Normally, we meet every month for "homeschoolers" up on the nearby Zomba plateau. Our friends and us normally goof off, play soccer, explore a nearby forest and stream, and eat whatever desserts the little kids haven't devoured before we get to the table.
This week, however, was different. Our "Uncle" Johann van der Ham, the father of our friends Limbi and Amy, decided to take the teens to a different part of the plateau, home to "Chingwe's Hole." A large sinkhole about ten meters across and fifteen meters deep, Chingwe's Hole is said to have once been a grave for lepers rejected by their tribe. From above, the bottom of the sinkhole cannot easily be seen, and the legends of spirits and death give it an eerie feel.
The day starts when Uncle Johann picks us up at Colin's house, barreling down the road in his legendary Land Rover. We pile in, and chat for the next half hour over the roar of the engine and the wind whistling through the windows as the Landy chugs up the mountain. Soon we hit a dirt road, and Uncle Johann informs us that we could ride up on the roof if we want, but "I'm not going to stop the car."
We joke about this, with Colin and Johnny urging me to be brave and climb out onto the roof. This joke evaporates when Amy sighs and climbs out the window, grabbing the bars on top of the roof and pulling herself up while the Landy rattles down the road. After an awkward silence the guys follow, not to be outdone. For the next half hour we enjoy the scenery and chat while Limbi's For King and Country music drifts out of her portable speaker.
When we reach Chingwe's Hole, Uncle Johann begins securing the ropes to the gnarled trees that grow out of the sinkhole. He then shows us how to use the harness, before disappearing into the hole. A few moments later, I followed after him. The green walls of Chingwe's Hole rise above me as I rappel down, the smell of fresh mountain air replaced with the damper scents of moss and moist leaves.
My feet hit the thick, leafy carpet of the bottom of the whole, and I step out of the harness and go exploring while Uncle Johann belays the others down. Behind me, I hear Colin begin coming down the rope. He's nervous around heights, and as Uncle Johann lets him drop about five feet he shouts "I'm not a fan of that joke!" Uncle Johann chuckles, apologizes, and explains that this is the way we have to get lowered down into the hole.
Chingwe's Hole, on closer inspection, is about 15 meters long, and narrow enough in most places for me to almost touch both sides. At the opposite end I discover a cave that is about eight meters deep, with small crevices reaching further back into the rock. As the others trickle in we explore with headlamps and flashlights. I crawl down into one of the crevices, and my friend Sam follows after me. At the bottom we discover bones beneath our feet, but it's just a baboon skeleton.
Crawling back out, we goof around - as usual. Sam throws a stone at a bat and it streaks toward his head, causing him to jump back with a shriek. "Instant karma!" He proclaims a moment later, as the rest of us roar with laughter.
Soon we've explored everything there is to see - no leper bones, apparently - and it's time to climb back out. We all look to Uncle Johann, who proclaims, to our shock, that one of us will have to climb out without the help of a harness.
In the middle of the sinkhole is a bridge of stone and soil that links the two sides, giving just enough room to walk underneath it. I clamber onto this bridge, and the others follow. Knowing that the others probably aren't going to be comfortable climbing without a harness, I start climbing, searching for handholds on the mossy walls and testing each root and knob before I put my weight on it. About halfway up the handholds peter out, and I have to rely largely on resting my weight on the indentations on the soil. At this point Uncle Johann tells me that we don't actually have to climb without the harness, technically - but going back down looks harder than going up.
At this point Colin calls up to me: "Chris, don't do this just to impress the girls! I actually don't want you to die, bro!"
"Thanks!" I shout back. "Can't believe you actually admitted that."
Snickers drift back up to me as I try to figure out what to do next. Taking a moment to survey the handholds, I build up my courage and then continue. About twenty seconds later I grip the trunk of one of the trees that grows out of Chingwe's Hole, and pull myself out. My hands are shaking, but I'm pretty pumped on adrenaline.
We head back to the starting point of the climb, and Uncle Johann tells me that in order to get Amy up, we are going to put me back in a harness and use my weight to pull her up. So once again I step onto the broad trunk of one of the trees that leans over the chasm. Letting go of the wood fully takes some self control, even though I've never been too nervous around heights.
