These photos show our accommodation.We are in a walled compound, with 24 hour company from 1 or 2 friendly security guards who help to reduce any temptation for theft in the community, as well as providing peace of mind to international volunteers, giving lessons in Chichewa, and advising us on current market prices for food – priceless individuals!
We are the only volunteers currently, but when more arrive we will share our living room, kitchen and bathroom facilities (including a shower), but will still have our spacious double bedroom to ourselves, which is luxurious!
The compound is on a dirt road which I’m sure will become treacherously muddy during the wet season (which is just finishing – we had some cool wet weather last week, but this week is looking lovely), but at the moment is just dusty and pot holed.
We can hear reggae from the guard’s wind-up and solar powered radio, the chirping of many birds, crowing of many cockrels, kids playing and sometimes gospel singing from the nearby churches.
In the grounds there are papaya trees and green-oranges trees, as well as chillis growing – we are free to take from these as we please (the fruit isn’t ready yet, but we’ve already used the chillis).
The guards (and most of the Malawian population) cook up nsima for most meals, on an open fire. Nsima is corn (maize) flour, added to boiled water, to produce something that looks a bit like mashed potatoes, and doesn’t taste of much – but is very filling. It is the staple of the country and is eaten with your hands, and if you are lucky enough to have some veg or meat to add to it you have that on the side as a relish.
We are very happy with the accomodation so far, it is far better than we had imagined and is really very luxurious when power and water are both on (most of the time).
So far there are still not too many mozzies - fingers crossed it stays that way...!
A & R
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