New Normal

I have shared in previous blogs about the many differences and challenges that I have/am facing here in Malawi. Now that I have settled in, these differences don’t seem so strange anymore. They have become my new normal. I have shared my new ways of cooking and driving, but today I would like to show you what some of the normal activities I do at home look like here in Malawi. This is my new normal.

My new hair salon: It has now been about two months since I left the United States, which means it has been two months since a professional has cut my hair. I say professional because I do not consider my current hairstylist a professional (sorry Lauren). We learned quickly that no one in our new home town of Mulanje would know how to cut “Azungu hair”.  We may be able to find someone to cut our hair in Blantyre, but honestly we are not there very often, and when we are it’s usually just to go to the grocery store or other shops then right back home. So instead, I have entrusted my haircuts to my housemate. I must say, she may not be a professional but the view during my hair cuts is much better than back in the states, and she’s doing a pretty good job so far. 

My new shower routine: Our house does not have a hot water tank. We have a device on our shower head that is supposed to heat up water as water runs through it; however it is currently not functioning properly. We have had an electrician come and look at it twice and we are still hopeful that it will be fixed, but in the meantime we are using another method. Every morning when the young woman that works with us comes to our house she starts her day by heating up a large pot of water. She then transfers this pot of hot water to a container that I am able to take into the shower with me and mix with cold water in a large tub. From there I am able to pour the now warm water over me in order to bathe. Although this is not the most ideal way of showering, I am none the less so grateful for the ability to shower daily and have access to clean water. Plus, not to brag, but I have pretty much mastered the bucket shower at this point. 

My new sleep schedule:  Malawi has 12 hours of day light, and 12 hours of darkness daily. The sun rises at 5:30 a.m. and sets at 5:30 p.m. It is like this all year round. Because of this, I have changed my sleeping schedule. Malawians wake very early to start their days before it gets too hot, so I too have been waking early. After waking this early, and going through the days in the African heat, I find myself in bed way before I would be in the US. Between you and me, there have been days I have been in bed before 7 p.m. If for some reason I am still asleep past 7 a.m. on any given day, our friendly neighborhood rooster makes sure to linger outside my window to ensure I know I have slept in.

My new skin care routine: At home, each morning I would spray my body with some delicious smelling fragrance, and put lotion on to keep my skin moisturized. Although I still put lotion on here, I mostly stick with sunscreen. The sun is blistering hot and even being out in the sun for a few minutes can leave my skin reddened. I also have also traded in my body sprays for 100% DEET bug spray in hopes of avoiding mosquito bites. 

My new gym: I will not pretend to be any kind of gym rat, but I did enjoy going to my hip hop Zumba class once a week with Heather and some of our friends to bounce around and get a good workout in. Unfortunately I have yet to find a hip hop Zumba class here in Mulanje (even if I did, Africans have amazing rhythm and I would stick out like a sore thumb) so instead I have taken to home workouts with my trusty workout buddy Remus, who always has my back (literally). My new normal of home workouts and long walks through the tea plantations surrounding my new home have made missing my weekly hip hop class easier. 

 

My new perspective: With each new difference I am faced with, I am reminded with just how blessed we as Americans are, and how unfortunately, we are often blind to these blessings. Living here and facing new challenges daily has been so eye opening, but such a blessing. I said I did not know how God was going to change me this year, but I can say for certain, God is using this year to change my whole perspective. I challenge you all to take a step back, and admire and give thanks for the many blessings in your life, especially the normal everyday ones you may be over looking.

Safety First

While preparing to leave, one of the things I heard most often as I said farewell to people was, “be safe”. To this I would always respond, “thank you, I will”. I thought now would be a good chance to show everyone what steps I have taken here in Malawi in order to fulfill this promise.

