Field Trip

The college and Form 3 classes went on a field trip to nearby city of Blantyre today.  We rented a big bus from the local parish and had to combine secondary and college to make it work moneywise.  Thankfully Malawi doesn't concern itself with terms "seating capacity" so we were able to fit everyone on.  Other than that it was a very normal field trip.  A few people were running behind but we the bus didn't leave on time anyways because we were waiting on the driver (Our time not Malawian time).  There was even a mom who showed up with one of the forgotten lunches of a students.  Of course, instead of car, she came on a bicycle taxi.  The college toured the TVM televeion studio in the morning and the Coca-Cola bottling plant in the afternoon.  Form 3 went to the radio station and the school of Medicine.  Being both a secondary and college teacher, I went with Form 3 in the morning and during the lunch meeting switched to the college.  It might have been a mistake because I was told later that the college of medicine tour included cadavers.

Form 2

The way the secondary school system is set up here, the students take certification exams at the end of Form 2 and then at the end of Form 4.  It takes about a week to take exams for all of their subjects and if they don't pass enough of them then they have to retake the course until they do.  Form 2 just finished with their exams last week which being in the middle of the term, we get to finish the rest of the term with fewer students to worry about.  Why they put the tests in the middle of the term, I am not sure.  It's just another one of those Malawian quirks that I've stopped trying to figure out.  I don't have any Form 2 classes so it doesn't affect me much other than make it breakfast and lunch duty a little easier to manage.

Something I Miss

Being able to walk down a busy street...or an empty street...or any street, and not be noticed.

Andrew *

Name:  Andrew *

Nickname:  Andy, Meister Klepka

Age:  24 (I am the keeper of his age - he doesn't know it and will defer to me)

Birthdate:  16 October 1980

Profession:  Electrical Engineer

Current Occupation:  Teacher of Physical Science and Computers; Tutor of Economics; Distributor of Yorkshire Peppermint Patties and Yummy Treats; Egg Beater; Fixer of Radios and Fans for the Canossian Sisters

 

That's right folks. Mr Andrew is a regular Jack of All Trades. From giving out medicinal doses of chocolate for mental health purposes to climbing up on the roof to turn off the leaking hot water tank; from "teaching" economics to his one and only accounting student to trying to keep complete chaos from reigning over his 46 Physical Science students during lab time, Mr Andrew keeps occupied.

 

He is the current champion of receiving packages and mail, with no missing packages en route and the most received, leading us all to believe that there is some kind of mysterious mail connection between Illinois and Malawi. We would like to thank whomever is responsible for his years of experience in the dishroom because he is, hands-down, our fastest dishwasher. He could do with a little work on grace though. If you will return your eyes to the nickname section of this report, you will see the name "Meister Klepka". This was given to him by Ania, the Polish girl who is now in Tanzania, while we were in Rome. If you don't know Polish I will give you a few hints to help you translate it. Change the K to a C. Change the ep to an um. Change the ka to a sy. Got it? Yeah... it's perfect. He might benefit from one of Athena's bibs. (Most of you probably know that Athena is his newest neice, but for those of you who didn't now you do.)

 

Mr Andrew is the fratboy of the community. I mean this in the best possible way, applying all of the positive qualities assigned to this stereotype. He likes to have fun. He is a young spirit (actually the two of us were mistaken for high schoolers while in Rome). He does what needs to be done without much complaining to speak of. He is the most easygoing of us all - being quite content to occupy himself quietly by playing guitar or watching one of the 5 Seinfeld reruns that we have on tape. And lastly, he is the distributor (and sometimes the cause) of a great many laughs.

 

I will close with a more personal note. I must declare that I have adopted Mr Andrew as my brother. I would like to assure his sisters that I am taking good care to make sure he doesn't miss the wonderful teasing and joking that sisters can provide. So you may put any worries about that to rest. We are having plenty of laughs here in this house. Some might begin in effort to dissipate anger, sadness, or frustration but by the end we're usually all in smiles and any grimaces remaining are from aching sides.

 

This report has been typed for you by Kateri *

 

 

* In order to protect the guilty from unwanted curiousity from unknown internet searchers, last names have been withheld.

Health Report

It took nine full months of living in Africa, but malaria has finally struck one of the volunteers.  The honor of having the first case in our community goes to Gary.  He wasn't feeling very well, and while he doubted it was malaria he decided to get tested anyways.  Fortunately for him, it seems to be a very mild case of malaria.  He is only suffering from some stomach discomfort and aches and pains, but then again he is missing out on the malaria halucinations.  Early today he said he was even dissappointed that his first experience didn't even come close to meeting expectations.  Of course, he might regret saying that if he gets it again and it does live up to the hype.  In the meantime, we are trying to keep away from any mosquitoes that might have been around Gary and patiently waiting for the next case.

