Malawi illuminated!

"CLTS yabweretsa mgwirizano"- CLTS has brought togetherness

Monday, August 16, 2010

resolution.

Today is my last day of work. All week, I’ve been doing lasts of a lot of things. I’ve broken them down into Levels of Sadness.

Level 3- It’s cool, I got thick skin.
go to the “Photo Plaza” to charge my computer
see Monica’s brother
bring bubblegum home for the kiddies
go to the Post Office
bike to Chiputu
be in a meeting where everyone is speaking Chichewa and I have nothing to contribute
peel potatoes on the front porch

Level 2- Man, that’s a real bummer.
bike the path to the hospital and see all the kiddies
sleep in my bed and see the sunrise creep onto my wall
come home at lunch to see the ladies
go to the tea room before work
say good morning to Mr. Zulu and Katole at the hospital
carry water on my head from the borehole

Level 1- I don’t know if I’ll be able to walk.
wash dishes with Edina
hold Thomas on the front porch and watch the sunset
cook nsima in the smokehouse with Annette
make Monica laugh when I tell her I don’t want to bathe (she finds my bathing habits hilarious- it’s too cold, I’ll shower tomorrow morning. I don’t want to right now, I’ll shower in the afternoon. I’m very late Monica, I’ll shower this evening. It’s too dark Monica, I’ll shower tomorrow)
watch Lenesia and Edina dance and play and cry and laugh together
hang out with quiet Penina
have a conversation with Pearson in choppy English
see Pearson’s unpredictable smile
hear Monica say “Kay-teee” or “Ay-yah” when I do something good
have late night chats with Monica while we take turns holding Thomas
Monica telling me family secrets or village gossip or things that I’m not allowed to tell Pearson
have a sugar cane or tea party after dinner
look up into the sky and see not stars, but galaxies

To ease the pain, I’ve been thinking of things that I’m looking forward to in Canada. I’m stoked to hug my family, drive to Manitoulin and see the rocks and trees of “Northern Ontario”, drive down Grandmas lane as Tugs (my dog) starts hysterically running around the car because he knows where we are, look out at Treasure Island from the cottage with the family, play the piano at grandmas, go for a walk in grandmas field, sit around the big table with everyone for a massive delicious Manitoulin dinner, clear the table and bring out the coffee, play Rook, listen to Meg and Uncle John/Dad or Logan get into a political debate (usually started by some comment about her vegetarianism), see Tony, drink a delicious stout, wear comfortable (and likely very dirty) clothes, cook my own meals, go out after dark and feel safe, dance with Meg and Bronwyn, do homework with Katy/Madavine/Gerrit/Sondus/Tony. The list goes on.

I guess love isn’t finite. Because I love home and I love Malawi and the more people I meet the more I love them all. I guess leaving is just a part of life. Last night, Pearson said that my leaving is just like I’m dying. Which I guess is very true. It’s hard to accept that I’ll never see these folks again. Monica has become one of my closest friends and it really sucks that I might not ever see her again.

One of the first things I did when I arrived in Mkanda was go with Mr. Katundu, Chunga and Pearson to the Police Station and the Traditional Authority’s (TA) office. He told them all that my mission here was a sanitation project but also to learn and live the Malawian culture. I’ve named this blog resolution because, just like how a song starts and ends on the same chord, my placement will. Today, Pearson is taking me to the Police Station and the TAs office to tell them I am leaving. I’m sure he’ll tell them how last night I cooked nsima for the family, this morning I fetched water and did the dishes, and I might even speak a little Chichewa.

I only have two days left in the village. I’m trying to stay cool about it. I really didn’t think it would be this difficult to leave. I know that it’ll be fine once I leave but we’re all trying to get the most out of the days leading up to the departure.

Love kate

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Engineers Without Borders Canada - Ingenieurs Sans Frontieres Canada
University of Guelph Chapter
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The views on this blog are entirely my own and do not represent the views of EWB Canada.