Africa Q&A - Written by Jonathan

Living abroad can sometimes be pretty confusing. Eventually you start figuring out how to get settled in properly though, and then life starts following a regular pattern.

Haha, nice joke, right? Life here never follows a regular pattern, and that's mostly why it's so confusing. Because things can be so confusing, I thought it might be good to answer a few questions a lot of people have. Every time we visit North America people have a lot of different questions and confusions about what life is like here. I've collected some of the most common, and I'll do my best to answer them.

Q: How do you do school there?

Our primary method is homeschooling. Most of our main subjects are taught with homeschooling, and they include History, Math, English, Science, and some smaller subjects like Guitar, German, and French. A lot of people wonder if we homeschool because of living in Africa, but that's not really the case, as we homeschooled even when we lived in Canada. Besides what we do with our homeschooling programs, we also take one or two online courses each semester. Our online school is a great resource provided by the Canadian government, and we're very thankful we have it.

Q: Do you like living in Africa?

Yes! It's not an ordinary life, but I wouldn't trade it for a "normal" life in Canada. Malawi is a beautiful country, and if you're up to it, a place full of adventure! The people here are very nice, and I have great friends as well.

Q: Do you ever see lions and tigers?

Unfortunately not. Lions have been hunted to extinction here like most of the wildlife. I believe there is a nature reserve that is introducing them, but they no longer exist at all in the wild. It's sad, but there isn't much that can be done about it. And as to seeing tigers... well I just try not to laugh when I get asked that. You've got the wrong continent, people! We get used to strange questions after a while though. One time Chris had to explain to an elderly lady that Africa is a continent and not a country. I have a friend who was once asked if he often sees kangaroos in Malawi. Well, like I said, you get used to it!

Q: Do you live in a safe country?

This is a question that is very important to many people, and it is certainly a legitimate one, considering the violence that occurs in some African nations. Thankfully Malawi is a very safe country, however. We are blessed to not have to worry about our safety while living here.

Q: Where do live?

Despite my saying that I live in Malawi, people are still often confused about where I live. I've had more than one conversation that ran similar to this:

Person: "So where do live again?"

Me: "I live in Malawi, Africa."

Person: "Oh right, I forgot. I've heard of Mali before."

Me: "No, no. I don't live in Mali, that's in Saharan Africa. I live in Malawi, which is a small country in Sub-Saharan Africa. They're very different countries."

Person: "Got it. Not Mali, but Maui." Then they repeat the word Maui to themselves a couple of times to make sure they remember it.

Me: "Well it's actually not Maui either. Maui is one of the Hawaiian islands, so it's very different from Africa!"

Person: "Ok, so it is Mali then?"

Me (in a pained voice): "Yeah... Something like that."

Q: What do you miss most about North America?

Oh, boy. I've been asked that so many times, and yet I still don't have one good answer to give people. Obviously I miss having family nearby, but there are some smaller things I miss as well. Things like being able to go to the Dollar Store or Walmart, and really little things like not being able to regularly find items like taco shells. Since there is no Taco Bell here, if you want tacos you have to make your own, including the taco shells. In the end though it always works out, as God has an amazing way of providing for us. Sure, we can't get taco shells, but instead we have access to tree ripened bananas, papayas, and mangoes!

Q: Is it hot in Africa?

I've completely lost track of the number of times people have asked me that. And yet it's still a question that makes me chuckle. Is it hot in Africa? Why not just ask if it is cold on the North Pole? "Yep, it's hot" is what I usually reply. On the flip side though, we do have a "cold" season that lasts about two months. This cold season comes around at basically the same time as when North America has its summer. The seasons are exactly opposite since we are in the Southern Hemisphere instead of the Northern Hemisphere. You're probably wondering how cold it really gets here by now. The answer to that is that it doesn't get very cold by North American standards. The thing is though, indoor heating and housing insulation are basically unheard of here, so 10 C degrees (50 Fahrenheit) outside means 10 C degrees inside!

Q: Do you speak African?

Nope. Do you speak North American?

That's all for now, but I hope you've enjoyed reading this, and I would be happy to answer any additional questions in the comments!

Malawi 101 - Written by Chris

Hey there!

