Nkhota Kota: Our Hosts

    Our hosts for the time away from Bakhita were two Polish Salegian fathers running the parish in Nkhota Kota.  The invitation was extended by Father Paul, the head priest, who also knew the previous volunteers and whom I had met on one of his recent visits to Balaka (Is that the proper use of "whom" because I really have no idea?).  The distiguishing qualities of Fr. Paul are his energy and sense of humor.  The entire time he was entertaining us, he was also running the parish and didn't seem to take a break between 5 in the morning and 10 at night.  If you ever ask him a question be prepared to invest at least 10 minutes in getting a straight or non-sarcastic answer.  It was also mentioned that previous to becoming a priest, he spent time as sniper in the Polish army.  The other priest was a recent transfer from Zambia and you didn't forget because he always had another story about living in "the bush" or swimming with crocodiles.  He was a little eccentric and very commited to special teas, ointments, and other "cure-all" remedies.  He had boxes and boxes of medicine he had brought from Poland over the years.  The best part was his passion for unhealthy food and his generosity in sharing that unhealthy food with others (me in particular).  Of course, he always offered vegetables, but anytime he said vegetables he was talking about meat.  A Slovenian volunteer working with Mother Theresa's order at an orphanage in Lilongwe was also visiting the Fathers.  It was through her association with the Salegians that she began volunteering and was in Nkota Kota to help them for a few weeks.  However, she admitted that the main reason was because she just needed to get away.  We understood completely.  Sisters help a lot of people and do great work, but there are certain frustrations that you have to have a little time off from.