Five minutes later I'm back at the bottom, and I climb out once again - of course I don't mind, since this experience is something that I've only dreamed of doing before now. But I am in the harness this time, and have to follow a different, more exhausting climb route. By the time I pull myself out and step out of the harness, I'm exhausted, and I joke with Limbi and Amy about how crazy awesome all of this is.
Realizing that I probably won't be able to climb out three more times (for Johnny, Sam, and Colin), he has each of them climb out on their own. While they climb I stand on one of the trees, spotting for good handholds and coaching them through the climb. Johnny and Sam are a bit nervous, like I was, but they make it and do a great job. Colin is the most freaked out, but he handles it like a pro, joking all the while about how frightened he is. When he gets to the top and steps out of the harness he runs away from Chingwe's Hole, doing a weird caper to celebrate the fact that he didn't die.
Now that everyone is out of the hole, we have lunch. Sam makes us chuckle when he pulls out not one, not two, not three, but a full six packs of cookies. He explains that his mom wants us to eat all of them, and we groan.
After lunch, things get even crazier. Uncle Johann secures his ropes to a nearby cliff, and has me go bush-whacking to the other side of the rift, so that I can spot if the rope has made it all the way to the bottom (if there is a bottom). The rope is about sixty meters long, but its end still dangles about three meters above the bottom of the gorge. I shout this information to Uncle Johann, but he shouts back that it will be fine, since the rope stretches. Sure enough, when he and Amy climb, the rope lengthens by about ten meters. Meanwhile, I video them from my position on a rock under the trees, while chatting with a friendly Malawian who helped me bush-whack to this point.
Soon Uncle Johann doesn't need me on this side of the gorge, so I head back to the rest of the teens, who are hanging out near the Land Rover. Sam entertains us with his nonsense stories, and produces a coin that he found in Chingwe's Hole. Johnny washes it off, revealing the date - 1957, Rhodesia, a country that doesn't even exist anymore. This leads to much light-hearted speculation about the possibility of hidden treasure within Chingwe's Hole.
We pack up and pile onto the Landy, choosing once more to ride on the roof. The way back seems to be much more painful on our rear ends, and Colin, Sam and to a lesser extent myself groan with every bump. Johnny suffers in silence, since he can hear Amy and Limbi snickering at us. Meanwhile, a small cut I got while climbing proves to be deeper than I suspected, and I feel very guilty as I bleed all over the white roof of the Land Rover.
The van der Hams drop us off at our houses, and we thank them for showing us such an awesome time. I hobble back into the house and get my cut cleaned up, while me and Johnny relate our adventure and discuss who should blog about it!
Only in Africa.
Sunday 18 November 2018
Sunday 30 September 2018
A Three Day Hike - Written by Johnny
Hiking it on a Friday meant Chris and I would have to cram with our school, but thankfully it was still the first week of school and our workloads weren't as huge as they might otherwise have been. We thankfully got it all done, and were ready to go by Thursday evening.
At around 11:30 the next morning we started the climb. It was a bit of a late start (the two previous times we had done it we started at 8) but with 4 families to coordinate it made sense to start a bit later. The hike started with a longish walk through some tea fields before the actual ascent began. The view was nice, but there wasn't a whole lot of shade, so we were all eager to reach the lower slopes of the mountain where there would be a few trees.
Our friend Brody was with us, so me and Chris chatted with him while we hiked. It was nice walking along and talking, but also pretty hot, so we were drinking a lot. One of the neat things about Mulanje is that since all of the water is fast flowing and spring fed you can drink from almost any of the streams along the trail. In our past experience hiking Mulanje there had always been plenty of streams, so me and Chris had advised the family to only carry one water bottle each. It was a bad idea. We were hiking a different trail this time, and it turned out there wouldn't be any water until we reached the top.
After two kilometers or so we stopped for lunch. After grabbing a few bites to eat we set off again, and thankfully some scattered trees now lent their shade across our path. All across the path were huge boulders, and our path wound between them.
As we gained altitude the climb got steeper, but it also increased in beauty. Now majestic views opened up from the edges of cliffs. Some of the places were actually so steep that it required a ladder to get up though! Nearing the top we entered what would best be described as rain forest. Lush vegetation surrounded us, and it was really beautiful.