Because I am an avid writer of fiction, I am part of an online community of young writers. We trade critiques for each others' work, brainstorm ideas, and also just generally have fun and goof around. Recently someone asked for a prayer request because they have an upcoming missions trip to several African countries, including Malawi. Someone told her that I live here, and so a conversation started about Malawian culture and what she should expect. After writing out a long reply, I realized that it would make an excellent blog post. Here are some interesting facts about Malawi:


First thing to know about this part of Africa - everyone is super friendly (especially in Malawi). You should definitely try to be culturally correct, but don't be petrified of making mistakes because the peeps here are super gracious and forgiving. Also, hospitality is a huge thing here - people will literally vacate their houses for foreigners to sleep in them. A few things to keep in mind:

- When you shake hands, touch your right elbow with your left hand. This is a sign of respect, so definitely do it for adults - maybe not so necessary for kids. (If you forget to do this, it's not the end of the world. I sometimes forget, sadly, just because it's still not what I"m used to.)

- Eat only with your right hand (if you are right handed unlike me, this shouldn't be a big deal). The left hand is used in the bathroom, and so is naturally considered unclean. If you eat with fork and knife this doesn't apply - only if you eat in a village with your hands.

- Bring warm clothing. I know you probably think Africa is super hot, but this time of year it can get chilly at night sometimes. Also, bring sun protection, because the sun is still a factor.

- Try to avoid fresh vegetables, as they might give you diarrhea. Cooked vegetables and fruit should be fine.

- If people in Malawi shout "give me my money" they are really saying "give me mamoney" (ma being the local equivalent of the word "the"). This is just a catch-phrase they have learned to say to foreigners, and you are by no means obligated to give them money (I would suggest not giving money to people you don't know, and not without the knowledge of your leaders). You might also hear people shout "azungu" as you go past, which means "white person". It's not an insult or anything - they just like announcing things to the world : D

- Dress code. Try to bring long, ankle length dresses, because this is what is considered modest here. Not sure what your wardrobe is like, but the longer and looser the better (so no short skirts or pants, unless you are in a big city perhaps). Hopefully your mission trip leaders will talk about this, though.

- Electronics. Despite the friendliness thing, guard your valuables because otherwise they might be stolen (to put things in perspective, stealing a phone might provide several months wages for someone here). Try to keep your smartphone close at all times, and watch your baggage/luggage. Also, some areas of Malawi/Mozambique have internet and electricity problems, so be prepared to be offline for a few days.



Other than that... I guess there a few cultural things I could talk about. African culture is collectivist, meaning that people are focused more on the good of the community than on individual gain (sometimes for good, sometimes for ill). Practically, what that means is that people share everything, are very friendly and outgoing, and don't understand the need for personal space. I'm not sure if you have long hair, but if you do people will probably marvel at it and want to touch it. Another thing to note is that African culture in general is very superstitious - if you see kids wearing necklaces made from natural materials, it is probably a charm. Maybe don't wear necklaces or jewelry made from natural material, because people might think you wear charms and that probably isn't something you want to have them thinking. Consider just avoiding jewelry all together since you don't want it to be stolen or lost. Also - if you have braces people will ask you if it is for decoration XD Ask me how I know.


Some of the above information may not apply if you are in the city or on a missions compound - I'm just trying to prepare you for the worst. A few things more to expect: gorgeous sunsets, bugs, lots of (non-dangerous) bush fires that look impressive but don't burn for long, bumpy roads, adventure, bicycles loaded with all kinds of crazy things, mosquitoes, chickens in church, etc.



Again though, you really don't have anything to be afraid of. Everyone is welcoming and accommodating, and as long as you keep an open mind and are ready for some adventure I'm sure you will have a blast! Also, the terrorist attacks [in Mozambique] have died down from what I've heard - and to put things in perspective, you are much more likely to die in a car crash in the States than you are to die from a terrorist attack here.


Please tell me where in Malawi you are going when you find out what your schedule is gonna be like - it would be cool to meet you here if it works out! Hope you have a great time here and in Mozambique!


Oh, and a few greetings/phrases you should know for your time in Malawi:

Zikomo (zee-ko-mo) = thank you!

Zikomo kwambiri (zee-ko-mo kwam-bee-ree) = thank you very much!

Tionana (tee-yo-na-na) = see you later

Bwanji bwanji (bwan-jee bwan-jee) = How much [does this cost]?


This is how to greet someone:

Greeting: Muli bwanji (moo-lee bwan-jee) = How are you?

Response: Ndili bwino, kaya inu? (dee-lee bwee-no, kah-yah ee-nu?) = I'm good, how are you?

