Letter to Ms. Hanna

This was a reply I sent to Ms. Hanna, the teacher who I correspond with for the World Wise Schools program. Under the program volunteers have the option to correspond with a class of students in the U.S. and share their cultural and life experiences abroad. The questions she asked were things I never thought to write about, so here is the response:

Hope all is well. I also regrettably admit that before I was assigned I didn't even know Malawi existed. Once I did arrive I fell in love with the country and people. Malawi is really quite distinct from the surrounding countries. While it lacks in popularity, it’s an immensely beautiful landscape, the culture is colorful and the people are wonderful. I firmly believe that because it isn't popular, well-known,and lacks the precious resources of surrounding nations, that it is such a peaceful, unadulterated place. Like a hidden jewel in massively touristed sub-Saharan Africa.

While the country has its share of political and civil issues, it is overall a calm and quite rural culture. Most of the country's population consists of farmers, the biggest crops being maize,tobacco, cassava, sugar cane, and cotton. Maize, though introduced by foreigners, is the staple of a Malawian diet. The ground flour is cooked with water to produce thick, dough-like, patties called nsima (kind of like grits). Nsima is usually accompanied with dende, which are side dishes such as beans, greens, or meat.

Part of our assignment as volunteers is to diversify this diet as it is a leading cause of malnutrition in the country. Nsima is cheap and very very filling, thus in an impoverished country it’s an essential part of life. It provides an abundant amount of energy and you feel full for the whole day. I can eat one patty for lunch and not be hungry for the rest of the day and the women in my village are always concerned that I don't eat enough nsima (average Malawian diet consists of three patties per meal).

Dende is usually greens, such as Chinese cabbage/pumpkin leaves cooked down in water with salt and baking soda. There is usually a protein such as soy meal or beans, meat being a luxury reserved for special occasions. With meat, goat is considered the cheapest; one notch up is beef and pork; and then chicken, eggs, and fresh fish being the most expensive. There are also a variety of local protein fare that consist of mice/rats, flying termites, large worms, and small birds.

Greetings are a big part of interactions in Malawi. Culturally, everyone greets everyone whenever they see them, even if its multiple times a day. Generally greetings are: How did you wake/sleep? How have you spent the day? and How are you? This is very different custom especially for someone coming from Boston where no one greets each other. It’s been a hard adjustment, but you get used to it. I could see my neighbor in the morning, say “Mwawuka uli?” (How did you wake?) and then run into five minutes later and have to say “Mwatandala uli?” (How have you spend the day?). Mwatandala is used throughout the day and is the most used greeting. “Muli uli?” (How are you?) is usually reserved for once a day or if you see someone once in a while. The response is usually “Nili makora” (I am good).

For clothing, men generally wear pants and t-shirt/shirts. There is a local traditional wear, but like many developing countries, it has fallen victim to westernization. Women in the cities general dress in pants and shirts, but in the village there is more diversity. Culturally, women wear skirts or chitenges (large pieces of decorated cloth) wrapped around their waist. Much like sari, but only for the lower part of the body. There is a traditional top, but many women wear t-shirts. Lastly, women also wear a head wrap, which is usually a chitenge also. Traditional wear is also a special cut shirt and pants/skirt that is made from chitenges.

The homes in southern Malawi are generally made of mud with thatched roofs. In the north, my region, you see a lot more brick houses with tin roofs. This is mainly due to a relatively wealthier population in the north as a result of tobacco crops. Most homes in Malawi are family compounds, with multiple houses and different family members occupying each house. Thus, grand parents, parents, cousins all will be in the same compound. The houses are modest, some usually just a room or two, with some wooden furniture. The kitchen, bafa (bathing room), and chimbutzi (toilet) are separate structures usually built away from the house. Bafa is generally a small enclosed space to bathe, the kitchen is one room with a fire pit in the middle, and the chim is a pit latrine (a hole in the ground with a pit about 10-15m deep).

School for 10 year olds is variable depending where you are. In my village, most of the kids go to school. Classes consist of science, math, English, Chichewa (national language), Chitumbuka (language of the Northern tribe), social studies, life skills, and Bible studies. Primary education is free, but kids have no real incentive to attend school. Most students end up becoming farmers, like their parents and grand parents. They aspire to be doctors, lawyers, and accountants, but do not have the proper opportunity to pursue these dreams. Consider that once they complete primary school, secondary school (high school) is not free. A lot of families can't afford to send their kids to secondary school, so they help farm. The kids that make it through secondary school have limited options for college and again most can't afford the tuition.

There are about three universities in Malawi, and a handful of one building colleges for accounting or nursing. No where near enough to provide a college education to all the students in the country. In addition, part of the political issue between the Chewas (Southern/Central tribe) and the Tumbukas (Northern tribe) is the quota system for the universities. This system dictates that an equal number of students must be enrolled from every district in Malawi, despite their exam scores. The North has a lower population and better educated students (due to the early missions influence) and the highest test scores in Malawi. The South has higher population and the lowest scores. But under the quota system a student with a low score in the South will get into university over a Northern student with a higher score. So there are a lot of things working against you as a student in Malawi and you lose hope quite quickly and accept your fate.

In terms of sports there is nothing that compares to football (soccer). Granted World Cup fever is slowly dying, football is the one and only major sport in Malawi. Everyone is a fanatic and every male, from little kids to grown adults, can tactfully handle a football. Females generally do not play football, though that is slowly changing. However, they do play netball, which is a little like basketball. Malawi is still a very male dominated society, rife with problems of sexual assault, discrimination, harassment, and this comes across in many other aspects of life here. Change is slow, but it is happening.