How Do You. . .? 10 Q&A

I've lived in Malawi for 19 months now. And today I was just reflecting on how once difficult tasks are now so easy. I was discussing with a fellow PCV about making brownies and it dawned on me how normal it felt to not even consider an oven. So here's a Q&A blog featuring 10 questions on how things get done kuno ku Malawi (here in Malawi). 

1. Where do you get water?

- A few yards from my house is a borehole. This is basically a long pipe reaching down into the ground that you must manually pump up and down to get water. I collect it in buckets and take it home. Most days my neighbor kids are more than happy to help do this for me. Occasionally the borehole can break down in which I would have to go about 1km to find water. Did I mention I share this 1 water source with hundreds of people in my village? The bucket lines can be long.  

I have a water filter provided by Peace Corps that makes the water safe to drink once I pour it through. 

2. How do you shower? And do laundry?

- You know those buckets full of water? I have one giant bucket that I fill less than halfway and an extra little cup to help scoop up the water and pour on my hair. This is done inside a small reed and cement fence in the backyard. 

Laundry is soaked in a bucket full of detergent then hand washed vigorously, rinsed, and hung to dry on a line in the backyard. This is by far one of my least favorite chores but I've learned to do it well. 

3. Where do you charge your things?

- My house has no electricity along with everyone bedside me. But the health centre, about 1km away, has had solar charged batteries which can last for quite a while. All the staff use to share 3 outlets and take turns charging. Now, half of the health centre as electricity with outlets and I can use that to charge appliances. 

4. How are you always on Facebook?

- In Malawi, like many places, you can buy an Internet bundle for your phone. Since I have an iPhone, once I buy the monthly bundle through my service provider I can use my apps and email. The more megabytes of Internet you buy, the higher the price. I usually pay about $5 a week. 

5. How do you send documents? And call home?

- In my village, the network is poor. There is 1 spot in my house and maybe 3 at the health centre where I can access email and update FB. To send documents I go to my closest little town with skyband or a wifi internet cafe (about 24km) and upload/send there. This is also where I can print any documents needed off my USB. 

When I'm close to a town where there is a cell tower, I get better service. Sometimes even 3G. With 3G I can use Skype or Viber on my iPhone to call home for free. 

6. So, how do you get to all these places?

- When we moved here, Peace Corps gave us all Trek bikes to use over our 2 years. It is my baby! We go everywhere together. The school where I teach is about 5km one-way from my house. I bike there about 3x a week. I also bike to places like Liwonde National Park about 7km from my house. A trading center where I get simple groceries is about 10km. I bike all these places. The farthest I've biked? 37km one way. 64km there and back.

7. What about the places you can't bike to?

- When I'm going on a long journey, I bike to the paved road (tarmac) or take a bike taxi (about 10km) and then wait for a bus. They can be mini or large and it just depends how I feel that day which bus I will take. I pay the fee and away I go. Sometimes multiple buses are needed to go somewhere far like to the capital. It can take about 6 hours in different buses to get to the capital, called Lilongwe. Lilongwe is where our Peace Corps office is so I make this journey whenever I have to go to the office. 

8. Why not buy a car?

- Peace Corps does not allow their volunteers to drive cars. Mostly for safety reasons. But also for cultural reasons. There's a lot of prejudice here. I'm foreign so expected to have, to drive, or have access to a car. But I do not. I don't fly down the road past all those I work with while they bike or walk. No, I bike or walk too. I break the idea all foreign people can only travel in cars. A car would only separate me more from the community I love. Our goal as Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) is to integrate and live like our community- to become one of them and really understand. What is life like living in a village with no electricity, running water or a car? I now know. I accept a ride now and then from an NGO or a hitch especially in the city when offered and its great but normally in my community, I just bike. And besides, I love explaining to my neighbors that I do not have enough money nor am I allowed to buy a car. They laugh so much. 

9. What do you eat? And how do you cook?

- I eat a lot of vegetables! Also rice, potatoes, beans, nsima, pasta, soup, bread. Occasionally chicken, goat, fish. And sometimes fruits like oranges, bananas, mangoes, avocados- these are all seasonal though. 

I have sacks of charcoal in the backyard that I put into a little metal "stove" and then light on fire using plastic, paper, paraffin, kindling- whatever I can find. Once the charcoal is hot (which takes maybe 20 minutes) I'm ready to cook! Cooking here is no fast task. With an mbaula (charcoal stove) it takes maybe an hour or more to get a complete meal. I've come to appreciate this long art of meal prep. 

I buy veggies and rice and beans in the village and things like pasta and tomato paste from stores. Compared to America, vegetables are unbelievably cheap here! 

10. What is your house like? 

- My house is connected to my landlord's house. There's my bedroom, a guest room, a small open sitting room, and a storage room. The roof is tin and many times leaks, my walls are brick, my floor cement. There are always bugs. Compared to most, my house is a mansion though. My bathroom (aka a hole in the ground called a "Chim") is like an outhouse in the backyard. My kitchen and bathing area are outside too. My entire backyard is fenced in with a brick fence so I have privacy as I bathe and cook. I have candles and torches scattered all around the house that I light each night in order to see. My rent is $12.50 a month. You can't beat that. 

So yes, this is my life and how I live. I hope that answered some questions you all have been asking! Peace and love!