Written April 12,
2013
Hey there
everyone. Hope this message finds you healthy, happy, and well. Let’s see….where to begin. It seems that much has happened since the last entry. Well, I have been in Malawi for a little over 2 weeks now. It has been quite interesting as I have been getting accustomed to life in Malawi. One thing I attempt to do whenever I visit a country is to learn as much as I can about the language, culture, traditions, customs, foods, music, and people’s daily activities.
Being here
in Malawi, I have been trying to learn and speak as much of the local language,
Chichewa, as I can. As I pass people on the streets, I greet them in Chichewa
and respond. Sometimes I get surprised looks from the passersby and giggles. I
think they are shocked that I make an effort to greet in Chichewa instead of
English. I also try to learn as much as I can by asking local Malawians that I
see on a regular basis, such as the staff at the NGO where I work and staff at
the lodge where I am staying. In addition, I enjoy hearing conversations when I
am out in the field during mobile health clinic visits. I sit and observe
interaction between the clinical officer, nurse, nurse aide and the villager. Interestingly,
I notice similarities in the Chichewa language and other language, such as
Tigrinya and Spanish. For instance, in Chichewa the word for flu-like symptoms
is “fuenza” similar to influenza. The word for month is “mez” which is “mes” in
Spanish. Other examples are in Chichewa the word for numbness is “zaz” which is
dunzez in Tigrinya. As a male patient was describing, in Chichewa, to the
clinical officer that he was experiencing numbness in one of his legs and his
thigh, I was able to ascertain what the issue was about numbness due to general
body language and because of my background knowledge in Tigrinya. When I asked
the clinical officer for confirmation, he was surprised I was able to decipher
what the patient said. Another time, a different patient was describing his
medical complaint and I recognized one of the words he was using, “mankwala,”
which means medicine or drugs. I noted on the patient’s health passport book
that he was hypertensive. The clinical officer and the patient were going back
and forth about times of days (mamawa-morning, masana-afternoon,
matzulo-evening) and dosages of medicine(kwooda and half) and there sounded to
be a discrepancy. So, I asked the clinical officer if the patient was
incorrectly taking his meds by taking too many. He looked at me with such a
surprised look that I got the gist of the conversation. He replied you are a
fast learner. I said, “well if you know one African language you can better
understand another one.”
As far as
the food, I have tried “nsema,” and steamed pumpkin. Nsema is the number food
of Malawi and made of maize flour. It has a white color and appears much like a
hardened porridge. It can be eating as porridge or as a solid concoction that
is used to dip into sauces or eating with vegetables or meat. It is a common
stable in Malawi and equivalent to tortillas in Mexico, injera in Eritrea or
Ethiopia, and rice in China. If you were ever to try “Malawian food” and it
does not include nsema as part of the meal, then it isn’t true Malawian food. Another
common food in Malawi is cassava (which I have yet to try) and rice. In
addition, Chombe tea is a locally produced tea. There are beautiful acres and
acres of tea estates all over.
The
typically dress of a Malawian woman consist of what is called a “chitenje.” A
chitenje is a traditional-wrapped skirt. Usually a large stretch of fabric is
wrapped around the woman’s waist and covers her from the waist down. Typically,
women wear these in the villages. In the more urban area, women wear them also
but usually have jeans or other pants under them. I wear my chitenje everyday
that I go out to the villages and have learned to wrap them quite well. At
first, I did not know how to wrap them so was always cautious of them falling
off me as I walked. I had one of the NGO staff members teach me how to wrap it
on the first day I wore one. From then on, I have secured it well when I get
dressed in the morning. The key is to first stretch out the fabric behind me
and then to wrap one side in and then wrap the other side over the first and
then tie both ends together. I tie mines in a double knot to ensure it is securely
fastened. At first, it felt as if I was wearing a “kumono” and didn’t have much
wiggle room and then I learned how to adjust it accordingly.
Music is
another important part of a culture in that it is an expression of tradition
and comes from a history of storytelling. In Malawi, it is common to hear songs
of praise to God and songs that are sung at community gatherings. My team and I
were fortunate enough to be serenaded by a group of women in the village as a
way of welcoming us. It was such an amazing experience. One woman led the
singing while the others followed her lead in a common “chant and response”
manner that typifies traditional African group singing. A few women started
singing and then more joined until it consisted of at least 20-25 angelic
voices composing a beautiful melody. It was awesome to witness. I as well as
others joined in on the clapping and dancing. It was a nice and warm welcome
from the lovely women of the village.
Well…until
next time folks...take care.
RJ
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