Malawi Numbers by Kateri

38 average life expectancy in Malawi

8 number of full-sized woven reed chairs carried on one bicycle

6 average number of children per family

9 number of months I have been here, as of today

122 number of kwacha per dollar

5 number of bicycles our community owns

0 number of bicycles that are currently ride-able

6 number of flat tires we've had in the past 3 weeks

3 number of kwacha for one mango

13 number of girls in the accounting course at the beginning of the year

1 number of girls in the accounting course as of today

1800 number of kwacha it would have cost me to send a 300 g package to my sister for her birthday (sorry sis, you're gonna have to wait on that)

28 number of people fit into one minibus (our record)

1 & 2 number of goats and chickens (respectively) also aboard the record setting minibus

3 for 5 number of bananas (little ones - about 4 inches) for number of kwacha

12 number of girls in the second year secretarial class

200 number of kwacha per kg to buy meat from the carcasses hanging along the road

0 number of students that turned in their last assignment

2 number of geckos I can currently see, as I sit here typing

400 number of kwacha for one hour of internet at the place across town

2.5 number of hours the average Sunday mass lasts

1.5 number of hours I waited one Sunday past the scheduled time for the second mass to start because the first one was just that long 

12 number of full time teachers in our school

5 number of new teachers we have had to hire in our school, due to firings and leavings, so far this year

24 number of useless numbers I was able to come up with for this email

from kateri: Malawian Adventures - By the numbers

Taken from "Malawian Adventures - By the numbers"

38 average life expectancy in Malawi

8 number of full-sized woven reed chairs carried on one bicycle

6 average number of children per family

9 number of months I have been here, as of yesterday

122 number of kwacha per dollar

5 number of bicycles our community owns

0 number of bicycles that are currently ride-able

6 number of flat tires we've had in the past 3 weeks

3 number of kwacha for one mango

13 number of girls in the accounting course at the beginning of the year

1 number of girls in the accounting course as of today

1800 number of kwacha it would have cost me to send a 300 g package to my sister for her birthday (sorry sis, you're gonna have to wait on that)

28 number of people fit into one minibus (our record)

1 & 2 number of goats and chickens (respectively) also aboard the record setting minibus

3 for 5 number of bananas (little ones - about 4 inches) for number of kwacha

12 number of girls in the second year secretarial class

200 number of kwacha per kg to buy meat from the carcasses hanging along the road

0 number of students that turned in their last assignment

2 number of geckos I can currently see, as I sit here typing

400 number of kwacha for one hour of internet at the place across town

2.5 number of hours the average Sunday mass lasts

1.5 number of hours I waited one Sunday past the scheduled time for the second mass to start because the first one was just that long 

12 number of full time teachers in our school

5 number of new teachers we have had to hire in our school, due to firings and leavings, so far this year

100-200 range of kwacha paid per day for the average laborer

10,000 monthly salary, in kwacha, for teachers at BEC

8 number of bags of chimanga (corn) consumed by the average family in one year

3 average number of bags of chimanga harvested this year by the families that need 8 (due to drought)

28 number of useless numbers I was able to come up with for this email

...and then there was one

At the beginning of the year there were a total of 13 students enrolled in the Accounting Progam at the Technical College.  Over the course of two terms the numbers gradually decreased.  Supposed reasons for the drop in the numbers included unawareness of what Accounting involved, difficulty of classes, dissatisfaction with boarding, and financial difficulties.   I say "supposed reasons" because most of the students never told us they were leaving or why.  They just didn't show up anymore.  The exodus of students continued until at the beginning of the third term when I had a total of four students.  A week into the third term, Agness had a baby making it difficult to come to class for a few weeks and almost impossible to catch up this year so she decided not to return this year.  We, or at least I, had no idea she was even pregnant.  The second week of term three Munderanji (directly translated to English means "Why do you hate me?") mysteriously dissappeared.  Later, I found out she decided Accounting Technician was slightly too ambitious for her, and she signed up for classes to earn a lesser certificate.  It was actually a good move for her, and she will still be taking the weekend classes here at Bakhita.  Last Sunday, Clara Kalolo came to the house to inform us that she was accepted to Mzuzu Universtiy's Science Education program and that she would be leaving immediately.  She is a good student and it is a great opportunity for her so I don't feel too bad about her leaving.  On the other hand, about two months remain in the term and I am down to a single accounting student, Monica.  Thankfully she was one of the better students from the start and has reasonable chance of passing her exams at the end of the year.  She has promised me that she will not be leaving and why should she?  She now has an entire team of personal tutors to help her prepare.

What's on TV?

The short answer to this one is "not much".  Here in Malawi we have a single broadcast station, Television Malawi (TVM).  We prefer calling it MTV as much of the programming involves music performances or videos from Malawian bands and church choirs.  The quality varies, but is usually at the same level as an amateur program on public access.  The Malawian news is on a few times a day in Chichewa and in English.  It mostly reports on the latest President Bingu speech or trip, and report from a local school or farm.  Religious programs are common with Sunday services broadcast from a different church each week, and a program called "The Church and Hot Potatoes" debates faith issues.  It's interesting...sort of.  It also shows the BBC World feed twice during the day and after 10:30 so we are able to catch up on international events.  There really isn't a set program schedule, at least that we can figure out, so it is hit and miss.  For the most part we don't watch all that much television.  Television favourites so far are and invitation to a wedding in Lilongwe which was apperently open to anyone who wanted to go and a commercial featuring a man playing a guitar made from a gas can.  Visits to any house of Missionary Fathers in the area are usually pretty exciting because just like most adult men, satellite television is a necessity.  The options are endless with CNN, ESPN, Movie Channels, and even Cartoon Network.