Breaking News in Kameme

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The Headmaster at the Primary School had to leave the village for training and entrusted the keys, to the school, with a teacher. It was later discovered that the keeper of the keys had allegedly left the door to the school purposefully unlocked. The keeper of the keys was in-cahoots with a thief who stole 20 bags of cement, which was to be used to construct a new classroom. The getaway vehicle of the perpetrator was an ox-cart (a very slow moving escape). On the outskirts of the village, heading towards the Tanzanian border, the thief was stopped by the Senior Chief of Kameme. When the Chief began to question him as to how he acquired so many bags of cement the man ran towards the border, in a full sprint, leaving behind his ox-cart, cement, and family. All the villagers want to know will this criminal return? He straight up fled to the border. Classic.

In other news…

I saw a birth and will have you know that I handed the nurse the forceps. But turns out there is much to take in while witnessing the miracle of life. I had to sit down. I wasn’t even the one involved and I thought I was going to either vomit or pass out. (Mom, this is why I can’t be a nurse like you.) This was my thought process throughout the event…wow, cool, gross, the human body can do that, weird, miraculous, I see the head, I think I might vomit, she is in pain, where are the forceps, find them, this is all you have to do, found them, close call, whoa, crazy, I need to sit down I might pass out, this is embarrassing, this is how life starts, it’s a boy! Phew, we all made it through this alive!

Things I could do without…

• The excessive nose picking. Apparently Malawi didn’t get the memo that picking your nose is gross. Everyone does it here…without shame. In the same vein it isn’t uncommon for someone to use an object like a pen cap to go digging in his or her ears for something magical. I am not going to say that either of these events aren’t enticing but no shame…no shame.

• Grown men calling me “Mommy” I think it is meant to be an endearing direct translation but it comes off more creepy than endearing

• Hot Season is here...Hot!

Things I can’t get enough of…

• My 8-year-old neighbor, who I hang out with a lot, came over completely covered in Ash and said “Sella, Azungu, Azungu, chimodzi modzi!!!” (Translation: Sarah, white person, white person, the same, the same) and started dancing. An eight-year-old boy does white face and it is adorable. If I were to do the same thing…racism.

• The mom run is universal.

Things that are developing with work…

• We are making plans in our community to dig a new rubbish pit, placenta pit (still gross), and a building project to house mother’s waiting to deliver since they must travel from other villages. As well as how to bring some technical training into the village like carpentry, tin-smithing, welding, tailoring, etc.  YES! Living here does feel like the computer game Sim City, sans technology.

• Also, as many of you know I was involved in Camp GLOW, the girls empowerment camp put on by the Peace Corps and I was elected by my group to be the Program Coordinator. Which is a big responsibility and will require quite a bit of travel but I am excited to be part of something that has been so successful here in Malawi and will have a lasting effect to come.