Sat July 12th- Morning with Annie and afternoon with Peter

Each morning Krista and I have always managed to wake up by 7am on our own. We close the curtains but I think it must be something about Malawi that makes you wake up early when you’re here because everyone seems to be waking up early each morning.

I washed my socks a couple days ago and they are clean but the stains haven’t come out and they still smell gross. Good thing I didn’t buy to many new socks before I came because they are all ruined and I’ll need new ones when I get home.

Today is my ½ birthday. Six months until I’m 21!

Cameron called us again this morning. He forgot to tell us about his good friend from Liwonde. We didn’t really understand why he was telling us about him but we just chatted and came to visit him at the desk before breakfast. I was running late and I knew I had to chat with Tension and Cameron and eat breakfast all before Charles came in 20 minutes, so Krista and I had to come up with a plan to make the conversations quick. I left first and chatted with Tenison and Cameron and then Krista came after me to tell me to come eat breakfast with her as an easy way out.

Turns out Cameron called us because his friend came from Liwonde to take pictures of our group so Cameron can remember us. We sat on the steps outside the bus and took a group shot with Cameron.

It looked a little cloudy this morning and I thought for sure it would rain. At breakfast we asked the ladies if it would rain today and they laughed and said nope. We told them that if the sky looked like this at home it means it would rain and they were surprised to hear that.

The plan changed a little bit from a couple days ago. Originally we were just going to visit the orphanage and come back by 1 or 2 at the latest. The orphanage was really excited for our visit and they were busy sweeping and getting ready so they didn’t want us to come until later in the day. Annie really wanted us to visit her friend’s house that is an elder chief and they were going to cook lunch for us. So the plan was to spend the morning with Annie and then Peter was going to meet us and take us to the orphanage in the afternoon.

Today we learned the real meaning of Malawian time and also had a good lesson in being patient and just going with the flow. The bus came at 9am and we were on the bus ready to go but Annie was still getting ready so we waited for awhile then we pulled off and went to Annie’s house to pick up chairs to take to the chiefs house for our lunch. We ended up waiting for a long time and didn’t even leave until 10am. Annie drove with two lodge workers, Brian, Vandy and Nikki because those are the African Americans of the group. The bus followed and we stopped at about 3 different gas stations. I guess they couldn’t find the right type of gas. We were on the bus so we didn’t really know what was going on we just followed their car. We waited outside a bakery and the smell of bread around here is so yummy!!!

We dropped off the chairs at the chief’s house and then headed to the market. Annie really wanted us to see a traditional market besides Zombas. Annie also had to buy some vegetables from the market for the big party tonight. We pulled off on the other side of the market and her two lodge workers went out into the market and Annie waited while the ladies and her lodge workers brought food to her. The workers had a list and could check things off and Annie looked at the vegetables for the final approval. Once they were approved the workers threw them into the truck. She was buying 5 gallon buckets of tomatoes and beans plus about 15-20 heads of cabbage. It was very interesting to watch the interaction of the market ladies, Annie and the workers. Annie buys from the same ladies each time so she has them come to her instead of going to them inside the market. She buys so much she feels bad that she can’t buy from everyone and its easier to buy from the same people each time. Everyone knows who Annie is so they try to charge her extra high prices just like they do for Americans so Annie knows how it feels.

As we waited a lady came up to our group and just started talking, singing and chanting. She took us all by surprise and we stepped back a little. Annie told us she was drunk-it was 11am but that explained her behavior. She spoke a little English and would ask us for money, mock us and dance as we watched her. She disappeared but she kept finding us and would pop up out of nowhere in random places as we walked through the market- she kind of became our little drunk friend.

After Annie finished her purchases she took us around the market. She advised us to stay together and not to bring any belongings with us. Annie is great, we love her! She is a very stylish woman and she reminds us of Tina Turner! Patti is a big Oprah fan too and we think Oprah would love Annie and all of her accomplishments plus she’s a ton of fun to hang with.

We waited for Annie to get her cell phone out of the car. She doesn’t go anywhere without it because she usually has business calls. Half the time she was walking around the market talking on the cell phone and wearing her glasses even though it was very overcast. What a woman! As we waited Mandy and Sarah played with a group of little kids. The kids were laughing with a big belly laugh and just couldn’t stop. Some of them would run up to us and then run back but each time they would get a little bit closer. The kids couldn’t get enough of us. Oh how I love hearing those silly belly laughs!

