Two Weeks In

The in-country training for new volunteers is over and I'm in Domasi now. During the last day of training, we were sent out on our own to learn how to use the transport system and fend for ourselves in the market. I think we did fairly well considering all of us made it back to the meeting point without any major mishaps. The market was unlike anything I've seen in the past and definitely different than the markets of South-East Asia. For a capital city, it was surprisingly small, and other than the veggies and limited fruits, the majority of goods were used - everything from soccer balls to transistor radios.

The following morning, my employer (Malawi Institute of Education) sent a vehicle and driver to pick me up and transport me to Domasi. My fellow VSO volunteer and MIE coworker, Caleb, was also in Lilongwe, so he rode back to Domasi with me. Caleb is from Kenya and works in the media section of MIE. He also happens to be my new neighbour. After a week in Lilongwe, it was nice to finally see some of the countryside. The drive from Lilongwe to Domasi is roughly 3.5 hours (depending on road conditions, weather, and the driver). Before leaving Lilongwe, we did a bit of shopping in Lilongwe to buy some food supplies. I was thankful that we found an Indian grocery store! I stocked up on turmeric, cumin seeds, ghee and lentils - and even a thuva! I'm trying to stick to the local Malawian foods, but being vegetarian, it's a bit challenging at times, so my Indian foods and spices will serve as a useful backup.

From Lilongwe, we headed south through Balaka, and then west. It's the hot and dry season right now, so the terrain was brown, dusty, and fairly barren with scrubby brushes. We could see mountains in the distance, often with small villages scattered around them. The farmland was often blackened and sooty, as the last crops have been harvested and the remnants burned in order to prepare the soil for the next seeding. The most striking thing for me is the amount of people that are walking along the roadside. Everywhere you look, no matter how remote or how far between villages, you will see people walking. Everywhere, there are men, women, and children walking. It is rare to see bicycles and even more rare to see motorcycles, but you will see people walking everywhere you go.

We made a pit-stop along the way at a town called Lizulu to buy fresh fruits and vegetables. As soon as our vehicle stopped, we were swarmed with vendors eager to unload their products on us. We stocked up on tomatoes, cabbage, onions, and carrots. The fruits and veggies are very seasonal here, and there are no preservation methods, so you have to eat whatever is available, and eat it quickly! [Mariette - I wish you were here with your newly acquired canning skills!] The drive continued and I had my first glimpse of the great Shire River, which looked wide, flat and calm. I look forward to seeing the changes the wet season brings to the landscape.

We arrived in Domasi at around 5:30 pm, so I had a chance to look at the grounds around my new home before the sun fell. Darkness falls quickly here - there seems to a lovely soft light at sunset and a slight cooling in the air. You barely get to enjoy it when suddenly, you're enveloped in complete darkness. MIE has given me temporary housing (the director's house) until my permanent housing (the guesthouse) is sorted out. Almost all MIE staff live on campus. The director's house that I'm staying in is huge. It's meant for a family but sits vacant as the director has chosen to live in the nearby city of Zomba. I'm so thankful that it has running water (hot and cold!), electricity, and a real stove! The water seems to be consistent (though I'm boiling and then filtering it for drinking), but the electricity is erratic. It seems to vanish each day, sometimes for 30 minutes and sometimes for up to 8 hours. These power-outages have given me the chance to learn to bathe in the dark, prepare meals in the dark, and get ready for bed in the dark. [Mezaun - don't' read the rest of this paragraph, and skip the next one as well, as I fear you will never come and visit me!] Bathing in the dark was a bit traumatic as I've been having visitors in my bathtub. I'm had huge beetles, massive spiders, and each morning, I seem to find something bigger and more legged than the day before. After only a week, I'm not even surprised anymore - I open the bathroom door and say "Good morning. Who are you?" as I peer into the bathtub. Despite their daunting size, all the critters seem to be fairly passive and not that interested in me. And that's a good thing.

