Pat the Great

We awoke to our last morning in Liwonde. All alive and spider-free, the residents of the dormitory arose to greet the new day and get some coffee before the walking safari. After mostly sitting around looking at animals, it felt good to do some walking and earn the fantastic views. It’s important to note that most of us still didn’t shower.

oh the night before we were in the lion king

The walking safari was great. We fallowed our guide into the village where he showed us the children’s center/kindergarten that a tourist funded after visiting once. We also saw the well the safari camp was digging for the community and the current water spot that produced really really dirty water. We walked down to the river where we saw some more sweet hippos, and then walked along the national park fence to check out some Baobabs. Their fibrous bark was traditionally used to weave sleeping mats for the villagers but they don’t do that now. Also elephants like to eat the bark because it has lots of moisture.

We also saw this incredibly beautiful flower called the impala lily. It’s thus named because it is extremely poisonous to every animal, including us, except the impala. It’s their favorite food. When I asked our guide Henry how fast the poison would kill a human, he said “you would right away feel very sick. That means you are going now.”

you are going now

unless you're an impala

He’s the best. After the safari we had some breakfast and then had lots of time before our bus would come at 11 to take us home. We all took journals or med school applications (jk just me L) up to one of the lookouts and sat in the sun and felt happy. Then we peaced at 11 when Jess, Penny, and Ashley got back from their water safari.

On the way back, we stopped at Liwonde market. It is like the wall, with carved things and vendors but it makes the hassling at the wall seem like a day spa. Vendors on each row called out to me “sister! Sister!” and then wanted to show me their elephants and their bowls and their coasters and so on. I tried to make jokes about how I don’t even own a table to protect with coasters but they didn’t seem to think I was funny because they kept offering them. It was really fun though and the things were beautiful. My new fascination with hippos also came into play. The sellers even followed us to the bus, which we were warned about and desperately offered their goods at reduced rates as we got seated and the engine turned on. Money and carvings were passed through the windows even as we pulled away. My heart was racing for 30 minutes afterwards; it was so high stress.

The bus took us straight to Domasi. I got to explore the schools besides Melemia for the first time: there’s a teacher school called Malawi Institute of Education (I think) or MIE, where there’s a break room that the T&L girls use every day to eat a snack and wait for the bus. We gathered there and watched men play bao until it was time to walk next door to Domasi Government Primary School. I don’t know why it’s called government, it’s just another primary school. BUT it’s a primary school Dr. Pat has known for years and that she donated funds to build an administration building to.

We were going there to see a ceremony in her honor where the building would be opened and the ribbon cut. It has staff rooms, a headmaster’s office, and a library for the students. It also had a plaque with her name on it.

Dr. Pat Proudfoot Kelly Library!

The celebration was incredible. There were speeches and great stuff like that, but the best was the student performances. There were two poems, one of which was titled “Pat the Great” and read with such enthusiasm and charisma, this girl was so happy with her poem. There was some dancing as well, by a choir and then also by some boys in a display of traditional dancing of the people of Lake Malawi.

Next was my favorite thing ever: a choir group sang and danced to the leadership of a boy on the drums. He cantered the song and played drums on old pots and pot lids, and he even rapped. I cannot tell you how talented this boy was. His drumming was so excellent you preferred it to a full drum kit. His voice was wonderful and his rap perfectly delivered. The whole thing was in Chichewa but Dr. Pat’s friend John Wesley translated and told us the song was about gratitude for the library, and the rap specifically about how it was the students’ responsibility to take care of the books. Such content! Such delivery. But I’m serious let’s get this kid on Malawi’s got talent.

get this kid a record deal

There was an intermission of sorts next as the ribbon was cut and I actually found the boy that led those songs. He was so shy when I walked up to him but I just asked his name and he told me he’s Edwin Kalndamo. I told him how incredibly talented he was and he was embarrassed but gracious. I asked if I could write it down so I could pray for him and he said sure. I had him type his last name into my notepad app but you could tell he had never held a phone before and all the kids gathered around as he worked. I asked if we could take a picture and everyone wanted to be part of that. It was such a joy to talk to this talented and humble boy. He is in standard 4 and he wants to be a doctor like me. I felt such a kinship toward him, I hope I see him again and I didn’t embarrass him in front of his friends too badly.

Then things got interesting. The end of the ceremony was a ritual/dance performed by the primary school kids. There was a large wooden pole, probably 20 feet high and only 3 inches in diameter, stuck into the ground in front of the stage where we all were sitting. Some students began playing drums by the pole when about 5 student ran out from the side of the building. They were wearing terrifying burlap sacks and reed mats around their bodies. They were doing a high energy dance around the pole and moving toward and away from it until suddenly, one of them started climbing it with a running leap. He couldn’t have been older than standard 6, but he quickly climbed right up the pole and hung one leg over the spike at the top, throwing his arms out and dancing still. It was the strangest, most incredible thing I’ve ever seen. It’s rare to watch something that actually makes zero sense, but despite that fact I was deeply impressed by and deeply curious about it.

I found out after from Jennifer that the dance was part of the Chewa tradition of Gulewamkulu which are spirits used to teach lessons to kids. The dance with the pole was apparently bout an animal that tried to climb a tree to warn children against doing that, but that kid at the top looked so freaking cool that I know as a Malawian kid I would be 10000 times more likely to climb trees after seeing that.

I figured out today that it was so incredible to watch young school kids doing it because when we communicate with them, we see uncertainty and nervousness in their eyes, our language and background are so foreign. But this makes them dance and makes them proud, you can see that. This is something they know and is in their blood. They’re too young to be proud of heritage for pride’s sake, they are proud of heritage for heritage sake. I think we all want that innate self-understanding, which makes it so stirring to see.

After the formal ceremony there were refreshments in the new building. We all sat around the perimeter of the empty new staff room and were given rolls and cookies and sodas, and we chatted since we hadn’t been with the North Carolina girls since before Liwonde. After refreshments we hopped on the bus and called tasty bites ahead because we were still so hungry. We got there though and they hadn’t finished so the owner said he’d bring us the food to the lodge, sooo we went back!

And the power was out! Before leaving for Liwonde the power had only gone out during the daytime so you hardly noticed it, you could just use natural light. This was reeeeeeally dark though so we lit candles and tried to unpack. I would now be living with Jessica so that was really exciting. She has a fun aunt vibe that even she pointed out, so she is able to make you feel really familiar with her very quickly. She also calls me roomie a lot which is the best. Soon enough we got word the food was here so we all ate it in the restaurant by candles. Afterwards I sat and talked with Lindsey from T&L as well as two lodge staff members, Simon and Memory. Memory was lying to us saying he was 45 and had 3 wives and 4 children (when in fact he’s 30 and has 1 wife and 1 kid, Simon showed us pictures).

Then shower because I was composed of 3 days of dirt and BED.

With love and a new favorite artist who is also a 4th grader,

Lauren

I am grateful for…

Heepos

The lookout towers

The typing class I took in 7^th grade

What will I do to make today great?

Get to know Jessica better

Get some swag at the Liwonde market

Finish the med school app! (?!)

Daily affirmations. I am…

A fan of hippos

3 Amazing things that happened today…

Edwin Klandamo

The whole ceremony at Domasi Government School

Bonding in the dark

How could I have made today even better?

Been more grateful