We are a Li-long way from Lilongwe

Hahahahahahaha. I thought of that on the bus.

THE BUS! The weekend kicked off with a massive drive from Lilongwe to Zomba. Andrew said it was really only a 5-hour trip but as he said, “we cannot cruise.” Cruise is Andrew’s word for driving recklessly fast. He likes to cruise. We left at 8:30 or so from Annie’s lodge Lilongwe. I was really sad to leave because our room became very cozy despite it’s quirks (mainly having to kneel in the bathtub to use the shower head). I loved the sounds of crickets and music through the window at night and the hall light above the door lighting up the room a bit through the mosquito net. Annie is really talented at creating places to live.

But it was time to leave! We loaded all our stuff on the bus and then our bodies on the bus. This bus is the best. It has worn tiger-print cloth on the seats and has little fold out seats that stick into the aisle that we call the jump seats. It is so hard to get into a seat when the bus is filling but it is just the best place. There is a normal shotgun seat and then a jump seat next to it that puts your right at the gear shift. That’s where I got to sit. Abby from T&L was shotgun and fearless, wonderful Andrew was driving (they drive on the left in Malawi, since it was imperialized by England). We set out and I figured out all sorts of ways to contort my legs on and around the dashboard since there wasn’t really any floor space for me.

my view from sitting on the dashboard

I absolutely loved it, I was right up at the windshield taking everything in. We drove out of Lilongwe, passing by Bwaila hospital and lots of markets and busy streets. There are basically no stop lights in Malawi and very few crosswalks so in the busy city there are people everywhere and drivers just rely on the horn to make them stay out of the way. It was a relief to break out of the city and stop worrying about people passing within a foot of the bus.

Suddenly, the mountains appeared. Andrew told me about one that we saw, named “Nguli ya cama” which means “cone with a mouth” and it WAS. It rose MASSIVE and steep out of flat earth, to a point, and had a great wide smile in the side facing away from the city. The mountains are so jagged and just rise up from the ground without any hills to warn you it’s there. They were stunning. The terrain stayed really mountainous as we passed through villages on this one road. There were probably fewer tha 10 junctions on the whole journey to Zomba, there’s so little road infrastructure. The scenery alternated between people-less bushes and trees to villages with thatched-roof homes and people sitting and walking and talking. Along the road there was often people biking with tons of wood or goods stacked on the back of their bikes, or walking with the same stacked up high on their heads. Andrew honked at them all to warn we were coming. The road was one lane each direction, and as busses passed ours coming the opposite way, the drivers would sign to each other whether the road was good or they should slow down for a speed trap. It was really cool.

Some homes in a village

And the CRUISING. So Malawi only has speed limits in the villages. Entering a village, there is a sign that often says 50 kph. Then, leaving the village it’ll have the same sign but with a big X through the speed. You can cruise as fast as you want. Andrew got up to about 140 kph in our massive, full bus. It was sort of scary but Abby and I just looked at each other and laughed. There aren’t any seatbelts on the bus and I was basically sitting on the dash board so I just had to trust Andrew because if we crashed I was supa toast. Sorry mom :)

We made 2 stops:

1.     Dezda pottery- a really beautiful pottery shop with any kind of cup, bowl, or plate you can think of, decorated with beautiful patterns or scenes of Malawi. They were completely breathtaking. We ate lunch there in gardens with a view of the mountains and it was just ideal.

a helpful sign at Dezda pottery

2.     The Mozambique border- at the Mozambique line there was a massive market. We were warned it was overwhelming but nothing prepared us- as soon as we stepped off the bus people hurried over carrying produce telling us the price and insisting we buy. I didn’t want any carrots or eggplant but it was really difficult to say no to kind people with nice veggies. I persevered though. The Mozambique side was a little bit more intimidating, as lots of people were just sitting watching us and it seemed like that side was mostly for men. It was much more of a market in the Malawi side. We walked through and saw dried fish and then all of the sudden a massive skinned goat was being carried next to us. We thought it was alive. We made our way back to the front and ran into the goat again which was distressing. There were some ones with skin tied up and bleating and I though of running away with them. But I told myself those are the pet goats and they are treated like one of the family. God speed little goaties. I met a woman named Margaret selling chitenjis and I bought one for her. She demonstrated by putting one on me, one on Ashely, and then showing us her own. She turned around and showed off how her booty looked in it, and insisted we did too. Her friend applauded and it was our own little fashion show. I talked with them in the Chichewa I know and then hopped back on the bus and we made the rest of the journey to Zomba.

GUYS. ZOMBA.

I couldn’t have imagined a more beautiful place. Annie’s lodge is on the side of a mountain, so the various blocks of rooms meander through tropical trees and flowers up the side, with amazing views from sweeping verandas. Ashley and I share a high ceilinged room with a dresser that we got to unpack into. I came to appreciate what a blessing it is to move in somewhere. You immediately feel safety and belonging simply by having a place to return to, to flop down onto a bed. I even taped up some photos I brought from home. That night we just had wonderful candle-lit dinner on the big porch of the lodge restaurant, all the students together. I feel very lucky to be here with this group of women, in this beautiful town on this wonderful mountain.

With love and a room with a view,
Lauren

I am grateful for…

1. The providers at Kamuzu Central and Bwaila    2. Annie, her lodges, and all her staff    3. Lilongwe and its crickets, birds, and people

What will I do to make today great?

1. Ask Andrew 1,000 questions    2. Attempt to buy a SIM card so I can text home    3. Say Zikomo and thank you as much as possible

Daily affirmations. I am…

Adventurous

 3 Amazing things that happened today…

1. The beautiful paintings at Dezda pottery and the market at the Mozambique border- showing off our figures with Margaret in chitenjis  2. Sitting in the front of the bus seeing how drivers communicate    3. Exploring and unpacking at Annie’s Lodge and feeling so at home in Zomba

How could I have made today even better?

Making more jokes, trying to be more myself