Speaking of critters, the grounds around the house, and the campus as a whole, are absolutely lovely! Huge trees that sway and rustle each morning when I wake up, and then become absolutely silent during the heat of mid-day. It's stifling, mind-numbing hot around mid-day and everything comes to a standstill in the 35 C temperature. There are monkeys that come out and climb the trees in the front yard. I've seen the most beautiful birds outside my kitchen window in the early mornings - bright red-headed woodpeckers, tiny weavers that make nests as if they were artists, and numerous others that I can't name. I wish I had a bird-book! Apparently, there are over 700 species of birds in Malawi. Each morning, I'm awakened by the neighbour's chickens who seem to like to hang out beneath my bedroom window at 4 a.m., the scratching of Caleb's turkeys, or a flying insect that seems to pass by my window at 4:30 a.m. I have never seen it, but it sounds like a helicopter. It's that loud. I'm not sure I actually want to see it. There are geckos, lizards, and lots and lots of insects - mostly large ones that look a bit frightening and seem to fly directly towards my head. I'm trying to take it all in stride. I'm trying not to panic. Taking lots of deep, long breaths. I'm convinced that they sense my fear and are just messing with me.

Last Sunday, Gay (Anna's roommate and VSO volunteer from Philippines) invited us for lunch in Zomba. Caleb, Issa (Caleb's guard) and I walked from the campus to the main road, about 20 minutes of walking along dusty, dirt paths that cut through the campus and then the surrounding farmland. We boarded a minibus (a battered minivan that's barely running, often requires a push-start, and somehow has got seating for 20 squished in it) and headed for Zomba, which is the nearest small city/large town. We had a lovely afternoon - a delicious lunch and great conversation with Gay, Anna, Nick, and some of Gay's friends who are also volunteering in Malawi in HIV/AIDS programs.

I officially started work this Monday. And then I officially took the day off on Tuesday. One of the MIE staff, Ester, took me to the Commons Room (canteen) for lunch and midway through the meal, I ended up breaking a filling on a stone in the rice. On Tuesday, I was taken to Blantyre, the commercial centre about 1.5 hours from Domasi, to see a dentist at the Seventh Day Adventist Hospital. I ended up having the entire filling removed and a new one put in place. I think the jarring, wobbly drive back to Domasi along the pot-holed road was more painful than the time spent in the dentist's chair. When we got back to the house, we found out that a tree had fallen on the power line which meant that there was no electricity for the rest of the day and night. I seem to have run into some bad luck those first few days.

My first week at work has been focused on becoming acquainted with MIE staff and the campus. There are close to 200 staff and I've been taken around to many of the departments by my boss, Max. Max heads up the Materials Production department and is a kind and friendly man, with a great sense of humour. I anticipate that I'm going to enjoy working with him and his team! My office is still begin sorted out with furniture and supplies, but I am enjoying the little monkey that plays outside my window each morning. I think we are equally curious about each other. Once my office is ready, I'm looking forward to diving into work. The READ Malawi project, a joint initiative between University of Texas and MIE, is well underway with several children's books already completed. I'm looking forward to learning about how I can contribute to what looks to be a strong team.

Today is Friday and we have the day off. It's Mother's Day. I've spent the day reading [Carol - thanks for recommending "Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight"!], and I'll eventually make my way to my office (a 3 minute walk from the house) so I can upload this post and check emails. This afternoon, Issa, Caleb and I are planning to go for a walk and explore the neighbourhood. I went for a walk yesterday in the late afternoon to explore on my own and found a maize mill, a prison, a group of men digging sand from the river (to be mixed with cement for construction), and a tailor all within 10 minutes of my house. I wandered off the main dirt path, down smaller pathways that led to clusters of small huts and shacks and introduced myself to some of the locals. They seem to be very friendly and curious, and I look forward to getting to know them better once my language skills improve as most of they do not speak English. I'm also hoping to build a relationship with the guards that are stationed at the house, and learn more through them. And the milk-lady! There is a lovely elderly woman that comes to the house a few times a week to deliver unpasteurized milk. She doesn't speak English, so we're having fun trying to communicate through charades and sign-language.

More photos to come soon...