a taste of Malawi.

I've been writing down recipes as Monica cooks so that we can make
Malawian meals together when I come home. Here are some of my
favourites. Go ahead and try them!

Futali- a delicious breakfast food
1. Peel 8-10 medium potatoes- sweet or regular, it's up to you.
2. Shell 4-5 cups of peanuts and mash them with a mortar and pestle
until it becomes a flour (we call it singiro, but in English it's
called groundnut flour).
3. Cook potatoes in a pot with water and a little bit of salt until
they are mashable.
4. Strain most of the water from the potatoes when they are ready,
leaving a little bit for mashing.
5. Pour groundnut flour on top of the potatoes, cover and let sit for
a couple of minutes.
6. Mash potatoes and groundnut flour together into a soft mashed potato texture.
7. Let sit on the stove for a couple of minutes, stirring sometimes.
8. When it looks good enough to eat, dig in!

Nsima- lunch and dinner staple food
Warning: This is hard work. If it is your first time making nsima,
start with a little pot!
1. Fill pot with water (as much water as you want nsima), set stove to
medium-high and make water lukewarm.
2. Add 3-4 handfuls of ufa and stir it into the water. Ufa= maize
flour. You can buy this at the grocery store in the Mexican food
section. On the package it says it's used to make tortillas but it can
also be used for nsima!
3. The water will become thicker with the flour but still watery. When
you stir with a wooden spoon, the mixture should be seen on the spoon
when you take it out. Stop adding flour at this point.
4. Let bubbles happen for ~8 minutes. When the mixture is noticably
thicker, it is time to start making nsima.
5. Start adding handfuls of ufa, stirring it into the water as you go.
As you continue to add ufa, the mixture will become thick and more
difficult to stir. Keep it up! Power! Continue to turn the mixture and
work the flour in, removing any lumps with your strong stirring.
6. When it is thick (barely thicker than cookie batter), it is time to
stop stirring. You should be really tired by now. Give it a couple
more strong stirs and smooth it out as much as you can.
7. Remove from stove.
8. Get a bowl of water ready and a smaller bowl. Dip the small bowl in
water and scoop out an oval shaped ball of nsima (it is called a
ration). Place the scooped nsima on a serving plate. Continue to dip
the small bowl in water before scooping out the nsima.
9. You've made nsima! You'll need to get some practice at this, but
it's worth it!

Egg Ndiwo- relish, to be eaten with nsima
1. Fry 4 tbsp of oil in a frying pan. Add 3 scrambled eggs and a tsp of salt.
2. Let it deep fry like an omelet. When it is cooked, break it up into
smaller pieces and move the oil to one side of the frying pan.
3. Smash a tomato (they crush it in their hand here- try it!) into the
separated oil. Let it deep fry.
4. When tomato is cooked, mix the egg and tomato together.
5. Add 2 more tbsp of oil into the pan and cook for 1-2 more minutes.
6. Remove from stove and enjoy with nsima.

Rapini Ndiwo- relish, to be eaten with nsima
1. Cut a head of rapini into very thin strips. Rapini is like lettuce
and you can find it in some Canadian grocers.
2. Put a little bit of water in a pot with 4tbsp of salt.
3. Place Rapini in the pot and cover.
4. When the rapini has deflated and is relatively soft, remove rapini
from the pot and place in another bowl.
5. Place 4tbsp of oil into the pot.
6. Smash a tomato into the pot with your hands.
7. When the tomato is cooked and its juice is mixed with the oil, add
the steamed rapini to the pot.
8. Stir together and it is ready to serve.

Eating Rules
When you eat nsima, you must use your right hand. Take a small piece
of nsima from your ration and make it in a small ball with your hand.
Indent it with your thumb and use it to pick up some relish. I can
usually only eat one ration, but I've seen my host mother eat three!
Put on some Malawian tunes and have some fun cooking! When I get home,
I'll put some cooking lessons on youtube.
Love skate

world cup.

General Update.

As my my bottle of antimalarial medication empties, I am realizing
that time is really flying around here. "Like sand through the
hourglass". My time with my village host family is almost up and I am
not yet sure what I'm doing for living arrangements in July/August.
All of the Junior Fellows will be meeting in Lilongwe next weekend for
the mid-summer retreat and I'll be talking with Jolly Ann about where
I will be most useful for the rest of my placement. Funding has just
been approved for CLTS trigger meetings in my district and it might be
more convenient for me to live in Mkanda because it's closer to the
where the triggers are going to happen. If that's the case, I might
stay with my host family or find another family to live with. I'll be
figuring this out in the next week or so.

