Celebrating the New Year in Kenya was surprisingly low-key. Ryan
and I managed to keep a positive attitude through the seemingly endless
journey. Learning as we went, we navigated our way through customs and the
unexpected visa process, and found a taxi to the hotel. First impressions of
the big city? Humid and crowded. Our taxi driver, Dennis, was extremely
friendly and told us to come back to Nairobi for more than one night next time. Aside from
English, Swahili is the main language of the country, where the common greeting
is jambo. The driving culture in
Kenya is similar to what I imagine it to be in India. Nevertheless, we arrived
safely at the hotel around 10 pm. A shower was first on the agenda, followed
closely by a visit to the hotel bar. Accompanied by a small spattering of other
guests and a local band, Ryan and I welcomed 2016 7-8 hours before most friends
and family in the Americas. The countdown was anti-climatic in a sense, but I
enjoyed experiencing the festival in a way different from other years. Needless
to say, Ryan and I were asleep by 12:30 am.
After our 16-hour layover in Kenya, Ryan and I were finally headed
to the Republic of Malawi. We arrived around 1 pm on Friday to a hot and buggy, but beautifully green landscape.
That afternoon, Ryan and I took a walk around the property,
set up our phones with local sim cards, and researched our host country. For
dinner, Nancy—the soft-spoken and humble maid—prepared spaghetti with homemade
tomato sauce and potato soup. Not traditional cuisine, but delicious! For one
reason or another, it took a while to fall asleep my first night in Malawi. From
now on, nights will be spent tucked away under a mosquito net (a standard
malaria precaution).
Saturday, I woke up around 5:30 am—not due to jet lag, but
rather to the sun pouring through the window and roosters announcing the
arrival of a new day. Because Malawi is close to the equator, the sun rises
early and sets around 6 pm year-round (though it stays light for much longer).
Feeling house-ridden, I decided to stretch my legs with a
morning run. I set out at a walk to assess the safety of my surroundings. The
streets were full of locals on foot or bicycle, walking on dirt paths alongside
the road. The travel books are right—Malawians are very friendly. Although I
received a few baffled looks, most people waved (children, especially) or
offered a verbal greeting, which I reciprocated. I found the exchange to be
rather curious, as if there was a mutual understanding that I was a guest in
their country, and they accepted me for that.Luckily, Malawians speak English (as a result of their British roots) in addition to their own language, Chichewa. To me, Chichewa sounds similar to other African languages, but it has a few English words thrown in sporadically. Most men wear Western clothing, usually pants and a shirt, although I have seen a number of professional suits. Women, alternatively, dress more conservatively in long skirts, blouses, and sandals (or barefoot). They often wear colorful fabrics called a chitenji. These are worn as a skirt, head wrap, or are used as a sling to carry their baby on their back. Even today, Malawian women struggle to receive gender equality. It is not uncommon for both women and men to carry large baskets or goods on top of their heads. Unlike previous efforts to fit in with foreign cultures, I suspect that this attempt will be futile. It’s interesting to be such a stark outsider and minority. The first Chichewan word that I picked up on is mazungu: white person.
Nancy made French toast for breakfast before beginning the
remainder of her daily house chores. Chipie also stopped by to exchange our U.S.
dollars to Malawian kwacha. The current exchange rate is 1:670. Ryan and I felt
like millionaires.
We spent the afternoon coming and going on short walks,
slowly learning the lay of the land. Lilongwe is divided into 50-some neighborhoods, or
“Areas,” which are composed of several properties, or “Plots.” Our host house
seems to be centrally located, yet far enough from hectic downtown. As the
day went on, the temperature rose. We just missed the hottest time of year (early
summer), arriving in late-summer’s rainy season. Still, the temperature rises
to the mid 80s F, which is intensified by the beating sun. There is a
monumental difference in temperature between being in the sun and shade. According
to Chipi, the rainy season usually cycles with about one week of sun, followed
by one week of rain. Although dusty and dirty, the landscape is very lush and
green—almost jungle-like—with a variety of interesting plants and trees. It’s
naturally stunning. Not surprisingly, Lilongwe is known as the “Green City.” As
such, agriculture plays an important role in the economy, with corn and tobacco
being major crops. To my surprise, there are not many feral animals scavenging
the streets; mostly chickens and a few cats and dogs.
Our most eventful adventure of the day was our walk to the
Main Market in Old Town in order to see what the locals buy. I did not take any pictures because it is not
socially acceptable to take pictures of Malawians, but I will do my best to
illustrate the scene. Imagine a congested and dirty area of endless stalls
lined-up, selling everything from fly-infested fruit and handmade soaps to old
shoes and women’s lingerie. Among the chaos, men were lined up in the aisle ways, holding articles of clothing for sale. Apparently, the prices tend to drop
as the day goes on. Where does it all come from? It is donated? Stolen? Recycled? It was one of the most intense experiences of my life; one
of those situations where I was pleased to have seen it, but lack any desire
to do it again. On the return journey, we stopped for cold beers at a Korean
restaurant and lodge as we mulled over the interesting events of the afternoon.
For lunch, Nancy transformed our leftover toast from the
night before into tasty grilled cheese sandwiches, accompanied by the remainder
of the potato soup. For dinner, she made wonderful vegetable-topped pizzas.
Between the walking and heat of the day, I went to bed early, but had trouble
falling asleep again—likely due to delayed jet lag.
Sunday brought another beautiful day of sunshine. A light breeze made the heat of the day more
bearable. After a toasty morning run, I made myself a light breakfast. Sunday is
Nancy’s day off from work, and is respected as a day of rest (as it is in many
parts of the world). Mass could be heard through the open windows of the nearby church.
During the afternoon, Ryan and I joined Chipi on a walk
through town. Downtown is divided into two areas—Old Town, which includes our Area,
and New Town (also known as the City Centre). Chipi took us around Old Town,
pointing out the seemingly imaginary borders between various Areas. We went to the supermarket, which offered a mix of
local and exported foods. I was surprised that it also had a bakery, deli, and
butchery. Afterwards, we stopped for lunch. We eventually made our way back to
the house through the blistering heat. That night, we made ourselves dinner,
played a few board games, and packed for the coming week at the hospital.
Although we’d left Pittsburgh nearly five days ago, we’d
only been in Malawi for two and a half. Overall, a quiet weekend, full of
adjustment. There were times of frustration in not knowing what we were doing,
but I expect a greater structure and purpose starting tomorrow, when we begin
what we came here to do: our pharmacy rotation at Daeyang Luke Hospital.