We walked around the market and of course we were quite the site. Annie on her cell phone leading a group of 18 white Americans. Not a typical scene in Malawi. Saturday is the largest market day of the week so it was very crowded. We saw little kids holding baskets of these yummy looking fried bread squares and we asked Annie what they were and she told us they were like fritters and sometimes they put bananas inside them and said they were similar to donuts. They looked so good. There were also people walking around selling hot wings and those are Vandys absolute favorite so it crossed her mind to get some even though she knew she would get sick. It was just too tempting but she resisted of course. We also saw corn on the cob and since it was quite chilly outside something warm looked good. Maybe it was a bad idea to come to a market with tons of vegetables and food we are craving and haven’t been able to have for 3 weeks.

Kids were all over the place and each kid was just covered in dirt like most of the kids we have seen every day. Most of their noses were running and their legs are a different shade then their arms from the dirt. Very few have shoes and I don’t think I’ve ever seen socks. I just wish I could give them a nice clean bath and fresh clothes and shoes.

I saw this little baby that was just learning to walk who was playing with the pedals of a bike and he had little shorts on with old poop stains all over it. It broke my heart.

Annie went through and pointed out some greens and veggies that were unfamiliar to us. She pointed out leaves that come from kidney beans and said they are very tasty. She also showed us the sprouts that people can buy to ferment and it’s the local beer that our little friend got drunk from.

It’s very common here to see a woman breast feeding in public and often times you see their breasts uncovered yet you will never see a knee.

We loaded up and got in the bus for the next stop. None of us were sure where we were going but we just followed Annie. We called today “A day in the life of Annie” and we got to learn how to live a relaxed, care free Malawian life.

We stopped at a building that used to be a bakery but has been turned into a “Carlsberg Beer” bar and lounge. Charles was surprised to pull into a bar and he got really excited thinking Annie was going to buy us all a drink. He gave Amy a high 5 because he was so excited! Haha. Annie told us that after she shops she always stops here to have a drink. Dr. Kelly said, “I’m game” and we all hopped out of the bus. We think she’s a 25 year old woman living in a 70 year old body! Little did we know, we ended up spending almost 2 hours just hanging out at the lounge. Once we got there they started the music and put the lights on. An afternoon party? We enjoyed just chatting and relaxing.

Annie is, of course, friends with the owner of the lounge so she came by to meet us and brought her two daughters since she knew college kids were going to be here. The mom is a police officer and their dad is a lawyer and they manage the bar and lounge together. The mom showed us the VIP room and we got to hang out in there for a while too.

The girls are 15 and 16 years old and both go to boarding school but are home until August. Their school was founded by Malawi’s 1st president and they told us they have their entire day scheduled from 6am until 8:30pm every day. I could have easily mistaken them for American because they spoke perfect English and were wearing shorts and nice jewelry. They said their first language is English and they only know a little Chichewa. They were very friendly and outgoing girls. We enjoyed talking to them and they expressed how interested they are in going to college in America. One wants to be an architect and the other wants to do graphic design.

Annie told Krista that our lunch was ready so we could leave sometime after Annie finished her beer. So Krista told the group to start leaving and of course we were all on the bus in no time. Haha Everyone was hungry and ready to move on. We were trying to adjust to Annie time but it wasn’t easy for us. We think we just stopped at the market and the bar to waste time until our lunch was ready. We think Annie was just trying to entertain us for the morning since we weren’t going to the orphanage until this afternoon. Brian took down the police officers full name and phone number so he could use it as a way to talk himself out of another situation if he needed to.

It was starting to look very cloudy and we thought for sure it would rain. Annie said it was going to rain but then Dr. Kelly talked to another man at the chief’s house and he said it wouldn’t. Each Malawian was telling us different things. We arrived at the chief’s house and they had set up table and chairs outside. Well it was freezing and it started to sprinkle so we moved under the porch. This was the first day it was actually cold so most of us didn’t have jackets. Charles was with us and asked us what food they would be serving, and we told him none of us knew anything this was all going to be a surprise. Charles is so funny, he doesn’t say much but anything he says just cracks me up.

They brought out huge trays of rice, chicken curry, cooked chicken, nsima and cabbage. It must be very hard to host 17 people, so we really appreciated the time and effort they put into having lunch for us. Charles loved the nsima and chicken he said he was eating lots to “fill his tummy”. Most Malawians eat with their fingers but thankfully every place we have gone has had silverware for us.

Peter came by and brought his two little boys. They are cute kids but aren’t the spitting image of him. We finished up lunch and thanked the ladies for their hospitality and were on our way to the orphanage with Peter. We were already running very late.

