“In this undiscovered moment lift your head up above the ground.”
This past week I found myself tucked between the mountains in the districts of Neno and Mwanza. It was an off road paradise-bumpy dirt roads taking us from village to village. I swear the mantra for Neno is eat a light breakfast because you might throw it up from the jostling the body endures as you travel the roads. It was great fun though.
But as I walked along these dirt roads through the villages and pass the orange groves, I found myself staring at the ground instead of taking in the environment around me. I found myself feeling uncomfortable. Normally, that kind of feeling would be natural. As a white person, I don’t exactly fit in. But there was something that caused me to keep looking at the ground at avoiding the stares of the villagers. But Malawi’s hospitality broke my trance. See, even if I wanted to hide, the Malawians wouldn’t let me. As I passed them on the road, they would say hi and practice all the English they knew and give me a chance to practice my limited Chichewa. These people by far are the friendliest I have ever encountered and it is a genuine friendliness. In my experience in Africa, there are some who only want to befriend you because you are a wealthy American. Not so here. The kids would come running after me waving and yelling “Mzungu, how are you?” And I would answer them in English, and then say mazuka bwanji (good morning) and they would just laugh. It is amazing how the Malawians light up when they hear an American speaking in their native tongue. And because the Malawians took this moment to discover more about me, it made me comfortable enough to discover more about them. And in that moment, Neno became more than a village surrounded by mountains, but it came to life. I would have missed this if I kept staring at the ground. And for this I was glad to get out of Lilongwe for a bit and integrate with the culture.
Neno is also home to Partners in Health and the Clinton-Hunter Development Initiative. There are lots of farming plots in Neno, growing everything from citrus fruits to maize and indigenous plants that I can’t even begin to pronounce. We stopped at one of these farms to pick some oranges. Or I should say we didn’t pick them but had to use a big wooden stick to knock them to the ground.
The farming also extends to livestock and there are more animals that use the road than vehicles. At one point, we came around a corner and were greeted by a herd of cattle. It is not uncommon for chickens and goats to be hit by a car. I think I would much rather have to worry about deer than all the animals here.
Along the road are also “mud dancers”. These men wear masks made of mud and straw beards. They cover themselves with ash and carry around large sticks. They primarily dance at funerals but on the day we encountered them, they were jumping out of the weeds at passersby looking for money.
Finally, the road to Neno offers the opportunity to try bush meat. All African countries have their own version of bush meat. In Malawi, it is mice on a stick. A mouse kebab usually comes with 5 mice that have been smoked. Some are fresh and others are a few days old. I did not try one on this journey but I may bring myself to taste this delicatessen later on.
I will post again tomorrow about my visits to the health clinics and district hospitals.
This past week I found myself tucked between the mountains in the districts of Neno and Mwanza. It was an off road paradise-bumpy dirt roads taking us from village to village. I swear the mantra for Neno is eat a light breakfast because you might throw it up from the jostling the body endures as you travel the roads. It was great fun though.
But as I walked along these dirt roads through the villages and pass the orange groves, I found myself staring at the ground instead of taking in the environment around me. I found myself feeling uncomfortable. Normally, that kind of feeling would be natural. As a white person, I don’t exactly fit in. But there was something that caused me to keep looking at the ground at avoiding the stares of the villagers. But Malawi’s hospitality broke my trance. See, even if I wanted to hide, the Malawians wouldn’t let me. As I passed them on the road, they would say hi and practice all the English they knew and give me a chance to practice my limited Chichewa. These people by far are the friendliest I have ever encountered and it is a genuine friendliness. In my experience in Africa, there are some who only want to befriend you because you are a wealthy American. Not so here. The kids would come running after me waving and yelling “Mzungu, how are you?” And I would answer them in English, and then say mazuka bwanji (good morning) and they would just laugh. It is amazing how the Malawians light up when they hear an American speaking in their native tongue. And because the Malawians took this moment to discover more about me, it made me comfortable enough to discover more about them. And in that moment, Neno became more than a village surrounded by mountains, but it came to life. I would have missed this if I kept staring at the ground. And for this I was glad to get out of Lilongwe for a bit and integrate with the culture.
Neno is also home to Partners in Health and the Clinton-Hunter Development Initiative. There are lots of farming plots in Neno, growing everything from citrus fruits to maize and indigenous plants that I can’t even begin to pronounce. We stopped at one of these farms to pick some oranges. Or I should say we didn’t pick them but had to use a big wooden stick to knock them to the ground.
The farming also extends to livestock and there are more animals that use the road than vehicles. At one point, we came around a corner and were greeted by a herd of cattle. It is not uncommon for chickens and goats to be hit by a car. I think I would much rather have to worry about deer than all the animals here.
Along the road are also “mud dancers”. These men wear masks made of mud and straw beards. They cover themselves with ash and carry around large sticks. They primarily dance at funerals but on the day we encountered them, they were jumping out of the weeds at passersby looking for money.
Finally, the road to Neno offers the opportunity to try bush meat. All African countries have their own version of bush meat. In Malawi, it is mice on a stick. A mouse kebab usually comes with 5 mice that have been smoked. Some are fresh and others are a few days old. I did not try one on this journey but I may bring myself to taste this delicatessen later on.
I will post again tomorrow about my visits to the health clinics and district hospitals.
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