Fourth week teaching

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Fourth week teaching
Sunday Shelby and I went into Lilongwe to go to an Indian food festival at the safari or woodland park. Unfortunately we should have got tickets beforehand, it was ticket only and they didn't sell them on the door. As we were in the mood for Indian food we hitched into the main town to Sana, near the old town shopping complex. The guys that picked us were very chatty, and not until Shelby asked what they did, did they mention they were a taxi cab. Shelby is very good at deflecting requests for payment, saying that we had no money, which was why we were hitching and we wouldn't have accepted a lift if we had thought we had to pay. She's also good at deflecting requests for her phone number, and proposals of marriage. The bike taxi ride into, and back from Lumbadzi, is very uncomfortable now as a truck similar to a snow plough went along each side of the road, ostensibly flattening the bumps and pushing the excess to the side of the road. What it did was convert the bumps into soft dust, which made a thick film over the whole road, which swirls about every time the wind blows or a car goes past. And it's like cycling on soft sand. We nearly skidded over twice.
The minibus crammed 15 people into a 12 - seater: ditto on the way back with 13 large wicker baskets as well, and a huge black sack of clothes. This last was right next to my head, so I rested on it. It was no worse than the 5.40 on the Central Line, and no-one was strap-hanging and presenting damp underarms. Considering how hot it is here, and how limited water and bathrooms are, very few people smell, though sometimes, being downwind of a hot and sweaty bike taxi driver, one can sometimes catch a whiff. We left at 10.30 and got back about 5pm, hot and tired.
Monday I took the Standard 8 again. I've decided that the questions the group will ask the builders will have to be in Chichewa, as devising them in English is too challenging. This exercise is not about learning English, but about them really finding out about the building work. Trying to get them to think of something independently is uphill work. The whole educational system works against initiative and free thinking. I wonder how much talent is squandered by not developing artistry, questioning, craft work, etc.
Tuesday I went to M'bang'ombe school and observed four lessons as the Head had asked me back. I'm not sure whether the intention was to have me join in, but i did anyway. The Standard 1 teacher who was teaching 'big' and 'small', had visual aids - big and small sticks, big and small books, and she used big and small children. Each was accompanied by a shouted, 'This is a small stick,' several times with the children joining in. I wrote 'This is a', ' small', 'big', 'stick' etc on strips of laminated card with a whiteboard pen, and we got children to hold them up with the appropriate visual aid. She was impressed with the whiteboard pen and card, (only sellotape on card) so I said I'd make her some.
Monday evening we had a drama with the chimbudzi (pit loo). I'd burned some rubbish in the afternoon, and Shelby had put some of the ash in the bucket for covering in the loo, not realising it was still hot. Three hours later, just before bed time I went to the loo and it was full of smoke. The ash had smouldered the dry crushed leaves we were using for covering in the loo, melted the plastic bucket and was beginning to burn a hole in the wooden floor. If we hadn't noticed, it could have set the wooden walls of the loo alight, and set fire to the bamboo fence, which could have burned round to Steve's new kitchen area. Disaster was averted however; we used another bucket for covering in the loo,and collected some more crumbled leaves.

Greeting people
It's polite to greet everyone,either with the greeting for new people, the greeting for those you've already met, (separate morning and afternoon greetings), or just a cupped hand clapping, and a 'Zikomo', which is actually 'thank you', but can be used to signify that you are willing to chat. If I get the response wrong it often causes hilarity, but they appreciate the effort. Some words have multiple meanings; 'ndi' means 'yes', 'with' or 'and', depending on context. I suppose they all mean agreement of some form. Many of the children now know my name and will call it out as I pass. Those that don't call out 'Azungu' which means 'White person'. So i call out in Chichewa, 'My name is Jennie'. Some of them start the song, 'Heads, shoulders, knees and toes', which I've done with a lot of them.

Food
All the builders eat together at lunch time, but I can't bear nsima, which is the maize flour stodge they all love so I eat crackers and cheese. The evening meal Shelby, Steve and I have together; veg and pasta, noodles or rice with flavouring. The vegetables are limited, though we grow more vegetables here on the permaculture site than is grown in the surrounding area. Everywhere you go there are people selling mostly tomatoes, with some potatoes, all arranged in exactly the same neat little piles. In Lumbadzi we get peas, beans and carrots. I brought some packets of cook-in-the-bag and instant noodle meals as I was so nervous about my ability to feed myself as I struggle at home with every modcon and ingredients available all day and night. I'm now inspired to take up cooking again, though that's probably because this is my style of cooking; imostly one-pot cooking with everything thrown in together, and because it's eaten in the open air it tastes wonderful.
My bowels are back to normal now, after three and a half weeks of not being right, (you really wanted to know that, didn't you?). We drink borehole water which is then filtered twice. Shelby doesn't eat uncooked tomatoes unless she knows the source of the water used on them. I would have thought filtering water through the roots and stem of the tomato plant would filter water. Anyone know whether contaminated water goes into the plant? I know chemicals will end up in tne fruit, how about faeces-contaminated river water?