Of course the village was down a long dirt road so it may only be 6 KM but it will take a very long time to get our big bus through all the holes and rocks. It started pouring when we were on the bus, no thunder or lighting just heavy rain. Finally we arrived at the orphanage and hundreds of Malawians were waiting for us under trees and umbrellas. They had been waiting for us all day and started singing in the rain when we arrived. Nothing stops a celebration! I left my camera and camcorder on the bus and greeted everyone then went inside the shelter. We gathered as many people as we could inside the room and just danced!! The rain started to lighten up so Peter asked us to come with him. We followed everyone to a little home close by. They had arranged for sodas and very good bread for all of us in their little home. We could barley fit and had to more furniture to squeeze in. It was so generous of them to offer drinks and snacks to all 17 of us. Apparently this house belongs to the man Peter works with to run this orphanage. The man basically runs it and Peter sponsors it. Peter asked for directions to get here so we don’t think he comes here often. The man explained that there are 365 orphans but it’s a home based orphanage so they all live close by with their grandparents or relatives. The building is used as a distribution center and will soon be used as a classroom and small school.

Next we walked back and it was still very cold and raining a little so we danced with the kids. We were freezing cold but we all knew our discomfort was temporary- these kids will freeze all day long and have nothing to keep them warm or dry. They were just shivering in the rain so I got a group of the little ones to hold hands and walk around in a circle to dance-hoping to keep them (and me) warm. We all commented that all the children looked healthy and they were very playful. The little babies would interact and we could tell they were being well cared for.

They had set up a row of their nicest chairs for us and even a little table, tablecloth and flowers. People in our group often mention that they don’t like it when locals carry our luggage or treat us extra nice by giving us chairs and “treating us like royalty” but I don’t think its necessarily because we are white/American. They carry all of their guests luggage- its part of the hospitality industry. And we are guests in their home so its polite to treat your guests with your nicest belongings. It can be a little upsetting that we are sitting in these nice chairs while they are sitting on the floor but I try to remember they are just excited to have guests visiting. They had set up the chairs for us because they had prepared two theatre performances for us to watch.

It was in Chichewa but Peter tried to whisper the basic plot of the play. They were both basically about a family and children who didn’t want to go to school but the parents encouraged them and they also had a housekeeper who they neglected and it was very similar to a typical Cinderella story. These issues were very relevant in most Malawian households today. The crowd loved it! The kids were getting a big kick out of it. Although we couldn’t follow the dialogue the actors were very good, they had great facial expressions and were very dramatic. They even had some little props.

The rain had slowed down and it was past 5pm, we were very concerned about getting out of the dirt road safely and getting back before dark. We were all whispering to each other and silently panicking as the plays continued. Poor Charles thought it was going to be a short day for him, but it ended up being the longest day of all. After the plays, Peter and the man spoke a few words to the group and they called out specific names of people who were able to receive a blanket that Peter brought. They must have a list and go in order when supplies come. Children came up, kneeled and accepted their blanket. Our group also brought a lot of supplies but we told them to pass out the supplies however he sees fit but we needed to leave.

It was already dark and we were just leaving. Charles is a pro and was able to get us out of the road with no issues. We used headlights the whole trip home but thankfully it didn’t take very long. We made it back around 6:15pm.

Tonight is our farewell party so we anticipated a morning trip and then planned to take an afternoon nap in order to stay up late tonight. So much for an afternoon nap! Our shoes were gross, we left them outside so we didn’t ruin the carpet. We showered quickly and got ready to be down for the party by 7:30pm.

The farewell party is a big “to do” and we have been anticipating it our entire trip. Our group usually wears our African dresses that we’ve gotten made and Annie serves dinner and we party all night long. Apparently last year everyone went to bed too early so we had strict instructions to party all night this year and not let Annie down. Annie usually invites other friends and it’s always been a good time. This year since Peter is so involved, Annie and Peter couldn’t agree on anything about the party. Annie wanted dinner and Malawian music while Peter wanted drinks and DJ’s. Since they couldn’t agree they both had separate parties on the opposite sides of the lodge area.

We walked back and forth to Annie’s and Peters all night long. Peter didn’t want us to leave and told us we would be bored at his moms. I think they were having a silent little tiff and we were in the middle of it. All of us had fun at both parties! Some of the lodge workers were there and they worked but could dance too! Since we have gotten to know them over the last 3 weeks, it was fun to party with them!

Unfortunately we have learned that they work these people very hard. Cameron is a receptionist and he was only suppose to work Friday night and go home Saturday morning, but they made him stay and work all day Saturday until Sunday morning. The poor boy was exhausted. The ladies that worked at the party were here on Sunday morning to serve us breakfast. They told us they only got 1 hour of sleep.

I got tired and a group of us headed to bed around 1am but Dr. Kelly was still going strong! I got online and since this was the latest I’ve stayed up I was able to chat online with my parents since it was dinner time at home. They had the Pfeiffers over because they were taking the North America picture! Patti said Anna and Leah were taking their Europe and Australia pictures and I managed to get Krista to take a picture of me with the kids right before we got on the bus for my Africa picture. I didn’t have my camera and it was raining so I’m glad we were able to get at least one.