Wrapping Up!

We've got only two days left in Zomba. It is amazing how quickly two weeks turn into two days. We have spent the two last weeks wrapping up our stay here. Doing everything we haven't done before (which include too many visits to the taylor) and saying goodbye to all the people we have met. In addition we have been working hard to get all the information to our projects, we have visited "The Tallular Man" (he's got the most amazing hair!) and several schools, both new and old. We went to Malosa where our friend Steve (who was a part of last year's program) teaches, and we got to observe an evening class with very energetic youths giving us full applause just for showing up. We have been playing volleyball with the priests, looked at stars in a very international environment, had farewell dinners and seen the longest tree in the world(!) at Chilma.

Initially we came here to go to Chancellor College, and as luck has it, it opened again last week (after the strike). We finally got a taste of Malawian college life, and even though it was just for one week, I think we all were happy to attend some classes. Unfortunately, it was only the freshmens that started and not really the subjects we wanted (except from African pre- colonial history), but still, it is an experience.

Otherwise, we have met a young man eager to get education, and yesterday we visited his home in the outskirts of Zomba. After his parents died in a car accident, he and his siblings have been struggeling to make ends meet and they now live with their grandmother. James has been accepted to a college but has not been able to enrole because of lack of fundings. We have decided to help him with his school fees, and in return he has made a promise to us to work hard to get a good education. He told us that he wants to get a paid job so that he can help others who experience the same hardships as him. Education in Malawi is hard to attain. You need to work very hard to be accepted to secondary school and many are not able to pay the small amount (in Norwegian eyes) required for school fees. It is even harder to get higher education and a paid job. The sad fact is, that it does not matter how bright you are if you don't have any money.

The next few days will be spent wrapping up our projects, chating with our friends and packing our things. In addition we have been invited to a large farm owned by the first "real" white Malawian we have met, and I think it will be quite exciting to see that aspect of Malawi. Today we have dinner plans with Kristin, a Norwegian FK participant working at the Statistics office and on Tuesday afternoon there will be a formal farewell party at Chanco. Afterwards we will (hopefully) eat dinner with the priest students and the staff at Leonard Kamungu Theological College, were we live, followed by a visit to the choir practice in the chapel.

And that's it, I guess. I will miss waking up to choir song, the early mornings when the life of the city is rising with the sunlight, I will miss shopping fresh vegetables at the farmers marked, strangers greeting me in the street, finding a rooster in my kitchen, the beautiful fabrics and African smells. And of course the adventures and special people, my friends and amongolongolola, the jokes and the laughters. It is good to have something to miss.

Adventures in Mozambique

Our Mozambiquean adventure was a hard-to-get experience. On the day of our departure we still had no idea of how to get to our destination, which we only 12 hours before had decided would be Quelimane by the coast of Central Mozambique.

Lesson no 1: The tourism industry in Mozambique is not very reliable.

Getting over the border was easy, but time consuming. The next part was a bit more tricky. The only means of transportation to get into the nearest city, was bicycle taxi's (another appropriate name could have been "Desperate Conn Men on Wheels"). Not really comfortable (which we later realized was some kind of slogan for Moz. transport), and already sick of quarreling, we finally reached Milange and an agreement which was, - not satisfying, but one both parties could live with.

Lesson no 2: Money does not equal good service...

We got to the bus station only to realize that all the public transportation had left for the day. Surrounded by drunkards and criminals (we were later informed that the same men worked a scam driving tourists into a trap, stealing all their belongings and leaving them in the bush), we carefully examined our options to continue our trip, -which really was not many! Fortunately we eventually found to trustworthy individuals who was recommended by the guards at the place, and half an hour later we hit the road in a rusten minibus: 2 drivers, 4 girls, a lot of luggage and 3 hens wandering around, pecking our feet. The road was nothing but potholes for 7 hours (mostly mud roads) and its amazing how fast it is possible to go on without hitting a single pedestrian.

Lesson no 3: Roads in Mozambique are terrible and the drivers even worse!