I killed my first wind scorpion spider yesterday, so called because they hold their front legs up in front and they run so fast. I was going to have a bath (well, a wash down with a big bucket of water,) in the bathroom and was sweeping it first. I had to chase the spider with the broom, and got it third time. Shelby stamps on them or whacks them with a shoe, but I can't get that close to them. With a broom in my hands I had courage though. At home I wouldn't dream of doing that. I get a glass and card, and carefully put spiders outside. These ones are, 'only slightly poisonous' Shelby says but are so malevolent looking and run as fast as mice, that I have to kill them. Though usually I call Shelby. Talking of mice, we have one of those too, which we are trying to get out of the house; we may have to resort to a mousetrap.

Wednesday
I took the Standard 8 group for questioning the builders. It was a different group from before. Girls questioned Loness who is training to be a nurse, and the boys talked to Kelvin the carpenter and Bakela the thatcher. Chikondi tne librarian came with me. Thursday I typed up what they said, and developed it further to explain about rammed earth building generally.
Thursday afternoon Chikondi and I were going to have the first library, book and reading group, but no-one showed up. Chikondi was pretty fed up, but I'm sure people will come in time; we'll try again next week.

HIV AIDS
Fierson, one of the night warchmen, is quite open that he has had HIV for tem years, but because he looks after his health he is quite well. He said he always eats well, (nsima and relish) and gets his monthly medicine.There are support groups for sufferers; both Sam Palmer and Shelby are involved with support groups, and say how it's good that sufferers are open about it, as at one time nobody talked about it. Now people wear 'Condomize' t-shirts and sexual health is taught in schools. AIDS sufferers get free medicine monthly, but have to walk 44 kms to the nearest clinic that provides it. They take it in turns to go and get the medication for the whole group, but it takes a whole day, or an overnight stay as they have to walk. Sam said his group have asked if it would be possible to get a bike that they can share to make the journey. He's going to try and get a secondhand bike for them.
Friday
Into Lilongwe to get school supplies, mats for the library and food. Several of last year's Aidcampers gave me money to use for the school. Today I'm buying some blackboard paint, as the school has run out of money and several of the blackboards are crap. I'm laminating the A4 alphabet cards the Standard 2 children coloured in felt tips, and pictures for The Very Hungry Caterpillar. I'll also get some rush mats for the library. There are about 15 chairs round four large tables in the library, but if a whole class, or even half a class comes in, there would be more room for them to sit on mats on the floor.
It's felt strange going into town after being in the village - everything is so expensive.
I splurged on a burger in Ad Lib, and splurged on a taxi back to the airport. I hitched in from the airport, in the closed back of a Toyota van (just about every vehicle here is a Toyota). A policewoman also flagged him down for the mile or so to the main road, and a woman from Lumbadzi: she was a teacher too. She had 500 kwacha to give to the driver, do I did too; that's the rate for a minibus, and it was a little more comfortable than a minibus.

Note for any previous Aidcampers, and any newcomerd - Heather Palmer told me that Aidcamp International will be doing a project back in this area next September. A pop-up school that we visited three years ago is planned to be built with sandbags, and then rendered, like the annexes at the side of the !library and the training workshop here. The group will stay in tne residential building, which is nearly finished, it's being thatched at the moment, ready for the rainy season. I think I'll probably come again for that, and then stay longer, and help in the school again. I have the Malawi bug.
Someone told me today that there is a safari park in the north of Malawi where there are a lot of animals, particularly zebras. I could save that for my next visit.

Saturday is the golf tournament - fundraising for Landirani. George the sits manager. Chikondi the librarian. Kwondami the permaculture manager, Steve, Shelby and I come in on the truck at 7am. First we go to the builder's merchants to get floor tiles for Steve to use in tne birthing bay at the maternity hospital, then to the golf club. Various teams play golf while Shelby and I lounge by the pool. We have lunch there, then work the room selling raffle tickets. We do quite well, though some of the men think I'm Shelby's mother. I don't mind, I'm nearly old enough to be her grandmother. The guys all go back to the village after, but Shelby and I go to AdLib for a burger with Sarah, a new trustee for
Landirani. She's a very interesting woman; has spent 20 years in 17 African countries working mostly on FGM (female genital mutilation). She sounds as if she was pretty instrumental in getting the law changed in the UK so that more can be done to prevent second generation immigrant girls having it.
We stay at Mabuya camp - yey a hot shower! Such luxury!

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Comments

[Penny Tolson]

Hi Jennie, I'm really enjoying your blogs! Its amazing how we take things for granted and then read your blog. The "near" fire could have been nasty, and the journeys into town sound so eventful, even if uncomfortable and "no smelling armpits!" Life is full-on here as usual and its Melanie's huband Gregor's 50th Birthday party next week with more'n 100 people. They went to Rome for the weekend and Brian and I helped out with the triplets - nearly 16 now, so more waving at the door, checking they've eaten and just being there! Rock Choir's still great, especially the Queen song, "Don't Stop Now". I'm teaching about 6 students a week, so that keeps me quite busy. Brian saw the Dali Lama (can't spell) at GYC recently. He still rows every 2 weeks. I haven't been for ages. Time to sign off. Keep up the good work. What an interesting adventure you're having! Really impressive. Lots of love Penny xx