Blogs from Malawi, Africa - page 72

url='/Videos/4089.html' onclick='dialog("/Videos/4089.html?popped=1","tbvideo",600,600);return false;'Congolese dancingurl='/Videos/4091.html' onclick='dialog("/Videos/4091.html?popped=1","tbvideo",600,600);return false;'And I have no rhythm... This past week was my last working week this summer which is totally nuts! On Tuesday I gave a 3-hour (!) workshop to the camp's teachers on children's rights. There were about thirty of them, some Malawian and some refugees. I studied children's rights last fall but we focused entirely on U.S. law so I had to spend some time last weekend reviewing the international law! It went really well and it was as educational for me as for them, I think. The teachers really payed attention in the beginning (the boring part) and then when we broke into groups to start looking at real-life situations they all found very creative ways of appl... read more

The Candyman is this wonderful, old Malawian man. He comes into Mayoka every night. He sets up his chair and little bench with chocolate and candy and snacks which he then sells to the people hanging out in the bar. What makes this man such an icon to me is not that he sells candy but his look. The picture I took of him was in his “Sunday go to church clothes” (my line). But the first few days he was dressed all in purple, purple socks, purple shorts, purple shirt. Best of all is the hat. He has this purple, pimp daddy hat. It really gives him a pimp/fly guy look or maybe the crows Heckle and Jeckle. We couldn’t tell. It was a classic look. My trip through Malawi was short and relaxing. I ... read more

Welcome to the Twilight Zone We travelled along the length of the lake, catching glimpses of the shimmering water between the hills, down to the southern tip. On route we stopped by a copse of rubber trees. You score the bark of the tree and it oozes a rubbery sap (that looks a bit like snot) which they collect and process to create all manner of rubber things! We arrived at Wheelhouse Marina, we seemed completely deserted. Apparently there was a cichlid farm nextdoor which provides aquariums worldwide with the pretty little fishies. We stepped through a gap in the wall and it was like the Twilight Zone! This zombie woman guided us around all the fish tanks, randomly feeding the fish. We were a bit thirsty and asked where we could buy some water. ... read more

Lake Malawi Drove from our overnight stop in Iringa to Lake Malawi, passing through Mbeya and Mikumi National Park. Unfortunately Rach developed the super squits in the afternoon, which isn't pleasant when you're on a truck for hours. Driving through the mountains, Lake Malawi emerged as a huge, sparkling blue expanse of water. We arrived at a beachside campsite at the northern tip of the lake for an overnight stop. Went for a walk along the beach and got accosted by a bunch of endearing little boys who were playing football. They were proper little businessmen, befriending you so you'll buy their postcards or bracelets. Kandi Beach No chance to lie in thanks to a persistent cockerel crowing at 5am. We could have cheerfully wrung its neck! With Rach pumped full of imodium, we journeyed ... read more

Arriving in Malawi was the scariest thing of my life. And I mean terrifying. The cab driver kept stopping on the side of the road next to groups of 20-something men. I finally told him that my colleague was waiting for me at the hotel and if I wasn't there in 5 minutes, he'd call the police. And then I took out my totally useless cell phone because I didn't have a Malawi SIM card yet and put it on my lap like I was poised to call the police. Not that I had a clue what the number was anyway… But that's beside the point. I get to the hotel and they tell me it's too dangerous to go out. It's 3pm in the afternoon at this point. I'm like, what the heck have I ... read more