Friday morning I woke up feeling spoiled. I made cup of coffee in my room and sat in bed reading emails and working out website issues. It was cozy, quiet and wonderful!
I went to the lodge and ate little breakfast. This always involves seeing someone I know and can chat with. This morning it was Maureen. She stood with me for a while and we talked and then another guest from the lodge came over and we also talked for a bit. I had met her the night before and learned about her project she is developing in South Africa. I hope to get an email from her soon so I can learn more!
At about 8:45 I walked down to Jess’s house for a meeting with her. We needed to go over details for the next group that is arriving Monday!!! There is a lot to be done on this upcoming trip so there are many details to sort out. We work all year putting these trips together, but it’s always good to finalize details and have a recap before the excitement begins. Jess also has a coffee business here in Malawi called Kumbali Coffee. When you go to her place you always leave with a nice caffeine buzz 😉 I think we sat for about 2 hours talking and drinking coffee. I finally left because I knew she had other work to do. I didn’t want to be the reason she wasn’t getting focused on other things.
Isaac was picking me up at noon so we could hang out and tend to a few things in town. Whenever I’m with Isaac I always learn new things about Malawi and about this area. We got to talking and he realized there was a place I had never seen. He got excited and decided he wanted to take me to see the refugee camp that sits near the airport. It’s actually about 30 min past the airport up in the hills. He told me that this camp is mostly for Congolese, Burundi and Somalian people who run from their countries. As we drove I was thinking about how sad it is to fear for your safety to such a degree that you must run away. Running away from your home sometimes with only a few things and many times without even your entire family. The camp is not what I expected it to be. It looked like any community you might find here in Malawi. There are schools, farms and homes that look like they do all over Malawi. What I thought would be a very sad fenced In place was not all what I found. We drove through the camp and eventually through the market. All the shops are owned by people living in the camp. Food stands, butchers, groceries, small restaurants and bars. Isaac parked the car in the middle of it all and walked me to a small place where he has friends. We sat outside at a woman’s small restaurant. As we sat and watched the people I was struck by how quiet and almost peaceful it was. Lots of people in a small space all working and going about their day. Children running past us laughing and playing. On more than one occasion the kids would stop as they realized there was a “white person” sitting there in the middle of their village. They would stop and smile, then grab their friends and giggle. A few women came over to talk to me and asked if I would take their picture. After one woman had her picture taken with me she wanted to then see the photo on my phone. I showed it to her and she laughed wildly. Then she told Isaac she was going to get her sister because she wanted her to see the picture. Isaac assured her we would wait and off she ran! Moments later she reappeared with her sister. Her sister spoke English almost perfectly and was excited to sit and chat with us for a while. We took some more pictures and just sat learning about each other. She told me that she was a single mother who’s husband had left her. She had tried some jobs, but in the end wanted to work for herself. She proudly told me about her farm and all the things she was growing. “I’m a farmer now!” she said. A while later a man came up and it was obvious to me that he knew this woman. As he began talking to Isaac she leaned over and told me that he was her “fancy”. I thought that was so cute! She explained that maybe she would try again to be married and she felt he may be the one. She was taking things slowly though because she didn’t want to be left again. She and her “fancy” said goodbye and off they walked into the market.
Two men across the way were cooking meat on a grill and had been watching us the entire time. Finally I walked over and asked if I could take a picture of their shop. They were excited to pose and allow me to take a picture. They enjoyed seeing the picture and passing it around to their friends who stood nearby. I went back to my chair and after more talking I noticed the man from the grill motioning to me about my drink. I knew exactly what he wanted and felt happy to repay him for letting me take his picture 🙂 I ordered he and his friend a beer and when they were on the counter I motioned for him to come and get them. A loud cheer came from him and he was giddy as he bounded out from behind his grill to collect the beers. He then needed ME to come behind the grill and have a picture taken with him 🙂 hard to explain, but it was fun. A great way to spend an afternoon. Meeting new people, visiting a place I didn’t even know existed and just enjoying being exactly where I was. We could have sat for much longer, but we knew we needed to get going. I was thankful that Isaac had shared this place with me. I know it may sound crazy that I was enjoying my time in a refugee camp, but I had learned it wasn’t really that at all. It was a community of people who had found safety in Malawi and were proudly making their home and lives there.
On the ride out of the camp I asked him why he likes going there to spend time. I wondered why he would choose this place instead of a place in town where other Malawians were. His answer was simple. He told me that any opportunity he gets to meet people from someplace else he takes. He enjoys learning about other cultures and other kinds of people. He said he thinks it helps him grow and learn more about the world. I would have to agree. Something as simple as sitting for a few hours in a new place can certainly change your perspective and make you think.
As we drove back to the lodge I was reminded why I enjoy Isaac’s company so much and why we have remained friends for so many years. Unexpected experiences are always bound to happen and this is just another one I’ll add to the list. Isaac has been my friend and driver for about 7 or 8 years here in Malawi. He is always who I call if I need to find something or need to find someone in Malawi. He has a wealth of knowledge and is a trusted friend. So many wonderful adventures we have had together!
On the way home we got to talking about something that had happened with someone here in Malawi that I didn’t understand. Isaac is someone I can ask questions to and he always tells me the truth. I had been worried that I had offended someone earlier in the week. I told Isaac the story and asked what he thought. To my surprise (or maybe not) Isaac right away said “ohhhhhh Erin!” Then he took a deep breath and began explaining what exactly had happened between me and this person. Isaac hadn’t been there, but with my information it seemed he knew exactly where the miscommunication was. It actually turned out to be quite funny. We laughed and laughed and then I begged him to call this person so we could play a joke on him. The person I thought I had offended was Eddie. Eddie had been the driver that took my last group to Zambia. Isaac called Eddie and asked him one question….as soon as he asked the question Eddie right away said “Your with Erin!!!” Isaac just kept laughing and I could hear Eddie on the other end of the phone also laughing. It was obvious that Isaac was right and that I had not offended Eddie at all. Eddie and I had just been having two different conversations at the same time and somewhere along the way he thought one thing and I was thinking something completely different. If I hadn’t asked Isaac I would have never known! It isn’t that I don’t want to tell the details of the story to you all. There are so many things I would have to explain and I fear I would lose you all in the process. Hopefully I haven’t already 🙂 Let’s just say it was a simple miscommunication that ended up being quite funny. I think Isaac and Eddie will both laugh about it for a long time!
Only 2 more days until trip #2 begins! Volunteers will soon start their journey to Malawi!!! Travel safe my friends! I’ll see you here!