What I've been listening to (rarely): Modest Mouse: The Moon and
Antarctica, Good News for People Who Love Bad News. Spoon:
Transference. This American Life Podcast. Yo La Tengo: I can Hear the
Heart Beating as One

What I've been reading: Cannery Row- John Steinbeck, The
Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz-Mordecai Richler

Football.

I pass by a football field on my walk home from work every day. People
arrive at the field at about 3pm and play until sunset, so I always
get to catch a glimpse of a game when I walk home at 5pm. On Monday,
the scenery was a little different- the world cup had finally begun!
They had set up a projector screen and giant speakers in the middle of
the football field and about 100+ people were sitting and waiting for
the game to start. In a town without electricity, this is a pretty big
deal. This is when the spark of football ignited in my soul. I wanted
to stay and watch so badly but I had to get home before dark.

I've been keeping track of who is playing and nagging my colleagues to
come and watch games with me. Because we are without electricity, it
costs 20 kwacha (15 cents) to watch a game and that can buy tomatoes
or oil for an evening so it's a luxury that not everyone can afford. I
found out yesterday that the projector people travel to different
towns and project the games so they aren't around every day but
different cinema houses in the market run generators at night to power
televisions. Last night, I went to see my first game (South Africa
vs. Uruguay) with Alfred, a cousin to my host father who is about 15
years old. It was my first time out of the house past dark and I had
no idea what to expect. I was actually pretty spooked.

We got to this shelter type joint with reed walls and a tin roof held
up by tree limbs and they charged K20 at the door. We went in and
there were rows of wooden benches set up in front of a crystal clear
picture of South Africa vs. Uruguay. We sat at the back and settled in
for a 90 minute match ( I didn't even know soccer was 90 minutes!
Ha!). My host father ended up being there and he bought me and alfred
each a bottle of coke and I felt like I was in the 1950s. Whenever I
drink a glass bottle of coke I feel like I'm stuck in a time warp.
Watching TV and drinking a coke was luxurious.

Every time Uruguay scored (which was 3 times in total) the house
simultaneously said "eeeee" as if they just watched someone get
punched in the face. I wanted SA to score so badly, but no luck. The
game ended 3-0 for Uruguay.

We walked home and I looked at the sky the whole time. I hadn't been
up past 10pm since arriving in Malawi and I'd certainly not been out
before at 11pm. The night sky here is scattered with millions of
stars. I can't tell you how many times I tripped over my feet because
I was so captivated. I walked straight into bed and passed out until
7am. The last time I woke up at 7am, my host mother peeked into my
room and said "Malaria?".

If you want to feel connected to Africa, you should watch any world
cup match with an African team playing. Every African game has the
entire continent watching/listening. There is an amazing world cup
commercial with different African football players wearing Africa
United jerseys and it's exactly how it is over here. If there's an
African game on somewhere, I'm probably tuned in so if you tune in, we
can spend time together half way across the world!

People were asking me if I wanted England to win last night's game and
then my friend leaned over and said "She's African, she wants Algeria
to win".

keep on keepin' on.
Love kate

costs of things.

Hey folks!
I thought I'd list out some of my expenses since coming here to give
you an idea of how it is in this part of the universe.

3 small bananas = K10 =7 cents
1 orange = K10 =7 cents
An envelope = K10 =7 cents
A donut at the market = K10 = 7 cents
A text message = K14 =10 cents
2 Tomatoes = K20 =15 cents
A scone at the market =K20 =15 cents
A pearing knife = K30 =22 cents
Toilet paper = K30 = 22 cents
¼ kg Sugar =36 cents
A used t-shirt = K80 = 60 cents
Airtime for cell phone = K90/minute within Malawi =68 cents/minute
A box of cookies = K100 =73 cents
Sending a letter to Canada = K130 = 95 cents
Work shoes = K500 =$3.60
A sim card = K500 = $3.60
2 L of cooking oil = K700 = $5
Malaria medication = K2100 =$15
A cell phone =K3500 =$25

love kate!

the boma.