What we first noticed about Mozambique (other than potholes and quarreling speed addicts) was the number of children with "inflated bellies" (due to under nutrition), the second was the number of ruins along the road. Even though the civil war ended in 1992, the signs of it was clearly visible from the road. The reconstruction did not start before year 2000, and I suspect that the southern part, with the capital Maputo, is prioritized. Nevertheless, I do believe that Mozambique is a beautiful country, and in some years, when it might have gotten rid of more of its scars, I'll go back.

We got to Quelimane late in the evening and after looking at several hotels (just to discover that they all were fully booked) we settled for a very nice and cosey place near the town center (but a bit over our price range..). We only spend one day in the city, looking around and enjoying urbanity (way above our home town in Malawi). We even got a glance of the old Portuguese cathedral, before we headed for Zalala Beach. It was a tourist heaven in the making, - which basically means the facilities was not exactly finished when we got there. On the plus side there was A LOT of space on the wide sandy beach and very few sellers to bother us. On the other hand there were no shops at all and only two local, extremely slow-going restaurants, which provided the only food we had access to and had the great variety of 3 courses all together. We were lucky enough to rent the only housing available (except tents) through a contact of the bank of Mozambique, and it was clean, cheap, nice and safe. We even enjoyed cable-TV, which is quite a luxury after three months without any TV at all.

Lesson no 4: Everything can be carried on a bicycle; there is room for at least 3 goats at the back of your bike.

Going home again turned out to be a whole lot more difficult than we planned for. On Sunday morning we had arranged to be picked up at 7 am. That did not happen. Actually, we waited for 7 hours to get out of Quelimane, and finally we gave up due to (what we were told was) a fuel shortage in the city (In Zomba shortage of salt is quite common, I don't think the shops have had it the last month). Frustrated by the various lies told by our driver in order to keep us as costumers, we decided to go for a nice hotel and hope for better luck the next day.

Lesson no 5: This is Africa, 5 minutes can easily turn into 7 hours. - Patience is more than a virtue...

The following day we were able to continue our long journey home (without the hens (I don't know what happened to them..) but a duzin dusty men in the back of the lorry of our new car). The driver was going even faster in this car, and Hanna was determinately praying in the back seat, while I was trying to defy my fear in the front. Fortunately everything went well, with only minor setbacks like the clutch breaking down, and we were relieved to get home to Zomba safe and sound the same night. The mood suddenly changed.

Lesson no 6: Malawi really is "the Warm Heart of Africa":)
(Eventuelt: "Borte bra, men hjemme best!")

My Malawian Life

After we came back from Zambia things kind of slowed down for a couple of days and there isn't really much to say, except that we were cold (because of a sudden change in the weather) and tiered after the trip.

But as soon as the weekend came, interesting things started to happend, and the first was a visit to Liwonde National Park together with Mr. Chilambo. Cruising with a speed boat through crocodile infested waters, almost hitting a huge hippo in the head (really!), spotting the usual animals (unfortunately no big predators) and close encounters with nosey monkeys sitting on the tables of the dining area of the camp, were only some of the ingrediences. It was quite allright.

Most Malawians are small-holders and are living in villages, so in order to really understand what Malawians are all about, we decided to go and see for our selves. We became Malawians for one day. Dr. MacJessie arranged for us to go to a far-off village, not interrupted by city life, and led us to meet the chief himself. The chief "gave" us a family to stay with, and we put our chitenges on and got ready to learn. We carried water on our head, harvested and pounded maize, roasted ground nuts, plucked chickens, cooked nsima, carried babies on our back, -and, boy(!), did they laugh at us! Of course it was all good-spirited and we were happy to entertain them, as they were happy to open their homes to us. It was quite an experience and not one likely to be forgotten easily.

Otherwise, we have all gotten a membership card of the great "swimming pool society" at Sir Harry Johnston Primary school, and we have spend some hours there, swimming or reading. We have also discovered the beautiful bothanical garden, and we went up there to study, but was, on the same day, disturbed in our reading by a wedding celebration and the making of a music video (- yeah, they do play the same song over and over and over again...). We were not particulary fond of the large instect population either, but enjoyed watching daring monkeys trying to impress the ladies of their kind and of course the various and brightly coloured flowers.