Response to the above: Ndili bwino, zikomo = I'm also good, thanks





Note that in Malawi people don't really differentiate between the letters "L" and "R" which can lead to confusion if you aren't aware of that. If someone says "liver" they might mean "river" and if they say "river" they might mean "liver". I can't help you with greetings for Mozambique, since the trade language there is Portuguese (which I know nothing of).




Boom - just killed two birds with one stone! Answered someone's questions about Malawi and also made a blog post in the process.


Hope you enjoyed this post - if you have any questions concerning Malawian culture leave them in the comments! Zikomo!

It Was Worth It - Written by Johnny

One of the best parts of living in Africa for me is the interesting people you get to meet. Missionaries and aid workers from all over the world live in Malawi, and the blend of unique personalities and experiences is really amazing. I have spent many hours listening to crazy stories from some of these "expats" (expatriates), and the time is definitely well spent. But what I enjoy much more than that is hanging out with the children of these missionaries.

There is a great group of teens here who share a lot in common with us. Not only are they all sincere Christians, but they are also all homeschooled like us. Since so many expatriates homeschool here, this has led to a gathering that we simply call "Homeschooolers." We meet on the first Friday of every month for a meal, games, sports, fellowship, and just chatting. Contrary to what you would expect from the name, however, there is absolutely no school involved, and it is just a day of fun, with the occasional learning experience or field trip thrown in.

We always have a great time, and it's something we look forward to from month to month. For the past two months everyone had been busy though, so Homeschoolers had been canceled. This month it was decided we would do it again, however. Like always, it was a great experience, but as it turned out, it was one that would leave me and Chris limping for the next few days.

This Homeschoolers the plan was to meet at a picnic area on top of the nearby Zomba Plateau (aka Zomba Mountain). There is a road running up the side of the mountain, so that makes it easily accessible by car for most people. We had just one problem: our car wasn't working. As Chris mentioned in the last post, we were having mechanical trouble with it, and couldn't get it running. (It's up and working now, but it wasn't on Friday).

Ok, so it seemed we needed to have a Plan B. Friends offered to give us a lift, but me and Chris opted to bike up the mountain, and a friend of ours named Brody decided to join us. The bike ride up is pretty brutal (about 12 kilometers of constant uphill) but it was something we had done twice before, and we felt fairly confident we could do it again. Biking up Zomba Mountain provides 3 benefits: The first is having a cool and unforgettable experience. The second is the amazing views you get all along the way up, and that alone would be worth it. Last but not least is the bragging rights you get from saying you have done it. It's pretty funny seeing people faces when they hear you have biked (or run) all the up. Alright, I don't actually brag about that, but it's worth biking up all the same.

Friday morning came, and it immediately became apparent that Homeschoolers would not be on the Plateau. A heavy fog set in, and it was also drizzling. Thankfully our friends the Beatons (the same family who had been Chris' proctor) volunteered to have it hosted at their house, and we were thankful to them for having opened their house to everyone at the last minute. So much for biking up the mountain, though.

Brody had arrived here anyway, so we decided we would bike with him to the new Homeschoolers location. It had stopped drizzling, so we wouldn't have to bike in the rain. It's only between 4 and 5 kilometers to the Beaton's house, so compared to biking up a mountain it seemed pretty easy, right?

We wheeled our bikes out of the garage; Chris had a flat tire so he pumped that up really quickly and then we set off. About a kilometer from the house we realized Chris' tire had gone flat again. We hadn't brought the pump with us, so we just decided to take turns running with the bike until we got there. That worked. For a while anyhow. Then the rubber part of the tire started coming off of the rim. Not good. Carrying the bike was the next step, so we proceeded with that method. We weren't very far from our destination at that point though, so thankfully we didn't have to continue like that for long.

It took us about 35 minutes to travel 4 kilometers, a trip which included another flat tire and a lot of running uphill for whichever one of us was taking a turn pushing that bike. Despite that though, we were still the first people to arrive. Ah well, everyone here is on "African Time", after all. We were all very glad of one thing though: we didn't have to bike up an entire mountain!

After a few people had arrived we decided to play a game of football (soccer, for those in North America). Only four teens were able to make it to that Homeschoolers, so we enlisted as many younger kids as we could and then started playing. Football is one of our staple sports at Homeschoolers, and we have played countless hours of it.