By this time our thirst was getting pretty bad, since our water bottles had run out several hours ago. Thankfully we found a small trickle of a stream to drink from, and were able to slake our thirst for a while. The hike continued through the rain forest, only opening up shortly before we arrived at the cabin.
Of the three cabins I've been to on Mulanje, this was definitely the best. Although the cabin itself was pretty small, it had a huge wrap-around khonde (a local term for porch), it was nestled between several large hills, and a stream flowed past just meters from us. It was a picturesque location.
After arriving we still had a little over an hour before dark, so we went exploring downstream with Brody. The stream consisted mostly of a series of small waterfalls, so we did a lot of rock climbing. After a while we realized that we hadn't remembered to tell anyone where we were going, so we went back, and then started exploring upstream. After going a short distance that way we discovered that the stream was much less interesting, so we just sat down on some rocks and chatted for a while. I forget the full range of our topics, but it included hiking, theology - you know, the usual for teenage boys. As dark set in we headed back the the cabin.
After a delicious supper of burritos we headed to bed around 8, since we would be getting up fairly early the next morning, and there aren't any lights in the cabin, so there wasn't much to do. Most of the people decided to sleep outside, since the cabin was small. The night proved extremely cold, and I was thankful I had gone to bed wearing long pants and a hoodie, rather than changing into pajamas. Still, I certainly did my fare share of shivering during the night.
We woke up around 6, most of us going to the stream to hang out before breakfast. After breakfast we had a short devotional (those friends are all Seventh Day Adventists, so they worship on Saturday), and then discussed plans for the day. The decision was to split into two groups; one group would go to some good swimming holes, and the other group would climb one of Mulanje's 58 peaks.
The group climbing the peak was much smaller, consisting of me and Chris, Dad, Brody and his father Jason, two other Americans, and our guide. We left at the same time as the group heading to the pools, and for a while our paths went together. Our guide told us that the hike up the peak would take 2 and a half hours from the cabin, and then about 2 hours back. We could also climb the peak, take about 40 minutes going to the pools, and then hike back with the other group. It sounded doable, so we decided to go with that plan.
But plans never go the way you expect them to. It took us almost 2 hours just to reach the base of the peak! The climb was exciting though - we enjoyed climbing Chinzama peak. In a few places it was regular rock climbing, although the slope wasn't too bad. It was a far cry different from the last peak I had climbed - Chambe - the second hardest on Mulanje (the hardest isn't even climbable from on the plateau).
At about 2 we reached the top, and spent about 40 minutes enjoying the view. Then it was time to hike down - which took us a while, as we often had to shimmy down on all fours, with our back to the mountain. Slightly past 4 we had reached the bottom, and the guide confirmed that we wouldn't really have time to reach the pools, so it was best to just head back to the cabin. Granted, we hadn't been going very fast, but it seemed that our guide's estimate of 4 and a half hours round trip had been slightly hopeful!
We arrived back at the cabin just before dark, and although we were all pretty cooled off by now, Chris, Brody and I decided not to chicken out on our earlier decision to take a dip in the stream. After recounting our adventures to the others, we headed out for our "bath." There was a deep spot we had noticed the day before so we headed there. With a lot of joking and daring we jumped in one by one, emerging moments with shouts and whoops. It was fun, but man was it cold! We ran back to the cabin to warm up by the fire.
That night we headed to bed around the same time, and this time I wisely decided to sleep inside. The morning dawned bright and clear, and after breakfast we all packed. One of the neat things about hiking this particular trail was that it was less known, and so besides our group we never saw any other hikers (although there were plenty of Malawian wood "poachers").
The climb down began at about 10, and by 3 we reached the bottom. There was a river just slightly before we reached the cars, and so most of us decided to go for a much needed swim. It was very refreshing, and once again we had fun exploring the river with Brody.
Climbing Mulanje is always an amazing experience, and this time was no different. No two times are the same, and it's something you will never forget!
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| Our cabin |
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| The group we hiked with |
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| The stream just outside the cabin |
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| A view of the plateau |
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| One of the ladders on the way |
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| Mulanje as viewed from the bottom |
Saturday 22 September 2018
Concerning Broccoli, Snakes, and Tear Gas - Written by Chris
Johnny and I love to keep fit as much as we can with our busy school schedules, and this is always an adventure in Africa.
