Widows and Orphans; Pneumonia and Malaria

So, I definitely had my most challenging day in Africa so far (but by FAR the most rewarding)yesterday. About eight of us went to a village north of Lilongwe called Khwamba to do the monthly "Mobile Medical Clinic" - the people in the village's sole source of medical care.

I've never done anything even remotely similar to this before in my life, so I really had no clue what to expect, which is probably best. I volunteered to help run the "pharmacy", thinking it would be lower-key and less high-stress and pressure - WRONG! It was one of the most intense jobs. Counting out tons of pills for people who were literally desperate for ADVIL. AD. VIL. It was insane. These folks were literally lining up for their doses of ibuprofen. Many of whom were old, old people with terrible arthritis. Their only pain relief is the 10 day supply of ibuprofen that they get once a month. It killed me. It absolutely broke my heart in ways I had never before imagined. Babies clinging to their mothers, who were breastfeeding them, waiting for their medication to treat their Malaria and HIV. A few people were coughing so much and so hard that they literally couldn't stop. There was no relief for them. And we ran out of effective medicine halfway through our patient load.

I'll post photos when I get back so that you can better envision what I'm about to tell you about.

What there was an abundance of:

• Eye infections. BAD eye infections.
• Mothers of three or more who were my age and younger.
• Very, very cute, shy little boys who would smile and blush every time I smiled at them.
• Little girls who could barely muster the courage to look at me, but then would shyly smile when I offered them a grin.
• Old people who could barely move.
• Nsima. (The white stuff in this photo - by the way, almost ALL of my meals look like this.)
• Crying infants.
• Exhausted-looking young women.
• Chichewa.
• Confused expressions when I tried to SPEAK Chichewa to the patients.
• Prescriptions for Amoxicillin, Bactrim, ADVIL (Yes! Ibuprofen!), and Malaria and HIV drugs.
• Torn clothing on little children.
• Chitenjis. (The skirts you see in this photo.)
• Sweet, beautiful people.

I'll leave you with the most striking image I got while doing the Mobile Medical Clinic. A young woman, maybe seventeen or eighteen, breastfeeding her child (maybe four to six months old) while having two fully-sealed (with infection) eyes AND Malaria. The girl literally was getting drugs for MALARIA for herself and her tiny baby who she was feeding, and could barely even see thanks to double eye infections. And what did she say when I handed her her tiny baggy of medication?

"Zikomo!", with a smile. She said thank you. And she smiled.

Moni from Malawi!

"Moni" is Chichewa (the local native language that is also the sole language of many in the local villages) for HELLO! So, Hello from Malawi!

Grady said at church before I sang that I may deal with language barriers - boy was he right! In ways I wasn't expecting! Even the Malawians who do speak English take advantage of you if they think you're completely dense to the area and speaking a little Chichewa says, "Hey, I know what I'm doing."

Sooo, I've finally learned how to say:

Hello! - Moni

How are you doing today? - Muli bwanji?

Fine, thank you. And you? - Ndiri bweno, kaya inu?

Thank you - Zikomo

I'm sorry - Pepani

Tionana - See you later, or We'll meet again

and...

Muzungu - White person (a not-so-nice term)

"Zikomo" is most definitely the most common word I hear. They say it here for "Please" and "Thank you" and to end conversations. When people in the market desperately tried to shove items in my face (think dirty, hole-filled used Wal-Mart shirts...literally), I would say, "Zikomo" and shake my head. (NOTE: When the same person kept bringing me things I didn't want, I would sometimes say, "No, pepani."

Malawi is so awesome. Yesterday we went to a village called Dedza that is famous for its beautiful and detailed pottery. I collect teapots, and was able to find a beautiful handmade Malawian teapot for about 14 dollars. A steal!

Today we went to the cloth market, where there was also a great deal of (not-so-gently) used clothing. I bought 4 mtrs (for about 5 dollars) of really beautiful fabric that I'm going to have made into a skirt here. I also spotted a used skirt that I really, really liked. Then...we asked the price.

Amy- "How much?"

Salesman- "Ohhh, for you, I give for...for just 3600 kwacha." (That's about 35 dollars...yeah right!)

Amy- *GAPES*

Rachel- No! That's too much! That's Muzungu prices!

Salesman- Ahhh...3400, I give you a great deal! This is handmade!

Amy- *in her head* Pff..it's probably from Wal-Mart.

Rachel- No.

(much more bartering takes place)

Salesman- 1200, final offer.

Amy- No. *Walks out*

Salesman- *Runs after her* I give...I give you for 1000! A STEAL!

Amy- 900.

Salesman- *Grumbles in Chichewa* Okay.

Bam.

Oh, and the skirt wasn't from Wal-Mart.

It was from Target.

Mr. Tumnus, the goat

Sigh.

We bought a goat. We named him Mr. Tumnus.

Then we brought him to the MOH office where we live.

Then John cut Mr. Tumnus's head off.

Now he is roasting outside, smelling quite delicious. I'm making mashed potatoes.

I ate a rather unmentionable part of him. He was a boy goat - there's your clue.

I love Malawi. Even eating goat unmentionables on a goat I once pet and comforted. And rode in a Road Ranger with.

Malawi!

I'm in love. With Malawi.

"The Warm Heart of Africa", as it is aptly named, makes Southerners look like a bunch of rude jerks. (In other words, Malawians are extremely kind, hospitable, and loving - from the moment you meet them.) I made it through the scariest airport ever (no, not JFK, Jo'burg!), and arrived in Malawi and within minutes was introduced to a local...delicacy.

Sydney, one of the sweet MOH (Ministry of Hope) volunteers as well as two local employees of MOH, John (the driver) and Fessick (honestly, I'm not quite sure what he does, but he has a very kind smile) were at the airport to pick me up upon my arrival. Quickly, Fessick and John took all of my bags from me and happily carried them to the car. With quick introductions and longer hugs out of the way, we hopped in the car and began the drive to the MOH office. Moments later, John swerved to the side of the road, and Sydney looked at me warily...

"Amy, you do NOT have to eat this..."

"Uhh...what IS it?" was my nervous reply...

"*Sigh* You're about to be introduced to a Malawian delicacy..."

Mice. Roasted WHOLE mice on a stick. Literally. They still have all the bones, hair, teeth, EYES, TAILS, etc. They looked hilariously. And pitiful. And absolutely disgusting.

Needless to say, I did NOT eat the mice, but I did look at them, video them (yeah, that's DEFINITELY going on youtube when I get back to the states...) and pity their short existences. John thinks they're delicious, by the way. Fessick is not as big of a fan. Amy chose to forego them.

Anyway, I had a really good night's sleep and jet lag hasn't been terrible, but now I'm going to get to the part I know everyone wants to hear about.

Babies. Ohmygosh. Babies. The babies...are so incredibly adorable. Yes, I want to take them home. Here's an excerpt from an email I sent to my parents about it...

"I spent hours yesterday at the baby nursery caring for babies who are HIV+. It was amazing, heartbreaking, and made me so aware of how blessed we all are in America. One baby I held and fed looked about three weeks old, but I found out that she was born in JANUARY! It broke my heart, but I also know that that little life is so precious! It was a humbling experience. There were a pair of twins named Shown and Fiyfi who have been in the MOH Crisis Nursery for over a year, because no one will adopt them together. They're very cute and precious though.

All the babies are very behind developmentally, but they're so very social and loving. The second I sat down on the mat, three crawled to me and were wanting me to hold and love on them. They're hungry for love, and I gave it to them the best I could."

I love you all! I'll post more later!