Classes, music, the market, and new friends

It’s been wonderful to feel better! I’m actually starting to feel like myself, which hasn’t been the case since before Orientation in St. Louis. Everything was just so exhausting that I didn’t have the energy and zest for life that I normally have. I’m finally getting that back, and it has been WONDERFUL!

Friday, I observed two of Sarah’s classes. It is clear to me that the education system here is a good bit different than in the US. I’m sure I will have many observations of this as these next two years progress, but for starters, many, if not most, of the students do not have the various textbooks for their classes, so their primary source of information is from class. From what I have observed, the instructors post notes on the chalk board, the students write down the notes, and then that is what they study. What this means for how I teach, I do not know yet.

There was also a prayer service for the boys on Friday. It was quite simple with opening songs, a reading or two, and then a commentary by one of the teachers, then a closing song. I enjoyed it. The music and singing is beautiful—at least for now. I anticipate that once the newness wears away, I will crave good ol’ fashioned American church songs. But I hope, that I will continue to find beauty in the simple accompaniment of a poly-rhythmic (is that a word) beats of a drum, and the harmonious symphony of voices in parts. It is a definite source of energy for me now, and I hope that continues. I’m also hoping to identify a student who has a family member or a friend who can make drums. I’d love to commission a student to carve a drum for me. From what I understand, that would be the way to do it. They don’t exactly have music instrument stores here. Then, once I get a drum, I’d love to have one of the boys give me lessons. It’s be a lot of fun to have a student be my teacher, especially since there is such division and hierarchy between teacher and students here.

Saturday, we went into town, the center of Karonga. We visited a few shops for groceries, and stopped in the market. Matt and I are going to take on the community job of shopping. I’m looking forward to visiting the market on a regular basis. From what I could tell, not many of the merchants know excellent English, and the market is much like what you would imagine a market in a small African town would look like. I think this will be an excellent source of cultural immersion for me.

Also on Saturday, we visited the home of a middle-aged couple from Australia named Chris and Anne. They have a very nice house right on the other side of the airfield, which is about an eight minute drive from our house. The two of them work for Paladine, a foreign mining company who is constructing a Uranium mine not too far from Karonga. Their job has to do with community relations. I’m not sure yet exactly what that means, but it sounds pretty cool, and they make a Western income, so in Karonga, they are very well-off. Somehow they became friends with the former volunteers, and they host us for dinner on occasion. We also met another muzungu (white-people) family at Chris and Anne’s. The Feldmeier family is a family from another part of Australia who had no connection to Chris and Anne. The Feldmeier's actually have come to Karonga for a full year to volunteer together at the orphan care center in town. The family did this in response to an impressive call the father had to come to Northern Malawi. In Australia, the family also did work in an aboriginal community, so they are no strangers to working with the struggling members of society. There are four children in the family, Daniel, Jessica, Diner, and Emily who range from the ages of 17-12. They are all extremely mature, though, and us volunteers quickly found friends in them. On Sunday, they came over to our house for a visit, and ended up playing ultimate Frisbee with us for two hours. It was great! And they seem like they are really extraordinary people! They will be here until at least December when they will evaluate whether they feel called to stay in Karonga for more time. I’d love for them to stick around and get to know them a bit more.

Also on Sunday, I went to my first Mass here. The community chapel is about 25 meters from my bedroom, which is very nice since I can hear the drumming and singing before Mass from my bed. The whole Mass was in Chitumbuka, the vernacular of the people, which was very interesting. They had about 20 young boys and girls who were liturgical dancers—very cute! And the music, once again, was beautiful. I hope to learn some of the songs so I can sing along with the congregation. Tonight, we start our Chitumbuka lessons, so I’m hoping to learn the various Mass parts so I can respond and become more a part of the celebration. One thing I did notice, however, is that even though the music and dancing were much more lively than in the US, still very similar to the US was the way many of the congregation did not seem too interested or involved in the celebration. I’m interested in learning more about their views of Catholicism. So much to learn!

Thanks for reading! I know it's a lot, but there's just so much to record!