A nearby private school has a 23 meter athletic pool, so we swim there whenever we get the chance. Its length makes it a rare commodity by Malawian standards, although its depth (about a meter or a yard) prevents diving. It is also apparently difficult for management to get pool chemicals, because several times the shallow water has been so murky we could barely see the bottom. As my Dutch friend Rien once said after jumping in, “this water tastes like broccoli!” But hey, a pool is a pool, so we live with it.
Just to add a little bit more of a challenge, we sometimes bike to the pool (which we guesstimate is about 7 kilometers from our house, there and back). The fun part of this is that the landscape is hilly almost all the way, so you are either puffing up a hill or cruising down it and feeling like you own the world.
Running, however, is by far how we get most of our exercise these days. Over the course of three years I’ve gone from being unfit and hardly able to run five kilometers, to having now run two official half marathons (a distance of 21 kilometers) and several more during training.
Our first half marathon was in May, and it took place near where my friend Brody lives, in Thyolo (pronounced Chyoh-lo). Thyolo is famous for its large tea estates, which clothe the rolling hills in beautiful green blankets. Purple jacaranda trees dot the landscape, and magnificent hills and mountains - including the majestic Mulanje Massif - form a backdrop. The Thyolo run, which Brody also ran in, was beautiful but grueling. The last five kilometers were the worst, a very hot uphill stretch with no water stations. Our time in Thyolo was a modest 2:29:25, but we were happy just to finish. Two weeks ago we ran our second half marathon up on the equally beautiful Zomba plateau, clocking a time that was about 2 minutes faster. This felt good, considering that everyone said the Zomba race was significantly harder. To us it felt easier, but I am crediting that to better training and a home advantage.
Our worst run was a few years ago, when Johnny and I jogged through a valley and inexplicably started choking and crying. An elderly Malawian man passed us, and seemed very concerned for our well-being. He kept saying “oh, sorry, sorry.” At first I attributed our symptoms to the smoke coming from a nearby pile of burning plastic garbage, but no smoke had ever or has ever since had that effect on me. Later we put the pieces together, and decided that the Malawian man had probably figured out the culprit much faster than us: tear gas! There had been some demonstrations lower down in the town that the police dispersed with tear gas, and we are guessing that it drifted up through the valley and into our unwitting lungs and eyes. Thankfully it had lost most of its potency at that point, so the effects of the tear gas didn’t last more than a minute or two. Still, it was enough to make me very thankful I didn’t get the real thing.
Most of our runs, however, are much more peaceful than that. Neither of us are morning people, and so unless we are going for a very long run we normally start around 4PM (remember, we live close to the equator so sundown is always between 5:30 and 6). This allows us to enjoy the coolest part of the day, and sometimes even witness an amazing sunset as we return home. Of course, there are still many runs with an unusual twist thrown in - sometimes we have to jump over a snake in the road (either dead or alive), sometimes we jog through a pack of bored looking baboons, and very often a random group of Malawians will decide to get in on the fun and jog with us for a bit. Malawians are great that way - they really know how to enjoy themselves and be friendly.
A nearby private school has a 23 meter athletic pool, so we swim there whenever we get the chance. Its length makes it a rare commodity by Malawian standards, although its depth (about a meter or a yard) prevents diving. It is also apparently difficult for management to get pool chemicals, because several times the shallow water has been so murky we could barely see the bottom. As my Dutch friend Rien once said after jumping in, “this water tastes like broccoli!” But hey, a pool is a pool, so we live with it.
Just to add a little bit more of a challenge, we sometimes bike to the pool (which we guesstimate is about 7 kilometers from our house, there and back). The fun part of this is that the landscape is hilly almost all the way, so you are either puffing up a hill or cruising down it and feeling like you own the world.
Running, however, is by far how we get most of our exercise these days. Over the course of three years I’ve gone from being unfit and hardly able to run five kilometers, to having now run two official half marathons (a distance of 21 kilometers) and several more during training.