i am wearing my new malawian threads and just cruised through the market. i was able to ask the vendors how much things cost in chichewa and i feel like a million bucks. 

i came to post all of these blogs before i return home and there was a power outage. i asked someone how long they usually last and his reply- "patience". so i took his word, settled down in a quiet place and just silently watched people selling sugar cane and shoes. told myself i'd wait 20 minutes. i met a guy named decision and we chatted a bit and i told him i was waiting for the power to come back on and whaddya know- he told me it was back on. 

number one lesson i've learned so far: never get your hopes up. this way, every single piece of good news is great news and it can send you soaring into space with happiness.

i'm heading back to the village now. i hope i've left you feeling updated and in the loop. i think of all of you all the time. i'm still waiting for addresses! please send it to me. i've written about 30 letters. 

dinosaur bones,

love kate

thoughts on work and life.

some thoughts on work

We're almost in the second month of delayed funding for CLTS initiatives. This is a real bummer because part of my work as CLTS JF is to attend "trigger" meetings and improve facilitation techniques.  We can't go ahead and plan trigger meetings without funding so that part of my work is on hold.

Instead, I've been meeting with CLTS facilitators and doing some ground level learning. I made a survey and got all of the facilitators to fill it out. I was in tangles figuring out what the best method of information gathering was and what kind of questions I should ask (more than 60 people will fill this out!) but eventually settled on a questionnaire of 7 questions. I wish I could have written it in Chichewa, but I would have had to get each questionnaire translated and everybody's so busy around here, I wanted to remain independent. These are the questions:

What do you know about CLTS?

What are the challenges in CLTS implementation and how can they be overcome?

What are the challenges which prevent follow ups from happening and how can they be overcome?

How have you taken personal initiative to improve CLTS?

What kind of support do you need from your supervisor in order for CLTS to be a success?

What aspect of implementation/management could be put in place to make CLTS a success?

What skills would make you more successful at CLTS implementation?

I want to figure out the general trends so that I can relay this information to the district water officer when I work one on one with him in july/august. I am about to write a short report about the results, print some copies, and distribute them to the participants.

One major thing that's coming out in the survey is that the facilitators want to be visited by their supervisors. Many of these people live in villages very far away from the boma and don't get visited very often and therefore do not feel supported. Today, when visiting my last health centre someone said "We're very happy you haven't forgotten about us". A face to face visit goes a long way in Malawi, where visiting is such a huge part of the culture. I hope I can spend time with these facilitators again when they start performing trigger meetings.

Life

I came to the boma today to use the internet and finish this report. I am indulging in Canadian life this evening. I came to town and found out that the hospital (where I'll be stationed when I move here) had the internet so I parked at a desk and took my time sorting through emails, downloading photos, reading people's blogs, oh baby. I was in heaven. The internet is a playground.

I'm currently sitting comfortably on a bed in a rest house, wearing Canadian clothes, with my computer plugged into the wall and I'm blasting music. It's filling my whole room.

I was thinking about it today and adjusting to Malawi life hasn't been difficult at all. I think my biggest adjustment (bigger than culture) has been living with a family. It's so different from my way of life in Canada. For example, I had to text my host father to tell him my plans tonight and I tell my family where I'll go and what I'm doing every day. It's the little things about living with parents that's such a crazy adjustment.

I set my objectives for the week this morning: start taking more video of life (I've been really uncomfortable with this) and start visiting people at their homes. I'm on a mission. I'll let you know how it goes.

Random Thoughts

-I just finished reading "The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" by Jugo Diaz. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it to everyone (hence why I'm saying it here). You will laugh like crazy.

-I bought a lollipop and a coke yesterday and was in absolute heaven.

-I got a sweet Malawian shirt made for me a long time ago and picked it up today. I'm about to venture into the streets wearing it and will likely be made fun of.

-I joined a church choir and am missing practice right now to be here. Total bummer.

It is now Saturday and I'm heading back to the village. I'm just finishing up some last minute internet things. I finished my report, photocopied 10 copies and will share it with everyone this week.

I'll likely be in the boma again next week to do some research and I'll catchya then. I found out it costs 70 cents to charge my laptop at a power station. Shibby!

Hope you're endin' up on the downtown side.

Love kate

madonna.