Me and Chris were on different teams for the first match, and I think you probably all know what sibling rivalries can be like. At one point in the game the ball rolled to a place directly between us. We both went for it. Crash! I think we were both expecting the other person to stop at the last moment, but we didn't. It was certainly not our brightest moment, and it was a few minutes before either of us could stand up straight without wincing. Our legs got pretty banged up by that little crash.

A while later we were all called to lunch, and I have to say I was pretty glad to sit down after our "bike ride," almost 2 hours of football, and that crash. I hadn't scored a single goal during those two hours, which was a bit of a bummer. My joke was that I had about as many assists as we had scored goals. Just not my day I guess.

After lunch we played football for a while longer, and I finally managed to score a goal! I comforted myself that at least I had gotten one... When we got bored with football we switched to "British Bulldogs" or Sharks and Minnows as it is known in North America.

After close to an hour of that we changed games again to Man Hunt (it is also known as Wolf, and a few other names). It was another running game... We played that for a while, until we got bored. Around that time most of the families left, and since we couldn't bike home we would need to get a lift. The other teens still had time to spare however, so me and Chris decided to run back later.

We played some more football after that, then switched to handball. Finally I was in my element, and I managed to score several really good goals. It was a relief after my long streak of misses in football! I was quite glad I had gotten a chance to slightly redeem my honor. After about an hour of this me and Chris said our goodbyes and that we needed to run back home. Ok, so we might as well have said limping. We ran a few kilometers and then switched to a walk. There was literally no way we could have gotten anything more out of our legs.

When we finally collapsed onto the couch at home it was a huge relief. The next two days I was still hobbling around. Sure, it was brutal, but I had blast, and would do it again in a heartbeat! It was worth it!

Our group of friends at a gathering last year
(Chris is second from left at the top,
I'm second from left at the bottom)

A (Very) African Exam - Written by Chris

Note: In order to understand this blog post, you should know that a dongle is an external USB that you can plug into your PC to get internet on the go. They are very common in Africa, and not-so-common in the Western world.

How do we do school in Africa? That's a long story to tell, involving a lot of adventure, mishaps, and bemusing situations. Right now as I right this blog post offline I am sitting outside a bicycle repair shop on a broken lawn chair in the middle of the city. This may not be the way an average Canadian kid prepares for an exam, but this is how I am spending my day before a final exam which will take place tomorrow. Why? Because I need internet for the exam. You are probably completely confused now, so allow me to back up.
[Note: the rest of the blog post was written about a week after my exam.]

Me and Johnny have been homeschooled for as long as we can remember. Ditto for our younger sister Sarah, and (soon) our four year old sister Elianna. Our family homeschooled while we lived in Canada, and that didn't change when we moved here to Malawi - if anything, getting decent education at a “conventional” school would have been much more difficult (and expensive) here, since we would have had to go to boarding school to receive an education that would meet international standards. So we continued home schooling, even into high school. I am currently finishing grade 11, and Johnny is finishing grade 9. We generally take between 8 to 10 courses per year, some with text books and some through an online government school based out of Lindsay, Ontario (hence this blog post). Anyhow, fast forward to about a week ago, when I was preparing for an online exam for my course Environmental Science (hats off to my teacher, “Mystery”, for an awesome semester). These exams are worth 30% of your final mark, and you have to take them at someone else’s house so that the school knows you didn’t cheat. I asked my friend’s mom, “Aunty” Leslie to be my proctor, and she readily agreed - with one hesitation. Their internet was extremely slow, and she recommend that I bring my own internet source. “No problem, I can bring my external internet dongle,” I replied. I knew that the dongle was out of repair, but I figured it would be a simple matter to have it fixed at the local internet shop. How hard could it be, right? Well… wrong.