Our first half marathon was in May, and it took place near where my friend Brody lives, in Thyolo (pronounced Chyoh-lo). Thyolo is famous for its large tea estates, which clothe the rolling hills in beautiful green blankets. Purple jacaranda trees dot the landscape, and magnificent hills and mountains - including the majestic Mulanje Massif - form a backdrop. The Thyolo run, which Brody also ran in, was beautiful but grueling. The last five kilometers were the worst, a very hot uphill stretch with no water stations. Our time in Thyolo was a modest 2:29:25, but we were happy just to finish. Two weeks ago we ran our second half marathon up on the equally beautiful Zomba plateau, clocking a time that was about 2 minutes faster. This felt good, considering that everyone said the Zomba race was significantly harder. To us it felt easier, but I am crediting that to better training and a home advantage.
Our worst run was a few years ago, when Johnny and I jogged through a valley and inexplicably started choking and crying. An elderly Malawian man passed us, and seemed very concerned for our well-being. He kept saying “oh, sorry, sorry.” At first I attributed our symptoms to the smoke coming from a nearby pile of burning plastic garbage, but no smoke had ever or has ever since had that effect on me. Later we put the pieces together, and decided that the Malawian man had probably figured out the culprit much faster than us: tear gas! There had been some demonstrations lower down in the town that the police dispersed with tear gas, and we are guessing that it drifted up through the valley and into our unwitting lungs and eyes. Thankfully it had lost most of its potency at that point, so the effects of the tear gas didn’t last more than a minute or two. Still, it was enough to make me very thankful I didn’t get the real thing.
Most of our runs, however, are much more peaceful than that. Neither of us are morning people, and so unless we are going for a very long run we normally start around 4PM (remember, we live close to the equator so sundown is always between 5:30 and 6). This allows us to enjoy the coolest part of the day, and sometimes even witness an amazing sunset as we return home. Of course, there are still many runs with an unusual twist thrown in - sometimes we have to jump over a snake in the road (either dead or alive), sometimes we jog through a pack of bored looking baboons, and very often a random group of Malawians will decide to get in on the fun and jog with us for a bit. Malawians are great that way - they really know how to enjoy themselves and be friendly.
Monday 27 August 2018
Out with the Routine - Written by Johhny
Most Saturday's in Malawi follow a fairly regular schedule for me. I wake up around nine, make pancakes or crepes for lunch, read and surf the web during the afternoon, and then watch a movie in the evening. This Saturday followed a different, but not unenjoyable pattern. Because I didn't do any of those things.
When I got out of bed at 8:30 I almost immediately went to work on a pile of dishes. We were going to have guests over for dinner that evening, so it was best to have the kitchen cleaned before then. Me and Chris were going to be busy most of the day as well, as we'd been invited to a birthday party. But if you were expecting a teens birthday party with paintball and video games you couldn't really be more off the mark. The birthday party was for our friend's little sisters. We were only there to help out with some of the activities that were planned. Two of our friends would also be there, so we didn't mind going. We had a few laughs about being invited to a girl's birthday party though.
At 10:20 we arrived at the party. We were a full 20 minutes late, but still only the second people to arrive. We're on African time here, so no one was really bothered by it. The theme of the party was wild animals, so as helpers me and Chris both had stations where we gave kids animal themed tasks to do. Everyone else came dressed up as an animal, but Chris didn't need a costume besides his normal look.
My station was the rhino, and so the kids had to put a birthday hat on their nose and knock balls off of a table and into a little basket. It was funny watching some of the littler kids doing it, as the birthday hat completely covered their nose and eyes, which meant they had to do the challenge blind! Chris' station was the monkey, so he got to make kids peel a banana with their toes. Thankfully for them he backed down on the threat of making them eat it afterwards.
After the children had done all of the stations our friends and us proceeded to play football (or soccer). Scoring the first goal of the day felt pretty sweet, but unfortunately my luck didn't last that long. I did get a few more good shots in though. We were called up once for cake, but otherwise we played football all the way until 3, when we left.
It had been arranged beforehand that our two friends would come back from the party with us for a sleepover, and one of Sarah's friends too. We all piled into our Toyota Prado, and headed home - all of us feeling sore to some degree after several hours of football. I'm pretty sure Chris had it the worst though, as he had taken a hard fall while playing. For his sake, I won't go into the exact details under which his demise came about, so I'll just say it had something to do with stepping on the ball. After that came a banana-style split, which was fitting after his role as the monkey earlier in the day.