If you want to feel like a celebrity, you should come to a small town in Malawi. Every place I go there are about a hundred eyeballs on me. I went to a tea room one day just to get some work done and the people there sat and watched me the whole time. I bounced out of there pretty fast. I can chat with my neighbor and tell him all about my day and chances are, he already knows. I'm familiar with life in a small town, but life as the only Mzungo in a small town in Malawi is a step up.

Some kids come extremely close just to look at my skin. Kids are fascinated by my sheer existence. I found a secret path to work to avoid the market (it can take 45 minutes walking through there because of the greetings) and there are handfuls of houses along the way full of kids.

I pass clusters of them and they literally trail behind me. If I take a step left, they take a step left. I get the biggest kick when I turn around abruptly. They freak their freaks. Some jump back. Others get this untrusting look in their eye. Some look like they might even cry. Some do cry. They walk behind me with such enthusiasm but when I make any sudden movement, I'm an unpredictable monster. So I stop, turn around, and ask what their names are, one by one, to make them all feel special. When I'm done, I turn back around, keep on truckin' and the group stops in shock. Then seconds later, erupt in laughter and excitement. They freak out. I turn around many metres down the road and they stand there waving furiously. I see the same kids at least 4 times a day and every time I walk the path it's as if they've never seen me before. Sometimes adults react like this too.

It's the little moments like this that make living in Malawi so much fun. Every single moment is special. 

naming the baby.

I didn't know she was pregnant until Pearson told me that Monica was going to come with me to the hospital to use the maternity scale. My response- Wicked! I figured she was at most 6 months. I don't quite understand because when I first met Pearson I asked him if they were going to have more kids and he said no. This is an example of when our English communication fails- which it does often.

Yesterday, Monica was feeling sick in the morning and I didn't think anything of it. I came home for lunch and all of the neighbourhood kids swarmed me. They usually meet me on the path, take my bag from my back, book from my hand and sweater from my arm and carry them to the house with me, but the kids were screaming "chimwene" and I was like "no dudes, I'm not your brother." I seriously didn't get it. Then Annettie said chimwene and pointed to Edina. Finally I clued in. I grabbed little Lenesia with both arms and flung her up in the air and then gave high fives all around. I was so excited that my family was having a baby!

I went to the market on the way back to work and bought Monica a chitenge and some banana biscuits for Edina (she's addicted). I saw Monica the next morning at the hospital, gave her the chitenge and she asked me what I ate for breakfast and dinner. "Yes mom, I had potatoes for breakfast and rape ndiwo for dinner. I'm very full."

I came home for lunch and Monica was already at home laying on the eating room floor with the baby and Pearson and Edina hanging out around them. I asked what his name was and then Pearson said "what do you want it to be?"

Oh god. I was warned about this. I kinda freaked out a little. No way, man! I can't name your son. No no no no no. No way! This kid is going to be around for the rest of your lives! You're going to have to say this name 3 bizillion times in your lifetime! You have to name him! I guess people don't think of baby names until after they are born here. Totally weird.

I guess they weren't joking because when I came home from work the baby still didn't have a name. So I started nervously brainstorming. At first I started thinking of beautiful Chichewa words- moon, star, dream, love, peace. Apparently those are all girl names and they wanted a Canadian name. So I wrote down every boy name in my Canadian family, then the name of every boy I'd ever gone to school with, then my favourite directors, then musicians. I made a list and read them to Monica and Pearson, watching Monica's face closely for a reaction.

We settled on Thomas. He looks like a Thomas. I think it's a kickass name. when i held him the first time, pearson told me that I looked smart, as if he were my own. they use that expression here a lot.

Pearson, Monica, Edina and Thomas. What a stellar family.

my house.

I'm going to paint a picture of the house I live in to help you step into my shoes a little better. This may not interest you at all, but because my camera isn't working, I thought this was the best alternative to share my space with you.

I live in a house about the size of a classroom. It has four rooms- my bedroom, Pearson/Moinca/Edina's bedroom, an eating room and the kitchen.

The Kitchen

There is no furniture in this room, just two giant basins of water (carried from the borehole throughout the day), a basket & sieve for the maize flower, and two big bags of unprocessed maize in the corner. All of the dishes sit in large tubs beside the water basins. All of the cooking happens outside in the cooking shed which is made of bricks and cement and has a fire in the middle of the floor. Monica and Annettie cook in here all the time and I worry about their lungs. Sometimes I step in here and I have to leave because my eyes sting so much. I want to take the roof right off of this structure but it's there so they can cook during the rainy season- just crazy. We wash the dishes on a small patch of grass beside the cooking shed. It amazes me how much time women spend at ground level, either hunched over or sitting.

