Dean

Author

“Wild Animals”

For the past few weeks, we have been seeing many zirombo (wild animals) running and dancing. But they’re not real wild animals. They are men dressed in rags and crazy clothing, often with their bodies smeared with mud and paint. This is part of Gule Wamkulu, the traditional religion of the Chewa people.

We started learning about Gule Wamkulu more than a year ago, but now that we are living in the village, this is the first time that we’ve seen it actually being practiced. Continue reading ““Wild Animals”” →

11 August 2012 0

Millionaire for a Day

It was like a gangster movie. First I cased the possible locations for the transaction, stepping into small rooms manned by security, asking to speak to the boss. “What kind of rate can you give me?” “271.” “No, that’s not good enough.” “How much money are we talking about?” “A lot.”

In the end, I chose a place based less on the rate than on the ease of the getaway. Continue reading “Millionaire for a Day” →

18 June 2012 0

Critters

And the three mystery creatures from yesterday’s post are: Continue reading “Critters” →

29 February 2012 0

Weapons of Choice

A tennis racquet, a hiking boot, and a machete lashed to a piece of bamboo. What critters are these three items particularly useful in dealing with? Continue reading “Weapons of Choice” →

28 February 2012 0

Twisted

I received a text message on one of my bus journeys from Lilongwe to Salima—the brother of a friend of ours had just died in Lilongwe. I immediately knew that I should return to Lilongwe to pay respects to the family, but I had a lot of work to do in Salima. Going back to Lilongwe would mean more time spent away from my family, more money spent on transport, and most of a day wasted in a couple of crowded buses. Continue reading “Twisted” →

7 January 2012 0

Seriously?

The main obstacles to development constantly surprise me. For example, the Head of Kindle’s Education Department would like to start a small business. I asked if he was considering a maize mill, used to grind the staple food here, and a popular choice for income generation. He was visibly shocked at the suggestion, and said if he did that then everyone would think he wanted to murder them. It is commonly believed that a maize-mill business can not succeed without human sacrifice.

31 December 2011 0

Not SO Big!

Tazelaar & Jolie are under the impression that they’re getting big, mostly just because now their clothes are too small and Taz can look his mom directly in the eye. But as you can see in this picture, they aren’t all that big. In fact, you can hardly see them at the base of this baobab tree near our new home.

28 December 2011 0

A Long Day’s Journey

I’ve had to start changing the way I get back and forth to Kindle each week, partly because of the unavailability of fuel and partly just because of the expense. A 130-mile round trip to Kindle in a car eats up a full day’s salary, even if we are able to find fuel!

Tuesday was quite an adventure in travel. Continue reading “A Long Day’s Journey” →

6 November 2011 0

The Warm Heart of Africa

Malawi has a well-deserved reputation as the “Warm Heart of Africa.” Just yesterday I was looking for a shop in town, and asked someone who was sitting at the side of the road for help. As it turns out, I was only a block away, and he pointed me in the right direction. I thanked him and started to head off, then he got up and walked with me, to show me exactly where it was. When it was in sight, I thanked him again, but he kept walking with me. He took me all of the way into the store and showed me where the manager was, in case I needed to talk to him. Continue reading “The Warm Heart of Africa” →

5 November 2011 0