Arabian Nights

Last night, I should say early morning, I had a sudden and dire need to urinate. I often went in a plastic bottle I kept at bedside, but I didn’t want to continue the habit. So when the bladder pain became unbearable, I gathered the courage to venture out of the mosquito net (aka “the safe zone”) for the first time at night. Until then, once I entered the safety of the net, I did not leave until dawn. And so I cautiously made my way out, waving my headlamp in every direction, and opened my door and stepped out. The hyenas I was not too worried about, but the black mamba is a cause for concern.
The moon was bright, so bright that I turned off my light, and sky was crystal clear. The only clouds were clouds of stars. The nights here are beautiful, so beautiful; it’s like being in a different world, another planet. The few clouds in the distance, past the maize fields, looked like they were painted gently into the sky; light blue, purple, silver. The moon light covered the whole landscape with silver. It reminded of Aladdin, the depiction of an Arabian night.
After emptying my bladder, and a sigh of relief from the pain, I watched the starts for a bit. There were millions in the sky, the sky covered with shiny tinkling dots. The nights are quite cool in Dedza and there was a breeze flowing through the compound. I could have stayed out there all night, just watching the stars slowly vanish and the moon dim. However, if anyone from my family had seen me, they would have been quite concerned, so I went back in. Their concern is mainly because the area is full of fisi (hyenas); they come from the mountains at night and prowl about the village in search of stray goats, chickens, and even drunkards. More than fisi the biggest fear of most Malawians is the njoka (snake /black mamba). You should never say “snake!” as a joke, it’s a very serious matter because a mamba bite means death.
During the day, again a strange experience of a new world at dawn, the sun rises over the hills, clouds sweep in. Invisible stage hands change the scene. The cloud formations during the day are majestic, so grandiose. They are large formations, some rising far in to the sky, others just wisps. Because of the elevation, and the mountains that surround us, the clouds appear sometimes below the horizon, or meshed into the mountains. You look around in a field and huge, beautiful clouds surround you at eye level. It appears as if Mzengereza is a city in the clouds, just floating among them.
It’s a trippy experience, witnessing such natural beauty, unlike any place I have lived before. Not the coast of Kakinada or the beaches of Perth or the deserts of Riyadh, it’s a truly new experience. So much green, a chilly breeze, I felt like unfolding a madatha mancham and just lying there.
Last night, another interesting point, my host family told me they loved me too much, and that I was the best volunteer they have ever had stay with them. They made me give my word to write, call, and visit, even if I end up in Chitipa. I wasn’t sure how to respond at first, because it sort of just came out during dinner. I’m not used to hearing such direct emotion, but I warmed up to the situation. It was a genuine gesture and I was moved by this family that just took in a complete stranger and looked after him like one of their own children. While such generosity may not be surprising in Malawi, it’s certainly a rarity in so many parts of the world.