The Eating Room

There is a short table, a shelf for the dishes and a large straw mat where the sitting and eating happens. In the evenings, there is a candle perched on the table which lights up our food and faces. Usually dinner time consists of Annettie, Monica, Edina, Pearson, Alfred (a cousin to Pearson) and one or two other visitors eating nsima and chatting until about 8:30pm. Pearson's house receives many visitors because he is so connected with the community. Typically, I don't think a Malawian household has two random visitors over for dinner every night but I dig it.

My Bedroom

I have a single bed made of wood with a straw rug folded in half as my mattress. I bought a snuggly blanket to sleep on and another one to cover myself but Monica and Pearson gave me two more because they said I would be too cold ("You are an adult! Why didn't you buy a better blanket? You are too economic"). I have a footstool as a nightstand which holds a stack of letters I haven't sent yet (your addresses are on the internet an hour away), my bugspray, antimalarial pills and toothbrush. A pile of books sits underneath. All of my clothes live in my guitar case on the floor and my guitar leans in the corner. My bednet makes my room feel like a 9 year old girl's royal dream. 

i wake up every day and laugh.

love kate

my family.

Pearson

What a cat! This guy walks with style and power. He will likely be the next village chief (there are 7 in all of Malawi) so people treat him with great respect. He looks straight faced and serious but it's easy peasy to make him laugh and I can see in his face whenever he talks about his family, village or work that he is proud. When he speaks, he often hits a high note, especially when he's shocked by something we crazy Canadians do, saying "ah ah ah" as he shakes his head. He wears oversized clothes (as most Malawian men do) but if he lived in Canada, this guy would be wearing the finest suits.

He is the only English speaking person in my family so he's been monumental in my learning of Chichewa. I can tell he loves teaching and is eager to teach me any word I inquire about. He is often late and insists that he "escort" me to work (men like to "escort" me everywhere) so we walk to work most mornings together. He helps out a lot of people in the community and knows all of the goings on at any given moment. He knows where everyone is and when and has his hand in every community project. He is a super friendly fellow and has welcomed me with open arms into his family.

Monica

Oh Monica! Holy Malawian Strength! She is 23 years old, 9 months pregnant, about my height, strong as an ox and the second most patient person I have ever met (Grandma, you win that prize). I was worried I wouldn't be able to connect to her because she speaks Chichewa but I was wrong. Her and I get along famously and we can laugh like craaaaaazy together.

She is a very punctual lady so she makes sure we leave on time "Jungo! Jungo!"  Sometimes she makes Pearson bike me to work because he is running late. She can cook nsima without blinking an eye (it's hard work) and always invites me to help. I hated the food before tasting Monica's cooking, but she has turned me around. Man, I look forward to every meal. She rocks out the best vegetarian meals and it's her mission to make me fat.

I learn the most Chichewa when I'm with her because she makes sure I understand exactly what she's saying before moving on. I can repeat something 4 times before she says "inde!"-yes! When I'm doing something silly or totally wrong she says "Kay-teeeeee"- the kay being very high and the teee being very low. It always makes me laugh.

Annettie

Annettie is 15 years old but she's more mature than a regular Canadian adult. Her parents died so she is living with Monica and Pearson. I found out the other day that she used to have my bedroom but while I am living here, she is staying across the street. She is Monica's second hand and does the other half of the cooking, cleaning, washing, sweeping, water getting and child rearing. She is extremely quiet but she has a wicked smile that lights up her face. She laughs at me all the time and I purposely flash her goofy faces when she's deep in thought. We haven't really talked but I sweep and wash dishes with her every morning so we connect supremely. She also likes to wear my sweaters and it makes me supremely happy when she does.

She is getting married in September so I've taken to teasing her about it. She took a bath yesterday and I said "Asamba ndi Muzuzo". I meant to say "You bathe for Muzuzo" but I said "You bathe with Muzuzo" and all of the village ladies who were sitting with me lit up and laughed hysterically. Annettie blushed and laughed it off. She is a wicked gal to hang out with.

