Home Stay

For the past 5 weeks I have been living in a Malawian village called Kapaizi in Kasungu district. I stay with a man named Manfred Banda, his wife, and her children. I am studying Chichewa and go to other classes for technical training on topics ranging from TEFL to tropical diseases. At home I live as a Malawian, which involves lots of new chores, like sweeping the dirt yard and carrying water on my head, as well as other lifestyle changes, like living without electricity, running water, furniture, or utensils.

The Malawian people have definitely lived up to their reputation of being kind and welcoming. That said, there have been some interesting cultural differences to adapt to. For one, knees are scandalous, but breast feeding in church or during conversation is perfectly normal. Another is the issue of eye contact. Fortunately in the school system eye contact is encouraged, but I sometimes worry that I am going to offend older men around the village or give younger men an indecent impression of me. Probably the hardest thing to deal with for the first month was laughter. They laugh at us ALL the time; I can't do anything without being someone's joke. Like, "Oh look! The azungu just got burned by boiling nsima! That's hilarious!" (Azungu or mzungu is their word for white person, which is not really derogatory and has a connotation of power and wealth, but is still racist by American standards. Kids and merchants yell it at us all the time to get our attention.) I don't think the laughter always means that I'm doing something funny, it often is just due to their astonishment that a white person is speaking their language or participating in their way of life, but constantly being laughed will make anyone feel inept at life. Even though one is never to question the authority of their elders, I have taken to telling people that try to tell me how to do things that I have my own methods that are perfectly effective and there's more than one way to do something.

A couple weeks ago was model school, where the trainees all taught for 7 days in an actual Malawian school. I think this was a turning point in training for me, because I was reminded that I am capable and I'm here to do a job that few Malawians are qualified to do. It is certainly a challenge to teach science to kids who barely understand English, but in a way, it is an opportunity for me, as a native speaker, to be an even better resource for the students.

I am currently visiting my site, which is in a town called Ulongwe in Balaka district. I am very happy with my placement! Both my headmaster and department head are women, which is rare, and means I won't have to face as many issues with sexism as some of the other volunteers. (Not that Malawians are particularly sexist, but they have much more traditional gender roles, not unlike the US in the 50's except that the women are super buff, because tending to the home includes things like carrying water and splitting wood.) The area is also prettier than Kasungu district and culturally has a strong Islamic influence, which makes it less homogeneous and more interesting. Everyone is really welcoming and so happy to have another teacher!

I will try to post again soon, so ask me questions! Anything you want to know! Also, sorry if there are any weird typos; I always have issues typing on my phone, and being here definitely hasn't made my grammar better...

Anyways, the take away from this blog post is that I am challenged and happy. Much love!

Laura