After we got home we chatted for a while and then I went to go take care of our animals. We have a mini farm with 28 chickens, 8 rabbits, 3 guinea fowl, 2 pigs, and 1 duck. We used to have more ducks, but unfortunately our African Bees decided to declare war on them... Taking care of all of them usually takes me around 50 minutes, but I hurried, and with a bit of help from Chris I managed to get it all done in 20. After I finished I had 2 short wrestling matches with a friend, and got absolutely slaughtered in both. I should probably work on my wrestling skills before I challenge him again!
After that we played a card game and then went to supper. When we had finished eating we spent a quite a while playing Mario Kart on our Wii (yes, ten years after Mario Kart was released we still play it), and from there watched a movie. After the movie it was back to Mario Kart, and our living room became a cacophony of laughing, cheering, moaning, booing, and good-natured insults, as we battled each other in the Mario Kart universe. Around 1AM we went to bed, and after an hour of talking eventually all drifted off to sleep. It was a long, but very fun day. Glad I didn't stay with the routine!
When I got out of bed at 8:30 I almost immediately went to work on a pile of dishes. We were going to have guests over for dinner that evening, so it was best to have the kitchen cleaned before then. Me and Chris were going to be busy most of the day as well, as we'd been invited to a birthday party. But if you were expecting a teens birthday party with paintball and video games you couldn't really be more off the mark. The birthday party was for our friend's little sisters. We were only there to help out with some of the activities that were planned. Two of our friends would also be there, so we didn't mind going. We had a few laughs about being invited to a girl's birthday party though.
At 10:20 we arrived at the party. We were a full 20 minutes late, but still only the second people to arrive. We're on African time here, so no one was really bothered by it. The theme of the party was wild animals, so as helpers me and Chris both had stations where we gave kids animal themed tasks to do. Everyone else came dressed up as an animal, but Chris didn't need a costume besides his normal look.
My station was the rhino, and so the kids had to put a birthday hat on their nose and knock balls off of a table and into a little basket. It was funny watching some of the littler kids doing it, as the birthday hat completely covered their nose and eyes, which meant they had to do the challenge blind! Chris' station was the monkey, so he got to make kids peel a banana with their toes. Thankfully for them he backed down on the threat of making them eat it afterwards.
After the children had done all of the stations our friends and us proceeded to play football (or soccer). Scoring the first goal of the day felt pretty sweet, but unfortunately my luck didn't last that long. I did get a few more good shots in though. We were called up once for cake, but otherwise we played football all the way until 3, when we left.
It had been arranged beforehand that our two friends would come back from the party with us for a sleepover, and one of Sarah's friends too. We all piled into our Toyota Prado, and headed home - all of us feeling sore to some degree after several hours of football. I'm pretty sure Chris had it the worst though, as he had taken a hard fall while playing. For his sake, I won't go into the exact details under which his demise came about, so I'll just say it had something to do with stepping on the ball. After that came a banana-style split, which was fitting after his role as the monkey earlier in the day.
After we got home we chatted for a while and then I went to go take care of our animals. We have a mini farm with 28 chickens, 8 rabbits, 3 guinea fowl, 2 pigs, and 1 duck. We used to have more ducks, but unfortunately our African Bees decided to declare war on them... Taking care of all of them usually takes me around 50 minutes, but I hurried, and with a bit of help from Chris I managed to get it all done in 20. After I finished I had 2 short wrestling matches with a friend, and got absolutely slaughtered in both. I should probably work on my wrestling skills before I challenge him again!
After that we played a card game and then went to supper. When we had finished eating we spent a quite a while playing Mario Kart on our Wii (yes, ten years after Mario Kart was released we still play it), and from there watched a movie. After the movie it was back to Mario Kart, and our living room became a cacophony of laughing, cheering, moaning, booing, and good-natured insults, as we battled each other in the Mario Kart universe. Around 1AM we went to bed, and after an hour of talking eventually all drifted off to sleep. It was a long, but very fun day. Glad I didn't stay with the routine!
Wednesday 15 August 2018
A Very African Summer Trip - Written by Chris
The latest adventure for Johnny and I (besides a 15k run today which involved a beautiful sunset, a meter-long dead snake, and coaxing my friend’s dogs back to their house after one of their escapades on the road), was a trip up to the northern city of Mzuzu to visit our friend John Mark. We’ve been meaning to do this for a long time, but finally got around to it this summer break. It was well worth it.
