they wouldn’t otherwise have. That not only meant art projects and new games, but also the chance to interact with and learn from people of all different cultures. Two weeks ago we began Youth Club with a drawing activity. We were imagining what the inside of Lake Malawi looks like, underneath the surface of the water. While they drew, I set up field day games. Once I was ready and I’d seen that they were done drawing, I called them over to where I was waiting. I assumed they’d drop everything - games! - maybe they’d pocket a few colored pencils, abandon the materials, and race over.

Later, I walked past the drawing area. There I found a neat stack of drawings alongside three perfectly packaged boxes of pencils. Without ever being asked, these students had spotlessly cleaned up their activity, and every last pencil was still in place. At that moment, any idea that I held of the children of Africa or their poverty mentality was shattered.

So I guess this concept of a poverty mentality - whatever that actually means - is something I’m still working to wrap my head around. Because as we walk down the streets, kids will yell “mzungu, mzungu, give me money!” Or on a particular disabled visit, a mother told me that her family would need a new roof on her house in order to heal her disabled son. But there are also children that I work with who literally don’t even assume that they will get to take their drawings home. 

I knew this before coming to Malawi, but I’m realizing more and more how true it actually is: there is a whole culture here that I haven’t even begun to enter or understand at the surface. And I'm so glad that I've seen enough of it to be able to recognize that observation.

I’ll head back to Kenya tomorrow.

On a fun note, I learned last week that that the tap water in Nkhata Bay (which was also our drinking water) is pumped directly from Lake Malawi. It was super great to realize that I, and most of Malawi, swim, bathe, and wash clothes, in my drinking water.

Oh. And I’m a certified diver now! Also, I went on my African version of spring break last weekend and a blog post on that adventure will likely be coming soon. Stay tuned.