Bizarre Tan Lines

Be forewarned-- if you buy hiking sandals that cover most of your feet and you wear them everyday for three months in Malawi, you may end up with bizarre tan lines. I call them my "tiger stripe feet".

Surprisingly, nobody has commented to me about this, even though I think it looks really funny.

Luckily, that photo was taken back in August, after I had been wearing my sandals everyday. Now that I am teaching I wear different shoes so the tan lines have faded a bit. Which is good.

Side note-- I love the shoes in the photo. I got them here in Malawi at a shoe store called Bata that is part of a chain found throughout Malawi. My feet get filthy in them from walking in the dirt to school, but they are cute and comfortable and cheap so I don't mind. They remind me of the plastic "jelly shoes" I used to wear when I was a little girl. Now if I could find clear plastic ones with sparkles like I had when I was 5, I would really be in business!

No Fridge Required

Which of these does not require refrigeration?

The answer: none of them, at least for a little while.

- Laughing Cow cheese: I bought this at the Shoprite in Lilongwe. I think refrigerated these when I had them in the States, but refrigeration is not mentioned anywhere on the package. I guess there isn't much actual dairy in it then? Still tastes good though. Well, tasted-- I finished these a long time ago.

- Margarine: I had heard that butter could go days without refrigeration, but I had never tried it myself. The container says to store in a cool place. Soon that will be non-existent in Malawi since we are going into hot season. But a fellow teacher told me this stuff will keep unrefrigerated for two years. Mine won't last they long though. I bought this small container so I could make a little toast and butter, and oh my, it is delicious. I should make garlic bread with it too.

- Eggs: Yep, eggs are fine unrefrigerated for several days, if they are freshly laid and unwashed. Eggs have a natural coating that keeps out bacteria and preserves freshness. Lucky me!

Before I cook with an egg, I do a little freshness check, per the Peace Corps Malawi Volunteer Cookbook:

To determine the freshness of an egg, place it in a cup or bowl filled with water.

- Eggs that float are past their prime and should be tossed out

- Eggs that stand on end are more than three days old, but can be used for cooking and baking

- Eggs that lie on their side at the bottom of the cup/bowl are fresh

However, in the U.S. all eggs are washed when they leave the farm, which destroys the coating. So in that case, you should leave your eggs in the fridge. You can read all about it in this article from NPR: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/09/11/336330502/why-the-u-s-chills-its-eggs-and-most-of-the-world-doesnt

care packages from home, what's not to love??!!

Wanted: Typing Software

My school has two computers, one for staff and one for students. Both are running old versions of Windows and are very slow. Of course, there is no internet access so they are just used for typing exams and for computer classes.

One of my fellow teachers wants to learn how to type. If anyone has any typing programs on 3.5-inch floppy disk or a CD-ROM that you don't need anymore, and it is just taking up space in  your office, feel free to send it along. We will put it to good use! That goes for any old programs actually. I teach at the high school level, but there are two primary schools nearby and I am sure they could make use of any kids educational programs. So if you haven't already donated them to Goodwill, you know where to find me.

Zikomo kwambiri (thank you very much)

Watch that Kwach

Malawi is a cash-based society. The currency here is the Malawian Kwacha (MK or K). There are coins as well as bills, but the bills are much more common. The coins I have seen are K1, K5 and K10. However, the cheapest item I have ever seen is K10 for a small onion. At some stores, if you require change and it is less than K20, they will just give you a small sweetie (candy) instead.

The current exchange rate is about K400 = $1. Apparently there has been a lot of inflation in the last several years though. As recently as 2012 the exchange rate was K150 = $1.

According to Peace Corps, 60% of the population in Malawi earn less than K25,000 per month. 80% of the population are farmers. Most of them are subsistence farmers, growing enough food to eat, with a little left over to sell for other necessities like soap, cooking oil and clothing.

Here are prices for a few things in Malawi:

Onion, small - K10

Tomato, small - K20

Egg - K60

Roll of toilet paper - K200

Loaf of bread - K250

Irish potatoes, 1 kg - K180

Rice, 1 kg - K300

Snickers bar - K500

Letter to USA - K670

Jar of peanut butter - K750

Notepad - K800

Jungle Oats, 1 kg - K1000

Tuition at the local Secondary School, per term - K4000

Missing: One Egg Sac

A week ago this praying mantis was hanging out on my fence. A couple days later I noticed an egg sac in the same spot.

Then yesterday one of the neighbor kids was playing and got a bunch of dust in his eyes. He was crying so I brought him in my yard and washed his face and hands.

Afterwards a whole group of the neighbor kids came into my yard to check it out. And since it is Malawi, they immediately fell upon some leaves and tree debris that were laying on my porch and started sweeping it with their hands. I tried to stop them, but they were laughing and then it was done so quickly. Kusesa (sweeping) is very important here. For me though, I don't get too fussed about it since it is in my enclosed yard so nobody can see it anyways. Until now... : )

On the way out, one of the boys took the egg sac off the fence and carried it away before I could stop him. He called it an mbodzi, which means caterpillar.

Poor Mama Mantis.

Mwezi Imodzi

It's been just over one month at site for me kuno ku Malawi. What better way to celebrate than with some fresh papaya? I cut open that big pawpaw and ate my fill. Of course, there was still plenty left over to share with my wonderful neighbors. And they in turn shared some nandolo (pigeon peas) with me, which were quite yummy!

In honor of my first month, I also bought a small pot with a lid (see photo). You would not believe how hard it was to find one though. Now I can boil my drinking water in the big pot and cook my oatmeal in the little pot. Ah, simple pleasures!

The heat here in Malawi is getting more noticeable. Even the locals say so. I've been feeling really tired in the afternoons, Iike the heat is sapping my energy. You know it is hot when you go to put your clothes on, and they actually feel warm to the touch.

This is the fourth week of the term for my students. Today I did a plant pigment chromatography activity with the class. We separated the leaf pigments from some local  plant leaves-- papaya, banana, mango and avocado. I had them try to guess the pigments beforehand based on the color of the leaves, then identify the actual pigments based on the what they saw on the filter paper. This is part of our unit on Photosynthesis. We'll be finishing that up next week and then moving on to Transport Systems in Plants. There are a lot of cool activities we can do in that unit too.

My new favorite meal is eggs and toast with sauteed tomato and onion on top. I cannot get enough of this right now. I found a place in my local trading post that had brown bread too, which makes the meal even better. Tastes more wholesome now.

And lastly, a one month at site update would not be complete without a lizard mention. They continue to be active and underfoot. One fell on me yesterday as I was reaching up for something. I think I was just as surprised as he was! I noticed they make this clicking noise sometimes, maybe when they feel threatened. I actually saw two fight a bit in the corner of my bedroom. A lot of clicking and swirling tails, but it was over quickly. And they both scampered away intact. I'm looking at one right now, paused in the act of climbing down my living room wall. Every time I look up he is a bit lower down the wall, but I never see him actually move. Kinda like the Weeping Angels on Dr Who, only not evil. Don't blink!

So far, so good. And off I go for month two...