Third Base

Muli Bwanji? (Hello, how are you?)

I can’t believe that I am entering my last week of this internship here in Malawi!! I feel like I have just gotten acquainted. Again, it is hard to put words to what I am experiencing. I have a lot of processing (connecting emotions to experiences) to do and am fully aware that this trip really begins when it ends. It’s “trippin” me out; that is for sure. I have witnessed so much cultural diversity. Not only have I experienced Malawi I have also experienced other ex-patriots (people who aren’t Malawian) and their cultures as well. My eyes have been opened wide to the realities of what takes place outside the comfortable walls of the U.S.A.

God has been showing me a lot about walls. In the states we have cement walls along the freeways, walls in our buildings, and walls around who we are. In Malawi if a person is fortunate enough to live in a house, there is most definitely a brick wall at least 6 feet tall around the perimeter of their property. In fact, most of these brick walls have glass edges on the tops or electrical lines that add additional security to the already permanent wall. Intruders still manage to get over the walls and therefore many families hire gate guards or have multiple dogs to ensure safety. In Malawi, people only invite friends, family and friends of friends and family inside the walls that barricade their homes.

Never have I experienced hospitality quite like this. I have drunk more tea and coffee in the last 7 weeks than I have in the last 7 months. Any time we are invited into the walls of someone’s home we are offered tea, coffee and biscuits (cookies) at the minimum.

This last week we went on a road-trip from Lilongwe south through Dedza to Blantyre, Mulanje, the Mozambique border, then back up north through Zomba and home to Lilongwe (LLs). It was so nice to have a “family vacation” and just be who God has made us each to be. It seems that we all play certain roles within the walls of this internship and in the walls of the Flood office. These roles and the walls around them have manifested without our control. They are controlled by who we are as individuals and the on-going goals of this internship. Sometimes, however, we get stuck in certain roles. Personally, it has become difficult to see the other parts of me that need to come out and develop when I am blinded by the motions (walls) of life. This road-trip allowed each of us to come out of our intern shells in unique ways and see parts of others we didn’t know existed. It also allowed us to be refreshed by the changing scenes that quickly disappeared into the distance.

I can confidently say that this last week, I saw some of the most beautiful creations I have ever seen. I am thankful for colors. Even though it is hard for me to choose, God revealed to me that my favorite color really is green. If you have ever seen the Napa Valley covered in vines, imagine that glistening with the deepest, brightest, fullest greens. There is something riveting, capturing, majestic about fields and fields of tea leaves at the base of the Mulanje Mountains. The green popped out at me saying, “God created this for you in this moment.” I saw the bright green contrast against the deep dark blue Mulanje Mountains, bright blue sky, and ominous clouds. The sun shined down and the fields looked as though they were sparkling. The beauty of the lands concealed the pain of being squished into the back corner of a Toyota mini-van; the claustrophobia of being surrounded by people and food, and the complete loss of understanding.

When we embarked on this journey we prayed that God would provide for us. We left unaware of where we were going to sleep and what foods we would be eating. Our contacts (rather Edith’s contacts) pulled through and eagerly welcomed us with tea and crumpets. The boys stayed with Eunice and her family while us girls stayed up the road about 7 minutes, with Keissner and her family. We stayed two nights with these families and saying our good-byes was soo hard. Especially because us girls got so attached to Keissner, her husband Emmanuel, and their 3 boys: Nate 9, Usher 5, Evan 2. The boys were so entertaining, really smart, and showed us as much hospitality as their parents did.

We embarked on the next stretch of our journey to the Mulanje Mountains and to Ndawa’s family’s home. I fell asleep for about 30 minutes even though it felt longer. I was so tired and could have slept for longer but the roads were so bumpy and bouncy. The drive from Blantyre to Mulanje was about 3 hours and brought us to the base of the mountain range. There were fields and fields of tea leaves. I was reminded me of the landscape in Maui, Hawaii on the road to Hana. Again, the fields were the brightest green and the Mulanje Mountains appeared navy blue as the sun rays bounced off them and fell into the dark grey clouds. They were hard to see, but if we looked closely at the mountains we could see waterfalls pouring out. We winded down and around villages, and up through the big green pine trees. Throughout Malawi there are paved roads but most of them barely allow for two cars to pass each other head on. I am truly perplexed as to how there are not more car accidents. I think I see more car accidents in the states where there are reflectors, bright orange lines, street lights, and divots indicating where your lane ends and another begins. I think Americans are get more distracted in general.