Malawi is not necessarily an unsafe place to live, however, being too casual about safety is not wise. Because we are white, people here automatically think we have money. Which, generally speaking, compared to a large portion of Malawi, we do have a lot of money. But because of this assumption we are often targets for theft. To reduce this risk we take the following steps:

We have metal gates that have been built across both of the doors of our house. We close these gates at night and when we leave and lock them with pad locks. There are also metal bars across all of the windows of our home for safety. At night we have hired guards that walk around our house to ensure its safety. We avoid walking and driving around at night, just because the threat of something happening greatly increases once the sun goes down.

The final and newest addition to our security system for our home is the addition of Remus, our new German Sheppard “Guard Puppy”. Remus is 7 weeks old right now so we will train him to guard us and our house from a young age! Guard dogs are very common here, and we are thrilled to have this little ferocious fur ball’s companionship. 

The threat of being robbed isn’t the only thing we have to be mindful of here. We also have to take steps in order to prevent diseases. Before I left I consulted with my primary care physician and she and I decided on the right malaria medication for me to take for the year. Luckily the pill is only once a week and I am able to get refills of it here.  Also to help prevent malaria, Lauren and I each sleep under a mosquito net every night. As we get into the hot summer months of the Malawian climate this can be frustrating at times, but I know that it is an important step in preventing this disease.  We are also excited because we have just hired a carpenter to come install screen doors and windows throughout the house so we can be mosquito free, but still get a nice breeze during the day.

Other ways besides medication that I am avoiding the threat of getting sick here is being smart about what I am eating and drinking. Because Malawi is so hot, I am forced to drink a large amount of water daily. Before the water is consumed, it must first be boiled to eliminate any of the foreign bacteria my system may not be used to. Having enough water that has been boiled can sometimes be tricky if we have been without power for an extended period of time. We are also mindful of illnesses that can travel through the food we eat, so we are diligent about washing all the vegetables we get from the markets before we eat them, and making sure meat we consume is cooked properly.

I appreciate your continued prayers of safety and good health during my year here, and ask that you also pray for the people who are so desperate they are forced to resort to stealing, for the people infected and suffering from malaria, and for the people without access to a clean water source. Those are the people that need your thoughts and prayers. Lauren, Remus and I feel safe and at home here, but I promise, I will continue to be careful.

In the Market for Learning to Cook

Grocery shopping, meal planning and cooking were a common Sunday afternoon activity for Heather and I over the past few years. We would often debate who had to do the shopping and who would cook what meals. After a month of living in Malawi I can easily say, Heather, when I come home I will happily do it all.

I will be the first to admit that I am not the best home chef. I have learned many tricks of the trade from experts like my Mom, but I certainly still have a lot to learn. Since being here in Malawi my culinary, shopping, and creativity skills have certainly been put to the test.

There are grocery stores here in Malawi, however the items in the stores tend to be expensive and there is nowhere near as much variety as there is available in the States. The bigger grocery stores that carry more items are located in Blantyre (an hour drive away from our house), so when we go into the city, we are mindful to get all the staples we will need to tide us over until we are planning on going back into the city. We have now stocked our pantry with rice, flour, sugar, snacks, and many other things we might need.

Besides the grocery stores in town, the other place we are able to get food is at our local market. Because of Malawi’s year-round warm climate we are able to get fresh produce all year round. Lately we have been able to get tomatoes, cabbages, potatoes, onions, oranges, and bananas all locally grown. We can also get eggs that are local! Since this amazing fresh produce is available and very reasonably priced, this is what we have been eating most of the time.

I have been coming up with as many different ways to use these ingredients as I possibly can. With added challenges such as limited spices, power that is not constant (which sometimes requires us to cook on a single small charcoal stove outside), lack of access to good meat, etc., this has been quite a challenge. Luckily both Lauren and I are not picky and we are willing to try new foods and make the best of the items we have available to us! If you have any suggestions for meals that would be easy for us to make here, I would love to hear from you!

Along with cooking for ourselves, we have also been enjoying some of the local recipes that our Malawian friends have been preparing for us, such as nsima (ground corn maze) and Relish (stewed cabbage and tomatoes). In a country that has such food security issues, I find myself being extra thankful for the food we have, even with the challenges that come with it. Please continue to pray for those who are struggling with food security.