Edina

The 2.5 year old. I have never met a two year old who cries so much. I thought life was nothing but sour keys and song when you were two but apparently not. Not to this one. For all the crying she does, her dimples make up for it. When she's happy she can light up a room, even if it is only for 3 minutes.

She mocks me and says "no no no no no no" whenever she is doing something bad and then laughs like crazy. She's a total cutie pie. Her best friend, Lenesia, lives next door and they rock out together all the time, singing catchy Malawian childrens songs and dancing all over the yard. Lenesia is never upset so they balance each other out. 

more to come!

love kate

a question of medicine june 4

I have been asked for medicine three times since arriving. The first time, I was at the borehole drawing water when a woman approached me, said "mankhwala" and pointed at her elderly friend sitting on a porch nearby. I didn't understand so I went to chat with the old woman and she motioned that her head was in pain. I imagined two things happening if I gave her medicine 1) I become the village pharmacist and 2) I assist her in feeling better and that's the end of it. Because I didn't know the family at all and because I had about 20 people hovering around me, I chose not to give her medicine. I told her to drink lots of water and later in the afternoon I saw her resting.

The second time was merely for medical advice, to which I said that I was not educated in medicine and could not help.

The third time was last night at my house. I came home late from work to find Edina, my 2.5 year old host sister, lying on the floor wrapped in a blanket. This is not out of the ordinary because she's usually zonked by the end of the day, but this time she wasn't sleeping. She looked at me and I saw that her left eye had swollen up as if she'd been a wild streetfight. I asked Monica, my host mom, what was the matter. "Adwala" was her response- She is sick. "Adwala ndi Chyani?"- Sick with what? She said malaria, but it turns out whenever anybody is sick around here they say it's malaria but I didn't figure that out until later. She told me they will go to the hospital tomorrow and because meds are free (until they run out) and she was way calm, I wasn't worried and figured Edina would make it out like a real trooper.

Shortly after that, Edina started wailing and Monica finally looked at me and said "Mankhwala"- Medicine, got it. I stopped dead in my tracks and thought "of course, absolutely, completely, I'll give you any medicine I've got". I went to my bag, got the malaria meds and handed them over. She said "Ayi"-No and handed them back to me. Then she picked up some sand from the floor and motioned it in Edina's eye, "Asewera"-She was playing. Okay! Great! Not malaria. Check.

We looked in my meds bag and I had nothing to reduce swelling so I gave Edina 1/3 of an advil as a placebo and she stopped crying.

This whole shenanigan made me think: how far will I go to change the perception of westerners?

I may not be rich in Canada, but comparatively, I'm a millionaire here. How can I honestly tell people I have nothing to give?

In this case, these people are taking care of me, wiping the dirt from my collar, preparing feasts every night to fatten me up, putting up with me as I learn Chichewa, feeding me groundnuts and potatoes from their garden and years worth of work. I don't care about the perception of westerners in my own home. If someone is sick, I will help them out. If they need candles and would never ask, I'm going to pick some up on the way home from work. I will give anything to them in return for their love and hospitality.

for tesla june 2

To my sweet sweet electrical outlet,

How I miss when you were full and bright. Your supply, endless and reliable. I would come to you to take part in some of my favourite Canadian pastimes- listen to music, watch films and seek information. Words cannot express how much I long for you at times.

I am left with lifeless devices. After a long day of listening to Chichewa, I press the power button of my computer with the intention of writing an email (to be sent with future internet access), and the blue light remains black. When I need to go home for just 2.5 minutes to hear my favourite Canadian band, the screen of my ipod does not respond to my request. When in need of a familiar voice, my cell phone flashes battery low and its functioning stops.

I know your absence will help me integrate and understand Mkanda better, but my infrequent desire and your absent fulfillment continues to leave me disappointed.

How I wish Tesla completed his mission.

Yours truly,

Powerless

oh danny boy.

I was on the back of a transport truck, on my way back to Mkanda, and I was feeling pretty angry/upset. The owner of the truck was giving me grief for not speaking Chichewa and making fun of me in front of the other passengers and I was fed up. I can understand why they treat Mzungu's like that, but it is very discouraging.  A nice boy my age came and sat next to me and thankfully he spoke perfect English. He was moving back to Mkanda from Blantyre where he worked at an orphanage and with a lot of Mzungu volunteers. At that moment, I really needed someone I could level with.

