We couldn’t have asked for a better first day in Malawi. First thing in the morning we met up with our friends from the market, Maurice and Osman. They were nice enough to take us to go fix our Malawian cell phone, and then since we didn’t have any definite plans they took us to Osman’s village in district 24. It was so nice. I was really happy for the team that right off the bat they were able to be immerged into the culture.
Walking through the market we got shouts of “hey boss!” and “azungu!” as all the vendors noticed our light skin and beckoned us to look at their goods. We ended up meeting with Osman’s friend who had a newborn with him who he immediately gave Emily to hold. It never fails to amaze me how nice and inviting the Malawians are. They walked us to Osman’s house where we met some people and then walked to one of their friend’s gardens where they picked us nzimbe (sugar cane)! I couldn’t believe it! The first day of the trip and we were being invited into homes, gardens and the lives of such wonderful people.
We marched through the dusty streets, taking in the scene of the running children, intrigued looks of the adults, and even the goats and chickens marching around. All while we tried to learn how to rip away the outer bark of the cane with our teeth to get to the sweet flesh inside.
Once we arrived at Osman’s niece’s house we had an entourage of children all of which were too scared to come up and say hello. Eventually they warmed up to us. Lauren taught them all a game, we sang similar versions of songs and learned Chichewan phrases from the guys. And yes…We even taught the kids how to dance to Jump on It.
To top it all off Osman’s niece let us watch how to make the local staple Nsima and the side dishes (they refer to as relish). SLIM Potlucks will be even more authentic next year! It was great. We sat on straw mats on the compacted dirt floor of their house, ate with our hands, drank Shake-Shake and Green, and enjoyed the company of our friends. It was grand.
Osadandaula Malawi, No worries.
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