On the social part, we have been fortunate enough to meet quite a lot of interesting people, and we have all had several interviews for our projects. We have met some of the former "Exchange for Development"-students, and on saturday Mr. Steven Carr (writer and agricultural specialist), Mr. John Wilson (advisor in fishing development), Mr. Kamodzi and Dr. MacJessie-Mbewe (our coordinators) came over for home-made apple cake and interesting anecdotes of Malawian life now and before. I most also mention that our friends from the theological college finally got back from their holiday, and the place is suddenly more lively and welcoming.

But only two days later, it was our time to go on holiday. Next destination: Mozambique!

The Holiday

It's been a little while since I last updated my blog and I will try to give a short account of the happenings during the past weeks, starting with my easter holiday abroad.

We decided to explore the region, in which we are, during our days off, and our main destination was Livingstone, Zambia, where I months earlier had been teaching at Linda West Basic School. The trip, however, did not go exactly as planned, and some days in advance we discovered that our plane, which was scadualed to leave on Wednesday, was cancelled. As this is the short version I will only mention that our uncertainty lasted untill we reached the airport that Wednesday, and after six hours waiting , we were put on a plane to Joh'burg in South-Africa. We spend the night at a luxurious hotell, paid by Air Malawi, as our meals also were. - And I must say that Joh'burg has got the most delicious Ostrich fillet;) Anyway, it worked out quite well for us.

We arrived in Livingstone the following day, and it felt good to be back again. During our stay we were able to meet the "Namibian Girls" (which is actually 3 Norwegian girls staying in Namibia on the same program as us), and of course my friends from Linda West. I took my travel companions to see the school and to meet my former students, energic as ever and still singing "Per Spelman", the Norwegian song I thought them. I was glad to learn that several of my students had improved their reading skills since last time I saw them, and they were eager to read for me.

We also enjoyed other activities, as hard-working students should on their holiday, such as canoe trips on the Zambezi, Sunset cruise, relaxing by the pool and eating the most fabulous choclate mousse at Chanter's (really, it is worth the trip!). And, of course, we watched the spectacular Victoria Falls, which I could hardly believe was the same as the one I saw last October. Mosi O' Tunia is the local name on the falls, meaning the "smoke that thunders", and it really did! You are able to see the cload of water from miles and miles away, and we got soaking wet despite our rain coats. But fortunately we dried quickly when sitting down having our lunch in the warm Zambian sun.

One of the days three of us went to Zimbabwe for a horse back safari and a lion encounter. The day started with a morning ride of four hours in the national park, for my part on a black stallion called Storm, whom not at all lived up to his name. He was meak as a lamb, but had the disturbing habit of running through every mud hole that was in front of him. During those hours we managed to see several animals, among them an elephant (only a tree separating us from the big and grey fellow), and getting a sore bum and aching feet. But it was worth it. After that we spend some hours in Victoria Falls Town, which is entierly a tourist made city, looking at prices reaching up to several billions because of the major inflation. In the afternoon we got picked up for the lion walk, which is exactly what it sounds like: walking with lions into the bush! The number of lions in Africa has sunken drastically the last decades, and this was a program to secure the animals existance. Cubs are bred in captivity and gradually accustumized to their natural habitat, where they eventually are set free and have cubs on their own. So we took them for a walk, and the lions displayed just how lazy a big cat can be and laid down in the shade of a bush as soon as they had the oportunity. But at least we got to pet a lion, which is not quite like peting my own cat (thinking of the size and the possibility of getting an unwanted close encounter with a much larger claw), but it'll do:)

On Wednesday the 26th we went back home to Zomba, and what happend there is another story...

And Time Goes By...

I haven't been writing my blog for some time, so I'll give you a short update on what I have been up to. Firstly, the uni has not yet open. The papers have been writing quite a lot about it, and according to a certain report the lecturers are being paid 500% less than their colleges in nabour countries. Even though the demand is on 200% (!) salary increase the administration are not able to meet it. It seems like it is a conflict dragging out, so we must be patient and keep on studying on our own.

