The
zitenje market in Area 2 of Lilongwe can be hot and completely overwhelming,
but since I found my tailor and friend Louis, it has been much less of a
hassle, and more of a pleasurable, giddy exploration of fabric possibilities.
We first met when a tailor I had hired took my fabric and a deposit, stopped answering
my calls, and disappeared with no fabric or money in sight. I was so
disheartened that I didn’t even want to find another tailor, and felt angry at
every Malawian in the vicinity of the market. By chance, on the opposite side
of the market, I approached Louis because of his open face and smile. That day
was a blessing to me; after explaining what happened, not only did Louis get my
fabric back, but he completed the dress and took off the deposit I had given to
the other man so I paid only a little for his own work. He was my knight in
shining armor, when I really needed someone to stand up for me. Now we are good
friends and chat while watching the bustle of the zitenje market. Any design I
find on Google he has been able to adapt, and I have been sending PCV’s to his
stall because I believe in him as an individual and as a skilled tailor. It may
not seem like the makings for a favorite moment, but having a random stranger
support you is the kind of moment I hold on to.
With
aid from PCV Amy Burke I brought Pad Project to my local secondary school,
which is an intervention that teaches girls to hand sew re-usable sanitary
napkins and go through a reproductive health, hygiene and sanitation lesson. After
circulating the date and time of the intervention, (and that the capacity was
only 25 learners) I was astounded to see that over 40 girls showed up on Sunday
to make the pads, and I had to turn them away at the door for lack of
materials! It was a full two hours of girls talking about cultural myths, their
periods, shouting “menstruation” and creating something that will help them
stay in school without embarrassment during their monthlies. To say I was happy
and fulfilled after the session would be an understatement!
A
favorite moment I have had in service concentrates on a time when I was showing
friends around Lilongwe for the first time. As we gathered ourselves to set out
for the chitenje market, I realized how comfortable I had become walking around
the city, conversing with vendors and strangers on the street. I felt no
hesitation at accessing one of the rickety short-cut bridges that span the
river, was able to talk about general pricing and good spots to eat. It was a
type of revelation on how far I have become integrated in Malawi, and what a
cool opportunity I have to show others the bustling city through my eyes!
This round garden shelter is one of many idyllic #forest ‘mile markers’ that measure my runs. When my boundary route is this lush and beautiful it is not hard to jog for an hour. The sixty minutes without trouser-wearing-induced shame helps too! (: #run #malawi #pcmalawi #forestreserve
“This photo was taken from the deck of a ferry, the only ferry on Lake Malawi’s 360-mile shores. These men are selling fresh fish for our lunch on board. It was on a trip that was a great adventure start to finish!”
This evening, with a red sunset on my right and endless cotton fields on my left, I heard an anonymous call from the mango trees. “Anambewe!” they shouted. I responded to the wind and was met with another and another until a chorus of my village name echoed throughout the fields. I could do nothing by yell back, cycle on, and smile.
It’s a powerful thing to be part of a Malawian community and I often take advantage of the opportunity set before me. To my village, my presence is something new and exciting. I’m greeted by countless people every day. Children run from their homes to watch me pass by and are elated by my calling out to them. It’s in these times that I feel completely whole through living my life in this very deliberate way. And yet, sometimes I worry. I become doubtful of myself and my impact within this loving community. Poaching and fires continue within the wildlife reserve, and I fear that my only contribution is this passing greeting to the children. I wonder if I am not enough. But then, something remarkable will happen. Something like being gifted a bag of groundnuts after we’ve replaced all the taps in the village. Something like being welcomed to cook nsima* by a group of amayi* whom I barely know. Something like hearing a chorus of the name chosen for me by my village. It’s in these times that I remember, ‘pang'onopang'ono’ (little by little), and I know that it will all be okay.
There will always be bad days and difficult moments. No one applies to the Peace Corps for an easy time. But with a willing mind and an open heart, each instance of doubt can be reflected on and appreciated for how small and temporary it was. Years from now when I reflect on my service, I hope it will be remembered through the voices in the mango trees and how they helped to show me that in this moment, I am completely at home, I am absolutely myself, and I am enough.
Note: during mango season, children climb the trees in order to knock down higher fruit from the branches
Nsima: maize flour mixed with boiling water until it becomes a thick, paste-like patty/Malawi’s staple food.
My forest and wildlife club has eighty members. I’m proud to say it is the most popular club at the school and not proud to say we have had to exclude standards 1-5 to keep numbers “reasonable”. There are always some honorary members peeping in the windows though. #coolkidzckub #environmentaleducation #pcmalawi
#Thehillsarealivewiththesoundof #cicadas oh-oh-oh-oh! So we make bamboo poles, use a sticky seed as glue, spot the creatures in the trees, get their wings stuck to our pole, remove the wings, fry the critters up with oil and salt, and eat them! #nomnomnom #pcmalawi #forestforaging
Breakfast is supposed to be the most important meal of the day - but you wouldn’t know it from reading our Food Friday posts. The Peace Corps Northeast team sincerely apologizes for the lack of quality breakfast food recipes we’ve posted, and we are ready to make up for it with a tasty rice porridge from Malawi. Try it with sliced fruit, or a little brown sugar. And while it’s simmering, check out our Secondary English Teaching openings for Malawi in June 2016.
Sunset along the road between Mponela and Ntchisi. Photo by @PeaceCorps Volunteer Erin Murphy #Malawi #Africa #Sunset #travel #culture #peacecorps via Instagram http://bit.ly/1eDNdPh
