The Market and Blackouts

Today (Saturday, May 23, 2009) my supervisor took me into Lilongwe to the old section of town. There I bought some cloth and walked around a little. The market was fun, very crammed with people and shops selling various items, from cloth, to accessories, to house wares. There was hardly any room for two people to pass in the alley ways and the smell in the air was a mix of a fish market and a wet dog, if you would like to imagine that, except for the fruit section which didn’t smell that bad. Picture a bunch of small shacks lined up side by side with wall-to-wall items for sale. A lot of thieves and beggars are in the city, some with an illness and some who look no different than anybody else. But it was good for me to see, and I don’t think I’ve seen anything quite parallel in the US, or at least up close.

Later in the evening when I got back, there was a blackout, meaning all the electricity went out in the city. Blackouts are common in Malawi and usually last for a couple hours, though the last few we’ve had here haven’t been that long. But it’s not that bad, I have a flashlight that has come in handy, and it just reminds me of when the power goes out at my house during a storm.

We have nzima a lot, I think it is getting harder for me to eat because we have it one or two times everyday for lunch and dinner. In Mzimba I will be staying at a guest house that serves as a retreat house and missions house, so I am looking forward to the new environment and maybe having a bit more independence. I have loved staying with my host family, but there is something to be said for having your own room. They are used to having people from all over coming to stay at the guest house, so maybe the menu will be a bit more varied. Also hoping to be able to do laundry, as I haven’t done any yet...