As we turned off the main road Ndawa announced that we were very close to his house. It was almost like driving through a tea-leaf vineyard as we neared. We passed several houses before I saw a man walking toward us. “Wow, Ndawa looks just like that guy,” I said. “Because that’s my dad,” he exclaimed. We were invited to sit down upon entering into his home, which resembled a small east-coast (of the U.S.) cottage. After our Malawian accustomed introductions we were escorted to a dining table and I entered into my own little world. I was so distracted by the feast that had been prepared for us. The table was not set for 8 rather it was crowded with hot dishes of rice, goat meat, chicken, peas, nsima, greens, and bins of carrots, papaya, bananas, and pineapple. It seemed that each family we stayed with served us with a Thanksgiving style meal for breakfast and dinner. If it hadn't been for us being out during lunch our midday meals wouldn't have been any different.

While Ndawa’s father introduced us to the meal and informed us that we were not just visitors, but family, I was overwhelmed by feelings of acceptance. It finally struck me that this family had looked forward to our arrival more than I had. After all, they hadn’t seen their son or brother for more than two months. I was suddenly reminded that as much as Ndawa feels like my brother after these last 7 weeks there is still so much I will never understand about him. My eyes filled with tears and I immediately dismissed them as I entered back into reality. I lingered in the back while my other teammates rushed toward the food. Even though they were unaware of what I was experiencing, I needed them to take the lead. As I stepped closer Samuel, Ndawa’s middle brother, poured water over my hands. In Malawi, before a meal everyone washes their hands together. Because it is so dusty most places it is always refreshing to have clean warm water to rinse your hands in. The lunch tasted just as good as it looked and I really enjoyed conversing with Ndawa’s family. His dad was the only member that partook in lunch with us. I am not really sure why his brothers and adopted sisters didn’t join us. We were unable to meet Mrs. Lungu because she is a teacher and was administering exams at the school she works at.

After our meal, Mr. Lungu said, “Come with me.” We followed him outside where he showed us his garden. There were potatoes, tomatoes, taro root, pineapples, bananas, and a variety of other plants as well. Since we didn’t finish all the fruit during lunch, when we were leaving, Mr. Lungu insisted we take the left overs along with 2 additional papayas and 1 stock of bananas. I have never seen so many bananas in one bunch which is why I am calling it a stock! There have to be about 50 green bananas on this stock. Our car kept getting fuller and fuller each place we stopped. Not only were we getting fuller, but each family supplied us with enough snacks to feed us two times around. When we left Keissner’s home she said, “Well, you need to take these [scones] (which she made herself) because there is no Shoprite (a Malawian grocery store) on that side.” She definitely out did herself!

The summit of Mulanje Mountains, Sapitwa, is the second or third (there is a debate) highest point in Africa while Mt. Kilamanjaro remains the tallest. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to hike because it would have been an all day excursion. But, since Annie had relayed to Ndawa the suggestion that we tour a tea factory, Esperanza was our next stop. In Malawi, “next stop” doesn’t necessarily mean the actual “next stop.”

