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..