He told me that his friend from the UK sent him an mp3 player and asked me if I knew any songs on it. The truck was driving the same red dirt path that I described in an earlier post, except this time I was sitting on a much higher truck and could see the full profile of Northern Mchinji- three massive hills and the plains in the far distance. He gave me one of his headphones and pressed play. The song he put on was Danny Boy and I told him I knew it. I could hardly keep from crying as I listened to the song that my family sings every time we gather around a piano at thanksgiving and Christmas.  I was watching Malawi pass by me but in my heart, I was in my Grandma's dining room singing with my family. He leaned toward me and said "I have taken you home".  As I try to describe to you how full my heart was at this moment, I realize that I really can't put it into words.

When I arrived in Mkanda, Mr. Katukulu , Mr. Katundu and Mr. Chinga were waiting for me in the market place. The walk to my new home was full of laughter as I attempted to learn Chichewa words on the way. Mr. Katundu (my co-worker) is a very funny man and lightens up any situation. They taught me two words on that walk home:

Jinga-bike

Jinga ya moto- fire bike (motorcycle)

I arrive the house, and Mr. Katukulu tells me to sit on the mat on the floor and he sits down with me. His grandmother comes into the room and she is hilarious. I greet her in Chichewa and she sets aflame! She howls with laughter at the new Mzungo in their home.  The conversation continues for another 30 minutes in Chichewa and I try to hang on to any word that I can. I didn't understand 99% of it. Visitors came in and out of the living room, I greeted them in Chichewa and they all laughed. We visited for another two hours in Chichewa, and then most people went to bed. I was left with a man named Blackson and Mr. Katukulu and we talked about Canada in English for the rest of the night. I told them about first nation reserves and the traditional dancing and outfits (much like what I saw at TA Zulu's funeral).  I also explained the politics around first nations and they said it is much like Malawi. I was extremely tired by the end of the night (8:30) so I went to bed and settled into my new bedroom.

I woke this morning at 5:30am to Mr. Katukulu called "nabanda". This is my new name; it means daughter of Banda and Banda is Mr. Katukulu's Clan name. He introduces me as his second daughter to most people we meet. He handed me a broom made out of sticks and told me to sweep (usessa) with his wife. We used the broom and swept their property of leaves and maize husks from the previous night. Afterwards, I helped peel potatoes (batata) with Mr. Katukulu. Mr. Katukulu then gave me a bucket and told me that I will help his wife fetch water from the "African borehole".

Mrs. Katukulu doesn't speak English but she has a wicked laugh that she uses all the time. Mr. Katukulu has the same kind of laugh. I walked with Mrs. Katukulu silently to the borehole and stopped to chat with every house along the way. Introductions are very important here. At the borehole, I dropped the can into well and Mrs. Katukulu helped me pour it into the bucket. There was a huge crowd around me laughing at me and I greeted new people as they arrived. At this moment in time, I thought to myself, "Feeling stupid" should be written in my job description.

We carried the water back to the house on our heads. When carrying the water, any small movement is transferred into the water making it spill. Perhaps my nervous energy was flowing through it as well. I arrived at the house with the front of my sweater very wet and Mr. Katukulu laughed at me. He said "Mukutungu madzi" You got water. This family is awesome.

Edina, their 2.5 year old, was very afraid of me last night. This morning, she started smiling at me and laughing. Sometimes she gets this worried look when I try to communicate with her, but I'm sure we'll be friends in no time. It is not every day that a big white monster moves into your home.

Mr. Katukulu escorted me to work this morning. It took 30 minutes to get here and we stopped at many places along the way. He constantly tells me Chichewa nouns and sometimes I think my brain can't hold anymore in. This morning I learned toothbrush- useche, garden-munda, semana-afternoon, muez-moon. Oh boy. I am going to take some time during my work day in the next two weeks to teach myself because when CLTS meetings begin, I will not be able to contribute. I also can only communicate with Mr. Katukulu right now and I'd love to get to know his wife, daughter and family.

I am at work now and will be smearing my home this afternoon when I return for lunch!

I have decided that I'm waking up earlier when I return to Canada. You can get a lot accomplished by 8am!

Tiwonana posachedwa (see you soon).

Love kate!