Secondly, we have been visiting two national parks. Both Lake Malawi and Mulanje, which at 3800 meters above sea level is the third highest mountain in Africa. We did not go to the top (there was not enough time, but we would certainly like to!), but walked up to a waterfall which was known for sights of ghostly old women washing clothes and disappering in thin air as soon as spotting you. Well, I didn't see any grannies, but I went for a swim in the cold, cold mountain water, and I was told that the pool was 60 meters deep at the deepest point (which is quite a lot considering that it was only about 5 x 8 meters wide). Mulanje is thought to be a holy mountain and there are quite a lot of myths surronding it. There are stories about people finding food prepared for them, and others disappering. Well, all of us got back safe and sound. In Lake Malawi National Park we enjoyed the beach life, as well as feeding fish eagles on a boat safari.

Otherwise, we have been to some more school visits and last Sunday we were able to meet everyones favourite English writer, Stephen Carr, after reading his book in a rush (Four girls, one book. You can imagine!). His house was beautifully situated on a hill in a remote corner of Zomba, and the view was accordingly. He had the most amazing garden, and a story for every question we asked. We even got to take a look at his photo albums from, among others, the time he had settled as a peasant farmer in Southern Sudan and when he was living in the cold mountains of Uganda.

Tomorrow we are heading for Blantyre, and Hanna is going to pick up her husband, whom will be staying with us for the Easter. We are planning to bring Kvikk lunsj (an important Norwegian chocolate) and oranges and go hiking on the Zomba plateau this weekend:)

Getting Into the Rythem

We have gotten into a habit of waking up hours before we have to. That way we can enjoy long mornings with plenty of time to cook oat meal porridge for breakfast, boil the water to wash the dishes, do some studying or perhaps wash out clothes in a bucket in the backyard. Then it might dry before the rain sets in about two o'clock. I must also mention that thunder and lightning is a part of every day life (as well as power cuts).

As a study of the Malawian school system is one of the main reasons I am here, I will try to give a short description of my experiences with it. Primary education is free of charge, but in all the schools I have been to the number of pupils have varied from 60 to 100 per classroom, all sitting on the floor, which make me question the quality of the education. This far I've only once seen more than one teacher in one class, and it is obiously a challenge to reach out to all the children. Nevertheless, despite the lack of resources and the high number of children, I have noticed that most of the teachers are skilled (social) diciplinarians and that allows a certain amount of student active learning forms, which benefits the students and their learning outcome. Unfortunately only a few of the children can go on to lower and upper secondary school, and even less to university level.

We will meet some of the fortunate ones as soon as Chancellor College opens for the semester. It was scadualed last week, but because of a conflict of salary between the lecturers and the administration, it has been postponed. Since we cannot possibly know when the strike will be over, we are arranging for school visits and closer cooperation with two local schools, Mulunguzi secondary and Mponda primary, as well as getting familiar with our surrondings. Yesterday we went to Blantyre, which by the looks of it, most be the largest and most European in Malawi. In fact it is the unofficial commercial capital and it is about the size of Oslo.

Tomorrow we are heading for Lake Malawi National Park, which is something we all look forward to:)

Home, sweet home!

Finally! We are in Zomba, in a little brick house at the foot of the Zomba Plateau. And it's nothing like I've imagined. I thought we were staying in the city centre, -we are some 20 minutes walk away. I thought we were living in the second floor of an appartment close to the uni, - we are in an one-level house and it takes about 15 minutes to walk to campus. But I like it:)

The city used to be the capital of Malawi (up to mid-1970s) , and as far as I can tell, it has got its' share of wealth (It's even a golf course some 300 meters away from where we live, - can you imagine me as a golfer?). Our house is in the end of a cafeteria in a theological college for boys. Which means that, despite the heat, strutting around in our bikinies is not an option (don't know if it would have been anyway..). The house is just one of many one-level brick buildings centered around a courtyard with hens, roosters and turkies making themselves busy looking for worms among the flowers. 3o meters from my bedroom there's a chappel in which the students sing beautifully at morning and night mass. And every night we go to sleep to the sound of all of Zombas dogs barking and howling at each other, - somewhat different from the traffic sounds in Trondheim! Around 4 o'clock in the morning the mosque start its' melodious chanting, but most of the time I hear it just as a background tune in a half-awake dream. 6 o'clock the sun is rising, and since the roosters see it as their duty to alert us, the getting-up part of the day is getting dangerously close. And early mornings means early nights as well.