About a week before my exam our 1998 Colorado SUV broke down, and a gaggle of visiting mechanics failed to fix it (a week after the exam, it’s still broken). This pushed dad into a flurry of stressed activity as he tried to figure out how to get our new solar system home (thank you so much for donating it, Warkworth Free Methodist Church) from the trade capital (Blantyre), fix the car, and also not put our ministry here on the back burner. “If worst comes to worst I’ll get on my bike and head downtown to get the dongle fixed,” I told dad. The day before my exam, I decided that time was running out, and me and Johnny saddled up and took a scenic 3 or 4 kilometer bike ride into the town centre. We first headed to “Africycle”, an NGO that sells and repairs bikes, to get our back brakes fixed since neither of us had fully functioning back brakes (which, trust me, is not a good thing on our mountainous roads). While the bikes were repaired I walked a block to the internet kiosk, hoping to find a techy who could help me fix the dongle. In my pocket I had about 60,000 Malawian Kwacha (about a 80$ USD), partially to buy bananas (a staple in our family), pay for our bike repairs, and also to guarantee that we had a lot of extra money to buy a new dongle. And in my backpack I had the dongle along with a computer to test it on (since the “techy’s” don’t have their own laptops). Anyhow, I walked down the dusty, busy street - past an open-air welding shop and a mini-bus station - feeling like a very rich man. I got to the internet shop only to discover that they were closed. I’m not sure why since Eid al-Fitr had been the previous week and there was no national holiday, but closed they were and there was no arguing the fact. There were a few internet service guys outside the shop selling 4G SIM-cards to Malawians, and they directed me to a friend who was, apparently, a techy. This man explained to me that the SIM-card in my dongle had probably expired from lack of use (we normally use our router for internet), and directed me to the 4G stand so I could get a new SIM-card. He said that once I had bought the SIM-card I would have to go home and reinstall the driver software, and I complied, slipping the new card into my pocket as I headed back to see how the bike repairs where going. When I arrived I sat on a rickety plastic lawn chair waiting for the bikes to be repaired, chatting with the Malawian guys and writing the beginning part of this blog post on my computer (which, remember, I had in the backpack). In about twenty minutes our bikes were repaired and good-as-new thanks to the Africycle guys, so me and Johnny biked back home, choosing a scenic route from which we could watch the beginnings of a sunset creep over the beautiful Malawian countryside. On our way we passed dad, who was also on a bike and headed to the government buildings in the old quarter of the city so that he could pay the import taxes for our solar system. Needless to say, it was a very bike-filled day. Before arriving home we stopped to buy a hand of bananas at a local roadside stop. Me and Johnny had a chuckle when it took a full five minutes for the shop owner and a Malawian lady to finish their chat before we were serviced.

Back home I plugged the dongle into my computer’s USB port, swapped the SIM cards, and reinstalled the software. Surprise, surprise - it didn’t work. Fairly frustrated and starting to wonder if I would have internet for my exam, I waited for dad to return home and told him the whole saga. Dad shared my frustration, and promised that we would figure it out the next day - the day of my exam, which was going to take place at 3PM. Next morning dad biked up to our colleagues house to borrow their dongles and see if we could get them running. Meanwhile, I did some last minute studying, adding to an online study document that my online classmates back in Canada had created. Dad returned with the dongles from our colleagues, but they didn’t work either. By this time it was about 11AM, and I was starting to stress. We ate lunch and then dad biked into town with the SIM-cards, dongles, and a computer, hoping to get them repaired at the shop while running some other errands. I continued studying, on Johnny's computer since mine was having issues; all the while I was watching nervously as the clock ticked its way towards 3PM. Dad finally arrived at the gate around 2:30, panting hard after a long uphill bike ride (kudos to you, dad). I shoved the dongle and a computer in a backpack just as our colleague Marieke dropped by to pick me and Sarah up - Sarah on her way to horseback riding lessons at a local farm along with Marieke’s girls, and me on my way to the exam at “Aunty” Leslie’s house. I arrived at the proctor’s house around 2:50, with just barely enough time to set-up my computer and internet and log into the exam. I was just thankful that the whole ordeal would soon be over. 3 hours later after a fairly tough exam I was finished, and Leslie’s husband (“Uncle” Robby) drove me home, along with his son Colin who came over to our place for a sleepover. Me, Johnny, and Colin had fun re-watching the Fellowship of the Ring and playing some old Wii games, and the day ended on a happy note.

Thus ends the saga of my exam. The lesson I have learned, for the umpteenth time, is that nothing is easy in Africa. I’m so thankful for my family, as well as our friends/colleagues, all of whom are so gracious when I’m up to my eyeballs in school work and need a helping hand.

Fun note: the bike repairs for my bike cost 1,500 Malawian Kwacha, and for Johnny's 500 Malawian Kwacha. That's a grand total of 3 or 4 Canadian dollars. The SIM card cost 500 Kwacha, which is about 1 dollar. Some things in Malawi are very cheap! On the other hand, you could pay 20$ for a simple block of cheese.