15-20 September 2009: Last Days in Malawi, part III
Posted By Sika on June 9, 2010
In the afternoon, we visited my school. It was anticlimactic, as most everybody was on holiday. I felt sorry for the incoming class of first years, meant to be a class of 90 and, since they wouldn’t fit in any of the existing classrooms, they were meant to be taught in the burned out and partially repaired kef.*
We also took a trip to the market, so I could show mom my regular market guys, the ones who always gave me a good deal, the ones who always looked out for me when they had broccoli and zucchini (weird azungu food), and the ones who always made sure to teach me a little Chichewa every time I was there.
Friday was our last day in Zomba, so in the morning we went to Namikango Orphan Care to say goodbye and to let mom meet them and see some of the people I had been working with. They had theirNyau dancers out, and even pulled out the really big monsters for me–scaring the frigging heck out of some of the orphans. After, Mr. Liwonde, Fred, and I talked about what and how the orphan care had been doing and what they still needed, and I explained once again how the American economic problems were affecting them.
I still had to sort some shipping stuff, and then start packing. I had meant to take a picture of the billboard that said, “Voterani Bingu ku Pulezedenti!,” which I forgot to do, and of Christmas Bingu by the Chipiku, which was gone. I really wanted a picture of the Bingu portrait, surrounded by a wreath and flashy lights, but it was not meant to be.
In the evening, we went with Kris to have dinner with the Gondwes. I had been very worried somehow it wouldn’t happen, but we made it work. It was probably the most bittersweet thing that happened, saying goodbye to the Gondwes. Even if Abambo Gondwe told me he’d keep my plot for me up north, and Thoko promised to come with me until I learned Tumbuka. Because obviously this going home thing was just a fad. Mom finally got to eat nsima, so that was good. And I got lots of cuddles from Memo(ry) and Wezi, which was even better.
When Derek got home he was being a manic goofball: starting silly shit with me; then grabbing me to dance around the living room; stealing my camera and taking pictures of his feet, or rolling around like he wanted to take action shots, only he had the camera and never took the pictures until he was done rolling about.
Mom kept looking for the great emotional import in whatever I did, which made my great emotion mostly annoyance.
The next morning, after an early wake up call to finish packing, Scona arrived to drive us to Lilongwe. He wasn’t going to take us—his buddy was, and when Derek was seemingly being overly picky and bwana-ish, he noticed that the car did not have a taxi carnet and that the side of his driver’s license with the picture had been chopped off and taped back on. So, we decided that mom was dating Benson, the driver, and Derek thought to specify that any bribes were to come out of Benson’s money, not ours. I was very grateful, as that never would have occurred to me.
I took pictures of the road along the way, and made it to the airport in time, with no problems at the roadblocks. Our flight was uneventful. And that was the end of my time in Malawi.
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