Last week at work I met a little girl, her name was Jinny, she was three. I smiled at her and she smiled back. The next day sees me down the hall of the hospital, and comes running at me full force. Arms outstretched, massive grin. She leaped into my arms and my heart exploded.
On New Years Eve I had these grand plans of making my solitude a rad time instead of a lame one. I would make sangria and stay up pondering the year that has been and the one that is to come. And then at midnight I would count down by myself and then party like it’s 1999 because how lucky are we to be alive?! But all my plans were put to ruin when my makeshift sangria (cider, “pineapple juice” which was actually only 30% pineapple and 70% sugar, mint leaves, apple and grapefruit slices) was undrinkable. Still quite tired from hardly sleeping for two weeks in New Zealand and the birds waking me up at 3am daily, I fell asleep at 9pm.
I got a taxi home from the airport when I arrived back, it was pouring with rain and Eliot my taxi driver insisted I stay in the car until it stopped. Twenty minutes. No extra charge. Golden.
The other day I saw a centipede that was as long as my foot and as fat as my big toe and I was devastated I didn’t have my iPhone on me for a photo. Promise it’s real though.
It’s the rainy season now and there are huge thunder storms. My bed shakes like the earth is going to fall apart, and fork lightning is better than fireworks. Although apparently my toaster was struck by lightning a few weeks ago so thank goodness I was in bed and not making toast.
I’ve been thinking a lot about how we could really do with Kim dot com and his Internet Party over here. Fast, reliable, and affordable internet for all! Malawi needs it more than you guys ok. Send him over if you see him.
The other day I was walking back from the grocery store in the pouring rain. Dirt road is now mud/river road. I am soaking wet and covered in mud and at home the power is off and there is no water and I had to eat potato chips for dinner, and it struck me how terribly out of my comfort zone this is. I lay on my bed in the dark pondering this and all I can figure out is how to laugh at how ridiculous it is that I ended up here. And how rad it is to learn that you can be stoked about life even when it’s uncomfortable.
I’ve moved in with some germans (they drove here all the way from Germany!), a belgian, and an american and it beats being by myself by a long shot. Even if there is no water and the power cuts out a lot. If I ever commit a really horrendous crime I think I would rather the electric chair than solitary confinement. FYI.
Today I was carrying a 5L bottle of water home, wishing that I was Malawian and could carry it on my head. A guy laughed at me and asked me why I bought water. I explained that I get sick from tap water and he seemed to think that was a good enough reason, then he told me he was going to the sports club to play basketball. He used to play basketball when he was young, and now he’s old and slow but he still likes it. We’re passing the sports club now, we part ways and he says “I will come and visit you! What is your name again?”
At the markets there are all sorts of crazy fruit and vegetables. Today I saw this giant spiky thing and I tried to ask what it was. Various sign language and attempts to use words we both might understand resulted in me finding out that this was in fact, “food”. Good!
I’ve made friends with this family from the UK and their 3 year old boy has really taken a liking to me, and he’s so cute and sweet that I even dig mud in the garden with him and pretend to be Bob the Builder. He is Wendy, obviously. Lucky I used to be really into Bob the Builder so I know all the names of the other characters.
Since I've been here I go from loving this place to hating it in two seconds, and back again just as quick. 50% love (the people, the way of life, the fruit and vegetables, the light, the beauty, the kids, the love) 50% hate (the lack of internet/water/power, the constant stares and calls and questions, everything I don't understand, how long it takes to do basic life things, the loneliness).
But I think I'm starting to love it a bit more than I hate it. Time is a beautiful thing, as is the mind.
