Malawi Jake

Excerpts from the letter received May 24

Dear Mom and Dad, This is my third night in Zolokere and I'm writing by candlelight,enjoying a cup of tea and listening to the shortwave radio. The moon is bright enough so that I don't need a torch to take to the outside toilet. ...... with all that has happened in the last few weeks it seems like a year since I left. You might recall that our last few conversations were hurried and hectic. I should mention that the group was dissolving and individuals were heading into two years of the unknown. This group grew truely comfortable with one another and in most ways this made training a little less arduous. One girl early terminated right after the ceremony and I can foresee more of this, but this is all part of the territory. This is Africa and most of us don't really belong here. We were all staying at the Peace Corps transit house in Lilongwe, which is a lovely concept being cheap accomodations that volunteers have to themselves, but there are 110 Peace Corps Volunteers in Malawi, so it shouldn't be hard for one to imagine the quagmire created when 1/2 of them are in the capitol for one reason or another. The place was actually a disaster and I couldn't help but think how much more comfortable I was back in the village wo/ electricity, water or plumbing. A concept though ironic is a good sign for my integration here. Zolokere is very different. The land is flat and the soil sandy reminding me of parts of our South. Interestingly enough tobacco is their staple crop like Virginia or the Carolinas. Mountains are seen far off on the horizon, which is always the case in Malawi, leaving me feel safe and protected from the outside world. The nearest bit of the outside world can be found in Rumphi, which is about 50 km. This town is like a part of our Old West , circa 1870 with dusty streets, wooden walks, unkept buildings and markets for buying and selling. There is a grocery store and a restaurant called "Chef's Pride" which is an anamoly. I walked in last Sunday and the customers were watching CNN and the wait-staff was well dressed and the tables spotless. A good spot for me to await transport. Being so close to Zambia there is much traffic moving back and forth. When I asked for the local transport schedule I was told twice a day; 6-8 in the AM and 2-4 in the PM. The driver waits until the pickup is full. Full is defined differently here and means on the roof, the hood and the tailgate with essentially as many people as the leaf springs will hold. A small Toyota pickup with 30 passengers often takes 3 hours to travel 25 miles. The ride however is fabulous and worth it . After we crest the mountain and pass the gates of the National Park we look out into the valley of marsh backed by the hills of Zambia and all in all it's a tremendous sight. The only thing that would make it better is if we could sight the hippos and elephants it's famous for............to be continued. Posted by greg at June 2, 2004 03:17 AM