Why Is It Taking So Long? And Other Notes on African Time

About a month ago, I paid a visit to the carpenter my Head Teacher had recommended when I first moved in and requested that he build me a dresser.  I explained what I wanted – six drawers, such and such a height, etc – and he told me, “No problem, I will come in three or four days.”  Since then, I have gone back to see him every few days, and we always have the same conversation: “Just a few days, no problem, I will bring it to your house.”

I am still waiting.

I knew, of course, that his initial estimate was not likely accurate.  On the other hand, I was hoping the job would get done in less than a month. 

Yesterday, while catching up with my parents on the happenings in Ntaja, my father asked, “Well, what’s taking him so long?”  I didn’t really have a response.  Time is different here in Malawi.  No one comes on time to meetings or school.  Suggested times are basically just indications that something will be happening in the relatively near future, barring unforeseen complication.  There are many possible reasons why the carpenter probably hasn’t started my dresser yet – maybe someone in his family had a more pressing need, or he’s been busy going to weddings (it’s wedding season right now) or funerals (it’s always funeral season) lately, or he hasn’t been able to go into town to buy supplies.  Also, apparently the price I bartered him down to wasn’t enough to pay for the expensive supplies I need and labor, and apparently I should have given him some money up front to purchase supplies.  Yet he never has asked for money for supplies, or told me it will take an extra few days.  Malawians don’t like to give you bad news; they’ll just tell you what you want to hear and go about business as usual.

I guess it’s all part of the chikhalidwe (culture).  Nothing happens on deadline.  This is probably very entertaining for those of you who remember me as the girl who got irritated when sorority meetings would start two minutes late, or the person who drives to movies twenty minutes early, just to make sure there’s no traffic and I can get a good parking spot.  It is kind of killing me that my dresser is currently three weeks late and counting, students mosey into class several minutes after the bell rings, and the post office opens a half hour after lunch hour is supposed to end. 

But you know what?  I’m sort of adjusting to it.  I’m trying to change my strategies.  I go to the post office later in the day, I follow the students into class and take up five minutes of their break time, and on Monday, I’m going to get back up from my head teacher and threaten my carpenter that I’m going to find someone else to build my dresser if he doesn’t get his act together by the end of the week.  For now, I’m going to fax in my absentee ballot, continue to attempt to explain to my students about baseball and the World Series (Form 3 knows about the San Francisco Giants now!), and continue going to the woman who can find both carrots and okra at the market. 

Palibe vuto – no worries.

By the way – if anyone has an internationally-compatible smartphone that has a spot for a sim card (aka I don’t think Verizon would work) that you don’t want anymore, contact my parents?  I’ve decided it would be nice to look at my email more than once every few weeks, when all I can manage to do is open and scan them.

Have you missed me?

Hello all!  For those of you who religiously check in on this blog, sorry it’s been awhile since I updated.  I can only update when I go into town, since I don’t have electricity, and often when I do that, I’m so excited to be hanging out with my friends and eating food I didn’t cook for myself that I don’t take the time to write a blog post.  But luckily, this is a 3 day weekend!  Monday is Mother’s Day, an official holiday in Malawi, so no one has work or school, so I have a little extra time with electricity on this weekend trip. 

So what’s new with me?  Well, hot season has definitely started, and it’ll be interesting to see how I survive.  Every day for the past several weeks I’ve been sweating by 9 am or so.  It’s funny – it’s not that the temperature is so much higher than it gets at home in the summer, but due to the lack of electricity, there is just no relief from it.  I’m definitely ready for the generator to arrive at my home so I can start using a fan (and cooking on a hot plate, because it’s time consuming and difficult to cook one dish at a time on a charcoal stove!).  Supposedly the generator is coming at the beginning of November, and we’re next on the list for a transformer (to hook up regular electricity), so perhaps we’ll get that sometime in the next few months. 

For the past few weeks, I’ve mostly been just adjusting to living at my site and teaching everyday.  Even though I still have the struggles I mentioned in my last post, dealing with the radically different teaching and working philosophies that the education system is built on here (why wouldn’t we stop classes 2 hours early to have a PTA meeting?), I’ve decided to just accept the quirks of my school, observe how the other teachers are working, and do my best to teach how I think I should.  I know I need to build the trust of the other teachers before I start recommending that they change their practices and school policies.  So everyday I go to work with lesson plans in hand, show up to my class on time, try to involve the students in the lesson as much as I can, and see where that takes me.  It’s always interesting to see what clicks with my students, and what doesn’t. 

My current goal that I’ve been working on for the past couple weeks is getting some furniture in my house.  I have a dining room table, two chairs, and a bed (which host sites are required to provide by the PC), but so far that’s it.  My clothes are still in suitcases, and my food is all in bags on the floor of my dining room.  Not very home-y yet, so two weeks ago I finally made it to the carpenter to ask him to make me a dresser.  I have been assured for about a week and a half that the dresser will be ready in just one or two day’s time, so . . . maybe soon I’ll get it?  I’m not positive how much furniture costs, but I figure I’ll go one piece at a time, and hopefully soon my house will have more storage space and be more neat.  I have, fortunately, been able to decorate it with a few pictures, maps, postcards, and cards that people have sent me (so keep sending me letters and pictures!  I miss you all, and really appreciate every piece of mail).  That, at least, is helping my house feel like a home.

I’m trying to work on integrating into my site more, and build a community for myself.  It’s happening pang’ono pang’ono (little by little).  I have lots of kids who come to chat with me everyday, which is alternately awesome and annoying (like when I want to take a bafa or just have some quiet alone time).  Overall, though, the kids make me practice my Chichewa, aren’t too shy about asking questions about America, and it’s nice to have people excited to talk to me.  I have gone to a couple choir practices at the church by my house, too, even though I am pretty confident I’m not going to be attending church, and I have no idea what I’m singing.  But the women’s choir that I first sang with was so enthusiastic when I showed up and attempted to sing that I think I’ll have to go back occasionally.  I’m also figuring out, pang’ono pang’ono, which market vendors have the fruits and vegetables I want (one has had carrots a couple times!  And my new favorite fruit that’s in season is called a Mexican pear), where I like to buy airtime for my phone, and who sells sliced wheat bread.  There’s a lot more variety at the markets and stores in Liwonde, but gas prices have been going up here, and I now pay about 700 kwacha to get to town instead of 500. 

Here are some of the girls who like to come hang out with me:

This weekend, though, I’m on a trip.  A smattering of us Southern Malawi volunteers decided to use the three day weekend to head to Zomba, a relatively big city in the south.  One of Zomba’s many charms is its elevation – we’re up on a plateau, and so today is the first day in several weeks that I have felt cool, which is amaaaaaazing!  Zomba has a really great market, full of lots of veggies (eggplant!  Cucumber!  Avocado!), and we had a delicious barbeque yesterday with meat from a Halaal butcher in town.  Today I’m just relaxing, seeing people that I miss hanging out with every day during training, and inundating myself with as much media as possible.  Tomorrow, I’ll be back to reality.

Before I go, here are some pictures from a ridiculously awesome boat ride I took in Liwonde, when I saw all sorts of animals (warthogs, yellow baboons, elephants, hippos, crocodiles, bush babies) – I really am fortunate that I live so close to such an amazing park!  I’m going to need to go on a safari soon.