Yesterday, we woke up early(!) for our bus ride to Blantyre. Those long rides always get me to thinking about why I love Malawi so much. So, for those of you who are journeying to Malawi with me for the first time, let me just share with you a few of the things that I adore about this wonderful place:
1. First and foremost, the people. Malawians are a wonderful people full of joy, love, peace, and grace. We are always greeted with big smiles and feel "Most welcome" wherever we go. Perfect strangers will walk up to you and say hi. You think they want something but they will just walk up and, with a big smile, say hi and ask how you are doing today. Then they will go on their way. Malawi truly is, "the warm heart of Africa." Malawians love to try new things and are not afraid to roll up their sleeves and get in to try something. Unlike many of us in the U.S. (okay, maybe it's just me), it doesn't seem like they are "afraid" to fail.
2. The countryside. Malawi is a beautiful country with it's red dirt, rolling hills, and trees, such as banana, mango and eucalyptus. Since Malawi is more tropical than desert, there are rivers that wind through the hills. You often see people washing clothes or bathing in them. Where there aren't trees or crops, the ground is covered in scrub brush. The landscape here actually reminds me a lot of Southern California, before the hills were flattened and paved over with buildings and freeways.
3. Village life. It is easy to see from the road how people live here in their thatched huts. The women carry their kids on their backs while they sweep the dirt or pump water from a well. There are always people in the fields, working hard to grow their crops. Their livestock is visible and roam around freely. Many have chickens and goats, a few lucky ones even have cows. Then there are the children. The smiles on these little ones are so precious! They are often running around playing with their friends, maybe some "futball" or "netball." Their balls are usually interesting. It is rare to see an actual soccer ball or basketball. They usually play with whatever sort of ball they can find but have no shortage of smiles.
4. The markets. Malawians are a hard-working people, of that there can be no doubt. I so appreciate that about them. The markets are filled with baskets, buckets, tomatoes, potatoes, oil, ground nuts, eggs, and, of course, meat products. Yes, it can be a little disconcerting to see whole goats strung up between two wood posts on the side of the road, but it's not like there are grocery stores on every corner with refrigerated butcher cases.
5. The food. Malawi has some amazing fresh produce. These are a people who know how to farm! The tomatoes here are just incredible, as are the avocados, cabbage, beans, onions and so many other items. Malawian "relish" is one of my favorite things to eat, which is cabbage with onion, tomatoes and a yummy spice they put in it. Malawian beans are delicious too. I know it sounds weird to like beans so much but, if you tried them, you'd know what I mean. I want to get the recipe this time so I can make it at home. Then there is the Peri Peri chicken. Oh my spicy! That stuff is delicious and I already have a bottle of it in my suitcase to take home. Okay, TWO. ;o)
Those are some of the many things I love about Malawi. That is also why it makes me sad to see some of the unrest going on here right now. The people are struggling more then ever, there are lines to get gas that seriously seem a mile long, the tax rates have increased along with prices for everything. Because of this, there were protests yesterday which turned violent in some places. Thankfully, nothing like California or other countries in Africa, but it is a big deal for Malawi. Don't worry, we are very safe at our house outside of town, but we do ask that you pray for Malawi and her people. The President here has not been making good choices for his people and we pray that his heart softens and he starts to do the right thing.
Okay, we are off to start our day. I will keep you posted as to how the week progresses!
Thanks for your prayers,
~ Pam
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