April 13, 2004

Hi All,

Have spent an interesting week at cultural orientation some distance from here, mostly learning Chichewa. After five frustrating days of classes and experimenting on the local people I amazingly have developed some ability to speak and understand Chichewa. Actually it is similar to Tshiluba, which I spoke before and forgot, but it helps that many patterns and the structure are similar. My gardener and cook are so pleased that I can now say such erudite things as “I’m going to the hospital now” and “have a nice day.” Similar to Tshiluba, I have developed a very specific list of words—sit up, lie down, breathe in and out, stick out your tongue, etc. Not too useful in the average conversation perhaps, but the patients are delighted.

The highlight of our week was spending an evening and night with a family from the nearby village in a usual village house, which consisted of a two-room thatched hut surrounded by a grass fence and several other buildings, a bath house, kitchen, latrine and several other small enclosures. We were very graciously received, including visits and greetings by everyone living in the village down to infants. Since we arrived just after a characteristic torrential downpour and were covered with mud, our first stop after being greeted was the bathhouse, where we were given hot water, soap, and a large cup for washing/rinsing while standing on a large flat stone. This worked very well. We next had nsima, a staple corn pudding, with pumpkin leaves, eaten with the hands, shared with the family seated on a mat. The food was delicious and filling, but conversation was somewhat limited although we had a translator with us. The easiest thing to do was sing, so we sang several songs with motions with the kids, after which they taught us a few in Chichewa. It was soon dark and the eating mat was replaced by a sleeping mat and blankets. We Nagys had a room to ourselves, the mother and children slept in another room and I think the father and several boys slept outside. It was really interesting to see how people accomplish various tasks necessary to live and how difficult they sometimes are, such as having to carry and heat water, but the warmth of the family and neighbors’ greeting and welcome are what made the biggest impression on all of us. Even taciturn Melia broke down and started speaking Chichewa to the kids. We of course are seeing hot running water and mattresses in a new light also. And pumpkin leaves!

Easter was celebrated in a lively Chichewa service with about ten choirs, dancing, and lots of fancy clothes, which seemed more remarkable having seen how hard it is for people to keep things clean. The English sermon dealt with a surprising topic which has captivated everyone’s attention, the upcoming presidential elections due this May, only the third Malawi has ever had, and anticipated to unseat the current president who is viewed as corrupt.

More later, love to all,

Barbara