When we had been en route to Ndawa’s house for lunch we passed through a series of police stops. It is not common to see police cruising the streets like in America, and highway patrolmen in patrol cars don’t exist. Rather there are police stops that you must stop at and answer any questions they ask. The police usually look really intimidating, sometimes have guns, take a peek at who is riding in the car, glare at everyone and the driver, then let you continue on. We have heard horror stories the passed seven weeks about how the police are always trying to make money, often pocketing the money themselves by making up laws on the spot and keeping you or your driver’s license until you pay. I have become accustomed to the stops and don’t feel particularly nervous at them anymore. I think the police are a bit more bored at the stops in Mulanje. At maybe the third stop we were held up for longer than usual. Although I don’t speak Chichewa I am starting to pick up on the language and the tones used therein. I became aware that we were not going to be able to get through as easily as before. The policeman thoroughly examine Humphrey’s driver’s license and the tags on the windshield. There are 3 tags that are required to be posted on the left side of the windshield: certificate of fitness, vehicle license, and motor insurance. We had all 3 tags clearly displayed and up-to-date. According to this policeman there is also an ownership tag required to state who the vehicle belongs to. This tag we did not have. After some dispute between Humphreys and the policeman he issued us a ticket for K1,500 (K=Kwacha ~ $10 USD). It was funny to hear our Malawians talk about the absurd charge. It was even funnier to watch Edith create an ownership tag on the spot. On the interior side the tag reads, “Abusa (Pastor) Sean,” on the exterior side the tag reads, “Sean Kampondeni…” along with his address. Edith has an uncanny way of getting through any police stop. When she posted the very official “ownership tag” she eyed the policeman, smiled and hinted at the tag. He read it and as we drove off he tried his hardest not to laugh. It was the funniest thing! I said, “If we had to go through all of that just to make him laugh I’m happy it happened.” In order for Humphreys to get his license back we had to go to the Malawi/Mozambique border office to pay the fine back. This was our detour before we toured the Esperanza tea factory.

Mr. Lungu happens to be a popular guy in their town. He knows the head hauncho at the tea factory and enabled us to take a tour. Ndawa’s whole family came along and we dressed up in gowns and little hats that looked like miniature baker’s hats. The tour was about one-and-one-half hours. It is definitely a highlight for me for the entire trip. It was one of the only times we felt like tourists besides our visit to Henry Henderson Institute (H.H.I). H.H.I. is the home of the oldest church in Malawi. It is a Presbyterian cathedral that was built in 1881 and is beautiful. I was so excited to go inside and insisted we visit. It reminded me of the Catholic Church in Chicago, IL that my mom’s family played an integral role in. The tour of the tea factory was awesome! It totally put into perspective the things that I am learning in class and why standards of fill, quality, quantity, edible portions, waste portions are all so critical. As others tuned out because they were unsure of what our guide was referencing, I engaged even more. At the end of the tour we even got to taste the teas. The teas were the strongest aromas I have ever tasted. Unlike wine tasting where you swallow the sample, in tea tasting, you spit the tea out. We had fun spitting tea.

The next stretch of our road trip was about a six-hour drive bouncing along the roads north to Lilongwe. We stopped in Zomba to visit Chancellor’s College, one of the more prestigious business colleges. We also drove to the top of one of the mountains there Kuchawe and passed the Mulunguzi Reservoir. There is a beautiful hotel at the top that attracts tourists. There were monkeys roaming around so Brock and Cameron got carried away feeding them bananas…typical azungus. This was also the first place I had seen any horses. The concierge advertises trail rides from the stable there around the reservoir. It was really neat to be able to experience other parts of Malawi other than Lilongwe.

This final week will be a typical week in the office and in our non-flood ministries. We will welcome the four other Malawian interns home from San Diego, host the Ark (our Friday night ministry), send off our short-term Flood San Diego team home, and get to travel north with the Malawians. We are heading to Salima to a section of Lake Malawi to hang out there for the day and share our experiences of the internship with one another (the Malawians with us the Americans and vice versa).

Lake Malawi is known for it’s freshwater diving and being the largest freshwater lake in all of Africa. If you look at the southeast section of the continent of Africa on a map you will see a small body of water. Compared to the whole continent of Africa it looks similar to a strand of hair enveloping the country of Malawi. If you look at a map of Malawi and compare the lake to it you will see that the lake is massive. The Norwegians we met on our safari said that they have seen the most beautiful freshwater fish here. In fact they dive yearly at Lake Malawi because of the scuba diving is that great. I won’t be diving, but I’ll definitely go for a swim…no water parasite is going to attack me, my name is Sarah Colin! Actually, I swam in Lake Malawi in 2009 and still have not experienced any adverse reactions.

I will continue to post as I re-enter the states. I know that there will be some fun stories of traveling home and of enjoying this last week. Please continue to pray for me and my team’s safety, unity, health, and emotional and physical reentry to the U.S.A.!

Zikomo for reading!

Sincerely,

Ymisarah