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Published: December 19th 2007
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“God Is Taking Pictures” - this is what the Malawians say when lightening strikes. I guess god has been rather busy with his camera lately because there has been a LOT of lightening. The rainy season has kicked in. This brings with it an even larger number of bugs than usual. There have been nights when we have wanted to go outside to see a storm but we have been unable to open the door due to the masses of insects.
I have also been running on “chicken time” (another one of the Malawians’ many sayings, which is connected to ‘the early bird catches the worm’ and means an early bedtime) on a fairly frequent basis due to the fact that my mosquito net is a haven from them all.
The amount of wildlife here is incredible. Some is a little scary (think green mambas and poisonous frogs in bars), and some just entertaining (like the baboons I see on my way to work). I musn’t forget to mention’Moni’ - our ‘pet’ monitor lizard who has set up house outside my bedroom window. He has been keeping me company the past few days as I have been horrendously sick
and bedbound. First time in almost 7 months though so I think I did quite well. I think it was something I ate.
Today is the first day I have been feeling normal so I have not been at work since last Friday. Last week I was busy in the dressings room. We see abscesses galore in there (I know you wanted to know this) and also see the effects (usually not positive ones) of using traditional medicine on them. I would suggest you bring your child to the hospital before rubbing onion on their abscess. I am finding that many people here believe in traditional forms of medicine.
I have also been continuing with cleaning and bandaging wounds, putting casts on arms and legs, and assisting with stitches. I have already seen several injuries resulting from bad cases of abuse. One set of stitches was performed on a girl’s tongue. It had been bitten almost in half. I won’t go into all of this now because there’s too much to say but I would not want to be a woman in Africa. I also won’t go into my opinions on the dressing room itself (cleanliness included). We
will talk when I get home!
Myself and the other volunteers were back in Cape Maclear on Saturday. We met several new people with equally interesting nicknames - Captain, Dude, Manana and Holiday included. It’s impossible to put it in words but Cape Maclear and all of the characters who live there are like the work of a great storyteller. It’s amazing that the place is in Africa, and it’s amazing that it is so quiet and undiscovered. In some ways, that’s great, because the fact that it is so undiscovered makes it more special, but in other ways, not great at all, as there seems to be an underlying sense of desperation. This weekend it seemed worse. Everyone was all too much aware that Christmas is approaching, yet the village is like a ghost town. Hardly another ‘mzungu’ in sight, so no new business for the ‘beach boys’ who sell their fish bbqs and snorkeling trips, and no business for the curio stall owners, who sell their canvas paintings and beautiful woodcarvings. When, as Captain put it, your family is a ‘team’ (with your dad being the goalkeeper), none of this is good.
Off again for now.
Planning on seeing a few bands this weekend to celebrate Christmas. I may also be meeting the president as he is coming to Monkey Bay! Two houses along from us to be exact, and we have become friends with the foreman of the hotel.
Hope everyone has a happy Christmas. I’ll try to be in touch before the New Year.
Joanna x
P.S. A few of you have asked for an address. Apparently, letters should be ok if sent regular mail but any parcels/donations should probably be sent DHL as they have been known to take months to get here/not get here at all. I am sure DHLmay be expensive though? Aswell as the hospital, there is a school and an orphanage here, so for those of you who have kids clothes etc, they can definitely be used 😊 Thanks as always.
Joanna Raeside, c/o Francis Njanje
Malawi Volunteers Organization
PO Box 101
Monkey Bay
Malawi
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