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| Who knew taking advantage of my delay in Addis Ababa to visit an ancient church would come in handy so much..... |
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| My saviour - Kumbali |
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| And I will need a divine intervention to figure out what to do about corn yields.... |
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| Hard (back) at work after government strikes delayed me and a last minute workshop change had me with low hopes for getting anything done and then a whole new meaning to 'strikes'.... |
After an unlucky start with getting stuck in Ethiopia due to government strikes, I finally made it to Malawi. Here's a few thoughts from my recent trip to the capital city, Lilongwe.....
Newsflash - Africa is Not All the Same: After reading that Malawi was deemed ‘Africa for beginners’, and was rated as one of the happiest places on earth, just after Bhutan (which has a happiness index) AND that it’s known as the Warm Heart of Africa – I was geared up for an easy breezy time. I also figured "I got this", I mean I have now been to four countries in Africa including my recent two day stint in Ethiopia and one week in (a hotel) in Rwanda, 'obviously' I'm now an expert. And if anything did go wrong I would just rely on my experience of braving and befriending Sierra Leone for six weeks. Well lesson number 1000 from Africa was quickly delivered....
One of the things I really enjoyed about Sierra Leone is the directness, laughter, and informalness/lack of seeming hierarchy with the people there – hence why it was easy for me to consider them my buddies. In Malawi, after our project partner in the government asked me who was coming on our next visit with me - I realized, ok they're not sold on my jokes (but really, who is) and I might need to find a new approach. Malawians are more reserved in their happiness, quiet, and very much appreciate and follow hierarchy. So I packed up all my back pats and giggles, and tried to find my soft spoken respectful, demurring voice. I'm not sure it was altogether convincing, but upon getting back to Italy, a few times I've been asked why I'm whispering.
One thing I couldn't wrap my head around the whole time I was there was how nice it was considering the statistics I had read (poverty, nutrition, wages, etc.), which are much worse than Sierra Leone. When you drive around the roads are good, there are gardens, office buildings are functioning, people are nicely dressed - and yet the average wage is less than 1 dollar per day. I'm a long way from figuring out Lilongwe (at least I can still make jokes here)....
Security in the Field: I had heard that brake-ins/crimes were on the rise since the currency had been devalued almost 50% in the last year. As much as I have made fun of the security tests that I’ve had to take (remember no photos with child soldiers), I figured in Malawi I would make to sure to follow the rules of sleeping only on the 2-7th floors, and always making sure there were bars on the windows/doors since one of my colleagues was robbed there in November. I was immediately thrown off when not only did I arrive just as the FAO office closed on a Friday afternoon so I wouldn’t be able to consult any local knowledge until Monday; and then I arrived at my FAO recommended hotel and there were only 1st floor rooms, and no bars. Hmmm, what to do, what to do - this wasn't on my computer test!!!!........On top of that, the hotel had canceled my reservation (due to my delay in arrival thanks to the strikes) and they were fumigating = not the warmest of landings. I had a minor moment where I acted like an uptight jerk, until Google calmed me down and Madonna stepped in.....
Luck Strikes: So after a bit of a shaky start, a Saturday work meeting with the Ministry (who said Africans weren't hard-working?), and a politely voiced dispute with the hotel over why I wanted to leave; I scaled my original plans to visit Lake Malawi and ride elephants down to just getting away from fumigation station. There had been a passenger on my stranded flight from Ethiopia who owned a lodge so I Googled to find it as she only told me 'country lodge', so I found a place called Kumbali Lodge and figured it was it - just outside the city advertising a cultural visit to communities, a working farm, and private bungalows = sold. Upon arrival at Kumbali, I immediately felt more relaxed even though I also realized it wasn't the lodge of my passenger friend, especially when I found out it was where Madonna stayed to adopt her babies. The staff alerted me to the community soccer game just down the road, so I set off for a nice stroll through corn fields and villages. The community was selling local crafts and I eyed a necklace that seemed like a nice mix between Africa and stylish. The vendor approved as he told me that it was made of seeds of a tree that change colors based on where the tree is planted and that the color I had chosen signifies luck of a well watered tree/location. I happily meandered about, decided I shouldn't join the soccer game after flashbacks to my 8th grade days as a goalie after forgetting my uniform, and meandered back to the lodge enjoying the bright sunny afternoon and proud of myself that I had made something out of a previously thought failed weekend. Within 100 yards of my bungalow, it started to rain and just as I stepped in my door and turned on the sink to wash my hands, I literally saw lightning in the sink while feeling the ground shake. I stepped outside and saw a man on the ground and a tree smoldering not ten feet from my room. Fast forward to all the power and internet being taken out by said lightning strike, and stories for the rest of my week there for how rare it was to have lightning in that time of year. The lodge gave me the piece of wood of the tree that had been struck and pulverized ten feet from where I was washing my hands and told me that it is believed to be good luck and full of positive energy. I had my doubts about passing it through customs but accepted it gratefully with hope for the seven days still left in my mission......And then I had full attendance at the workshop I planned even though we changed the date at the last minute (due to labour strikes) and the fact that we weren't even offering food = don't doubt the power of lightning.
All by Myself: Malawi was also my first Africa experience without the help of a locally based expat to guide me or any colleagues journeying with me, so as you heard above I was flailing blindly to find my way. Trying to negotiate Chichewa (Muli bwanji) is certainly not as easy as Krio when trying to adopt a taxi driver, but Malawians are also more reliable/responsible and I quickly found Frank to escort me about. In addition, I had a FAO driver for official meetings named James who became a fast friend, especially when I started exploring the option of buying a car in Malawi as a way to be more independent and then selling it to him at a reduced price when the project is over. Yes, I told you I was flailing not just to find my way, but also to find meaning in my work. James has six children and no car. And when I think about what/how I can really impact lives in Africa, this is much more tangible than my government policy writing that I'm not totally convinced will make it off a shelf. When I asked him if he thought my idea was crazy, he told me that what some people might think is crazy, others might think is a blessing from God.
So as a synopsis - I have yet to figure out Malawi after my first of four missions. But with Madonna, lightning, and God making an appearance in my first ten days, I can only imagine what spiritual awakening/quiet laughs are in store.....
Again sorry for the delay. I'm on Africa rotation right now, traveling every two weeks and it's a bit hard to catch my breath between Malawi, Sierra Leone (blog post coming soon), and Italian spring.....
Random observations:
-I've been transiting a lot through Belgium and France on my way to Africa and seriously French people love stripes
-Gelato is the equivalent of shorts in America on the first day that it is mildly above 50 degrees in Italy. Line around the block at my local gelateria after not seeing anyone there since October