We’ve known John Mark, hereafter referred to as JM because he hates being called Jim or Jimbo, for almost four years. We first got to know him well at a conference/team gathering in Zimbabwe, during which we had a week of mostly free time. We spent it goofing off, playing some soccer and card games, and listening to the same TobyMac album on repeat. The last item on that list was probably a mistake.
Since then we have visited him in the North 3 times (including our most recent trip), and he has also come down here a handful of times. JM and his family are Afrikaaners, meaning that they are Afrikaans speaking South Africans. JM is fiercely patriotic and also a fellow history buff, so whenever we see him he fills in the gaps in my knowledge of South Africa (surely one of the world’s most fascinating countries).
Our trip to Mzuzu started with the alarm clock going off at 5 AM. Rolling out of bed, we made the 1 hour trip to Blantyre as the sun kissed the beige horizon. Arriving at the Sososo bus station (seriously, I have no idea why they named their bus line that), we discovered that apparently you have to book tickets in advance. Thankfully we found a different bus service, and by 7:30 we were on our way. After that time warped. The next 12 hours seemed like an endless loop of eating PBJ sandwiches, reading Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins, and trying not to be annoyed by the constant boppy African music tumbling out of the bus speakers. Two hours after dark we made it to Mzuzu, where John Mark’s dad (“Uncle” Mark) picked us up. One of the Malawian guys told us “your dad is here to pick you up,” pointing at Uncle Mark. I think us white guys all look the same to Malawians.
Our time with John Mark was amazing. Although his mom had said that he would have to do some home school while we were there, he ended up having a pretty loose schedule. We spent our chill time playing multiple games of Risk, going on hill runs, playing multiplayer Civilization IV, and throwing sticks for JM’s tireless dog. Midway through our visit, Uncle Mark took us on a two-day trip. The first night we visited Kusintha Farm, an off-the grid eco-farm that the Beckett’s and their colleagues are creating to demonstrate sustainable farming practices. It was cool touring the property and fantasizing about playing airsoft on its wide expanses of indigenous forest. That evening we ate a simple but delicious meal of sausage and mashed potatoes in front of a fire, before turning in to our sleeping bags.
Next morning, we piled into Uncle Mark’s pickup truck (or “bakkie” as South Africans call it), and headed for “Elephant Rock”. We had an hour’s long drive before we got there, through the scenic highlands of northern Malawi. When Elephant Rock came into view, the idea of climbing/hiking it without equipment seemed a bit ominous. It is one of the unique African monadnocks of solid rock that never cease to amaze me.
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| Above: Elephant Rock. We climbed up the "head". This is an example of a monadnock, a large igneous (often granite) mountain that sticks up out of the landscape and isn't part of a larger mountain chain. Malawi has hundreds, if not thousands, of these. |
The ascent took about an hour, which involved a lot of climbing and scrambling on all fours - especially once we reached the "head" of the Elephant and things got steeper. At the top, we enjoyed a view of a large portion of the Northern Region, meanwhile snacking on dried fruit and apples.
The next day, our final one in Mzuzu, we went to basketball practice with JM (who is over six feet tall and perfectly suited to the sport). It was just the three of us and JM’s coach, and Coach focused mostly on beating me and Johnny into shape. Given that I can’t shoot a hoop for the life of me, this was rather intimidating. For the next two hours Coach alternately berated and coaxed us into performing better, until I could finally get a sloppy 3 lay-ups in a row. It was exhausting and challenging, but that’s a good thing. I like to push myself. While trying not to die of frustration at my basketball skills, I also had to attempt not to stare at a nearby group of druggies smoking pot, or at the deep scars on Coach’s arm. I later learned he got those scars during a crocodile attack.
That evening we said goodbye to JM as we piled onto a night bus. It was bittersweet, since we have no idea how many times we might see each other again before I head off to university. The next morning my parents picked up two very tired boys from Blantyre, and we told them all about our crazy trip on the ride back to Zomba.
Monday 23 July 2018
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: 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!
Saturday 14 July 2018
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!
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!
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