Yesterday we went mountain hiking on the Zomba plateau (at the altitude of Galdhopiggen). We started out on a path leading stright into the jungle, with grass reaching over our heads on each side and small plants grasping after our feet at the ground (it was plants, wasn't it?). Somewhere in the shades monkies, hyenas and leopards where lurking at us. That is at least what our guide told us. We didn't last long on the jungle path. After the first encounter with a snake, we were scared off, and continued on a lumber jack road surronded by pine trees. Looking at the hill crested landscape, we could just as well have been in Norway. Well, allmost. It is at least a good place to go if we feel homesick. Reaching to the top the view was fantastic. We had our lunch at Queens' View, which has gotten it's name from the visit of Queen Elizabeth in 1957, and we were told that on good days one could see all the way to Mozambique. Even though the weather was not quite as good as it could have been, we had a great day, and are definately going back!

Five days in Mzuzu

The city of Mzuzu is quite big, at least in the Malawian standard. And it is the most green I have seen yet! The landscape is coloured in shades of bright green to dark green, almost blue as the scenery changes and mountains appear in the horizon. And on every free spot in the city area you'll find small crops of maize.

The first day in the north, we were taken to an out reach clinic in one of the rural areas. Two times a month health personel visits to do medical check-ups on pregnant women and infants, as well as to give health information and guidance. Because of the remoteness and lack of transportation this is pretty much the medical care the population are able to get.

We have also visited a lot of schools, and had several presentations of Norway for the students. Not to mention the homes we have been invited to! In addition we been to the the lake once again, and on the same trip a tea plantation. An investment like that can have such good effects on the local community. - But I've got to say, the heat inside the factory was almost unbearable. At least for us cold Norwegians;)

On sunday we'll leave for Zomba, but untill then I'm determined to enjoy the hospitality of northern Malawi:)

My Africa

When I first arrived in Malawi, even before the plane had landed, I looked upon the calm, green landscape and thought to myself that three months just isn't enough! Being here a week, I still have not changed my mind. People are friendly, and driving along muddy roads in the distinct farmland, looking at tobacco leaves drying in the sun and waving at smiling children running past the maize fields, I've gotten a reminder of why I keep coming back to this continent. It is peaceful here. But it is also colours and rythem and the smell of sunshine and rain. I' m sure those of you who know the real Africa, will know what I mean.

We have spent the last days in Lilongwe, the capital city of Malawi. We have visited a school in the city and a school in the rural area, been to Lilongwe teacher's college, SOS children village (which was quite impressing) and seen the beautiful scenery along Lake Malawi. We even went for a swim in the big lake, regardless of the warnings about annoying organisms creeping under your skin and multiplying rapidly. Well, I think we'll be allright.

Tomorrow we are heading north for Mzuzu. Who knows what is waiting us there;)

A week with the FK

I spent last week in Sormarka, close to Oslo, in a seminar with Fredskorpset (not to be mistaken with the American Peace Corps). Learnt a lot, met a lot of interesting people and ate fantastic food! The word of the week must be Malalako, which means my dear. Otherwise I've been made aware of high and low context cultures..

I'm getting there...

It's now about 20 hours untill I leave my safe home in Trondheim. I am actually not going very far, but still my journey begins in Oslo. At a seminar with Fredskorpset. I'm pretty excited! Next saturday I will be sitting on an airplane on my way from the capital city of Norway to the capital of Malawi: Lilongwe. I'll be staying in Lilongwe for about a week, then I'm heading a little further north to take a swim in the great Lake Malawi. After that I'm going south to Zomba, which will be my home the next months.

That’s it. Adventure awaits:)

Volda

 
I started this semester by driving in an overloaded minicar to the great city of Volda among the mountains and fjords of Western Norway. A perfect place to prepare for Africa. During a two week program we looked at everything from the great rift valley system to lions and Livingstone and intercultural communication. I even learned some chichewa: "Muli bwanji" (how are you?) and "Zikomo" (thanks). So I've got what it takes..




Anyway, Western Norway is characterized by spectacular scenery and charming inhabitants, and despite the language barriers we even managed to visit the home of a Local.  It turns out that they are quite like us! I would definately go back, perhaps in May.